title: Promiscuous coupling at receptor-Galpha fusion proteins. The receptor of one covalent complex interacts with the alpha-subunit of another.
abstract: Fusion proteins between heptahelical receptors (GPCR) and G protein alpha-subunits show enhanced signaling efficiency in transfected cells. This is believed to be the result of molecular proximity, because the interaction between linked modules of one protein chain, if not constrained by structure, should be strongly favored compared with the same in which partners react as free species. To test this assumption we made a series of fusion proteins (type 1 and 4 opioid receptors with G(o) and beta(2) adrenergic and dopamine 1 receptors with G(sL)) and some mutated analogs carrying different tags and defective GPCR or Galpha subunits. Using cotransfection experiments with readout protocols able to distinguish activation at fused and non-fused alpha-subunits, we found that both the GPCR and the Galpha limb of one fusion protein can freely interact with non-fused proteins and the tethered partners of a neighboring fusion complex. Moreover, a bulky polyanionic inhibitor can suppress with identical potency receptor-Galpha interaction, either when occurring between latched domains of a fused system or separate elements of distinct molecules, indicating that the binding surfaces are equally accessible in both cases. These data demonstrate that there is no entropy drive from the linked condition of fusion proteins and suggest that their signaling may result from the GPCR of one complex interacting with the alpha-subunit of another. Moreover, the enhanced coupling efficiency commonly observed for fusion proteins is not due to the receptor tether, but to the transmembrane helix that anchors Galpha to the membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ambrosio
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riitano
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sbraccia
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Grò
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D016264:Dextran Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D016308:Enkephalin, Leucine-2-Alanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate) / Q000378:metabolism; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 / Q000737:chemistry*; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000737:chemistry*; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000737:chemistry*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate); D016308:Enkephalin, Leucine-2-Alanine; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins