title: Homo- and hetero-oligomerization of beta-arrestins in living cells.
abstract: Arrestins are important proteins, which regulate the function of serpentine heptahelical receptors and contribute to multiple signaling pathways downstream of receptors. The ubiquitous beta-arrestins are believed to function exclusively as monomers, although self-association is assumed to control the activity of visual arrestin in the retina, where this isoform is particularly abundant. Here the oligomerization status of beta-arrestins was investigated using different approaches, including co-immunoprecipitation of epitope-tagged beta-arrestins and resonance energy transfer (BRET and FRET) in living cells. At steady state and at physiological concentrations, beta-arrestins constitutively form both homo- and hetero-oligomers. Co-expression of beta-arrestin2 and beta-arrestin1 prevented beta-arrestin1 accumulation into the nucleus, suggesting that hetero-oligomerization may have functional consequences. Our data clearly indicate that beta-arrestins can exist as homo- and hetero-oligomers in living cells and raise the hypothesis that the oligomeric state may regulate their subcellular distribution and functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Institut Cochin, Paris, F-75014 France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Storez
authors.forename: Mark G H
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Issafras
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burtey
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benmerah
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Muntaner
authors.forename: Tristan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Piolot
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tramier
authors.forename: Maité
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coppey-Moisan
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouvier
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Labbé-Jullié
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marullo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019390:Arrestins / Q000737:chemistry*; D019556:COS Cells; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D019281:Dimerization; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008954:Models, Biological; D011485:Protein Binding; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000071557:beta-Arrestins
chemical_list: D019390:Arrestins; C485182:Cyan Fluorescent Protein; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D000071557:beta-Arrestins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins