RGS2 regulates signal transduction in olfactory neurons by attenuating activation of adenylyl cyclase III

The heterotrimeric G-protein Gs couples cell-surface receptors to the activation of adenylyl cyclases and cyclic AMP production (reviewed in refs 1, 2). RGS proteins, which act as GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) for the G-protein alpha-subunits alpha(i) and alpha(q), lack such activity for alpha(s) (refs 3-6). But several RGS proteins inhibit cAMP production by Gs-linked receptors. Here we report that RGS2 reduces cAMP production by odorant-stimulated olfactory epithelium membranes, in which the alpha(s) family member alpha(olf) links odorant receptors to adenylyl cyclase activation. Unexpectedly, RGS2 reduces odorant-elicited cAMP production, not by acting on alpha(olf) but by inhibiting the activity of adenylyl cyclase type III, the predominant adenylyl cyclase isoform in olfactory neurons. Furthermore, whole-cell voltage clamp recordings of odorant-stimulated olfactory neurons indicate that endogenous RGS2 negatively regulates odorant-evoked intracellular signalling. These results reveal a mechanism for controlling the activities of adenylyl cyclases, which probably contributes to the ability of olfactory neurons to discriminate odours.     

Hormonal stimulation of adenylyl cyclase through Gi-protein beta gamma subunits.

Agonist-bound receptors activate heterotrimeric (alpha beta gamma) G proteins by catalysing replacement by GTP of GDP bound to the alpha subunit, resulting in dissociation of alpha-GTP from the beta gamma subunits. In most cases, alpha-GTP carries the signal to effectors, as in hormonal stimulation and inhibition of adenylyl cyclase by alpha s and alpha i respectively. By contrast, genetic evidence in yeast and studies in mammalian cells suggest that beta gamma subunits of G proteins may also regulate effector pathways. Indeed, of the four recombinant mammalian adenylyl cyclases available for study, two, adenylyl cyclases II and IV, are stimulated by beta gamma. This effect of beta gamma requires costimulation by alpha s-GTP. This conditional pattern of effector responsiveness led to the prediction that receptors coupled to many G proteins will mediate elevation of cellular cyclic AMP, provided that Gs is also active. We now confirm this prediction. Coexpression of mutationally active alpha s with adenylyl cyclase II converted agonists that act through 'inhibitory' receptors (coupled to Gi) into stimulators of cAMP synthesis. Experiments using pertussis toxin and a putative scavenger of beta gamma, the alpha subunit of transducin, suggest that beta gamma subunits of the Gi proteins mediated this stimulation. These findings assign a new signalling function to beta gamma subunits of Gi proteins, the conditional stimulation of cAMP synthesis by adenylyl cyclase II.     

Pituitary hyperplasia and gigantism in mice caused by a cholera toxin transgene.

Cyclic AMP is thought to act as an intracellular second messenger, mediating the physiological response of many cell types to extracellular signals. In the pituitary, growth hormone (GH)-producing cells (somatotrophs) proliferate and produce GH in response to hypothalamic GH-releasing factor, which binds a receptor that stimulates Gs protein activation of adenylyl cyclase. We have now determined whether somatotroph proliferation and GH production are stimulated by cAMP alone, or require concurrent, non-Gs-mediated induction of other regulatory molecules by designing a transgene to induce chronic supraphysiological concentrations of cAMP in somatotrophs. The rat GH promoter was used to express an intracellular form of cholera toxin, a non-cytotoxic and irreversible activator of Gs. Introduction of this transgene into mice caused gigantism, elevated serum GH levels, somatotroph proliferation and pituitary hyperplasia. These results support the direct triggering of these events by cAMP, and illustrate the utility of cholera toxin transgenes as a tool for physiological engineering.     

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to GS protein alpha-subunit sequence accelerate differentiation of fibroblasts to adipocytes.

Fully-differentiated mouse 3T3-L1 fibroblasts accumulate large amounts of lipid at 7-10 days after induction by insulin or by dexamethasone and a methyl xanthine. G proteins mediate transmembrane signalling from a diverse group of cell-surface receptors to effector units that include phospholipase C, adenylyl cyclase and ion channels. They are also targets of regulation themselves. 3T3-L1 fibroblasts display marked changes in levels of G protein when induced to differentiate to adipocytes. Here we show that cholera toxin, which ADP-ribosylates and activates the G protein subunit Gs alpha, blocks the induction of differentiation, whereas increasing intracellular cyclic AMP directly with the dibutyryl analogue or indirectly with pertussis toxin or forskolin does not affect differentiation. Oligodeoxynucleotides antisense to the sequence encoding Gs alpha accelerate differentiation markedly. The time course of adipogenesis declined from 7-10 days in controls to roughly 3 days in cultures treated with antisense-Gs alpha oligodeoxynucleotides, whereas oligodeoxynucleotides, antisense to Gi alpha 1, Gi alpha 3, and sense and missense to Gs alpha, had no such effect. Antisense-Gs alpha alone induced differentiation by day 7, indicating that Gs alpha activity modulates differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells, acting in a new role which is independent of increased intracellular cAMP.     

Mutant alpha subunits of Gi2 inhibit cyclic AMP accumulation

One or more of three Gi proteins, Gi1-3, mediates hormonal inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Whether this inhibition is mediated by the alpha or by the beta gamma subunits of Gi proteins is unclear. Mutations inhibiting the intrinsic GTPase activity of another G protein, the stimulatory regulator of adenylyl cyclase (Gs), constitutively activate it by replacing either of two conserved amino acids in its alpha subunit (alpha s). These mutations create the gsp oncogene which is found in human pituitary and thyroid tumours. In a second group of human endocrine tumours, somatic mutations in the alpha subunit of Gi2 replace a residue cognate to one of those affected by gsp mutations. This implies that the mutations convert the alpha i2 gene into a dominantly acting oncogene, called gip2, and that the mutant alpha i2 subunits are constitutively active. We have therefore assessed cyclic AMP accumulation in cultured cells which stably or transiently express exogenous wild-type alpha i2 complementary DNA or either of two mutant alpha i2 cDNAs. The results show that putatively oncogenic mutations in alpha i2 constitutively activate the protein's ability to inhibit cAMP accumulation.     

Identification of receptor contact site involved in receptor-G protein coupling

The mammalian G proteins transduce information from extracellular signals, including neurotransmitters, hormones and sensory stimuli, into regulation of effector enzymes or ion channels within cells. Triggered by appropriate extracellular signals, receptor proteins specifically activate members of the G protein family by catalysing replacement of GDP by GTP at the guanine nucleotide binding site. Like the receptor proteins, the heterotrimeric G proteins exhibit impressive structural similarities, suggesting that all receptor-G protein interactions use homologous structural elements and a single molecular mechanism. Topologically equivalent portions of each G protein may therefore interact with the appropriate receptor. We recently predicted the secondary structure of a composite G protein alpha-chain and proposed that a predicted amphipathic alpha-helix at the extreme carboxy-terminus of the polypeptide directly contacts receptors. This proposal has now been confirmed by sequencing complementary DNAs of the gene that encodes the alpha-chain (alpha s) of the stimulatory regulator (Gs) of adenylyl cyclase in wild-type cells and in a mutant mouse S49 lymphoma cell line, unc, in which Gs cannot be activated by hormone receptors. The sequences reveal a point mutation in the unc gene that substitutes a proline residue for an arginine near the carboxy-terminus of the alpha s-polypeptide. Expression of recombinant alpha s-unc in genetically alpha s-deficient S49 cells reproduces the unc phenotype.     

A mutation that prevents GTP-dependent activation of the alpha chain of Gs

Membrane-bound G proteins carry information from receptors on the outside of cells to effector proteins inside cells. The alpha subunits of these heterotrimeric proteins bind and hydrolyse GTP and control the specificity of interactions with receptor and effector elements. Signalling by G proteins involves a cycle in which the inactive alpha beta gamma-GDP complex dissociates to produce alpha*-GTP, which is capable of activating the effector enzyme or ion channel; the alpha*-GTP complex hydrolyses bound GTP and reassociates with beta gamma to form the inactive complex. We have characterized a mutation that interrupts this GTP-driven cycle in alpha s, the alpha-chain of Gs, the G protein that stimulates adenylyl cyclase. The mutation converts a glycine to an alanine residue in the presumed GDP-binding domain of alpha s. The location and biochemical consequences of this mutation suggest a common mechanism by which binding of GTP or ATP may induce changes in the conformation of a number of nucleoside triphosphate binding proteins.     

Multiple D2 dopamine receptors produced by alternative RNA splicing

Dopamine receptor belong to a large class of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors that are linked to their signal transduction pathways through guanine nucleotide binding regulatory proteins (G proteins). Pharmacological, biochemical and physiological criteria have been used to define two subcategories of dopamine receptors referred to as D1 and D2. D1 receptors activate adenylyl cyclase and are coupled with the Gs regulatory protein. By contrast, activation of D2 receptors results in various responses including inhibition of adenylyl cyclase, inhibition of phosphatidylinositol turnover, increase in K+ channel activity and inhibition of Ca2+ mobilization. The G protein(s) linking the D2 receptors to these responses have not been identified, although D2 receptors have been shown to both copurify and functionally reconstitute with both Gi and Go related proteins. The diversity of responses elicited by D2-receptor activation could reflect the existence of multiple D2 receptor subtypes, the identification of which is facilitated by the recent cloning of a complementary DNA encoding a rat D2 receptor. This receptor exhibits considerable amino-acid homology with other members of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. Here we report the identification and cloning of a cDNA encoding an RNA splice variant of the rat D2 receptor cDNA. This cDNA codes for a receptor isoform which is predominantly expressed in the brain and contains an additional 29 amino acids in the third cytoplasmic loop, a region believed to be involved in G protein coupling.     

Abolition of the expression of inhibitory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein Gi activity in diabetes

Many cell-surface receptors for hormones appear to exert their effects on target cells by interacting with specific guanine nucleotide binding regulatory proteins (G-proteins) which couple receptors to their second-messenger signal generation systems. A common intracellular second messenger, which is used by many hormones, is cyclic AMP. This is produced by adenylate cyclase, whose activity is controlled by two G-proteins, Gs which mediates stimulatory effects and Gi inhibitory effects on adenylate cyclase activity. In liver, the hormone glucagon increases intracellular cAMP concentrations by activating adenylate cyclase by a Gs-mediated process. This effect of glucagon is antagonised by the hormone insulin, although the molecular mechanism by which insulin elicits its actions is obscure. However, insulin receptors exhibit a tyrosyl kinase activity and appear to interact with G-proteins, perhaps by causing phosphorylation of them. In type I diabetes, circulating insulin levels are abnormally low, giving rise to gross perturbations of metabolism as well as to a variety of complications such as ionic disturbances, neuropathies of the nervous system, respiratory and cardiovascular aberrations and predisposition to infection. We show here that experimentally-induced type I diabetes leads to the loss of expression of Gi in rat liver. As it has been suggested that Gi may couple receptors to K+-channels as well as mediating the inhibition of adenylate cyclase, aberrations in the control of expression of this key regulatory protein in type I diabetes may be expected to lead to pleiotropic effects.     

Differential regulation of PI hydrolysis and adenylyl cyclase by muscarinic receptor subtypes

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), like many other neurotransmitter and hormone receptors, transduce agonist signals by activating G proteins to regulate ion channel activity and the generation of second messengers via the phosphoinositide (PI) and adenylyl cyclase systems. Human mAChRs are a family of at least four gene products which have distinct primary structures, ligand-binding properties and patterns of tissue-specific expression. To examine the question of whether functional differences exist between multiple receptor subtypes, we have investigated the ability of each subtype to regulate PI hydrolysis and adenylyl cyclase when expressed individually in a cell lacking endogenous mAChRs. We show that the HM2 and HM3 mAChRs efficiently inhibit adenylyl cyclase activity but poorly activate PI hydrolysis. In contrast, the HM1 and HM4 mAChRs strongly activate PI hydrolysis, but do not inhibit adenylyl cyclase, and in fact can substantially elevate cAMP levels. Interestingly, the subtypes that we find to be functionally similar are also more similar in sequence. Our results indicate that the different receptor subtypes are functionally specialized.     

Phosducin is a protein kinase A-regulated G-protein regulator.

Signal transduction by G-protein-coupled receptors is regulated by various mechanisms acting at the receptor level; those studied most thoroughly are from the beta-adrenergic receptor/Gs/adenylyl cyclase system. We report here a regulatory mechanism occurring at the level of the G proteins themselves. A protein with M(r) 33,000 that inhibits Gs-GTPase activity was purified from bovine brain. This protein is very similar or identical to phosducin, a protein previously thought to be specific for retina and pineal gland. Recombinant phosducin inhibited the GTPase activity of several G proteins, and also inhibited Gs-mediated adenylyl cyclase activation. Blockade of its inhibitory effects by protein kinase A suggests that phosducin may be part of a complex regulatory network controlling G-protein-mediated signalling.     

Endogenous ADP-ribosylation of Gs subunit and autonomous regulation of adenylate cyclase

Although cholera toxin induces a marked stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity in rat adipocyte plasma membranes, the holotoxin induces only a slight increase of cyclic AMP accumulation in intact cells. A similar apparent anomaly is seen with pertussis toxin, which has been shown to inhibit the Gi subunit of adenylate cyclase, and has a greater effect on cAMP accumulation and lipolysis than the activation by cholera toxin of the Gs subunit. To understand better the way in which these bacterial toxins are modifying the adipocyte cells, we prepared adipocyte plasma membranes and submitted them to ADP-ribosylation by cholera and pertussis toxins. During the incubation of control cells, we found endogenous ADP-ribosylation of Gs as a result of sustained stimulation of Gi by adenosine. Our results point to a possible homoeostatic system in which the autonomous adjustment of the basal activity of Gs as a function of that of Gi, under the control of feedback inhibitory ligands, ensures a steady production of cAMP within the cell.     

Molecular cloning and expression of the gene for a human D1 dopamine receptor

The diverse physiological actions of dopamine are mediated by its interaction with two basic types of G protein-coupled receptor, D1 and D2, which stimulate and inhibit, respectively, the enzyme adenylyl cyclase. Alterations in the number or activity of these receptors may be a contributory factor in diseases such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of the gene encoding a human D1 dopamine receptor. The coding region of this gene is intronless, unlike the gene encoding the D2 dopamine receptor. The D1 receptor gene encodes a protein of 446 amino acids having a predicted relative molecular mass of 49,300 and a transmembrane topology similar to that of other G protein-coupled receptors. Transient or stable expression of the cloned gene in host cells established specific ligand binding and functional activity characteristic of a D1 dopamine receptor coupled to stimulation of adenylyl cyclase. Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization revealed that the messenger RNA for this receptor is most abundant in caudate, nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, with little or no mRNA detectable in substantia nigra, liver, kidney, or heart. Several observations from this work in conjunction with results from other studies are consistent with the idea that other D1 dopamine receptor subtypes may exist.     

Primary structure and functional expression of a cyclic nucleotide-activated channel from olfactory neurons.

Odorant signal transduction occurs in the specialized cilia of the olfactory sensory neurons. Considerable biochemical evidence now indicates that this process could be mediated by a G protein-coupled cascade using cyclic AMP as an intracellular second messenger. A stimulatory G protein alpha subunit is expressed at high levels in olfactory neurons and is specifically enriched in the cilia, as is a novel form of adenylyl cyclase. This implies that the olfactory transduction cascade might involve unique molecular components. Electrophysiological studies have identified a cyclic nucleotide-activated ion channel in olfactory cilia. These observations provide evidence for a model in which odorants increase intracellular cAMP concentration, which in turn activates this channel and depolarizes the sensory neuron. An analogous cascade regulating a cGMP-gated channel mediates visual transduction in photoreceptor cells. The formal similarities between olfactory and visual transduction suggest that the two systems might use homologous channels. Here we report the molecular cloning, functional expression and characterization of a channel that is likely to mediate olfactory transduction.     

Activation of two signal-transduction systems in hepatocytes by glucagon

The ability of glucagon to stimulate glycogen breakdown in liver played a key part in the classic identification of cyclic AMP and hormonally stimulated adenylate cyclase. But several observations indicate that glucagon can exert effects independent of elevating intracellular cAMP concentrations. These effects are probably mediated by an elevation of the intracellular concentration of free Ca2+ although the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. We show here that glucagon, at the low concentrations found physiologically, causes both a breakdown of inositol phospholipids and the production of inositol phosphates. Indeed, we show that the glucagon analogue, (1-N-alpha-trinitrophenylhistidine,12-homoarginine)glucagon (TH-glucagon), which does not activate adenylate cyclase or cause any increase in cAMP in hepatocytes yet can fully stimulate glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis and urea synthesis, stimulates the production of inositol phosphates. This stimulation of inositol phospholipid metabolism by low concentrations of glucagon provides a mechanism whereby glucagon can exert cAMP-independent actions on target cells. We suggest that hepatocytes possess two distinct receptors for glucagon, a GR-1 receptor coupled to stimulate inositol phospholipid breakdown and a GR-2 receptor coupled to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity.     

Cloning of the gene for a human dopamine D5 receptor with higher affinity for dopamine than D1.

Dopamine receptors belong to a superfamily of receptors that exert their biological effects through guanine nucleotide-binding (G) proteins. Two main dopamine receptor subtypes have been identified, D1 and D2, which differ in their pharmacological and biochemical characteristics. D1 stimulates adenylyl cyclase activity, whereas D2 inhibits it. Both receptors are primary targets for drugs used to treat many psychomotor diseases, including Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. Whereas the dopamine D1 receptor has been cloned, biochemical and behavioural data indicate that dopamine D1-like receptors exist which either are not linked to adenylyl cyclase or display different pharmacological activities. We report here the cloning of a gene encoding a 477-amino-acid protein with strong homology to the cloned D1 receptor. The receptor, called D5, binds drugs with a pharmacological profile similar to that of the cloned D1 receptor, but displays a 10-fold higher affinity for the endogenous agonist, dopamine. As with D1, the dopamine D5 receptor stimulates adenylyl cyclase activity. Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses reveal that the receptor is neuron-specific, localized primarily within limbic regions of the brain; no messenger RNA was detected in kidney, liver, heart or parathyroid gland. The existence of a dopamine D1-like receptor with these characteristics had not been predicted and may represent an alternative pathway for dopamine-mediated events and regulation of D2 receptor activity.     

Glucagon stimulates the cardiac Ca2+ current by activation of adenylyl cyclase and inhibition of phosphodiesterase

Glucagon exerts positive inotropic and chronotropic effects in the heart. Like its glycogenolytic effect in liver cells, the cardiac effects of glucagon are often correlated with adenylyl cyclase stimulation. Therefore, cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation of L-type Ca2+ channels might be involved in the inotropic effect of glucagon. There have been no reports, however, of the effects of glucagon on the cardiac Ca2+ current (ICa). Also, the physiological effects of glucagon could involve mechanisms other than stimulation of adenylyl cyclase. Here we show that glucagon enhances ICa in frog and rat ventricular myocytes. The effect of glucagon in rats resulted from a stimulation of adenylyl cyclase. In frogs, however, the effect of glucagon on ICa was smaller and occurred at a concentration tenfold lower than in rats, and adenylyl cyclase was not modified. In addition, cAMP potentiated the effect of glucagon on ICa in frog ventricle, which correlated with the observed inhibition by glucagon of low-Km cAMP phosphodiesterase activity. Therefore, this is an example of a hormone that affects cardiac function in a similar way to a variety of synthetic cardiotonic compounds, such as milrinone and Ro-20-1724. Inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity by glucagon may be essential in animals in which glucagon increases cardiac contractility but does not effectively stimulate adenylyl cyclase.     

Crystal structure of the β2 adrenergic receptor-Gs protein complex

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are responsible for the majority of cellular responses to hormones and neurotransmitters as well as the senses of sight, olfaction and taste. The paradigm of GPCR signalling is the activation of a heterotrimeric GTP binding protein (G protein) by an agonist-occupied receptor. The β(2) adrenergic receptor (β(2)AR) activation of Gs, the stimulatory G protein for adenylyl cyclase, has long been a model system for GPCR signalling. Here we present the crystal structure of the active state ternary complex composed of agonist-occupied monomeric β(2)AR and nucleotide-free Gs heterotrimer. The principal interactions between the β(2)AR and Gs involve the amino- and carboxy-terminal α-helices of Gs, with conformational changes propagating to the nucleotide-binding pocket. The largest conformational changes in the β(2)AR include a 14 ? outward movement at the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane segment 6 (TM6) and an α-helical extension of the cytoplasmic end of TM5. The most surprising observation is a major displacement of the α-helical domain of Gαs relative to the Ras-like GTPase domain. This crystal structure represents the first high-resolution view of transmembrane signalling by a GPCR.     

A neurofibromatosis-1-regulated pathway is required for learning in Drosophila

The tumour-suppressor gene Neurofibromatosis 1 (Nf1) encodes a Ras-specific GTPase activating protein (Ras-GAP). In addition to being involved in tumour formation, NF1 has been reported to cause learning defects in humans and Nf1 knockout mice. However, it remains to be determined whether the observed learning defect is secondary to abnormal development. The Drosophila NF1 protein is highly conserved, showing 60% identity of its 2,803 amino acids with human NF1 (ref. 12). Previous studies have suggested that Drosophila NF1 acts not only as a Ras-GAP but also as a possible regulator of the cAMP pathway that involves the rutabaga (rut)-encoded adenylyl cyclase. Because rut was isolated as a learning and short-term memory mutant, we have pursued the hypothesis that NF1 may affect learning through its control of the Rut-adenylyl cyclase/cAMP pathway. Here we show that NF1 affects learning and short-term memory independently of its developmental effects. We show that G-protein-activated adenylyl cyclase activity consists of NF1-independent and NF1-dependent components, and that the mechanism of the NF1-dependent activation of the Rut-adenylyl cyclase pathway is essential for mediating Drosophila learning and memory.