Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.
Subscribe

Sci. Signal., 29 May 2012
Vol. 5, Issue 226, p. re2
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003013]

REVIEWS

Signal Activation and Inactivation by the Gα Helical Domain: A Long-Neglected Partner in G Protein Signaling

Henrik G. Dohlman* and Janice C. Jones

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.

Gloss: Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptors (GPCRs) transduce cellular responses to sensory signals, hormones, and neurotransmitters, as well as clinically relevant drugs. The G protein α subunit consists of two domains, one that resembles the guanosine triphosphatase Ras and another that is composed entirely of α helices. The Ras-like domain was long believed to mediate the core signaling functions of the G protein. In this review, which contains 1 figure and 46 references, we highlight studies that have revealed the occurrence of unexpected structural changes within the helical domain, which appear to underlie signal initiation by their cognate GPCRs.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: hdohlman{at}med.unc.edu

Citation: H. G. Dohlman, J. C. Jones, Signal Activation and Inactivation by the Gα Helical Domain: A Long-Neglected Partner in G Protein Signaling. Sci. Signal. 5, re2 (2012).

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Substrate specificity of Pasteurella multocida toxin for {alpha} subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins.
J. H. C. Orth, I. Fester, P. Siegert, M. Weise, U. Lanner, S. Kamitani, T. Tachibana, B. A. Wilson, A. Schlosser, Y. Horiguchi, et al. (2013)
FASEB J 27, 832-842
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882