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Sci. Signal., 28 September 2010
Vol. 3, Issue 141, p. ra71
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2000980]

RESEARCH ARTICLES

Editor's Summary

Ligand-Induced Coupling
A long-standing question regarding the activation of heterotrimeric G proteins by G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) is whether the association between the GPCR and the G protein is stimulated by the binding of ligand to the receptor, or whether the receptor and G protein are precoupled. Xu et al. addressed this question by measuring the mobilities of fluorescent fusion proteins of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) receptor 1 (cAR1), a GPCR for the chemoattractant cAMP, and the Gβ subunit in live Dictyostelium cells. The receptor and G protein moved independently in the plasma membrane and at different speeds. Whereas exposure of cells to cAMP had no effect on the mobility of cAR1, the mobility of a fraction of the faster-moving G proteins was reduced. Together with computer simulations of the effects of various proposed receptor–G protein coupling mechanisms on downstream signaling, these data suggest that the interaction between cAR1 and its G protein does not occur until the receptor is bound to ligand, and provide a means for investigating the G protein–coupling mechanisms of other GPCRs.

Citation: X. Xu, T. Meckel, J. A. Brzostowski, J. Yan, M. Meier-Schellersheim, T. Jin, Coupling Mechanism of a GPCR and a Heterotrimeric G Protein During Chemoattractant Gradient Sensing in Dictyostelium. Sci. Signal. 3, ra71 (2010).

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