Suitability of GRK Antibodies for Individual Detection and Quantification of GRK Isoforms in Western Blots.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are regulated by GPCR kinases (GRKs) which phosphorylate intracellular domains of the active receptor. This results in the recruitment of arrestins, leading to desensitization and internalization of the GPCR. Aside from acting on GPCRs, GRKs regulate a variety of membrane, cytosolic, and nuclear proteins not only via phosphorylation but also by acting as scaffolding partners. GRKs' versatility is also reflected by their diverse roles in pathological conditions such as cancer, malaria, Parkinson's-, cardiovascular-, and metabolic disease. Reliable tools to study GRKs are the key to specify their role in complex cellular signaling networks. Thus, we examined the specificity of eight commercially available antibodies targeting the four ubiquitously expressed GRKs (GRK2, GRK3, GRK5, and GRK6) in Western blot analysis. We identified one antibody that did not recognize its antigen, as well as antibodies that showed unspecific signals or cross-reactivity. Hence, we strongly recommend testing any antibody with exogenously expressed proteins to clearly confirm identity of the obtained Western blot results. Utilizing the most-suitable antibodies, we established the Western blot-based, cost-effective simple tag-guided analysis of relative protein abundance (STARPA). This method allows comparison of protein levels obtained by immunoblotting with different antibodies. Furthermore, we applied STARPA to determine GRK protein levels in nine commonly used cell lines, revealing differential isoform expression.

Characterization of G-protein coupled receptor kinase interaction with the neurokinin-1 receptor using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer.

To analyze the interaction between the neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor and G-protein coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), we performed bioluminescence resonance energy transfer(2) (BRET(2)) measurements between the family A NK-1 receptor and GRK2 and GRK5 as well as their respective kinase-inactive mutants. We observed agonist induced interaction of both GRK5 and GRK2 with the activated NK-1 receptor. In saturation experiments, we observed GRK5 to interact with the activated receptor in a monophasic manner while GRK2 interacted in a biphasic manner with the low affinity phase corresponding to receptor affinity for GRK5. Agonist induced GRK5 interaction with the receptor was dependent on intact kinase-activity, whereas the high affinity phase of GRK2 interaction was independent of kinase activity. We were surprised to find that the BRET(2) saturation experiments indicated that before receptor activation, the full-length NK-1 receptor, but not a functional C-terminal tail-truncated receptor, is preassociated with GRK5 in a relatively low-affinity state. We demonstrate that GRK5 can compete for agonist induced GRK2 interaction with the NK-1 receptor, whereas GRK2 does not compete for receptor interaction with GRK5. We suggest that GRK5 is preassociated with the NK-1 receptor and that GRK5, rather than GRK2, is a key player in competitive regulation of GRK subtype specific interaction with the NK-1 receptor.

A novel monoclonal antibody against human GRK6 antigen.

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 6 (GRK6) plays a universal role in receptor desensitization, by acting as a receptor-G protein interface, thereby affecting serine/threonine kinases. In this study, a 20-aa-long peptide of human GRK6 C-terminus domain was synthesized and covalently coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). A mouse monoclonal antibody against human GRK6 (anti-GRK6 MAb) was successfully prepared through hybridoma technique by immunizing BALB/c mice with synthesized GRK6426-446-KLH peptides. A high specificity and affinity strain of hybridoma 5D12 were established. The titer of the purified anti-GRK6 MAb was 1.28 × 10(6) measured by indirect ELISA. Western blot and immunocytochemistry experiments were also applied to characterize the antibody specificity. Antibody absorption assays showed that the anti-GRK6 MAb can be blocked by GRK6426-446 peptides. These results indicated that the antibody could bind to GRK6 antigen specifically. This MAb provides valuable support for further studies on the functional properties of GRK6.

Expression, purification, and analysis of G-protein-coupled receptor kinases.

G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinases (GRKs) were first identified based on their ability to specifically phosphorylate activated GPCRs. Although many soluble substrates have since been identified, the chief physiological role of GRKs still remains the uncoupling of GPCRs from heterotrimeric G-proteins by promoting ß-arrestin binding through the phosphorylation of the receptor. It is expected that GRKs recognize activated GPCRs through a docking site that not only recognizes the active conformation of the transmembrane domain of the receptor but also stabilizes a more catalytically competent state of the kinase domain. Many of the recent gains in understanding GRK-receptor interactions have been gleaned through biochemical and structural analysis of recombinantly expressed GRKs. Described herein are current techniques and procedures being used to express, purify, and assay GRKs in both in vitro and living cells.