Species-related pharmacological heterogeneity of histamine H(3) receptors.

We compared radioligand binding and functional data for histamine H(3) receptor ligands across different tissues or species to evaluate the basis for pharmacological evidence of receptor heterogeneity previously reported. Agonist binding affinities showed correlation coefficients near unity in comparing human, dog, rat, and guinea pig cerebral cortical histamine H(3) receptors. Antagonist binding affinities revealed lower correlations for human compared to dog, rat, or guinea pig, suggesting species-based pharmacological differences. The functional potencies of histamine H(3) receptor antagonists in field-stimulated guinea pig ileum were highly correlated to binding affinities for guinea pig, dog, and, to a lesser extent, rat cerebral cortex. However, antagonist binding affinity at human cerebral cortex did not correlate well with guinea pig ileum functional potency. These results suggest significant interspecies histamine H(3) receptor heterogeneity, consistent with recent receptor gene sequence data. Therefore, genetic heterogeneity, rather than peripheral and central histamine H(3) receptor diversity, is responsible for the pharmacological differences observed.

The role of sequestration in G protein-coupled receptor resensitization. Regulation of beta2-adrenergic receptor dephosphorylation by vesicular acidification.

G protein-coupled receptor kinases phosphorylate the agonist occupied conformation of G protein-coupled receptors in the plasma membrane, leading to their desensitization. Receptor resensitization requires receptor dephosphorylation, a process which is mediated by a plasma and vesicular membrane-associated form of PP-2A. We present evidence that, like receptor phosphorylation, receptor dephosphorylation is tightly regulated, requiring a specific receptor conformation induced by vesicular acidification. In vitro, spontaneous dephosphorylation of phosphorylated receptors is observed only at acidic pH. Furthermore, in intact cells upon agonist stimulation, phosphorylated receptors traffic from the plasma membrane to vesicles where they become physically associated with the phosphatase and dephosphorylated. Treatment of cells with NH4Cl, which disrupts the acidic pH found in endosomal vesicles, blocks association of the receptors with the phosphatase and blocks receptor dephosphorylation. These findings suggest that a conformational change in the receptor induced by acidification of the endosomal vesicles is the key determinant regulating receptor dephosphorylation and resensitization.

G-protein-coupled receptors and their regulation: activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway by G-protein-coupled receptors.

G-protein-coupled receptors that mediate cellular responses to a variety of humoral, endothelial-, or platelet-derived substances are able to stimulate MAP kinase activity. In transfected model systems, G-protein-coupled receptors that couple to pertussis toxin-insensitive G proteins of the Gq/11 family mediate this activation predominantly via a PKC-dependent mechanism. In contrast, activation of MAP kinase by receptors that couple to pertussis toxin-sensitive Gi proteins is PKC-independent and requires downstream activation of the low-molecular-weight G protein, Ras. This pathway can be inhibited by coexpression of peptides that sequester Gbetagamma subunits, and is mimicked by overexpression of Gbetagamma subunits. This Ras-dependent MAP kinase activation requires tyrosine phosphorylation of "docking proteins," including the shc adapter protein, and depends upon recruitment of Grb2/Sos1 complexes to the plasma membrane, thus resembling the pathway of MAP kinase activation employed by the receptor tyrosine kinases. Other molecules, including PI-3-kinases and phosphotyrosine phosphatases, probably also contribute to Gbetagamma-subunit-mediated assembly of a mitogenic signaling complex. Identification of the G-protein-coupled, receptor-regulated tyrosine kinase(s), and the means by which the mitogenic signaling complex is assembled at the plasma membrane, remain subjects of further study.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis of the beta-adrenergic receptor is regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of beta-arrestin1.

beta-Arrestins serve a dual regulatory role in the life cycle of G protein-coupled receptors such as the beta2-adrenergic receptor. First, they mediate rapid desensitization by binding to G protein-coupled receptor kinase-phosphorylated receptors. Second, they target the receptors for internalization into endosomal vesicles, wherein receptor dephosphorylation and resensitization occur. Here we report that phosphorylation of a carboxyl-terminal serine (Ser-412) in beta-arrestin1 regulates its endocytotic but not its desensitization function. Cytoplasmic beta-arrestin1 is constitutively phosphorylated and is recruited to the plasma membrane by agonist stimulation of the receptors. At the plasma membrane, beta-arrestin1 is rapidly dephosphorylated, a process that is required for its clathrin binding and receptor endocytosis but not for its receptor binding and desensitization. Once internalized, beta-arrestin1 is rephosphorylated. Thus, as with the classical endocytic adaptor protein complex AP2, beta-arrestin1 functions as a clathrin adaptor in receptor endocytosis which is regulated by dephosphorylation at the plasma membrane.

Receptor-tyrosine-kinase- and G beta gamma-mediated MAP kinase activation by a common signalling pathway.

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases mediate the phosphorylation and activation of nuclear transcription factors that regulate cell growth. MAP kinase activation may result from stimulation of either tyrosine-kinase (RTK) receptors, which possess intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity, or G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). RTK-mediated mitogenic signalling involves a series of SH2- and SH3-dependent protein-protein interactions between tyrosine-phosphorylated receptor, Shc, Grb2 and Sos, resulting in Ras-dependent MAP kinase activation. The beta gamma subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins (G beta gamma) also mediate Ras-dependent MAP kinase activation by an as-yet unknown mechanism. Here we demonstrate that activation of MAP kinase by Gi-coupled receptors is preceded by the G beta gamma-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc, leading to an increased functional association between Shc, Grb2 and Sos. Moreover, disruption of the Shc-Grb2-Sos complex blocks G beta gamma-mediated MAP kinase activation, indicating that G beta gamma does not mediate MAP kinase activation by a direct interaction with Sos. These results indicate that G beta gamma-mediated MAP kinase activation is initiated by a tyrosine phosphorylation event and proceeds by a pathway common to both GPCRs and RTKs.

The family of bacterial ADP-ribosylating exotoxins.

Pathogenic bacteria utilize a variety of virulence factors that contribute to the clinical manifestation of their pathogenesis. Bacterial ADP-ribosylating exotoxins (bAREs) represent one family of virulence factors that exert their toxic effects by transferring the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD onto specific eucaryotic target proteins. The observations that some bAREs ADP-ribosylate eucaryotic proteins that regulate signal transduction, like the heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins and the low-molecular-weight GTP-binding proteins, has extended interest in bAREs beyond the bacteriology laboratory. Molecular studies have shown that bAREs possess little primary amino acid homology and have diverse quaternary structure-function organization. Underlying this apparent diversity, biochemical and crystallographic studies have shown that several bAREs have conserved active-site structures and possess a conserved glutamic acid within their active sites.

Assignment of functional domains involved in ADP-ribosylation and B-oligomer binding within the carboxyl terminus of the S1 subunit of pertussis toxin.

The roles of the carboxyl terminus of the S1 subunit (composed of 235 amino acids) of pertussis toxin in the ADP-ribosylation of transducin (Gt) and in B-oligomer binding were defined by analysis of two carboxyl-terminal deletion mutants of the recombinant S1 (rS1) subunit: C204, which is composed of amino acids 1 through 204 of S1, and C219, which is composed of amino acids 1 through 219 of S1. C204 was expressed in Escherichia coli as a stable, soluble peptide that had an apparent molecular mass of 23.4 kDa. In a linear velocity assay, the specific activity of C180 was 2% and that of C204 was 80% of the activity displayed by rS1 in catalyzing the ADP-ribosylation of Gt. In addition, C204 possessed catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km) that were 110% at variable Gt concentrations and 40% at variable NAD concentrations of those reported for rS1. These data showed that the catalytic activity of C204 approached the activity of S1. C204 and C219 were unable to associate with the B oligomer under conditions which promoted association of rS1 with the B oligomer. Consistent with these results, mixtures of C204 or C219 with the B oligomer did not elicit a clustering phenotype in CHO cells, whereas rS1 which had associated with the B oligomer was as cytotoxic as native pertussis toxin. These data indicate that residues between 219 and 235 are important in the association of the S1 subunit with the B oligomer. These data allow the assignment of functional regions to the carboxyl terminus of S1. Residues 195 to 204 are required for optimal ADP-ribosyltransferase activity, residues 205 to 219 link the catalytic region of S1 and a B-oligomer-binding region of S1, and residues 220 to 235 are required for association of S1 with the B oligomer.

Molecular characterization of the in vitro activation of pertussis toxin by ATP.

Pertussis toxin (PT)-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of transducin (Gt) is stimulated by ATP. In the absence of ATP, PT exhibited an approximately 20-fold lower linear velocity than the recombinant S1 subunit (rS1) in catalyzing the ADP-ribosylation of Gt. In the presence of 0.1 mM ATP, the linear velocities of rS1 and PT were essentially identical. ATP increased the kcat of PT-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of Gt without altering the Kmapp for either Gt or NAD. Further, in the presence of ATP, PT exhibited similar kinetic constants under conditions of variable Gt and variable NAD as rS1 in catalyzing the ADP-ribosylation of Gt. The S1 subunit of PT was cleaved by chymotrypsin to a single immunoreactive peptide in the absence of ATP, while three immunoreactive peptides were generated in the presence of ATP. The S1 subunit of PT was not cleaved by trypsin in the absence of ATP, at the concentrations of trypsin used, while two immunoreactive peptides were produced in the presence of ATP. The immunoreactive peptides produced either by chymotrypsin or trypsin cleavage of the S1 subunit of PT in the presence of ATP were indistinguishable from those produced by cleavage of rS1 with the same protease. Chymotryptic and tryptic cleavage of rS1 was not altered by ATP. When PT was incubated with ATP prior to Bio-Gel P-100 gel filtration, approximately 8% of the S1 subunit dissociated from the B oligomer, as determined by ADP-ribosyltransferase assays of the column eluant. This increased to 20% when ATP was included in the column buffer. The presence of dithiothreitol and NAD in addition to ATP did not affect the amount of dissociated S1 subunit. Our data further indicated that activation of PT by ATP was a reversible process. Together, these data showed that ATP quantitatively converted the S1 subunit of PT to a form which was kinetically and conformationally identical with rS1, while only a fraction of the S1 subunit was dissociated from the B oligomer. These results indicate that both S1 subunit which is bound to the B oligomer as well as dissociated S1 subunit are capable of catalyzing the ADP-ribosylation of Gt.

Effect of selegiline on speech performance in Parkinson's disease.

Comprehensive speech examinations of 10 equally affected subjects with moderate, treated Parkinson's disease were performed before and 4 weeks following initiation of treatment with selegiline (deprenyl), with other drug therapies unchanged. Forty different measures relating to the speech processes of respiration, phonation, resonation, articulation and prosody were examined to measure changes in performance due to selegiline. Significant improvements were noted for 8 of the 40 measures, with these improvements relating to the speech processes of articulation and respiration. The potential interactive effects of comedication are discussed. In addition, previously undescribed comprehensive speech characteristics of moderate Parkinson's disease are presented and discussed.

The carboxyl terminus of the S1 subunit of pertussis toxin confers high affinity binding to transducin.

The kinetic constants for the ADP-ribosylation of transducin were determined for the recombinant S1 subunit of pertussis toxin (rS1, composed of 235 amino acids) and two genetically derived deletion peptides, C180 and C195, which are composed of the 180 and 195 amino-terminal residues of the S1 subunit, respectively. Titration of NAD in the presence of a constant concentration of transducin (0.5 microM) showed that the KmappNAD in the ADP-ribosylation of transducin were similar, approximately 20 microM, for rS1, C195, and C180. In contrast, titration of transducin in the presence of a constant concentration of NAD (25 nM) showed that rS1 possessed a lower Kmapp(transducin) and greater kcat than either C195 or C180. Previous studies (Cortina, G., and Barbieri, J.T. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 3022-3030) showed that the 16 carboxyl terminal residues of the S1 subunit did not function in the ADP-ribosylation of transducin. It thus appears that residues between 195 and 219 of the S1 subunit are required for high affinity transducin binding and may be involved in the transfer of ADP-ribose to transducin. To localize the defect in the recognition of transducin by C180, rS1 and C180 were assayed for the ability to ADP-ribosylate either transducin or the purified alpha subunit of transducin (T alpha). Upon saturation of the target protein, rS1 ADP-ribosylated equivalent moles of transducin or T alpha, with the linear velocity of rS1-mediated ADP-ribosylation of transducin approximately 16-fold more rapid than the rate of ADP-ribosylation of T alpha. In contrast, the initial linear velocity of C180-mediated ADP-ribosylation of transducin was only 1.7-fold more rapid than the rate of ADP-ribosylation of T alpha. These data indicate that the amino-terminal 180 amino acids of S1 confer the specificity for ADP-ribosylation primarily through the interaction with T alpha, while residues between 195 and 219 of S1 confer high affinity binding to transducin primarily through the interaction, either directly or indirectly, with T beta gamma.