β-adrenergic receptor stimulation promotes Gαs internalization through lipid rafts: A study in living cells

John A. Allen, Jiang Z. Yu, Robert J. Donati, Mark M. Rasenick

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

93 Scopus citations

Abstract

Upon binding hormones or drugs, many G protein-coupled receptors are internalized, leading to receptor recycling, receptor desensitization, and down-regulation. Much less understood is whether heterotrimeric G proteins also undergo agonist-induced endocytosis. To investigate the intracellular trafficking of Gαs, we developed a functional Gas-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein that can be visualized in living cells during signal transduction. C6 and MCF-7 cells expressing Gαs-GFP were treated with 10 μM isoproterenol, and trafficking was assessed with fluorescence microscopy. Upon isoproterenol stimulation, Gαs-GFP was removed from the plasma membrane and internalized into vesicles. Vesicles containing Gαs-GFP did not colocalize with markers for early endosomes or late endosomes/lysosomes, revealing that Gαs does not traffic through common endocytic pathways. Furthermore, Gαs-GFP did not colocalize with internalized β2-adrenergic receptors, suggesting that Gαs and receptors are removed from the plasma membrane by distinct endocytic pathways. Nonetheless, activated Gαs-GFP did colocalize in vesicles labeled with fluorescent cholera toxin B, a lipid raft marker. Agonist significantly increased Gαs protein in Triton X-100-insoluble membrane fractions, suggesting that Gas moves into lipid rafts/caveolae after activation. Disruption of rafts/caveolae by treatment with cyclodextrin prevented agonist-induced internalization of Gαs-GFP, as did overexpression of a dominant-negative dynamin. Taken together, these results suggest that receptor-activated Gαs moves into lipid rafts and is internalized from these membrane microdomains. It is suggested that agonist-induced internalization of Gαs plays a specific role in G protein-coupled receptor-mediated signaling and could enable Gαs to traffic into the cellular interior to regulate effectors at multiple cellular sites.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1493-1504
Number of pages12
JournalMolecular pharmacology
Volume67
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2005
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Pharmacology

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