Exchangeability effectors

Figure 13.2 Activated G protein receptors, here represented as seven red transmembrane helices, catalyze the exchange of GTP for GDP on the Gapy trimer. The then separated Ga-GTP and Gpy molecules activate various effector molecules. The receptor is embedded in the membrane, and Ga, Gpy and G py are attached to the membrane by lipid anchors, and they all therefore move in two dimensions. (Adapted from D. Clapham, Nature 379 297-299, 1996.)...

Polakis, P, McCormick, E Structural requirements for the interaction of p21 with GAP, exchange factors, and its biological effector target. /. Biol. Chem. 268 9157-9160, 1993. 

A subfamily of Rho proteins, the Rnd family of small GTPases, are always GTP-bound and seem to be regulated by expression and localization rather than by nucleotide exchange and hydrolysis. Many Rho GTPase effectors have been identified, including protein and lipid kinases, phospholipase D and numerous adaptor proteins. One of the best characterized effector of RhoA is Rho kinase, which phosphorylates and inactivates myosin phosphatase thereby RhoA causes activation of actomyosin complexes. Rho proteins are preferred targets of bacterial protein toxins ( bacterial toxins). 

In general, the receptor-G-proteins complexes exchange bound GDP for GTP. In turn, the two, smaller subunits of the G-protein components of these complexes are released and the receptor protein dissociates. The remaining G-protein GTP complex then complexes with and activates a specific enzyme. It is very significant to note that G-proteins therefore have at least three specific binding sites (a) for nucleotides, (b) for a receptor protein, and (c) an effector protein. 

Guanine nucleotide exchange factors other than hSos have also been found to activate Ras, as have other effectors (see Table 8.2). These may interact with unique sequences in the effector loop. The question remains, however, as to how many different effectors can attach to activated Ras and what determines the level of their priority. 

Activators (Guanine Nucleotide Exchanger) Inhibitors (GTPase) Effectors... 

G-proteins are molecular timers that couple transmembrane receptor activation to downstream members of the pathway (Fig. 9-5). They are called G-proteins because they are intimately involved with the nucleotide, GTP. Before activation, the G-protein is hanging around in its GDP form. When the activated receptor finds its G-protein it activates it by increasing the rate of exchange between GTP and GDP. Once activated, the G-protein interacts with downstream effectors and can activate... 

Fig. 2. An adrenaline molecule (1) binds to its binding site on the extracellular site of an adrenaline receptor (2). Thereby, the exchange of GDP by GTP in the Ga subunit of a hetero-trimeric G protein (3) is induced, followed by the dissociation of the Ga and Gpr subunits. G now binds and stimulates its effector adenylate cyclase (4), which produces cyclic AMP (5) from ATP (6). This second messenger starts a cascade of enzymatic reactions, which alter the behavior of the cell via several phosphorylation steps... 

Here biophysical methods contributed a reductionistic approach. By analyzing a limited number of actors under well defined conditions, the mechanisms of nucleotide exchange, intrinsic and stimulated GTP-hydrolysis, effector binding, and membrane attachment have been elaborated to present a comprehensive model. 

Signal transduction at G-protein-cou-pled receptors uses essentially the same basic mechanisms (A). Agonist binding to the receptor leads to a change in receptor protein conformatioa This change propagates to the G-protein the a-subunit exchanges GDP for GTP, then dissociates from the two other subunits, associates with an effector protein, and alters its functional state. The a-subunit slowly hydrolyzes bound GTP to GDP. 

Figure 14-1. Signaling via G protein-coupled receptors. Ligand binding to its cell-surface receptor initiates interaction of the receptor with the heterotrimeric G protein for which it is specific. A conformational change in the G protein brought about by binding of the ligand-receptor complex promotes exchange of GDP for GTP. The activated Gd-GTP dissociates from the Gp complex and both can interact with effectors, which carry on the signal to the mechanism that implements the cellular response.

There are at least three major effector pathways that are activated by neurotrophic factor-Trk receptors. The best-characterized pathway is the extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade, which is regifiated by activation of Ras, a small membrane-bound G protein. Activation of Ras occurs when activated Trk receptor associates with adaptor proteins and a GTP exchange factor (see Russell and Duman 2002 for details). Ras in turn recruits and activates a serine threonine kinase, Raf, to the membrane resulting in the activation of ERK kinase (also referred to as MEK) and ERK (also known as mitogen activated protein kinase or MAPK). Activation of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK cascade can lead to regifiation of many celMar proteins, including ribosomal S6-kinase (RSK). 

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