signal transduction;
rhodopsin;
transducin;
nucleotide exchange catalysis;
C-terminal mutations;
D O I:
10.1016/j.visres.2006.07.027
中图分类号:
Q189 [神经科学];
学科分类号:
071006 ;
摘要:
In the early steps of visual signal transduction, light-activated rhodopsin (R*) catalyzes GDP/GTP exchange in the heterotrimeric G protein (G alpha beta gamma) transducin. We recently reported that the catalytic interaction involves two sequential steps. An initial docking between R* and G beta gamma leads to conformational changes which make the C-terminus of G alpha (CT alpha) available for binding to R*. Binding of CT alpha by R* then triggers GDP/GTP exchange in the G alpha subunit. To further study this two-step mechanism, we investigated different single amino acid substitutions within CT alpha and discuss the effects of high affinity mutations on nucleotide exchange catalysis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.