Guanine Nucleotide Binding Proteins, N, and Ni (Transducin/Camp/Receptor Coupling/Transmembrane Signaling) P
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Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 82, pp. 727-731, February 1985 Biochemistry Antisera against a guanine nucleotide binding protein from retina cross-react with the f3 subunit of the adenylyl cyclase-associated guanine nucleotide binding proteins, N, and Ni (transducin/cAMP/receptor coupling/transmembrane signaling) P. GIERSCHIK*, J. CODINAt, C. SIMONS*, L. BIRNBAUMERt, AND A. SPIEGEL* *Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20205; and tDepartment of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 Communicated by J. E. Rall, October 2, 1984 ABSTRACT Antisera were produced in rabbits against a against TD cross-reacts with the a subunit of Ni but not of guanine nucleotide binding protein (N protein), transducin, Ns; and (iii) antisera against TD can be used as specific purified from bovine retina. Antiserum AS/1, which recog- probes for the ,B subunits of Ns and Ni in crude plasma mem- nized all three subunits (a, 3, and y) of the holoprotein, was branes. tested for cross-reactivity with the subunits of the adenylyl cy- clase [adenylate cyclase; ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1]-associated stimulatory (Ns) and inhibitory (N.) N EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES proteins purified from human erythrocytes. AS/1 showed strong reactivity against the (3subunits of both Ns and N. but Materials. Bovine blood, cerebral cortex, and retinas were failed to cross-react with either the a or y subunits of Ns and obtained from a local slaughterhouse. Human erythrocytes N.. Seven additional antisera against transducin reacted with were either freshly drawn or obtained from outdated bank the 8 subunits but not with the a or y subunits of Ns and N.. A blood. Materials for gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting single antiserum against transducin reacted with the a subunit were obtained from Bio-Rad with the exception of peroxi- of N1 but not of Ns. Immunostaining of the (3subunits of Ns and dase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit Ig (Kierkegaard & Perry) N. was proportional to the amount of ,( subunit blotted and to and radioiodinated staphylococcal protein A (New England the antiserum concentration. Immunostaining of either human Nuclear). The sources of other materials have been cited (4). erythrocyte or bovine cerebral cortical plasma membrane pro- Protein Purification. Retinas were dissected from freshly teins with AS/1 showed a single band, comigrating with the (3 obtained bovine eyes, and ROS membranes were prepared subunit of transducin; this band was absent in bovine erythro- (7). TD was purified from ROS membranes essentially as de- cyte membranes. Estimation of the amount of (3 subunit by scribed (6) except that both isotonic and hypotonic elutions immunoblotting with AS/1 showed that the ( subunit com- were performed six instead of three times. TD was eluted prises "2% of bovine cerebral cortical plasma membrane pro- with hypotonic buffer containing 40 uM guanylylimidodi- tein, =100-fold more than in human erythrocyte membranes. phosphate. Purification of Ns, Ni, and the Mr 40,000 protein These findings provide immunochemical evidence for similar- (which contains the Mr 35,000 and Mr 5,000 subunits of Ns ities in the , subunits and differences in the a and y subunits and Ni) was as described (8). For some experiments (see Fig. of this family of N proteins. Antisera against transducin react 2) a fraction containing both Ns and Ni (after the third specifically with the (3 subunits of Ns and N. in crude plasma DEAE-Sephacel step and before hydroxylapatite chroma- membranes and, thus, can serve as specific probes for the ,3 tography) was used. subunit. Immunization with TD. Six New Zealand White rabbits (AS/1-AS/6) were injected intradermally with 100 tkg of pu- rified TD per animal in complete Freund's adjuvant, fol- Retinal-rod outer-segment (ROS) disc membranes contain a lowed by an injection of 50 ,g in incomplete Freund's adju- guanine nucleotide binding protein (N protein), also termed vant 2 wk later. Some animals received additional booster transducin (TD) (1), that couples light activation of rhodop- injections subsequently. Six other animals (CW/1-CW/6) sin to increased cGMP phosphodiesterase activity (2). TD were injected in an identical way with purified TD treated shows functional (1, 2) and structural (3, 4) homology to the with 6 M urea and 10% mercaptoethanol before emulsion in stimulatory and inhibitory N proteins (Ns and Ni, respective- either complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Animals ly) associated with adenylyl cyclase [adenylate cyclase; ATP were bled before and at intervals after immunization, and pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1]. Ns and N1 are heat-inactivated sera were collected. intrinsic membrane proteins, present in low abundance in Membrane Preparations. Human and bovine erythrocyte plasma membranes (5). Purification of substantial amounts membranes were prepared by hypotonic lysis as described of either protein has not been feasible with available meth- (9). Bovine cerebral cortex was homogenized with a Teflon ods, nor have antisera been readily produced (5). TD, in con- pestle in buffer (10 mM Tris HCl, pH 7.5/2 mM MgCI2/0.25 trast, comprises as much as 4% of ROS membrane protein M sucrose) and was centrifuged at low speed to remove un- (6) and is readily purified in aqueous buffers (6). Therefore, broken cells and then at 10,000 x g for 10 min to collect a we produced antisera in rabbits against purified bovine TD crude membrane pellet. This was washed twice with buffer, and tested the cross-reactivity of these antisera against Ns resuspended in buffer, frozen, and stored in liquid nitrogen. and Ni. We now report that: (i) most (eight of nine) antisera Electrophoresis. NaDodSO4/polacrylamide gel electro- against TD cross-react with the , subunits but not with the a phoresis (10) and discontinuous NaDodSO4 urea/polyacry- or y subunits of purified Ns and Nj; (ii) a single antiserum Abbreviations: N proteins, guanine nucleotide binding proteins; N, The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge stimulatory N associated with adenylyl cyclase; N., inhibitory N as- payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" sociated with adenylyl cyclase; TD, transducin, the retinal N pro- in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. tein; ROS, rod outer segments. 727 Downloaded by guest on October 1, 2021 728 Biochemistry: Gierschik et aLPProc. NatL Acad ScL USA 82 (1985) lamide gradient gel electrophoresis (4) were performed as de- A. Coomassie blue B. Immunoblot scribed. Purified proteins were prepared for electrophoresis 1 2 3 4 5 6 as described (4), and membranes were prepared for electro- phoresis by suspending in sample buffer (10) and boiling for 5 mm. 1 2 345 Blotting and Immunostaining. Proteins were transferred 94-- from gel to nitrocellulose paper with constant current (150 67 94 v mA) for 12 hr in a Bio-Rad transblot apparatus (11). After 43 P transfer, the paper was incubated in 10 mM Tris HCl, pH .nO*. -. Was 7.5/500 mM NaCl with 3% gelatin to block nonspecific pro- tein binding. The paper was then incubated for 4-24 hr at 30 - room temperature in the same buffer containing 1% gelatin 20----- v and various dilutions of rabbit antisera. After being washed, 16.9- 43 the paper was incubated with a second antibody (1 ,ug of 14.4- peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG per ml) for 2 hr at 8.2_-.? room temperature. After repeated washings, papers were 6.2 stained in 8.3 mM Tris HCl, pH 7.5/415 mM NaCl/20% 2.5_-- (vol/vol) methanol/0.015% H202/0.5 mg of 4-chloro-i-naph- thol per ml for 10 min at room temperature. Alternatively, after incubation with the first antibody, papers were washed Ns Ni 40k TD TD 40kNiNs and then incubated with radioiodinated protein A (about FIG. 1. Discontinuous NaDodSO4 urea/polyacrylamide gradient 100,000 cpm/ml) in 50 ml of Tris-buffered saline containing gel electrophoresis of N,, Ni, the M, 40,000 protein, and TD. Ap- 1% gelatin for 45 min at room temperature. The paper was proximately 10 ,tg of each preparation were precipitated and sub- then washed extensively in Tris-buffered saline containing jected to discontinuous NaDodSO4 urea/polyacrylamide gradient 0.05% Tween 20 and dried. Autoradiography was then per- gel electrophoresis as described (4). The gel was stained with Coo- formed with Kodak XAR film with DuPont Cronex image- massie blue. Standards (Mr shown x 10-3) are Pharmacia low mo- intensifying screens at -70'C. Autoradiograms were used to lecular weight standards (lane 1) and cyanogen bromide fragments of identify the relevant band on nitrocellulose blots, and then myoglobin (lane 2). Protein staining shows a (3 subunit of M, 35,000 these were cut out for assay in a gamma spectrometer to and a y subunit of Mr "5000 in each preparation (lanes 3-6). The quantitate immunoreactive protein. Protein concentration molecular weights of the a subunits are 42,000 for N, (lane 3), 40,000 for Ni (lane 4), and 39,000 for TD (lane 6). The M, 40,000 protein (40 was determined as described (12). k) lacks an a subunit. (B) Immunostaining of proteins in A blotted onto nitrocellulose paper. Proteins were subjected to NaDodSO4/ RESULTS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (12.5% gel) and then blotted onto nitrocellulose paper and immunostained. A 1:50 dilution of AS/1 We produced antisera in rabbits against TD purified from was used and incubation with the first antibody was for 24 hr at bovine retina. TD is a heterotrimer consisting of a, /, and y room temperature. AS/1 reacted strongly with all three subunits of subunits (1).