Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.1.4.1 (phosphodiesterase)
18,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The rod and cone transducins are specific G proteins originally thought to be present only in photoreceptor cells of the vertebrate retina. Transducins convert light stimulation of photoreceptor opsins into activation of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (reviewed in refs. 5-7). A transducin-like G protein, gustducin, has been identified and cloned from rat taste cells. We report here that rod transducin is also present in vertebrate taste cells, where it specifically activates a phosphodiesterase isolated from taste tissue. Furthermore, the bitter compound denatonium in the presence of taste-cell membranes activates transducin but not Gi. A peptide that competitively inhibits rhodopsin activation of transducin also blocks taste-cell membrane activation of transducin, arguing for the involvement of a seven-transmembrane-helix G-protein-coupled receptor. These results suggest that rod transducin transduces bitter taste by coupling taste receptor(s) to taste-cell phosphodiesterase. Phosphodieterase-mediated degradation of cyclic nucleotides may lead to taste-cell depolarization through the recently identified cyclic-nucleotide-suppressible conductance.
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PMID:Coupling of bitter receptor to phosphodiesterase through transducin in taste receptor cells. 759 26

The taste-specific G-protein alpha-subunit, alpha-gustducin, was expressed using a baculovirus based system. alpha-Gustducin was demonstrated to be myristoylated and was also palmitoylated in insect larval cells. Recombinant alpha-gustducin was purified to homogeneity. Neither receptors nor effectors that interact with gustducin in taste are known. However, alpha-gustducin has a close structural similarity to the visual G-protein, alpha-transducin. Therefore alpha-gustducin was reconstituted with components of the visual system to determine the degree of its functional similarity with alpha-transducin. Despite the fact that the sequences of alpha-gustducin and alpha-transducin share only 80% identity with each other, the interactions and functions of these two proteins were quantitatively identical. These included the interaction with receptor, bovine rhodopsin, with effector, bovine retinal cyclic GMP-phosphodiesterase, and with bovine brain and retinal G-protein beta gamma-heterodimers; receptor-catalysed GDP-GTP exchange and the intrinsic GTPase activity of alpha-gustducin and alpha-transducin were also identical. Gi alpha which is 70% identical with alpha-transducin interacts with different receptor and effector proteins and has very different guanine-nucleotide binding properties. Therefore, the functional equivalence of alpha-gustducin and alpha-transducin suggest that taste buds are likely to contain receptor and effector proteins that share many properties with their retinal equivalents.
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PMID:Functional expression of the taste specific G-protein, alpha-gustducin. 762 29

In vertebrate rod cells, the activated alpha-subunit of rod transducin interacts with the gamma (regulatory) subunits of phosphodiesterase to disinhibit the catalytic subunits. A 22-amino acid long region of rod transducin involved in phosphodiesterase activation has recently been identified. We have used peptides from this region of rod transducin and from several other G protein alpha-subunits to study the nature and specificity of the G protein alpha-effector interaction. Although peptides derived from rod transducin, cone transducin and gustducin are similar, only the rod peptide is capable of activating rod phosphodiesterase. Using substituted peptides we have identified five residues on one exposed face of rod transducin as important to phosphodiesterase activation. These results disagree with previous models which propose that loop regions of rod transducin interact with phosphodiesterase gamma.
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PMID:Biochemical analysis of the transducin-phosphodiesterase interaction. 763 79

To identify and characterize those proteins involved in taste transduction, we cloned G proteins and phosphodiesterases from rat taste tissue. Using degenerate primers corresponding to conserved regions of G protein alpha subunits, the polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify and clone eight distinct cDNAs: alpha i-2, alpha i-3, alpha 12, alpha 14, a(s), alpha t-rod, alpha t-cone and alpha gustducin. alpha i-3, alpha 14, alpha s, and alpha t-rod are more highly expressed in taste tissue than in the surrounding nonsensory tissue. alpha gustducin is only expressed in taste cells. Rod transducin had previously been found only in the rod cells of the retina, where it converts light stimulation of rhodopsin into activation of cGMP phosphodiesterase. The primary sequence of alpha gustducin shows striking similarities to rod transducin in the receptor interaction domain and the phosphodiesterase activation site. We propose that gustducin and transducin regulate phosphodiesterase activity in taste cells and that this may promote bitter transduction and inhibit sweet transduction. Consistent with this proposal, we cloned two types of cAMP PDE from taste tissue: dnc-1 and PDE-3.
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PMID:Molecular cloning of G proteins and phosphodiesterases from rat taste cells. 787 85

In the vertebrate taste cell, heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) are involved in the transduction of both bitter and sweet taste stimulants. The bitter compound denatonium raises the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in rat taste cells, apparently via G protein-mediated increases in inositol trisphosphate. Sucrose causes a G protein-dependent generation of cAMP in rat taste bud membranes; elevation of cAMP levels leads to taste cell depolarization. To identify and characterize those proteins involved in the taste transduction process, we have cloned G protein alpha subunit (G alpha) cDNAs from rat taste cells. Using degenerate primers corresponding to conserved regions of G proteins, we used the polymerase chain reaction to amplify and clone taste cell G alpha cDNAs. Eight distinct G alpha cDNAs were isolated, cloned and sequenced from a taste cell library. Among these clones was alpha gustducin, a novel taste G alpha closely related to the transducins. In addition to alpha gustducin, we cloned rod and cone transducins from taste cells. This is the first identification of transducin expression outside photoreceptor cells. The primary sequence of alpha gustducin shows similarities to the transducins in the receptor interaction domain and the phosphodiesterase activation site. These sequence similarities suggest that gustducin and transducin regulate taste cell phosphodiesterase, probably in bitter taste transduction.
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PMID:Gustducin and transducin: a tale of two G proteins. 816 77

Recent research on cellular mechanisms of peripheral taste has defined transduction pathways involving membrane receptors, G proteins, second messengers, and ion channels. Receptors for organic tastants received much attention, because they provide the specificity of a response. Their future cloning will constitute a major advance. Taste transduction typically utilizes two or more pathways in parallel. For instance, sweet-sensitive taste cells of the rat appear to respond to sucrose with activation of adenylyl cyclase, followed by adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent membrane events and Ca2+ uptake. The same cells respond differently to some artificial sweeteners, i.e., with activation of phospholipase C (PLC) followed by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Some bitter tastants block K+ channels or initiate the cascade receptor G1 protein, PLC, IP3, and Ca2+ release or the cascade receptor alpha-gustducin, phosphodiesterase (PDE), cAMP decrease, and opening of cAMP-blocked channels. Membrane-permeant bitter tastants may elicit a cellular response by interacting with G protein, PLC, or PDE of the above cascades. Salt taste is initiated by current flowing into the taste cell through cation channels located in the apical membrane, even though basolateral channels may also contribute (following salt diffusion through paracellular pathways). In rodents, the Na+-specific component of salt taste is typically mediated by apical amiloride-sensitive Na+ channels, but less specific and not amiloride-sensitive taste components exist in addition. Sour taste may in part be mediated by amiloride-sensitive Na+ channels conducting protons, but other mechanisms certainly contribute. Thus the transduction of taste cells generally comprises parallel pathways. Furthermore, the transduction pathways vary with the location of taste buds on the tongue and, of course, across species of animals. To identify these pathways, to understand how they are controlled and why they evolved to this complexity are major goals of present research.
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PMID:Taste reception. 875 87

The alpha subunit (Galpha) of heterotrimeric G proteins is a major determinant of signaling selectivity. The Galpha structure essentially comprises a GTPase "Ras-like" domain (RasD) and a unique alpha-helical domain (HD). We used the vertebrate phototransduction model to test for potential functions of HD and found that the HD of the retinal transducin Galpha (Galphat) and the closely related gustducin (Galphag), but not Galphai1, Galphas, or Galphaq synergistically enhance guanosine 5'-gamma[-thio]triphosphate bound Galphat (GalphatGTPgammaS) activation of bovine rod cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE). In addition, both HDt and HDg, but not HDi1, HDs, or HDq attenuate the trypsin-activated PDE. GalphatGDP and HDt attenuation of trypsin-activated PDE saturate with similar affinities and to an identical 38% of initial activity. These data suggest that interaction of intact Galphat with the PDE catalytic core may be caused by the HD moiety, and they indicate an independent site(s) for the HD moiety of Galphat within the PDE catalytic core in addition to the sites for the inhibitory Pgamma subunits. The HD moiety of GalphatGDP is an attenuator of the activated catalytic core, whereas in the presence of activated GalphatGTPgammaS the independently expressed HDt is a potent synergist. Rhodopsin catalysis of Galphat activation enhances the PDE activation produced by subsaturating levels of Galphat, suggesting a HD-moiety synergism from a transient conformation of Galphat. These results establish HD-selective regulations of vertebrate retinal PDE, and they provide evidence demonstrating that the HD is a modulatory domain. We suggest that the HD works in concert with the RasD, enhancing the efficiency of G protein signaling.
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PMID:The helical domain of a G protein alpha subunit is a regulator of its effector. 978 8

The G protein alpha subunit (Galpha) is composed of two distinct folding domains: a GTP-binding Ras-like domain and an alpha helical domain (HD). We have recently reported that the helical domain (HDt) of the vertebrate visual transducin alpha subunit (Galphat) synergizes activation of retinal cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) by activated Galphat (Liu, W., and Northup, J. K., (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 95, 12878-12883). Here, we examine the molecular basis for this HD-based signaling regulation, and we provide a new model for the activation of the target effector. The HD proteins derived from visual transducin or taste gustducin alpha subunits, but no other Galpha HD proteins, each attenuate the PDE catalytic core (Palphabeta) and synergize Galphat stimulation of the holoPDE (Palphabetagamma2) with similar apparent affinities. The data from studies of both HDt-mediated attenuation and stimulation indicate that the HDt and the PDE inhibitory subunit (Pgamma) interact with PDE at independent sites and that Palphabeta contains the binding sites for HD. The saturation of both processes by HDt displays positive cooperativity with Hill coefficients of 1.5 for the attenuation of Palphabeta activity and 2.1 for synergism of holoPDE activation. Our data suggest the that Galphat-HDt regulates PDE by allosterically decreasing the affinity of Palphabeta for Pgamma and thus simultaneously facilitating the interaction of the activated Galphat-Ras-like domain with Pgamma. Thus, we propose a new model for the high efficiency of PDE activation as well as deactivation, and, overall, a novel mechanism for controlling fidelity, sensitivity, and efficacy of G protein signaling.
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PMID:Mechanism of allosteric regulation of the rod cGMP phosphodiesterase activity by the helical domain of transducin alpha subunit. 985 93

Gustducin is a transducin-like G protein selectively expressed in taste receptor cells. The alpha subunit of gustducin (alpha-gustducin) is critical for transduction of responses to bitter or sweet compounds. We identified a G-protein gamma subunit (Ggamma13) that colocalized with alpha-gustducin in taste receptor cells. Of 19 alpha-gustducin/Ggamma13-positive taste receptor cells profiled, all expressed the G protein beta3 subunit (Gbeta3); approximately 80% also expressed Gbeta1. Gustducin heterotrimers (alpha-gustducin/Gbeta1/Ggamma13) were activated by taste cell membranes plus bitter denatonium. Antibodies against Ggamma13 blocked the denatonium-induced increase of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) in taste tissue. We conclude that gustducin heterotrimers transduce responses to bitter and sweet compounds via alpha-gustducin's regulation of phosphodiesterase (PDE) and Gbetagamma's activation of phospholipase C (PLC).
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PMID:Ggamma13 colocalizes with gustducin in taste receptor cells and mediates IP3 responses to bitter denatonium. 1057 Apr 81

Current evidence points to the existence of multiple processes for bitter taste transduction. Previous work demonstrated involvement of the polyphosphoinositide system and an alpha-gustducin (Galpha(gust))-mediated stimulation of phosphodiesterase in bitter taste transduction. Additionally, a taste-enriched G protein gamma-subunit, Ggamma(13), colocalizes with Galpha(gust) and mediates the denatonium-stimulated production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)). Using quench-flow techniques, we show here that the bitter stimuli, denatonium and strychnine, induce rapid (50-100 ms) and transient reductions in cAMP and cGMP and increases in IP(3) in murine taste tissue. This decrease of cyclic nucleotides is inhibited by Galpha(gust) antibodies, whereas the increase in IP(3) is not affected by antibodies to Galpha(gust). IP(3) production is inhibited by antibodies specific to phospholipase C-beta(2) (PLC-beta(2)), a PLC isoform known to be activated by Gbetagamma-subunits. Antibodies to PLC-beta(3) or to PLC-beta(4) were without effect. These data suggest a transduction mechanism for bitter taste involving the rapid and transient metabolism of dual second messenger systems, both mediated through a taste cell G protein, likely composed of Galpha(gust)/beta/gamma(13), with both systems being simultaneously activated in the same bitter-sensitive taste receptor cell.
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PMID:Bitter taste transduced by PLC-beta(2)-dependent rise in IP(3) and alpha-gustducin-dependent fall in cyclic nucleotides. 1124 89


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