Syntrophin isoforms play specific functional roles in the α1D-adrenergic receptor/DAPC signalosome

α1D-Adrenergic receptors, key regulators of cardiovascular system function, are organized as a multi-protein complex in the plasma membrane. Using a Type-I PDZ-binding motif in their distal C-terminal domain, α1D-ARs associate with syntrophins and dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC) members utrophin, dystrobrevin and α-catulin. Three of the five syntrophin isoforms (α, β1 and β2) interact with α1D-ARs and our previous studies suggest multiple isoforms are required for proper α1D-AR function in vivo. This study determined the contribution of each specific syntrophin isoform to α1D-AR function. Radioligand binding experiments reveal α-syntrophin enhances α1D-AR binding site density, while phosphoinositol and ERK1/2 signaling assays indicate β2-syntrophin augments full and partial agonist efficacy for coupling to downstream signaling mechanisms. The results of this study provide clear evidence that the cytosolic components within the α1D-AR/DAPC signalosome significantly alter the pharmacological properties of α1-AR ligands in vitro.