Effects of the C-terminal peptide of the αs subunit of the G protein on the regulation of adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A activities by biogenic amines and glucagon in mollusk and rat muscles

The C-terminal parts of the α subunits of heteromeric G proteins play an important role in the functional linkage of G proteins with receptors of the serpentine type. The present report describes studies of the effects of the C-terminal octapeptide 387–394 of the αs subunit of the mammalian G protein on the transmission of the hormonal signal via the hormone-sensitive adenylyl cyclase signal system, whose major components are receptors of the serpentine type, G proteins, and the enzymes adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A. The peptide synthesized here, 387–394 amide (10-7 - 10-4 M), dose-dependently decreased adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A activities stimulated by serotonin and glucagon in smooth muscle from the freshwater bivalve mollusk Anodonta cygnea and by the β agonist isoproterenol in rat skeletal muscle. At a concentration as low as 10-7 M, the peptide released potentiation of the stimulatory effects of hormones on adenylyl cyclase activity due to the non-hydrolyzable guanine nucleotide analog Gpp[NH]p. At the same time, it had almost no effect on the stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity by non-hormonal agents (NaF, Gpp[NH]p, and forskolin). The inhibitory effects of hormones on adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A activities persisted in the presence of the peptide. Our data demonstrate the importance of the C-terminal part of the αs subunit of the stimulatory G protein for its functional linkage with receptors of the serpentine type and throw light on the molecular mechanisms of the interactions between G proteins and receptors.