Structural basis of function in heterotrimeric G proteins
Authors: Oldham William M. , E. Hamm Heidi 
Published: August 2006

1. Introduction 22. Heterotrimeric G-protein structure 32.1. G-protein α subunit 32.2. G-protein βγ dimer 82.3. Unique role of Gβ5 in complexes with RGS proteins 92.4. Heterotrimer structure 102.5. Lipid modifications direct membrane association 113. Receptor–G protein complex 113.1. Low affinity interactions between inactive receptors (R) and G proteins 113.2. Receptor activation exposes the high-affinity G-protein binding site 123.3. Receptor–G protein interface 143.4. Structural determinants of receptor–G protein specificity 153.5. Models of the receptor–G protein complex 173.6. Sequential interactions may form the receptor–G protein complex 194. Molecular basis for G-protein activation 194.1. Potential mechanisms of receptor-catalyzed GDP release 204.2. GTP-mediated alteration of the receptor–G protein complex 235. Activation of downstream effector proteins 245.1. Gα interactions with effectors 245.2. Gβγ interactions with effectors and regulatory proteins 266. G-protein inactivation 286.1. Intrinsic GTPase-activity of Gα 286.2. GTPase-activating proteins 307. Novel regulation of G-protein signaling 318. New approaches to study G-protein dynamics 328.1. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy 328.2. Site-directed labeling techniques 338.3. Mapping allosteric connectivity with computational approaches 348.4. Studies of G-protein function in living cells 369. Conclusions 3710. References 38Heterotrimeric guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) act as molecular switches in signaling pathways by coupling the activation of heptahelical receptors at the cell surface to intracellular responses. In the resting state, the G-protein α subunit (Gα) binds GDP and Gβγ. Receptors activate G proteins by catalyzing GTP for GDP exchange on Gα, leading to a structural change in the Gα(GTP) and Gβγ subunits that allows the activation of a variety of downstream effector proteins. The G protein returns to the resting conformation following GTP hydrolysis and subunit re-association. As the G-protein cycle progresses, the Gα subunit traverses through a series of conformational changes. Crystallographic studies of G proteins in many of these conformations have provided substantial insight into the structures of these proteins, the GTP-induced structural changes in Gα, how these changes may lead to subunit dissociation and allow Gα and Gβγ to activate effector proteins, as well as the mechanism of GTP hydrolysis. However, relatively little is known about the receptor–G protein complex and how this interaction leads to GDP release from Gα. This article reviews the structural determinants of the function of heterotrimeric G proteins in mammalian systems at each point in the G-protein cycle with special emphasis on the mechanism of receptor-mediated G-protein activation. The receptor–G protein complex has proven to be a difficult target for crystallography, and several biophysical and computational approaches are discussed that complement the currently available structural information to improve models of this interaction. Additionally, these approaches enable the study of G-protein dynamics in solution, which is becoming an increasingly appreciated component of all aspects of G-protein signaling.