Browsing by Subject "Structure-Activity Relationship"
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Item Open Access A prochelator activated by beta-secretase inhibits Abeta aggregation and suppresses copper-induced reactive oxygen species formation.(J Am Chem Soc, 2010-04-14) Folk, Drew S; Franz, Katherine JThe intersection of the amyloid cascade hypothesis and the implication of metal ions in Alzheimer's disease progression has sparked an interest in using metal-binding compounds as potential therapeutic agents. In the present work, we describe a prochelator SWH that is enzymatically activated by beta-secretase to produce a high affinity copper chelator CP. Because beta-secretase is responsible for the amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid precursor protein, this prochelator strategy imparts disease specificity toward copper chelation not possible with general metal chelators. Furthermore, once activated, CP efficiently sequesters copper from amyloid-beta, prevents and disassembles copper-induced amyloid-beta aggregation, and diminishes copper-promoted reactive oxygen species formation.Item Open Access Adrenergic receptors. Models for regulation of signal transduction processes.(Hypertension, 1990-02) Raymond, JR; Hnatowich, M; Lefkowitz, RJ; Caron, MGAdrenergic receptors are prototypic models for the study of the relations between structure and function of G protein-coupled receptors. Each receptor is encoded by a distinct gene. These receptors are integral membrane proteins with several striking structural features. They consist of a single subunit containing seven stretches of 20-28 hydrophobic amino acids that represent potential membrane-spanning alpha-helixes. Many of these receptors share considerable amino acid sequence homology, particularly in the transmembrane domains. All of these macromolecules share other similarities that include one or more potential sites of extracellular N-linked glycosylation near the amino terminus and several potential sites of regulatory phosphorylation that are located intracellularly. By using a variety of techniques, it has been demonstrated that various regions of the receptor molecules are critical for different receptor functions. The seven transmembrane regions of the receptors appear to form a ligand-binding pocket. Cysteine residues in the extracellular domains may stabilize the ligand-binding pocket by participating in disulfide bonds. The cytoplasmic domains contain regions capable of interacting with G proteins and various kinases and are therefore important in such processes as signal transduction, receptor-G protein coupling, receptor sequestration, and down-regulation. Finally, regions of these macromolecules may undergo posttranslational modifications important in the regulation of receptor function. Our understanding of these complex relations is constantly evolving and much work remains to be done. Greater understanding of the basic mechanisms involved in G protein-coupled, receptor-mediated signal transduction may provide leads into the nature of certain pathophysiological states.Item Open Access Anti-AIDS agents 81. Design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationship study of betulinic acid and moronic acid derivatives as potent HIV maturation inhibitors.(J Med Chem, 2010-04-22) Qian, Keduo; Kuo, Reen-Yun; Chen, Chin-Ho; Huang, Li; Morris-Natschke, Susan L; Lee, Kuo-HsiungIn our continuing study of triterpene derivatives as potent anti-HIV agents, different C-3 conformationally restricted betulinic acid (BA, 1) derivatives were designed and synthesized in order to explore the conformational space of the C-3 pharmacophore. 3-O-Monomethylsuccinyl-betulinic acid (MSB) analogues were also designed to better understand the contribution of the C-3' dimethyl group of bevirimat (2), the first-in-class HIV maturation inhibitor, which is currently in phase IIb clinical trials. In addition, another triterpene skeleton, moronic acid (MA, 3), was also employed to study the influence of the backbone and the C-3 modification toward the anti-HIV activity of this compound class. This study enabled us to better understand the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of triterpene-derived anti-HIV agents and led to the design and synthesis of compound 12 (EC(50): 0.0006 microM), which displayed slightly better activity than 2 as a HIV-1 maturation inhibitor.Item Open Access BRD4 Prevents R-Loop Formation and Transcription-Replication Conflicts by Ensuring Efficient Transcription Elongation.(Cell reports, 2020-09) Edwards, Drake S; Maganti, Rohin; Tanksley, Jarred P; Luo, Jie; Park, James JH; Balkanska-Sinclair, Elena; Ling, Jinjie; Floyd, Scott REffective spatio-temporal control of transcription and replication during S-phase is paramount to maintaining genomic integrity and cell survival. Dysregulation of these systems can lead to conflicts between the transcription and replication machinery, causing DNA damage and cell death. BRD4 allows efficient transcriptional elongation by stimulating phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). We report that bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) protein loss of function (LOF) causes RNAPII pausing on the chromatin and DNA damage affecting cells in S-phase. This persistent RNAPII-dependent pausing leads to an accumulation of RNA:DNA hybrids (R-loops) at sites of BRD4 occupancy, leading to transcription-replication conflicts (TRCs), DNA damage, and cell death. Finally, our data show that the BRD4 C-terminal domain, which interacts with P-TEFb, is required to prevent R-loop formation and DNA damage caused by BET protein LOF.Item Open Access Curved FtsZ protofilaments generate bending forces on liposome membranes.(The EMBO journal, 2009-11) Osawa, Masaki; Anderson, David E; Erickson, Harold PWe have created FtsZ-YFP-mts where an amphipathic helix on the C-terminus tethers FtsZ to the membrane. When incorporated inside multi-lamellar tubular liposomes, FtsZ-YFP-mts can assemble Z rings that generate a constriction force. When added to the outside of liposomes, FtsZ-YFP-mts bound and produced concave depressions, bending the membrane in the same direction as the Z ring inside liposomes. Prominent membrane tubules were then extruded at the intersections of concave depressions. We tested the effect of moving the membrane-targeting sequence (mts) from the C-terminus to the N-terminus, which is approximately 180 degrees from the C-terminal tether. When mts-FtsZ-YFP was applied to the outside of liposomes, it generated convex bulges, bending the membrane in the direction opposite to the concave depressions. We conclude that FtsZ protofilaments have a fixed direction of curvature, and the direction of membrane bending depends on which side of the bent protofilament the mts is attached to. This supports models in which the FtsZ constriction force is generated by protofilament bending.Item Open Access Emi2-mediated inhibition of E2-substrate ubiquitin transfer by the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome through a D-box-independent mechanism.(Mol Biol Cell, 2010-08-01) Tang, Wanli; Wu, Judy Qiju; Chen, Chen; Yang, Chih-Sheng; Guo, Jessie Yanxiang; Freel, Christopher D; Kornbluth, SallyVertebrate eggs are arrested at Metaphase II by Emi2, the meiotic anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) inhibitor. Although the importance of Emi2 during oocyte maturation has been widely recognized and its regulation extensively studied, its mechanism of action remained elusive. Many APC/C inhibitors have been reported to act as pseudosubstrates, inhibiting the APC/C by preventing substrate binding. Here we show that a previously identified zinc-binding region is critical for the function of Emi2, whereas the D-box is largely dispensable. We further demonstrate that instead of acting through a "pseudosubstrate" mechanism as previously hypothesized, Emi2 can inhibit Cdc20-dependent activation of the APC/C substoichiometrically, blocking ubiquitin transfer from the ubiquitin-charged E2 to the substrate. These findings provide a novel mechanism of APC/C inhibition wherein the final step of ubiquitin transfer is targeted and raise the interesting possibility that APC/C is inhibited by Emi2 in a catalytic manner.Item Open Access Molecular endpoints of Ca2+/calmodulin- and voltage-dependent inactivation of Ca(v)1.3 channels.(J Gen Physiol, 2010-03) Tadross, Michael R; Ben Johny, Manu; Yue, David TCa(2+)/calmodulin- and voltage-dependent inactivation (CDI and VDI) comprise vital prototypes of Ca(2+) channel modulation, rich with biological consequences. Although the events initiating CDI and VDI are known, their downstream mechanisms have eluded consensus. Competing proposals include hinged-lid occlusion of channels, selectivity filter collapse, and allosteric inhibition of the activation gate. Here, novel theory predicts that perturbations of channel activation should alter inactivation in distinctive ways, depending on which hypothesis holds true. Thus, we systematically mutate the activation gate, formed by all S6 segments within Ca(V)1.3. These channels feature robust baseline CDI, and the resulting mutant library exhibits significant diversity of activation, CDI, and VDI. For CDI, a clear and previously unreported pattern emerges: activation-enhancing mutations proportionately weaken inactivation. This outcome substantiates an allosteric CDI mechanism. For VDI, the data implicate a "hinged lid-shield" mechanism, similar to a hinged-lid process, with a previously unrecognized feature. Namely, we detect a "shield" in Ca(V)1.3 channels that is specialized to repel lid closure. These findings reveal long-sought downstream mechanisms of inactivation and may furnish a framework for the understanding of Ca(2+) channelopathies involving S6 mutations.Item Open Access Neuroprotective efficacy from a lipophilic redox-modulating Mn(III) N-Hexylpyridylporphyrin, MnTnHex-2-PyP: rodent models of ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage.(The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, 2011-09) Sheng, Huaxin; Spasojevic, Ivan; Tse, Hubert M; Jung, Jin Yong; Hong, Jun; Zhang, Zhiquan; Piganelli, Jon D; Batinic-Haberle, Ines; Warner, David SIntracerebroventricular treatment with redox-regulating Mn(III) N-hexylpyridylporphyrin (MnPorphyrin) is remarkably efficacious in experimental central nervous system (CNS) injury. Clinical development has been arrested because of poor blood-brain barrier penetration. Mn(III) meso-tetrakis (N-hexylpyridinium-2-yl) porphyrin (MnTnHex-2-PyP) was synthesized to include four six-carbon (hexyl) side chains on the core MnPorphyrin structure. This has been shown to increase in vitro lipophilicity 13,500-fold relative to the hydrophilic ethyl analog Mn(III) meso-tetrakis(N-ethylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin (MnTE-2-PyP). In normal mice, we found brain MnTnHex-2-PyP accumulation to be ∼9-fold greater than MnTE-2-PyP 24 h after a single intraperitoneal dose. We then evaluated MnTnHex-2-PyP efficacy in outcome-oriented models of focal cerebral ischemia and subarachnoid hemorrhage. For focal ischemia, rats underwent 90-min middle cerebral artery occlusion. Parenteral MnTnHex-2-PyP treatment began 5 min or 6 h after reperfusion onset and continued for 7 days. Neurologic function was improved with both early (P = 0.002) and delayed (P = 0.002) treatment onset. Total infarct size was decreased with both early (P = 0.03) and delayed (P = 0.01) treatment. MnTnHex-2-PyP attenuated nuclear factor κB nuclear DNA binding activity and suppressed tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 expression. For subarachnoid hemorrhage, mice underwent perforation of the anterior cerebral artery and were treated with intraperitoneal MnTnHex-2-PyP or vehicle for 3 days. Neurologic function was improved (P = 0.02), and vasoconstriction of the anterior cerebral (P = 0.0005), middle cerebral (P = 0.003), and internal carotid (P = 0.015) arteries was decreased by MnTnHex-2-PyP. Side-chain elongation preserved MnPorphyrin redox activity, but improved CNS bioavailability sufficient to cause improved outcome from acute CNS injury, despite delay in parenteral treatment onset of up to 6 h. This advance now allows consideration of MnPorphyrins for treatment of cerebrovascular disease.Item Open Access Phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the beta-adrenergic receptor regulates its functional coupling to adenylate cyclase and subcellular distribution.(Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986-12) Sibley, DR; Strasser, RH; Benovic, JL; Daniel, K; Lefkowitz, RJProlonged exposure of cells or tissues to drugs or hormones such as catecholamines leads to a state of refractoriness to further stimulation by that agent, known as homologous desensitization. In the case of the beta-adrenergic receptor coupled to adenylate cyclase, this process has been shown to be intimately associated with the sequestration of the receptors from the cell surface through a cAMP-independent process. Recently, we have shown that homologous desensitization in the frog erythrocyte model system is also associated with increased phosphorylation of the beta-adrenergic receptor. We now provide evidence that the phosphorylation state of the beta-adrenergic receptor regulates its functional coupling to adenylate cyclase, subcellular translocation, and recycling to the cell surface during the process of agonist-induced homologous desensitization. Moreover, we show that the receptor phosphorylation is reversed by a phosphatase specifically associated with the sequestered subcellular compartment. At 23 degrees C, the time courses of beta-adrenergic receptor phosphorylation, sequestration, and adenylate cyclase desensitization are identical, occurring without a lag, exhibiting a t1/2 of 30 min, and reaching a maximum at approximately 3 hr. Upon cell lysis, the sequestered beta-adrenergic receptors can be partially recovered in a light membrane vesicle fraction that is separable from the plasma membranes by differential centrifugation. The increased beta-adrenergic receptor phosphorylation is apparently reversed in the sequestered vesicle fraction as the sequestered receptors exhibit a phosphate/receptor stoichiometry that is similar to that observed under basal conditions. High levels of a beta-adrenergic receptor phosphatase activity appear to be associated with the sequestered vesicle membranes. The functional activity of the phosphorylated beta-adrenergic receptor was examined by reconstituting purified receptor with its biochemical effector the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (Ns) in phospholipid vesicles and assessing the receptor-stimulated GTPase activity of Ns. Compared to controls, phosphorylated beta-adrenergic receptors, purified from desensitized cells, were less efficacious in activating the Ns GTPase activity. These results suggest that phosphorylation of the beta-adrenergic receptor leads to its functional uncoupling and physical translocation away from the cell surface into a sequestered membrane domain. In the sequestered compartment, the phosphorylation is reversed thus enabling the receptor to recycle back to the cell surface and recouple with adenylate cyclase.Item Open Access RanBP2 modulates Cox11 and hexokinase I activities and haploinsufficiency of RanBP2 causes deficits in glucose metabolism.(PLoS Genet, 2006-10) Aslanukov, Azamat; Bhowmick, Reshma; Guruju, Mallikarjuna; Oswald, John; Raz, Dorit; Bush, Ronald A; Sieving, Paul A; Lu, Xinrong; Bock, Cheryl B; Ferreira, Paulo AThe Ran-binding protein 2 (RanBP2) is a large multimodular and pleiotropic protein. Several molecular partners with distinct functions interacting specifically with selective modules of RanBP2 have been identified. Yet, the significance of these interactions with RanBP2 and the genetic and physiological role(s) of RanBP2 in a whole-animal model remain elusive. Here, we report the identification of two novel partners of RanBP2 and a novel physiological role of RanBP2 in a mouse model. RanBP2 associates in vitro and in vivo and colocalizes with the mitochondrial metallochaperone, Cox11, and the pacemaker of glycolysis, hexokinase type I (HKI) via its leucine-rich domain. The leucine-rich domain of RanBP2 also exhibits strong chaperone activity toward intermediate and mature folding species of Cox11 supporting a chaperone role of RanBP2 in the cytosol during Cox11 biogenesis. Cox11 partially colocalizes with HKI, thus supporting additional and distinct roles in cell function. Cox11 is a strong inhibitor of HKI, and RanBP2 suppresses the inhibitory activity of Cox11 over HKI. To probe the physiological role of RanBP2 and its role in HKI function, a mouse model harboring a genetically disrupted RanBP2 locus was generated. RanBP2(-/-) are embryonically lethal, and haploinsufficiency of RanBP2 in an inbred strain causes a pronounced decrease of HKI and ATP levels selectively in the central nervous system. Inbred RanBP2(+/-) mice also exhibit deficits in growth rates and glucose catabolism without impairment of glucose uptake and gluconeogenesis. These phenotypes are accompanied by a decrease in the electrophysiological responses of photosensory and postreceptoral neurons. Hence, RanBP2 and its partners emerge as critical modulators of neuronal HKI, glucose catabolism, energy homeostasis, and targets for metabolic, aging disorders and allied neuropathies.Item Open Access Structural and Functional Analysis of the GADD34:PP1 eIF2α Phosphatase.(Cell reports, 2015-06-18) Choy, Meng S; Yusoff, Permeen; Lee, Irene C; Newton, Jocelyn C; Goh, Catherine W; Page, Rebecca; Shenolikar, Shirish; Peti, WolfgangThe attenuation of protein synthesis via the phosphorylation of eIF2α is a major stress response of all eukaryotic cells. The growth-arrest- and DNA-damage-induced transcript 34 (GADD34) bound to the serine/threonine protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is the necessary eIF2α phosphatase complex that returns mammalian cells to normal protein synthesis following stress. The molecular basis by which GADD34 recruits PP1 and its substrate eIF2α are not fully understood, hindering our understanding of the remarkable selectivity of the GADD34:PP1 phosphatase for eIF2α. Here, we report detailed structural and functional analyses of the GADD34:PP1 holoenzyme and its recruitment of eIF2α. The data highlight independent interactions of PP1 and eIF2α with GADD34, demonstrating that GADD34 functions as a scaffold both in vitro and in cells. This work greatly enhances our molecular understanding of a major cellular eIF2α phosphatase and establishes the foundation for future translational work.Item Open Access Structural basis of beta-adrenergic receptor subtype specificity studied with chimeric beta 1/beta 2-adrenergic receptors.(Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1988-12) Frielle, T; Daniel, KW; Caron, MG; Lefkowitz, RJThe beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors are two structurally related, but pharmacologically distinguishable, receptor subtypes, both of which activate adenylyl cyclase in a catecholamine-dependent manner through the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein Gs. The receptors are approximately 50% identical in amino acid sequence and each is characterized by the presence of seven putative transmembrane domains. To elucidate the structural basis for the pharmacological distinctions between these two receptor subtypes, we constructed a series of chimeric beta 1/beta 2-adrenergic receptor genes and expressed them by injection of RNA into Xenopus laevis oocytes. The pharmacological properties of the expressed chimeric receptor proteins were assessed by radioligand binding and adenylyl cyclase assays utilizing subtype-selective agonists and antagonists. Our data indicate that transmembrane region IV is largely responsible for determining beta 1 vs. beta 2 properties with respect to agonist binding (relative affinities for epinephrine and norepinephrine). Transmembrane regions VI and VII play an important role in determining binding of beta 1 vs. beta 2 selective antagonists. However, a number of the other transmembrane regions also contribute, to a lesser extent, to the determination of beta-adrenergic receptor subtype specificity for agonists and antagonists. Thus, several of the membrane-spanning regions appear to be involved in the determination of receptor subtype specificity, presumably by formation of a ligand-binding pocket, with determinants for agonist and antagonist binding being distinguishable.Item Open Access Structure-activity relationship studies of salubrinal lead to its active biotinylated derivative.(Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters, 2005-09) Long, Kai; Boyce, Michael; Lin, He; Yuan, Junying; Ma, DaweiThe synthesis and structure-activity relationships (SAR) of salubrinal, a small molecule that protects cells from apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, are described. It is revealed that the trichloromethyl group greatly contributes to the activity. Based on the SAR results, salubrinal was converted into a biotinylated derivative which retains activity and can be used as a biological tool for target identification.Item Open Access Structure-Function Analysis of Interallelic Complementation in ROOTY Transheterozygotes.(Plant physiology, 2020-07) Brumos, Javier; Bobay, Benjamin G; Clark, Cierra A; Alonso, Jose M; Stepanova, Anna NAuxin is a crucial plant growth regulator. Forward genetic screens for auxin-related mutants have led to the identification of key genes involved in auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling. Loss-of-function mutations in genes involved in glucosinolate biosynthesis, a metabolically related route that produces defense compounds, result in auxin overproduction. We identified an allelic series of fertile, hypomorphic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants for the essential glucosinolate biosynthetic gene ROOTY (RTY) that exhibit a range of phenotypic defects characteristic of enhanced auxin production. Genetic characterization of these lines uncovered phenotypic suppression by cyp79b2 cyp79b3, wei2, and wei7 mutations and revealed the phenomenon of interallelic complementation in several RTY transheterozygotes. Structural modeling of RTY elucidated the relationships between structure and function in the RTY homo- and heterodimers, and unveiled the likely structural basis of interallelic complementation. This work underscores the importance of employing true null mutants in genetic complementation studies.Item Open Access Study in vitro and in vivo of nociceptin/orphanin FQ(1-13)NH2 analogues substituting N-Me-Gly for Gly2 or Gly3.(Peptides, 2004-08) Chen, Li-xiang; Fang, Quan; Chen, Qiang; Guo, Jia; Wang, Zhuan-zi; Chen, Yong; Wang, RuiIn the present study, two analogues containing N-Me-Gly (Sarcosine, Sar) were synthesized to further investigate the structural-activity relationships of orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ/NC, NC). The replacement of Gly(2) or Gly(3) with Sar increased the flexibility and decreased the hydrophobicity of the N-terminal tetrapeptide. The activity of the analogues was investigated in a series of assays in vivo and in vitro. [Sar(2)]NC(1-13)NH(2) was found to (1) produce dose-dependent inhibition of the electrically induced contraction in MVD assay (pEC(50) = 6.14); (2) produce significant hyperalgesia effects in a dose-dependent manner when intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) injected in mice. The inhibitive effects of [Sar(2)]NC(1-13)NH(2) in MVD assay could be significantly antagonized by [Nphe(1)]NC(1-13)NH(2), and partially antagonized by naloxone; the hyperalgesic effect of [Sar(2)]NC(1-13)NH(2) could be significantly antagonized by naloxone, and partially antagonized by [Nphe(1)]NC(1-13)NH(2). On the contrary, [Sar(3)]NC(1-13)NH(2) showed no effects in these assays. All the findings suggest that the flexibility of the peptide bond between Phe(1) and Gly(2) and between Gly(2) and Gly(3) play an important role in NC-OP(4) receptor interaction, and the hydrophobicity of the N-terminal tetrapeptide showed no significant effect on this interaction. The present work also helps to provide a novel method to elucidate structural and conformational requirements of the opioid peptide-receptor interaction.Item Open Access The structure of irisin reveals a novel intersubunit β-sheet fibronectin type III (FNIII) dimer: implications for receptor activation.(The Journal of biological chemistry, 2013-11) Schumacher, Maria A; Chinnam, Nagababu; Ohashi, Tomoo; Shah, Riddhi Sanjay; Erickson, Harold PIrisin was recently identified as a putative myokine that is induced by exercise. Studies suggest that it is produced by cleavage of the FNDC5 (fibronectin domain-containing protein 5) receptor; irisin corresponds to the extracellular receptor ectodomain. Data suggesting that irisin stimulates white-to-brown fat conversion have led to the hypothesis that it does so by binding an unknown receptor, thus functioning as a myokine. As brown fat promotes energy dissipation, myokines that elicit the transformation of white to brown fat have potentially profound benefits in the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders. Understanding the molecular basis for such exercise-induced phenomena is thus of considerable interest. Moreover, FNDC5-like receptors are highly conserved and have been shown to be critical for neuronal development. However, the structural and molecular mechanisms utilized by these proteins are currently unknown. Here, we describe the crystal structure and biochemical characterization of the FNDC5 ectodomain, corresponding to the irisin myokine. The 2.28 Å structure shows that irisin consists of an N-terminal fibronectin III (FNIII)-like domain attached to a flexible C-terminal tail. Strikingly, the FNIII-like domain forms a continuous intersubunit β-sheet dimer, previously unobserved for any FNIII protein. Biochemical data confirm that irisin is a dimer and that dimerization is unaffected by glycosylation. This finding suggests a possible mechanism for receptor activation by the irisin domain as a preformed myokine dimer ligand or as a paracrine or autocrine dimerization module on FNDC5-like receptors.Item Open Access Tyrosine phosphorylation of G protein alpha subunits by pp60c-src.(Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1992-07-01) Hausdorff, WP; Pitcher, JA; Luttrell, DK; Linder, ME; Kurose, H; Parsons, SJ; Caron, MG; Lefkowitz, RJA number of lines of evidence suggest that cross-talk exists between the cellular signal transduction pathways involving tyrosine phosphorylation catalyzed by members of the pp60c-src kinase family and those mediated by guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G proteins). In this study, we explore the possibility that direct interactions between pp60c-src and G proteins may occur with functional consequences. Preparations of pp60c-src isolated by immunoprecipitation phosphorylate on tyrosine residues the purified G-protein alpha subunits (G alpha) of several heterotrimeric G proteins. Phosphorylation is highly dependent on G-protein conformation, and G alpha(GDP) uncomplexed by beta gamma subunits appears to be the preferred substrate. In functional studies, phosphorylation of stimulatory G alpha (G alpha s) modestly increases the rate of binding of guanosine 5'-[gamma-[35S]thio]triphosphate to Gs as well as the receptor-stimulated steady-state rate of GTP hydrolysis by Gs. Heterotrimeric G proteins may represent a previously unappreciated class of potential substrates for pp60c-src.