Chiyuki Akiyama#, Taku Nagao and Hitoshi Kurose*
Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, University of Tokyo,
7 - 3 - 1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113 - 0033, Japan
#Present address: Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., 1 - 16 - 13, Kitakatushika,
Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 134 - 8630, Japan
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract: When the wild type ƒÀ1-adrenergic receptor
(WT-ƒÀ1AR) was expressed in Sf9 cells, the ƒÀ1AR-stimulated
adenylyl cyclase activities were desensitized by prior treatment with isoproterenol.
The extent of ƒÀ1AR desensitization was not modified, and the
onset was not promoted by the overexpression of G protein-coupled receptor
kinase 2 (GRK2), GRK5 or GRK6. However, overexpression of the dominant negative
mutant of GRK2 appeared to inhibit desensitization of the ƒÀ1AR.
The change of the potential protein kinase A phosphorylation site located
at the intracellular third loop did not affect ƒÀ1AR desensitization.
Desensitization of the truncated mutant, in which nearly all of the serine
and threonine residues from the carboxyl terminus were eliminated, was the
same as that of the WT-ƒÀ1AR. A deletion mutant that lacked serine
and threonine residues of the intracellualr third loop was also desensitized
by isoproterenol stimulation. Furthermore, the deletion of serine and threonine
residues from both the intracellular third loop and carboxyl terminus did
not affect desensitization of the ƒÀ1AR. These results suggested
that phosphorylation by endogenous GRKs in Sf9 cells contributed to desensitization
of the ƒÀ1AR and that the regions other than third intracellular
loop and carboxyl terminus may be responsible for ƒÀ1AR desensitization.
Keywords: ƒÀ1-Adrenergic receptor, Sf9 cell, G protein-coupled
receptor kinase, Protein kinase A,
Desensitization