Chemotaxis Signal Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
Dev Cell. 2012 Jan 17;22(1):92-103. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2011.11.007.
Activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) leads to the dissociation of heterotrimeric G-proteins into Gα and Gβγ subunits, which go on to regulate various effectors involved in a panoply of cellular responses. During chemotaxis, Gβγ subunits regulate actin assembly and migration, but the protein(s) linking Gβγ to the actin cytoskeleton remains unknown. Here, we identified a Gβγ effector, ElmoE in Dictyostelium, and demonstrated that it is required for GPCR-mediated chemotaxis. Remarkably, ElmoE associates with Gβγ and Dock-like proteins to activate the small GTPase Rac, in a GPCR-dependent manner, and also associates with Arp2/3 complex and F-actin. Thus, ElmoE serves as a link between chemoattractant GPCRs, G-proteins and the actin cytoskeleton. The pathway, consisting of GPCR, Gβγ, Elmo/Dock, Rac, and Arp2/3, spatially guides the growth of dendritic actin networks in pseudopods of eukaryotic cells during chemotaxis.
G 蛋白偶联受体 (GPCRs) 的激活导致异三聚体 G 蛋白解离为 Gα 和 Gβγ 亚基,这些亚基继续调节各种效应物,参与多种细胞反应。在趋化作用过程中,Gβγ 亚基调节肌动蛋白组装和迁移,但将 Gβγ 与肌动蛋白细胞骨架连接的蛋白质仍不清楚。在这里,我们鉴定了盘基网柄菌中的 Gβγ 效应物 ElmoE,并证明它是 GPCR 介导的趋化作用所必需的。值得注意的是,ElmoE 以 GPCR 依赖的方式与 Gβγ 和 Dock 样蛋白结合,激活小 GTPase Rac,还与 Arp2/3 复合物和 F-肌动蛋白结合。因此,ElmoE 充当趋化性 GPCR、G 蛋白和肌动蛋白细胞骨架之间的连接物。该途径由 GPCR、Gβγ、Elmo/Dock、Rac 和 Arp2/3 组成,在趋化作用过程中,在真核细胞的伪足中空间引导树突状肌动蛋白网络的生长。