Stimulation of phospholipase A2 activity in bovine rod outer segments by the beta gamma subunits of transducin and its inhibition by the alpha subunit.

In the rod outer segments (ROS) of bovine retina, light activation of phospholipase A2 has been shown to occur by a transducin-dependent mechanism. In this report, the transducin-mediated stimulation of phospholipase A2 is shown to require dissociation of the alpha beta gamma heterotrimer. Addition of transducin to dark-adapted transducin-poor ROS stimulated phospholipase A2 activity only with coincident exposure to white light or, in the dark, with addition of the hydrolysis-resistant GTP analog, guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP[gamma-S]). Both light and GTP[gamma-S] induced dissociation of the transducin subunits and led to severalfold increases in the phospholipase A2 activity of transducin-rich, but not transducin-poor, ROS. In contrast, pertussis toxin treatment of transducin, which stabilizes the associated state of this G protein, prevented the stimulation of phospholipase A2 by exogenous transducin in the presence of light. Addition of purified transducin subunits to dark-adapted transducin-poor ROS revealed that phospholipase A2 stimulation occurred by action of the beta gamma subunits. This is in contrast to the transducin-mediated increase in cGMP phosphodiesterase activity, where activation occurs by action of the alpha subunit. The alpha subunit, which itself slightly stimulated phospholipase A2 activity, inhibited the beta gamma-induced stimulation of phospholipase A2. This inhibition appears to be the result of subunit reassociation since addition of GTP[gamma-S] abolished the inhibitory effect of the alpha subunit on the beta gamma-induced increase in phospholipase A2, while pertussis toxin treatment of the subunits further inhibited phospholipase A2 activity. Modulation of phospholipase A2 activity by the transducin subunit is, therefore, a mode of action for these subunits in signal transduction.