Fluorescent labeling of signal-transducing G-proteins. Pertussis toxin-catalyzed etheno-ADP ribosylation of transducin.

Nicotinamide 1,N6-ethenoadenine dinucleotide (etheno-NAD, epsilon-NAD), a fluorescent analogue of NAD, was able to serve as a substrate for the bacterial toxin-catalyzed epsilon-ADP ribosylation of signal-transducing G-proteins. Pertussis toxin and transducin were used as a model system to characterize this reaction. Similar to ADP ribosylation using NAD as substrate, the epsilon-ADP ribosylation occurs at the carboxyl-terminal 5-kDa tryptic fragment of the T alpha subunit of transducin with the same labeling stoichiometry; however, the rate of labeling is slightly slower. epsilon-NAD competes with NAD as a substrate which suggests that the epsilon-ADP ribosylation occurs at Cys-347 of the T alpha subunit. The biochemical effects of epsilon-ADP ribosylation on transducin are similar to those of ADP ribosylation and include inhibition of the GTPase and [3H]Gpp(NH)p-binding activities. The epsilon-ADP-ribosylated transducin exhibits a fluorescent spectrum which resembles that of epsilon-ADP with an excitation maximum at 292 nm and an emission maximum of 413 nm. Removal of the amino-terminal peptide of epsilon-ADP-ribosylated T alpha with either Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease or trypsin results in a decrease in the emission intensity. This result suggests that the amino- and carboxyl-terminal peptides of the T alpha molecule may interact with each other as suggested previously (Hingorani, V. N., and Ho, Y.-K. (1987) FEBS Lett. 220, 15-22). epsilon-NAD should prove to be a useful fluorescent substrate for future studies of the ADP ribosylation reaction in biological systems.