Stimulatory GTP regulatory unit Ns and the catalytic unit of adenylate cyclase are tightly associated: mechanistic consequences.

Turkey erythrocyte membranes were solubilized in the mild detergent octylpenta(oxyethylene) [CH3(CH2)7-(OCH2CH2)5OH], which possesses a high critical micelle concentration (approximately equal to 6 mM) and forms small, dynamic micelles. Both the native enzyme Ns(GDP) X C and the p[NH]ppG-preactivated species N's X p[NH]ppG X C' were found to possess the same molecular mass of 215,000 +/- 17,000 daltons. Both enzyme species migrate as a tight complex between Ns and C on both gel permeation columns and on DEAE-Sephacel columns in detergent. The two functional units, Ns and C, remain associated even in dilute detergent solutions and throughout a 300- to 400-fold purification in octylpoly(oxyethylene). These results strongly support the view that Ns and C do not come apart during the process of enzyme activation by the beta-adrenergic receptor. Furthermore, these results strongly support our previous assertion that the beta-adrenergic receptor activation of adenylate cyclase is by a simple "collision coupling" between the receptor and NsC. These results are not compatible with shuttle mechanisms that postulate that Ns physically migrates from the receptor R to the catalytic unit C and back during the activation cycle, as suggested by Citri and Schramm [Citri, Y. & Schramm, M. (1980) Nature (London) 287, 297-300] and by De Lean et al. [De Lean, A., Stadel, J. M. & Lefkowitz, R. J. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 5108-5117].