Tertiary and Quaternary Structural Changes in G _iα1 Induced by GTP Hydrolysis

TLDR

GTP hydrolysis induces conformational changes in the Giα1 subunit, as revealed by 2.2‑Å crystallography. GTP hydrolysis causes disorder of switch II/III and linker II, weakens contacts between the alpha‑helical and Ras domains, disorganizes the termini, and promotes quaternary contacts of the amino terminus with neighboring subunits, implying a role for multimeric signaling.

Abstract

Crystallographic analysis of 2.2 angstrom resolution shows that guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis triggers conformational changes in the heterotrimeric G-protein alpha subunit, Gi alpha 1. The switch II and switch III segments become disordered, and linker II connecting the Ras and alpha helical domains moves, thus altering the structures of potential effector and beta gamma binding regions. Contacts between the alpha-helical and Ras domains are weakened, possibly facilitating the release of guanosine diphosphate (GDP). The amino and carboxyl termini, which contain receptor and beta gamma binding determinants, are disordered in the complex with GTP, but are organized into a compact microdomain on GDP hydrolysis. The amino terminus also forms extensive quaternary contacts with neighboring alpha subunits in the lattice, suggesting that multimers of alpha subunits or heterotrimers may play a role in signal transduction.