No abstract

Transducin (T), a guanine nucleotide binding regulatory protein composed of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunits, serves as an intermediary between rhodopsin and cGMP phosphodiesterase during signaling in the visual process. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), a reagent that has been used to modify enzymes that bind phosphorylated substrates, was probed here as an affinity label for T. PLP inhibited the guanine nucleotide binding activity of T in a concentration dependent manner, and was covalently incorporated into the protein in the presence of [3H]NaBH4. Approximately 1 mol of 3H was bound per mol of T. GTP and GTP analogs appreciably hindered the incorporation of 3H to T, suggesting that PLP specifically modified the protein active site. Interestingly, PLP modified both the alpha- and beta-subunits of T. Moreover, PLP in the presence of GDP behaved as a GTP analog, since this mixture was capable of dissociating T from T:photoactivated rhodopsin complexes.

Transducin (T) mediates vision in retinal rods by transmitting light signals detected by rhodopsin to a cGMP phosphodiesterase. The flow of information relies on a subunit association/dissociation cycle of T regulated by a guanine nucleotide exchange/hydrolysis reaction. 5'-[p-(Fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl] guanosine (FSBG) was synthesized and examined here as an affinity label for the guanine nucleotide binding site of T. Although the relative binding affinity of FSBG to T was much lower than for GTP and beta,gamma-imido-guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GMPPNP), the incorporation of FSBG to T inhibited its light-dependent [(3)H] GMPPNP binding activity in a concentration dependent manner. Additionally, GDP, GTP and GTP analogs hindered the binding of [(3)H] FSBG to T. These results demonstrated that FSBG could be used to specifically modify the active site of T. In addition, FSBG was not capable of dissociating T from T:photoactivated rhodopsin complexes, suggesting that in this case FSBG is acting as a GDP analog.