Desensitization of guanine nucleotide binding protein-coupled receptors is a ubiquitous phenomenon characterized by declining effector activity upon persistent agonist stimulation. The luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LH/CGR) in ovarian follicles exhibits desensitization of effector adenylyl cyclase activity in response to the mid-cycle surge of LH. We have previously shown that uncoupling of the agonist-activated LH/CGR from the stimulatory G protein (G s) is dependent on GTP and attributable to binding of -arrestin present in adenylyl cyclase-rich follicular membrane fraction to the third intracellular (3i) loop of the receptor. Here, we report that LH/CGR-dependent desensitization is mimicked by ADP ribosylation factor nucleotide-binding site opener, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor of the small G proteins ADP ribosylation factors (Arfs) 1 and 6, and blocked by synthetic N-terminal Arf6 peptide, suggesting that the GTP-dependent step of LH/CGR desensitization is receptor-dependent Arf6 activation. Arf activation by GTP and ADP ribosylation factor nucelotide-binding site opener promotes the release of docked -arrestin from the membrane, making -arrestin available for LH/CGR; Arf6 but not Arf1 peptides block -arrestin release from the membrane. Thus, LH/CGR appears to activate two membrane delimited signaling cascades via two types of G proteins: heterotrimeric Gs and small G protein Arf6. Arf6 activation releases docked -arrestin necessary for receptor desensitization, providing a feedback mechanism for receptor self-regulation.T he luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LH/ CGR) belongs to the seven transmembrane family of receptors that signal by the activation of guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins and downstream effectors including adenylyl cyclase (AC) (1-4). Characteristic of virtually all G proteincoupled receptors (GPCRs) (5), LH-and human (h) CG-stimulated AC activities wane in response to persistent stimulation of the LH/CGR by saturating agonist concentrations (6-8). We have previously shown that desensitization of the endogenous ovarian follicular LH/CGR in a cell-free membrane model is GTP dependent (K m Ϸ70 nM) (9-11). Based on the ability of anti-arrestin antibodies to abrogate LH/CGR desensitization, we concluded that endogenous plasma membranebound -arrestin mediates desensitization of the follicular LH/ CGR (12). Using synthetic peptides, we have also shown that on LH/CGR activation, -arrestin specifically binds to the 3i loop of the activated LH/CGR, blocking its interaction with G s (13). Here, we investigate the molecular basis of the GTP dependence of LH/CGR desensitization and the mechanism of the release of the membrane-bound -arrestin required for LH/CGR desensitization.
Materials and MethodsMaterials. , ADP ribosylation factor (Arf) nucleotide-binding site opener (ARNO) and ARNO mutant proteins (15), and Clostridium difficile and Clostridium sordelli toxins (16) were expressed and purified as described. Myristoylated (Myr)-Arf6(2-13), non-Myr-...