The heterotrimeric G protein, G~i2, transduces signals from seven membrane spanning receptors to effectors such as adenylyl cyclase and ion channels. The purpose of this study was to identify these or other cellular proteins that interact with G,d2 by use of the yeast two-hybrid system. A human B cell cDNA library was screened by this system using full length Gin2. Four positive colonies were obtained. Two of the four were identified as nucleobindin, a calcium binding protein and a putative antigen to which anti-nuclear antibodies are generated in mice with a disorder that resembles systemic lupus erythematosus. Nucleobindin has a leucinc zipper, EF hands, and a signal peptide sequence and is thought to localize to the nucleus as well as being secreted. The specificity of intehraction between G~2 and nucleobindin was confirmed by an in vitro binding assay using recombinant proteins. Transfeetion of Gai2 and nucleobindin in COS cells increased G~i2 expression relative to cells transfected with Goi2 and mock vector. Our results indicate that the yeast two-hybrid system provides a means to identify novel proteins that interact with G,~ proteins. Nucleobindin appears to represent one of those proteins.