, nor hIP C308S,C309S,C311S coupled to G q . Taken together, these data confirm that the hIP is isoprenylated and palmitoylated, and collectively these modifications modulate its G protein coupling and effector signaling. We propose that through lipid modification followed by membrane insertion, the C-tail domain of the IP may contain a double loop structure anchored by the dynamically regulated palmitoyl groups proximal to transmembrane domain 7 and by a distal farnesyl isoprenoid permanently attached to its carboxyl terminus.Modification of proteins through the covalent attachment of lipid groups occurs within a wide variety of cellular proteins and may be involved in mediating protein-membrane and/or protein-protein interactions (1-3). Three of the most common lipid modifications are N-myristoylation, isoprenylation and thio(S)-acylation. In contrast to myristoylation and isoprenylation, which typically occur either as co-translational or as immediate post-translational events, S-acylation through attachment of palmitate to Cys residue(s), via a labile thioester bond, occurs post-translationally (1). Moreover, whereas the former two modifications remain attached until protein degradation, palmitoylation is a reversible, dynamic modification that turns over more rapidly than the protein itself and thus has the potential to be regulated (2, 3). A diverse family of cellular proteins are established to be palmitoylated including ␣ subunits of the heterotrimeric G protein subunits, for example G␣ s and G␣ q , Ha-and N-Ras proteins, A kinase anchoring protein 15 and 18, endothelial nitric-oxide synthase, adenylyl cyclase, G protein-coupled receptor kinases 4 and 6, diverse members of the Src family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases, in addition to several members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)