As the oxytocin receptor plays a key role in parturition and lactation, there is considerable interest in defining its structure/functional relationships. We previously showed that the rat oxytocin receptor transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells was coupled to both G q/11 and G i/o , and that oxytocin stimulated ERK-2 phosphorylation and prostaglandin E 2 synthesis via protein kinase C activity. In this study, we show that deletion of 51 amino acid residues from the carboxyl terminus resulted in reduced affinity for oxytocin and a corresponding rightward shift in the dose-response curve for oxytocin-stimulated [Ca 2؉ ] i . However, oxytocin-stimulated ERK-2 phosphorylation and prostaglandin E 2 synthesis did not occur in cells expressing the truncated receptor. Oxytocin also failed to increase phospholipase A activity or activate protein kinase C, indicating that the mutant receptor is uncoupled from G q -mediated pathways. The ⌬51 receptor is coupled to G i , as oxytocin-stimulated Ca 2؉ transients were inhibited by pertussis toxin, and a G␥ sequestrant. Preincubation of ⌬51 cells with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, also blocked the oxytocin effect. A ⌬39 mutant had all the activities of the wild type oxytocin receptor. These results show that the portion between 39 and 51 residues from the COOH terminus of the rat oxytocin receptor is required for interaction with G q/11 , but not G i/o . Furthermore, an increase in intracellular calcium was generated via a G i ␥-tyrosine kinase pathway from intracellular stores that are distinct from G q -mediated inositol trisphosphate-regulated stores.
Oxytocin (OT)1 is a nine-amino acid peptide that stimulates uterine smooth muscle and mammary myoepithelial cell contraction, and prostaglandin production by uterine endometrial and amnion cells. Nucleic acid sequencing of cDNA clones of the oxytocin receptor (OTR) indicated that it is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily (1). As OT plays a pivotal role in parturition and lactation, there is considerable interest in defining the structure of the OTR. It has been shown for a number of GPCRs that several regions in the cytoplasmic domains contribute directly or indirectly to G protein coupling (see Ref. 2 for a review). The juxtamembrane portions of cytoplasmic loop 3 and cytoplasmic loop 2 of several family members have been implicated in receptor-G protein interactions. In addition, the COOH-terminal region of adrenergic receptors (3, 4) and other receptor types (5-7) is also required for G protein interactions, but this domain does not appear to be important for receptor function of all GPCR family members (8 -10).The COOH-terminal domain of some GPCRs plays an important role in G protein isotype selectivity (11,12). At least four isoforms of the prostaglandin EP3 receptor, differing only at their COOH-terminal tails (produced by alternative splicing), couple to different G proteins to activate different second messenger systems (13,14). The COOH terminus of the human parathyroid h...