High impact information on Gnas

• We conclude that the physiological role of XLalphas is at the plasma membrane, where it presumably is involved in signal transduction processes characteristic of neuroendocrine cells [1].
• Upon subcellular fractionation, XLalphas labeled by ADP-ribosylation with cholera toxin was previously mainly detected in the bottom fractions of a velocity sucrose gradient that contained trans-Golgi network and was differentially distributed to Galphas, which also peaked in the top fractions containing plasma membrane [1].
• Here, we have studied the signal transduction properties of XLalphas [2].
• The addition of betagamma subunits resulted in an increased ADP-ribosylation of XLalphas as well as an increased sedimentation rate of XLalphas in sucrose density gradients, indicating that XLalphas interacts with the betagamma dimer [2].
• Despite the apparent inability of XLalphas to undergo receptor-mediated activation, XLalphas-GTPgammaS markedly stimulated adenylyl cyclase in S49cyc(-) membranes [2].

Biological context of Gnas

• Moreover, transfection of PC12 cells with a GTPase-deficient mutant of XLalphas, XLalphas-Q548L, resulted in a massive increase in adenylyl cyclase activity [2].
• Prompted by its neuroendocrine-specific tissue distribution in the adult (J. Biol. Chem. 275 (2000) 33622) and its ability to activate adenylyl cyclase (J. Biol. Chem. 275 (2000) 33633), we investigated the expression of XLalphas in the developing rat nervous system using immunofluorescence [3].

Anatomical context of Gnas

• Expression of the extra-large G protein alpha-subunit XLalphas in neuroepithelial cells and young neurons during development of the rat nervous system [3].
• At later developmental stages, XLalphas was associated with a subset of neurons in certain regions of the nervous system such as diencephalon, midbrain, hindbrain, spinal cord and sympathetic trunk [3].

Associations of Gnas with chemical compounds

• Like Galphas, XLalphas undergoes a conformational change upon binding of GTPgammaS (guanosine 5'-O-(thio)triphosphate), as revealed by its partial resistance to tryptic digestion, which generated the same fragments as in the case of Galphas [2].

Other interactions of Gnas

• Localization of the rat stimulatory G-protein alpha subunit (GNPAS) gene to rat chromosome 3 by linkage analysis [4].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Gnas

• Upon immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analysis of various adult rat tissues, XLalphas and XLN1 were found to be enriched in neuroendocrine tissues, with a particularly high level of expression in the pituitary [1].

References