G proteins do not act exclusively by regulating the activity of membrane-bound enzymes that alter the concentration of cyclic AMP or Ca2+ in the cytosol. The α subunit of one type of G protein (called G12), for example, activates a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that activates a monomeric GTPase of the Rho family (discussed later and in Chapter 16), which regulates the actin cytoskeleton.
In some other cases, G proteins directly activate or inactivate ion channels in the plasma membrane of the target cell, thereby altering the ion permeability— and hence the electrical excitability—of the membrane. As an example, acetylcholine released by the vagus nerve reduces the heart rate (see Figure 15–5B). This effect is mediated by a special class of acetylcholine receptors that activate the Gi protein discussed earlier. Once activated, the αsubunit of Gi inhibits adenylyl cyclase (as described previously), while the βγ subunits bind to K+ channels in the heart muscle cell plasma membrane and open them. The opening of these K+ channels makes it harder to depolarize the cell and thereby contributes to the inhibitory effect of acetylcholine on the heart. (These acetylcholine receptors, which can be activated by the fungal alkaloid muscarine, are called muscarinic acetylcholine receptors to distinguish them from the very different nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which are ion-channel-coupled receptors on skeletal muscle and nerve cells that can be activated by the binding of nicotine, as well as by acetylcholine.)
Other G proteins regulate the activity of ion channels less directly, either by stimulating channel phosphorylation (by PKA, PKC, or CaM-kinase, for example) or by causing the production or destruction of cyclic nucleotides that directly activate or inactivate ion channels. These cyclic-nucleotide-gated ion channels have a crucial role in both smell (olfaction) and vision, as we now discuss.
Humans can distinguish more than 10,000 distinct smells, which they detect using specialized olfactory receptor neurons in the lining of the nose. These cells use specific GPCRs called olfactory receptors to recognize odors; the receptors are displayed on the surface of the modified cilia that extend from each cell (Figure 15–36). The receptors act through cAMP. When stimulated by odorant binding,
Figure 15–35 CaM-kinase II as a frequency decoder of Ca2+ oscillations.
(A) At low frequencies of Ca2+ spikes, the enzyme becomes inactive after each spike, as the autophosphorylation induced by Ca2+/calmodulin binding does not maintain the enzyme’s activity long enough for the enzyme to remain active until the next Ca2+ spike arrives. (B) At higher spike frequencies, however, the enzyme fails to inactivate completely between Ca2+ spikes, so its activity ratchets up with each spike. If the spike frequency is high enough, this progressive increase in enzyme activity will continue until the enzyme is autophosphorylated on all subunits and is therefore maximally activated. Although not shown, once enough of its subunits are autophosphorylated, the enzyme can be maintained in a highly active state even with a relatively low frequency of Ca2+ spikes (a form of cell memory). The binding of Ca2+/ calmodulin to the enzyme is enhanced by the CaM-kinase II autophosphorylation (an additional form of positive feedback), helping to generate a more switchlike response to repeated Ca2+ spikes. (From