G Protein Activation by Serotonin Type 4 Receptor Dimers

The discovery that class C G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) function as obligatory dimeric entities has generated major interest in GPCR oligomerization. Oligomerization now appears to be a common feature among all GPCR classes. However, the functional significance of this process remains unclear because, in vitro, some monomeric GPCRs, such as rhodopsin and β2-adrenergic receptors, activate G proteins. By using wild type and mutant serotonin type 4 receptors (5-HT4Rs) (including a 5-HT4-RASSL) expressed in COS-7 cells as models of class A GPCRs, we show that activation of one protomer in a dimer was sufficient to stimulate G proteins. However, coupling efficiency was 2 times higher when both protomers were activated. Expression of combinations of 5-HT4, in which both protomers were able to bind to agonists but only one could couple to G proteins, suggested that upon agonist occupancy, protomers did not independently couple to G proteins but rather that only one G protein was activated. Coupling of a single heterotrimeric Gs protein to a receptor dimer was further confirmed in vitro, using the purified recombinant WT RASSL 5-HT4R obligatory heterodimer. These results, together with previous findings, demonstrate that, differently from class C GPCR dimers, class A GPCR dimers have pleiotropic activation mechanisms.