Homo- and hetero-oligomerization of beta-arrestins in living cells

J Biol Chem. 2005 Dec 2;280(48):40210-5. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M508001200. Epub 2005 Sep 30.

Abstract

Arrestins are important proteins, which regulate the function of serpentine heptahelical receptors and contribute to multiple signaling pathways downstream of receptors. The ubiquitous beta-arrestins are believed to function exclusively as monomers, although self-association is assumed to control the activity of visual arrestin in the retina, where this isoform is particularly abundant. Here the oligomerization status of beta-arrestins was investigated using different approaches, including co-immunoprecipitation of epitope-tagged beta-arrestins and resonance energy transfer (BRET and FRET) in living cells. At steady state and at physiological concentrations, beta-arrestins constitutively form both homo- and hetero-oligomers. Co-expression of beta-arrestin2 and beta-arrestin1 prevented beta-arrestin1 accumulation into the nucleus, suggesting that hetero-oligomerization may have functional consequences. Our data clearly indicate that beta-arrestins can exist as homo- and hetero-oligomers in living cells and raise the hypothesis that the oligomeric state may regulate their subcellular distribution and functions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arrestins / chemistry*
  • COS Cells
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Dimerization
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Models, Biological
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Isoforms
  • Retina / chemistry
  • Signal Transduction
  • beta-Arrestins

Substances

  • Arrestins
  • Cyan Fluorescent Protein
  • Protein Isoforms
  • beta-Arrestins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins