Purification and characterization of subforms of the guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins G alpha i and G alpha o

Five different pertussis-toxin-sensitive guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) were purified from bovine brain. Immunochemical characterization of alpha subunits identified two G alpha o proteins (G alpha o-I and G alpha o-II), two 41-kDa G alpha i proteins (G alpha i-I and G alpha i-II) and the 40-kDa G alpha i2 protein. Site-directed antisera specific for G alpha o proteins did not differentiate between G alpha o-I and G alpha o-II. However, in situ peptide mapping using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed distinct cleavage products with different proteases for each of these proteins. Additionally comparison of Rf values demonstrated a slightly faster migration for G alpha o-II than for G alpha o-I, which is the only type of G alpha o protein present in cell membranes of the neuroblastoma/glioma cell line NG 108-15. The importance of these structural differences and possible functional implications are discussed.