G protein β1γ2 subunits purification and their interaction with adenylyl cyclase

A preliminary study on the interaction of G protein (guanine triphosphate binding pro- tein) β1γ2 subunits and their coupled components in cell signal transduction was conducted in vitro. The insect cell lines, Sf9 (Spodoptera frugiperda) and H5 (Trichoplusia ni) were used to express the recombinant protein Gβ1γ2. The cell membrane containing Gβ1γ2 was isolated through affinity chromatography column with Ni-NTA agarose by FPLC method, and the highly purified protein was obtained. The adenylyl cyclase 2 (AC2) activity assay showed that the purified Gβ1γ2 could significantly stimulate AC2 activity. The interaction of β1γ2 subunits of G protein with the cytoplasmic tail of various mammalian adenylyl cyclases was monitored by BIAcore technology using NTA sensor chip, which relies on the phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The experiments showed the direct binding of Gβ1γ2 to the cytoplasmic tail C2 domain of AC2. The specific binding domain of AC2 with Gβ1γ2 was the same as AC2 activity domain which was stimulated by β1γ2.