Role of hydroxyl containing residues in the intracellular region of rat bradykinin B(2) receptor in signal transduction, receptor internalization, and resensitization

In past reports we illustrated the importance of Y131, Y322, and T137 within the intracellular (IC) face of the rat bradykinin B2 receptor (rBKB2R) for signal transduction and receptor maintenance (Prado et al. 1997] J. Biol. Chem. 272:14638-14642; Prado et al. 1998] J. Biol. Chem. 273:33548-33555). In this report, we mutate the remaining hydroxyl possessing residues located within the rBKB2R IC region. Exchange of S139A (IC2) or T239V (IC3) did not affect BK activated phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover or receptor internalization. Chimeric exchange of the last 34 amino acids of BKB2R C-terminus with the corresponding 34 amino acids of the rat angiotensin II AT1a receptor (rAT1aR), both containing an S/T cluster, resulted in a mutant with normal endocytosis and BK activated PI turnover. A more selective chimera of these S/T clusters, with an exchange of BKB2R (333-351) with a rAT1aR fragment (326-342), resulted in a receptor with a retarded internalization but a normal BK activated PI turnover. Subsequent mutation of rBKB2R T344V showed little change in receptor uptake but a pronounced loss of BK activated PI turnover. The mutation of S335A, S341A, S348A, and S350A resulted in very poor receptor internalization and loss of activated PI turnover. Closer examination of this serine cluster illustrated that the replacement of S348A led to poor internalization; whereas the retention of S348 and mutation of S341A resulted in a receptor with a much greater internalization than WT. These and other results suggest that the presence of S348 promotes internalization while the presence of S341 dampens it. Conversely, S341 and S350 proved important for receptor signaling. In sum, our results illustrate that the distal C-terminus including its S/T cluster is important for both rBKB2R internalization and signal transduction. Individual S/T residues within this cluster appear involved in either signal transmission or receptor uptake capacity. However, replacement of the entire distal tail region with the corresponding rAT1aR sequence, also containing an S/T cluster, enables the BKB2R/AT1aR chimera to act in a very similar manner to wild type rBKB2R.