Structural basis and mechanism of activation of two different families of G proteins by the same GPCR

The β1-adrenergic receptor (β1-AR) can activate two families of G proteins. When coupled to Gs, β1-AR increases cardiac output, and coupling to Gi leads to decreased responsiveness in myocardial infarction. By comparative structural analysis of turkey β1-AR complexed with either Gi or Gs, we investigate how a single G-protein-coupled receptor simultaneously signals through two G proteins. We find that, although the critical receptor-interacting C-terminal α5-helices on Gαi and Gαs interact similarly with β1-AR, the overall interacting modes between β1-AR and G proteins vary substantially. Functional studies reveal the importance of the differing interactions and provide evidence that the activation efficacy of G proteins by β1-AR is determined by the entire three-dimensional interaction surface, including intracellular loops 2 and 4 (ICL2 and ICL4). This study reveals the structural basis for the coupling specificity of one G-protein-coupled receptor, the β1-adrenergic receptor, to two different families of G proteins. Although the receptor adopts the same conformation, the G proteins have different interaction modes dictated by the overall structure.