Purpose: The intent of this study was to identify the pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins that couple met-enkephalin to the inhibition of cholinergically stimulated secretion in rabbit lacrimal gland acini.
Methods: The authors detected G proteins in membranes from freshly isolated glands, freshly isolated acini, and cultured lacrimal acini from rabbits by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Antibodies against the alpha subunits of Gi1, Gi1 and Gi2, or Gi3 were used in cultured acini permeabilized by streptolysin-O to determine the role of the G proteins in met-enkephalin inhibition of cholinergic stimulation of lacrimal acinar protein release.
Results: Western blot analysis showed the presence of the alpha subunits of Gi2 and Gi3, but not Gi1, in all three membrane preparations. The met-enkephalin analog D-Ala2-methionine enkephalinamide (DALA) inhibited cholinergic stimulation of secretion by cultured rabbit acinar cells to near basal levels. Inhibition of secretion by DALA was blocked by insertion of antibody to a peptide sequence common to Gialpha1 and Gialpha2, but was not blocked by antibody against a specific Gialpha1 sequence. The inhibitory effect of DALA also was blocked by antibody to a Gialpha3 sequence. At low doses of anti-Gialpha1/2 and anti-Gialpha3 in combination, the effect on reversal of inhibition was additive. However, at higher doses, the effect of the combination was no greater than the effect of either antibody alone.
Conclusions: These results demonstrate that met-enkephalin inhibition of cholinergic secretion is mediated by way of the pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins Gi2 and Gi3 in cultured rabbit lacrimal acini. Because the effects of the G proteins are not additive, the intracellular events distal to G protein activation most likely converge at some point before exocytosis.