Rationale: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) respond to diversified extracellular stimuli to modulate cellular function. Despite extensive studies investigating the regulation of single GPCR signaling cascades, the effects of concomitant GPCR activation on downstream signaling and cellular function remain unclear.
Objective: We aimed to characterize the cellular mechanism by which GPCR crosstalk regulates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation.
Methods and results: Adrenergic receptors on cardiac fibroblasts were manipulated to examine the role of arrestin in the spatiotemporal regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 MAPK signaling. We show a general mechanism in which arrestin activation by one GPCR is capable of regulating signaling originating from another GPCR. Activation of Gq coupled-receptor signaling leads to prolonged ERK1/2 MAPK phosphorylation, nuclear accumulation, and cellular proliferation. Interestingly, coactivation of these receptors with the beta-adrenergic receptors induced transient ERK signaling localized within the cytosol, which attenuated cell proliferation. Further studies revealed that recruitment of arrestin3 to the beta2-adrenergic receptor orchestrates the sequestration of Gq-coupled receptor-induced ERK to the cytosol through direct binding of ERK to arrestin.
Conclusions: This is the first evidence showing that arrestin3 acts as a coordinator to integrate signals from multiple GPCRs. Our studies not only provide a novel mechanism explaining the integration of mitogenic signaling elicited by different GPCRs, but also underscore the critical role of signaling crosstalk among GPCRs in vivo.