Sequestration of m2 receptors (muscarinic acetylcholine receptor m2 subtypes), which was assessed as loss of N-[3H]methylscopolamine ([3H]NMS) binding activity from the cell surface, was examined in COS 7 and BHK-21 cells that had been transfected with expression vectors encoding the m2 receptor and, independently, vectors encoding a G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK2) (beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1) or a GRK2 dominant-negative mutant (DN-GRK2). The sequestration of m2 receptors became apparent when the cells were treated with 10(-5) M or higher concentrations of carbamylcholine. In this case, approximately 40% or 20-25% of the [3H]NMS binding sites on COS 7 or BHK-21 cells, respectively, were sequestered with a half-life of 15-25 min. In cells in which GRK2 was also expressed, the sequestration became apparent in the presence of 10(-7) M carbamylcholine. Approximately 40% of the [3H]NMS binding sites on both COS 7 and BHK-21 cells were sequestered in the presence of 10(-6) M or higher concentrations of carbamylcholine. When DN-GRK2 was expressed in COS 7 cells, the proportion of [3H]NMS binding sites sequestered in the presence of 10(-5) M or higher concentrations of carbamylcholine was reduced to 20-30%. These results indicate that the phosphorylation of m2 receptors by GRK2 facilitates their sequestration. These results are in contrast with the absence of a correlation between sequestration and the phosphorylation of beta-adrenergic receptors by the GRK2 and suggests that the consequences of phosphorylation by GRK2 are different for different receptors.