Phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) enzymes are activated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) through receptor-catalyzed guanine nucleotide exchange on Gαβγ heterotrimers containing Gq family G proteins. Here we report evidence for a direct interaction between M3 muscarinic receptor (M3R) and PLCβ3. Both expressed and endogenous M3R interacts with PLCβ in coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Stimulation of M3R with carbachol significantly increases this association. Expression of M3R in CHO cells promotes plasma membrane localization of YFP-PLCβ3. Deletion of the PLCβ3 C-terminus or deletion of the PLCβ3 PDZ ligand inhibits coimmunoprecipitation with M3R and M3R-dependen... More
Phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) enzymes are activated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) through receptor-catalyzed guanine nucleotide exchange on Gαβγ heterotrimers containing Gq family G proteins. Here we report evidence for a direct interaction between M3 muscarinic receptor (M3R) and PLCβ3. Both expressed and endogenous M3R interacts with PLCβ in coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Stimulation of M3R with carbachol significantly increases this association. Expression of M3R in CHO cells promotes plasma membrane localization of YFP-PLCβ3. Deletion of the PLCβ3 C-terminus or deletion of the PLCβ3 PDZ ligand inhibits coimmunoprecipitation with M3R and M3R-dependent PLCβ3 plasma membrane localization. Purified PLCβ3 binds directly to glutathione-S-transferase (GST-) fused M3R intracellular loops 2 and 3 (M3Ri2 and M3Ri3), as well as M3R C-terminus (M3R/H8-CT). PLCβ3 binding to M3Ri3 was inhibited when the PDZ ligand was removed. In assays using reconstituted purified components in vitro, M3Ri2, M3Ri3, and M3R/H8-CT potentiated Gαq-dependent, but not Gβγ-dependent PLCβ3 activation. Disruption of key residues in M3Ri3N and of the PDZ ligand in PLCβ3 inhibits M3Ri3-mediated potentiation. We propose that the M3 muscarinic receptor maximizes the efficiency of PLCβ3 signaling, beyond its canonical role as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Gα.
