Regulators of G-Protein Signaling

The Regulators of G-Protein Signaling (RGS) play a key role in the regulation of signal transduction by GPCRs (G-Protein coupled Receptors). They represent a protein family, who share a characteristic RGS domain. By this domain RGS proteins bind directly to activated G-alpha subunits and so function as GAPs  (GTPase−activating Proteins). Most RGS proteins are able to function as GAPs for different isoforms of G-alpha and so have influence on multiple signaling pathways. RGS proteins may however also show extreme specificity towards single signaling pathways.

RGS proteins may be regulated in their GAP activity or in their subcellular distribution. This is done by phopsphorylation, palmitoylation or through interaction with protein or lipid ligands. Many RGS proteins have GAP-independent functions, which influence the GPCR- and non-GPCR-mediated signal transduction, and so function as effector regulator or as effector itself. For this reason RGS proteins can be thought of as multifunctional regulators of signal transduction.

Antibodies to RGS

Acris Antibodies offers a large panel of antibodies for detection of RGS proteins in Western blot. Many antibodies are also reactive with RGS from mouse and rat and some have been tested successfully on paraffin sections (see pictures below).

Fig. 1a:  RGS6 Staining IHC(P) on human kidney tissue using RGS6 antibody ARP34043. Arrows indicate RGS6-positive epithelial cells of renal tubuli.	Fig. 1b:  RGS13 Staining IHC(P) on human kidney tissue using RGS13 antibody ARP34051. Arrows indicate RGS13 positive epithelial cells.

Literature

Hendriks-Balk MC, Peters SL, Michel MC, Alewijnse AE. Regulation of G protein-coupled receptor signalling: focus on the cardiovascular system and regulator of G protein signalling proteins. Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 May 13;585(2-3):278-91.

Jean-Baptiste G, Yang Z, Greenwood MT. Regulatory mechanisms involved in modulating RGS function. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2006 Sep;63(17):1969-85.

Available Antibody Panel for Regulators of G-Protein Signalling

Anti- RGS1 (1R20, BL34), RGS2 (G0S8), RGS3 (RGP3), RGS4 (RGP4), RGS5, RGS6 (S914), RGS7, RGS8, RGS9, RGS10, RGS11, RGS12, RGS13, RGS14, RGS16 (RGSR), RGS17, RGS18 (RGS13), RGS19 (GAIP, GNAI3IP), RGS20 (RGSZ1, ZGAP1) -antibody