New insights into the in vivo function of heterotrimeric G-proteins through gene deletion studies.

A huge number of receptors signals through heterotrimeric G-proteins to regulate a wide variety of physiological processes. The ability to modify G-protein expression in vivo provides a powerful new tool to analyze the function of G-protein-mediated signalling pathways. Genetic ablation of G-protein alpha-subunit genes is continuing to give new insights into the physiological roles of heterotrimeric G-proteins. This review highlights recent advances resulting from such genetic approaches to the study of G-protein-mediated signalling.