Selective G protein coupling by C-C chemokine receptors.

The C-C chemokines are major mediators of chemotaxis of monocytes and some T cells in inflammatory reactions. The pathways by which the C-C chemokine receptors activate phospholipase C (PLC) were investigated in cotransfected COS-7 cells. The C-C chemokine receptor-1 (CKR-1), the MCP-1 receptor-A (MCP-1Ra), and MCP-1Rb can reconstitute ligand-induced accumulation of inositol phosphates with PLC beta2 in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner, presumably through G beta gamma released from the Gi proteins. However, these three receptors demonstrated different specificity in coupling to the alpha subunits of the Gq class. While none of the receptors can couple to Galphaq/11, MCP-1Rb can couple to both Galpha14 and Galpha16, but its splicing variant, MCP-1Rb, cannot. Since MCP-1Ra and -b differ only in their C-terminal intracellular domains, the C-terminal ends of MCP-1Rs determine G protein coupling specificity. CKR-1 can couple to Galpha14 but not to Galpha16, suggesting some of the C-C chemokine receptors, unlike the C-X-C chemokine receptors, discriminate against Galpha16, a hematopoietic-specific Galpha subunit. The intriguing specificity in coupling of the Gq class of G proteins implies that the chemokines may be involved in some distinct functions in vivo. The commonality of the chemokine receptors in coupling to the Gi-Gbetagamma-PLC beta2 pathway provides a potential target for developing broad spectrum anti-inflammatory drugs.