The Daily Bulletin Archive

Please join the Biology Department for the seminar "The Protein Arginine Methyltransferase PRMT5 Regulates D2-Like Dopamine Receptor Signaling," presented by Denise Ferkey, associate professor of biological sciences at the University at Buffalo, on Monday, September 28, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center West.

All faculty, staff, and students are welcome.

Seminar Abstract
Protein arginine methylation regulates diverse functions of eukaryotic cells. Although this modification has been implicated in the regulation of several signal transduction pathways, a clear link to G protein-coupled signaling had not been identified. We have found the first direct evidence that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are functionally regulated by arginine methylation. Specifically, we show that arginines within the third intracellular loop of the human D2 dopamine receptor are methylated by PRMT5, and that this modification enhances D2-like dopamine receptor signaling in both cultured human cells (D2) and in C. elegans (DOP-3). These GPCRs represent the founding members of a new class of proteins that are functionally regulated by arginine methylation. Moreover, our work delineates a new means of regulating G protein-coupled signal transduction. These findings hold promise for developing a new class of pharmacological therapies—ones that modulate GPCR signaling by changing the methylation status of these key proteins.