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Robert J. Lefkowitz

Bio: Robert J. Lefkowitz is an academic researcher from Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The author has contributed to research in topics: Receptor & G protein-coupled receptor. The author has an hindex of 214, co-authored 860 publications receiving 147995 citations. Previous affiliations of Robert J. Lefkowitz include University of Nice Sophia Antipolis & University of Stuttgart.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results suggest that phosducin may act as a phosphorylation-dependent switch in second messenger signaling cascades, regulating the kinetics of desensitization processes by controlling the activity of Gβγ-dependent GRKs.

41 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: The results demonstrate that the complex binding kinetics of these high-affinity racemic radioligands are not due to receptor state transitions but rather to simultaneous binding of both isomers.
Abstract: Recent studies of agonist and antagonist binding to the beta -adrenergic receptor and to other receptors have established the notion of agonist specific binding properties unshared by antagonists and reflecting the activation of the effector. However, previous reports on the dissociation kinetics of the widely used high-affinity beta -adrenergic antagonist (±)-[ 125 I]hydroxybenzylpindolol (HYP) have indicated complex binding kinetics which led to the proposal of a receptor isomerization model involving antagonist promoted transitions. We report here that the binding properties of two high-affinity beta -adrenergic antagonists can be fully explained by their racemic nature. (a) Binding data for the association and the dissociation kinetics of (±)-[ 125 I]HYP to frog erythrocyte membranes can be adequately fitted by computer modeling assuming different rate constants for each enantiomer. (b) In contrast, purified (+)-[ 125 I]HYP shows only uniphasic fast-dissociation kinetics. (c) Similarly, the antagonists (-)-[ 3 H]carazolol and (±)-[ 3 H]carazolol show uniphasic slow-dissociation kinetics and biphasic dissociation kinetics, respectively. These results demonstrate that the complex binding kinetics of these high-affinity racemic radioligands are not due to receptor state transitions but rather to simultaneous binding of both isomers.

41 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An approach is described that obviates this problem by utilizing highly purified membrane preparations from Sf9 and 293 cells overexpressing G-protein-coupled receptors to demonstrate specificity of several GRKs with respect to both receptor substrates and the enhancing effects of G- protein beta gamma subunits on phosphorylation.
Abstract: Phosphorylation of GTP-binding-regulatory (G)-protein-coupled receptors by specific G-protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) is a major mechanism responsible for agonist-mediated desensitization of signal transduction processes. However, to date, studies of the specificity of these enzymes have been hampered by the difficulty of preparing the purified and reconstituted receptor preparations required as substrates. Here we describe an approach that obviates this problem by utilizing highly purified membrane preparations from Sf9 and 293 cells overexpressing G-protein-coupled receptors. We use this technique to demonstrate specificity of several GRKs with respect to both receptor substrates and the enhancing effects of G-protein beta gamma subunits on phosphorylation. Enriched membrane preparations of the beta 2- and alpha 2-C2-adrenergic receptors (ARs, where alpha 2-C2-AR refers to the AR whose gene is located on human chromosome 2) prepared by sucrose density gradient centrifugation from Sf9 or 293 cells contain the receptor at 100-300 pmol/mg of protein and serve as efficient substrates for agonist-dependent phosphorylation by beta-AR kinase 1 (GRK2), beta-AR kinase 2 (GRK3), or GRK5. Stoichiometries of agonist-mediated phosphorylation of the receptors by GRK2 (beta-AR kinase 1), in the absence and presence of G beta gamma, are 1 and 3 mol/mol, respectively. The rate of phosphorylation of the membrane receptors is 3 times faster than that of purified and reconstituted receptors. While phosphorylation of the beta 2-AR by GRK2, -3, and -5 is similar, the activity of GRK2 and -3 is enhanced by G beta gamma whereas that of GRK5 is not. In contrast, whereas GRK2 and -3 efficiently phosphorylate alpha 2-C2-AR, GRK5 is quite weak. The availability of a simple direct phosphorylation assay applicable to any cloned G-protein-coupled receptor should greatly facilitate elucidation of the mechanisms of regulation of these receptors by the expanding family of GRKs.

41 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Yohimbine with its alpha 2-selectivity and high specific binding will provide an excellent tool for the clinical investigation of human adipocyte alpha-receptor mechanisms in both normal and pathological states.
Abstract: The presence of α2-adrenergic receptors in membranes derived from human sc adipose tissue was directly demonstrated with a new α2-selective ligand, [3H]yohimbine. Binding of this radiolabeled antagonist to adipocyte membranes was of high affinity (Kd =3.9 ± 2.4 nin) and saturable. Computer modelling of [3H]yohimbine saturation curves demonstrated that it binds to a homogeneous class of sites with a density of 145.0 ± 33.8 fmol/mg protein. Adrenergic agonists competed with [3H]yohimbine in the order expected of α-receptors, and their binding was strongly influenced by guanine nucleotides. Competition of α-antagonists with this radioligand demonstrated yohimbine to be more potent than prazosin, indicative of α2-receptors. Antagonist binding was unaffected by guanine nucleotides. Paired saturation curves in these adipocyte membranes with the α2-selective [3H]yohimbine and the nonsubtype selective α-antagonist [3H]dihydroergocryptine demonstrated similar receptorconcentrations. [3H]Dihydroergocryptine has bee...

41 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Phospholipase digestion of myocardial membranes causes a reduction in basal and fluoride stimulated adenylate cyclase and an abolition of catecholamine stimulated activity and the effects were seen with phospholipases A, C and D, although A was most potent.

40 citations


Cited by
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28 Jul 2005
TL;DR: PfPMP1)与感染红细胞、树突状组胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用,在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作�ly.
Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1(PfPMP1)与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用,在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员,通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

18,940 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
19 Feb 1998-Nature
TL;DR: To their surprise, it was found that double-stranded RNA was substantially more effective at producing interference than was either strand individually, arguing against stochiometric interference with endogenous mRNA and suggesting that there could be a catalytic or amplification component in the interference process.
Abstract: Experimental introduction of RNA into cells can be used in certain biological systems to interfere with the function of an endogenous gene Such effects have been proposed to result from a simple antisense mechanism that depends on hybridization between the injected RNA and endogenous messenger RNA transcripts RNA interference has been used in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to manipulate gene expression Here we investigate the requirements for structure and delivery of the interfering RNA To our surprise, we found that double-stranded RNA was substantially more effective at producing interference than was either strand individually After injection into adult animals, purified single strands had at most a modest effect, whereas double-stranded mixtures caused potent and specific interference The effects of this interference were evident in both the injected animals and their progeny Only a few molecules of injected double-stranded RNA were required per affected cell, arguing against stochiometric interference with endogenous mRNA and suggesting that there could be a catalytic or amplification component in the interference process

15,374 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This approach provides two major advantages compared with other available methods: it uses an exact mathematical model of the ligand-binding system, thereby avoiding the possible biases introduced by several commonly used approximations and it uses a statistically valid, appropriately weighted least-squares curve-fitting algorithm with objective measurement of goodness of fit.

8,717 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
13 Oct 2000-Cell
TL;DR: Understanding of the complex signaling networks downstream from RTKs and how alterations in these networks are translated into cellular responses provides an important context for therapeutically countering the effects of pathogenic RTK mutations in cancer and other diseases.

7,056 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review considers recent findings regarding GC action and generates criteria for determining whether a particular GC action permits, stimulates, or suppresses an ongoing stress-response or, as an additional category, is preparative for a subsequent stressor.
Abstract: The secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs) is a classic endocrine response to stress. Despite that, it remains controversial as to what purpose GCs serve at such times. One view, stretching back to the time of Hans Selye, posits that GCs help mediate the ongoing or pending stress response, either via basal levels of GCs permitting other facets of the stress response to emerge efficaciously, and/or by stress levels of GCs actively stimulating the stress response. In contrast, a revisionist viewpoint posits that GCs suppress the stress response, preventing it from being pathologically overactivated. In this review, we consider recent findings regarding GC action and, based on them, generate criteria for determining whether a particular GC action permits, stimulates, or suppresses an ongoing stressresponse or, as an additional category, is preparative for a subsequent stressor. We apply these GC actions to the realms of cardiovascular function, fluid volume and hemorrhage, immunity and inflammation, metabolism, neurobiology, and reproductive physiology. We find that GC actions fall into markedly different categories, depending on the physiological endpoint in question, with evidence for mediating effects in some cases, and suppressive or preparative in others. We then attempt to assimilate these heterogeneous GC actions into a physiological whole. (Endocrine Reviews 21: 55‐ 89, 2000)

6,707 citations