# Contributions of Gα Subunit Distal Helix 5 to GPCR-G Protein Selectivity > **NIH NIH F30** · AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $51,036 ## Abstract Project Summary/Abstract G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) interact with heterotrimeric G proteins to mediate important physiological responses. Compounds targeting GPCRs represent approximately one-third of FDA-approved drugs. In humans, hundreds of GPCRs converge onto 16 Gα subunits that are grouped into 4 families (Gs, Gi/o, Gq/11, G12/13), and individual receptors select between these subtypes. The selectivity of a GPCR for various G protein transducers defines how it influences cellular behavior. Understanding the structures involved in GPCR-G protein selectivity will yield information that can be applied to drug design and understanding cellular signaling. The key focus of this study is determining the relative contributions of the C-terminus (H5.17-H5.26) and the rest of the Gα subunit (HN.1-H5.16) to GPCR-G protein coupling selectivity. Prior work suggests that the distal half of helix 5 (H5), the extreme C-terminus of Gα subunits, is the key determinant of GPCR-G protein coupling selectivity. Additional specificity-determining sites have since been predicted based on G protein alignment and GPCR-G protein crystal structure data. This project tests the novel hypothesis that G protein residues proximal to Gα distal helix 5 are critical determinants of GPCR-G protein selectivity. Aim 1 will establish the significance of residues proximal to Gα distal helix 5(H5.17-H5.26) in GPCR-G protein coupling selectivity via measurement of direct receptor-G protein interactions. A panel of Gα subunits that includes a wild-type G protein from each of the 4 families (Gs-long, Gi1, Gq, and G12), and chimeras where the last 10 amino acids (H5.17-H5.26) of each Gα is replaced by those of another (e.g. Gsi) will be utilized. Coupling of heterotrimers to 18 GPCRs implicated human pathophysiology will be measured in the presence and absence of both agonists and nucleotides Studies will be conducted in HEK293 Gs/q/12 or Gs/i/q/12(Gless) knockout cells to minimize interference from endogenous G proteins. Aim 2 will determine the functionality of GPCR-G protein chimera pairs shown to interact directly in an agonist and nucleotide dependent manner Aim 1. This will be accomplished using assays designed to detect activation-dependent heterotrimer rearrangement/dissociation, Gβγ subunit release, and second messenger regulation. Unexpectedly, preliminary results suggest that GPCR-G protein selectivity determinants are likely to be distributed throughout the Gα subunit. These results suggest that for some receptors the regions outside of distal helix 5 appear to the primary determinants of selectivity and that distal H5 influences GPCR-G protein coupling, but is not sufficient to determine selectivity. Given the strong preliminary data gathered, the experienced mentorship team, and the rigorous training plan, this proposal has a high likelihood of success. The completion of this proposal will provide the applicant training in GPCR biology, which will be the basis fo... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10071171 - **Project number:** 5F30GM131672-03 - **Recipient organization:** AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY - **Principal Investigator:** Najeah Okashah - **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2021 - **Award amount:** $51,036 - **Award type:** 5 - **Project period:** 2018-12-18 → 2021-12-17 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10071171 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10071171, Contributions of Gα Subunit Distal Helix 5 to GPCR-G Protein Selectivity (5F30GM131672-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10071171. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*