How Regulators of G Protein Signaling Achieve Selective Regulation

The regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) are a family of cellular proteins that play an essential regulatory role in G protein-mediated signal transduction. There are multiple RGS subfamilies consisting of over 20 different RGS proteins. They are basically the guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase)-accelerating proteins that specifically interact with G protein α subunits. RGS proteins display remarkable selectivity and specificity in their regulation of receptors, ion channels, and other G protein-mediated physiological events. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying such selectivity are complex and cooperate at many different levels. Recent research data have provided strong evidence that the spatiotemporal-specific expression of RGS proteins and their target components, as well as the specific protein–protein recognition and interaction through their characteristic structural domains and functional motifs, are determinants for RGS selectivity and specificity. Other molecular mechanisms, such as alternative splicing and scaffold proteins, also significantly contribute to RGS selectivity. To pursue a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of RGS selective regulation will be of great significance for the advancement of our knowledge of molecular and cellular signal transduction.