C-terminal truncation of the neurokinin-2 receptor causes enhanced and sustained agonist-induced signaling. Role of receptor phosphorylation in signal attenuation

The G protein-linked receptor for neurokinin A (NKA) couples to stimulation of phospholipase C and, in some cells, adenylyl cyclase. We have examined the function of the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain in receptor signaling and desensitization. We constructed C-terminal deletion mutants of the human NK-2 receptor (epitope tagged) to remove potential Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites, and expressed them in both mammalian and insect cells. When activated, truncated receptors mediate stronger and more prolonged phosphoinositide hydrolysis than wild-type receptor; however, the amplitude and kinetics of the NKA-induced rise in cytosolic Ca²⁺ remain unaltered. Protein kinase C (PKC)-activating phorbol ester abolishes wild- type receptor signaling but not mutant receptor signaling. Mutant receptors also mediate enhanced and prolonged cAMP generation, at least in part via PKC activation. When expressed in COS cells or Sf9 insect cells, the wild- type receptor is phosphorylated; receptor phosphorylation increases after addition of either NKA or phorbol ester. In contrast, mutant receptors are not phosphorylated by either treatment. Our results suggest that C-terminal Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites in the NK-2 receptor have a critical role in both homologous and heterologous desensitization. Removal of these phosphorylation sites results in a receptor that mediates sustained activation of signaling pathways and is insensitive to inhibition by PKC.