Abstract
Caveolae are membrane domains having caveolin-1 (Cav1) as their main structural component. Here, we determined whether Cav1 affects Ca2+ signaling through the Gαq–phospholipase-Cβ (PLCβ) pathway using Fischer rat thyroid cells that lack Cav1 (FRTcav–) and a sister line that forms caveolae-like domains due to stable transfection with Cav1 (FRTcav+). In the resting state, we found that eCFP-Gβγ and Gαq-eYFP are similarly associated in both cell lines by Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Upon stimulation, the amount of FRET between Gαq-eYFP and eCFP-Gβγ remains high in FRTcav– cells, but decreases almost completely in FRTcav+ cells, suggesting that Cav1 is increasing the separation between Gαq-Gβγ subunits. In FRTcav– cells overexpressing PLCβ, a rapid recovery of Ca2+ is observed after stimulation. However, FRTcav+ cells show a sustained level of elevated Ca2+. FRET and colocalization show specific interactions between Gαq and Cav1 that increase upon stimulation. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy studies show that the mobility of Gαq-eGFP is unaffected by activation in either cell type. The mobility of eGFP-Gβγ remains slow in FRTcav– cells but increases in FRTcav+ cells. Together, our data suggest that, upon stimulation, Gαq(GTP) switches from having strong interactions with Gβγ to Cav1, thereby releasing Gβγ. This prolongs the recombination time for the heterotrimer, thus causing a sustained Ca2+ signal.