Arrestin-independent internalization of the m1, m3, and m4 subtypes of muscarinic cholinergic receptors

To understand what processes contribute to the agonist-induced internalization of subtypes of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, we analyzed the role of arrestins. Whereas the m2 mAChR has been shown to undergo augmented internalization when arrestins 2 and 3 are overexpressed (Pals-Rylaarsdam, R., Gurevich, V. V., Lee, K. B., Ptasienski, J. A., Benovic, J. L., and Hosey, M. M. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 23682-23689), the agonist-induced internalization of m1, m3, and m4 mAChRs was unchanged when arrestins 2 or 3 were overexpressed in transiently transfected HEK-tsA201 cells. Furthermore, when a dominant-negative arrestin was used to interrupt endogenous arrestin function, there was no change in the internalization of the m1, m3, and m4 mAChR whereas the internalization of the beta2 adrenergic receptor was completely blocked. Wild-type and GTPase-deficient dominant-negative dynamin were used to determine which endocytic machinery played a role in the endocytosis of the subtypes of mAChRs. Interestingly, when dynamin function was blocked by overexpression of the GTPase-deficient dynamin, agonist- induced internalization of the the m1, m3, and m4 mAChRs was suppressed. These results suggested that the internalization of the m1, m3, and m4 mAChRs occurs via an arrestin-independent but dynamin-dependent pathway. To ascertain whether domains that confer arrestin sensitivity and dynamin insensitivity could be functionally exchanged between subtypes of mAChRs, chimeric m2/m3 receptors were analyzed for their properties of agonist-induced internalization. The results demonstrated that the third intracellular loop of the m2 mAChR conferred arrestin sensitivity and dynamin insensitivity to the arrestin-insensitive, dynamin-sensitive m3 mAChR while the analogous domain of the m3 mAChR conferred arrestin resistance and dynamin sensitivity to the previously arrestin-sensitive, dynamin-insensitive m2 mAChR.