Signaling by Heterotrimeric G Proteins Minireview Series

The number of known forms of G protein α, β, and γ subunits, as well as the enormous number of receptors with which they interact, and their diverse effectors, which influence virtually all kinds of cellular processes, make this an obviously important (and complicated) field. Fortunately, however, there are many similarities among the structures and functional interactions of the G protein subunits and the G protein-coupled receptors. This has facilitated progress because it is often possible to apply information obtained with one G protein and/or receptor to the characterization of another system.