Eukaryotic mono(ADP-ribosyl)transferase that ADP-ribosylates GTP-binding regulatory Gi protein

An NAD:cysteine ADP-ribosyltransferase designated ADP-ribosyltransferase C was purified approximately 35,000-fold from human erythrocytes with an 11% yield. The purified ADP-ribosyltransferase C exhibited one predominant protein band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels with an estimated molecular weight (Mr) of 28,500. The Km values for NAD and cysteine methyl ester were determined to be 65 and 4,400 microM, respectively. By using human erythrocyte inside-out membrane vesicles, the transferase C was found to ADP-ribosylate the alpha subunit (Mr = 41,000) of Gi, which is a substrate for pertussis toxin. The ADP-ribosylation of Gi alpha catalyzed by ADP-ribosyltransferase C was inhibited by pre-ADP-ribosylation with pertussis toxin. The linkage of ADP-ribose-Gi alpha in the membranes formed by ADP-ribosyltransferase C was as stable to hydroxylamine as that formed by pertussis toxin. These data represent the first demonstration that eukaryotic cells contain an ADP-ribosyltransferase which can catalyze the ADP-ribosylation of a cysteine residue in Gi alpha.