A.V. Smrcka, J.R. Hepler, K.O. Brown, P.C. Sternweis, "Regulation of polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C activity by purified Gq," Science, 251:804-9, 1991.

Paul Sternweis (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas): "The regulation of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospho-lipase C (Pl-PLC) by many hor- mones has been intensely studied because of the importance of the second messengers generated in the regulation of calcium mobilization and protein kinase C activity. G-proteins had been implicated in the hormone- dependent activation of Pl-PLC in many systems in which hormonal regulation was insensitive to the toxin from Bordatella pertussis. The identity and nature of the G-protein(s) involved remained a mystery for several years. This paper conclusively identified purified members of the pertussis toxin-insensitive Gq family as activators of isolated Pl-PLC. Subsequent work using antibodies to Gq/11 to block the hormonal stimulation of Pl-PLC established the importance of this biochemical phenomenon in functional pathways (S. Gutowski, et al., Journal of...

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