Visualizing G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signalsomes Using Confocal Immunofluorescence Microscopy

The heptahelical G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) receive and transmit a wide range of extracellular stimuli and induce a wide array of cellular responses by activating signaling kinases. It has become increasingly evident that the agonist-stimulated GPCR complexed with the adaptor protein, β-arrestin, serves as a focal point to recruit, activate, and target kinases to discrete subcellular compartments. This chapter describes a protocol to visualize the changes in the subcellular distribution of activated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) when induced by the angiotensin II type 1a receptor.