Abstract
Phospholipase C-β (PLCβ) is directly activated by Gαq, but the molecular basis for how its distal C-terminal domain (CTD) contributes to maximal activity is poorly understood. Herein we present both the crystal structure and cryo-EM three-dimensional reconstructions of human full-length PLCβ3 in complex with mouse Gαq. The distal CTD forms an extended monomeric helical bundle consisting of three antiparallel segments with structural similarity to membrane-binding bin-amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domains. Sequence conservation of the distal CTD suggests putative membrane and protein interaction sites, the latter of which bind the N-terminal helix of Gαq in both the crystal structure and cryo-EM reconstructions. Functional analysis suggests that the distal CTD has roles in membrane targeting and in optimizing the orientation of the catalytic core at the membrane for maximal rates of lipid hydrolysis.