Goodman shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Martin Rodbell "for their discovery of G-proteins and the role of these proteins in signal transduction in cells."

In this paper Goodman and Ross showed that a guanine nucleotide binding protein (a "G" protein) activates adenylate cyclase. They posited a system whereby a hormone receptor (adrenergic), interacts with guanine nucleotides (G proteins), and these in turn activate the enzyme adenylate cyclase, but they qualified this with a statement that "proof of function of each entity must await their purification."

Digital facsimile from PubMedCentral at this link.

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)

Gilman and colleagues showed that G proteins are in the cell membrane and are stimulated once a ligand (adrenaline) binds the adrenergic receptor. This system can then activate adenyl cyclase to form cyclic AMP. Digital facsimile from PubMedCentral at this link.

Order of authorship in the original publication: Ross, Howlett, Ferguson, Gilman.

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)