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Parker B, Weiss E. LiF-MS+, a revised technique for mapping peptide-protein interactions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.28.596279. [PMID: 38853981 PMCID: PMC11160668 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.28.596279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Short linear motifs are sequences of amino acids present in unstructured polypeptide regions that function as ligands for specific sites on folded protein domains. These interactions, which often occur with low to modest affinity, modulate dynamic biological processes such as signal transduction and membrane trafficking. We recently described Ligand Footprinting-Mass Spectrometry (LiF-MS), a technique that rapidly and precisely maps sites at which short peptide ligands bind their biologically relevant recognition sites on folded protein domains. This approach marks the binding location of a peptide ligand on a structured protein using a cleavable crosslinker appended to the ligand that leaves behind a stable chemical modification following cleavage. This modification serves as a mass tag detectable by mass spectrometry, pinpointing sites of peptide ligand binding. Here we present LiF-MS+, an improved version of the footprinting technique that replaces the butanol mass tag with 1-butylpyrrolidine, which is positively charged at neutral pH and thus aids in ionization of the crosslinked peptide for analysis by mass spectrometry. We show ligand-mediated butylpyrrolidine footprinting effectively maps the well characterized binding interaction of the p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) with a MKK6 D-motif short linear motif peptide ligand, uncovering additional binding site information not observed in our original experiment. LiF-MS+ is thus a straightforward improvement of our previously published methodology for mapping the binding of short linear motifs to folded protein domains.
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Hasegawa S, Yoshida M, Nagao H, Sugiyama H, Sawa M, Kinoshita T. Distinct binding modes of a benzothiazole derivative confer structural bases for increasing ERK2 or p38α MAPK selectivity. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 704:149707. [PMID: 38428305 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) and p38α MAP kinase (p38α MAPK), regulate various cellular responses. ERK2 is a drug target for treating many diseases, such as cancer, whereas p38α has attracted much attention as a promising drug target for treating inflammatory disorders. ERK2 is a critical off-target for p38α MAPK and vice versa. In this study, an allosteric ERK2 inhibitor with a benzothiazole moiety (compound 1) displayed comparable inhibitory activity against p38α MAPK. Crystal structures of these MAPKs showed that compound 1 bound to the allosteric site of ERK2 and p38α MAPK in distinct manners. Compound 1 formed a covalent bond with Cys162 of p38α MAPK, whereas this covalent bond was absent in the ERK2 complex even though the corresponding cysteine is conserved in ERK2. Structural dissection combined with computational simulations indicated that an amino acid difference in the allosteric site is responsible for the distinct binding modes of compound 1 with ERK2 and p38α MAPK. These structural insights underline the feasibility of developing highly selective and potent ERK2 and p38α MAPK inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seisuke Hasegawa
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, 599-8570, Japan
| | - Mayu Yoshida
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, 599-8570, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Takayoshi Kinoshita
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, 599-8570, Japan.
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3
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Chiang CY, Zhang M, Huang J, Zeng J, Chen C, Pan D, Yang H, Zhang T, Yang M, Han Q, Wang Z, Xiao T, Chen Y, Zou Y, Yin F, Li Z, Zhu L, Zheng D. A novel selective ERK1/2 inhibitor, Laxiflorin B, targets EGFR mutation subtypes in non-small-cell lung cancer. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2024; 45:422-435. [PMID: 37816856 PMCID: PMC10789733 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-023-01164-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) are key members of multiple signaling pathways, including the ErbB axis. Ectopic ERK1/2 activation contributes to various types of cancer, especially drug resistance to inhibitors of RTK, RAF and MEK, and specific ERK1/2 inhibitors are scarce. In this study, we identified a potential novel covalent ERK inhibitor, Laxiflorin B, which is a herbal compound with anticancer activity. However, Laxiflorin B is present at low levels in herbs; therefore, we adopted a semi-synthetic process for the efficient production of Laxiflorin B to improve the yield. Laxiflorin B induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis via BAD activation in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, especially in EGFR mutant subtypes. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that Laxiflorin B inhibits amphiregulin (AREG) and epiregulin (EREG) expression through ERK inhibition, and suppressed the activation of their receptors, ErbBs, via a positive feedback loop. Moreover, mass spectrometry analysis combined with computer simulation revealed that Laxiflorin B binds covalently to Cys-183 in the ATP-binding pocket of ERK1 via the D-ring, and Cys-178 of ERK1 through non-inhibitory binding of the A-ring. In a NSCLC tumor xenograft model in nude mice, Laxiflorin B also exhibited strong tumor suppressive effects with low toxicity and AREG and EREG were identified as biomarkers of Laxiflorin B efficacy. Finally, Laxiflorin B-4, a C-6 analog of Laxiflorin B, exhibited higher binding affinity for ERK1/2 and stronger tumor suppression. These findings provide a new approach to tumor inhibition using natural anticancer compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Yao Chiang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Junrong Huang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Juan Zeng
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523808, China
| | - Chunlan Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Dongmei Pan
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Heng Yang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Tiantian Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Min Yang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qiangqiang Han
- SpecAlly Life Technology Co., Ltd, Wuhan, 430075, China
- Wuhan Biobank Co., Ltd, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zou Wang
- Wuhan Biobank Co., Ltd, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Tian Xiao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yangchao Chen
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Yongdong Zou
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Feng Yin
- Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen University Town, Xili, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zigang Li
- Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen University Town, Xili, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lizhi Zhu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology for Urogenital Tumors, Shenzhen, 518035, China.
| | - Duo Zheng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenzhen University Medical School; College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University; Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine), Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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Siregar KAAK, Syaifie PH, Jauhar MM, Arda AG, Rochman NT, Kustiawan PM, Mardliyati E. Revealing curcumin therapeutic targets on SRC, PPARG, MAPK8 and HSP90 as liver cirrhosis therapy based on comprehensive bioinformatic study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-18. [PMID: 38217310 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2301534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Cirrhosis naturally progresses through three stages: compensated, decompensated, and late decompensated, which carry an elevated risk of death. Although curcumin's anti-cirrhosis effects have been studied, underlying mechanism in preventing cirrhosis progression and the correlation between curcumin's action with upregulated genes remains insufficiently explored. In this study, we employed network pharmacology approach to construct a drug-target-disease network through bioinformatics and validate the findings with molecular docking and dynamic simulation. The curcumin-targeted liver cirrhosis network encompassed 54 nodes with 282 edges in protein-protein interactions (PPI) network. By utilizing network centrality analysis, we identified eight crucial genes. KEGG enrichment pathway revealed that these crucial genes are involved in pathway of cancer, endocrine resistance, estrogen signaling, chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, lipid metabolism, and atherosclerosis. Notably, these eight genes predominantly participate in cancer-related pathways. Further investigation revealed upregulation of four genes and downregulation of four others in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. These upregulated genes-MAPK8, SRC, PPARG, and HSP90AA1-strongly correlated with reduced survival probability in liver hepatocellular carcinoma patients with survival times approximately under 4000 days (∼11 years). Molecular docking and molecular dynamic results exhibited curcumin's superior binding affinities and stability compared to native ligands of MAPK8, SRC, PPARG, and HSP90AA1 within 50 ns simulations. Moreover, MM-GBSA analysis showed stronger binding energy of curcumin to MAPK8, SRC, and HSP90AA1 than native ligand. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into curcumin's potential mechanisms in preventing liver cirrhosis progression, specifically in HCC. These findings offer a theoretical basis for further pharmacological research into anti-HCC effect of curcumin.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalish Arsy Al Khairy Siregar
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Muhammadiyah Kalimantan Timur, Samarinda, Indonesia
- Center of Excellence Life Sciences, Nano Center Indonesia, South Tangerang, Indonesia
| | - Putri Hawa Syaifie
- Center of Excellence Life Sciences, Nano Center Indonesia, South Tangerang, Indonesia
| | | | - Adzani Gaisani Arda
- Center of Excellence Life Sciences, Nano Center Indonesia, South Tangerang, Indonesia
| | - Nurul Taufiqu Rochman
- Center of Excellence Life Sciences, Nano Center Indonesia, South Tangerang, Indonesia
- Research Center for Advanced Material, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang, Indonesia
| | | | - Etik Mardliyati
- Center of Excellence Life Sciences, Nano Center Indonesia, South Tangerang, Indonesia
- Research Center for Vaccine and Drug, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Bogor, Indonesia
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5
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Torres Robles J, Lou HJ, Shi G, Pan PL, Turk BE. Linear motif specificity in signaling through p38α and ERK2 mitogen-activated protein kinases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2316599120. [PMID: 37988460 PMCID: PMC10691213 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316599120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are essential for eukaryotic cells to integrate and respond to diverse stimuli. Maintaining specificity in signaling through MAPK networks is key to coupling distinct inputs to appropriate cellular responses. Docking sites-short linear motifs found in MAPK substrates, regulators, and scaffolds-can promote signaling specificity through selective interactions, but how they do so remains unresolved. Here, we screened a proteomic library for sequences interacting with the MAPKs extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) and p38α, identifying selective and promiscuous docking motifs. Sequences specific for p38α had high net charge and lysine content, and selective binding depended on a pair of acidic residues unique to the p38α docking interface. Finally, we validated a set of full-length proteins harboring docking sites selected in our screens to be authentic MAPK interactors and substrates. This study identifies features that help define MAPK signaling networks and explains how specific docking motifs promote signaling integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaylissa Torres Robles
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT06520
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06520
| | - Hua Jane Lou
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06520
| | - Guangda Shi
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06520
| | | | - Benjamin E. Turk
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06520
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6
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Postiglione AE, Adams LL, Ekhator ES, Odelade AE, Patwardhan S, Chaudhari M, Pardue AS, Kumari A, LeFever WA, Tornow OP, Kaoud TS, Neiswinger J, Jeong JS, Parsonage D, Nelson KJ, Kc DB, Furdui CM, Zhu H, Wommack AJ, Dalby KN, Dong M, Poole LB, Keyes JD, Newman RH. Hydrogen peroxide-dependent oxidation of ERK2 within its D-recruitment site alters its substrate selection. iScience 2023; 26:107817. [PMID: 37744034 PMCID: PMC10514464 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) are dysregulated in many pervasive diseases. Recently, we discovered that ERK1/2 is oxidized by signal-generated hydrogen peroxide in various cell types. Since the putative sites of oxidation lie within or near ERK1/2's ligand-binding surfaces, we investigated how oxidation of ERK2 regulates interactions with the model substrates Sub-D and Sub-F. These studies revealed that ERK2 undergoes sulfenylation at C159 on its D-recruitment site surface and that this modification modulates ERK2 activity differentially between substrates. Integrated biochemical, computational, and mutational analyses suggest a plausible mechanism for peroxide-dependent changes in ERK2-substrate interactions. Interestingly, oxidation decreased ERK2's affinity for some D-site ligands while increasing its affinity for others. Finally, oxidation by signal-generated peroxide enhanced ERK1/2's ability to phosphorylate ribosomal S6 kinase A1 (RSK1) in HeLa cells. Together, these studies lay the foundation for examining crosstalk between redox- and phosphorylation-dependent signaling at the level of kinase-substrate selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony E. Postiglione
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Laquaundra L. Adams
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Ese S. Ekhator
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Anuoluwapo E. Odelade
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Supriya Patwardhan
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Meenal Chaudhari
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
- Department of Computational Data Science and Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Virginia at Wise, Wise, VA 24293, USA
| | - Avery S. Pardue
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Anjali Kumari
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - William A. LeFever
- Department of Chemistry, High Point University, High Point, NC 27268, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Olivia P. Tornow
- Department of Chemistry, High Point University, High Point, NC 27268, USA
| | - Tamer S. Kaoud
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Johnathan Neiswinger
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biology, Belhaven University, Jackson, MS 39202, USA
| | - Jun Seop Jeong
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Derek Parsonage
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Kimberly J. Nelson
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Dukka B. Kc
- Department of Computer Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - Cristina M. Furdui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Heng Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Andrew J. Wommack
- Department of Chemistry, High Point University, High Point, NC 27268, USA
| | - Kevin N. Dalby
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Ming Dong
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
| | - Leslie B. Poole
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Jeremiah D. Keyes
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
- Department of Biology, Penn State University Behrend, Erie, PA 16563, USA
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Robert H. Newman
- Department of Biology, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
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Póti ÁL, Dénes L, Papp K, Bató C, Bánóczi Z, Reményi A, Alexa A. Phosphorylation-Assisted Luciferase Complementation Assay Designed to Monitor Kinase Activity and Kinase-Domain-Mediated Protein-Protein Binding. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14854. [PMID: 37834301 PMCID: PMC10573712 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein kinases are key regulators of cell signaling and have been important therapeutic targets for three decades. ATP-competitive drugs directly inhibit the activity of kinases but these enzymes work as part of complex protein networks in which protein-protein interactions (often referred to as kinase docking) may govern a more complex activation pattern. Kinase docking is indispensable for many signaling disease-relevant Ser/Thr kinases and it is mediated by a dedicated surface groove on the kinase domain which is distinct from the substrate-binding pocket. Thus, interfering with kinase docking provides an alternative strategy to control kinases. We describe activity sensors developed for p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs: ERK, p38, and JNK) whose substrate phosphorylation is known to depend on kinase-docking-groove-mediated protein-protein binding. The in vitro assays were based on fragment complementation of the NanoBit luciferase, which is facilitated upon substrate motif phosphorylation. The new phosphorylation-assisted luciferase complementation (PhALC) sensors are highly selective and the PhALC assay is a useful tool for the quantitative analysis of kinase activity or kinase docking, and even for high-throughput screening of academic compound collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ádám L. Póti
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Laura Dénes
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kinga Papp
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csaba Bató
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Bánóczi
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Reményi
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anita Alexa
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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8
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Juyoux P, Galdadas I, Gobbo D, von Velsen J, Pelosse M, Tully M, Vadas O, Gervasio FL, Pellegrini E, Bowler MW. Architecture of the MKK6-p38α complex defines the basis of MAPK specificity and activation. Science 2023; 381:1217-1225. [PMID: 37708276 PMCID: PMC7615176 DOI: 10.1126/science.add7859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38α is a central component of signaling in inflammation and the immune response and is, therefore, an important drug target. Little is known about the molecular mechanism of its activation by double phosphorylation from MAPK kinases (MAP2Ks), because of the challenge of trapping a transient and dynamic heterokinase complex. We applied a multidisciplinary approach to generate a structural model of p38α in complex with its MAP2K, MKK6, and to understand the activation mechanism. Integrating cryo-electron microscopy with molecular dynamics simulations, hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, and experiments in cells, we demonstrate a dynamic, multistep phosphorylation mechanism, identify catalytically relevant interactions, and show that MAP2K-disordered amino termini determine pathway specificity. Our work captures a fundamental step of cell signaling: a kinase phosphorylating its downstream target kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Juyoux
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Grenoble, France
| | - Ioannis Galdadas
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Dorothea Gobbo
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jill von Velsen
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Grenoble, France
| | - Martin Pelosse
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Grenoble, France
| | - Mark Tully
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Oscar Vadas
- Protein and peptide purification platform, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Luigi Gervasio
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
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9
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Ghorbel M, Haddaji N, Feki K, Tounsi S, Chihaoui M, Alghamdi A, Mseddi K, Brini F. Identification of a putative kinase interacting domain in the durum wheat catalase 1 (TdCAT1) protein. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18916. [PMID: 37609422 PMCID: PMC10440534 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Catalases are crucial antioxidant enzymes that regulate plants responses to different biotic and abiotic stresses. It has been previously shown that the activities of durum wheat catalase proteins (TdCAT1) were stimulated in the presence of divalent cations Mn2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, and Ca2+. In addition, TdCAT1s can interact with calmodulins in calcium-independent manner, and this interaction stimulates its catalytic activity in a calcium-dependent manner. Moreover, this activity is further enhanced by Mn2+ cations. The current study showed that wheat catalase presents different phosphorylation targets. Besides, we demonstrated that catalase is able to interact with Mitogen Activated Proteins kinases via a conserved domain. This interaction activates wheat catalase independently of its phosphorylation status but is more promoted by Mn2+, Fe2+ and Ca2+ divalent cations. Interestingly, we have demonstrated that durum wheat catalase activity is differentially regulated by Mitogen Activated Proteins kinases and Calmodulins in the presence of calcium. Moreover, the V0 of the reaction increase gradually following the increasing quantities of Mn2+ divalent cations. Such results have never been described before and suggest i) complex regulatory mechanisms exerted on wheat catalase, ii) divalent cations (Mn2+; Mg2+; Ca2+ and Fe2+) act as key cofactors in these regulatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mouna Ghorbel
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Hail, P.O. Box 2440, Ha'il City, 81451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Najla Haddaji
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Hail, P.O. Box 2440, Ha'il City, 81451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kaouthar Feki
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Tunisia
| | - Sana Tounsi
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Tunisia
| | - Mejda Chihaoui
- Computer Science Departement, Applied College- University of Ha'il, P.O. Box 2440, Ha'il City, 81451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Alghamdi
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Hail, P.O. Box 2440, Ha'il City, 81451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalil Mseddi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, 3000, Tunisia
| | - Faiçal Brini
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Tunisia
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10
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Guerin N, Kaserer T, Donald BR. Protocol for predicting drug-resistant protein mutations to an ERK2 inhibitor using RESISTOR. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102170. [PMID: 37115667 PMCID: PMC10173857 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Prospective predictions of drug-resistant protein mutants could improve the design of therapeutics less prone to resistance. Here, we describe RESISTOR, an algorithm that uses structure- and sequence-based criteria to predict resistance mutations. We demonstrate the process of using RESISTOR to predict ERK2 mutants likely to arise in melanoma ablating the efficacy of the ERK1/2 inhibitor SCH779284. RESISTOR is included in the free and open-source computational protein design software OSPREY. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Guerin et al..1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Guerin
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - Teresa Kaserer
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | - Bruce R Donald
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 22710, USA; Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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11
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Tu G, Guo Y, Xiao R, Tang L, Hu M, Liao B. Effects of Exercise Training on the Phosphoproteomics of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Rats With Autism Spectrum Disorder Induced by Valproic Acid. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2023; 37:94-108. [PMID: 36860155 DOI: 10.1177/15459683231152814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The key neural pathological characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include abnormal synaptic plasticity of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Exercise therapy is widely used to rehabilitate children with ASD, but its neurobiological mechanism is unclear. METHODS To clarify whether the structural and molecular plasticity of synapses in the mPFC are related to improvement in ASD behavioral deficits after continuous exercise rehabilitation training, we applied phosphoproteomic, behavioral, morphological, and molecular biological methods to investigate the impact of exercise on the phosphoprotein expression profile and synaptic structure of the mPFC in valproic acid (VPA)-induced ASD rats. RESULTS Exercise training differentially regulated the density, morphology, and ultrastructure of synapses in mPFC subregions in the VPA-induced ASD rats. In total, 1031 phosphopeptides were upregulated and 782 phosphopeptides were downregulated in the mPFC in the ASD group. After exercise training, 323 phosphopeptides were upregulated, and 1098 phosphopeptides were downregulated in the ASDE group. Interestingly, 101 upregulated and 33 downregulated phosphoproteins in the ASD group were reversed after exercise training, and these phosphoproteins were mostly involved in synapses. Consistent with the phosphoproteomics data, the total and phosphorylated levels of the proteins MARK1 and MYH10 were upregulated in the ASD group and reversed after exercise training. CONCLUSIONS The differential structural plasticity of synapses in mPFC subregions may be the basic neural architecture of ASD behavioral abnormalities. The phosphoproteins involved in mPFC synapses, such as MARK1 and MYH10, may play important roles in the exercise rehabilitation effect on ASD-induced behavioral deficits and synaptic structural plasticity, which requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genghong Tu
- Department of Sports Medicine, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Scientific Research Center, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Youli Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, Guangdong Provincial Corps Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Ruoshi Xiao
- Department of Sports Medicine, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Scientific Research Center, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Lianying Tang
- Department of Sports Medicine, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Scientific Research Center, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Min Hu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Scientific Research Center, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Bagen Liao
- Department of Sports Medicine, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Scientific Research Center, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
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12
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Shi G, Song C, Torres Robles J, Salichos L, Lou HJ, Lam TT, Gerstein M, Turk BE. Proteome-wide screening for mitogen-activated protein kinase docking motifs and interactors. Sci Signal 2023; 16:eabm5518. [PMID: 36626580 PMCID: PMC9995140 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abm5518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Essential functions of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) depend on their capacity to selectively phosphorylate a limited repertoire of substrates. MAPKs harbor a conserved groove located outside of the catalytic cleft that binds to short linear sequence motifs found in substrates and regulators. However, the weak and transient nature of these "docking" interactions poses a challenge to defining MAPK interactomes and associated sequence motifs. Here, we describe a yeast-based genetic screening pipeline to evaluate large collections of MAPK docking sequences in parallel. Using this platform, we analyzed a combinatorial library based on the docking sequences from the MAPK kinases MKK6 and MKK7, defining features critical for binding to the stress-activated MAPKs JNK1 and p38α. Our screen of a library consisting of ~12,000 sequences from the human proteome revealed multiple MAPK-selective interactors, including many that did not conform to previously defined docking motifs. Analysis of p38α/JNK1 exchange mutants identified specific docking groove residues that mediate selective binding. Last, we verified that docking sequences identified in the screen functioned in substrate recruitment in vitro and in cultured cells. Together, these studies establish an approach to characterize MAPK docking sequences and provide a resource for future investigation of signaling downstream of p38 and JNK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangda Shi
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Claire Song
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Jaylissa Torres Robles
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Leonidas Salichos
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Hua Jane Lou
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - TuKiet T Lam
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.,Keck MS and Proteomics Resource, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Mark Gerstein
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Benjamin E Turk
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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13
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Wang P, Feng Z, Chen S, Liang Y, Hou H, Ouyang Q, Yu H, Ye H, Cai L, Qi Y, Wu K, Luo H. A synthetic peptide from Sipunculus nudus promotes bone formation via Estrogen/MAPK signal pathway based on network pharmacology. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1173110. [PMID: 37168991 PMCID: PMC10165119 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1173110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The tripeptide Leu-Pro-Lys (LPK), derived from the Sipunculus nudus protein, was synthesized and studied to investigate its potential protective effect on bone formation. The effect and mechanism of LPK were analyzed through network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and experimental pharmacology. The study found that LPK at concentrations of 25 μg/mL and 50 μg/mL significantly increased ALP activity and mineralization in C3H10 cells. LPK also increased the expression of COL1A1 and promoted bone formation in zebrafish larvae. Network pharmacology predicted 148 interaction targets between LPK and bone development, and analysis of the protein-protein interaction network identified 13 hub genes, including ESR1, MAPK8, and EGFR, involved in bone development. Through KEGG enrichment pathways analysis, it was determined that LPK promotes bone development by regulating endocrine resistance, the relaxin signaling pathway, and the estrogen signaling pathway. Molecular docking results showed direct interactions between LPK and ESR1, MAPK8, and MAPK14. Additional verification experiments using western blot assay revealed that LPK significantly upregulated the expression of genes related to bone formation, including COL1A1, OPG, RUNX2, ESR1, phosphorylated MAPK14, and phosphorylated MAPK8 in C3H10 cells. These results suggest that LPK promotes bone formation by activating the estrogen/MAPK signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiran Wang
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Zhenhui Feng
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Siyu Chen
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Yingye Liang
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Haiyan Hou
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Qianqian Ouyang
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
- Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine Sub-center of National Engineering Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Hui Yu
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Hua Ye
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
- Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine Sub-center of National Engineering Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Lei Cai
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Laboratory Animals, Guangdong Laboratory Animals Monitoring Institute, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Qi
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
- Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine Sub-center of National Engineering Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhanjiang, China
- *Correspondence: Yi Qi, Kefeng Wu,
| | - Kefeng Wu
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
- Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine Sub-center of National Engineering Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhanjiang, China
- *Correspondence: Yi Qi, Kefeng Wu,
| | - Hui Luo
- Marine Biomedical Research Institution, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- Guangdong (Zhanjiang) Provincial Laboratory of Southern Marine Science and Engineering, Zhanjiang, China
- Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine Sub-center of National Engineering Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhanjiang, China
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14
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Waudby CA, Alvarez-Teijeiro S, Josue Ruiz E, Suppinger S, Pinotsis N, Brown PR, Behrens A, Christodoulou J, Mylona A. An intrinsic temporal order of c-JUN N-terminal phosphorylation regulates its activity by orchestrating co-factor recruitment. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6133. [PMID: 36253406 PMCID: PMC9576782 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33866-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein phosphorylation is a major regulatory mechanism of cellular signalling. The c-JUN proto-oncoprotein is phosphorylated at four residues within its transactivation domain (TAD) by the JNK family kinases, but the functional significance of c-JUN multisite phosphorylation has remained elusive. Here we show that c-JUN phosphorylation by JNK exhibits defined temporal kinetics, with serine63 and serine73 being phosphorylated more rapidly than threonine91 and threonine93. We identify the positioning of the phosphorylation sites relative to the kinase docking motif, and their primary sequence, as the main factors controlling phosphorylation kinetics. Functional analysis reveals three c-JUN phosphorylation states: unphosphorylated c-JUN recruits the MBD3 repressor, serine63/73 doubly-phosphorylated c-JUN binds to the TCF4 co-activator, whereas the fully phosphorylated form disfavours TCF4 binding attenuating JNK signalling. Thus, c-JUN phosphorylation encodes multiple functional states that drive a complex signalling response from a single JNK input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Waudby
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK
| | - Saul Alvarez-Teijeiro
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Asturias, Spain
- CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - E Josue Ruiz
- Cancer Stem Cell Laboratory, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Simon Suppinger
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nikos Pinotsis
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Paul R Brown
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Guy's Campus, King's College, London, UK
| | - Axel Behrens
- Cancer Stem Cell Laboratory, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
- CR-UK Convergence Science Centre, Imperial College, London, SW7 2BU, UK
| | - John Christodoulou
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK.
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK.
| | - Anastasia Mylona
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK.
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK.
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15
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Crystallographic mining of ASK1 regulators to unravel the intricate PPI interfaces for the discovery of small molecule. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:3734-3754. [PMID: 35891784 PMCID: PMC9294202 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein seldom performs biological activities in isolation. Understanding the protein–protein interactions’ physical rewiring in response to pathological conditions or pathogen infection can help advance our comprehension of disease etiology, progression, and pathogenesis, which allow us to explore the alternate route to control the regulation of key target interactions, timely and effectively. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is now a global public health problem exacerbated due to the lack of appropriate treatments. The most advanced anti-NASH lead compound (selonsertib) is withdrawn, though it is able to inhibit its target Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) completely, indicating the necessity to explore alternate routes rather than complete inhibition. Understanding the interaction fingerprints of endogenous regulators at the molecular level that underpin disease formation and progression may spur the rationale of designing therapeutic strategies. Based on our analysis and thorough literature survey of the various key regulators and PTMs, the current review emphasizes PPI-based drug discovery’s relevance for NASH conditions. The lack of structural detail (interface sites) of ASK1 and its regulators makes it challenging to characterize the PPI interfaces. This review summarizes key regulators interaction fingerprinting of ASK1, which can be explored further to restore the homeostasis from its hyperactive states for therapeutics intervention against NASH.
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Key Words
- ASK1
- ASK1, Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1
- CFLAR, CASP8 and FADD-like apoptosis regulator
- CREG, Cellular repressor of E1A-stimulated genes
- DKK3, Dickkopf-related protein 3
- Interaction fingerprint
- NAFLD, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- NASH
- NASH, Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
- PPI, Protein-protein interaction
- PTM, Post-trancriptional modification
- PTMs
- Protein-protein interaction
- TNFAIP3, TNF Alpha Induced Protein 3
- TRAF2/6, Tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)-associated factor2/6
- TRIM48, Tripartite Motif Containing 48
- TRX, Thioredoxin
- USP9X, Ubiquitin Specific Peptidase 9 X-Linked
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16
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Crystal structure of the phosphorylated Arabidopsis MKK5 reveals activation mechanism of MAPK kinases. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2022; 54:1159-1170. [PMID: 35866601 PMCID: PMC9909325 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2022089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways are highly conserved in eukaryotes, regulating various cellular processes. The MAPK kinases (MKKs) are dual specificity kinases, serving as convergence and divergence points of the tripartite MAPK cascades. Here, we investigate the biochemical characteristics and three-dimensional structure of MKK5 in Arabidopsis (AtMKK5). The recombinant full-length AtMKK5 is phosphorylated and can activate its physiological substrate AtMPK6. There is a conserved kinase interacting motif (KIM) at the N-terminus of AtMKK5, indispensable for specific recognition of AtMPK6. The kinase domain of AtMKK5 adopts active conformation, of which the extended activation segment is stabilized by the phosphorylated Ser221 and Thr215 residues. In line with sequence divergence from other MKKs, the αD and αK helices are missing in AtMKK5, suggesting that the AtMKK5 may adopt distinct modes of upstream kinase/substrate binding. Our data shed lights on the molecular mechanisms of MKK activation and substrate recognition, which may help design specific inhibitors targeting human and plant MKKs.
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17
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Schauperl M, Denny RA. AI-Based Protein Structure Prediction in Drug Discovery: Impacts and Challenges. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3142-3156. [PMID: 35727311 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Proteins are the molecular machinery of the human body, and their malfunctioning is often responsible for diseases, making them crucial targets for drug discovery. The three-dimensional structure of a protein determines its biological function, its conformational state determines substrates, cofactors, and protein binding. Rational drug discovery employs engineered small molecules to selectively interact with proteins to modulate their function. To selectively target a protein and to design small molecules, knowing the protein structure with all its specific conformation is critical. Unfortunately, for a large number of proteins relevant for drug discovery, the three-dimensional structure has not yet been experimentally solved. Therefore, accurately predicting their structure based on their amino acid sequence is one of the grant challenges in biology. Recently, AlphaFold2, a machine learning application based on a deep neural network, was able to predict unknown structures of proteins with an unprecedented accuracy. Despite the impressive progress made by AlphaFold2, nature still challenges the field of structure prediction. In this Perspective, we explore how AlphaFold2 and related methods help make drug design more efficient. Furthermore, we discuss the roles of predicting domain-domain orientations, all relevant conformational states, the influence of posttranslational modifications, and conformational changes due to protein binding partners. We highlight where further improvements are needed for advanced machine learning methods to be successfully and frequently used in the pharmaceutical industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schauperl
- Department of Computational Sciences HotSpot Therapeutics 50 Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, United States
| | - Rajiah Aldrin Denny
- Department of Computational Sciences HotSpot Therapeutics 50 Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, United States
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18
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Substrates of the MAPK Slt2: Shaping Yeast Cell Integrity. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8040368. [PMID: 35448599 PMCID: PMC9031059 DOI: 10.3390/jof8040368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell wall integrity (CWI) MAPK pathway of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is specialized in responding to cell wall damage, but ongoing research shows that it participates in many other stressful conditions, suggesting that it has functional diversity. The output of this pathway is mainly driven by the activity of the MAPK Slt2, which regulates important processes for yeast physiology such as fine-tuning of signaling through the CWI and other pathways, transcriptional activation in response to cell wall damage, cell cycle, or determination of the fate of some organelles. To this end, Slt2 precisely phosphorylates protein substrates, modulating their activity, stability, protein interaction, and subcellular localization. Here, after recapitulating the methods that have been employed in the discovery of proteins phosphorylated by Slt2, we review the bona fide substrates of this MAPK and the growing set of candidates still to be confirmed. In the context of the complexity of MAPK signaling regulation, we discuss how Slt2 determines yeast cell integrity through phosphorylation of these substrates. Increasing data from large-scale analyses and the available methodological approaches pave the road to early identification of new Slt2 substrates and functions.
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19
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Gehi BR, Gadhave K, Uversky VN, Giri R. Intrinsic disorder in proteins associated with oxidative stress-induced JNK signaling. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:202. [PMID: 35325330 PMCID: PMC11073203 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04230-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling cascade is a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway that can be activated in response to a wide range of environmental stimuli. Based on the type, degree, and duration of the stimulus, the JNK signaling cascade dictates the fate of the cell by influencing gene expression through its substrate transcription factors. Oxidative stress is a result of a disturbance in the pro-oxidant/antioxidant homeostasis of the cell and is associated with a large number of diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and disorders of the immune system, where it activates the JNK signaling pathway. Among different biological roles ascribed to the intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and hybrid proteins containing ordered domains and intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs) are signaling hub functions, as intrinsic disorder allows proteins to undertake multiple interactions, each with a different consequence. In order to ensure precise signaling, the cellular abundance of IDPs is highly regulated, and mutations or changes in abundance of IDPs/IDPRs are often associated with disease. In this study, we have used a combination of six disorder predictors to evaluate the presence of intrinsic disorder in proteins of the oxidative stress-induced JNK signaling cascade, and as per our findings, none of the 18 proteins involved in this pathway are ordered. The highest level of intrinsic disorder was observed in the scaffold proteins, JIP1, JIP2, JIP3; dual specificity phosphatases, MKP5, MKP7; 14-3-3ζ and transcription factor c-Jun. The MAP3Ks, MAP2Ks, MAPKs, TRAFs, and thioredoxin were the proteins that were predicted to be moderately disordered. Furthermore, to characterize the predicted IDPs/IDPRs in the proteins of the JNK signaling cascade, we identified the molecular recognition features (MoRFs), posttranslational modification (PTM) sites, and short linear motifs (SLiMs) associated with the disordered regions. These findings will serve as a foundation for experimental characterization of disordered regions in these proteins, which represents a crucial step for a better understanding of the roles of IDPRs in diseases associated with this important pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhuvaneshwari R Gehi
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, VPO Kamand, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, 175005, India
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India
| | - Kundlik Gadhave
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, VPO Kamand, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, 175005, India
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Laboratory of New Methods in Biology, Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center "Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Pushchino, Moscow region, 142290, Russia.
| | - Rajanish Giri
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, VPO Kamand, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, 175005, India.
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20
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Systematic Discovery of FBXW7-Binding Phosphodegrons Highlights Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases as Important Regulators of Intracellular Protein Levels. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063320. [PMID: 35328741 PMCID: PMC8955265 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A FBXW7 is an F-box E3 ubiquitin-ligase affecting cell growth by controlling protein degradation. Mechanistically, its effect on its substrates depends on the phosphorylation of degron motifs, but the abundance of these phosphodegrons has not been systematically explored. We used a ratiometric protein degradation assay geared towards the identification of FBXW7-binding degron motifs phosphorylated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Most of the known FBXW7 targets are localized in the nucleus and function as transcription factors. Here, in addition to more transcription affecting factors (ETV5, KLF4, SP5, JAZF1, and ZMIZ1 CAMTA2), we identified phosphodegrons located in proteins involved in chromatin regulation (ARID4B, KMT2E, KMT2D, and KAT6B) or cytoskeletal regulation (MAP2, Myozenin-2, SMTL2, and AKAP11), and some other proteins with miscellaneous functions (EIF4G3, CDT1, and CCAR2). We show that the protein level of full-length ARID4B, ETV5, JAZF1, and ZMIZ1 are affected by different MAPKs since their FBXW7-mediated degradation was diminished in the presence of MAPK-specific inhibitors. Our results suggest that MAPK and FBXW7 partnership plays an important cellular role by directly affecting the level of key regulatory proteins. The data also suggest that the p38α-controlled phosphodegron in JAZF1 may be responsible for the pathological regulation of the cancer-related JAZF1-SUZ12 fusion construct implicated in endometrial stromal sarcoma.
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21
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Kouchi Z, Kojima M. Function of SYDE C2-RhoGAP family as signaling hubs for neuronal development deduced by computational analysis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4325. [PMID: 35279680 PMCID: PMC8918327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08147-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent investigations of neurological developmental disorders have revealed the Rho-family modulators such as Syde and its interactors as the candidate genes. Although the mammalian Syde proteins are reported to possess GTPase-accelerating activity for RhoA-family proteins, diverse species-specific substrate selectivities and binding partners have been described, presumably based on their evolutionary variance in the molecular organization. A comprehensive in silico analysis of Syde family proteins was performed to elucidate their molecular functions and neurodevelopmental networks. Predicted structural modeling of the RhoGAP domain may account for the molecular constraints to substrate specificity among Rho-family proteins. Deducing conserved binding motifs can extend the Syde interaction network and highlight diverse but Syde isoform-specific signaling pathways in neuronal homeostasis, differentiation, and synaptic plasticity from novel aspects of post-translational modification and proteolysis.
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22
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Zeng L, Kaoud TS, Zamora-Olivares D, Bohanon AL, Li Y, Pridgen JR, Ekpo YE, Zhuang DL, Nye JR, Telles M, Winkler M, Rivera S, Marini F, Dalby KN, Anslyn EV. Multiplexing the Quantitation of MAP Kinase Activities Using Differential Sensing. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:4017-4025. [PMID: 35195411 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Protein kinases are therapeutic targets for many human diseases, but the lack of user-friendly quantitative assays limits the ability to follow the activities of numerous kinases at once (multiplexing). To develop such an assay, we report an array of sulfonamido-oxine (SOX)-labeled peptides showing cross-reactivity to different mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) for use in a differential sensing scheme. We first verified using linear discriminant analysis that the array could differentiate MAPK isoforms. Then, using principal component analysis, the array was optimized based on the discrimination imparted by each SOX-peptide. Next, the activity of individual MAPK families in ternary mixtures was quantified by support vector machine regression. Finally, we multiplexed the quantification of three MAPK families using partial least squares regression in A549 cell lysates, which has possible interference from other kinase classes. Thus, our method simultaneously quantifies the activity of multiple kinases. The technique could be applied to other protein kinase families and the monitoring of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyu Zeng
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Tamer S Kaoud
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Diana Zamora-Olivares
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States.,Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Amanda L Bohanon
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Yiru Li
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Jacey R Pridgen
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Yakndara E Ekpo
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Deborah L Zhuang
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Jessica R Nye
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Mitchell Telles
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Michelle Winkler
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Sebastian Rivera
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Federico Marini
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Kevin N Dalby
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Eric V Anslyn
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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23
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Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-activated protein kinases (MAPKAPKs) are defined by their exclusive activation by MAPKs. They can be activated by classical and atypical MAPKs that have been stimulated by mitogens and various stresses. Genetic deletions of MAPKAPKs and availability of highly specific small-molecule inhibitors have continuously increased our functional understanding of these kinases. MAPKAPKs cooperate in the regulation of gene expression at the level of transcription; RNA processing, export, and stability; and protein synthesis. The diversity of stimuli for MAPK activation, the cross talk between the different MAPKs and MAPKAPKs, and the specific substrate pattern of MAPKAPKs orchestrate immediate-early and inflammatory responses in space and time and ensure proper control of cell growth, differentiation, and cell behavior. Hence, MAPKAPKs are promising targets for cancer therapy and treatments for conditions of acute and chronic inflammation, such as cytokine storms and rheumatoid arthritis. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biochemistry, Volume 91 is June 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Ronkina
- Institute of Cell Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany;
| | - Matthias Gaestel
- Institute of Cell Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany;
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24
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Scheele RA, Lindenburg LH, Petek M, Schober M, Dalby KN, Hollfelder F. Droplet-based screening of phosphate transfer catalysis reveals how epistasis shapes MAP kinase interactions with substrates. Nat Commun 2022; 13:844. [PMID: 35149678 PMCID: PMC8837617 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28396-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of ultrahigh-throughput screening and sequencing informs on function and intragenic epistasis within combinatorial protein mutant libraries. Establishing a droplet-based, in vitro compartmentalised approach for robust expression and screening of protein kinase cascades (>107 variants/day) allowed us to dissect the intrinsic molecular features of the MKK-ERK signalling pathway, without interference from endogenous cellular components. In a six-residue combinatorial library of the MKK1 docking domain, we identified 29,563 sequence permutations that allow MKK1 to efficiently phosphorylate and activate its downstream target kinase ERK2. A flexibly placed hydrophobic sequence motif emerges which is defined by higher order epistatic interactions between six residues, suggesting synergy that enables high connectivity in the sequence landscape. Through positive epistasis, MKK1 maintains function during mutagenesis, establishing the importance of co-dependent residues in mammalian protein kinase-substrate interactions, and creating a scenario for the evolution of diverse human signalling networks. Here, the authors use a droplet-based screen for phosphate transfer catalysis, testing variants of the human protein kinase MKK1 for its ability to activate its downstream target ERK2. Data reveal a flexible motif in the MKK1 docking domain that promotes efficient activation of ERK2, and suggest epistasis between the residues within that sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remkes A Scheele
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | | | - Maya Petek
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, SI-2000, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Markus Schober
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Kevin N Dalby
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK.
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25
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Alexa A, Sok P, Gross F, Albert K, Kobori E, Póti ÁL, Gógl G, Bento I, Kuang E, Taylor SS, Zhu F, Ciliberto A, Reményi A. A non-catalytic herpesviral protein reconfigures ERK-RSK signaling by targeting kinase docking systems in the host. Nat Commun 2022; 13:472. [PMID: 35078976 PMCID: PMC8789800 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28109-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus protein ORF45 binds the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and the p90 Ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK). ORF45 was shown to be a kinase activator in cells but a kinase inhibitor in vitro, and its effects on the ERK-RSK complex are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that ORF45 binds ERK and RSK using optimized linear binding motifs. The crystal structure of the ORF45-ERK2 complex shows how kinase docking motifs recognize the activated form of ERK. The crystal structure of the ORF45-RSK2 complex reveals an AGC kinase docking system, for which we provide evidence that it is functional in the host. We find that ORF45 manipulates ERK-RSK signaling by favoring the formation of a complex, in which activated kinases are better protected from phosphatases and docking motif-independent RSK substrate phosphorylation is selectively up-regulated. As such, our data suggest that ORF45 interferes with the natural design of kinase docking systems in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Alexa
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Sok
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Fridolin Gross
- IFOM, Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, 20139, Milan, Italy
| | - Krisztián Albert
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Evan Kobori
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0654, USA
| | - Ádám L Póti
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergő Gógl
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Isabel Bento
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ersheng Kuang
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4370, USA
| | - Susan S Taylor
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0654, USA
| | - Fanxiu Zhu
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4370, USA
| | - Andrea Ciliberto
- IFOM, Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, 20139, Milan, Italy
| | - Attila Reményi
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary.
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26
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Identification of the Kinase-Substrate Recognition Interface between MYPT1 and Rho-Kinase. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12020159. [PMID: 35204659 PMCID: PMC8869655 DOI: 10.3390/biom12020159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein kinases exert physiological functions through phosphorylating their specific substrates; however, the mode of kinase–substrate recognition is not fully understood. Rho-kinase is a Ser/Thr protein kinase that regulates cytoskeletal reorganization through phosphorylating myosin light chain (MLC) and the myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) of MLC phosphatase (MLCP) and is involved in various diseases, due to its aberrant cellular contraction, morphology, and movement. Despite the importance of the prediction and identification of substrates and phosphorylation sites, understanding of the precise regularity in phosphorylation preference of Rho-kinase remains far from satisfactory. Here we analyzed the Rho-kinase–MYPT1 interaction, to understand the mode of Rho-kinase substrate recognition and found that the three short regions of MYPT1 close to phosphorylation sites (referred to as docking motifs (DMs); DM1 (DLQEAEKTIGRS), DM2 (KSQPKSIRERRRPR), and DM3 (RKARSRQAR)) are important for interactions with Rho-kinase. The phosphorylation levels of MYPT1 without DMs were reduced, and the effects were limited to the neighboring phosphorylation sites. We further demonstrated that the combination of pseudosubstrate (PS) and DM of MYPT1 (PS1 + DM3 and PS2 + DM2) serves as a potent inhibitor of Rho-kinase. The present information will be useful in identifying new substrates and developing selective Rho-kinase inhibitors.
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27
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Kliche J, Ivarsson Y. Orchestrating serine/threonine phosphorylation and elucidating downstream effects by short linear motifs. Biochem J 2022; 479:1-22. [PMID: 34989786 PMCID: PMC8786283 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20200714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cellular function is based on protein-protein interactions. A large proportion of these interactions involves the binding of short linear motifs (SLiMs) by folded globular domains. These interactions are regulated by post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation, that create and break motif binding sites or tune the affinity of the interactions. In addition, motif-based interactions are involved in targeting serine/threonine kinases and phosphatases to their substrate and contribute to the specificity of the enzymatic actions regulating which sites are phosphorylated. Here, we review how SLiM-based interactions assist in determining the specificity of serine/threonine kinases and phosphatases, and how phosphorylation, in turn, affects motif-based interactions. We provide examples of SLiM-based interactions that are turned on/off, or are tuned by serine/threonine phosphorylation and exemplify how this affects SLiM-based protein complex formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Kliche
- Department of Chemistry – BMC, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 576 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ylva Ivarsson
- Department of Chemistry – BMC, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 576 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
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28
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Liu R, Zhan S, Che Y, Shen J. Reactivities of the Front Pocket N-Terminal Cap Cysteines in Human Kinases. J Med Chem 2021; 65:1525-1535. [PMID: 34647463 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The front pocket (FP) N-terminal cap (Ncap) cysteine is the most popular site of covalent modification in kinases. A long-standing hypothesis associates the Ncap position with cysteine hyper-reactivity; however, traditional computational predictions suggest that the FP Ncap cysteines are predominantly unreactive. Here we applied the state-of-the-art continuous constant pH molecular dynamics (CpHMD) to test the Ncap hypothesis. Simulations found that the Ncap cysteines of BTK/BMX/TEC/ITK/TXK, JAK3, and MKK7 are reactive to varying degrees; however, those of BLK and EGFR/ERBB2/ERBB4 possessing a Ncap+3 aspartate are unreactive. Analysis suggested that hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions drive the reactivity, and their absence renders the Ncap cysteine unreactive. To further test the Ncap hypothesis, we examined the FP Ncap+2 cysteines in JNK1/JNK2/JNK3 and CASK. Our work offers a systematic understanding of the cysteine structure-reactivity relationship and illustrates the use of CpHMD to differentiate cysteines toward the design of targeted covalent inhibitors with reduced chemical reactivities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruibin Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Shaoqi Zhan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Ye Che
- Discovery Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Jana Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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29
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Cho H, Hah JM. A Perspective on the Development of c-Jun N-terminal Kinase Inhibitors as Therapeutics for Alzheimer's Disease: Investigating Structure through Docking Studies. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9101431. [PMID: 34680547 PMCID: PMC8533360 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9101431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) plays an important role in cell death caused by various stimuli. Because the isoform JNK3 is mainly expressed in the brain, it is believed to play a pivotal role in various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), which still lack plausible therapeutics. To develop a novel and selective JNK3 inhibitor, we conducted a decadal review (2011 to 2021) of published articles on JNK inhibitors, particularly those focusing on a structural perspective and docking insights. We observed the structures of three isoforms of JNK, namely holo-proteins and co-crystal structures, with JNK3 inhibitors and summarized the significant structural aspects of selective JNK3 inhibitors as AD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunwook Cho
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Korea;
- Center for Proteinopathy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Korea
| | - Jung-Mi Hah
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Korea;
- Center for Proteinopathy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-31-400-5803
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30
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Li Z, Zhao Q, Lu Y, Zhang Y, Li L, Li M, Chen X, Sun D, Duan Y, Xu Y. DDIT4 S-Nitrosylation Aids p38-MAPK Signaling Complex Assembly to Promote Hepatic Reactive Oxygen Species Production. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:e2101957. [PMID: 34310076 PMCID: PMC8456271 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202101957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling plays a significant role in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The authors have previously shown that Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1), a chromatin remodeling protein, contributes to hepatic ROS accumulation in multiple animal and cellular models of liver injury. Here it is reported that DNA damage-induced transcript 4 (DDIT4) is identified as a direct transcriptional target for BRG1. DDIT4 overexpression overcomes BRG1 deficiency to restore ROS production whereas DDIT4 knockdown phenocopies BRG1 deficiency in suppressing ROS production in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, DDIT4 coordinates the assembly of the p38-MAPK signaling complex to drive ROS production in an S-nitrosylation dependent manner. Molecular docking identifies several bioactive DDIT4-inteacting compounds including imatinib, nilotinib, and nateglinide, all of which are confirmed to attenuate hepatic ROS production, dampen p38-MAPK signaling, and ameliorate liver injury by influencing DDIT4 S-nitrosylation. Importantly, positive correlation between ROS levels and BRG1/DDIT4/S-nitrosylated DDIT4 levels is detected in human liver biopsy specimens. In conclusion, the data reveal a transcription-based signaling cascade that contributes to ROS production in liver injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilong Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First People's Hospital of ChangzhouThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversityChangzhou213000China
- Key Laboratory of Targeted Intervention of Cardiovascular DiseaseCollaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Translational MedicineNanjing Medical UniversityNanjing211166China
- Institute of Biomedical ResearchLiaocheng UniversityLiaocheng252000China
- State Key Laboratory of Natural MedicinesDepartment of PharmacologyChina Pharmaceutical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Qianwen Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural MedicinesDepartment of PharmacologyChina Pharmaceutical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Yunjie Lu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First People's Hospital of ChangzhouThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversityChangzhou213000China
| | - Yangxi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Targeted Intervention of Cardiovascular DiseaseCollaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Translational MedicineNanjing Medical UniversityNanjing211166China
| | - Luyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Targeted Intervention of Cardiovascular DiseaseCollaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Translational MedicineNanjing Medical UniversityNanjing211166China
| | - Min Li
- Key Laboratory of Targeted Intervention of Cardiovascular DiseaseCollaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Translational MedicineNanjing Medical UniversityNanjing211166China
| | - Xuemin Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First People's Hospital of ChangzhouThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversityChangzhou213000China
| | - Donglin Sun
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First People's Hospital of ChangzhouThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversityChangzhou213000China
| | - Yunfei Duan
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First People's Hospital of ChangzhouThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversityChangzhou213000China
| | - Yong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Targeted Intervention of Cardiovascular DiseaseCollaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Translational MedicineNanjing Medical UniversityNanjing211166China
- Institute of Biomedical ResearchLiaocheng UniversityLiaocheng252000China
- State Key Laboratory of Natural MedicinesDepartment of PharmacologyChina Pharmaceutical UniversityNanjingChina
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31
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Enthalpy-Entropy Compensation in the Promiscuous Interaction of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein with Homologous Protein Partners. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11081204. [PMID: 34439869 PMCID: PMC8391806 DOI: 10.3390/biom11081204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can engage in promiscuous interactions with their protein targets; however, it is not clear how this feature is encoded in the primary sequence of the IDPs and to what extent the surface properties and the shape of the binding cavity dictate the binding mode and the final bound conformation. Here we show, using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), that the promiscuous interaction of the intrinsically disordered regulatory domain of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MKK4 with p38α and JNK1 is facilitated by folding-upon-binding into two different conformations, despite the high sequence conservation and structural homology between p38α and JNK1. Our results support a model whereby the specific surface properties of JNK1 and p38α dictate the bound conformation of MKK4 and that enthalpy–entropy compensation plays a major role in maintaining comparable binding affinities for MKK4 towards the two kinases.
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32
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Yun MW, Kim K, Park JY, Chung KY. Conformational Dynamics Analysis of MEK1 Using Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry. Protein Pept Lett 2021; 28:481-488. [PMID: 33143608 DOI: 10.2174/0929866527666201103152534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) is regulated by a phosphorylation cascade comprising three kinases, MAPK kinase kinase (MAP3K), MAPK kinase (MAP2K), and MAPK. MAP2K1 and MAPK2K2, also known as MEK1 and MEK2, activate ERK1 and ERK2. The structure of the MAPK signaling cascade has been studied, but high-resolution structural studies of MAP2Ks have often focused on kinase domains or docking sites, but not on full-length proteins. OBJECTIVE To understand the conformational dynamics of MEK1. METHODS Full-length MEK1 was purified from Escherichia coli (BL21), and its conformational dynamics were analyzed using hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS). The effects of ATP binding were examined by co-incubating MEK1 and adenylyl-imidodiphosphate (AMP- PNP), a non-hydrolysable ATP analog. RESULTS MEK1 exhibited mixed EX1/EX2 HDX kinetics within the N-terminal tail through β1, αI, and the C-terminal helix. AMP-PNP binding was found to reduce conformational dynamics within the glycine-rich loop and regions near the DFG motif, along with the activation lip. CONCLUSION We report for the first time that MEK1 has regions that slowly change its folded and unfolded states (mixed EX1/EX2 kinetics) and also report the conformational effects of ATP-binding to MEK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Woo Yun
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Korea
| | - Kiae Kim
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Korea
| | - Ji Young Park
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Korea
| | - Ka Young Chung
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Korea
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33
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Alexa A, Ember O, Szabó I, Mo'ath Y, Póti ÁL, Reményi A, Bánóczi Z. Peptide Based Inhibitors of Protein Binding to the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Docking Groove. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:690429. [PMID: 34277705 PMCID: PMC8281026 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.690429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) are important regulatory units in cells and they take part in the regulation of many cellular functions such as cell division, differentiation or apoptosis. All MAPKs have a shallow docking groove that interacts with linear binding motifs of their substrate proteins and their regulatory proteins such as kinases, phosphatases, scaffolds. Inhibition of these protein–protein interactions may reduce or abolish the activity of the targeted kinase. Based on the wide range of their biological activity, this kind of inhibition can be useful in the treatment of many disorders like tumors, inflammation or undesired cell apoptosis. In this study a linear binding motif from the RHDF1 protein—a 15 amino acids long peptide—was selected for optimization to increase its cellular uptake but retaining its low micromolar binding affinity. First, we synthesized an octaarginine conjugate that showed efficient cellular uptake. Next, we set out to reduce the size of this construct. We were able to decrease the length of the original peptide, and to increase its cellular uptake with specific chemical modifications. These new constructs bound better to ERK2 and p38 kinases than the original peptide and they showed markedly increased cellular uptake. The new octaarginine conjugate and one of the minimized bicyclic derivatives could inhibit the phosphorylation of intracellular ERK or p38. However, the modulation of MAPK phosphorylation levels by these cell-penetrating peptides were complex, despite that in biochemical assays they all inhibited MAPK-substrate binding as well as phosphorylation. The optimized peptides depending on the applied concentration caused an expected decrease, but also some unexpected increase in MAPK phosphorylation patterns in the cell. This possibly reflects the complexity of MAPK docking groove mediated protein–protein interactions including bone fide MAPK clients such activator kinases, deactivating phosphatases or regulatory scaffolds. Thus, our findings with optimized cell-penetrating “inhibitory” peptides highlight the opportunities but also the pitfalls of docking peptide based MAPK activity regulation and call for a better quantitative understanding of MAPK mediated protein–protein interactions in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Alexa
- Biomolecular Interactions Laboratory, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Orsolya Ember
- Biomolecular Interactions Laboratory, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Szabó
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös L. University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Yousef Mo'ath
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám L Póti
- Biomolecular Interactions Laboratory, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Reményi
- Biomolecular Interactions Laboratory, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Bánóczi
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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34
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Nagao H, Kitagawa D, Nakajima F, Sawa M, Kinoshita T. Identification of an allosteric and Smad3-selective inhibitor of p38αMAPK using a substrate-based approach. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 43:128056. [PMID: 33892104 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.128056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
p38α mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) plays important roles in multiple cellular functions by phosphorylating a wide variety of substrates, and therefore, p38α MAPK has been considered as an important drug target. In this study, we designed peptide-based inhibitors for p38α MAPK, which can only inhibit the Smad3 phosphorylation specifically, by targeting the KIM binding site of p38α MAPK. Peptide 6 showed a significant inhibitory potency for the Smad3 phosphorylation by p38α MAPK. Peptide 6 showed no ATP dependency, and did not inhibit the phosphorylation of other substrates by p38α MAPK. The discovery of peptide 6 by targeting the KIM binding site likely provide an opportunity for the discovery of a novel class of allosteric and substrate-specific p38α MAPK inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Nagao
- Carna Biosciences, Inc., BMA 3F, 1-5-5 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Kitagawa
- Carna Biosciences, Inc., BMA 3F, 1-5-5 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Fumio Nakajima
- Carna Biosciences, Inc., BMA 3F, 1-5-5 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Masaaki Sawa
- Carna Biosciences, Inc., BMA 3F, 1-5-5 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Kinoshita
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai-shi, Osaka 599-8531, Japan
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35
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González-Rubio G, Sellers-Moya Á, Martín H, Molina M. A walk-through MAPK structure and functionality with the 30-year-old yeast MAPK Slt2. Int Microbiol 2021; 24:531-543. [PMID: 33993419 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-021-00183-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are evolutionarily conserved signaling proteins involved in the regulation of most eukaryotic cellular processes. They are downstream components of essential signal transduction pathways activated by the external stimuli, in which the signal is conveyed through phosphorylation cascades. The excellent genetic and biochemical tractability of simple eukaryotes such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae has significantly contributed to gain fundamental information into the physiology of these key proteins. The budding yeast MAPK Slt2 was identified 30 years ago and was later revealed as a fundamental element of the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway, one of the five MAPK routes of S. cerevisiae. As occurs with other MAPKs, whereas Slt2 displays the core typical structural traits of eukaryotic protein kinases, it also features conserved domains among MAPKs that allow an exquisite spatio-temporal regulation of their activity and binding to activating kinases, downregulatory phosphatases, or nuclear transcription factors. Additionally, Slt2 bears a regulatory extra C-terminal tail unique among S. cerevisiae MAPKs. Here, we review the structural and functional basis for the signaling role of Slt2 in the context of the molecular architecture of this important family of protein kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gema González-Rubio
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pza. Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ángela Sellers-Moya
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pza. Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Humberto Martín
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pza. Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - María Molina
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pza. Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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36
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Tomiotto-Pellissier F, Alves DR, Morais SMD, Bortoleti BTDS, Gonçalves MD, Silva TF, Tavares ER, Yamauchi LM, Costa IN, Marinho ES, Marinho MM, Conchon-Costa I, Miranda-Sapla MM, Pavanelli WR. Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. fruit extracts as Leishmania inhibitors: in-vitro and in-silico approaches. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:8040-8055. [PMID: 33769210 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1905557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a group of neglected diseases caused by parasites of the Leishmania genus. The treatment of Leishmaniasis represents a great challenge, because the available drugs present high toxicity and none of them is fully effective. Caryocar is a botanical genus rich in phenolic compounds, which leaves extracts have already been described by its antileishmanial action. Thus, we investigated the effect of pulp and peel extracts of the Caryocar coriaceum fruit on promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis. Both extracts had antipromastigote effect after 24, 48, and 72 h, and this effect was by apoptosis-like process induction, with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, damage to the mitochondria and plasma membrane, and phosphatidylserine exposure. Knowing that the fruit extracts did not alter the viability of macrophages, we observed that the treatment reduced the infection of these cells. Thereafter, in the in vitro infection context, the extracts showed antioxidant proprieties, by reducing NO, ROS, and MDA levels. Besides, both peel and pulp extracts up-regulated Nrf2/HO-1/Ferritin expression and increase the total iron-bound in infected macrophages, which culminates in a depletion of available iron for L. amazonensis replication. In silico, the molecular modeling experiments showed that the three flavonoids presented in the C. coriaceum extracts can act as synergistic inhibitors of Leishmania proteins, and compete for the active site. Also, there is a preference for rutin at the active site due to its greater interaction binding strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Tomiotto-Pellissier
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Graduate Program, Carlos Chagas Institute (ICC), Fiocruz, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.,Department of Pathology Science, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Daniela Ribeiro Alves
- Department of Natural Sciences, Ceará State University, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.,Theoretical and Electrochemical Chemistry Group, Faculty of Philosophy Dom Aureliano Matos, State University of Ceará, Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil
| | | | - Bruna Taciane da Silva Bortoleti
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Graduate Program, Carlos Chagas Institute (ICC), Fiocruz, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.,Department of Pathology Science, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Manoela Daiele Gonçalves
- Department of Chemistry, Center of Exact Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Taylon Felipe Silva
- Department of Pathology Science, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Eliandro Reis Tavares
- Department of Microbiology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Lucy Megumi Yamauchi
- Department of Microbiology, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Idessania Nazareth Costa
- Department of Pathology Science, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Emmanuel Silva Marinho
- Theoretical and Electrochemical Chemistry Group, Faculty of Philosophy Dom Aureliano Matos, State University of Ceará, Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Marcia Machado Marinho
- Iguatu Faculty of Education, Science and Letters, State University of Ceará, Iguatu, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Ivete Conchon-Costa
- Department of Pathology Science, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Wander Rogério Pavanelli
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Graduate Program, Carlos Chagas Institute (ICC), Fiocruz, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.,Department of Pathology Science, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
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37
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Kumar GS, Page R, Peti W. The interaction of p38 with its upstream kinase MKK6. Protein Sci 2021; 30:908-913. [PMID: 33554397 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK; p38, ERK, and JNK) cascades are evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways that regulate the cellular response to a variety of extracellular stimuli, such as growth factors and interleukins. The MAPK p38 is activated by its specific upstream MAPK kinases, MKK6 and MKK3. However, a comprehensive molecular understanding of how these cognate upstream kinases bind and activate p38 is still missing. Here, we combine NMR spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry to define the binding interface between full-length MKK6 and p38. It was shown that p38 engages MKK6 not only via its hydrophobic docking groove, but also influences helix αF, a secondary structural element that plays a key role in organizing the kinase core. It was also shown that, unlike MAPK phosphatases, the p38 conserved docking (CD) site is much less affected by MKK6 binding. Finally, it was demonstrated that these interactions with p38 are conserved independent of the MKK6 activation state. Together, the results revealed differences between specificity markers of p38 regulation by upstream kinases, which do not effectively engage the CD site, and downstream phosphatases, which require the CD site for productive binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesan Senthil Kumar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Rebecca Page
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Wolfgang Peti
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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38
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Kedika SR, Shukla SP, Udugamasooriya DG. Design of a dual ERK5 kinase activation and autophosphorylation inhibitor to block cancer stem cell activity. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2020; 30:127552. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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39
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Kirsch K, Zeke A, Tőke O, Sok P, Sethi A, Sebő A, Kumar GS, Egri P, Póti ÁL, Gooley P, Peti W, Bento I, Alexa A, Reményi A. Co-regulation of the transcription controlling ATF2 phosphoswitch by JNK and p38. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5769. [PMID: 33188182 PMCID: PMC7666158 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19582-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factor phosphorylation at specific sites often activates gene expression, but how environmental cues quantitatively control transcription is not well-understood. Activating protein 1 transcription factors are phosphorylated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in their transactivation domains (TAD) at so-called phosphoswitches, which are a hallmark in response to growth factors, cytokines or stress. We show that the ATF2 TAD is controlled by functionally distinct signaling pathways (JNK and p38) through structurally different MAPK binding sites. Moreover, JNK mediated phosphorylation at an evolutionarily more recent site diminishes p38 binding and made the phosphoswitch differently sensitive to JNK and p38 in vertebrates. Structures of MAPK-TAD complexes and mechanistic modeling of ATF2 TAD phosphorylation in cells suggest that kinase binding motifs and phosphorylation sites line up to maximize MAPK based co-regulation. This study shows how the activity of an ancient transcription controlling phosphoswitch became dependent on the relative flux of upstream signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klára Kirsch
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Zeke
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Orsolya Tőke
- Laboratory for NMR Spectroscopy, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Sok
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ashish Sethi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Anna Sebő
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Péter Egri
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám L Póti
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Paul Gooley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Wolfgang Peti
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Isabel Bento
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anita Alexa
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Reményi
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary.
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40
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Carriles AA, Mills A, Muñoz-Alonso MJ, Gutiérrez D, Domínguez JM, Hermoso JA, Gago F. Structural Cues for Understanding eEF1A2 Moonlighting. Chembiochem 2020; 22:374-391. [PMID: 32875694 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Spontaneous mutations in the EEF1A2 gene cause epilepsy and severe neurological disabilities in children. The crystal structure of eEF1A2 protein purified from rabbit skeletal muscle reveals a post-translationally modified dimer that provides information about the sites of interaction with numerous binding partners, including itself, and maps these mutations onto the dimer and tetramer interfaces. The spatial locations of the side chain carboxylates of Glu301 and Glu374, to which phosphatidylethanolamine is uniquely attached via an amide bond, define the anchoring points of eEF1A2 to cellular membranes and interorganellar membrane contact sites. Additional bioinformatic and molecular modeling results provide novel structural insight into the demonstrated binding of eEF1A2 to SH3 domains, the common MAPK docking groove, filamentous actin, and phosphatidylinositol-4 kinase IIIβ. In this new light, the role of eEF1A2 as an ancient, multifaceted, and articulated G protein at the crossroads of autophagy, oncogenesis and viral replication appears very distant from the "canonical" one of delivering aminoacyl-tRNAs to the ribosome that has dominated the scene and much of the thinking for many decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra A Carriles
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical-Chemistry "Rocasolano" CSIC, 28006, Madrid, Spain.,Biocrystallography Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS Scientific Institute San Raffaele, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Mills
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and "Unidad Asociada IQM-CSIC", School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - María-José Muñoz-Alonso
- Department of Cell Biology and Pharmacogenomics, PharmaMar S.A.U., 28770, Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain
| | - Dolores Gutiérrez
- Proteomics Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan M Domínguez
- Department of Cell Biology and Pharmacogenomics, PharmaMar S.A.U., 28770, Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan A Hermoso
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical-Chemistry "Rocasolano" CSIC, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Federico Gago
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and "Unidad Asociada IQM-CSIC", School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
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41
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Sok P, Gógl G, Kumar GS, Alexa A, Singh N, Kirsch K, Sebő A, Drahos L, Gáspári Z, Peti W, Reményi A. MAP Kinase-Mediated Activation of RSK1 and MK2 Substrate Kinases. Structure 2020; 28:1101-1113.e5. [PMID: 32649858 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) control essential eukaryotic signaling pathways. While much has been learned about MAPK activation, much less is known about substrate recruitment and specificity. MAPK substrates may be other kinases that are crucial to promote a further diversification of the signaling outcomes. Here, we used a variety of molecular and cellular tools to investigate the recruitment of two substrate kinases, RSK1 and MK2, to three MAPKs (ERK2, p38α, and ERK5). Unexpectedly, we identified that kinase heterodimers form structurally and functionally distinct complexes depending on the activation state of the MAPK. These may be incompatible with downstream signaling, but naturally they may also form structures that are compatible with the phosphorylation of the downstream kinase at the activation loop, or alternatively at other allosteric sites. Furthermore, we show that small-molecule inhibitors may affect the quaternary arrangement of kinase heterodimers and thus influence downstream signaling in a specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Sok
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergő Gógl
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Anita Alexa
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Neha Singh
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Klára Kirsch
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Sebő
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Drahos
- MS Proteomics Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Gáspári
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Wolfgang Peti
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Attila Reményi
- Biomolecular Interactions Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2., 1117 Budapest, Hungary.
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42
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Hinton SD. Pseudophosphatase MK-STYX: the atypical member of the MAP kinase phosphatases. FEBS J 2020; 287:4221-4231. [PMID: 32472731 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The regulation of the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) is essential for cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and death. Mutations within the MAPK signaling cascades are implicated in diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, arthritis, obesity, and diabetes. MAPK phosphorylation is controlled by an intricate balance between MAPK kinases (enzymes that add phosphate groups) and MAPK phosphatases (MKPs) (enzymes that remove phosphate groups). MKPs are complex negative regulators of the MAPK pathway that control the amplitude and spatiotemporal regulation of MAPKs. MK-STYX (MAPK phosphoserine/threonine/tyrosine-binding protein) is a member of the MKP subfamily, which lacks the critical histidine and nucleophilic cysteine residues in the active site required for catalysis. MK-STYX does not influence the phosphorylation status of MAPK, but even so it adds to the complexity of signal transduction cascades as a signaling regulator. This review highlights the function of MK-STYX, providing insight into MK-STYX as a signal regulating molecule in the stress response, HDAC 6 dynamics, apoptosis, and neurite differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shantá D Hinton
- Department of Biology, Integrated Science Center, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
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43
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Yao Z, Aboualizadeh F, Kroll J, Akula I, Snider J, Lyakisheva A, Tang P, Kotlyar M, Jurisica I, Boxem M, Stagljar I. Split Intein-Mediated Protein Ligation for detecting protein-protein interactions and their inhibition. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2440. [PMID: 32415080 PMCID: PMC7229206 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16299-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, to overcome many limitations accompanying current available methods to detect protein-protein interactions (PPIs), we develop a live cell method called Split Intein-Mediated Protein Ligation (SIMPL). In this approach, bait and prey proteins are respectively fused to an intein N-terminal fragment (IN) and C-terminal fragment (IC) derived from a re-engineered split intein GP41-1. The bait/prey binding reconstitutes the intein, which splices the bait and prey peptides into a single intact protein that can be detected by regular protein detection methods such as Western blot analysis and ELISA, serving as readouts of PPIs. The method is robust and can be applied not only in mammalian cell lines but in animal models such as C. elegans. SIMPL demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity, and enables exploration of PPIs in different cellular compartments and tracking of kinetic interactions. Additionally, we establish a SIMPL ELISA platform that enables high-throughput screening of PPIs and their inhibitors. Protein-protein interactions are fundamental to the regulation of protein activity and cellular phyisology. Here the authors present Split Intein-Mediated Protein Ligation, which uses bait and prey proteins fused to intein fragments to generate single intact proteins upon interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Yao
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jason Kroll
- Division of Developmental Biology, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Indira Akula
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jamie Snider
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Priscilla Tang
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Max Kotlyar
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Igor Jurisica
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Mike Boxem
- Division of Developmental Biology, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Igor Stagljar
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences, Meštrovićevo Šetalište 45, HR-21000, Split, Croatia.
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44
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Ancient MAPK ERK7 is regulated by an unusual inhibitory scaffold required for Toxoplasma apical complex biogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:12164-12173. [PMID: 32409604 PMCID: PMC7275706 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921245117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites include organisms that cause widespread and devastating human diseases such as malaria, cryptosporidiosis, and toxoplasmosis. These parasites are named for a structure, called the “apical complex,” that organizes their invasion and secretory machinery. We found that two proteins, apical cap protein 9 (AC9) and an enzyme called ERK7, work together to facilitate apical complex assembly. Intriguingly, ERK7 is an ancient molecule that is found throughout Eukaryota, though its regulation and function are poorly understood. AC9 is a scaffold that concentrates ERK7 at the base of the developing apical complex. In addition, AC9 binding likely confers substrate selectivity upon ERK7. This simple competitive regulatory model may be a powerful but largely overlooked mechanism throughout biology. Apicomplexan parasites use a specialized cilium structure called the apical complex to organize their secretory organelles and invasion machinery. The apical complex is integrally associated with both the parasite plasma membrane and an intermediate filament cytoskeleton called the inner-membrane complex (IMC). While the apical complex is essential to the parasitic lifestyle, little is known about the regulation of apical complex biogenesis. Here, we identify AC9 (apical cap protein 9), a largely intrinsically disordered component of the Toxoplasma gondii IMC, as essential for apical complex development, and therefore for host cell invasion and egress. Parasites lacking AC9 fail to successfully assemble the tubulin-rich core of their apical complex, called the conoid. We use proximity biotinylation to identify the AC9 interaction network, which includes the kinase extracellular signal-regulated kinase 7 (ERK7). Like AC9, ERK7 is required for apical complex biogenesis. We demonstrate that AC9 directly binds ERK7 through a conserved C-terminal motif and that this interaction is essential for ERK7 localization and function at the apical cap. The crystal structure of the ERK7–AC9 complex reveals that AC9 is not only a scaffold but also inhibits ERK7 through an unusual set of contacts that displaces nucleotide from the kinase active site. ERK7 is an ancient and autoactivating member of the mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) family and its regulation is poorly understood in all organisms. We propose that AC9 dually regulates ERK7 by scaffolding and concentrating it at its site of action while maintaining it in an “off” state until the specific binding of a true substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Erdős
- Department of Biochemistry, MTA‐ELTE Momentum Bioinformatics Research Group ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna Dosztányi
- Department of Biochemistry, MTA‐ELTE Momentum Bioinformatics Research Group ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
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Zamora-Olivares D, Kaoud TS, Zeng L, Pridgen JR, Zhuang DL, Ekpo YE, Nye JR, Telles M, Anslyn EV, Dalby KN. Quantification of ERK Kinase Activity in Biological Samples Using Differential Sensing. ACS Chem Biol 2020; 15:83-92. [PMID: 31775004 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The understanding of complex biological systems requires an ability to evaluate interacting networks of genes, proteins, and cellular reactions. Enabling technologies that support the rapid quantification of these networks will facilitate the development of biological models and help to identify treatment targets and to assess treatment plans. The biochemical process of protein phosphorylation, which underlies almost all aspects of cell signaling, is typically evaluated by immunoblotting procedures (Western blot) or more recently proteomics procedures, which provide qualitative estimates of the concentration of proteins and their modifications in cells. However, protein modifications are difficult to correlate with activity, and while immunoblotting and proteomics approaches have the potential to be quantitative, they require a complex series of steps that diminish reproducibility. Here, a complementary approach is presented that allows for the rapid quantification of a protein kinase activity in cell lysates and tumor samples. Using the activity of cellular ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) as a test case, an array sensing approach that utilizes a library of differential peptide-based biosensors and chemometric tools was used to rapidly quantify nanograms of active ERK in micrograms of unfractionated cell lysates and tumor extracts. This approach has the potential both for high-throughput and for quantifying the activities of multiple protein kinases in a single biological sample. The critical advantages of this differential sensing approach over others are that it removes the need for the addition of exogenous inhibitors to suppress the activities of major off-target kinases and allows us to quantitate the amount of active kinase in tested samples rather than measuring the changes in its activity upon induction or inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Zamora-Olivares
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Tamer S. Kaoud
- Division of Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt
| | - Lingyu Zeng
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Jacey R. Pridgen
- Division of Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Deborah L. Zhuang
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Yakndara E. Ekpo
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Jessica R. Nye
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Mitchell Telles
- Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science and Freshman Research Initiative, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Eric V. Anslyn
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Kevin N. Dalby
- Division of Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Department of Oncology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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Mapping low-affinity/high-specificity peptide-protein interactions using ligand-footprinting mass spectrometry. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:21001-21011. [PMID: 31578253 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819533116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Short linear peptide motifs that are intracellular ligands of folded proteins are a modular, incompletely understood molecular interaction language in signaling systems. Such motifs, which frequently occur in intrinsically disordered protein regions, often bind partner proteins with modest affinity and are difficult to study with conventional structural biology methods. We developed LiF-MS (ligand-footprinting mass spectrometry), a method to map peptide binding sites on folded protein domains that allows consideration of their dynamic disorder, and used it to analyze a set of D-motif peptide-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) associations to validate the approach and define unknown binding structures. LiF-MS peptide ligands carry a short-lived, indiscriminately reactive cleavable crosslinker that marks contacts close to ligand binding sites with high specificity. Each marked amino acid provides an independent constraint for a set of directed peptide-protein docking simulations, which are analyzed by agglomerative hierarchical clustering. We found that LiF-MS provides accurate ab initio identification of ligand binding surfaces and a view of potential binding ensembles of a set of D-motif peptide-MAPK associations. Our analysis provides an MKK4-JNK1 structural model, which has thus far been crystallographically unattainable, a potential alternate binding mode for part of the NFAT4-JNK interaction, and evidence of bidirectional association of MKK4 peptide with ERK2. Overall, we find that LiF-MS is an effective noncrystallographic way to understand how short linear motifs associate with specific sites on folded protein domains at the level of individual amino acids.
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Mining for protein S-sulfenylation in Arabidopsis uncovers redox-sensitive sites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:21256-21261. [PMID: 31578252 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906768116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important messenger molecule for diverse cellular processes. H2O2 oxidizes proteinaceous cysteinyl thiols to sulfenic acid, also known as S-sulfenylation, thereby affecting the protein conformation and functionality. Although many proteins have been identified as S-sulfenylation targets in plants, site-specific mapping and quantification remain largely unexplored. By means of a peptide-centric chemoproteomics approach, we mapped 1,537 S-sulfenylated sites on more than 1,000 proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana cells. Proteins involved in RNA homeostasis and metabolism were identified as hotspots for S-sulfenylation. Moreover, S-sulfenylation frequently occurred on cysteines located at catalytic sites of enzymes or on cysteines involved in metal binding, hinting at a direct mode of action for redox regulation. Comparison of human and Arabidopsis S-sulfenylation datasets provided 155 conserved S-sulfenylated cysteines, including Cys181 of the Arabidopsis MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE4 (AtMAPK4) that corresponds to Cys161 in the human MAPK1, which has been identified previously as being S-sulfenylated. We show that, by replacing Cys181 of recombinant AtMAPK4 by a redox-insensitive serine residue, the kinase activity decreased, indicating the importance of this noncatalytic cysteine for the kinase mechanism. Altogether, we quantitatively mapped the S-sulfenylated cysteines in Arabidopsis cells under H2O2 stress and thereby generated a comprehensive view on the S-sulfenylation landscape that will facilitate downstream plant redox studies.
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Putarjunan A, Ruble J, Srivastava A, Zhao C, Rychel AL, Hofstetter AK, Tang X, Zhu JK, Tama F, Zheng N, Torii KU. Bipartite anchoring of SCREAM enforces stomatal initiation by coupling MAP kinases to SPEECHLESS. NATURE PLANTS 2019; 5:742-754. [PMID: 31235876 PMCID: PMC6668613 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-019-0440-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Cell fate in eukaryotes is controlled by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that translate external cues into cellular responses. In plants, two MAPKs-MPK3 and MPK6-regulate diverse processes of development, environmental response and immunity. However, the mechanism that bridges these shared signalling components with a specific target remains unresolved. Focusing on the development of stomata-epidermal valves that are essential for gas exchange and transpiration-here, we report that the basic helix-loop-helix protein SCREAM functions as a scaffold that recruits MPK3/6 to downregulate SPEECHLESS, a transcription factor that initiates stomatal cell lineages. SCREAM directly binds to MPK3/6 through an evolutionarily conserved, yet unconventional, bipartite motif. Mutations in this motif abrogate association, phosphorylation and degradation of SCREAM, unmask hidden non-redundancies between MPK3 and MPK6, and result in uncontrolled stomatal differentiation. Structural analyses of MPK6 with a resolution of 2.75 Å showed bipartite binding of SCREAM to MPK6 that is distinct from an upstream MAPKK. Our findings elucidate, at the atomic resolution, the mechanism that directly links extrinsic signals to transcriptional reprogramming during the establishment of stomatal cell fate, and highlight a unique substrate-binding mode adopted by plant MAPKs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarthi Putarjunan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jim Ruble
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Chunzhao Zhao
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Amanda L Rychel
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alex K Hofstetter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xiaobo Tang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jian-Kang Zhu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Florence Tama
- Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
- Computational Structural Biology Team, Center for Computational Science, Kobe, Japan
| | - Ning Zheng
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Keiko U Torii
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
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Sammons RM, Perry NA, Li Y, Cho EJ, Piserchio A, Zamora-Olivares DP, Ghose R, Kaoud TS, Debevec G, Bartholomeusz C, Gurevich VV, Iverson TM, Giulianotti M, Houghten RA, Dalby KN. A Novel Class of Common Docking Domain Inhibitors That Prevent ERK2 Activation and Substrate Phosphorylation. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:1183-1194. [PMID: 31058487 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) are mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that play a pro-tumorigenic role in numerous cancers. ERK1/2 possess two protein-docking sites that are distinct from the active site: the D-recruitment site (DRS) and the F-recruitment site. These docking sites facilitate substrate recognition, intracellular localization, signaling specificity, and protein complex assembly. Targeting these sites on ERK in a therapeutic context may overcome many problems associated with traditional ATP-competitive inhibitors. Here, we identified a new class of inhibitors that target the ERK DRS by screening a synthetic combinatorial library of more than 30 million compounds. The screen detects the competitive displacement of a fluorescent peptide from the DRS of ERK2. The top molecular scaffold from the screen was optimized for structure-activity relationship by positional scanning of different functional groups. This resulted in 10 compounds with similar binding affinities and a shared core structure consisting of a tertiary amine hub with three functionalized cyclic guanidino branches. Compound 2507-1 inhibited ERK2 from phosphorylating a DRS-targeting substrate and prevented the phosphorylation of ERK2 by a constitutively active MEK1 (MAPK/ERK kinase 1) mutant. Interaction between an analogue, 2507-8, and the ERK2 DRS was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography. 2507-8 forms critical interactions at the common docking domain residue Asp319 via an arginine-like moiety that is shared by all 10 hits, suggesting a common binding mode. The structural and biochemical insights reported here provide the basis for developing new ERK inhibitors that are not ATP-competitive but instead function by disrupting critical protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yangmei Li
- Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34987, United States
- Department of Drug Discovery & Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | | | - Andrea Piserchio
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, United States
| | | | - Ranajeet Ghose
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, United States
| | - Tamer S. Kaoud
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Minia University, 61519 Minia, Egypt
| | - Ginamarie Debevec
- Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34987, United States
| | | | | | | | - Marc Giulianotti
- Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34987, United States
| | - Richard A. Houghten
- Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34987, United States
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