1
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Dahlström KM, Salminen TA. Apprehensions and emerging solutions in ML-based protein structure prediction. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 86:102819. [PMID: 38631107 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
The three-dimensional structure of proteins determines their function in vital biological processes. Thus, when the structure is known, the molecular mechanism of protein function can be understood in more detail and obtained information utilized in biotechnological, diagnostics, and therapeutic applications. Over the past five years, machine learning (ML)-based modeling has pushed protein structure prediction to the next level with AlphaFold in the front line, predicting the structure for hundreds of millions of proteins. Further advances recently report promising ML-based approaches for solving remaining challenges by incorporating functionally important metals, co-factors, post-translational modifications, structural dynamics, and interdomain and multimer interactions in the structure prediction process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Käthe M Dahlström
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6A, 20520 Turku, Finland; InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Tiina A Salminen
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6A, 20520 Turku, Finland; InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland.
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2
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Morea V, Angelucci F, Bellelli A. Is allostery a fuzzy concept? FEBS Open Bio 2024. [PMID: 38783588 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13794] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Allostery is an important property of biological macromolecules which regulates diverse biological functions such as catalysis, signal transduction, transport, and molecular recognition. However, the concept was expressed using two different definitions by J. Monod and, over time, more have been added by different authors, making it fuzzy. Here, we reviewed the different meanings of allostery in the current literature and found that it has been used to indicate that the function of a protein is regulated by heterotropic ligands, and/or that the binding of ligands and substrates presents homotropic positive or negative cooperativity, whatever the hypothesized or demonstrated reaction mechanism might be. Thus, proteins defined to be allosteric include not only those that obey the two-state concerted model, but also those that obey different reaction mechanisms such as ligand-induced fit, possibly coupled to sequential structure changes, and ligand-linked dissociation-association. Since each reaction mechanism requires its own mathematical description and is defined by it, there are many possible 'allosteries'. This lack of clarity is made even fuzzier by the fact that the reaction mechanism is often assigned imprecisely and/or implicitly in the absence of the necessary experimental evidence. In this review, we examine a list of proteins that have been defined to be allosteric and attempt to assign a reaction mechanism to as many as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Morea
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, CNR, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Department of Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Andrea Bellelli
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
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3
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Anderson JW, Vaisar D, Jones DN, Pegram LM, Vigers GP, Chen H, Moffat JG, Ahn NG. Conformation selection by ATP-competitive inhibitors and allosteric communication in ERK2. eLife 2024; 12:RP91507. [PMID: 38537148 PMCID: PMC10972564 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase-2 (ERK2) by phosphorylation has been shown to involve changes in protein dynamics, as determined by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and NMR relaxation dispersion measurements. These can be described by a global exchange between two conformational states of the active kinase, named 'L' and 'R,' where R is associated with a catalytically productive ATP-binding mode. An ATP-competitive ERK1/2 inhibitor, Vertex-11e, has properties of conformation selection for the R-state, revealing movements of the activation loop that are allosterically coupled to the kinase active site. However, the features of inhibitors important for R-state selection are unknown. Here, we survey a panel of ATP-competitive ERK inhibitors using HDX-MS and NMR and identify 14 new molecules with properties of R-state selection. They reveal effects propagated to distal regions in the P+1 and helix αF segments surrounding the activation loop, as well as helix αL16. Crystal structures of inhibitor complexes with ERK2 reveal systematic shifts in the Gly loop and helix αC, mediated by a Tyr-Tyr ring stacking interaction and the conserved Lys-Glu salt bridge. The findings suggest a model for the R-state involving small movements in the N-lobe that promote compactness within the kinase active site and alter mobility surrounding the activation loop. Such properties of conformation selection might be exploited to modulate the protein docking interface used by ERK substrates and effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake W Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - David Vaisar
- Department of Biochemistry, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - David N Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CenterBoulderUnited States
| | - Laurel M Pegram
- Department of Biochemistry, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | | | - Huifen Chen
- Genentech, Inc.South San FranciscoUnited States
| | | | - Natalie G Ahn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
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4
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Wu J, Chen Y, Li R, Guan Y, Chen M, Yin H, Yang X, Jin M, Huang B, Ding X, Yang J, Wang Z, He Y, Wang Q, Luo J, Wang P, Mao Z, Huen MS, Lou Z, Yuan J, Gong F. Synergistic anticancer effect by targeting CDK2 and EGFR-ERK signaling. J Cell Biol 2024; 223:e202203005. [PMID: 37955924 PMCID: PMC10641568 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202203005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The EGFR-RAS-ERK pathway is one of the most important signaling cascades in cell survival, growth, and proliferation. Aberrant activation of this pathway is a common mechanism in various cancers. Here, we report that CDK2 is a novel regulator of the ERK pathway via USP37 deubiquitinase (DUB). Mechanistically, CDK2 phosphorylates USP37, which is required for USP37 DUB activity. Further, USP37 deubiquitinates and stabilizes ERK1/2, thereby enhancing cancer cell proliferation. Thus, CDK2 is able to promote cell proliferation by activating USP37 and, in turn, stabilizing ERK1/2. Importantly, combined CDK1/2 and EGFR inhibitors have a synergetic anticancer effect through the downregulation of ERK1/2 stability and activity. Indeed, our patient-derived xenograft (PDX) results suggest that targeting both ERK1/2 stability and activity kills cancer cells more efficiently even at lower doses of these two inhibitors, which may reduce their associated side effects and indicate a potential new combination strategy for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhuan Wu
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuping Chen
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Rui Li
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaping Guan
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mu Chen
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Yin
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoning Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Mingpeng Jin
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bingsong Huang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Ding
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiming He
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianwen Wang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Luo
- Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiyong Mao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Michael S.Y. Huen
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong S.A.R
| | - Zhenkun Lou
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jian Yuan
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fanghua Gong
- School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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5
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Pegram L, Riccardi D, Ahn N. Activation Loop Plasticity and Active Site Coupling in the MAP Kinase, ERK2. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168309. [PMID: 37806554 PMCID: PMC10676806 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168309] [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: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies of the protein kinase, ERK2, using NMR and hydrogen-exchange measurements have shown changes in dynamics accompanying its activation by phosphorylation. However, knowledge about the conformational motions involved is incomplete. Here, we examined ERK2 using long conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations starting from crystal structures of phosphorylated (2P) and unphosphorylated (0P) forms. Individual trajectories were run for (5 to 25) μs, totaling 727 μs. The results show unexpected flexibility of the A-loop, with multiple long-lived (>5 μs) conformational states in both 2P- and 0P-ERK2. Differential contact network and principal component analyses reveal coupling between the A-loop fold and active site dynamics, with evidence for conformational selection in the kinase core of 2P-ERK2 but not 0P-ERK2. Simulations of 2P-ERK2 show A-loop states corresponding to restrained dynamics within the N-lobe, including regions around catalytic residues. One A-loop conformer forms lasting interactions with the L16 segment, leading to reduced RMSF and greater compaction in the active site. By contrast, simulations of 0P-ERK2 reveal excursions of A-loop residues away from the C-lobe, leading to greater active site mobility. Thus, the A-loop in ERK2 switches between distinct conformations that reflect coupling with the active site, possibly via the L16 segment. Crystal packing interactions suggest that lattice contacts with the A-loop may restrain its structural variation in X-ray structures of ERK2. The novel conformational states identified by MD expand our understanding of ERK2 regulation, by linking the activated state of the kinase to reduced dynamics and greater compaction surrounding the catalytic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel Pegram
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
| | - Demian Riccardi
- Thermodynamics Research Center, Applied Chemicals and Materials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Natalie Ahn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80305, USA.
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6
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Lepore Signorile M, Fasano C, Forte G, De Marco K, Sanese P, Disciglio V, Di Nicola E, Pantaleo A, Simone C, Grossi V. Uncoupling p38α nuclear and cytoplasmic functions and identification of two p38α phosphorylation sites on β-catenin: implications for the Wnt signaling pathway in CRC models. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:223. [PMID: 38041178 PMCID: PMC10693086 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01175-4] [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: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Activation of the Wnt pathway has been linked to colorectal cancer (CRC). Previous reports suggest that Wnt3a can activate p38. Besides, p38α feeds into the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway by inhibiting GSK3β through phosphorylation. Recently, we identified p38α as a new druggable member of β-catenin chromatin-associated kinase complexes in CRC. METHODS The functional relationship between p38α and β-catenin was characterized in CRC cells, patient-derived CRC stem cells, patient-derived tumor intestinal organoids, and in vivo models (C57BL/6-APCMin/+ mice). The role of p38α in β-catenin transcriptional activity was assessed by pharmacological inhibition with ralimetinib. RESULTS We used the GSK3β inhibitor TWS-119, which promotes the activation of Wnt signaling, to uncouple p38α nuclear/cytoplasmatic functions in the Wnt pathway. Upon GSK3β inhibition, nuclear p38α phosphorylates β-catenin at residues S111 and T112, allowing its binding to promoter regions of Wnt target genes and the activation of a transcriptional program implicated in cancer progression. If p38α is pharmacologically inhibited in addition to GSK3β, β-catenin is prevented from promoting target gene transcription, which is expected to impair carcinogenesis. CONCLUSIONS p38α seems to play a dual role as a member of the β-catenin destruction complex and as a β-catenin chromatin-associated kinase in CRC. This finding may help elucidate mechanisms contributing to human colon tumor pathogenesis and devise new strategies for personalized CRC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Lepore Signorile
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
| | - Candida Fasano
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Forte
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
| | - Katia De Marco
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Sanese
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
| | - Vittoria Disciglio
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Di Nicola
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonino Pantaleo
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy
| | - Cristiano Simone
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy.
- Medical Genetics, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70124, Bari, Italy.
| | - Valentina Grossi
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Bari, Italy.
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7
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Anderson JW, Vaisar D, Jones DN, Pegram LM, Vigers GP, Chen H, Moffat JG, Ahn NG. Conformation Selection by ATP-competitive Inhibitors and Allosteric Communication in ERK2. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.12.557258. [PMID: 37745518 PMCID: PMC10515847 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.12.557258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Activation of the extracellular signal regulated kinase-2 (ERK2) by phosphorylation has been shown to involve changes in protein dynamics, as determined by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and NMR relaxation dispersion measurements. These can be described by a global exchange between two conformational states of the active kinase, named "L" and "R", where R is associated with a catalytically productive ATP-binding mode. An ATP-competitive ERK1/2 inhibitor, Vertex-11e, has properties of conformation selection for the R-state, revealing movements of the activation loop that are allosterically coupled to the kinase active site. However, the features of inhibitors important for R-state selection are unknown. Here we survey a panel of ATP-competitive ERK inhibitors using HDX-MS and NMR and identify 14 new molecules with properties of R-state selection. They reveal effects propagated to distal regions in the P+1 and helix αF segments surrounding the activation loop, as well as helix αL16. Crystal structures of inhibitor complexes with ERK2 reveal systematic shifts in the Gly loop and helix αC, mediated by a Tyr-Tyr ring stacking interaction and the conserved Lys-Glu salt bridge. The findings suggest a model for the R-state involving small movements in the N-lobe that promote compactness within the kinase active site and alter mobility surrounding the activation loop. Such properties of conformation selection might be exploited to modulate the protein docking interface used by ERK substrates and effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Vaisar
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
| | - David N. Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, CO
| | - Laurel M. Pegram
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
- Present address: Loxo Oncology, Louisville, CO 80027
| | - Guy P. Vigers
- Array BioPharma, Inc., Boulder, CO
- Present address: Allium Consulting LLC, Boulder, CO 80304
| | - Huifen Chen
- Genentech, Inc. South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Natalie G. Ahn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
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Kahsai AW, Shah KS, Shim PJ, Lee MA, Shreiber BN, Schwalb AM, Zhang X, Kwon HY, Huang LY, Soderblom EJ, Ahn S, Lefkowitz RJ. Signal transduction at GPCRs: Allosteric activation of the ERK MAPK by β-arrestin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303794120. [PMID: 37844230 PMCID: PMC10614829 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303794120] [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: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
β-arrestins are multivalent adaptor proteins that bind active phosphorylated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to inhibit G protein signaling, mediate receptor internalization, and initiate alternative signaling events. β-arrestins link agonist-stimulated GPCRs to downstream signaling partners, such as the c-Raf-MEK1-ERK1/2 cascade leading to ERK1/2 activation. β-arrestins have been thought to transduce signals solely via passive scaffolding by facilitating the assembly of multiprotein signaling complexes. Recently, however, β-arrestin 1 and 2 were shown to activate two downstream signaling effectors, c-Src and c-Raf, allosterically. Over the last two decades, ERK1/2 have been the most intensely studied signaling proteins scaffolded by β-arrestins. Here, we demonstrate that β-arrestins play an active role in allosterically modulating ERK kinase activity in vitro and within intact cells. Specifically, we show that β-arrestins and their GPCR-mediated active states allosterically enhance ERK2 autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of a downstream ERK2 substrate, and we elucidate the mechanism by which β-arrestins do so. Furthermore, we find that allosteric stimulation of dually phosphorylated ERK2 by active-state β-arrestin 2 is more robust than by active-state β-arrestin 1, highlighting differential capacities of β-arrestin isoforms to regulate effector signaling pathways downstream of GPCRs. In summary, our study provides strong evidence for a new paradigm in which β-arrestins function as active "catalytic" scaffolds to allosterically unlock the enzymatic activity of signaling components downstream of GPCR activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alem W. Kahsai
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Kunal S. Shah
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Paul J. Shim
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ85004
| | - Mason A. Lee
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Bowie N. Shreiber
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Allison M. Schwalb
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Xingdong Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Henry Y. Kwon
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- General Surgery Residency Program, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI48202
| | - Li-Yin Huang
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Erik J. Soderblom
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Seungkirl Ahn
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Robert J. Lefkowitz
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
- HHMI, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
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9
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Martin-Vega A, Cobb MH. Navigating the ERK1/2 MAPK Cascade. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1555. [PMID: 37892237 PMCID: PMC10605237 DOI: 10.3390/biom13101555] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The RAS-ERK pathway is a fundamental signaling cascade crucial for many biological processes including proliferation, cell cycle control, growth, and survival; common across all cell types. Notably, ERK1/2 are implicated in specific processes in a context-dependent manner as in stem cells and pancreatic β-cells. Alterations in the different components of this cascade result in dysregulation of the effector kinases ERK1/2 which communicate with hundreds of substrates. Aberrant activation of the pathway contributes to a range of disorders, including cancer. This review provides an overview of the structure, activation, regulation, and mutational frequency of the different tiers of the cascade; with a particular focus on ERK1/2. We highlight the importance of scaffold proteins that contribute to kinase localization and coordinate interaction dynamics of the kinases with substrates, activators, and inhibitors. Additionally, we explore innovative therapeutic approaches emphasizing promising avenues in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Martin-Vega
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6001 Forest Park Rd., Dallas, TX 75390, USA;
| | - Melanie H. Cobb
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6001 Forest Park Rd., Dallas, TX 75390, USA;
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6001 Forest Park Rd., Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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10
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Outhwaite IR, Seeliger MA. Probing conformational dynamics to understand kinase inhibition. eLife 2023; 12:e92753. [PMID: 37850630 PMCID: PMC10584368 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92753] [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] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Why do some inhibitors select the on-state in ERK2, a kinase that is involved in many signaling pathways in cells, whereas others bind to more than one conformation?
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Outhwaite
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Markus A Seeliger
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
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11
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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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12
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Bardwell L, Thorner J. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades-A yeast perspective. Enzymes 2023; 54:137-170. [PMID: 37945169 DOI: 10.1016/bs.enz.2023.07.001] [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] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Discovery of the class of protein kinase now dubbed a mitogen (or messenger)-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is an illustrative example of how disparate lines of investigation can converge and reveal an enzyme family universally conserved among eukaryotes, from single-celled microbes to humans. Moreover, elucidation of the circuitry controlling MAPK function defined a now overarching principle in enzyme regulation-the concept of an activation cascade mediated by sequential phosphorylation events. Particularly ground-breaking for this field of exploration were the contributions of genetic approaches conducted using several model organisms, but especially the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Notably, examination of how haploid yeast cells respond to their secreted peptide mating pheromones was crucial in pinpointing genes encoding MAPKs and their upstream activators. Fully contemporaneous biochemical analysis of the activities elicited upon stimulation of mammalian cells by insulin and other growth- and differentiation-inducing factors lead eventually to the demonstration that components homologous to those in yeast were involved. Continued studies of these pathways in yeast were integral to other foundational discoveries in MAPK signaling, including the roles of tethering, scaffolding and docking interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Bardwell
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jeremy Thorner
- Division of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, College of Letters and Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.
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13
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Pegram L, Riccardi D, Ahn N. Activation loop plasticity and active site coupling in the MAP kinase, ERK2. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.15.537040. [PMID: 37090603 PMCID: PMC10120733 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.15.537040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the dynamics of the protein kinase, ERK2, have been shown to accompany its activation by dual phosphorylation. However, our knowledge about the conformational changes represented by these motions is incomplete. Previous NMR relaxation dispersion studies showed that active, dual-phosphorylated ERK2 undergoes global exchange between at least two energetically similar conformations. These findings, combined with measurements by hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry (HX-MS), suggested that the global conformational exchange involves motions of the activation loop (A-loop) that are coupled to regions surrounding the kinase active site. In order to better understand the contribution of dynamics to the activation of ERK2, we applied long conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations starting from crystal structures of active, phosphorylated (2P), and inactive, unphosphorylated (0P) ERK2. Individual trajectories were run for (5 to 25) µ s and totaled 727 µ s. The results showed that the A-loop is unexpectedly flexible in both 2P- and 0P-ERK2, and able to adopt multiple long-lived (>5 µ s) conformational states. Simulations starting from the X-ray structure of 2P-ERK2 (2ERK) revealed A-loop states corresponding to restrained dynamics within the N-lobe, including regions surrounding catalytic residues. One A-loop conformer forms lasting interactions with the C-terminal L16 segment and shows reduced RMSF and greater compaction in the active site. By contrast, simulations starting from the most common X-ray conformation of 0P-ERK2 (5UMO) reveal frequent excursions of A-loop residues away from a C-lobe docking site pocket and towards a new state that shows greater dynamics in the N-lobe and disorganization around the active site. Thus, the A-loop in ERK2 appears to switch between distinct conformational states that reflect allosteric coupling with the active site, likely occurring via the L16 segment. Analyses of crystal packing interactions across many structural datasets suggest that the A-loop observed in X-ray structures of ERK2 may be driven by lattice contacts and less representative of the solution structure. The novel conformational states identified by MD expand our understanding of ERK2 regulation, by linking the activated state of the kinase to reduced dynamics and greater compaction surrounding the catalytic site.
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14
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Priyanka HP, Thiyagaraj A, Krithika G, Nair RS, Hopper W, ThyagaRajan S. 17β-Estradiol Concentration and Direct β 2-Adrenoceptor Inhibition Determine Estrogen-Mediated Reversal of Adrenergic Immunosuppression. Ann Neurosci 2022; 29:32-52. [PMID: 35875427 PMCID: PMC9305908 DOI: 10.1177/09727531211070541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Sympathetic innervation of lymphoid organs, and the presence of 17β-estradiol (estrogen or E2) and adrenergic receptors (ARs) on lymphocytes, suggests that sympathetic stimulation and hormonal activation may influence immune functions. Purpose: Modeling and simulating these pathways may help to understand the dynamics of neuroendocrine-immune modulation at the cellular and molecular levels. Methods: Dose- and receptor-dependent effects of E2 and AR subtype-specific agonists were established in vitro on lymphocytes from young male Sprague-Dawley rats and were modeled in silico using the MATLAB Simbiology toolbox. Kinetic principles were assigned to define receptor–ligand dynamics, and concentration/time plots were obtained using Ode15s solvers at different time intervals for key regulatory molecules. Comparisons were drawn between in silico and in vitro data for validating the constructed model with sensitivity analysis of key regulatory molecules to assess their individual impacts on the dynamics of the system. Finally, docking studies were conducted with key ligands E2 and norepinephrine (NE) to understand the mechanistic principles underlying their interactions. Results: Adrenergic activation triggered proapoptotic signals, while E2 enhanced survival signals, showing opposing effects as observed in vitro. Treatment of lymphocytes with E2 shows a 10-fold increase in survival signals in a dose-dependent manner. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) activation is crucial for the activation of survival signals through extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) and cAMP responsive element binding (p-CREB) protein. Docking studies showed the direct inhibition of ERK by NE and β2-AR by E2 explaining how estrogen signaling overrides NE-mediated immunosuppression in vitro. Conclusion: The cross-talk between E2 and adrenergic signaling pathways determines lymphocyte functions in a receptor subtype and coactivation-dependent manner in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah P. Priyanka
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India
- Inspire Lab, Institute of Advanced Research in Health Sciences, Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - A. Thiyagaraj
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India
- Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - G. Krithika
- Centre of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras Guindy, Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - R. S. Nair
- Inspire Lab, Institute of Advanced Research in Health Sciences, Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - W. Hopper
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - S. ThyagaRajan
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India
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15
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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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16
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Perry-Hauser NA, Hopkins JB, Zhuo Y, Zheng C, Perez I, Schultz KM, Vishnivetskiy SA, Kaya AI, Sharma P, Dalby KN, Chung KY, Klug CS, Gurevich VV, Iverson TM. The two non-visual arrestins engage ERK2 differently. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167465. [PMID: 35077767 PMCID: PMC8977243 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Arrestin binding to active phosphorylated G protein-coupled receptors terminates G protein coupling and initiates another wave of signaling. Among the effectors that bind directly to receptor-associated arrestins are extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), which promote cellular proliferation and survival. Arrestins may also engage ERK1/2 in isolation in a pre- or post-signaling complex that is likely in equilibrium with the full signal initiation complex. Molecular details of these binary complexes remain unknown. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanisms whereby arrestin-2 and arrestin-3 (a.k.a. β-arrestin1 and β-arrestin2, respectively) engage ERK1/2 in pairwise interactions. We find that purified arrestin-3 binds ERK2 more avidly than arrestin-2. A combination of biophysical techniques and peptide array analysis demonstrates that the molecular basis in this difference of binding strength is that the two non-visual arrestins bind ERK2 via different parts of the molecule. We propose a structural model of the ERK2-arrestin-3 complex in solution using size-exclusion chromatography coupled to small angle X-ray scattering (SEC-SAXS). This binary complex exhibits conformational heterogeneity. We speculate that this drives the equilibrium either toward the full signaling complex with receptor-bound arrestin at the membrane or toward full dissociation in the cytoplasm. As ERK1/2 regulates cell migration, proliferation, and survival, understanding complexes that relate to its activation could be exploited to control cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Perry-Hauser
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States. https://twitter.com/EmilyBroadis
| | - Jesse B Hopkins
- BioCAT, Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
| | - Ya Zhuo
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - Chen Zheng
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States
| | - Ivette Perez
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States; Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States
| | - Kathryn M Schultz
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - Sergey A Vishnivetskiy
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States
| | - Ali I Kaya
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States
| | - Pankaj Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States
| | - Kevin N Dalby
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro Jangan-gu, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Ka Young Chung
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States
| | - Candice S Klug
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - Vsevolod V Gurevich
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States.
| | - T M Iverson
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States; Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States; Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States; Vanderbilt Institute for Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0146, United States.
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17
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Linley AJ, Karydis LI, Mondru AK, D'Avola A, Al Shmrany H, Cicconi S, Griffin R, Forconi F, Pettitt AR, Kalakonda N, Rawstron AC, Hillmen P, Steele AJ, MacEwan DJ, Packham G, Prior IA, Slupsky JR. Kinobead Profiling Reveals Reprogramming of BCR Signaling in Response to Therapy within Primary CLL Cells. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:5647-5659. [PMID: 34380642 PMCID: PMC9662893 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-0161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is critical for the pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), promoting both malignant cell survival and disease progression. Although vital, understanding of the wider signaling network associated with malignant BCR stimulation is poor. This is relevant with respect to potential changes in response to therapy, particularly involving kinase inhibitors. In the current study, we describe a novel high-resolution approach to investigate BCR signaling in primary CLL cells and track the influence of therapy on signaling response. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A kinobead/mass spectrometry-based protocol was used to study BCR signaling in primary CLL cells. Longitudinal analysis of samples donated by clinical trial patients was used to investigate the impact of chemoimmunotherapy and ibrutinib on signaling following surface IgM engagement. Complementary Nanostring and immunoblotting analysis was used to verify our findings. RESULTS Our protocol isolated a unique, patient-specific signature of over 30 kinases from BCR-stimulated CLL cells. This signature was associated with 13 distinct Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways and showed significant change in cells from treatment-naïve patients compared with those from patients who had previously undergone therapy. This change was validated by longitudinal analysis of clinical trials samples where BCR-induced kinome responses in CLL cells altered between baseline and disease progression in patients failing chemoimmunotherapy and between baseline and treatment in patients taking ibrutinib. CONCLUSIONS These data comprise the first comprehensive proteomic investigation of the BCR signaling response within CLL cells and reveal unique evidence that these cells undergo adaptive reprogramming of this signaling in response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Linley
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Signaling, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Laura I Karydis
- School of Cancer Sciences, Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Anil K Mondru
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Annalisa D'Avola
- School of Cancer Sciences, Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Humood Al Shmrany
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Silvia Cicconi
- Cancer Research Clinical Trials Unit, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Griffin
- Cancer Research Clinical Trials Unit, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Forconi
- School of Cancer Sciences, Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R Pettitt
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Nagesh Kalakonda
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew C Rawstron
- Department of Haematology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Hillmen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Wellcome Trust Brenner Building, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J Steele
- School of Cancer Sciences, Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - David J MacEwan
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Graham Packham
- School of Cancer Sciences, Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Ian A Prior
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Signaling, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph R Slupsky
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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18
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Tian H, Yuning W, Yang W, Liu F, Yu Y, Ren S, Wang A, Zhang D. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in Procambarus clarkii: Molecular characterization and involvement in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis during molting cycle. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 257:110676. [PMID: 34648929 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2021.110676] [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] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The present study was conducted to characterize the full-length cDNA of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in Procambarus clarkii (Pcjnk) and evaluate its potential function under different molt cycle. The full-length cDNA of Pcjnk covered 2937 bp with an open reading frame of 1320 bp, encoding 439 amino acids. A typical conserved TPY motif (118Thr-Pro-120Tyr) was found in Pcjnk. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed a constitutive expression of Pcjnk in the tested tissue, with the highest expression occurring in the hepatopancreas. Additionally, the present study initially revealed that relative mRNA expression of Pcjnk and apoptosis level were significantly higher in the premolt stage (D1/D2 and D3/D4 stage) as compared to other molt stages. In contrast to the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) level decreased significantly from the intermolt stage (C stage) to the premolt stage (D1/D2 and D3/D4 stage), then increased from the premolt stage to the postmolt stage (A and B stage). The results obtained in the present study indicated that molt could cause apoptosis induced by oxidative stress through the activation of JNK in Procambarus clarkii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Tian
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine and Biology Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China.
| | - Wang Yuning
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine and Biology Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China
| | - Wenping Yang
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine and Biology Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine and Biology Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China
| | - Yebing Yu
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine and Biology Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China
| | - Shengjie Ren
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine and Biology Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China
| | - Aimin Wang
- Department of Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine and Biology Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China.
| | - Dingdong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
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19
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Predicting aptamer sequences that interact with target proteins using an aptamer-protein interaction classifier and a Monte Carlo tree search approach. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253760. [PMID: 34170922 PMCID: PMC8232527 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Oligonucleotide-based aptamers, which have a three-dimensional structure with a single-stranded fragment, feature various characteristics with respect to size, toxicity, and permeability. Accordingly, aptamers are advantageous in terms of diagnosis and treatment and are materials that can be produced through relatively simple experiments. Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) is one of the most widely used experimental methods for generating aptamers; however, it is highly expensive and time-consuming. To reduce the related costs, recent studies have used in silico approaches, such as aptamer-protein interaction (API) classifiers that use sequence patterns to determine the binding affinity between RNA aptamers and proteins. Some of these methods generate candidate RNA aptamer sequences that bind to a target protein, but they are limited to producing candidates of a specific size. In this study, we present a machine learning approach for selecting candidate sequences of various sizes that have a high binding affinity for a specific sequence of a target protein. We applied the Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) algorithm for generating the candidate sequences using a score function based on an API classifier. The tree structure that we designed with MCTS enables nucleotide sequence sampling, and the obtained sequences are potential aptamer candidates. We performed a quality assessment using the scores of docking simulations. Our validation datasets revealed that our model showed similar or better docking scores in ZDOCK docking simulations than the known aptamers. We expect that our method, which is size-independent and easy to use, can provide insights into searching for an appropriate aptamer sequence for a target protein during the simulation step of SELEX.
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20
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Garcia Michel LR, Keirns CD, Ahlbrecht BC, Barr DA. Calculating Transfer Entropy from Variance-Covariance Matrices Provides Insight into Allosteric Communication in ERK2. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:3168-3177. [PMID: 33929855 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We develop an approach by which reliable estimates of the transfer entropy can be obtained from the variance-covariance matrix of atomic fluctuations, which converges quickly and retains sensitivity to the full chemical profile of the biomolecular system. We validate our method on ERK2, a well-studied kinase involved in the MAPK signaling cascade for which considerable computational, experimental, and mutation data are available. We present the results of transfer entropy analysis on data obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of wild-type active and inactive ERK2, along with mutants Q103A, I84A, L73P, and G83A. We show that our method is systematically consistent within the context of other approaches for calculating transfer entropy, and we provide a method for interpreting networks of interconnected residues in the protein from a perspective of allosteric coupling. We introduce new insights about possible allosteric activity of the extreme N-terminal region of the kinase, and we describe evidence that suggests that activation may occur by different paths or routes in different mutants. Our results highlight systematic advantages and disadvantages of each method for calculating transfer entropy and show the important role of transfer entropy analysis for understanding allosteric behavior in biomolecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa R Garcia Michel
- Department of Chemistry, University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota 58504, United States
| | - Clara D Keirns
- Department of Chemistry, University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota 58504, United States
| | - Benjamin C Ahlbrecht
- Department of Chemistry, University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota 58504, United States
| | - Daniel A Barr
- Department of Chemistry, University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota 58504, United States
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21
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Lohning A, Kidachi Y, Kamiie K, Sasaki K, Ryoyama K, Yamaguchi H. 6-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MITC) from Wasabia japonica alleviates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by potential inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β). Eur J Med Chem 2021; 216:113250. [PMID: 33691258 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) describes a set of disorders involving alterations to gastrointestinal physiology and mucosal immunity. Unravelling its complex pathophysiology is important since many IBD patients are refractory to or suffer adverse side effects from current treatments. Isothiocyanates (ITCs), such as 6-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl ITC (6-MITC) in Wasabia japonica, have potential anti-inflammatory activity. We aimed to elucidate the pathways through which 6-MITC alleviates inflammation by examining its role in the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway through inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) using a chemically induced murine model of IBD, cell-based and in silico techniques. The effects of 6-MITC and two NF-κB inhibitors, sulfasalazine (SS), pyrrolidine dithiolcarbamate (PDTC) were investigated on a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced murine mouse model of acute and chronic colitis using macroscopic measurements and pro-inflammatory markers. The effect of 6-MITC on NF-κB induction was assessed using a murine macrophage cell line. Complexes of GSK-3β-6-MITC and GSK-3β-ATP were generated in silico to elucidate the mechanism of 6-MITC's direct inhibition of GSK-3β. Changes in pro-inflammatory markers, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) (increased) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) (decreased) demonstrated that iNOS regulation occurred at the translational level. Intraperitoneal (ip) injection of 6-MITC to the colitis-induced mice ameliorated weight loss whereas oral administration had negligible effect. Fecal blood and colon weight/length ratio parameters improved on treatment with 6-MITC and the other NF-κB inhibitors. Levels of NF-κB decreased upon addition of 6-MITC in vitro while structural studies showed 6-MITC acts competitively to inhibit GSK-3β at the ATP binding site. In this study we demonstrated that 6-MITC inhibits NF-κB signaling via GSK-3β inhibition ameliorating fecal blood, colonic alterations and DSS-induced weight loss indirectly indicating reduced intestinal stress. Taken together these results suggest a role for 6-MITC in the treatment of IBD acting to alleviate inflammation through the GSK-3β/NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, the GSK-3β-6-MITC model can be utilized as a basis for development of novel therapeutics targeting GSK-3β for use in other disorders including cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lohning
- Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia.
| | - Yumi Kidachi
- Department of Pharmacy, Aomori University, 2-3-1 Kobata, Aomori, 030-0943, Japan
| | - Katsuyoshi Kamiie
- Department of Pharmacy, Aomori University, 2-3-1 Kobata, Aomori, 030-0943, Japan
| | - Kazuo Sasaki
- Department of Food and Life Sciences, Toyo University, 1-1-1 Izumino, Itakura, Gunma, 374-0193, Japan
| | - Kazuo Ryoyama
- Department of Pharmacy, Aomori University, 2-3-1 Kobata, Aomori, 030-0943, Japan
| | - Hideaki Yamaguchi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Meijo University, 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tempaku, Nagoya, 468-8502, Japan
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22
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Schröder M, Filippakopoulos P, Schwalm MP, Ferrer CA, Drewry DH, Knapp S, Chaikuad A. Crystal Structure and Inhibitor Identifications Reveal Targeting Opportunity for the Atypical MAPK Kinase ERK3. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7953. [PMID: 33114754 PMCID: PMC7663056 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21217953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 3 (ERK3), known also as mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 (MAPK6), is an atypical member of MAPK kinase family, which has been poorly studied. Little is known regarding its function in biological processes, yet this atypical kinase has been suggested to play important roles in the migration and invasiveness of certain cancers. The lack of tools, such as a selective inhibitor, hampers the study of ERK3 biology. Here, we report the crystal structure of the kinase domain of this atypical MAPK kinase, providing molecular insights into its distinct ATP binding pocket compared to the classical MAPK ERK2, explaining differences in their inhibitor binding properties. Medium-scale small molecule screening identified a number of inhibitors, several of which unexpectedly exhibited remarkably high inhibitory potencies. The crystal structure of CLK1 in complex with CAF052, one of the most potent inhibitors identified for ERK3, revealed typical type-I binding mode of the inhibitor, which by structural comparison could likely be maintained in ERK3. Together with the presented structural insights, these diverse chemical scaffolds displaying both reversible and irreversible modes of action, will serve as a starting point for the development of selective inhibitors for ERK3, which will be beneficial for elucidating the important functions of this understudied kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Schröder
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
| | - Panagis Filippakopoulos
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK;
| | - Martin P. Schwalm
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
| | - Carla A. Ferrer
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (C.A.F.); (D.H.D.)
| | - David H. Drewry
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (C.A.F.); (D.H.D.)
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
- German Cancer network DKTK and Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Apirat Chaikuad
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
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23
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Motta M, Pannone L, Pantaleoni F, Bocchinfuso G, Radio FC, Cecchetti S, Ciolfi A, Di Rocco M, Elting MW, Brilstra EH, Boni S, Mazzanti L, Tamburrino F, Walsh L, Payne K, Fernández-Jaén A, Ganapathi M, Chung WK, Grange DK, Dave-Wala A, Reshmi SC, Bartholomew DW, Mouhlas D, Carpentieri G, Bruselles A, Pizzi S, Bellacchio E, Piceci-Sparascio F, Lißewski C, Brinkmann J, Waclaw RR, Waisfisz Q, van Gassen K, Wentzensen IM, Morrow MM, Álvarez S, Martínez-García M, De Luca A, Memo L, Zampino G, Rossi C, Seri M, Gelb BD, Zenker M, Dallapiccola B, Stella L, Prada CE, Martinelli S, Flex E, Tartaglia M. Enhanced MAPK1 Function Causes a Neurodevelopmental Disorder within the RASopathy Clinical Spectrum. Am J Hum Genet 2020; 107:499-513. [PMID: 32721402 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal transduction through the RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, the first described mitogen-associated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, mediates multiple cellular processes and participates in early and late developmental programs. Aberrant signaling through this cascade contributes to oncogenesis and underlies the RASopathies, a family of cancer-prone disorders. Here, we report that de novo missense variants in MAPK1, encoding the mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (i.e., extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 2, ERK2), cause a neurodevelopmental disease within the RASopathy phenotypic spectrum, reminiscent of Noonan syndrome in some subjects. Pathogenic variants promote increased phosphorylation of the kinase, which enhances translocation to the nucleus and boosts MAPK signaling in vitro and in vivo. Two variant classes are identified, one of which directly disrupts binding to MKP3, a dual-specificity protein phosphatase negatively regulating ERK function. Importantly, signal dysregulation driven by pathogenic MAPK1 variants is stimulus reliant and retains dependence on MEK activity. Our data support a model in which the identified pathogenic variants operate with counteracting effects on MAPK1 function by differentially impacting the ability of the kinase to interact with regulators and substrates, which likely explains the minor role of these variants as driver events contributing to oncogenesis. After nearly 20 years from the discovery of the first gene implicated in Noonan syndrome, PTPN11, the last tier of the MAPK cascade joins the group of genes mutated in RASopathies.
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24
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Wu PK, Becker A, Park JI. Growth Inhibitory Signaling of the Raf/MEK/ERK Pathway. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21155436. [PMID: 32751750 PMCID: PMC7432891 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In response to extracellular stimuli, the Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway regulates diverse cellular processes. While mainly known as a mitogenic signaling pathway, the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway can mediate not only cell proliferation and survival but also cell cycle arrest and death in different cell types. Growing evidence suggests that the cell fate toward these paradoxical physiological outputs may be determined not only at downstream effector levels but also at the pathway level, which involves the magnitude of pathway activity, spatial-temporal regulation, and non-canonical functions of the molecular switches in this pathway. This review discusses recent updates on the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathway-mediated growth inhibitory signaling, with a major focus on the regulation mediated at the pathway level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pui-Kei Wu
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Correspondence: (P.-K.W.); (J.-I.P.)
| | - Andrew Becker
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
| | - Jong-In Park
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
- Correspondence: (P.-K.W.); (J.-I.P.)
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25
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Iverson DB, Xiao Y, Jones DN, Eisenmesser EZ, Ahn NG. Activation Loop Dynamics Are Coupled to Core Motions in Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase-2. Biochemistry 2020; 59:2698-2706. [PMID: 32643366 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The activation loop segment in protein kinases is a common site for regulatory phosphorylation. In extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2), dual phosphorylation and conformational rearrangement of the activation loop accompany enzyme activation. X-ray structures show the active conformation to be stabilized by multiple ion pair interactions between phosphorylated threonine and tyrosine residues in the loop and six arginine residues in the kinase core. Despite the extensive salt bridge network, nuclear magnetic resonance Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill relaxation dispersion experiments show that the phosphorylated activation loop is conformationally mobile on a microsecond to millisecond time scale. The dynamics of the loop match those of previously reported global exchange within the kinase core region and surrounding the catalytic site that have been found to facilitate productive nucleotide binding. Mutations in the core region that alter these global motions also alter the dynamics of the activation loop. Conversely, mutations in the activation loop perturb the global exchange within the kinase core. Together, these findings provide evidence for coupling between motions in the activation loop and those surrounding the catalytic site in the active state of the kinase. Thus, the activation loop segment in dual-phosphorylated ERK2 is not held statically in the active X-ray conformation but instead undergoes exchange between conformers separated by a small energetic barrier, serving as part of a dynamic allosteric network controlling nucleotide binding and catalytic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan B Iverson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Yao Xiao
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | | | | | - Natalie G Ahn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
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26
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ERK signalling: a master regulator of cell behaviour, life and fate. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2020; 21:607-632. [PMID: 32576977 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-020-0255-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 452] [Impact Index Per Article: 113.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The proteins extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 are the downstream components of a phosphorelay pathway that conveys growth and mitogenic signals largely channelled by the small RAS GTPases. By phosphorylating widely diverse substrates, ERK proteins govern a variety of evolutionarily conserved cellular processes in metazoans, the dysregulation of which contributes to the cause of distinct human diseases. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of ERK1 and ERK2, their mode of action and their impact on the development and homeostasis of various organisms have been the focus of much attention for nearly three decades. In this Review, we discuss the current understanding of this important class of kinases. We begin with a brief overview of the structure, regulation, substrate recognition and subcellular localization of ERK1 and ERK2. We then systematically discuss how ERK signalling regulates six fundamental cellular processes in response to extracellular cues. These processes are cell proliferation, cell survival, cell growth, cell metabolism, cell migration and cell differentiation.
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27
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Li ZY, Guo HT, Calderón-Mantilla G, He JJ, Wang JL, Bonev BB, Zhu XQ, Elsheikha HM. Immunostimulatory efficacy and protective potential of putative TgERK7 protein in mice experimentally infected by Toxoplasma gondii. Int J Med Microbiol 2020; 310:151432. [PMID: 32654774 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2020.151432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) serve as important determinants of cellular signal transduction pathways, and hence may play important roles during infections. Previous work suggested that putative ERK7 of Toxoplasma gondii is required for efficient intracellular replication of the parasite. However, the antigenic and immunostimulatory properties of TgERK7 protein remain unknown. The objective of this study was to produce a recombinant TgERK7 protein in vitro and to evaluate its effect on the induction of humoral and T cell-mediated immune responses against T. gondii infection in BALB/c mice. Immunization using TgERK7 mixed with Freund's adjuvants significantly increased the ratio of CD3e+CD4+ T/CD3e+CD8a+ T lymphocytes in spleen and elevated serum cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-23, MCP-1, and TNF-α) in immunized mice compared to control mice. On the contrary, immunization did not induce high levels of serum IgG antibodies. Five predicted peptides of TgERK7 were synthesized and conjugated with KLH and used to analyze the antibody specificity in the sera of immunized mice. We detected a progressive increase in the antibody level only against TgERK7 peptide A (DEVDKHVLRKYD). Antibody raised against this peptide significantly decreased intracellular proliferation of T. gondii in vitro, suggesting that peptide A can potentially induce a protective antibody response. We also showed that immunization improved the survival rate of mice challenged with a virulent strain and significantly reduced the parasite cyst burden within the brains of chronically infected mice. Our data show that TgERK7-based immunization induced TgERK7 peptide A-specific immune responses that can impart protective immunity against T. gondii infection. The therapeutic potential of targeting ERK7 signaling pathway for future toxoplasmosis treatment is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong-Yuan Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Basic Medicine, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, Guangxi, 541199, China; State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730046, China; College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, China
| | - Hai-Ting Guo
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Basic Medicine, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, Guangxi, 541199, China
| | - Guillermo Calderón-Mantilla
- Universidad de La Sabana, Campus del Puente del Común, Km. 7, Autopista Norte de Bogotá. Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - Jun-Jun He
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730046, China
| | - Jin-Lei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730046, China
| | - Boyan B Bonev
- School of life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Xing-Quan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730046, China.
| | - Hany M Elsheikha
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK.
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28
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Gur-Arie L, Eitan-Wexler M, Weinberger N, Rosenshine I, Livnah O. The bacterial metalloprotease NleD selectively cleaves mitogen-activated protein kinases that have high flexibility in their activation loop. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:9409-9420. [PMID: 32404367 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.013590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial pathogens often target the host mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) network to suppress host immune responses. We previously identified a bacterial type III secretion system effector, termed NleD, a metalloprotease that inactivates MAPKs by specifically cleaving their activation loop. Here, we show that NleDs form a growing family of virulence factors harbored by human and plant pathogens as well as insect symbionts. These NleDs disable specifically Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and p38s that are required for host immune response, whereas extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which is essential for host cell viability, remains intact. We investigated the mechanism that makes ERK resistant to NleD cleavage. Biochemical and structural analyses revealed that NleD exclusively targets activation loops with high conformational flexibility. Accordingly, NleD cleaved the flexible loops of JNK and p38 but not the rigid loop of ERK. Our findings elucidate a compelling mechanism of native substrate proteolysis that is promoted by entropy-driven specificity. We propose that such entropy-based selectivity is a general attribute of proteolytic enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihi Gur-Arie
- Department Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Maayan Eitan-Wexler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Alexander Silverman Institute of Life Sciences, The Wolfson Centre for Applied Structural Biology, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Nina Weinberger
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Alexander Silverman Institute of Life Sciences, The Wolfson Centre for Applied Structural Biology, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ilan Rosenshine
- Department Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Oded Livnah
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Alexander Silverman Institute of Life Sciences, The Wolfson Centre for Applied Structural Biology, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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29
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Spotlight on the Ballet of Proteins: The Structural Dynamic Properties of Proteins Illuminated by Solution NMR. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21051829. [PMID: 32155847 PMCID: PMC7084655 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21051829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Solution NMR spectroscopy is a unique and powerful technique that has the ability to directly connect the structural dynamics of proteins in physiological conditions to their activity and function. Here, we summarize recent studies in which solution NMR contributed to the discovery of relationships between key dynamic properties of proteins and functional mechanisms in important biological systems. The capacity of NMR to quantify the dynamics of proteins over a range of time scales and to detect lowly populated protein conformations plays a critical role in its power to unveil functional protein dynamics. This analysis of dynamics is not only important for the understanding of biological function, but also in the design of specific ligands for pharmacologically important proteins. Thus, the dynamic view of structure provided by NMR is of importance in both basic and applied biology.
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30
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Structural Consequences of Multisite Phosphorylation in the BAK1 Kinase Domain. Biophys J 2020; 118:698-707. [PMID: 31962105 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Revised: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Multisite phosphorylation is an important mechanism of post-translational control of protein kinases. The effects of combinations of possible phosphorylation states on protein kinase activity are difficult to study experimentally because of challenges in isolating a particular phosphorylation state; surprising little effort on this topic has been expended in computational studies. To understand the effects of multisite phosphorylation on the plant protein kinase brassinosteroid insensitive 1-associated kinase 1 (BAK1) conformational ensemble, we performed Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics simulations on eight BAK1 mod-forms involving phosphorylation of the four activation-loop threonine residues and binding of ATP-Mg2+. We find that unphosphorylated BAK1 transitions into an inactive conformation with a "cracked" activation loop and with the αC helix swung away from the active site. T450 phosphorylation can prevent the activation loop from cracking and keep the αC helix in an active-like conformation, whereas phosphorylation of T455 only slightly stabilizes the activation loop. There is a general trend of reduced flexibility in interlobe motion with increased phosphorylation. Interestingly, the αC helix is destabilized when the activation loop is fully phosphorylated but is again stabilized with ATP-Mg2+ bound. Our results provide insight into the mechanism of phosphorylation-controlled BAK1 activation while at the same time represent the first, to our knowledge, comprehensive, comparative study of the effects of combinatorial phosphorylation states on protein kinase conformational dynamics.
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31
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Aoto PC, Stanfield RL, Wilson IA, Dyson HJ, Wright PE. A Dynamic Switch in Inactive p38γ Leads to an Excited State on the Pathway to an Active Kinase. Biochemistry 2019; 58:5160-5172. [PMID: 31794659 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The inactive state of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) adopts an open conformation while the active state exists in a compact form stabilized by phosphorylation. In the active state, eukaryotic kinases undergo breathing motions related to substrate binding and product release that have not previously been detected in the inactive state. However, docking interactions of partner proteins with inactive MAPK kinases exhibit allostery in binding of activating kinases. Interactions at a site distant from the activation loop are coupled to the configuration of the activation loop, suggesting that the inactive state may also undergo concerted dynamics. X-ray crystallographic studies of nonphosphorylated, inactive p38γ reveal differences in domain orientations and active site structure in the two molecules in the asymmetric unit. One molecule resembles an inactive kinase with an open active site. The second molecule has a rotation of the N-lobe that leads to partial compaction of the active site, resulting in a conformation that is intermediate between the inactive open state and the fully closed state of the activated kinase. Although the compact state of apo p38γ displays several of the features of the activated enzyme, it remains catalytically inert. In solution, the kinase fluctuates on a millisecond time scale between the open ground state and a weakly populated excited state that is similar in structure to the compact state observed in the crystal. The nuclear magnetic resonance and crystal structure data imply that interconversion between the open and compact states involves a molecular switch associated with the DFG loop.
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32
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Misiura MM, Kolomeisky AB. Role of Intrinsically Disordered Regions in Acceleration of Protein–Protein Association. J Phys Chem B 2019; 124:20-27. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b08793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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33
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Lopez ED, Burastero O, Arcon JP, Defelipe LA, Ahn NG, Marti MA, Turjanski AG. Kinase Activation by Small Conformational Changes. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 60:821-832. [PMID: 31714778 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Protein kinases (PKs) are allosteric enzymes that play an essential role in signal transduction by regulating a variety of key cellular processes. Most PKs suffer conformational rearrangements upon phosphorylation that strongly enhance the catalytic activity. Generally, it involves the movement of the phosphorylated loop toward the active site and the rotation of the whole C-terminal lobe. However, not all kinases undergo such a large configurational change: The MAPK extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases ERK1 and ERK2 achieve a 50 000 fold increase in kinase activity with only a small motion of the C-terminal region. In the present work, we used a combination of molecular simulation tools to characterize the conformational landscape of ERK2 in the active (phosphorylated) and inactive (unphosphorylated) states in solution in agreement with NMR experiments. We show that the chemical reaction barrier is strongly dependent on ATP conformation and that the "active" low-barrier configuration is subtly regulated by phosphorylation, which stabilizes a key salt bridge between the conserved Lys52 and Glu69 belonging to helix-C and promotes binding of a second Mg ion. Our study highlights that the on-off switch embedded in the kinase fold can be regulated by small, medium, and large conformational changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias D Lopez
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Osvaldo Burastero
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Juan P Arcon
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Lucas A Defelipe
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Natalie G Ahn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Colorado , Boulder , Colorado 80309 , United States
| | - Marcelo A Marti
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Adrian G Turjanski
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires , Argentina
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34
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Ahrari S, Mogharrab N, Navapour L. Structure and dynamics of inactive and active MARK4: conformational switching through the activation process. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2019; 38:2468-2481. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2019.1655479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sajjad Ahrari
- Biophysics and Computational Biology Laboratory (BCBL), Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Navid Mogharrab
- Biophysics and Computational Biology Laboratory (BCBL), Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Leila Navapour
- Biophysics and Computational Biology Laboratory (BCBL), Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
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35
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Sang D, Pinglay S, Wiewiora RP, Selvan ME, Lou HJ, Chodera JD, Turk BE, Gümüş ZH, Holt LJ. Ancestral reconstruction reveals mechanisms of ERK regulatory evolution. eLife 2019; 8:38805. [PMID: 31407663 PMCID: PMC6692128 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein kinases are crucial to coordinate cellular decisions and therefore their activities are strictly regulated. Previously we used ancestral reconstruction to determine how CMGC group kinase specificity evolved (Howard et al., 2014). In the present study, we reconstructed ancestral kinases to study the evolution of regulation, from the inferred ancestor of CDKs and MAPKs, to modern ERKs. Kinases switched from high to low autophosphorylation activity at the transition to the inferred ancestor of ERKs 1 and 2. Two synergistic amino acid changes were sufficient to induce this change: shortening of the β3-αC loop and mutation of the gatekeeper residue. Restoring these two mutations to their inferred ancestral state led to a loss of dependence of modern ERKs 1 and 2 on the upstream activating kinase MEK in human cells. Our results shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms that led to the tight regulation of a kinase that is central in development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dajun Sang
- Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Sudarshan Pinglay
- Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Rafal P Wiewiora
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, United States.,Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, United States
| | - Myvizhi E Selvan
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Hua Jane Lou
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - John D Chodera
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, United States
| | - Benjamin E Turk
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Zeynep H Gümüş
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Liam J Holt
- Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States
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36
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Taylor CA, Cormier KW, Keenan SE, Earnest S, Stippec S, Wichaidit C, Juang YC, Wang J, Shvartsman SY, Goldsmith EJ, Cobb MH. Functional divergence caused by mutations in an energetic hotspot in ERK2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:15514-15523. [PMID: 31296562 PMCID: PMC6681740 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1905015116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The most frequent extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) mutation occurring in cancers is E322K (E-K). ERK2 E-K reverses a buried charge in the ERK2 common docking (CD) site, a region that binds activators, inhibitors, and substrates. Little is known about the cellular consequences associated with this mutation, other than apparent increases in tumor resistance to pathway inhibitors. ERK2 E-K, like the mutation of the preceding aspartate (ERK2 D321N [D-N]) known as the sevenmaker mutation, causes increased activity in cells and evades inactivation by dual-specificity phosphatases. As opposed to findings in cancer cells, in developmental assays in Drosophila, only ERK2 D-N displays a significant gain of function, revealing mutation-specific phenotypes. The crystal structure of ERK2 D-N is indistinguishable from that of wild-type protein, yet this mutant displays increased thermal stability. In contrast, the crystal structure of ERK2 E-K reveals profound structural changes, including disorder in the CD site and exposure of the activation loop phosphorylation sites, which likely account for the decreased thermal stability of the protein. These contiguous mutations in the CD site of ERK2 are both required for docking interactions but lead to unpredictably different functional outcomes. Our results suggest that the CD site is in an energetically strained configuration, and this helps drive conformational changes at distal sites on ERK2 during docking interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clinton A Taylor
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Kevin W Cormier
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Shannon E Keenan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Svetlana Earnest
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Steve Stippec
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Chonlarat Wichaidit
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Yu-Chi Juang
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Biophysics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Stanislav Y Shvartsman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | | | - Melanie H Cobb
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390;
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37
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Activation loop dynamics are controlled by conformation-selective inhibitors of ERK2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:15463-15468. [PMID: 31311868 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906824116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Conformational selection by small molecules expands inhibitory possibilities for protein kinases. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase ERK2 have shown that activation by dual phosphorylation induces global motions involving exchange between two states, L and R. We show that ERK inhibitors Vertex-11e and SCH772984 exploit the small energetic difference between L and R to shift the equilibrium in opposing directions. An X-ray structure of active 2P-ERK2 complexed with AMP-PNP reveals a shift in the Gly-rich loop along with domain closure to position the nucleotide in a more catalytically productive conformation relative to inactive 0P-ERK2:ATP. X-ray structures of 2P-ERK2 complexed with Vertex-11e or GDC-0994 recapitulate this closure, which is blocked in a complex with a SCH772984 analog. Thus, the L→R shift in 2P-ERK2 is associated with movements needed to form a competent active site. Solution measurements by hydrogen-exchange mass spectrometry (HX-MS) reveal distinct binding interactions for Vertex-11e, GDC-0994, and AMP-PNP with active vs. inactive ERK2, where the extent of HX protection correlates with R state formation. Furthermore, Vertex-11e and SCH772984 show opposite effects on HX near the activation loop. Consequently, these inhibitors differentially affect MAP kinase phosphatase activity toward 2P-ERK2. We conclude that global motions in ERK2 reflect conformational changes at the active site that promote productive nucleotide binding and couple with changes at the activation loop to allow control of dephosphorylation by conformationally selective inhibitors.
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38
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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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39
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Sammons RM, Ghose R, Tsai KY, Dalby KN. Targeting ERK beyond the boundaries of the kinase active site in melanoma. Mol Carcinog 2019; 58:1551-1570. [PMID: 31190430 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) constitute a point of convergence for complex signaling events that regulate essential cellular processes, including proliferation and survival. As such, dysregulation of the ERK signaling pathway is prevalent in many cancers. In the case of BRAF-V600E mutant melanoma, ERK inhibition has emerged as a viable clinical approach to abrogate signaling through the ERK pathway, even in cases where MEK and Raf inhibitor treatments fail to induce tumor regression due to resistance mechanisms. Several ERK inhibitors that target the active site of ERK have reached clinical trials, however, many critical ERK interactions occur at other potentially druggable sites on the protein. Here we discuss the role of ERK signaling in cell fate, in driving melanoma, and in resistance mechanisms to current BRAF-V600E melanoma treatments. We explore targeting ERK via a distinct site of protein-protein interaction, known as the D-recruitment site (DRS), as an alternative or supplementary mode of ERK pathway inhibition in BRAF-V600E melanoma. Targeting the DRS with inhibitors in melanoma has the potential to not only disrupt the catalytic apparatus of ERK but also its noncatalytic functions, which have significant impacts on spatiotemporal signaling dynamics and cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Sammons
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Ranajeet Ghose
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York
| | - Kenneth Y Tsai
- Departments of Anatomic Pathology and Tumor Biology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida
| | - Kevin N Dalby
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Department of Oncology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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40
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Misiura M, Kolomeisky AB. Kinetic network model to explain gain-of-function mutations in ERK2 enzyme. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:155101. [PMID: 31005085 DOI: 10.1063/1.5088647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
ERK2 is a kinase protein that belongs to a Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, which is activated in response to a range of extracellular signals. Malfunctioning of this cascade leads to a variety of serious diseases, including cancers. This is often caused by mutations in proteins belonging to the cascade, frequently leading to abnormally high activity of the cascade even in the absence of an external signal. One such "gain-of-function" mutation in the ERK2 protein, called a "sevenmaker" mutation (D319N), was discovered in 1994 in Drosophila. The mutation leads to disruption of interactions of other proteins with the D-site of ERK2 and results, contrary to expectations, in an increase of its activity in vivo. However, no molecular mechanism to explain this effect has been presented so far. The difficulty is that this mutation should equally negatively affect interactions of ERK2 with all substrates, activators, and deactivators. In this paper, we present a semiquantitative kinetic network model that gives a possible explanation of the increased activity of mutant ERK2 species. A simplified biochemical network for ERK2, viewed as a system of coupled Michaelis-Menten processes, is presented. Its dynamic properties are calculated explicitly using the method of first-passage processes. The effect of mutation is associated with changes in the strength of interaction energy between the enzyme and the substrates. It is found that the dependence of kinetic properties of the protein on the interaction energy is nonmonotonic, suggesting that some mutations might lead to more efficient catalytic properties, despite weakening intermolecular interactions. Our theoretical predictions agree with experimental observations for the sevenmaker mutation in ERK2. It is also argued that the effect of mutations might depend on the concentrations of substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikita Misiura
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005-1892, USA
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41
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Gógl G, Kornev AP, Reményi A, Taylor SS. Disordered Protein Kinase Regions in Regulation of Kinase Domain Cores. Trends Biochem Sci 2019; 44:300-311. [PMID: 30611608 PMCID: PMC6592696 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Since publication of the crystal structure of protein kinase (PK)A three decades ago, a structural portrait of the conserved kinase core has been drawn. The next challenge is to elucidate structures of full-length kinases and to address the intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) that typically flank the core as well as the small linear motifs (SLiMs) that are embedded within the IDRs. It is increasingly apparent that unstructured regions integrate the kinase catalytic chassis into multienzyme-based regulatory networks. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase-ribosomal S6 PK-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase (ERK-RSK-PDK) complex is an excellent example to demonstrate how IDRs and SLiMs govern communication between four different kinase catalytic cores to mediate activation and how in molecular terms these promote the formation of kinase heterodimers in a context dependent fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergő Gógl
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Alexandr P Kornev
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093-0654, USA
| | - Attila Reményi
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Susan S Taylor
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093-0654, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093-0654, USA.
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42
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Calvanese L, Nanayakkara M, Aitoro R, Sanseverino M, Tornesello AL, Falcigno L, D'Auria G, Barone MV. Structural insights on P31‐43, a gliadin peptide able to promote an innate but not an adaptive response in celiac disease. J Pept Sci 2019; 25:e3161. [DOI: 10.1002/psc.3161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Merlin Nanayakkara
- Department of Translational Medical Science (section of Pediatrics) and ELFID (European Laboratory for the Investigation of Food Induced Diseases)University Federico II 80131 Naples Italy
| | - Rosita Aitoro
- Department of Translational Medical Science (section of Pediatrics) and ELFID (European Laboratory for the Investigation of Food Induced Diseases)University Federico II 80131 Naples Italy
| | | | - Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology UnitIstituto Nazionale Tumori “Fondazione G. Pascale”—IRCCS Naples Italy
| | - Lucia Falcigno
- CIRPeBUniversity of Naples Federico II 80134 Naples Italy
- Department of PharmacyUniversity of Naples Federico II 80134 Naples Italy
| | - Gabriella D'Auria
- CIRPeBUniversity of Naples Federico II 80134 Naples Italy
- Department of PharmacyUniversity of Naples Federico II 80134 Naples Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Barone
- Department of Translational Medical Science (section of Pediatrics) and ELFID (European Laboratory for the Investigation of Food Induced Diseases)University Federico II 80131 Naples Italy
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43
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Roskoski R. Targeting ERK1/2 protein-serine/threonine kinases in human cancers. Pharmacol Res 2019; 142:151-168. [PMID: 30794926 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2019.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
ERK1 and ERK2 are key protein kinases that contribute to the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK MAP kinase signalling module. This pathway participates in the control of numerous processes including apoptosis, cell proliferation, the immune response, nervous system function, and RNA synthesis and processing. MEK1/2 activate human ERK1/2 by first catalyzing the phosphorylation of Y204/187 and then T202/185, both residues of which occur within the activation segment. The phosphorylation of both residues is required for enzyme activation. The only Raf substrates are MEK1/2 and the only MEK1/2 substrates are ERK1/2. In contrast, ERK1/2 catalyze the phosphorylation of many cytoplasmic and nuclear substrates including transcription factors and regulatory molecules. The linear MAP kinase pathway branches extensively at the ERK1/2 node. ERK1/2 are proline-directed kinases that preferentially catalyze the phosphorylation of substrates containing a PxS/TP sequence. The dephosphorylation and inactivation of ERK1/2 is catalyzed by dual specificity phosphatases, protein-tyrosine specific phosphatases, and protein-serine/threonine phosphatases. The combined functions of kinases and phosphatases make the overall process reversible. To provide an idea of the complexities involved in these reactions, somatic cell cycle progression involves the strict timing of more than 32,000 phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events as determined by mass spectrometry. The MAP kinase cascade is perhaps the most important oncogenic driver of human cancers and the blockade of this signalling module by targeted inhibitors is an important anti-tumor strategy. Although numerous cancers are driven by MAP kinase pathway activation, thus far the only orally effective approved drugs that target this signaling module are used for the treatment of BRAF-mutant melanomas. The best treatments include the combination of B-Raf and MEK inhibitors (dabrafenib and trametinib, encorafenib and binimetinib, vemurafenib and cobimetanib). However, resistance to these antagonists occurs within one year and additional treatment options are necessary. Owing to the large variety of malignancies that are driven by dysregulation of the MAP kinase pathway, additional tumor types should be amenable to MAP kinase pathway inhibitor therapy. In addition to new B-Raf and MEK inhibitors, the addition of ERK inhibitors should prove helpful. Ulixertinib, MK-8353, and GDC-0994 are orally effective, potent, and specific inhibitors of ERK1/2 that are in early clinical trials for the treatment of various advanced/metastatic solid tumors. These agents are effective against cell lines that are resistant to B-Raf and MEK1/2 inhibitor therapy. Although MK-8353 does not directly inhibit MEK1/2, it decreases the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 as well as the phosphorylation of RSK, an ERK1/2 substrate. The decrease in RSK phosphorylation appears to be a result of ERK inhibition and the decrease in ERK1/2 phosphorylation is related to the inability of MEK to catalyze the phosphorylation of the ERK-MK-8353 complex; these decreases characterize the ERK dual mechanism inhibition paradigm. Additional work will be required to determine whether ERK inhibitors will be successful in the clinic and are able to forestall the development of drug resistance of the MAP kinase pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Roskoski
- Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, 3754 Brevard Road, Suite 116, Box 19, Horse Shoe, NC, 28742-8814, United States.
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44
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Tyrosine nitration of human ERK1 introduces an intra-hydrogen bond by molecular dynamics simulations. Struct Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s11224-019-01306-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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45
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Arrestin-3 scaffolding of the JNK3 cascade suggests a mechanism for signal amplification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 116:810-815. [PMID: 30591558 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819230116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Scaffold proteins tether and orient components of a signaling cascade to facilitate signaling. Although much is known about how scaffolds colocalize signaling proteins, it is unclear whether scaffolds promote signal amplification. Here, we used arrestin-3, a scaffold of the ASK1-MKK4/7-JNK3 cascade, as a model to understand signal amplification by a scaffold protein. We found that arrestin-3 exhibited >15-fold higher affinity for inactive JNK3 than for active JNK3, and this change involved a shift in the binding site following JNK3 activation. We used systems biochemistry modeling and Bayesian inference to evaluate how the activation of upstream kinases contributed to JNK3 phosphorylation. Our combined experimental and computational approach suggested that the catalytic phosphorylation rate of JNK3 at Thr-221 by MKK7 is two orders of magnitude faster than the corresponding phosphorylation of Tyr-223 by MKK4 with or without arrestin-3. Finally, we showed that the release of activated JNK3 was critical for signal amplification. Collectively, our data suggest a "conveyor belt" mechanism for signal amplification by scaffold proteins. This mechanism informs on a long-standing mystery for how few upstream kinase molecules activate numerous downstream kinases to amplify signaling.
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46
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Sabbir MG, Fernyhough P. Muscarinic receptor antagonists activate ERK-CREB signaling to augment neurite outgrowth of adult sensory neurons. Neuropharmacology 2018; 143:268-281. [PMID: 30248305 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
A major cellular effector activated by G protein coupled receptors is extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). The ERK signaling cascade regulates a variety of cellular processes including growth and proliferation. Both G protein and β-arrestin-mediated signaling lead to ERK activation by phosphorylation through different kinases. Recently, we have shown muscarinic acetylcholine type 1 receptor (M1R) antagonists, muscarinic toxin 7 (MT7) and pirenzepine, elevated neurite outgrowth and protected from small and large fiber neuropathy in adult sensory neurons in various animal models. Thus, we tested the novel hypothesis that muscarinic antagonists could drive neurite outgrowth through altered M1R-ERK signaling. We have used two dimensional isoelectric focusing/SDS-PAGE combined with analysis using multiple phospho-epitope specific antibodies to study ERK1/2 phosphorylation and activation of its downstream nuclear effector cyclic response element binding protein (CREB). Activated CREB is known to exhibit neuroprotective and growth promoting effects. One hour of treatment with MT7 and pirenzepine activated ERK through M1R and induced a significant increase in levels of pCREB(S133) in cultured sensory neurons. Further, pharmacological blockade or siRNA based knockdown of ERK abolished the MT7 and pirenzepine mediated neuritogenic effect. In addition, we have shown drug-induced alterations of charged protein fractions that may possess additional post-translationally modified forms of ERK and CREB. For the first time we show that long-term treatment, e.g. 1 h, with muscarinic antagonists selective or specific for M1R can activate a biased β-arrestin dependent ERK-CREB signal cascade. Our study gives novel insight into muscarinic antagonist-mediated modulation of M1R-ERK-CREB signaling which could be exploited for therapy in neuropathic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Golam Sabbir
- Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB, R2H 2A6, Canada.
| | - Paul Fernyhough
- Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB, R2H 2A6, Canada; Dept of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.
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47
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Nelson KJ, Bolduc JA, Wu H, Collins JA, Burke EA, Reisz JA, Klomsiri C, Wood ST, Yammani RR, Poole LB, Furdui CM, Loeser RF. H 2O 2 oxidation of cysteine residues in c-Jun N-terminal kinase 2 (JNK2) contributes to redox regulation in human articular chondrocytes. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:16376-16389. [PMID: 30190325 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.004613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), in particular H2O2, regulate intracellular signaling through reversible oxidation of reactive protein thiols present in a number of kinases and phosphatases. H2O2 has been shown to regulate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling depending on the cellular context. We report here that in human articular chondrocytes, the MAPK family member c-Jun N-terminal kinase 2 (JNK2) is activated by fibronectin fragments and low physiological levels of H2O2 and inhibited by oxidation due to elevated levels of H2O2 The kinase activity of affinity-purified, phosphorylated JNK2 from cultured chondrocytes was reversibly inhibited by 5-20 μm H2O2 Using dimedone-based chemical probes that react specifically with sulfenylated cysteines (RSOH), we identified Cys-222 in JNK2, a residue not conserved in JNK1 or JNK3, as a redox-reactive site. MS analysis of human recombinant JNK2 also detected further oxidation at Cys-222 and other cysteines to sulfinic (RSO2H) or sulfonic (RSO3H) acid. H2O2 treatment of JNK2 resulted in detectable levels of peptides containing intramolecular disulfides between Cys-222 and either Cys-213 or Cys-177, without evidence of dimer formation. Substitution of Cys-222 to alanine rendered JNK2 insensitive to H2O2 inhibition, unlike C177A and C213A variants. Two other JNK2 variants, C116A and C163A, were also resistant to oxidative inhibition. Cumulatively, these findings indicate differential regulation of JNK2 signaling dependent on H2O2 levels and point to key cysteine residues regulating JNK2 activity. As levels of intracellular H2O2 rise, a switch occurs from activation to inhibition of JNK2 activity, linking JNK2 regulation to the redox status of the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesalyn A Bolduc
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Hanzhi Wu
- the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157 and
| | - John A Collins
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Elizabeth A Burke
- the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157 and
| | - Julie A Reisz
- the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157 and
| | - Chananat Klomsiri
- From the Department of Biochemistry and.,the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157 and
| | - Scott T Wood
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Raghunatha R Yammani
- the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157 and
| | | | - Cristina M Furdui
- the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157 and
| | - Richard F Loeser
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
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48
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Keyes JD, Parsonage D, Yammani RD, Rogers LC, Kesty C, Furdui CM, Nelson KJ, Poole LB. Endogenous, regulatory cysteine sulfenylation of ERK kinases in response to proliferative signals. Free Radic Biol Med 2017; 112:534-543. [PMID: 28843779 PMCID: PMC5623068 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
ERK-dependent signaling is key to many pathways through which extracellular signals are transduced into cell-fate decisions. One conundrum is the way in which disparate signals induce specific responses through a common, ERK-dependent kinase cascade. While studies have revealed intricate ways of controlling ERK signaling through spatiotemporal localization and phosphorylation dynamics, additional modes of ERK regulation undoubtedly remain to be discovered. We hypothesized that fine-tuning of ERK signaling could occur by cysteine oxidation. We report that ERK is actively and directly oxidized by signal-generated H2O2 during proliferative signaling, and that ERK oxidation occurs downstream of a variety of receptor classes tested in four cell lines. Furthermore, within the tested cell lines and proliferative signals, we observed that both activation loop-phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated ERK undergo sulfenylation in cells and that dynamics of ERK sulfenylation is dependent on the cell growth conditions prior to stimulation. We also tested the effect of endogenous ERK oxidation on kinase activity and report that phosphotransfer reactions are reversibly inhibited by oxidation by as much as 80-90%, underscoring the importance of considering this additional modification when assessing ERK activation in response to extracellular signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah D Keyes
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Center for Molecular Signaling, Wake Forest University, USA; Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA
| | - Derek Parsonage
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA
| | - Rama D Yammani
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA
| | - LeAnn C Rogers
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Center for Molecular Signaling, Wake Forest University, USA
| | - Chelsea Kesty
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Center for Molecular Signaling, Wake Forest University, USA
| | - Cristina M Furdui
- Center for Molecular Signaling, Wake Forest University, USA; Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA; Section on Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Kimberly J Nelson
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Center for Molecular Signaling, Wake Forest University, USA; Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA
| | - Leslie B Poole
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; Center for Molecular Signaling, Wake Forest University, USA; Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA.
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49
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Stiers KM, Graham AC, Kain BN, Beamer LJ. Asp263 missense variants perturb the active site of human phosphoglucomutase 1. FEBS J 2017; 284:937-947. [PMID: 28117557 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 12/31/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The enzyme phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1) plays a central role in glucose homeostasis. Clinical studies have identified mutations in human PGM1 as the cause of PGM1 deficiency, an inherited metabolic disease. One residue, Asp263, has two known variants associated with disease: D263G and D263Y. Biochemical studies have shown that these mutants are soluble and well folded, but have significant catalytic impairment. To better understand this catalytic defect, we determined crystal structures of these two missense variants, both of which reveal a similar and indirect structural change due to the loss of a conserved salt bridge between Asp263 and Arg293. The arginine reorients into the active site, making interactions with residues responsible for substrate binding. Biochemical studies also show that the catalytic phosphoserine of the missense variants is more stable to hydrolysis relative to wild-type enzyme. The structural perturbation resulting from mutation of this single amino acid reveals the molecular mechanism underlying PGM1 deficiency in these missense variants. DATABASE Structural data are available in the PDB under the accession numbers 5JN5 and 5TR2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle M Stiers
- Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Abigail C Graham
- Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Bailee N Kain
- Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Lesa J Beamer
- Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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50
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Huang J, Bennett WW, Welsh DT, Teasdale PR. Determining time-weighted average concentrations of nitrate and ammonium in freshwaters using DGT with ion exchange membrane-based binding layers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2016; 18:1530-1539. [PMID: 27841883 DOI: 10.1039/c6em00260a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Commercially-available AMI-7001 anion exchange and CMI-7000 cation exchange membranes were utilised as binding layers for DGT measurements of NO3-N and NH4-N in freshwaters. These ion exchange membranes are easier to prepare and handle than DGT binding layers consisting of hydrogels cast with ion exchange resins. The membranes showed good uptake and elution efficiencies for both NO3-N and NH4-N. The membrane-based DGTs are suitable for pH 3.5-8.5 and ionic strength ranges (0.0001-0.014 and 0.0003-0.012 mol L-1 as NaCl for the AMI-7001 and CMI-7000 membrane, respectively) typical of most natural freshwaters. The binding membranes had high intrinsic binding capacities for NO3-N and NH4-N of 911 ± 88 μg and 3512 ± 51 μg, respectively. Interferences from the major competing ions for membrane-based DGTs are similar to DGTs employing resin-based binding layers but with slightly different selectivity. This different selectivity means that the two DGT types can be used in different types of freshwaters. The laboratory and field experiments demonstrated that AMI-DGT and CMI-DGT can be an alternative to A520E-DGT and PrCH-DGT for measuring NO3-N and NH4-N, respectively, as (i) membrane-based DGT have a consistent composition, (ii) avoid the use of toxic chemicals, (iii) provided highly representative results (CDGT : CSOLN between 0.81 and 1.3), and (iv) agreed with resin-based DGTs to within 85-120%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyin Huang
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4215, Australia.
| | - William W Bennett
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4215, Australia.
| | - David T Welsh
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4215, Australia.
| | - Peter R Teasdale
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4215, Australia.
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