Discovery of an exosite on the SOCS2-SH2 domain that enhances SH2 binding to phosphorylated ligands.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Linossi EM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8640019 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Blocking the interaction between phosphotyrosine (pTyr)-containing activated receptors and the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of the growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (Grb 2) is considered to be an effective and non-cytotoxic strategy to develop new anti-proliferate agents due to its potential to shut down the Ras activation pathway. In this study, a series of phosphotyrosine containing cyclic pentapeptides were designed and synthesized based upon the phage library derived cyclopeptide, G1TE. A comprehensive SAR study was also carried out to develop potent Grb2-SH2 domain antagonists based upon this novel template. With both the peptidomimetic optimization of the amino acid side-chains and the constraint of the backbone conformation guided by molecular modeling, we developed several potent antagonists with low micromolar range binding affinity, such as cyclic peptide 15 with an K(d)=0.359microM, which is providing a novel template for the development of Grb2-SH2 domain antagonists as potential therapeutics for certain cancers.
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Project description:Structures of the Grb2 SH2 domain complexed with a series of pseudopeptides containing flexible (benzyl succinate) and constrained (aryl cyclopropanedicarboxylate) replacements of the phosphotyrosine (pY) residue in tripeptides derived from Ac-pYXN-NH(2) (where X = V, I, E and Q) were elucidated by X-ray crystallography. Complexes of flexible/constrained pairs having the same pY + 1 amino acid were analyzed in order to ascertain what structural differences might be attributed to constraining the phosphotyrosine replacement. In this context, a given structural dissimilarity between complexes was considered to be significant if it was greater than the corresponding difference in complexes coexisting within the same asymmetric unit. The backbone atoms of the domain generally adopt a similar conformation and orientation relative to the ligands in the complexes of each flexible/constrained pair, although there are some significant differences in the relative orientations of several loop regions, most notably in the BC loop that forms part of the binding pocket for the phosphate group in the tyrosine replacements. These variations are greater in the set of complexes of constrained ligands than in the set of complexes of flexible ligands. The constrained ligands make more direct polar contacts to the domain than their flexible counterparts, whereas the more flexible ligand of each pair makes more single-water-mediated contacts to the domain; there was no correlation between the total number of protein-ligand contacts and whether the phosphotyrosine replacement of the ligand was preorganized. The observed differences in hydrophobic interactions between the complexes of each flexible/constrained ligand pair were generally similar to those observed upon comparing such contacts in coexisting complexes. The average adjusted B factors of the backbone atoms of the domain and loop regions are significantly greater in the complexes of constrained ligands than in the complexes of the corresponding flexible ligands, suggesting greater thermal motion in the crystalline state in the former complexes. There was no apparent correlation between variations in crystal packing and observed structural differences or similarities in the complexes of flexible and constrained ligands, but the possibility that crystal packing might result in structural variations cannot be rigorously excluded. Overall, it appears that there are more variations in the three-dimensional structure of the protein and the ligand in complexes of the constrained ligands than in those of their more flexible counterparts.
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Project description:Preorganizing a ligand in the conformation it adopts upon binding to a protein has long been considered to be an effective way to improve affinity by making the binding entropy more favorable. However, recent thermodynamic studies of a series of complexes of the Grb2 SH2 domain with peptide analogues having constrained and flexible replacements for a phosphotyrosine residue revealed that less favorable binding entropies may result from constraining ligands in their biologically active conformations. Toward probing the origin of this unexpected finding, we examined the complexes of four phosphotyrosine-derived analogues with the Grb2 SH2 domain using molecular dynamics simulations with a polarizable force field. Significantly, the computed values for the relative binding free energies, entropies, and enthalpies of two pairs of constrained and unconstrained ligands reproduced the trends that were determined experimentally, although the relative differences were overestimated. These calculations also revealed that a large fraction of the ligands lacking the constraining element exist in solution as compact, macrocyclic-like structures that are stabilized by interactions between the phosphate groups and the amide moieties of the C-terminal pY+2 residues. In contrast, the three-membered ring in the constrained ligands prevents the formation of such macrocyclic structures, leading instead to globally extended, less ordered conformations. Quasiharmonic analysis of these conformational ensembles suggests that the unconstrained ligands possess significantly lower entropies in solution, a finding that is consistent with the experimental observation that the binding entropies for the unconstrained ligands are more favorable than for their constrained counterparts. This study suggests that introducing local constraints in flexible molecules may have unexpected consequences, and a detailed understanding of the conformational preferences of ligands in their unbound states is a critical prerequisite to correlating changes in their chemical structure with protein binding entropies and enthalpies.
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Project description:Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) is the most lethal toxin among the Tier 1 Select Agents. Development of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors against BoNT/A zinc metalloprotease remains a challenging problem due to its exceptionally large substrate binding surface and conformational plasticity. The exosites of the catalytic domain of BoNT/A are intriguing alternative sites for small molecule intervention, but their suitability for inhibitor design remains largely unexplored. In this study, we employed two recently identified exosite inhibitors, D-chicoric acid and lomofungin, to probe the structural features of the exosites and molecular mechanisms of synergistic inhibition. The results showed that D-chicoric acid favors binding at the α-exosite, whereas lomofungin preferentially binds at the β-exosite by mimicking the substrate β-sheet binding interaction. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding interaction analysis of the exosite inhibitors with BoNT/A revealed key elements and hotspots that likely contribute to the inhibitor binding and synergistic inhibition. Finally, we performed database virtual screening for novel inhibitors of BoNT/A targeting the exosites. Hits C1 and C2 showed non-competitive inhibition and likely target the α- and β-exosites, respectively. The identified exosite inhibitors may provide novel candidates for structure-based development of therapeutics against BoNT/A intoxication.
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Project description:Spt6 is an essential transcription elongation factor and histone chaperone that binds the C-terminal repeat domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II. We show here that Spt6 contains a tandem SH2 domain with a novel structure and CTD-binding mode. The tandem SH2 domain binds to a serine 2-phosphorylated CTD peptide in vitro, whereas its N-terminal SH2 subdomain, which we previously characterized, does not. CTD binding requires a positively charged crevice in the C-terminal SH2 subdomain, which lacks the canonical phospho-binding pocket of SH2 domains and had previously escaped detection. The tandem SH2 domain is apparently required for transcription elongation in vivo as its deletion in cells is lethal in the presence of 6-azauracil.
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Project description:SH2 domains are common protein interaction domains able to recognize short aminoacidic sequences presenting a phosphorylated tyrosine (pY). In spite of their fundamental importance for cell physiology there is a lack of information about the mechanism by which these domains recognize and bind their natural ligands. The N-terminal SH2 (N-SH2) domain of PI3K mediates the interaction with different scaffolding proteins and is known to recognize a specific pY-X-X-M consensus sequence. These interactions are at the cross roads of different molecular pathways and play a key role for cell development and division. By combining mutagenesis, chemical kinetics and NMR, here we provide a complete characterization of the interaction between N-SH2 and a peptide mimicking the scaffolding protein Gab2. Our results highlight that N-SH2 is characterized by a remarkable structural plasticity, with the binding reaction being mediated by a diffused structural region and not solely by the residues located in the binding pocket. Furthermore, the analysis of kinetic data allow us to pinpoint an allosteric network involving residues far from the binding pocket involved in specificity. Results are discussed on the light of previous works on the binding properties of SH2 domains.
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Project description:SH2 domains are structural modules specialized in the recognition and binding of target sequences containing a phosphorylated tyrosine residue. They are mostly incorporated in the 3D structure of scaffolding proteins that represent fundamental regulators of several signaling pathways. Among those, Crkl plays key roles in cell physiology by mediating signals from a wide range of stimuli, and its overexpression is associated with several types of cancers. In myeloid cells expressing the oncogene BCR/ABL, one interactor of Crkl-SH2 is the focal adhesion protein Paxillin, and this interaction is crucial in leukemic transformation. In this work, we analyze both the folding pathway of Crkl-SH2 and its binding reaction with a peptide mimicking Paxillin, under different ionic strength and pH conditions, by using means of fluorescence spectroscopy. From a folding perspective, we demonstrate the presence of an intermediate along the reaction. Moreover, we underline the importance of the electrostatic interactions in the early event of recognition, occurring between the phosphorylated tyrosine of the Paxillin peptide and the charge residues of Crkl-SH2. Finally, we highlight a pivotal role of a highly conserved histidine residue in the stabilization of the binding complex. The experimental results are discussed in light of previous works on other SH2 domains.
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