Ras proteins are small G proteins playing a major role in eukaryotic signal transduction. Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEF) stimulate GDP/GTP exchange, resulting in the formation of the active Ras-GTP complex. In mammalian cells, two major Ras-specific GEF exist: Sos-like and Cdc25-like. To date, structural data are available only for Cdc25(Mm). We designed and synthesized Cdc25(Mm)-derived peptides spanning residues corresponding to the hSos1 HI helical hairpin that has been implicated in the GEF catalytic mechanism. NMR experiments on a chemically synthesized Cdc25(1178-1222)(Mm) peptide proved that helix I readily reaches a conformation very similar to the corresponding helix in hSos 1, while residues corresponding to helix H in hSos1 show higher conformational flexibility. Molecular dynamics studies with the appropriate solvent model showed that different conformational spaces are available for the peptide. Since helix H is making several contacts with Ras and a Cdc25(1178-1222)(Mm) peptide is able to bind nucleotide-free Ras in a BIAcore assay, the peptide must be able to obtain the proper Ras-interacting conformation, at least transiently. These results indicate that rational design and improvement of the Ras-interacting peptides should take into account conformational and flexibility features to obtain molecules with the appropriate biochemical properties.
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Titolo: | Structure determination and dynamics of peptides overlapping the catalytic hairpin of the Ras-specific GEF Cdc25(Mm) | |
Autori: | ||
Data di pubblicazione: | 2003 | |
Rivista: | ||
Abstract: | Ras proteins are small G proteins playing a major role in eukaryotic signal transduction. Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEF) stimulate GDP/GTP exchange, resulting in the formation of the active Ras-GTP complex. In mammalian cells, two major Ras-specific GEF exist: Sos-like and Cdc25-like. To date, structural data are available only for Cdc25(Mm). We designed and synthesized Cdc25(Mm)-derived peptides spanning residues corresponding to the hSos1 HI helical hairpin that has been implicated in the GEF catalytic mechanism. NMR experiments on a chemically synthesized Cdc25(1178-1222)(Mm) peptide proved that helix I readily reaches a conformation very similar to the corresponding helix in hSos 1, while residues corresponding to helix H in hSos1 show higher conformational flexibility. Molecular dynamics studies with the appropriate solvent model showed that different conformational spaces are available for the peptide. Since helix H is making several contacts with Ras and a Cdc25(1178-1222)(Mm) peptide is able to bind nucleotide-free Ras in a BIAcore assay, the peptide must be able to obtain the proper Ras-interacting conformation, at least transiently. These results indicate that rational design and improvement of the Ras-interacting peptides should take into account conformational and flexibility features to obtain molecules with the appropriate biochemical properties. | |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/11571/1209975 | |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.1 Articolo in rivista |