Solution structure of the dimeric SAM domain of MAPKKK Ste11 and its interactions with the adaptor protein Ste50 from the budding yeast: implications for Ste11 activation and signal transmission through the Ste50-Ste11 complex.

Ste11, a homologue of mammalian MAPKKKs, together with its binding partner Ste50 works in a number of MAPK signaling pathways of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ste11/Ste50 binding is mediated by their sterile alpha motifs or SAM domains, of which homologues are also found in many other intracellular signaling and regulatory proteins. Here, we present the solution structure of the SAM domain or residues D37-R104 of Ste11 and its interactions with the cognate SAM domain-containing region of Ste50, residues M27-Q131. NMR pulse-field-gradient (PFG) and rotational correlation time measurements (tauc) establish that the Ste11 SAM domain exists predominantly as a symmetric dimer in solution. The solution structure of the dimeric Ste11 SAM domain consists of five well-defined helices per monomer packed into a compact globular structure. The dimeric structure of the SAM domain is maintained by a novel dimer interface involving interactions between a number of hydrophobic residues situated on helix 4 and at the beginning of the C-terminal long helix (helix 5). The dimer structure may also be stabilized by potential salt bridge interactions across the interface. NMR H/2H exchange experiments showed that binding of the Ste50 SAM to the Ste11 SAM very likely involves the positively charged extreme C-terminal region as well as exposed hydrophobic patches of the dimeric Ste11 SAM domain. The dimeric structure of the Ste11 SAM and its interactions with the Ste50 SAM may have important roles in the regulation and activation of the Ste11 kinase and signal transmission and amplifications through the Ste50-Ste11 complex.

Equilibrium unfolding of the dimeric SAM domain of MAPKKK Ste11 from the budding yeast: role of the interfacial residues in structural stability and binding.

The sterile alpha motifs or SAM domains are small ( approximately 70 amino acids) protein-protein interaction modules that are involved in diverse functions ranging from cell signaling, transcription regulation, and scaffolding. The Ste11 protein kinase in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades of the budding yeast is regulated by a SAM domain located at the N-terminus of the full-length protein. The Ste11 SAM domain forms a symmetrical dimeric structure with an interface stabilized presumably by hydrophobic and ionic interactions. Here, we investigated urea-induced unfolding, using NMR and other optical spectroscopic methods, of the dimeric Ste11 SAM domain and two of the variants, namely, L57R and L60R, each containing a point mutation at the interfacial region. Our results demonstrate that the residue-specific or global unfolding of the Ste11 SAM is highly cooperative without any evidence for folded monomeric or partially folded species. However, replacement of hydrophobic residues with basic residues in the interface caused considerable changes in the stability and folding of the Ste11 SAM domain. The native dimeric structure of the L60R mutant protein is severely affected as indicated by a high propensity toward aggregation. On the other hand, the L57R mutant, although retaining the native structure, shows a dramatic decrease in the conformational stability as revealed by urea-induced denaturation and amide proton exchange studies. Furthermore, isothermal titration calorimetry and intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence experiments demonstrate that the L57R interacts with the cognate SAM domain from Ste50 with reduced affinity, while the L60R protein is devoid of any detectable binding activity. These results demonstrate that the interfacial residues of the dimeric SAM domain of Ste11 are critically involved in its structural stability and binding to the Ste50 SAM domain.

An NMR-based identification of a peptide fragment from the beta-subunit of a G-protein showing specific interactions with the GBB domain of the Ste20 kinase in budding yeast.

In mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades of budding yeast, pheromone-induced mating signal is transmitted by interactions between the beta-subunit of a G-protein (G-beta) and the G-beta binding (GBB) domain of Ste20 kinase. Previously, mutational analyses of the beta-subunit of G-protein had identified two critical mutations which abrogate binding of the GBB domain of Ste20. In this work, we have identified, by use of NMR spectroscopy, a peptide fragment from the G-beta that shows specific interactions with the isolated GBB domain of Ste20. A model structure of the Ste20/G-beta complex reveals that the interface of the hetero-complex may be sustained by parallel orientation of two potentially interacting helical segments that are further stabilized by ionic, hydrogen bond, and helix macro-dipole interactions.

Solution structure and backbone dynamics of the functional cytoplasmic subdomain of human ephrin B2, a cell-surface ligand with bidirectional signaling properties.

The cytoplasmic domain of B ephrins plays a central role in bidirectional signal transduction processes controlling pattern formation and morphogenesis, such as axon guidance, cell migration, segmentation, and angiogensis. In particular, the extremely conserved last 33-residue cytoplasmic subdomain was shown to bind to both a PDZ domain for one signaling pathway [Lu et al. (2001) Cell 105, 69-79] and an SH2 domain from an alternative signaling network [Cowan and Henkemeyer (2001) Nature 413, 174-179]. To date, no structural information is available for the cytoplasmic domain of ephrin B proteins. We report here a detailed NMR study on the structural and dynamic properties of the cytoplasmic domain of human ephrin B2. Our results reveal the following: (1) the N-terminal region of the cytoplasmic domain from residues 253 to 300 lacks the ability for structure formation and is particularly prone to aggregation; and (2) the C-terminal functional subdomain from residues 301 to 333 assumes two distinctive structural elements with residues 301-322 adopting a well-packed hairpin structure followed by a flexible C-terminal tail. Furthermore, the backbone (15)N relaxation data demonstrate that the hairpin structure has significantly limited backbone motions, indicating a high conformational stability for the folded structure. Therefore, while the flexible C-terminal tail is suitable for binding to the PDZ domain, the folded hairpin may represent a latent structure requiring phosphorylation-induced conformational changes for high-affinity interactions with the SH2 domain.