Noncanonical protein kinase A activation by oligomerization of regulatory subunits as revealed by inherited Carney complex mutations.

Familial mutations of the protein kinase A (PKA) R1α regulatory subunit lead to a generalized predisposition for a wide range of tumors, from pituitary adenomas to pancreatic and liver cancers, commonly referred to as Carney complex (CNC). CNC mutations are known to cause overactivation of PKA, but the molecular mechanisms underlying such kinase overactivity are not fully understood in the context of the canonical cAMP-dependent activation of PKA. Here, we show that oligomerization-induced sequestration of R1α from the catalytic subunit of PKA (C) is a viable mechanism of PKA activation that can explain the CNC phenotype. Our investigations focus on comparative analyses at the level of structure, unfolding, aggregation, and kinase inhibition profiles of wild-type (wt) PKA R1α, the A211D and G287W CNC mutants, as well as the cognate acrodysostosis type 1 (ACRDYS1) mutations A211T and G287E. The latter exhibit a phenotype opposite to CNC with suboptimal PKA activation compared with wt. Overall, our results show that CNC mutations not only perturb the classical cAMP-dependent allosteric activation pathway of PKA, but also amplify significantly more than the cognate ACRDYS1 mutations nonclassical and previously unappreciated activation pathways, such as oligomerization-induced losses of the PKA R1α inhibitory function.

An NMR based phosphodiesterase assay.

We propose a phosphodiesterase assay based on 1D 1H NMR to monitor the hydrolysis of cyclic nucleotides directly, without requiring tags or the addition of exogenous reagents. The method is suitable to measure phosphodiesterase KM and kcat parameters and to identify phosphodiesterase inhibitors.

C-terminus of the P4-ATPase ATP8A2 functions in protein folding and regulation of phospholipid flippase activity.

ATP8A2 is a P4-ATPase that flips phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine across cell membranes. This generates membrane phospholipid asymmetry, a property important in many cellular processes, including vesicle trafficking. ATP8A2 deficiency causes severe neurodegenerative diseases. We investigated the role of the C-terminus of ATP8A2 in its expression, subcellular localization, interaction with its subunit CDC50A, and function as a phosphatidylserine flippase. C-terminal deletion mutants exhibited a reduced tendency to solubilize in mild detergent and exit the endoplasmic reticulum. The solubilized protein, however, assembled with CDC50A and displayed phosphatidylserine flippase activity. Deletion of the C-terminal 33 residues resulted in reduced phosphatidylserine-dependent ATPase activity, phosphatidylserine flippase activity, and neurite extension in PC12 cells. These reduced activities were reversed with 60- and 80-residue C-terminal deletions. Unlike the yeast P4-ATPase Drs2, ATP8A2 is not regulated by phosphoinositides but undergoes phosphorylation on the serine residue within a CaMKII target motif. We propose a model in which the C-terminus of ATP8A2 consists of an autoinhibitor domain upstream of the C-terminal 33 residues and an anti-autoinhibitor domain at the extreme C-terminus. The latter blocks the inhibitory activity of the autoinhibitor domain. We conclude that the C-terminus plays an important role in the efficient folding and regulation of ATP8A2.

Mapping the Free Energy Landscape of PKA Inhibition and Activation: A Double-Conformational Selection Model for the Tandem cAMP-Binding Domains of PKA RIα.

Protein Kinase A (PKA) is the major receptor for the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) secondary messenger in eukaryotes. cAMP binds to two tandem cAMP-binding domains (CBD-A and -B) within the regulatory subunit of PKA (R), unleashing the activity of the catalytic subunit (C). While CBD-A in RIα is required for PKA inhibition and activation, CBD-B functions as a "gatekeeper" domain that modulates the control exerted by CBD-A. Preliminary evidence suggests that CBD-B dynamics are critical for its gatekeeper function. To test this hypothesis, here we investigate by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) the two-domain construct RIα (91-379) in its apo, cAMP2, and C-bound forms. Our comparative NMR analyses lead to a double conformational selection model in which each apo CBD dynamically samples both active and inactive states independently of the adjacent CBD within a nearly degenerate free energy landscape. Such degeneracy is critical to explain the sensitivity of CBD-B to weak interactions with C and its high affinity for cAMP. Binding of cAMP eliminates this degeneracy, as it selectively stabilizes the active conformation within each CBD and inter-CBD contacts, which require both cAMP and W260. The latter is contributed by CBD-B and mediates capping of the cAMP bound to CBD-A. The inter-CBD interface is dispensable for intra-CBD conformational selection, but is indispensable for full activation of PKA as it occludes C-subunit recognition sites within CBD-A. In addition, the two structurally homologous cAMP-bound CBDs exhibit marked differences in their residual dynamics profiles, supporting the notion that conservation of structure does not necessarily imply conservation of dynamics.

Measurement of State-Specific Association Constants in Allosteric Sensors through Molecular Stapling and NMR.

Allostery is a ubiquitous mechanism to control biological function and arises from the coupling of inhibitory and binding equilibria. The extent of coupling reflects the inactive vs active state selectivity of the allosteric effector. Hence, dissecting allosteric determinants requires quantification of state-specific association constants. However, observed association constants are typically population-averages, reporting on overall affinities but not on allosteric coupling. Here we propose a general method to measure state-specific association constants in allosteric sensors based on three key elements, i.e., state-selective molecular stapling through disulfide bridges, competition binding saturation transfer experiments and chemical shift correlation analyses to gauge state populations. The proposed approach was applied to the prototypical cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKA-RIα), for which the structures of the inactive and active states are available, as needed to design the state-selective disulfide bridges. Surprisingly, the PKA-RIα state-specific association constants are comparable to those of a structurally homologous domain with ∼10(3)-fold lower cAMP-affinity, suggesting that the affinity difference arises primarily from changes in the position of the dynamic apo inhibitory equilibrium.

Tapping the translation potential of cAMP signalling: molecular basis for selectivity in cAMP agonism and antagonism as revealed by NMR.

Eukaryotic CBDs (cAMP-binding domains) control multiple cellular functions (e.g. phosphorylation, guanine exchange and ion channel gating). Hence the manipulation of cAMP-dependent signalling pathways has a high translational potential. However, the ubiquity of eukaryotic CBDs also poses a challenge in terms of selectivity. Before the full translational potential of cAMP signalling can be tapped, it is critical to understand the structural basis for selective cAMP agonism and antagonism. Recent NMR investigations have shown that structurally homologous CBDs respond differently to several CBD ligands and that these unexpected differences arise at the level of either binding (i.e. affinity) or allostery (i.e. modulation of the autoinhibitory equilibria). In the present article, we specifically address how the highly conserved CBD fold binds cAMP with markedly different affinities in PKA (protein kinase A) relative to other eukaryotic cAMP receptors, such as Epac (exchange protein directly activated by cAMP) and HCN (hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotide-modulated channel). A major emerging determinant of cAMP affinity is hypothesized to be the position of the autoinhibitory equilibrium of the apo-CBD, which appears to vary significantly across different CBDs. These analyses may assist the development of selective CBD effectors that serve as potential drug leads for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Allosteric linkers in cAMP signalling.

Weak interactions mediated by dynamic linkers are key determinants of allosteric regulation in multidomain signalling proteins. However, the mechanisms of linker-dependent control have remained largely elusive. In the present article, we review an allosteric model introduced recently to explain how signalling proteins effectively sense and respond to weak interactions, such as those elicited by flexible linkers flanking globular domains. Central to this model is the idea that near degeneracy within the free energy landscape of conformational selection maximally amplifies the response to weak (~2RT), but conformation-selective interactions. The model was tested as proof of principle using the prototypical regulatory subunit (R) of protein kinase A and led to the unanticipated finding that dynamic linkers control kinase activation and inhibition by tuning the inhibitory pre-equilibrium of a minimally populated intermediate (apo R). A practical implication of the proposed model is a new strategy to design kinase inhibitors with enhanced potency through frustration-relieving mutations.