WO2002061055A2 - Methods for regulating the kinase domain of ephb2 - Google Patents
Methods for regulating the kinase domain of ephb2 Download PDFInfo
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- WO2002061055A2 WO2002061055A2 PCT/CA2002/000114 CA0200114W WO02061055A2 WO 2002061055 A2 WO2002061055 A2 WO 2002061055A2 CA 0200114 W CA0200114 W CA 0200114W WO 02061055 A2 WO02061055 A2 WO 02061055A2
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Definitions
- the present invention relates to binding pockets of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs).
- the binding pockets may regulate the kinase domain of the receptor tyrosine kinases.
- the invention relates to a crystal comprising a binding pocket of a receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates the kinase domain of the receptor tyrosine kinase.
- the crystal may be useful for modeling and/or synthesizing mimetics of a binding pocket or ligands that associate with the binding pocket.
- mimetics or ligands may be capable of acting as modulators of receptor tyrosine kinase receptor activity, and they may be useful for treating, inhibiting, or preventing diseases modulated by such receptors.
- Methods are also provided for regulating the kinase domain of an RTK by changing a binding pocket of the RTK that regulates the kinase domain from an autoinhibited state to an active state or from an active state to an autoinhibited state.
- Cell surface receptors with protein-tyrosine kinase activity mediate the biological effects of many extracellular signaling proteins, and thereby regulate aspects of normal cellular behavior such as growth and differentiation, movement, metabolism and survival (van der Geer and Hunter, 1994).
- the profound consequences of phosphotyrosine signaling on cellular function are emphasized by the effects of mutations that deregulate receptor tyrosine kinase activity, which are frequently associated with malignant transfonnation or developmental abnormalities.
- RTK receptor tyrosine kinases
- the catalytic activity of tyrosine kinases is frequently stimulated by autophosphorylation within a region of the kinase domain termed the activation segment (Weinnrnaster et al, 1984), and indeed this has been viewed as the principal mechanism through which RTKs are activated (Hubbard and Till, 2000; Hubbard, 1997). Structural analysis of the isolated kinase domains of several receptors has revealed how the activation segment represses kinase activity, and the means by which phosphorylation releases this autoinhibition.
- Eph receptors may be regulated through a more complex mechanism, involving the juxtamembrane region (Binns et al., 2000; Zisch et al., 1998; Zisch et al., 2000).
- Eph receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by the C. elegans genome (VAB-1)
- Eph receptors fall into two groups, A and B, based on their ability to bind ligands (ephrins), which are themselves cell surface proteins anchored to the plasma membrane either through a GPI linkage (A-type ephrins) or a transmembrane region (B-type) (Eph Nomenclature Committee, 1997; Gale et al., 1996).
- Eph receptors and ephrins generally involves direct cell-cell interactions (Holland et al., 1996; Bruckner et al., 1997), and frequently results in the repulsion of these cells one from another (Drescher et al., 1995; Wang and Anderson, 1997; Mellitzer et al., 1999).
- Eph receptors are implicated in morphogenetic cell movements (Wang et al., 1999a; Chin- Sang et al., 1999), in defining cell boundaries in structures such as the rhombomeres of the embryonic hindbrain (Xu et al, 1999), in controlling axon guidance and the establishment of topographic maps in the central nervous system (Nakamoto et al, 1996; Brown et al., 2000), and in determining the trajectories of migrating neural crest cells (Krull et al., 1997).
- Eph receptors contains an N-terminal ephrin-binding domain (Labrador et al., 1997), that folds into a jellyroll ⁇ -sandwich (Himanen et al., 1998), followed by a cysteine-rich region and two f ⁇ bronectin type III repeats (Pasquale, 1991; Henkemeyer et al., 1994).
- a single membrane-spanning sequence is followed by a relatively lengthy juxtamembrane region, an uninterrupted kinase domain, an ⁇ -helical sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain implicated in receptor oligomerization (Stapleton et al., 1999; Thanos et al, 1999), and a C-terminal motif capable of binding PDZ domain proteins (Hock et al., 1998; Torres et al, 1998) .
- SAM ⁇ -helical sterile alpha motif
- Activation of receptors such as EphB2 or EphA4 is accompanied by autophosphorylation on multiple residues, most notably on two tyrosines within a highly conserved juxtamembrane motif (YIDPFTYEDP in EphB2) and on a tyrosine within the activation segment of the kinase domain (Holland et al, 1997; Choi and Park, 1999; Ellis et al., 1996; Kalo and Pasquale, 1999; Zisch et al., 1998; Binns et al, 2000).
- YIDPFTYEDP highly conserved juxtamembrane motif
- juxtamembrane phosphotyrosine motifs do bind SH2 domain signaling proteins, including pl20-RasGAP, Nek, phosphatidylinositol 3 '-kinase, SHEP-1 and Src family kinases among others, which can potentially direct cellular responses to ephrin stimulation (Dodelet et al., 1999; Ellis et al., 1996; Holland et al, 1997; Holland et al., 1998; Zisch et al., 1998).
- Applicants have solved the x-ray crystal structure of an Eph receptor tyrosine kinase domain and juxtamembrane region in an autoinhibited state.
- the results show that in its unphosphorylated state, the juxtamembrane region adopts a helical structure that distorts the conformation of the small lobe of the kinase domain, thereby disrupting the active site.
- Solving the crystal structure has enabled the determination of key structural features of the kinase domam and juxtamembrane region, particularly the shape of binding pockets, or parts thereof, that permit the juxtamembrane region and kinase domain to associate resulting in an autoinhibited state.
- the crystal structure has also enabled the determination of key structural features in molecules or ligands that interact or associate (e.g. nucleotides, cofactors, inhibitors, and substrates) with the binding pockets.
- the present invention relates to a binding pocket of a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK).
- RTK receptor tyrosine kinase
- the binding pocket regulates the kinase domain of the receptor tyrosine kinase or is involved in maintaining an autoinhibited state or active state of an RTK.
- the invention also relates to a crystal comprising a binding pocket of an RTK that regulates the kinase domain of the RTK.
- the binding pocket may be in an autoinhibited state, or active state.
- a binding pocket may be involved in maintaining an autoinhibited state or active state of an RTK.
- the invention provides a crystal comprising a juxtamembrane region and/or kinase domain of an RTK, or part thereof.
- the invention contemplates a crystal formed by a juxtamembrane region and a kinase domain of an RTK in an autoinhibited state or active state.
- the invention also contemplates a crystal comprising a binding pocket of a receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates the kinase domain of the receptor tyrosine kinase in association with a ligand.
- the present invention also contemplates molecules or molecular complexes that comprise all or parts of either one or more binding pockets of the invention, or homologs of these binding pockets that have similar structure and shape.
- the present invention also provides a crystal comprising a binding pocket of an RTK of the invention and at least one ligand.
- a ligand may be complexed or associated with a binding pocket.
- Ligands include a nucleotide or analogue or part thereof, a substrate or analogue thereof, a cofactor, and/or heavy metal atom.
- a ligand may be a modulator of the activity of an RTK.
- the invention contemplates a crystal comprising a binding pocket of an RTK of the invention complexed with a nucleotide or analogue thereof from which it is possible to derive structural data for the nucleotide or analogue thereof.
- the shape and structure of a binding pocket may be defined by selected atomic contacts in the pocket.
- the binding pocket is defined by one or more atomic interactions or enzyme atomic contacts as set forth in Table 2.
- Each of the atomic interactions is defined in Table 2 by an atomic contact (more preferably, a specific atom where indicated) on the juxtamembrane region and by an atomic contact (more preferably a specific atom where indicated) on the kinase domain, juxtamembrane region, or ligand.
- the invention also provides a method for preparing a crystal of the invention, preferably a crystal of a binding pocket of an Eph receptor, or a complex of such a binding pocket and a ligand.
- Crystal structures of the invention enable a model to be produced for a binding pocket of the invention, or complexes or parts thereof.
- the models will provide structural information about the autoinhibited or active state of a binding pocket of a RTK or a ligand and its interactions with a binding pocket. Models may also be produced for ligands.
- a model and/or the crystal structure of the present invention may be stored on a computer-readable medium.
- the present invention includes a model of a binding pocket of the present invention that substantially represents the structural coordinates specified in Table 3.
- the invention also includes a model that comprises modifications of the model substantially represented by the structural coordinates specified in Table 3.
- a modification may represent a binding pocket that is involved in maintaining an autoinhibited state or active state of an RTK or regulates the kinase domain of an RTK.
- a model is a representation or image that predicts the actual structure of the binding pocket.
- a model is a tool that can be used to probe the relationship between a binding pocket's structure and function at the atomic level, and to design molecules that can modulate the binding site and accordingly RTK activity.
- the invention provides a model of: (a) a binding pocket of an RTK that is involved in maintaining an autoinhibited state or active state of an RTK or regulates the kinase domain of an RTK; and (b) a modification of the model of (a).
- a method is also provided for producing a model of the invention representing a binding pocket of an RTK that is involved in maintaining an autoinhibited state or active state of an RTK or regulates the kinase domain of an RTK, comprising representing amino acids of the binding pocket at substantially the structural coordinates specified in Table 3.
- a crystal and/or model of the invention may be used in a method of determining the secondary and/or tertiary structures of a polypeptide or binding pocket with incompletely characterised structure.
- a method is provided for determining at least a portion of the secondary and/or tertiary structure of molecules or molecular complexes which contain at least some structurally similar features to a binding pocket of the invention. This is achieved by using at least some of the structural coordinates set out in Table 3.
- a crystal of the invention may be useful for designing, modeling, identifying, evaluating, and or synthesizing mimetics of a binding pocket or ligands that associate with a binding pocket.
- mimetics or ligands may be capable of acting as modulators of receptor tyrosine kinase activity, and they may be useful for treating, inhibiting, or preventing diseases modulated by such receptors.
- the present invention contemplates a method of identifying a modulator of an RTK comprising the step of applying the structural coordinates of a binding pocket, or atomic interactions, or atomic contacts of a binding pocket, to computationally evaluate a test ligand for its ability to associate with the binding pocket, or part thereof.
- Use of the structural coordinates of a binding pocket, or atomic interactions, or atomic contacts of a binding pocket to design or identify a modulator is also provided.
- the invention contemplates a method of identifying a modulator of an RTK comprising determining if a test agent inhibits or potentiates an autoinhibited state or active state of a kinase domain of the RTK.
- the invention further contemplates classes of modulators of RTKs based on the shape and structure of a ligand defined in relation to the molecule's spatial association with a binding pocket of the invention.
- a method is provided for designing potential inhibitors of RTKs comprising the step of applying the structural coordinates of a ligand defined in relation to its spatial association with a binding pocket, or a part thereof, to generate a compound that is capable of associating with the binding pocket.
- a modulator of an RTK may be identified by generating an actual secondary or three-dimensional model of a binding pocket, synthesizing a compound, and examining the components to find whether the required interaction occurs.
- a potential modulator of an RTK identified by a method of the present invention may be confirmed as a modulator by synthesizing the compound, and testing its effect on the RTK in an assay for that receptor's enzymatic activity. Such assays are known in the art (e.g. phosphorylation assays).
- a modulator of the invention may be converted using customary methods into pharmaceutical compositions.
- a modulator may be formulated into a pharmaceutical composition containing a modulator either alone or together with other active substances.
- the methods of the invention for identifying modulators may comprise one or more of the following additional steps:
- Steps (a), (b) (c) and (d) may be carried out in any order, at different points in time, and they need not be sequential.
- Still another aspect of the present invention provides a method of conducting a drug discovery business comprising: (a) providing one or more systems employing the atomic interactions, atomic contacts, or structural coordinates of a binding pocket of an RTK, for identifying agents by their ability to inhibit or potentiate the atomic interactions or atomic contacts of a binding pocket; and (b) conducting therapeutic profiling of agents identified in step (a), or further analogs thereof, for efficacy and toxicity in animals; and (c) formulating a pharmaceutical preparation including one or more agents identified in step (b) as having an acceptable therapeutic profile.
- a further aspect of the present invention provides a method of conducting a drug discovery business comprising:
- step (b) conducting therapeutic profiling of agents identified in step (a), or further analogs thereof, for efficacy and toxicity in animals;
- step (c) formulating a pharmaceutical preparation including one or more agents identified in step (b) as having an acceptable therapeutic profile.
- the subject methods can also include a step of establishing a distribution system for distributing the pharmaceutical preparation for sale, and may optionally include establishing a sales group for marketing the pharmaceutical preparation.
- Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method of conducting a target discovery business comprising: (a) providing one or more systems employing the atomic interactions, atomic contacts, or structural coordinates of a binding pocket of an RTK, for identifying agents by their ability to inhibit or potentiate the atomic interactions or atomic contacts, or providing one or more systems for identifying agents by their ability to inhibit or potentiate an autoinhibited state or active state of a kinase domain of an RTK; (b) (optionally) conducting therapeutic profiling of agents identified in step (a) for efficacy and toxicity in animals; and (c) licensing, to a third party, the rights for further drug development and/or sales for agents identified in step (a), or analogs thereof.
- Methods are also provided for regulating the kinase domain of an RTK by changing a binding domain or pocket of a RTK that regulates the kinase domain from an autoinhibited state to an active state or from an active state to an autoinhibited state.
- a binding domain or pocket of a RTK may be changed from an autoinhibited state by altering amino acid residues forming the binding pocket (e.g. introducing mutations) or using a modulator.
- the invention provides a method for inliibiting kinase activity of an RTK comprising maintaining the RTK or a binding pocket thereof involved in regulating the kinase domain in an autoinhibited state, or potentiating an autoinhibited state for the RTK or binding pocket thereof involved in regulating the kinase domain.
- An autoinhibited state may be maintained or potentiated by inhibiting phosphorylation of phosphoregulatory sites of the juxtamembrane segment and/or kinase domain (e.g. activation segment). Inhibition may be accomplished using modulators, or altering the structure of a binding pocket of the RTK comprising the phosphoregulatory sites, to prevent phosphorylation of the sites.
- the invention contemplates a method for altering the stability of an autoinhibited state of an RTK comprising phosphorylating phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region of the RTK.
- the invention relates to a method for changing an RTK from an autoinhibited state to an active state comprising phosphorylating phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region of the RTK.
- the invention provides a method for activating kinase activity of an RTK comprising phosphorylating phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region and kinase domain (e.g. activation segment) of the RTK involved in maintaining the RTK in an autoinhibited state.
- the invention also contemplates a method of treating or preventing a condition or disease associated with an RTK in a cellular organism, comprising:
- the invention provides a method for treating or preventing a condition or disease involving increased RTK activity comprising maintaining the RTK or a binding pocket thereof involved in regulating the kinase domain of the RTK in an autoinhibited state.
- An autoinhibited state may be maintained as described herein.
- the condition or disease is cancer.
- the invention provides for the use of a modulator identified by the methods of the invention in the preparation of a medicament to treat or prevent a disease in a cellular organism. Use of modulators of the invention to manufacture a medicament is also provided.
- Figure 1 Structure-based sequence alignment of the juxtamembrane segments and kinase domains of murine and human EphB2, murine EphA4 and cAPK, and human IRK, FGFR1, Hck, Kit, PDGFR ⁇ , and Flt3.
- the secondary structure elements of murine EphB2 are indicated, with the juxtamembrane segment, the N-terminal kinase, the g-loop, and the C-terminal lobe coloured red, green, orange, and blue, respectively.
- Residues Phe 620 and Tyr 750 and those marked with a star are involved in the juxtamembrane/kinase domain interface.
- the two juxtamembrane tyrosines (604 and 610) that were mutated to phenylalanine are highlighted in light blue. Additional tyrosines identified by Kalo and Pasquale (1999) as in vivo phosphorylation sites are highlighted in purple. The solid triangle indicates the site of a 16 amino acid insertion in chicken EphB2 resulting from alternate RNA processing (Connor and Pasquale, 1995). For Kit and PDGFR ⁇ , tyrosines highlighted in yellow denote autophosphorylation sites, while sites of activating point mutations and deletions are shaded gray (Tsujimura et al., 1996; Irusta and DiMaio, 1998; Kitayama et al., 1995; Hirota et al, 1998).
- FIG. 1 The locations and regions of duplicated sequence for activating Flt3 mutations are indicated by solid black triangles and underlining (Hayakawa et al, 2000).
- Figure 2. Overview of the autoinhibited EphB2 structure, (a) Ribbon diagram of the EphB2 crystal structure in complex with AMP-PNP. The juxtamembrane region, N-terminal kinase lobe, C- terminal kinase lobe, and g-loop are coloured red, green, blue and orange, respectively. Phosphoregulatory residues Tyr/Phe 604 and Tyr/Phe 610 are coloured light blue, Tyr667 is coloured purple, and the adenine moiety of AMP-PNP is coloured red.
- FIG. 3 Comparison of autoinhibited EphB2 RTK with the active insulin receptor kinase.
- the backbone of the juxtamembrane region of EphB2 is shown in red, with the side chains of Tyr Phe 604 and Tyr/Phe 610 coloured light blue.
- the EphB2 kinase domain, g-loop and bound adenine moiety are colored blue, orange and red, respectively.
- the backbone of active IRK is coloured dark green with its activation segment, g loop, and bound nucleotide shown in purple, pink, and light green respectively.
- the molecular surface of EphB2 is oriented as in Figure 2a and was generated using GRASP (Nicholls et al., 1991)
- FIG. 5 Comparison of the kinase activities of EphA4 and EphB2 wild-type and mutant proteins, (a) GST-EphA4 proteins were expressed in E.coli, and cell lysates were subjected to immunoblot analysis with anti-pTyr antibody (top panel) and anti-GST antibody (lower panel), (b) Equal quantities of GST-Epl ⁇ A4 proteins bound to glutathione sepharose were assessed for their ability to autophosphorylate and phosphorylate enolase by an in vitro kinase assay (top panel).
- the immunoprecipitates were resolved by SDS-PAGE, immunoblotted with anti-pTyr (top panel) or anti- EphB2 (middle panel) antibodies, and assessed for their ability to autophosphorylate and phosphorylate enolase by an in vitro kinase assay (bottom panel).
- FIG. 6 Schematic diagram highlighting differences between the autoinhibited (left) and active (right) states of the Eph receptor family of tyrosine kinases.
- the active configuration is based on the crystal structure of active IRK (Protein Data Bank ID code lir3). Dashed lines indicate regions of activation segment disorder.
- the numbering scheme corresponds to murine EphB2.
- Table 1 shows the data collection, structure determination and refinement statistics
- Table 2 shows intermolecular contacts in a binding pocket of the invention.
- Table 3 shows the structural coordinates of the juxtamembrane region and kinase domain of an EphB2 receptor.
- the second column identifies the atom number; the third identifies the atom type; the fourth identifies the amino acid type; the sixth identifies the residue number; the seventh identifies the x coordinates; the eighth identifies the y coordinates; the ninth identifies the z coordinates; the tenth identifies the occupancy; and the eleventh identifies the temperature factor.
- RTKs Receptor Tyrosine Kinases
- the invention generally relates to RTKs.
- RTKs mediate pathways involving multiple extracellular and intracellular signals, integration and amplification of these signals by second messengers, and the activation of cellular processes including cell proliferation, cell division, cell growth, the cell cycle, cell differentiation, cell migration, axonogenesis, nerve cell interactions, and regeneration.
- Signaling pathways mediated by receptor tyrosine kinases may be initiated by growth factors binding to specific RTKs on cell surfaces. The binding of a growth factor to its receptor activates RTK signaling pathways.
- the RTKs have an extracellular N-terminal domain that binds the growth factor and a cytoplasmic C-terminal domain containing a protein tyrosine kinase that is capable of autophosphorylation, and the phosphorylation of other protein substrates. Autophosphorylation takes place within a region of the kinase domain of the RTK termed the "activation segment" (Weinnmaster et al., 1984).
- the binding of a growth factor to its receptor activates the tyrosine kinase which phosphorylates a variety of signaling molecules thereby initiating signaling pathways that can lead to DNA replication, RNA and protein synthesis, and cell division.
- Receptor tyrosine kinases within the scope of the present invention include but are not limited to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), PDGF receptor, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (IRK), Met receptor tyrosine kinase, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor, insulin receptor, insulin growth factor (IGF-1) receptor, TrkA receptor, IL-3 receptor, B cell receptor, TIE-1, Tek/Tie2, Flt-1, Flk, VEGFR3, EFGR/Erbb, Erb2/neu, Erb3, Ret, Kit, Alk, Axl, FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, Hck, cAPK, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) receptor, and Eph receptors.
- EGFR epidermal growth factor receptor
- PDGF receptor insulin receptor tyrosine kinase
- IGF insulin growth factor
- IGF-1 insulin growth factor
- TrkA receptor insulin growth factor
- Eph receptor refers to a subfamily of closely related transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases related to Eph, a receptor named for its expression in an erythropoietin-producing human hepatocellular carcinomas cell line.
- Eph receptor refers to a subfamily of closely related transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases related to Eph, a receptor named for its expression in an erythropoietin-producing human hepatocellular carcinomas cell line.
- the receptors contain cell adhesion-like domains on their extracellular surface.
- the N-terminal extracellular region of all Eph family members contains a domain necessary for ligand binding and specificity, followed by a cysteine-rich domain and two fibronectin type II repeats.
- the cytoplasmic region has a centrally located tyrosine kinase domain.
- SAM sterile alpha motif
- N-terminal to the kinase domain is the juxtamembrane domain.
- Two invariant tyrosine residues (tyrosines 596 and 602 of EphA4; tyrosines 604 and 610 of EphB2) in the juxtamembrane domain are embedded in a characteristic and highly conserved -10 amino acid sequence motif.
- SH2 domain-containing cytoplasmic proteins such as Ras GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP), the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase, Src family kinases, the adapter protein Nek, and SHEP-1 which binds the R-Ras and RaplA GTPases.
- Ras GTPase-activating protein Ras GTPase-activating protein
- Src family kinases the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase
- Src family kinases the adapter protein Nek
- SHEP-1 SHEP-1 which binds the R-Ras and RaplA GTPases.
- Signaling mediated by such SH2 domain-containing proteins may contribute to the physiological effects of Eph receptor stimulation on cell adhesion and cytoskeletal structures.
- Eph receptors are activated by ephrins. Ephrins are attached to the plasma membrane either via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage (A class) or a transmembrane sequence (B class). Eph receptors are also divided into A and B classes corresponding to their ligand binding specificities and phylogenetic relationships. Class A receptors generally bind A class ephrins, whereas B class ephrins stimulate B class receptors. However, EphA4 is an exception in that it binds and responds to B as well as A class ephrins.
- EphA The group that includes receptors interacting preferentially with ephrin A proteins is called EphA and includes EphAl (also known as Eph and Esk), EphA2 (also known as Eck, Myk2, Sek2), EphA3 (also known as Cek4, Mek4, Hek, Tyro4, Hek4), EphA4 (also known as Sek, Sekl, Cek8, Hek8, Tyrol), EphA5 (also known as Ehkl, Bsk, Cek7, Hek7, and Rek7), EphA6 (Ehk2, and Hekl2) EphA7 (also known as Mdkl, Hekl l, Ehk3, Ebk, Cekl l), and EphA8 (also known as Eek, Hek3).
- EphAl also known as Eph and Esk
- EphA2 also known as Eck, Myk2, Sek2
- EphA3 also known as Cek4, Mek4, Hek, Tyro
- Eph B The group that includes receptors interacting preferentially with ephrin B proteins is called Eph B and includes EphBl (also known as Elk, Cek6, Net, Hek6), EphB2 (also known as Cek5, Nuk, Erk, Qek5, Tyro5, Sek3, hek5, Drt), EphB3 (also known as CeklO, Hek2, Mdk5, Tyro6, and Sek4), EphB4 (also known as Htk, Mykl, Tyrol 1, Mdk2), EphB5 (also known as Cek9, Hek9), and EphB6 (also known as Mep).
- EphBl also known as Elk, Cek6, Net, Hek6
- EphB2 also known as Cek5, Nuk, Erk, Qek5, Tyro5, Sek3, hek5, Drt
- EphB3 also known as CeklO, Hek2, Mdk5, Tyro6, and Sek4
- EphB4 also known
- Ephrin refers to a class of ligands which are anchored to the cell membrane through a transmembrane domain, and bind to the extracellular domain of an Eph receptor, facilitating dimerization and autophosphorylation of the receptor and autophosphorylation of the ligand.
- the ephrin-A ligands are ephrin-A (also known as B61, LERK1, EFL-1), ephrin-A2 (also known as LERK6, Elfl, mCek7-L, cElfl), ephrin-A3 (also known as LERK3, Ehkl-L, and EFL-2), ephrin-A4 (also known as LERK4, EFL-4, mLERK4), ephrin-A5 (AL1, LERK7, EFL-5, mALl, [rLERK7], RAGS).
- ephrin-A also known as B61, LERK1, EFL-1
- ephrin-A2 also known as LERK6, Elfl, mCek7-L, cElfl
- ephrin-A3 also known as LERK3, Ehkl-L, and EFL-2
- the ephrin-B ligands are ephrin-Bl (also known as LEKR2, ELK-L, EFL-3, Cek5-L, Steal, [LERK2]), ephrin-B2 (also known as LERK5, HTK-L, NLERK1, Elf2, Htk-L), and ephrin-B3 (also known as LERK8, ELK-L3, NLERK2, EFL-6, Elf3, [rELK-L3]).
- ephrin-Bl also known as LEKR2, ELK-L, EFL-3, Cek5-L, Steal, [LERK2]
- ephrin-B2 also known as LERK5, HTK-L, NLERK1, Elf2, Htk-L
- ephrin-B3 also known as LERK8, ELK-L3, NLERK2, EFL-6, Elf3, [rELK-L3]
- RTKs may be derivable from a variety of sources, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants and animals.
- an RTK is derivable from a mammal, for example, a human.
- An RTK in the present invention may be a wild type enzyme, or part thereof, or a mutant, variant or homolog of such an enzyme.
- wild type refers to a polypeptide having a primary amino acid sequence which is identical with the native enzyme (for example, the human enzyme).
- mutant refers to a polypeptide having a primary amino acid sequence which differs from the wild type sequence by one or more amino acid additions, substitutions or deletions.
- the mutant has at least 90% sequence identity with the wild type sequence.
- the mutant has 20 mutations or less over the whole wild-type sequence. More preferably the mutant has 10 mutations or less, most preferably 5 mutations or less over the whole wild-type sequence.
- variant refers to a naturally occurring polypeptide which differs from a wild-type sequence. A variant may be found within the same species (i.e.
- the variant has at least 90% sequence identity with the wild type sequence.
- the variant has 20 mutations or less over the whole wild- type sequence. More preferably, the variant has 10 mutations or less, most preferably 5 mutations or less over the whole wild-type sequence.
- the term "part” indicates that the polypeptide comprises a fraction of the wild-type amino acid sequence. It may comprise one or more large contiguous sections of sequence or a plurality of small sections. The “part” may comprise a binding pocket as described herein.
- the polypeptide may also comprise other elements of sequence, for example, it may be a fusion protein with another protein (such as one which aids isolation or crystallisation of the polypeptide).
- the polypeptide comprises at least 50%, more preferably at least 65%, most preferably at least 80% of the wild-type sequence.
- homolog means a polypeptide having a degree of homology with the wild-type amino acid sequence.
- homoology refers to a degree of complementarity. There may be partial homology or complete homology.
- a RTK is substantially homologous to a wild type enzyme.
- a sequence that is "substantially homologous” refers to a partially complementary sequence that at least partially inhibits an identical sequence from hybridizing to a target nucleic acid. Inhibition of hybridization of a completely complementary sequence to the target sequence may be examined using a hybridization assay (e.g. Southern or northern blot, solution hybridization, etc.) under conditions of reduced stringency.
- a hybridization assay e.g. Southern or northern blot, solution hybridization, etc.
- a sequence that is substantially homologous or a hybridization probe will compete for and inhibit the binding of a completely homologous sequence to the target sequence under conditions of reduced stringency.
- conditions of reduced stringency can be such that nonspecific binding is permitted, as reduced stringency conditions require that the binding of two sequences to one another be a specific (i.e., a selective) interaction.
- the absence of non-specific binding may be tested using a second target sequence which lacks even a partial degree of complementarity (e.g., less than about 30% homology or identity).
- the substantially homologous sequence or probe will not hybridize to the second non-complementary target sequence in the absence of non-specific binding.
- a sequence of an RTK may have at least 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 99% identity.
- the phrase "percent identity” or “% identity” refers to the percentage of sequence similarity found in a comparison of two or more amino acid sequences. Percent identity can be determined electronically using conventional programs, e.g., by using the MEGALIGN program (LASERGENE software package, DNASTAR). The MEGALIGN program can create alignments between two or more amino acid sequences according to different methods, e.g., the Clustal Method. (Higgins, D. G. and P. M. Sha ⁇ (1988) Gene 73:237-244.) Gaps of low or of no homology between the two amino acid sequences are not included in determining percentage similarity.
- a homologous sequence is taken to include an amino acid sequence which may have at least 75, 85 or 90% identity, preferably at least 95 or 98% identity to the wild-type sequence.
- the homologs will comprise the same sites (for example, binding pocket) as the subject amino acid sequence.
- a sequence may have deletions, insertions or substitutions of amino acid residues which produce a silent change and result in a functionally equivalent enzyme.
- Deliberate amino acid substitutions may be made on the basis of similarity in polarity, charge, solubility, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and/or the amphipathic nature of the residues as long as the secondary binding activity of the substance is retained.
- negatively charged amino acids include aspartic acid and glutamic acid; positively charged amino acids include lysine and arginine; and amino acids with uncharged polar head groups having similar hydrophilicity values include leucine, isoleucine, valine, glycine, alanine, asparagine, glutamine, serine, threonine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine.
- the polypeptide may also have a homologous substitution (substitution and replacement are both used herein to mean the interchange of an existing amino acid residue, with an alternative residue) i.e. like- for-like substitution such as basic for basic, acidic for acidic, polar for polar etc.
- Non-homologous substitution may also occur i.e.
- Z ornithine
- B diaminobutyric acid ornithine
- O norleucine ornithine
- pyriylalanine thienylalanine
- naphthylalanine phenylglycine
- Binding pocket refers to a region or site of a RTK or molecular complex thereof that as a result of its shape, associates with another region of the RTK or with a ligand or a part thereof.
- a binding pocket may regulate the kinase domain of the RTK.
- a binding pocket may be involved in maintaining an autoinhibited state or active state of an RTK.
- a binding pocket may comprise part of a juxtamembrane region of an RTK that associates with a kinase domain of the RTK (e.g. strand segment Exl), a site formed by interacting amino acid residues in the juxtamembrane region (e.g. switch region 2), a site formed by interacting amino acid residues in the juxtamembrane region and kinase domain (switch region 1), or a region responsible for binding a ligand.
- a juxtamembrane region that associates with a kin
- the invention contemplates a binding pocket of an RTK in an autoinhibited state or an active state.
- a "ligand” refers to a compound or entity that associates with a binding pocket including nucleotides or analogues or parts thereof, substrates or analogues or parts thereof, or modulators of RTKs, including inhibitors.
- a ligand may be designed rationally by using a model according to the present invention.
- a binding pocket comprises one or more of the residues involved in coordination of a nucleotide or analog thereof, in particular the amino acid residues involved in coordinating the sugar and phosphate groups of the nucleotide.
- the binding pocket comprises phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region or kinase domain.
- Phosphoregulatory sites are sites that are autophosphorylated following ligand binding of an RTK and that potentiate binding of cytoplasmic signalling targets such as SH2 or SH3 domain signalling proteins.
- the binding pocket comprises invariant tyrosine residues (e.g. tyrosines 596 and 602 of EphA4; tyrosines 604 and 610 of EphB2) within a conserved amino acid sequence (e.g. YIDPFTYEPD in EphB2) in the juxtamembrane region
- a binding pocket may comprise one or more of the amino acid residues for an Eph receptor crystal identified as numbers 1 through 49 shown in Table 2.
- the binding pocket comprises the atomic contacts of atomic interactions 1 to 24 (juxtamembrane-kinase interactions) or interactions 25 to 49 (juxtamembrane-juxtamembrane interactions) identified in Table 2.
- the binding pocket comprises atomic interactions or atomic contacts 27, 28, 29, and 38; 39 and 40; or 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 32, 39, 40, and 42 in Table 2.
- the binding pocket comprises all of the amino acid residues identified in Table 2.
- a binding pocket may be involved in coordination of a ligand or substrate.
- a binding pocket may be involved in coordination of a nucleotide, or part or analog thereof. Therefore, a binding pocket may comprise two or more of the amino acid residues Phe 709, Met 710 Glu 708, Thr 707, Leu 761, Gly 713, (Lys 661), Ala 659, He 691, and (Ser 771) of an RTK structure as described herein, that are capable of associating with or coordinating a nucleotide as described herein.
- the term "binding pocket” (BP) also includes a homolog of the binding pocket or a portion thereof.
- the term "homolog" in reference to a binding pocket refers to a binding pocket or a portion thereof which may have deletions, insertions or substitutions of amino acid residues as long as the binding specificity is retained.
- deliberate amino acid substitutions may be made on the basis of similarity in polarity, charge, solubility, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and/or the amphipathic nature of the residues as long as the binding specificity of the binding pocket is retained.
- portion thereof means the structural coordinates corresponding to a sufficient number of amino acid residues of a binding pocket (or homologs thereof) that are capable of providing an autoinhibited or active state or for associating with a ligand.
- the structural coordinates provided in a crystal structure may contain a subset of the amino acid residues in a binding pocket which may be useful in the modelling and design of compounds that bind to the binding pocket.
- An RTK or a binding pocket thereof may be in an autoinhibited state or active state.
- An "autoinhibited state” refers to the state of a RTK or a binding pocket that results in disruption of the activation segment of the kinase domain and effective coordination of bound nucleotide. The autoinhibited state results in perturbed catalytic function of an RTK. An autoinhibited state typically occurs in the absence of phosphorylation of the RTK.
- an “active state” refers to the state of a RTK or a binding pocket that does not result in disruption of the activation segment of the kinase domain and effective coordination of bound nucleotide.
- the RTK is catalytically active and the juxtamembrane segment is free to bind to signalling proteins such as SH2 domain containing proteins, including pl20-RasGAP, Nek, phosphatidylinositol 3'- kinase, SHEP-1, Src family kinases, and the adapter protein Nek.
- An active state typically occurs in the presence of phosphorylation of the RTK.
- crystal or “crystalline” means a structure (such as a three dimensional (3D) solid aggregate) in which the plane faces intersect at definite angles and in which there is a regular structure (such as internal structure) of the constituent chemical species.
- crystal can include any one of: a solid physical crystal form such as an experimentally prepared crystal, a crystal structure derivable from the crystal (including secondary and/or tertiary and/or quaternary structural elements), a 2D and/or 3D model based on the crystal structure, a representation thereof such as a schematic representation thereof or a diagrammatic representation thereof, or a data set thereof for a computer.
- the crystal is usable in X-ray crystallography techniques.
- the crystals used can withstand exposure to X-ray beams used to produce a diffraction pattern data necessary to solve the X-ray crystallographic structure.
- a crystal may be characterized as being capable of diffracting x-rays in a pattern defined by one of the crystal forms depicted in Blundel et al 1976, Protein Crystallography, Academic
- a crystal of the invention is generally produced in a laboratory; that is, it is an isolated crystal produced by an individual.
- the invention contemplates a crystal comprising a binding pocket of the invention, in particular a binding pocket that regulates the kinase domain of the receptor tyrosine kinase.
- the binding pocket may be of an autoinhibited state RTK or an active RTK.
- a crystal that comprises the juxtamembrane region and kinase domain of an RTK.
- the RTK is an Eph Receptor, preferably an EphB receptor.
- the crystal comprises the juxtamembrane region and the catalytic domain (amino acid residues 595 to 906) of EphB2.
- the juxtamembrane region and the catalytic domain may be in an autoinhibited state.
- a crystal of the invention may be characterized by one or more of the following characteristics:
- an N-terminal lobe for binding and coordinating ATP for transfer of an ⁇ -phosphate to a substrate comprising a twisted 5-strand ⁇ -sheet (denoted ⁇ 1 to ⁇ 5) and a single helix ⁇ C; and optionally further characterized by (i) a flexible loop that interacts with the adenine base, ribose sugar and the non-hydrolyzable phosphate groups of ATP which loop is formed by ⁇ -strands 1 and 2 and a connecting glycine rich segment (g-loop) and (ii) an invariant salt bridge between a lysine side chain in ⁇ strand 3 and a glutamic acid side chain in helix ⁇ C that coordinates the position of the ⁇ -phosphate of ATP; and
- N- and C- terminal lobes where they contribute side chains that participate in catalysis and the binding of magnesium for the coordination of ATP phosphate groups, (ii) an activation segment flanked by the sequence Asp-Phe-Gly of sub-domain VII and Pro-Ile-
- a crystal of the invention comprising a juxtamembrane region of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, more particularly an EphB receptor, most particularly an EphB2 receptor, may be characterized as comprising a single-turn helix ⁇ A (i.e. a 3/10 helix), and a four-turn helix ⁇ B 1 from the amino terminus of an extended strand segment Exl.
- the crystal may also comprise this juxtamemembrane region in association with interacting amino acid residues on the N- and C-terminal lobes of the RTK. (See Figures 2-4, and Table 2.)
- a crystal of the invention may comprise a juxtamembrane steand segment Exl comprising amino acid residues Lys 602 to He 605 which strand extends along the cleft region between the N-and C-terminal lobes of an RTK.
- the strand is stabilized by hydrogen bonding interactions involving the amide group of
- a crystal comprising a hydrophobic interface site (referred to herein as switch region 1) comprising side chains of Met 748 and Tyr 750 of the C-terminal kinase lobe; Phe 685 and He 681 from helix ⁇ C, and Pro 607 from the juxtamembrane helix ⁇ A 1 , and the phosphoregulatory site or residue Phe 604 which orients into the site.
- a crystal of the invention may comprise helix ⁇ A 1 which is more particularly characterized by one or more of the following characteristics:
- a crystal of the invention may comprise helix ⁇ B 1 which is more particularly characterized by one or more of the following characteristics: (a) it is initiated by an Asp Pro sequence (residues 612 and 613); and
- Asp 612 makes capping interactions with the backbone amino and side chain of Asn 614.
- a crystal of the invention may comprise helices ⁇ A' and ⁇ B' of a juxtamembrane region of an RTK and the portion of the N-terminal lobe of the kinase domain centering on helix ⁇ C of the RTK which forms an interface with helices ⁇ A' and ⁇ B' and is further characterized as follows:
- hydrophobic side chains projecting from ⁇ A' and ⁇ B' include Pro 607, Phe 608, Pro 613, Val 617, Phe620 and Ala 621 which residues associate intimately with the side chains of Arg 673, Leu 676, and He 681 from helix ⁇ C and the side chains of Leu 693 and Val 696 from ⁇ - strand 4;
- a hydrogen bond interaction (2.9A) between Asn 614 and Arg 672;
- a crystal of the invention may comprise a hydrophobic interface site (also referred to herein as "switch region 2") formed by association of helix ⁇ C, strand Exl and helices ⁇ A' and ⁇ B' of the juxtamembrane region of an RTK.
- the interface is characterized as follows:
- a crystal of the invention may comprise the following amino acids residues: (a) Arg 672, Phe Arg 672, Phe 675, and Leu 676 from helix ⁇ C, Tyr 667 from the ⁇ 3 / ⁇ C linker and Leu 663, Val 696, Thr 698, Val 703, and He 705; or (b) Met 748, Tyr 750, Phe 685, lie 681, Pro 607, and Phe 604; or
- atoms of the amino acid residues in (a) to (g) have the structural coordinates as set out in Table 3.
- a crystal of a Eph receptor of the invention belongs to space group P2 ! or Pl.
- unit cell refers to the smallest and simplest volume element (i.e.
- a crystal of the invention has the structural coordinates as shown in Table 3.
- structural coordinates refers to a set of values that define the position of one or more amino acid residues with reference to a system of axes.
- the term refers to a data set that defines the three dimensional structure of a molecule or molecules (e.g. Cartesian coordinates, temperature factors, and occupancies).
- Structural coordinates can be slightly modified and still render nearly identical three dimensional structures.
- a measure of a unique set of structural coordinates is the root-mean-square deviation of the resulting structure.
- Structural coordinates that render three dimensional structures (in particular a three dimensional structure of a ligand binding pocket) that deviate from one another by a root- mean-square deviation of less than 5 A, 4 A, 3 A, 2 A, 1.5 A.
- 1.0 A, or 0.5 A may be viewed by a person of ordinary skill in the art as very similar.
- Variations in structural coordinates may be generated because of mathematical manipulations of the structural coordinates of a glycosylteansferase described herein.
- the structural coordinates of Table 3 may be manipulated by crystallographic permutations of the structural coordinates, fractionalization of the structural coordinates, integer additions or substeactions to sets of the structural coordinates, inversion of the structural coordinates or any combination of the above.
- Variations in the crystal steucture due to mutations, additions, substitutions, and/or deletions of the amino acids, or other changes in any of the components that make up the crystal may also account for modifications in structural coordinates. If such modifications are within an acceptable standard error as compared to the original structural coordinates, the resulting structure may be the same. Therefore, a ligand that bound to a binding pocket of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, would also be expected to bind to another binding pocket whose structural coordinates defined a shape that fell within the acceptable error. Such modified structures of a binding pocket thereof are also within the scope of the invention.
- Various computational analyses may be used to determine whether a molecule or the binding pocket thereof is sufficiently similar to all or parts of an RTK or a binding pocket thereof. Such analyses may be carried out using conventional software applications and methods as described herein.
- a crystal of the invention may also be specifically characterised by the parameters, diffraction statistics and/or refinement statistics set out in Tables 1.
- residues in a binding pocket may be defined by their spatial proximity to a ligand in the crystal structure.
- a binding pocket may be defined by its proximity to a nucleotide, substrate molecule, or modulator.
- a crystal of the invention may comprise a binding pocket that is involved in coordination of a nucleotide, or part or analog thereof. Therefore, a crystal may comprise a binding pocket comprising two or more of the amino acid residues Phe 709, Met 710 Glu 708, Thr 707, Leu 761, Gly 713, (Lys 661), Ala 659, He 691, and (Ser 771) of an RTK structure as described herein, that are capable of associating with or coordinating a nucleotide as described herein.
- a crystal or secondary or three-dimensional structure of a binding pocket of an RTK, in particular an E ⁇ hB2 receptor may be specifically defined by one or more of the atomic contacts of the atomic interactions identified in Table 2.
- the atomic interactions in Table 2 are defined therein by an atomic contact (more preferably, a specific atom of an amino acid residue where indicated) on the juxtamembrane region, and an atomic contact (more preferably, a specific atom of an amino acid residue where indicated) on the kinase domain, juxtamembrane region, or ligand.
- a crystal of the invention comprises the atomic contacts of atomic interactions 1 to 24 (juxtamembrane-kinase interactions) or atomic interactions 25 to 49 (juxtamembrane-juxtamembrane interactions) identified in Table 2.
- a crystal is provided comprising the atomic contacts of atomic interactions 27, 28, 29, and 38; 39 and 40; or 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 32, 39, 40, and 42.
- a crystal is defined by the atoms of the atomic contacts in the binding pocket having the structural coordinates for the atoms listed in Table 3.
- a crystal of the invention includes a binding pocket in association with one or more moieties, including heavy-metal atoms i.e. a derivative crystal, or one or more ligands or molecules i.e. a co-crystal.
- association refers to a condition of proximity between a moiety (i.e. chemical entity or compound or portions or fragments thereof), and a binding pocket.
- the association may be non-covalent i.e. where the juxtaposition is energetically favored by for example, hydrogen-bonding, van der Waals, or electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions, or it may be covalent.
- heavy-metal atoms refers to an atom that can be used to solve an x-ray crystallography phase problem, including but not limited to a transition element, a lanthanide metal, or an actinide metal.
- Lanthanide metals include elements with atomic numbers between 57 and 71, inclusive.
- Actinide metals include elements with atomic numbers between 89 and 103, inclusive.
- Multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) phasing may be used to solve protein structures using selenomethionyl (SeMet) proteins. Therefore, a complex of the invention may comprise a crystalline binding pocket with selenium on the methionine residues of the protein.
- a crystal may comprise a complex between a binding pocket and one or more ligands or molecules.
- the binding pocket may be associated with one or more ligands or molecules in the crystal.
- the ligand may be any compound that is capable of stably and specifically associating with the binding pocket.
- a ligand may, for example, be a modulator of an Eph receptor, or a nucleotide or substrate or analogue thereof.
- a binding pocket is in association with a cofactor in the crystal.
- a "cofactor” refers to a molecule required for RTK enzyme activity and/or stability.
- the cofactor may be a metal ion, including magnesium and other similar atoms or metals.
- a crystal of the invention comprises a complex between a binding pocket, and a nucleotide or analogue thereof and/or a substrate or analogue thereof.
- a "nucleotide” includes ATP, ADP, AMP, or analogues thereof, for example, ⁇ , ⁇ -imidoadenosine-5'-teiphosphate (AMP-PNP, STI-571, and quercetin.
- a substrate may be for example, a signalling protein, or another portion of the same RTK (e.g juxtamembrane-kinase domain complex).
- nucleotide or substrate An analog of a nucleotide or substrate is one which mimics the nucleotide or substrate molecule, binding in the binding pocket, but which is incapable (or has a significantly reduced capacity) to take part in a kinase reaction. Therefore, the present invention also provides:
- a crystal comprising a binding pocket of an RTK and a nucleotide or analogue thereof, and a substrate or analogue thereof .
- a complex may comprise one or more of the intermolecular interactions identified in Table 2.
- a structure of a complex of the invention may be defined by selected intermolecular contacts, preferably the structural coordinates of the intermolecular contacts as defined in Table 3.
- a crystal of the invention may enable the determination of structural data for a ligand.
- the present invention also provides a method of making a crystal according to the invention.
- the crystal may be formed from an aqueous solution comprising a purified polypeptide comprising an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor including a variant, part, homolog, or fragment thereof (e.g. a binding pocket).
- a method may utilize a purified polypeptide comprising a binding pocket to form a crystal.
- a method may utilize a purified polypeptide comprising a juxtamembrane region and kinase domain of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, preferably an EphB receptor, or more preferably an EphB2 receptor.
- purified in reference to a polypeptide, does not require absolute purity such as a homogenous preparation rather it represents an indication that the polypeptide is relatively purer than in the natural environment.
- a purified polypeptide is substantially free of other proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, or other materials with which it is naturally associated, preferably at a functionally significant level for example at least 85% pure, more preferably at least 95% pure, most preferably at least 99% pure.
- a skilled artisan can purify a polypeptide comprising using standard techniques for protein purification. A substantially pure polypeptide will yield a single major band on a non-reducing polyacrylamide gel. Purity of the polypeptide can also be determined by amino-terminal amino acid sequence analysis.
- a polypeptide used in the method may be chemically synthesized in whole or in part using techniques that are well-known in the art.
- methods are well known to the skilled artisan to construct expression vectors containing a native or mutated RTK coding sequence and appropriate transcriptional/teanslational control signals. These methods include in vitro recombinant DNA techniques, synthetic techniques, and in vivo recombination/genetic recombination. See for example the techniques described in Sambrook et al. (Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory press (1989)), and other laboratory textbooks. (See also Sarker et al, Glycoconjugate J. 7:380, 1990; Sarker et al, Proc. Natl.
- Crystals may be grown from an aqueous solution containing the purified polypeptide by a variety of conventional processes. These processes include batch, liquid, bridge, dialysis, vapor diffusion, and hanging drop methods. (See for example, McPherson, 1982 John Wiley, New York; McPherson, 1990, Eur. J. Biochem. 189: 1-23; Webber. 1991, Adv. Protein Chem. 41:1-36).
- native crystals of the invention are grown by adding precipitants to the concentrated solution of the polypeptide. The precipitants are added at a concentration just below that necessary to precipitate the protein. Water is removed by controlled evaporation to produce precipitating conditions, which are maintained until crystal growth ceases.
- Derivative crystals of the invention can be obtained by soaking native crystals in a solution containing salts of heavy metal atoms.
- a complex of the invention can be obtained by soaking a native crystal in a solution containing a compound that binds the polypeptide, or they can be obtained by co- crystallizing the polypeptide in the presence of one or more compounds. In order to obtain co-crystals with a compound which binds deep within the tertiary structure of the polypeptide it is necessary to use the second method.
- the polypeptide is co-crystallised with a compound which stabilises the polypeptide (e.g. AMP-PNP).
- a compound which stabilises the polypeptide e.g. AMP-PNP
- the crystal can be placed in a glass capillary tube and mounted onto a holding device connected to an X-ray generator and an X-ray detection device. Collection of X-ray diffraction patterns are well documented by those skilled in the art (See for example, Ducruix and Geige, 1992, IRL Press, Oxford, England). A beam of X-rays enter the crystal and diffract from the crystal. An X-ray detection device can be utilized to record the diffraction patterns emanating from the crystal. Suitable devices include the Marr 345 imaging plate detector system with an RU200 rotating anode generator.
- Multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) phasing using selenomethionyl (SeMet) proteins may be used to determine a crystal of the invention.
- the invention contemplates a method for determining a crystal structure of the invention using a selenomethionyl derivative of an RTK, including a variant, part, homolog or fragement thereof.
- the x-ray crystal structure is given by the diffraction patterns.
- Each diffraction pattern reflection is characterized as a vector and the data collected at this stage determines the amplitude of each vector.
- the phases of the vectors may be determined by the isomorphous replacement method where heavy atoms soaked into the crystal are used as reference points in the X-ray analysis (see for example, Otwinowski, 1991, Daresbury, United Kingdom, 80-86).
- the phases of the vectors may also be determined by molecular replacement (see for example, Naraza, 1994, Proteins 11:281-296).
- the amplitudes and phases of vectors from the crystalline form determined in accordance with these methods can be used to analyze other related crystalline polypeptides.
- the unit cell dimensions and symmetry, and vector amplitude and phase information can be used in a Fourier transform function to calculate the electron density in the unit cell i.e. to generate an experimental electron density map.
- This may be accomplished using the PHASES package (Furey, 1990).
- Amino acid sequence structures are fit to the experimental electron density map (i.e. model building) using computer programs (e.g. Jones, TA. et al, Acta Crystallogr A47, 100-119, 1991).
- This structure can also be used to calculate a theoretical electron density map.
- the theoretical and experimental electron density maps can be compared and the agreement between the maps can be described by a parameter referred to as R-factor. A high degree of overlap in the maps is represented by a low value R-factor.
- the R-factor can be minimized by using computer programs that refine the steucture to achieve agreement between the theoretical and observed electron density map.
- the XPLOR program developed by Brunger (1992, Nature 355:472-475) can be used for model refinement.
- a three dimensional structure of the molecule or complex may be described by atoms that fit the theoretical electron density characterized by a minimum R value. Files can be created for the structure that defines each atom by coordinates in three dimensions.
- a crystal structure of the present invention may be used to make a model of a binding pocket of an RTK, preferably an Eph receptor, more preferably an EphB receptor.
- a model may, for example, be a structural model or a computer model.
- a model may represent the secondary, tertiary and/or quaternary structure of the binding pocket.
- the model itself may be in two or three dimensions. It is possible for a computer model to be in three dimensions despite the constraints imposed by a conventional computer screen, if it is possible to scroll along at least a pair of axes, causing "rotation" of the image.
- modeling includes the quantitative and qualitative analysis of molecular structure and/or function based on atomic structural information and interaction models.
- the term “modelling” includes conventional numeric-based molecular dynamic and energy minimization models, interactive computer graphic models, modified molecular mechanics models, distance geometry and other structure-based constraint models.
- modelling is performed using a computer and may be further optimized using known methods. This is called modelling optimisation.
- An integral step to an approach of the invention for designing modulators (e.g. inhibitors) of a subject receptor involves construction of computer graphics models of the binding pocket of a receptor which can be used to design pharmacophores by rational drug design.
- modulators e.g. inhibitors
- other factors including electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, desolvation effects, and cooperative motions of ligand and receptor, all influence the binding effect and should be taken into account in attempts to design bioactive modulators (e.g. inhibitors).
- a computer-generated molecular model of the subject receptors can be created.
- at least the C ⁇ -carbon positions of the RTK sequence of interest are mapped to a particular coordinate pattern, such as the coordinates for a binding pocket of an EphB2 shown in Table 3, by homology modeling, and the structure of the protein and velocities of each atom are calculated at a simulation temperature (T 0 ) at which the docking simulation is to be determined.
- T 0 simulation temperature
- such a protocol involves primarily the prediction of side-chain conformations in the modeled protein, while assuming a main-chain trace taken from a tertiary structure such as provided in Table 3 and the Figures.
- Computer programs for performing energy minimization routines are commonly used to generate molecular models.
- each normal mode is a collective, periodic motion, with all parts of the system moving in phase with each other, and that the motion of the molecule is the superposition of all normal modes.
- the mean square amplitude of motion in a particular mode is inversely proportional to the effective force constant for that mode, so that the motion of the molecule will often be dominated by the low frequency vibrations.
- the system is "heated” or "cooled” to the simulation temperature, T 0 , by carrying out an equilibration run where the velocities of the atoms are scaled in a step-wise manner until the desired temperature, T 0 , is reached.
- the system is further equilibrated for a specified period of time until certain properties of the system, such as average kinetic energy, remain constant.
- the coordinates and velocities of each atom are then obtained from the equilibrated system.
- a second class of methods involves calculating approximate solutions to the constrained EOM for the protein. These methods use an iterative approach to solve for the Lagrange multipliers and, typically, only need a few iterations if the corrections required are small.
- SHAKE Rivaert et al. (1977) J Comput Phys 23:327; and Van Gunsteren et al. (1977) Mol Phys 34:1311
- RATTLE is based on the velocity version of the Verlet algorithm.
- RATTLE is an iterative algorithm and can be used to energy minimize the model of the subject protein.
- Overlays and super positioning with a three dimensional model of a binding pocket of the invention may be used for modelling optimisation. Additionally alignment and/or modelling can be used as a guide for the placement of mutations on a binding pocket to characterize the nature of the site in the context of a cell.
- the three dimensional structure of a new crystal may be modelled using molecular replacement.
- molecular replacement refers to a method that involves generating a preliminary model of a molecule or complex whose structural coordinates are unknown, by orienting and positioning a molecule whose structural coordinates are known within the unit cell of the unknown crystal, so as best to account for the observed diffraction pattern of the unknown crystal. Phases can then be calculated from this model and combined with the observed amplitudes to give an approximate Fourier synthesis of the structure whose coordinates are unknown. This, in turn, can be subject to any of the several forms of refinement to provide a final, accurate structure of the unknown crystal.
- Lattman, E. "Use of the Rotation and Translation Functions", in Methods in Enzymology, 115, pp. 55-77 (1985); M. G. Rossmann, ed., "The Molecular Replacement Method", Int. Sci. Rev. Ser., No. 13, Gordon & Breach, New York, (1972).
- Commonly used computer software packages for molecular replacement are X-PLOR (Brunger
- Molecular replacement computer programs generally involve the following steps: (1) determining the number of molecules in the unit cell and defining the angles between them (self rotation function); (2) rotating the known steucture against diffraction data to define the orientation of the molecules in the unit cell (rotation function); (3) translating the known steucture in three dimensions to correctly position the molecules in the unit cell (translation function); (4) determining the phases of the X- ray diffraction data and calculating an R-factor calculated from the reference data set and from the new data wherein an R-factor between 30-50% indicates that the orientations of the atoms in the unit cell have been reasonably determined by the method; and (5) optionally, decreasing the R-factor to about 20% by refining the new electron density map using iterative refinement techniques known to those skilled in the art (refinement).
- the quality of the model may be analysed using a program such as PROCHECK or 3D-Prof ⁇ ler [Laskowski et al 1993 J. Appl. Cryst. 26:283-291; Luthy R. et al, Nature 356: 83-85, 1992; and Bowie, J.U. et al, Science 253: 164-170, 1991]. Once any irregularities have been resolved, the entire structure may be further refined.
- molecular modelling may be used to determine the structural coordinates of a crystalline mutant or homolog of an RTK binding pocket.
- a crystal of the invention can be used to provide a model of a ligand. Modelling techniques can then be used to approximate the three dimensional structure of ligand derivatives and other components which may be able to mimic the atomic contacts between a ligand and binding pocket.
- the invention provides a computer readable medium or a machine readable storage medium which comprises the structural coordinates of a binding pocket of an RTK including all or any parts thereof, or ligands including portions thereof.
- Such storage medium or storage medium encoded with these data are capable of displaying on a computer screen or similar viewing device, a three-dimensional graphical representation of a molecule or molecular complex which comprises such binding pockets or similarly shaped homologous binding pockets.
- the invention also provides computerized representations of the secondary or three-dimensional structures of a binding pocket of the invention, including any electronic, magnetic, or electromagnetic storage forms of the data needed to define the structures such that the data will be computer readable for purposes of display and/or manipulation.
- the invention provides a computer for producing a three-dimensional representation of a molecule or molecular complex, wherein said molecule or molecular complex comprises a binding pocket defined by structural coordinates of a binding pocket or structural coordinates of atoms of a ligand, or a three-dimensional representation of a homolog of said molecule or molecular complex, wherein said homolog comprises a binding pocket or ligand that has a root mean square deviation from the backbone atoms not more than 1.5 angstroms wherein said computer comprises:
- a machine-readable data storage medium comprising a data storage material encoded with machine readable data wherein said data comprises the structural coordinates of a binding pocket of an RTK or a ligand according to Table 3;
- a working memory for storing instructions for processing said machine-readable data;
- the invention also provides a computer for determining at least a portion of the structural coordinates corresponding to an X-ray diffraction pattern of a molecule or molecular complex wherein said computer comprises:
- a machine-readable data storage medium comprising a data storage material encoded with machine readable data wherein, said data comprises the structural coordinates according to
- a machine-readable data storage medium comprising a data storage material encoded with machine readable data wherein said data comprises an X-ray diffraction pattern of said molecule or molecular complex;
- a working memory for storing instructions for processing said machine-readable data of (a) and (b);
- a central-processing unit coupled to said working memory and to said machine-readable data storage medium of (a) and (b) for performing a Fourier transform of the machine readable data of (a) and for processing said machine readable data of (b) into structural coordinates;
- a display coupled to said central-processing unit for displaying said structural coordinates of said molecule or molecular complex.
- the present invention also provides a method for determining the secondary and/or tertiary structures of a polypeptide or part thereof by using a crystal, or a model according to the present invention.
- the polypeptide or part thereof may be any polypeptide or part thereof for which the secondary and or tertiary structure is uncharacterised or incompletely characterised.
- the polypeptide shares (or is predicted to share) some structural or functional homology to a crystal of the present invention.
- the polypeptide may show a degree of structural homology over some or all parts of the primary amino acid sequence.
- the polypeptide may be an RTK, preferably an Eph receptor with a different specificity for a nucleotide, or substrate.
- the polypeptide may be an RTK preferably an Eph receptor which requires a different metal cofactor.
- the polypeptide may be an RTK, preferably an Eph receptor from a different species.
- the polypeptide may be a mutant of a wild-type RTK, in particular an Eph receptor.
- a mutant may arise naturally, or may be made artificially (for example using molecular biology techniques).
- the mutant may also not be "made” at all in the conventional sense, but merely tested theoretically using the model of the present invention.
- a mutant may or may not be functional.
- the effect of a particular mutation on the overall two and/or three dimensional structure of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, the autoinhibited state or active state, and/or the interaction between a binding pocket of the enzyme and a ligand can be investigated.
- the polypeptide may perform an analogous function or be suspected to show a similar catalytic mechanism to an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor.
- the polypeptide may also be the same as the polypeptide of the crystal, but in association with a different ligand (for example, modulator or inhibitor) or cofactor. In this way it is possible to investigate the effect of altering the ligand or compound with which the polypeptide is associated on the structure of the binding pocket.
- a different ligand for example, modulator or inhibitor
- Secondary or tertiary structure may be determined by applying the structural coordinates of the crystal or model of the present invention to other data such as an amino acid sequence, X-ray crystallographic diffraction data, or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. Homology modeling, molecular replacement, and nuclear magnetic resonance methods using these other data sets are described below.
- Homology modeling also known as comparative modeling or knowledge-based modeling
- methods develop a three dimensional model from a polypeptide sequence based on the structures of known proteins (i.e. an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, of the crystal).
- the method utilizes a computer model of a crystal of the present invention (the "known structure"), a computer representation of the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide with an unknown structure, and standard computer representations of the structures of amino acids.
- the method in particular comprises the steps of; (a) identifying structurally conserved and variable regions in the known structure; (b) aligning the amino acid sequences of the known steucture and unknown steucture (c) generating co-ordinates of main chain atoms and side chain atoms in structurally conserved and variable regions of the unknown steucture based on the coordinates of the known steucture tliereby obtaining a homology model; and (d) refining the homology model to obtain a three dimensional structure for the unknown structure.
- This method is well known to those skilled in the art (Greer, 1985, Science 228, 1055; Bundell et al 1988, Eur. J. Biochem.
- step (a) of the homology modelling method a known structure is examined to identify the structurally conserved regions (SCRs) from which an average structure, or framework, can be constructed for these regions of the protein.
- SCRs structurally conserved regions
- VRs Variable regions
- SCRs generally correspond to the elements of secondary structure, such as alpha-helices and beta-sheets, and to ligand- and substrate-binding sites (e.g. nucleotide binding sites).
- the VRs usually lie on the surface of the proteins and form the loops where the main chain turns. Many methods are available for sequence alignment of known structures and unknown structures.
- Sequence alignments generally are based on the dynamic programming algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch [J. Mol. Biol. 48: 442-453, 1970]. Current methods include FASTA, Smith-Waterman, and BLASTP, with the BLASTP method differing from the other two in not allowing gaps. Scoring of alignments typically involves construction of a 20x20 matrix in which identical amino acids and those of similar character (i.e., conservative substitutions) may be scored higher than those of different character. Substitution schemes which may be used to score alignments include the scoring matrices PAM (Dayhoff et al., Meth. Enzymol. 91: 524-545, 1983), and BLOSUM (Henikoff and Henikoff, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.
- main chain atoms and side chain atoms both in SCRs and VRs need to be modelled.
- a variety of approaches known to those skilled in the art may be used to assign co-ordinates to the unknown.
- the co-ordinates of the main chain atoms of SCRs will be transferred to the unknown steucture.
- VRs correspond most often to the loops on the surface of the polypeptide and if a loop in the known structure is a good model for the unknown, then the main chain co-ordinates of the known steucture may be copied.
- Side chain coordinates of SCRs and VRs are copied if the residue type in the unknown is identical to or very similar to that in the known structure.
- a side chain rotamer library may be used to define the side chain coordinates.
- fragment databases may be searched for loops in other proteins that may provide a suitable model for the unknown. If desired, the loop may then be subjected to conformational searching to identify low energy conformers if desired.
- Molecular replacement involves applying a known steucture to solve the X-ray crystallographic data set of a polypeptide of unknown structure.
- the method can be used to define the phases describing the X-ray diffraction data of a polypeptide of unknown structure when only the amplitudes are known.
- a method is provided for determining three dimensional structures of polypeptides with unknown structure by applying the structural coordinates of a crystal of the present invention to provide an X-ray crystallographic data set for a polypeptide of unknown steucture, and (b) determining a low energy conformation of the resulting structure.
- the structural coordinates of a crystal of the present invention may be applied to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data to determine the three dimensional structures of polypeptides with uncharacterised or incompletely characterised sturcture.
- NMR nuclear magnetic resonance
- the structural coordinates of a polypeptide defined by X-ray crystallography can guide the NMR spectroscopist to an understanding of the spatial interactions between secondary structural elements in a polypeptide of related structure.
- Information on spatial interactions between secondary structural elements can greatly simplify Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE) data from two-dimensional NMR experiments.
- NOE Nuclear Overhauser Effect
- applying the structural coordinates after the determination of secondary structure by NMR techniques simplifies the assignment of NOE's relating to particular amino acids in the polypeptide sequence and does not greatly bias the NMR analysis of polypeptide structure.
- the invention relates to a method of determining three dimensional structures of polypeptides with unknown structures, by applying the structural coordinates of a crystal of the present invention to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data of the unknown structure.
- This method comprises the steps of: (a) determining the secondary structure of an unknown structure using NMR data; and (b) simplifying the assignment of through-space interactions of amino acids.
- through-space interactions defines the orientation of the secondary structural elements in the three dimensional steucture and the distances between amino acids from different portions of the amino acid sequence.
- the term "assignment” defines a method of analyzing NMR data and identifying which amino acids give rise to signals in the NMR spectrum.
- Another aspect of the present invention is the design and identification of agents that inhibit or potentiate an autoinhibition state or active state of an RTK.
- the rationale design and identification of agents can be accomplished by utilizing the structural coordinates that define a binding pocket of an RTK.
- the structures described herein, and the structures of other polypeptides determined by homology modeling, molecular replacement, and NMR techniques described herein can also be applied to modulator design and identification methods.
- the invention contemplates molecular models, in particular three-dimensional molecular models of RTK proteins, and their use as templates for the design of agents able to mimic or inhibit ligand activation or autophosphorylation or phoshorylation of the proteins (e.g. modulators).
- a modulator may inhibit or potentiate an autoinhibited state or alternatively an active state.
- the present invention provides a method of screening for a ligand that associates with a binding pocket and/or modulates the function of an Eph receptor by using a crystal or a model according to the present invention.
- the method may involve investigating whether a test compound is capable of associating with or binding a binding pocket, and or inhibiting or enhancing interactions of atomic contacts in a binding pocket.
- a method for screening for a ligand capable of binding to a binding pocket, wherein the method comprises using a crystal or model according to the invention.
- the invention relates to a method of screening for a ligand capable of binding to a binding pocket, wherein the binding pocket is defined by the structural coordinates given herein, the method comprising contacting the binding pocket with a test compound and determining if the test compound binds to the binding pocket.
- the binding pocket may be a binding pocket of an autoinhibited state or an active state.
- the screening method may potentially identify an inhibitor that may disrupt catalytic activity of an RTK, for example,' by maintaining the RTK in an autoinhibited state.
- a disruption of catalytic activity may be useful in the treatment of conditions involving increased RTK activity e.g. cancer.
- the present invention provides a method of screening for a test compound capable of interacting with one or more key amino acid residues of a binding pocket of an RTK.
- a test compound that interacts with one or more of Tyr/Phe604 , Tyr/Phe 610, Tyr 667, Tyr 744, and Tyr 750 of EphB2 receptor may prevent phosphorylation of one or more of the tyrosines and thereby promote the autoinhibited state of the receptor.
- Another aspect of the invention provides a process comprising the steps of:
- a further aspect of the invention provides a process comprising the steps of;
- test compound capable of interacting with one or more key amino acid residues in a binding pocket of an RTK has been identified, further steps may be carried out either to select and or modify compounds and/or to modify existing compounds, to modulate the interaction with the key amino acid residues in the binding pocket.
- Yet another aspect of the invention provides a process comprising the steps of;
- a method of screening for a test compound comprising screening for test compounds that affect (inhibit or potentiate) a juxtamembrane- juxtamembrane interaction (e.g. interactions 25 to 49 in Table 2) or juxtamembrane-kinase interactions (e.g. interactions 1 to 24 in Table 2) described herein.
- a juxtamembrane- juxtamembrane interaction e.g. interactions 25 to 49 in Table 2
- juxtamembrane-kinase interactions e.g. interactions 1 to 24 in Table 2
- test compound means any compound which is potentially capable of associating with a binding pocket, inhibiting or enhancing interactions of atomic contacts in a binding pocket, and/or inhibiting or potentiating an autoinhibited state or active state of an RTK. If, after testing, it is determined that the test compound does bind to the binding pocket, inhibits or enhances interactions of atomic contacts in a binding pocket, and/or inhibits or potentiates an autoinhibited or active state of an RTK, it is known as a "ligand".
- the test compound may be designed or obtained from a library of compounds which may comprise peptides, as well as other compounds, such as small organic molecules and particularly new lead compounds.
- the test compound may be a natural substance, a biological macromolecule, or an extract made from biological materials such as bacteria, fungi, or animal (particularly mammalian) cells or tissues, an organic or an inorganic molecule, a synthetic test compound, a semi-synthetic test compound, a carbohydrate, a monosaccharide, an oligosaccharide or polysaccharide, a glycolipid, a glycopeptide, a saponin, a heterocyclic compound, a structural or functional mimetic, a peptide, a peptidomimetic, a derivatised test compound, a peptide cleaved from a whole protein, or a peptide synthesised synthetically (such as, by way of example, either using a peptide synthesizer or by recombin
- Directed methods generally fall into two categories: (1) design by analogy in which 3-D structures of known molecules (such as from a crystallographic database) are docked to the receptor structure and scored for goodness-of-fit; and (2) de novo design, in which the ligand model is constructed piece-wise in the receptor.
- design by analogy in which 3-D structures of known molecules (such as from a crystallographic database) are docked to the receptor structure and scored for goodness-of-fit
- de novo design in which the ligand model is constructed piece-wise in the receptor.
- the latter approach in particular, can facilitate the development of novel molecules, uniquely designed to bind to the subject receptor.
- the test compound may be screened as part of a library or a data base of molecules.
- Modulators of inactivated/activated states of an RTK or binding pocket thereof may be identified by docking a computer representation of compounds from one or more data base of molecules.
- Data bases which may be used include ACD (Molecular Designs Limited), NCI (National Cancer Institute), CCDC (Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center), CAST (Chemical Abstract Service), Derwent (Derwent Information Limited), Maybridge (Maybridge Chemical Company Ltd), Aldrich (Aldrich Chemical Company), DOCK (University of California in San Francisco), and the Directory of Natural Products (Chapman & Hall).
- Computer programs such as CONCORD (Tripos Associates) or DB-Converter (Molecular Simulations Limited) can be used to convert a data set represented in two dimensions to one represented in three dimensions.
- Test compounds may tested for their capacity to fit spatially into a binding pocket.
- fit spatially means that the three-dimensional structure of the test compound is accommodated geometrically in a cavity of a binding pocket.
- the test compound can then be considered to be a ligand.
- a favourable geometric fit occurs when the surface area of the test compound is in close proximity with the surface area of the cavity of a binding pocket without forming unfavorable interactions.
- a favourable complementary interaction occurs where the test compound interacts by hydrophobic, aromatic, ionic, dipolar, or hydrogen donating and accepting forces. Unfavourable interactions may be steric hindrance between atoms in the test compound and atoms in the binding pocket.
- a model of the present invention is a computer model
- the test compounds may be positioned in a binding pocket through computational docking.
- the model of the present invention is a structural model
- the test compounds may be positioned in the binding pocket by, for example, manual docking.
- docking refers to a process of placing a compound in close proximity with a binding pocket, or a process of finding low energy conformations of a test compound/ binding pocket complex.
- the design of potential RTK begins from the general perspective of shape complimentarity for an active site and substrate specificity subsites of the receptor, and a search algorithm is employed which is capable of scanning a database of small molecules of known three-dimensional structure for candidates which fit geometrically into the target protein site. It is not expected that the molecules found in the shape search will necessarily be leads themselves, since no evaluation of chemical interaction need necessarily be made during the initial search. Rather, it is anticipated that such candidates might act as the framework for further design, providing molecular skeletons to which appropriate atomic replacements can be made.
- a set of computer algorithms called DOCK can be used to characterize the shape of invaginations and grooves that form active sites and recognition surfaces of a subject receptor (Kuntz et al. (1982) J. Mol. Biol 161: 269-288).
- the program can also search a database of small molecules for templates whose shapes are complementary to particular binding pockets or sites of a receptor (DesJarlais et al. (1988) J Med Chem 31: 722-729). These templates normally require modification to achieve good chemical and electrostatic interactions (DesJarlais et al. (1989) ACS Symp Ser 413: 60-69).
- the program has been shown to position accurately known cofactors for ligands based on shape constraints alone.
- orientations are evaluated for,goodness-of-fit and the best are kept for further examination using molecular mechanics programs, such as AMBER or CHARMM.
- molecular mechanics programs such as AMBER or CHARMM.
- Such algorithms have previously proven successful in finding a variety of molecules that are complementary in shape to a given binding site of a receptor, and have been shown to have several attractive features.
- First, such algorithms can retrieve a remarkable diversity of molecular architectures.
- the best structures have, in previous applications to other proteins, demonstrated impressive shape complementarity over an extended surface area.
- GRID computer program
- Yet a further embodiment of the present invention utilizes a computer algorithm such as CLIX which searches such databases as CCDB for small molecules which can be oriented in a receptor binding pocket or site in a way that is both sterically acceptable and has a high likelihood of achieving favorable chemical interactions between the candidate molecule and the surrounding amino acid residues.
- the method is based on characterizing a binding pocket in terms of an ensemble of favorable binding positions for different chemical groups and then searching for orientations of the candidate molecules that cause maximum spatial coincidence of individual candidate chemical groups with members of the ensemble.
- the current availability of computer power dictates that a computer-based search for novel ligands follows a breadth-first strategy.
- a breadth-first strategy aims to reduce progressively the size of the potential candidate search space by the application of increasingly stringent criteria, as opposed to a depth-first strategy wherein a maximally detailed analysis of one candidate is performed before proceeding to the next.
- CLIX conforms to this strategy in that its analysis of binding is rudimentary -it seeks to satisfy the necessary conditions of steric fit and of having individual groups in "correct” places for bonding, without imposing the sufficient condition that favorable bonding interactions actually occur.
- a ranked "shortlist" of molecules, in their favored orientations, is produced which can then be examined on a molecule-by- molecule basis, using computer graphics and more sophisticated molecular modeling techniques.
- CLIX is also capable of suggesting changes to the substituent chemical groups of the candidate molecules that might enhance binding.
- the algorithmic details of CLIX is described in Lawerence et al. (1992) Proteins 12:31-41, and the CLIX algorithm can be summarized as follows.
- the GRID program is used to determine discrete favorable interaction positions (termed target sites) in the binding pocket or site of the protein for a wide variety of representative chemical groups. For each candidate ligand in the CCDB an exhaustive attempt is made to make coincident, in a spatial sense in the binding site of the protein, a pair of the candidate's substituent chemical groups with a pair of corresponding favorable interaction sites proposed by GRID. All possible combinations of pairs of ligand groups with pairs of GRID sites are considered during this procedure.
- the program Upon locating such coincidence, the program rotates the candidate ligand about the two pairs of groups and checks for steric hindrance and coincidence of other candidate atomic groups with appropriate target sites. Particular candidate/orientation combinations that are good geometric fits in the binding site and show sufficient coincidence of atomic groups with GRID sites are retained.
- CLIX A further assumption implicit in CLIX is that the potential ligand, when introduced into the binding pocket or site of a receptor, does not induce change in the protein's stereochemistry or partial charge distribution and so alter the basis on which the GRID interaction energy maps were computed. It must also be stressed that the interaction sites predicted by GRID are used in a positional and type sense only, i.e., when a candidate atomic group is placed at a site predicted as favorable by GRID, no check is made to ensure that the bond geometry, the state of protonation, or the partial charge distribution favors a steong interaction between the protein and that group. Such detailed analysis should form part of more advanced modeling of candidates identified in the CLIX shortlist.
- Yet another embodiment of a computer-assisted molecular design method for identifying ligands of a binding pocket of an RTK comprises the de novo synthesis of potential ligands by algorithmic connection of small molecular fragments that will exhibit the desired structural and electrostatic complementarity with an active site or binding pocket of the receptor.
- the methodology employs a large template set of small molecules with are iteratively pieced together in a model of an RTK active site or binding pocket.
- Each stage of ligand growth is evaluated according to a molecular mechanics-based energy function, which considers van der Waals and coulombic interactions, internal strain energy of the lengthening ligand, and desolvation of both ligand and receptor.
- the search space can be managed by use of a data tree which is kept under control by pruning according to the binding criteria.
- the search space is limited to consider only amino acids and amino acid analogs as the molecular building blocks.
- Such a methodology generally employs a large template set of amino acid conformations, though need not be restricted to just the 20 natural amino acids, as it can easily be extended to include other related fragments of interest to the medicinal chemist, e.g. amino acid analogs.
- the putative ligands that result from this construction method are peptides and peptide-like compounds rather than the small organic molecules that are typically the goal of drug design research.
- peptide building approach is not that peptides are preferable to organics as potential pharmaceutical agents, but rather that: (1) they can be generated relatively rapidly de novo; (2) their energetics can be studied by well-parameterized force field methods; (3) they are much easier to synthesize than are most organics; and (4) they can be used in a variety of ways, for peptidomimetic ligand design, protein-protein binding studies, and even as shape templates in the more commonly used 3D organic database search approach described above.
- GROW Such a de novo peptide design method has been incorporated in a software package called GROW (Moon et al. (1991) Proteins 11:314-328).
- GROW a software package
- standard interactive graphical modeling methods are employed to define the structural environment in which GROW is to operate.
- environment could be an active site binding pocket of an RTK, in particular an EphB2, or it could be a set of features on the protein's surface to which the user wishes to bind a peptide-like molecule.
- the GROW program then operates to generate a set of potential ligand molecules.
- Interactive modeling methods then come into play again, for examination of the resulting molecules, and for selection of one or more of them for further refinement.
- GROW operates on an atomic coordinate file generated by the user in the interactive modeling session, such as the coordinates provided in Table 3, or the coordinates of a binding pocket or active site as described in Table 2 and 3 plus a small fragment (e.g., an acetyl group) positioned in the active site to provide a starting point for peptide growth. These are referred to as “site” atoms and “seed” atoms, respectively.
- a second file provided by the user contains a number of control parameters to guide the peptide growth (Moon et al. (1991) Proteins 11:314-328).
- GROW proceeds in an iterative fashion, to systematically attach to the seed fragment each amino acid template in a large preconstructed library of amino acid conformations.
- a template When a template has been attached, it is scored for goodness-of-fit to the receptor site or binding pocket, and then the next template in the library is attached to the seed. After all the templates have been tested, only the highest scoring ones are retained for the next level of growth.
- This procedure is repeated for the second growth level; each library template is attached in turn to each of the bonded seed amino acid molecules that were retained from the first step, and is then scored. Again, only the best of the bonded seed/dipeptide molecules that result are retained for the third level of growth.
- the growth of peptides can proceed in the N-to-C direction only, the reverse direction only, or in alternating directions, depending on the initial control specifications supplied by the user. Successive growth levels therefore generate peptides that are lengthened by one residue.
- the procedure terminates when the user-defined peptide length has been reached, at which point the user can select from the constructed peptides those to be studied further.
- the resulting data provided by the GROW procedure includes not only residue sequences and scores, but also atomic coordinates of the peptides, related directly to the coordinate system of the receptor site atoms.
- potential pharmacophoric compounds can be determined using a method based on an energy minimization-quenched molecular dynamics algorithm for determining energetically favorable positions of functional groups in the binding pockets of the subject receptor.
- the method can aid in the design of molecules that incorporate such functional groups by modification of known ligands or de novo construction.
- the multiple copy simultaneous search method described by Miranker et al. (1991) Proteins 11 : 29-34 may be employed.
- MCSS multiple copy simultaneous search method
- To determine and characterize a local minima of a functional group in the forcefield of the protein multiple copies of selected functional groups are first distributed in a binding pocket of interest on the RTK protein. Energy minimization of these copies by molecular mechanics or quenched dynamics yields the distinct local minima. The neighborhood of these minima can then be explored by a grid search or by constrained minimization.
- the MCSS method uses the classical time dependent Hartee (TDH) approximation to simultaneously minimize or quench many identical groups in the forcefield of the protein.
- TDH time dependent Hartee
- Implementation of the MCSS algorithm requires a choice of functional groups and a molecular mechanics model for each of them.
- Groups must be simple enough to be easily characterized and manipulated (3-6 atoms, few or no dihedral degrees of freedom), yet complex enough to approximate the steric and electrostatic interactions that the functional group would have in binding to the pocket or site of interest in the RTK protein.
- a preferred set is, for example, one in which most organic molecules can be described as a collection of such groups (Patai's Guide to the Chemistry of Functional Groups, ed. S. Patai (New York: John Wiley, and Sons, (1989)). This includes fragments such as acetonitrile, methanol, acetate, methyl ammonium, dimethyl ether, methane, and acetaldehyde.
- Determination of the local energy minima in the binding pocket or site requires that many starting positions be sampled. This can be achieved by distributing, for example, 1,000-5,000 groups at random inside a sphere centered on the binding site; only the space not occupied by the protein needs to be considered. If the interaction energy of a particular group at a certain location with the protein is more positive than a given cut-off (e.g. 5.0 kcal/mole) the group is discarded from that site. Given the set of starting positions, all the fragments are minimized simultaneously by use of the TDH approximation (Elber et al. (1990) J Am Chem Soc 112: 9161-9175). In this method, the forces on each fragment consist of its internal forces and those due to the protein. The essential element of this method is that the interactions between the fragments are omitted and the forces on the protein are normalized to those due to a single fragment. In this way simultaneous minimization or dynamics of any number of functional groups in the field of a single protein can be performed.
- Minimization is performed successively on subsets of, for example 100, of the randomly placed groups. After a certain number of step intervals, such as 1,000 intervals, the results can be examined to eliminate groups converging to the same minimum. This process is repeated until minimization is complete (e.g. RMS gradient of 0.01 kcal/mole/C).
- minimization e.g. RMS gradient of 0.01 kcal/mole/C.
- the next step then is to connect the pharmacophoric pieces with spacers assembled from small chemical entities (atoms, chains, or ring moieties).
- each of the disconnected can be linked in space to generate a single molecule using such computer programs as, for example, NEWLEAD (Tschinke et al. (1993) J Med Chem 36: 3863,3870).
- the procedure adopted by NEWLEAD executes the following sequence of commands (1) connect two isolated moieties, (2) retain the intermediate solutions for further processing, (3) repeat the above steps for each of the intermediate solutions until no disconnected units are found, and (4) output the final solutions, each of which is a single molecule.
- Such a program can use for example, three types of spacers: library spacers, single-atom spacers, and fuse-ring spacers.
- library spacers are optimized structures of small molecules such as ethylene, benzene and methylamide.
- the output produced by programs such as NEWLEAD consist of a set of molecules containing the original fragments now connected by spacers. The atoms belonging to the input fragments maintain their original orientations in space.
- the molecules are chemically plausible because of the simple makeup of the spacers and functional groups, and energetically acceptable because of the rejection of solutions with van-der Waals radii violations.
- a screening method of the present invention may comprise the following steps: (i) generating a computer model of a binding pocket using a crystal according to the invention; (ii) docking a computer representation of a test compound with the computer model;
- a method which comprises the following steps: (a) docking a computer representation of a test compound from a computer data base with a computer representation of a selected binding pocket on an RTK defined in accordance with the invention to define a complex; (b) determining a conformation of the complex with a favorable fit and favourable complementary interactions; and (c) identifying test compounds that best fit the selected binding pocket as potential modulators of the RTK.
- a method is provided which comprises docking a computer representation of a selected binding pocket of an RTK defined by the atomic interactions, atomic contacts, or structural coordinates in accordance with the invention to define a complex.
- a method is provided comprising:
- a model used in a screening method may comprise a binding pocket either alone or in association with one or more ligands and/or cofactors.
- the model may comprise the binding pocket in association with a nucleotide (or analogue thereof), a substrate (or analogue thereof), and/or modulator. If the model comprises an unassociated binding pocket, then the selected site under investigation may be the binding pocket itself.
- the test compound may, for example, mimic a known ligand (e.g. nucleotide or substrate) for an RTK in order to interact with the binding pocket.
- the selected site may alternatively be another site on the RTK.
- the selected site may be the binding pocket or a site made up of the binding pocket and the complexed ligand, or a site on the ligand itself.
- the test compound may be investigated for its capacity to modulate the interaction with the associated molecule.
- the screening methods described herein may be applied to a plurality of test compounds, to identify those that best fit the selected site.
- the screening methods may be used to identify a modulator that changes an autoinhibited state of an RTK to an active state, or an active state to an autoinhibited state.
- a test compound (or plurality of test compounds) may be selected on the basis of their similarity to a known ligand for an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor.
- the screening method may comprise the following steps: (i) generating a computer model of a binding pocket in complex with a ligand;
- Searching may be carried out using a database of computer representations of potential compounds, using methods known in the art.
- the present invention also provides a method for designing ligands for RTKs. It is well known in the art to use a screening method as described above to identify a test compound with promising fit, but then to use this test compound as a starting point to design a ligand with improved fit to the model. Such techniques are known as "structure-based ligand design" (See Kuntz et al., 1994, Ace. Chem. Res. 27:117; Guida, 1994, Current Opinion in Struc. Biol. 4: 777; and Co nan, 1994, Current Opinion in Struc. Biol. 4: 868, for reviews of structure-based drug design and identification;and Kuntz et al 1982, J. Mol. Biol.
- Examples of computer programs that may be used for structure-based ligand design are CAVEAT (Bartlett et al., 1989, in "Chemical and Biological Problems in Molecular Recognition", Roberts, S.M. Ley, SN.; Campbell, ⁇ .M. eds; Royal Society of Chemistry: Cambridge, pp 182-196); FLOG (Miller et al, 1994, J. Comp. Aided Molec. Design 8:153); PRO Modulator (Clark et al., 1995 J. Comp. Aided Molec. Design 9:13); MCSS (Miranker and Karplus, 1991, Proteins: Structure, Fuction, and Genetics 8:195); and, GRID (Goodford, 1985, J. Med. Chem. 28:849).
- the method may comprise the following steps:
- evaluation of fit may comprise the following steps:
- mapping chemical features of a test compound such as by hydrogen bond donors or acceptors, hydrophobic/lipophilic sites, positively ionizable sites, or negatively ionizable sites;
- the fit of the modified test compound may then be evaluated using the same criteria.
- the chemical modification of a group may either enhance or reduce hydrogen bonding interaction, charge interaction, hydrophobic interaction, Van Der Waals interaction or dipole interaction between the test compound and the key amino acid residue(s) of the binding pocket.
- the group modifications involve the addition removal or replacement of substituents onto the test compound such that the substituents are positioned to collide or to bind preferentially with one or more amino acid residues that correspond to the key amino acid residues of the binding pocket. If a modified test compound model has an improved fit, then it may bind to a binding pocket and be considered to be a "ligand".
- Rational modification of groups may be made with the aid of libraries of molecular fragments which may be screened for their capacity to fit into the available space and to interact with the appropriate atoms.
- Databases of computer representations of libraries of chemical groups are available commercially, for this purpose.
- the test compound may also be modified "in situ" (i.e. once docked into the potential binding pocket), enabling immediate evaluation of the effect of replacing selected groups.
- the computer representation of the test compound may be modified by deleting a chemical group or groups, or by adding a chemical group or groups. After each modification to a compound, the atoms of the modified compound and potential binding pocket can be shifted in conformation and the distance between the modulator and the binding pocket atoms may be scored on the basis of geometric fit and favourable complementary interactions between the molecules. This technique is described in detail in Molecular Simulations User Manual, 1995 in LUDI.
- Examples of ligand building and/or searching computer programs include programs in the Molecular Simulations Package (Catalyst), ISIS/HOST, ISIS/BASE, and ISIS/DRAW (Molecular Designs Limited), and UNITY (Tripos Associates).
- the "starting point" for rational ligand design may be a known ligand for the enzyme.
- a logical approach would be to start with a known ligand (for example a nucleotide or known kinase inhibitors) to produce a molecule which mimics the binding of the ligand.
- a known ligand for example a nucleotide or known kinase inhibitors
- Such a molecule may, for example, act as a competitive inhibitor for the true ligand, or may bind so strongly that the interaction (and inhibition) is effectively irreversible.
- Such a method may comprise the following steps:
- the replacement groups could be selected and replaced using a compound construction program which replaces computer representations of chemical groups with groups from a computer database, where the representations of the compounds are defined by structural coordinates.
- a screening method for identifying a ligand of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, comprising the step of using the structural coordinates of a nucleotide or component thereof, defined in relation to its spatial association with a binding pocket of the invention, to generate a compound that is capable of associating with the binding pocket.
- a screening method is provided for identifying a ligand of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor
- RTK in particular an Eph receptor
- RTK comprising the step of using the structural coordinates of adenosine adenine, or ATP listed in Table 3 to generate a compound for associating with a binding pocket of RTK, in particular an Eph receptor as described herein.
- the following steps are employed in a particular method of the invention: (a) generating a computer representation of adenosine adenine, or ATP, defined by its structural coordinates listed in Table 3; (b) searching for molecules in a data base that are structurally or chemically similar to the defined adenosine adenine, or ATP, using a searching computer program, or replacing portions of the adenosine adenine, or ATP with similar chemical structures from a database using a compound building computer program.
- a screening method for identifying a ligand of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, comprising the step of using the steuctural coordinates of a binding pocket comprising a juxtamembrane region or part thereof listed in Table 3 to generate a compound for associating with a kinase domain of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor.
- the following steps are employed in a particular method of the invention: (a) generating a computer representation of a binding pocket comprising a juxtamembrane region or part thereof defined by its structural coordinates listed in Table 3; and (b) searching for molecules in a data base that are structurally or chemically similar to the defined binding pocket using a searching computer program, or replacing portions of the binding pocket with structures from a database using a compound building computer program.
- the screening methods of the present invention may be used to identify compounds or entities that associate with a molecule that associates with an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor (for example, a nucleotide).
- an Eph receptor for example, a nucleotide
- RTKs in particular Eph receptors
- ligands e.g. ligands
- organic compounds may be prepared by organic synthetic methods described in references such as March, 1994, Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure, New York, McGraw Hill.
- Test compounds and ligands which are identified using a crystal or model of the present invention can be screened in assays such as those well known in the art. Screening may be for example in vitro, in cell culture, and/or in vivo. Biological screening assays preferably centre on activity-based response models, binding assays (which measure how well a compound binds to a binding pocket of a receptor), and bacterial, yeast, and animal cell lines (which measure the biological effect of a compound in a cell). The assays may be automated for high throughput screening in which large numbers of compounds can be tested to identify compounds with the desired activity. The biological assay may also be an assay for the binding activity of a compound that selectively binds to the binding pocket compared to other receptors.
- the present invention provides a ligand or compound identified by a screening method of the present invention.
- a ligand or compound may have been designed rationally by using a model according to the present invention.
- a ligand or compound identified using the screening methods of the invention may specifically associate with a target compound, or part thereof (e.g. a binding pocket).
- the target compound may be the RTK (e.g. Eph receptor) or part thereof, or a molecule that is capable of associating with the RTK or part thereof (for example a nucleotide).
- the ligand is capable of binding to phosphoregulatory sites of a binding pocket, in particular phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region or kinase domain.
- the ligand is capable of binding to the activation segment of a kinase domain of an Eph receptor.
- a ligand or compound identified using a screening method of the invention may act as a "modulator", i.e. a compound which affects the activity of an RTK in particular an Eph receptor.
- a modulator may reduce, enhance or alter the biological function of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor.
- a modulator may modulate the capacity of the RTK to autophosphorylate.
- An alteration in biological function may be characterised by a change in specificity.
- a modulator may cause the RTK to accept a different nucleotide, to phosphorylate a different amino acid residue, or to work with a different metal cofactor.
- a modulator may dispose an RTK to favor the autoinhibited state or active state.
- a modulator which is capable of reducing the biological function of the enzyme may also be known as an inhibitor.
- an inhibitor reduces or blocks the capacity of the enzyme to autophosphorylate.
- An inhibitor may promote the autoinhibition state of an RTK.
- the inhibitor may mimic the binding of a nucleotide or substrate, for example, it may be a nucleotide or substrate analogue.
- a nucleotide analogue may be designed by considering the interactions between the nucleotide and the RTK (for example, by using information derivable from the crystal of the invention) and specifically altering one or more groups (as described above).
- the present invention also provides a method for modulating the activity of an RTK, in particular an Eph receptor, using a modulator according to the present invention.
- the invention also provides a method for inhibiting autophosphorylation of an RTK, preferably an Eph receptor, by potentiating the autoinhibition state of an RTK, or inhiting the active state of the RTK. Inhibition of phosphorylation of an RTK may decrease signaling by the RTK and inhibit cellular processes that may be involved in disease. It would be possible to monitor receptor activity following such treatments by a number of methods known in the art.
- a modulator may be an agonist, partial agonist, partial inverse agonist or antagonist of an RTK.
- the term "agonist” means any ligand, which is capable of binding to a binding pocket and which is capable of increasing a proportion of the receptor that is in an active form, resulting in an increased biological response.
- the term includes partial agonists and inverse agonists.
- partial agonist means an agonist that is unable to evoke the maximal response of a biological system, even at a concentration sufficient to saturate the specific receptors.
- partial inverse agonist is an inverse agonist that evokes a submaximal response to a biological system, even at a concentration sufficient to saturate the specific receptors. At high concentrations, it will diminish the actions of a full inverse agonist.
- antagonist means any agent that reduces the action of another agent, such as an agonist. The antagonist may act at the same site as the agonist (competitive antagonism).
- the antagonistic action may result from a combination of the substance being antagonised (chemical antagonism) or the production of an opposite effect through a different receptor (functional antagonism or physiological antagonism) or as a consequence of competition for the binding site of an intermediate that links receptor activation to the effect observed (indirect antagonism).
- the term "competitive antagonism” refers to the competition between an agonist and an antagonist for a binding pocket of a receptor that occurs when the binding of agonist and antagonist becomes mutually exclusive. This may be because the agonist and antagonist compete for the same binding sites or pockets, or combine with adjacent but overlapping sites. A third possibility is that different sites are involved but that they influence the receptor macromolecules in such a way that agonist and antagonist molecules cannot be bound at the same time. If the agonist and antagonist form only short lived combinations with a binding pocket of a receptor so that equilibrium between agonist, antagonist and receptor is reached during the presence of the agonist, the antagonism will be surmountable over a wide range of concentrations. In contrast, some antagonists, when in close enough proximity to their binding site, may form a stable covalent bond with it and the antagonism becomes insurmountable when no spare receptors remain.
- an identified ligand or compound may act as a ligand model (for example, a template) for the development of other compounds.
- a modulator may be a mimetic of a ligand.
- a modulator may be one or a variety of different sorts of molecule.(See examples herein.)
- a modulator may be an endogenous physiological compound, or it may be a natural or synthetic compound.
- the modulators of the present invention may be natural or synthetic.
- the term “modulator” also refers to a chemically modified ligand or compound.
- peptides can be synthesized by solid phase techniques (Roberge JY et al (1995) Science 269: 202-204) and automated synthesis may be achieved, for example, using the ABI 43 1 A Peptide Synthesizer (Perkin Elmer) in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
- the peptide Once cleaved from the resin, the peptide may be purified by preparative high performance liquid chromatography (e.g., Creighton (1983) Proteins Structures and Molecular Principles, WH Freeman and Co, New York NY).
- the composition of the synthetic peptides may be confirmed by amino acid analysis or sequencing (e.g., the Edman degradation procedure; Creighton, supra).
- a modulator is a nucleotide, or a polypeptide expressable therefrom, it may be synthesized, in whole or in part, using chemical methods well known in the art (see Caruthers MH et al (1980) Nuc Acids Res Symp Ser 215-23, Horn T et al (1980) Nuc Acids Res Symp Ser 225-232), or it may be prepared using recombinant techniques well known in the art.
- Organic compounds may be prepared by organic synthetic methods described in references such as March, 1994, Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure, New York,
- the invention also relates to classes of modulators of RTKs based on the steucture and shape of a nucleotide, or component thereof, or a substrate or component thereof, defined in relation to the nucleotide's or substrate's spatial association with a crystal structure of the invention or part thereof.
- a class of modulators may comprise a compound containing a structure of adenine, adenosine, ribose, pyrophosphate, or ATP, and having one or more, preferably all, of the structural coordinates of adenine, adenosine, ribose, pyrophosphate, or ATP of Table 4.
- Functional groups in the adenine, adenosine, ribose, pyrophosphate, or ATP modulators may be substituted with, for example, alkyl, alkoxy, hydroxyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, thiol, thioalkyl, thioaryl, amino, or halo, or they may be modified using techniques known in the art.
- Another class of modulators defined by the invention are compounds comprising an adenine triphosphate group having the structural coordinates of adenine teiphosphate in the active site binding pocket of an Eph receptor.
- the invention contemplates all optical isomers and racemic forms of the modulators of the invention.
- the present invention also provides for the use of a modulator according to the invention, in the manufacture of a medicament to treat and/or prevent a disease in a mammalian patient.
- a pharmaceutical composition comprising such a modulator and a method of treating and/or preventing a disease comprising the step of administering such a modulator or pharmaceutical composition to a subject, preferably a mammalian patient.
- the pharmaceutical compositions may be for human or animal usage in human and veterinary medicine and will typically comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent, excipient, adjuvant or combination thereof.
- Acceptable carriers or diluents for therapeutic use are well known in the pharmaceutical art, and are described, for example, in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Co. (A. R. Gennaro edit. 1985).
- the choice of pharmaceutical carrier, excipient or diluent can be selected with regard to the intended route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice.
- the pharmaceutical compositions may comprise as - or in addition to - the carrier, excipient or diluent any suitable binder(s), lubricant(s), suspending agent(s), coating agent(s), solubilising agent(s).
- Preservatives, stabilizers, dyes and even flavouring agents may be provided in the pharmaceutical composition. Examples of preservatives include sodium benzoate, sorbic acid and esters of p- hydroxybenzoic acid. Antioxidants and suspending agents may also be used.
- the routes for administration include, but are not limited to, one or more of: oral (e.g. as a tablet, capsule, or as an ingestable solution), topical, mucosal (e.g. as a nasal spray or aerosol for inhalation), nasal, parenteral (e.g.
- an injectable form by an injectable form
- gastrointestinal inteaspinal, inteaperitoneal, intramuscular, intravenous, intrauterine, intraocular, inteadermal, inteacranial, inteatracheal, intravaginal, inteacerebroventeicular, inteacerebral, subcutaneous, ophthalmic (including inteavitreal or intracameral), transdermal, rectal, buccal, vaginal, epidural, sublingual.
- the pharmaceutical composition is to be delivered mucosally through the gastrointestinal mucosa, it should be able to remain stable during transit though the gastrointestinal tract; for example, it should be resistant to proteolytic degradation, stable at acid pH and resistant to the detergent effects of bile.
- compositions can be administered by inhalation, in the form of a suppository or pessary, topically in the form of a lotion, gel, hydrogel, solution, cream, ointment or dusting powder, by use of a skin patch, orally in the form of tablets containing excipients such as starch or lactose or chalk, or in capsules or ovules either alone or in admixture with excipients, or in the form of elixirs, solutions or suspensions containing flavouring or colouring agents, or they can be injected parenterally, for example intravenously, intramuscularly or subcutaneously.
- excipients such as starch or lactose or chalk
- capsules or ovules either alone or in admixture with excipients
- elixirs solutions or suspensions containing flavouring or colouring agents
- they can be injected parenterally, for example intravenously, intramuscularly or subcutaneously.
- compositions may be best used in the form of a sterile aqueous solution which may contain other substances, for example enough salts or monosaccharides to make the solution isotonic with blood.
- aqueous solutions should be suitably buffered (preferably to a pH of from 3 to 9), if necessary.
- the preparation of suitable parenteral formulations under sterile conditions is readily accomplished by standard pharmaceutical techniques well-known to those skilled in the art.
- agents of the present invention are administered parenterally, then examples of such administration include one or more of: intravenously, intra-arterially, intraperitoneally, intrathecally, inteaventricularly, inteaurethrally, intrasternally, inteacranially, intramuscularly or subcutaneously administering the agent; and or by using infusion techniques.
- compositions may be administered in the form of tablets or lozenges which can be formulated in a conventional manner.
- the tablets may contain excipients such as microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, sodium citrate, calcium carbonate, dibasic calcium phosphate and glycine, disintegrants such as starch (preferably corn, potato or tapioca starch), sodium starch glycollate, croscarmellose sodium and certain complex silicates, and granulation binders such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), sucrose, gelatin and acacia. Additionally, lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate, stearic acid, glyceryl behenate and talc may be included.
- Solid compositions of a similar type may also be employed as fillers in gelatin capsules.
- Preferred excipients in this regard include lactose, starch, cellulose, milk sugar or high molecular weight polyethylene glycols.
- the agent may be combined with various sweetening or flavouring agents, colouring matter or dyes, with emulsifying and/or suspending agents and with diluents such as water, ethanol, propylene glycol and glycerin, and combinations thereof.
- a therapeutic agent e.g. modulator
- a therapeutic agent e.g. modulator
- a suitable propellant e.g. dichlorodifluoromethane, teichlorofluoromethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, a hydrofluoroalkane such as 1,1,1,2-teteafluoroethane (HFA 134ATM) or 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (HFA 227EATM), carbon dioxide or other suitable gas.
- HFA 134ATM 1,1,1,2-teteafluoroethane
- HFA 227EATM 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane
- the dosage unit may be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount.
- the pressurised container, pump, spray or nebuliser may contain a solution or suspension of the active compound, e.g. using a mixture of ethanol and the propellant as the solvent, which may additionally contain a lubricant, e.g. sorbitan trioleate.
- a lubricant e.g. sorbitan trioleate.
- Capsules and cartridges (made, for example, from gelatin) for use in an inhaler or insufflator may be formulated to contain a powder mix of the agent and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch.
- a nucleic acid including a promoter operatively linked to a heterologous polypeptide may be used to produce high-level expression of the polypeptide in cells transfected with the nucleic acid.
- DNA or isolated nucleic acids may be introduced into cells of a subject by conventional nucleic acid delivery systems. Suitable delivery systems include liposomes, naked DNA, and receptor-mediated delivery systems, and viral vectors such as retroviruses, herpes viruses, and adenoviruses.
- the invention provides a method for inhibiting kinase activity of an RTK comprising maintaining the RTK or a binding pocket thereof involved in regulating the kinase domain in an autoinhibited state, or potentiating an autoinhibited state for the RTK or binding pocket thereof involved in regulating the kinase domain.
- An autoinhibited state may be maintained or potentiated by inhibiting phosphorylation of phosphoregulatory sites of the juxtamembrane segment and/or kinase domain (e.g. activation segment). Inhibition may be accomplished using modulators, or altering the structure of a binding pocket of the RTK comprising the phosphoregulatory sites, to prevent phosphorylation of the sites.
- the invention contemplates a method for altering the stability of an autoinhibited state of an RTK comprising phosphorylating phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region of the RTK.
- the invention relates to a method for changing an RTK from an autoinhibited state to an active state comprising phosphorylating phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region of the RTK.
- the invention provides a method for activating kinase activity of an RTK comprising phosphorylating phosphoregulatory sites of a juxtamembrane region and kinase domain (e.g. activation segment) of the RTK.
- the invention further provides a method of treating a mammal, the method comprising administering to a mammal a modulator or pharmaceutical composition of the present invention.
- the invention contemplates a method of treating or preventing a condition or disease associated with an RTK in a cellular organism, comprising: (c) administering a modulator of the invention in an acceptable pharmaceutical preparation; and
- the invention provides a method for treating or preventing a condition or disease involving increased RTK activity comprising maintaining the RTK or a binding pocket thereof involved in regulating the kinase domain of the RTK in an autoinhibited state.
- An autoinhibited state may be maintained as described herein.
- the condition or disease is cancer.
- the invention provides for the use of a modulator identified by the methods of the invention in the preparation of a medicament to treat or prevent a disease in a cellular organism.
- Use of modulators of the invention to manufacture a medicament is also provided.
- a physician will determine the actual dosage of a modulator or pharmaceutical composition of the invention that will be most suitable for an individual subject and it will vary with the age, weight and response of the particular patient and severity of the condition. There can, of course, be individual instances where higher or lower dosage ranges are merited.
- the specific dose level and frequency of dosage for any particular patient may be varied and will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed, the metabolic stability and length of action of that compound, the age, body weight, general health, sex, diet, mode and time of administration, rate of excretion, drug combination, the severity of the particular condition, and the individual undergoing therapy.
- the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may be administered in accordance with a regimen of 1 to 10 times per day, such as once or twice per day.
- the daily dosage level of the agent may be in single or divided doses.
- the modulators and compositions of the invention may be useful in the prevention and treatment of conditions involving aberrant RTKs.
- Conditions which may be prevented or treated in accordance with the invention include but are not limited to lymphoproliferative conditions, malignant and pre-malignant conditions, arthritis, inflammation, and autoimmune disorders.
- Malignant and pre-malignant conditions may include solid tumors, B cell lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, prostate hypertrophy, Hirschsprung disease, glioblastoma, breast and ovarian cancer, adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland, premyelocytic leukemia, prostate cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia type HA and IIB, medullary thyroid carcinoma, papillary carcinoma, papillary renal carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, sporadic mastocytosis, acute myeloid leukemia, large cell lymphoma or Alk lymphoma, chronic myeloid leukemia, hematological /solid tumors, papillary thyroid carcinoma, stem cell leukemia/lymphoma syndrome, acute myelogenous leukemia, osteosarcoma, multiple myeloma, preneoplastic liver foci, and resistance to chemotherapy.
- cancers e.g. follicular lymphomas, carcinomas with p53 mutations, hormone-dependent tumors such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma and ovarian cancer
- autoimmune disorders such as lupus erythematosus and immune-related glomerulonephritis rheumatoid arthritis
- viral infections such as herpes viruses, pox viruses, and adenoviruses
- inflammation graft vs. host disease, acute graft rejection and chronic graft rejection.
- Eph receptors and ephrins mediate contact-dependent repulsive guidance of migrating cells and axons in culture and in vivo.
- Many Eph family members are prominently expressed in the developing nervous system, and ephrin stimulation of growing primary axons in vitro results in axonal retraction or repulsion, characterized by a collapse of actin-rich growth cone structures at the leading edge of the cell.
- Mice bearing homozygous null mutations in EphA8 or in both EphB2 and EphB3 exhibit abnormal migration of axon tracts in the brain.
- Ephrin-induced retraction of exploratory actin filopodia has also been described in vivo in migrating Eph receptor-expressing neural crest cells.
- Eph receptors and ephrins have also been implicated in cell sorting and boundary formation.
- Eph-receptor signaling is able to modulate both cell-cell and cell-substrate attachment.
- Bidirectional Eph receptor-ephrin signaling is important for the formation of boundaries between rhombomeres of the hind brain. These cellular responses to Eph receptor stimulation indicate that they may regulate signaling events which control cytoskeletal architecture and cell adhesion functions.
- modulators of Eph receptors may be used to modulate axonogenesis, nerve cell interactions and regeneration, to treat conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and conditions involving trauma and injury to the nervous system, for example Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, demylinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, amyoteophic lateral sclerosis, bacterial and viral infections of the nervous system, deficiency diseases, such as Wernicke's disease and nuteitional polyneuropathy, progressive supranuclear palsy, Shy Drager's syndrome, multistem degeneration and olivo ponto cerebellar atrophy, peripheral nerve damage, trauma and ischemia resulting from stroke.
- demylinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis, amyoteophic lateral sclerosis, bacterial and viral infections of the nervous system
- deficiency diseases such as Wernicke's disease and nuteitional polyneuropathy, progressive supranuclear palsy, Shy Drager's syndrome
- Therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of compositions and modulators of the invention may be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or with experimental animals, such as by calculating the ED 50 (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% of the population) or LD 50 (the dose lethal to 50% of the population) statistics.
- the therapeutic index is the dose ratio of therapeutic to toxic effects and it can be expressed as the ED 50 /LD 5 o ratio.
- Pharmaceutical compositions that exhibit large therapeutic indices are preferred.
- juxtamembrane tyrosines Y604/610F
- the amplified cDNA sequence corresponding to the receptor's juxtamembrane region and kinase domain (residues 595-906), was cloned into pGEX-4T-l (Pharmacia).
- the glutathione- S teansferase (GST)-EphB2 construct was transformed into Escherichia coli B834 cells and the cells grown in minimal media supplemented with selenomethionine, with overnight induction at 15°C, and 0.15 mM IPTG (isopropyl- ⁇ -D-thiogalactopyranoside, BioShop). Cells were lysed by homogenization and sonication in 25 mM HEPES (pH 7.5), 50 mM NaCl, 20% glycerol, 2 mM DTT, 2mM phenyl-methyl sulphonyl fluoride.
- the cDNA sequence of the juxtamembrane region and kinase domain of murine EphA4 (amino acids 591-896), corresponding to residues 599-906 of murine EphB2, was cloned into pGEX-4T-2 (Pharmacia).
- the murine EphB2 numbering scheme was employed, and the corresponding EphA4 residue numbers are listed in parentheses. Using a PCR-based approach, Tyr 604 (Tyr596) and Tyr 610 (Tyr602) were mutated to phenylalanine.
- the following site-directed mutants were then generated using this doubly mutated construct: (1) ⁇ JX all ; deletion of 599-621 (591-613), (2) ⁇ JX1; deletion of 599-606 (591-598), (3) ⁇ JX1+2; deletion of 599-610 (591-602), (4) Pro607Gly (Pro599Gly), (5) Phe608Asp (Phe600Asp), (6) Phe620Asp (Phe612Asp), (7) Ser680Trp (Ser672Trp), (8) ⁇ JX1+2 plus Phe620Asp, and (9) Tyr604/610Glu (Tyr596/602Glu).
- the GST-EphA4 constructs were transformed into E.
- the 100- ⁇ l reaction volume contained 1 U lactic dehydrogenase, 1 U pyruvate kinase, 1 mM phosphoenolpyruvate, 0.2 mM NADH, and 0.5 mM ATP (in 20 mM MgCl 2 , 0.1 mM DTT, 60 mM HEPES [pH 7.5], 20 ⁇ g/mL bovine serum albumin).
- Wild type and mutant EphA4 activity was measured by monitoring absorbance at 340 nm (Varian UV- Visible spectrophotometer) for 90 minutes at a fixed enzyme concentration (0.5 ⁇ M) and 1 mM S-l synthetic peptide (GEEIYGEFD; amide at carboxy terminus) concentrations.
- protein concentrations were determined by UV specteometey at 280 nm using molar extinction coefficients. (Andersson, 1998; Collaborative Computational Project, 1994). Results and Discussions Structure Determination
- the predicted boundaries of the juxtamembrane region are residues 573-620, while those of the kinase and SAM domains are residues 621-892 and residues 919-994, respectively.
- Protein crystals of two different space groups were grown and the EphB2 structure was determined using a combination of seleno-methionine multiwavelength anomalous dispersion (SeMet MAD) and molecular replacement (MR) methods (see Methods).
- SeMet MAD seleno-methionine multiwavelength anomalous dispersion
- MR molecular replacement
- E ⁇ hB2 structure is well ordered except for the first seven and last six amino acid residues, kinase domain residues 651 to 653 connecting ⁇ -strands 2 and 3 of the N-terminal catalytic lobe, and residues 774 to 796 corresponding to the kinase activation segment within the C-terminal lobe. Only the adenine ring of AMP-PNP is ordered in experimental and model based electron density maps, and hence the sugar and phosphate groups have not been modeled. Data collection and refinement statistics are listed in Table 1 and a representative alignment of the EphB2 receptor and other protein kinase family members is provided in Figure 1. Overall description of the autoinhibited structure
- the structure of the catalytic domain of EphB2 conforms to that generally observed for protein kinases, consisting of two lobes, a smaller N-terminal lobe and larger C-terminal lobe ( Figure 2a,b).
- Protein kinases are capable of a range of conformations owing to an inlierent inter-lobe flexibility that allows for both open and closed conformations.
- the catalytically competent conformation is generally a closed structure in which the two catalytic lobes clamp together to form an interfacial nucleotide binding site and catalytic cleft.
- the autoinhibited EphB2 catalytic domain adopts a closed conformation that resembles an 'active' state.
- the N-terminal lobe of protein kinases consists minimally of a twisted 5-strand ⁇ -sheet (denoted ⁇ l to ⁇ 5 as first described for the cAMP dependent protein kinase (cAPK) and a single helix ⁇ C (Knighton et al., 1991).
- the N-terminal lobe functions to assist in the binding and coordination of ATP for the productive transfer of the ⁇ -phosphate to a substrate oriented by the C-terminal lobe.
- ⁇ - steands 1 and 2 and the glycine rich connecting segment (g-loop) form a flexible flap that interacts with the adenine base, ribose sugar and the non-hydrolyzable phosphate groups of ATP.
- an invariant salt bridge between a lysine side chain (sub-domain 2 in the protein kinase nomenclature of Hanks et al., 1988) in ⁇ -steand 3 and a glutamic acid side chain (sub-domain 3) in helix ⁇ C coordinates the ⁇ -phosphate of ATP.
- the C-terminal lobe of protein kinases consists minimally of two ⁇ -steands ( ⁇ 7and ⁇ 8) and a series of ⁇ -helices ( ⁇ D to ⁇ l). Strands ⁇ and ⁇ 8 locate to the cleft region between the N- and C-terminal lobes where they contribute side chains that participate in catalysis and the binding of magnesium for the coordination of ATP phosphate groups. In the EphB2 crystal structure, all lower lobe residues implicated in catalysis and ATP coordination appear optimally oriented (Figure 3 c).
- the activation segment which is also located in the large catalytic lobe, is disordered as in several other protein kinase structures in which the activation segment is not phosphorylated (reviewed by Johnson et al., 1996).
- the EphB2 juxtamembrane region preceding the catalytic domain is highly ordered and adopts an identical conformation in the four unique environments sampled in the two different crystal forms studied. From the amino-terminus, the conformation consists of an extended steand segment Exl, a single turn 3/10 helix ⁇ A', and a four-turn helix ⁇ B'. These elements associate intimately with helix ⁇ C of the N-terminal catalytic lobe and also make limited interactions with the C-terminal lobe. As a consequence of the association of the juxtamembrane segment with the N-terminal kinase lobe, significant curvature is imposed on helix ⁇ C.
- N-terminal lobe distortions couple directly to local distortions in other N-terminal lobe elements, most critically the g-loop and the invariant lysine-glutamate salt bridge. Together the N-terminal lobe distortions appear to impinge on catalytic function by adversely affecting the coordination of the sugar and phosphate groups of the bound nucleotide.
- the juxtamembrane segment With limited contacts to the lower lobe of the catalytic domain, the juxtamembrane segment also sterically impedes the activation segment from adopting the productive conformation that typifies the active state of protein-serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases. Together, the effects on nucleotide coordination and the activation segment form the basis for autoinhibition of EphB2 by the juxtamembrane segment.
- the juxtamembrane steand segment Exl corresponding to amino acid residues Lys 602 to He 605, extends along the cleft region between the N- and C-terminal lobes ( Figure 2c,d).
- the phosphoregulatory residue Tyr/Phe 604 orients into a solvent-exposed hydrophobic pocket composed of the side chains of Met 748 and Tyr 750 of the C-terminal kinase lobe, He 681 and Phe 685 from helix ⁇ C and Pro 607 from the juxtamembrane helix ⁇ A'.
- This site has been termed 'switch region 1' since Tyr/Phe 604 appears well placed to influence the association of the juxtamembrane region with the catalytic domain. Further stabilizing the interaction of strand Exl with the lower catalytic lobe are hydrogen bonds between the amide group of Tyr/Phe 604 and the carbonyl group of Met 748 and between the side chain of Gin 684 and the backbone amide and carbonyl groups of He 605.
- Helix ⁇ A' is composed of a single rigid turn initiated by an Asp606Pro607 sequence and terminated by Thr 609. This helix appears stabilized by the conformational rigidity of Pro 607 and the capping interactions involving the side chains of Asp 606 and Thr 609 with the free backbone amino group and carbonyl groups of Phe 608 and Asp 606.
- Helix ⁇ B' is also initiated by an Asp Pro sequence (residues 612 and 613) and Asp 612 makes similar capping interactions with the backbone amino and side chain of Asn 614.
- Helices ⁇ A' and ⁇ B' form an interface with the N-terminal lobe of the kinase that centers on helix ⁇ C.
- Hydrophobic side chains projecting from ⁇ A' and ⁇ B' include Pro 607, Phe 608, Pro 613, Val 617, Phe620 and Ala 621. These residues associate intimately with Arg 673, Leu 676, and He 681 from helix ⁇ C and Leu 693 and Val 696 from ⁇ -strand 4.
- steand Exl and helices ⁇ A' and ⁇ B' form an interface composed primarily of hydrophobic interactions.
- the side chain of the phosphoregulatory residue Tyr/Phe 610 projects onto the surface of this site and appears well positioned to exert an influence on the local juxtamembrane structure.
- This interface termed 'switch region 2', is composed of the side chains of He 605 from steand Exl and the side chains of Ala 616 and Phe 620 from helix ⁇ B'. Effect of the juxtamembrane engagement on the N-terminal lobe structure
- EphB2 crystal structure Comparison of the EphB2 crystal structure with that of the 'active' triply phosphorylated insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (active IRK (Hubbard, 1997)) indicates the mechanism by which the juxtamembrane region of EphB2 inhibits the catalytic domain. Superposition of C-terminal kinase lobe elements places the majority of N-terminal lobe elements into close correspondence ( Figure 3a-d). A distinguishing feature of the EphB2 structure is a 14° kink midway along helix ⁇ C centered at Glu 678.
- This kink which coincides with the site of association with the juxtamembrane elements Exl, ⁇ A' and ⁇ B', displaces the forward facing N-terminus of helix ⁇ C 6.8 A upward and outward from the equivalent position observed in IRK ( Figure 3a,c). Stabilizing this kink internally are side chain/main chain interactions involving Ser 677 and Ser 680.
- the kink in helix ⁇ C places its forward projecting terminus in close proximity to ⁇ -strands 3, 4, and 5, forming a tighter interface than that observed in active IRK ( Figure 3b). Residues participating in this interface include Arg 672, Phe 675, and Leu 676 from helix ⁇ C, Tyr 667 from the ⁇ 3 / ⁇ C linker and Leu 663, Val 696, Thr 698, Val 703, and He 705 from the ⁇ -strands.
- tyrosine 667 which is centrally positioned within this interface and is highly conserved amongst the Eph receptor family members, has been identified as an in vivo site of phosphorylation (Kalo and Pasquale, 1999), suggesting a possible phosphoregulatory role.
- the close association of helix ⁇ C with ⁇ -steands 3, 4 and 5 is achieved with a local alteration to the twist of the forward projecting termini of ⁇ -steands 1, 2 and 3 that leaves the bulk of the N-terminal sheet structure unperturbed.
- the g-loop side chain Phe 640 plays a role in coupling the ⁇ -strand movements to that of helix ⁇ C through a direct interaction with Phe 675.
- the altered twist of the ⁇ l, ⁇ 2 and ⁇ 3-steand termini displace main chain atoms at the end of the g-loop (Glu 639 and Phe 640) by approximately 3.3 A.
- EphB2 EphA4
- Eph RTKs Eph RTKs in general
- the switch to an active state is coordinated by phosphorylation at highly conserved sites within both the juxtamembrane region and the catalytic domain.
- the mechanism by which phosphorylation at sites within the activation segment stimulate protein kinases is relatively well understood (reviewed by Johnson et al, 1996) and by inference, phosphorylation of EphB2 at Tyr 788 likely promotes the ordering of the activation segment to a catalytically competent conformation.
- phosphorylation at Tyr/Phe 604 and 610 may serve to destabilize the juxtamembrane structure and cause it to dissociate from the catalytic domain. This would allow for a return of the N- terminal lobe to an undistorted active conformation.
- the EphB2 crystal steucture helps to explain how phosphorylation at each of the two phosphoregulatory sites could destabilize the juxtamembrane steucture and cause its release from the catalytic domain.
- the environment around each of the two switch regions is hydrophobic, but solvent exposed, and thus could accommodate either tyrosine or phenylalanine at positions 604 and 610 with little or no reorganization of the juxtamembrane structure. However, substitution with phosphotyrosine appears less tolerable due to steric and electrostatic clashes involving the bulky anionic phosphate group.
- a cytoplasmic fragment of the EphA4 receptor tyrosine kinase consisting of the juxtamembrane segment, the catalytic domain and the SAM domain, has been shown to require autophosphorylation for maximal activation (Binns et al, 2000).
- the importance of autophosphorylation was revealed by a lag period at the start of in vitro kinase reactions employing the dephosphorylated form of the EphA4 enzyme. This lag period was greatly reduced by pre-incubation of the EphA4 fragment with ATP or by deletion of the entire juxtamembrane segment.
- the mutations include a small N-terminal deletion of residues 595 to 606 ( ⁇ JX1) encompassing strand Exl and the first phosphoregulatory site, an intermediate N-terminal deletion of residues 599 to 610 ( ⁇ JX1+2) that encompasses steand Exl, the first phosphoregulatory site, helix ⁇ A' and the second phosphoregulatory site, and a full juxtamembrane segment deletion of residues 599 to 621 ( ⁇ JX a ii).
- the Tyr604/610Phe double mutant and the wild type proteins were analyzed concomitantly as reference points for the fully repressed (0%) and active (100%) states, respectively.
- the activities of the EphA4 proteins expressed in bacteria were tested for their ability to induce protein tyrosine phosphorylation in vivo ( Figure 5a), and to autophosphorylate and to phosphorylate enolase in vitro ( Figure 5b).
- EphA4 proteins were also tested for their ability to phosphorylate a peptide substrate using a continuous spectophotometeic assay (Figure 5c).
- full-length EphB2 proteins expressed in COS-1 cells were tested for their ability to autophosphorylate in vivo and to autophosphorylate and phosphorylate enolase in vitro ( Figure 5d).
- Phe 620 is notable because it contributes to the hydrophobic pocket into which the phosphoregulatory residue Tyr/Phe 610 binds; its substitution with Asp is predicted to disrupt the hydrophobic interaction with Tyr/Phe 610, and to clash electrostatically with the surrounding negatively charged groups in a manner mimicking phosphorylation of Tyr/Phe 610.
- the introduction of point mutations into the kinase domain at the interface with the juxtamembrane region also restored catalytic function. Mutation of Ser680 (82% identity) to Trp in both EphA4 and EphB2 constructs gave modest restoration with the phosphorylation of peptide substrate being restored to 41% of wild-type activity.
- TGF ⁇ Rl serine/threonine kinase has revealed a role for the juxtamembrane Gly/Ser/Thr-rich motif ("GS segment") in regulating catalytic activity.
- GS segment Gly/Ser/Thr-rich motif
- TGF ⁇ Rl kinases require phosphorylation at sites within the juxtamembrane segment for subsequent phosphorylation of target Smad proteins (Macias-Silva et al, 1996).
- the regulatory mechanism revealed by the X-ray crystal structure of a cytoplasmic fragment of TGF ⁇ Rl in complex with FKBP12 shows some parallels to EphB2.
- the intramolecular engagement of the juxtamembrane segment induces conformational distortions in the catalytic domain that impinge on kinase function.
- the induced distortions impact on the relative positioning and/or conformation of helix ⁇ C.
- the inhibitory mechanisms including the mode of juxtamembrane association with the catalytic domain and the resulting basis for inhibition, diverge. Perhaps the most significant difference relates to the potential involvement of FKBP12 in stabilizing the inhibited structure of TGF ⁇ Rl, whereas EphB2 achieves an autoinhibited state independently.
- EphB2 the data for EphB2 indicate that receptor tyrosine kinases and receptor serine/threonine kinases have in some cases converged on a related regulatory mechanism in which the juxtamembrane region inhibits the kinase domain in the inactive state, and is potentially liberated to interact with downstream targets upon autophosphorylation. Discussion
- EphB2 employ a rather complex mechanism of autoregulation, involving the non- catalytic juxtamembrane region?
- One possible benefit may be to block any potential signaling activity intrinsic to the juxtamembrane sequence.
- phosphorylation of tyrosines 604 and 610 in EphB2 creates docking sites for SH2 domain proteins. Sequestering these tyrosines decreases their chance of becoming adventitiously phosphorylated and thereby inappropriately transmitting a signal through the recruitment of downstream targets.
- EphB2 activity may also set a phosphorylation threshold that must be exceeded to induce receptor activation.
- Full stimulation of Eph receptors apparently requires autophosphorylation at multiple sites within both the activation segment and juxtamembrane region.
- the use of at least two distinct phosphoregulatory steps may preclude inappropriate Eph receptor activation resulting from basal levels of kinase activity. Since Eph receptors have powerful biological activities during embryogenesis and postnatally, their aberrant activation would be expected to have severe phenotypic consequences, which could be avoided by requiring multi-site phosphorylation of the receptor.
- autophosphorylation within the juxtamembrane region of the PDGFR- ⁇ may couple receptor activation to the exposure of SH2 domain-binding sites, as appears to be the case for Eph receptors. Consistent with the notion that the juxtamembrane region of the PDGFR- ⁇ exerts an inhibitory influence on kinase activity, substitution of a valine residue, just N-terminal to the regulatory tyrosines, results in constitutive receptor activation in vitro and in vivo (Irusta and DiMaio, 1998).
- Kit In addition to the PDGFR- ⁇ , the juxtamembrane regions of c-Fms (Myles et al., 1994), Kit, and Flt3 receptors have been implicated in regulation of tyrosine kinase activity.
- Oncogenic variants of Kit identified in human and murine mast cell leukemias carry either amino acid substitutions or deletions in the juxtamembrane region, which result in constitutive activation of the kinase domain (Tsujimura et al., 1996)(see Figure 1).
- GIST human gastrointestinal steomal tumors
- Kit and Flt3 juxtamembrane regions may repress kinase activity, and juxtamembrane mutations that relieve this inhibition can result in human cancers.
- insulin receptor which upon activation becomes autophosphorylated within the juxtamembrane region and consequently binds targets such as IRS-1 and ShcA, which possess PTB domains.
- Kinetic analysis of wild type and mutant insulin receptors has suggested that the insulin receptor juxtamembrane region acts as an inteasteric inhibitor to block the kinase domain active site, in a fashion that is relieved by autophosphorylation of juxtamembrane tyrosines (Cann et al., 2000).
- Many RTKs have C-terminal tails that upon activation become phosphorylated at SH2/PTB domain-binding sites.
- the juxtamembrane and C-terminal segments of RTKs may play a pivotal role in regulating the kinase domain, and in coordinating enzymatic activation with the exposure of motifs that bind cytoplasmic targets.
- these observations have interesting implications for the design of RTK inhibitors.
- the structure of the Abl kinase bound to the inhibitor STI-571 suggests that this compound binds selectively to the inactive form of the kinase (Schindler et al., 2000).
- the unusual structure of autoinhibited EphB2 suggests the possibility of isolating inhibitors that bind specifically to the inactive conformation of the kinase. Indeed, if this mode of inteasteric regulation is a more common feature of RTKs, this might be a general steategy for the identification of selective RTK inhibitors.
- EphB2 The structure of EphB2 reveals an entirely novel mechanism for RTK autoregulation.
- ATOM 469 CA LYS A 664 -15.490 -16.061 10.490 ,00 30.02 A
- ATOM 484 CA GLY A 666 21 781 -16 876 11.689 1 00 27 97 A
- ATOM 516 CA LYS A 670 -23.092 -7.171 439 1 . 0000 2200. 4444 A
- ATOM 654 C ASP A 686 -1 .929 -4 668 -12 626 1 00 16 .22 A ATOM 655 O ASP A 686 -1.645 -4.100 -13.681 1,.00 13..75 A
- ATOM 668 CA PRO A 688 3 .,441 -5.250 ⁇ 10.275 1 .00 14 .14 A
- ATOM 682 CA VAL A 690 -0.438 -3, 738 -6.275 1. ,00 10, .17 A
- ATOM 692 CGI ILE A 691 0.8 87766 -6.555 ,027 1. ,00 18, .01 A
- ATOM 694 C ILE A 691 -2 1 12222 -7.724 ,478 1. ,00 14. .49 A
- ATOM 852 N ASN A 712 7. ,879 -11. ,403 3. ,165 1. ,00 16. .84 A
- ATOM 853 CA ASN A 712 8. ,322 -10. ,459 4. ,160 1. ,00 15. .71 A
- ATOM 854 CB ASN A 712 9. ,368 -9. ,544 3. ,547 1. ,00 17, ,27 A
- ATOM 855 CG ASN A 712 10. .627 -10. ,303 3. ,222 1. ,00 17, ,78 A
- ATOM 858 C ASN A 712 7, ,237 -9. ,685 4. ,868 1. .00 15. .77 A
- ATOM 859 O ASN A 712 7, ,515 -8. ,845 5. ,711 1. .00 13. .23 A
- ATOM 861 CA GLY A 713 4. ,884 -9. .350 5, ,207 1, .00 13, .90 A
- ATOM 862 C GLY A 713 4, ,785 -7, .846 5. ,109 1. ,00 14, .53 A
- ATOM 871 CA LEU A 715 6. .639 -3. ,206 5. ,352 1. .00 15, ,61 A
- ATOM 876 C LEU A 715 7. ,102 -2. ,540 6. ,637 1. .00 14. .75 A
- ATOM 878 N ASP A 716 6, .180 -2, ,018 7. .444 1 .00 15, .82 A
- ATOM 879 CA ASP A 716 6, .631 -1, .369 8, ,674 1, .00 17, .28 A
- ATOM 884 C ASP A 716 7, .317 -2, .397 9. .587 1, .00 17, .91 A
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Cited By (8)
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US6864227B1 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2005-03-08 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery-and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US6887674B1 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2005-05-03 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery- and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US7381410B2 (en) | 2003-03-12 | 2008-06-03 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US7585967B2 (en) | 2003-03-12 | 2009-09-08 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Nucleic acid compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US7977463B2 (en) | 2004-03-12 | 2011-07-12 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US8975377B2 (en) | 2007-08-13 | 2015-03-10 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc | Cancer treatment using humanized antibodies that bind to EphB4 |
US8981062B2 (en) | 2004-03-12 | 2015-03-17 | Vasgene Theapeutics, Inc | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US9533026B2 (en) | 2004-09-23 | 2017-01-03 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
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US20080064052A1 (en) * | 2006-01-12 | 2008-03-13 | The Scripps Research Institute | Crystal of a Receptor-Ligand Complex and methods of use |
JP6170435B2 (en) | 2010-11-08 | 2017-07-26 | ザ ボード オブ トラスティーズ オブ ザ レランド スタンフォード ジュニア ユニバーシティー | Fusion proteins containing modified knotton peptides and uses thereof |
EP2631653A1 (en) * | 2012-02-24 | 2013-08-28 | Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Identification of modulators of binding properties of antibodies reactive with a member of the insulin receptor family |
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BINNS KATHLEEN L ET AL: "Phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in the kinase domain and juxtamembrane region regulates the biological and catalytic activities of Eph receptors." MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, vol. 20, no. 13, July 2000 (2000-07), pages 4791-4805, XP002213744 ISSN: 0270-7306 * |
DATABASE OCA [Online] EBI, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK.; 1 July 2001 (2001-07-01) WYBENGA-GROOT ET AL: "Crystal structure of unphosphorylated EphB2 receptor tyrosine kinase and juxtamembrane region." Database accession no. 1JPA XP002213745 * |
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HUBBARD S R: "Crystal structure of the activated insulin receptor tyrosine kinase in complex with peptide substrate and ATP analog." THE EMBO JOURNAL. ENGLAND 15 SEP 1997, vol. 16, no. 18, 15 September 1997 (1997-09-15), pages 5572-5581, XP002213743 ISSN: 0261-4189 * |
JOHNSON L N ET AL: "The structural basis for substrate recognition and control by protein kinases" FEBS LETTERS, ELSEVIER SCIENCE PUBLISHERS, AMSTERDAM, NL, vol. 430, no. 1-2, 23 June 1998 (1998-06-23), pages 1-11, XP004259128 ISSN: 0014-5793 * |
PARANG K ET AL: "MECHANISM-BASED DESIGN OF A PROTEIN KINASE INHIBITOR" NATURE STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY, NEW YORK, NY, US, vol. 8, no. 1, January 2001 (2001-01), pages 37-41, XP001053332 ISSN: 1072-8368 * |
STURA E A ET AL: "APPLICATIONS OF THE STREAK SEEDING TECHNIQUE IN PROTEIN CRYSTALLIZATION" JOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH, NORTH-HOLLAND PUBLISHING CO. AMSTERDAM, NL, vol. 110, no. 1 / 2, 1 March 1991 (1991-03-01), pages 270-282, XP000237600 ISSN: 0022-0248 * |
WYBENGA-GROOT LEANNE E ET AL: "Structural basis for autoinhibition of the EphB2 receptor tyrosine kinase by the unphosphorylated juxtamembrane region." CELL, vol. 106, no. 6, 21 September 2001 (2001-09-21), pages 745-757, XP002213742 ISSN: 0092-8674 * |
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US7741272B2 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2010-06-22 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery- and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US6887674B1 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2005-05-03 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery- and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US7939071B2 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2011-05-10 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery- and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US6864227B1 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2005-03-08 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery-and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US7595044B2 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2009-09-29 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery-and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US7700297B2 (en) | 1998-04-13 | 2010-04-20 | California Institute Of Technology | Artery- and vein-specific proteins and uses therefor |
US7585967B2 (en) | 2003-03-12 | 2009-09-08 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Nucleic acid compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US7862816B2 (en) | 2003-03-12 | 2011-01-04 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US7381410B2 (en) | 2003-03-12 | 2008-06-03 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US8063183B2 (en) | 2003-03-12 | 2011-11-22 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US8273858B2 (en) | 2003-03-12 | 2012-09-25 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US7977463B2 (en) | 2004-03-12 | 2011-07-12 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc. | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US8981062B2 (en) | 2004-03-12 | 2015-03-17 | Vasgene Theapeutics, Inc | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US9533026B2 (en) | 2004-09-23 | 2017-01-03 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc | Polypeptide compounds for inhibiting angiogenesis and tumor growth |
US8975377B2 (en) | 2007-08-13 | 2015-03-10 | Vasgene Therapeutics, Inc | Cancer treatment using humanized antibodies that bind to EphB4 |
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