NMR spectroscopic investigations of the activated p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase.
Phosphorylation of protein kinases is a central mechanism involved in numerous cellular regulatory circuits, both in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. An understanding of the structural and functional consequences of protein phosphorylation is of considerable importance for the design of selective, small-molecule kinase inhibitors. NMR spectroscopy is a central method to support structure-based drug design. Here, we present the NMR assignment of the activated p38α kinase and compare it to the NMR assignment of unphosphorylated p38α. Conformational changes in solution induced by activation can be located to the activation loop, an adjacent loop, and an insert part of the polypeptide chain that is specific for the family of mitogen-activated kinases. Deuterium-exchange experiments additionally revealed differences in exchange behavior for two residues in an alanine-rich helix-loop motif that becomes more flexible upon binding of an ATP analogue and a substrate peptide.
Institute for Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 7, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Gerd
G
Nielsen
Harald
H
Schwalbe
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D041961:Deuterium Exchange Measurement; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D048308:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D010455:Peptides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D048308:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14