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Molecular and Cellular Biology, January 2005, p. 671-684, Vol. 25, No. 2
0270-7306/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.25.2.671-684.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Brian K. Yeh,1,
Anna V. Eliseenkova,1
Fuming Zhang,2
Shaun K. Olsen,1
Makoto Igarashi,3
Stuart A. Aaronson,3
Robert J. Linhardt,2 and
Moosa Mohammadi1*
Department of Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine,1 Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,3 Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York2
Received 31 May 2004/ Returned for modification 28 June 2004/ Accepted 4 October 2004
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Recent crystallographic analysis of binary FGF-FGFR and ternary FGF-FGFR-heparin complexes have provided two prevailing models for FGFR dimerization (Fig. 1) (24, 27, 30, 32). The symmetric two-end model is based on the crystal structure of a symmetric 2-2 FGF2-FGFR1c dimer (Protein Data Base identifier [PDB ID], 1CVS) obtained in the absence of heparin (Fig. 1A) (27). Each ligand is bivalent, and each receptor is trivalent, with respect to protein-protein interactions. FGF and FGFR interact through an extensive primary interaction site to form a monomeric FGF-FGFR complex (Fig. 1A). In addition, ligand from one monomeric FGF-FGFR complex promotes dimerization through a distinct secondary interaction with D2 of the adjoining FGF-FGFR complex (Fig. 1A). The dimer interface is further enlarged by direct receptor-receptor contacts (Fig. 1A). A positively charged canyon is formed on the membrane distal end of the dimer and is located deep between the inward heparin binding sites of the two centrally located D2s and wanes onto the heparin binding surface of each FGF ligand (Fig. 1A). In the absence of heparin, a series of sulfate ions bind into the canyon and have been proposed to mimic the sulfate moieties of heparin. Diffusion of heparin into 2-2 FGF2-FGFR1c crystals resulted in the symmetric binding of two heparin molecules into this canyon (Fig. 1A) (PDB ID, 1FQ9) (30). Each heparin oligosaccharide interacts with one ligand and both receptors in the dimer, thus promoting FGFR dimerization by augmenting FGF-FGFR binding at primary and secondary interaction sites, as well as by stabilizing receptor-receptor contacts. Importantly, FGF1-FGFR2c (PDB ID, 1DJS) (32) and FGF10-FGFR2b (PDB ID, 1NUN) (39) complexes were also crystallized using high-ammonium sulfate buffer, which facilitated the formation of canyon dimers in both cases. The recurrence of these canyon dimers, despite different FGF and FGFR constituents, points to the physiological relevance of the mode of dimerization observed in the canyon dimers.
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FIG. 1. Two competing models for FGFR dimerization. (A) Ribbon diagram of the FGF2-FGFR1c-heparin crystal structure (PDB ID, 1FQ9) in two views related by a 90° rotation about the horizontal axis. The distance between the membrane insertion points at the end of D3 is 48 Å in the symmetric two-end model. FGF ligand and D2 are colored orange and green, respectively. The first half of D3 is colored blue, and the alternatively spliced region of D3 is colored purple. Atom coloring for heparin is as follows: oxygens red, sulfurs yellow, nitrogens blue, and carbons gray. (B) Ribbon diagram of the FGF1-FGFR2c-heparin crystal structure (PDB ID, 1E0O). Note that in the asymmetric model, heparin interacts with only the FGFR in the left half of the dimer. The distance between the membrane insertion points at the end of D3 is 74 Å in this model. Coloring is as in panel A. The location of the ßC'-ßE specificity loop in each model is indicated by an arrow. The location and isomerization state of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline are indicated for each structure.
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Pellegrini et al. (24) suggested that the trans configuration of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline in the binary FGF-FGFR complexes is inactive, and by extension, the mode of dimerization in the symmetric two-end model is not physiologically relevant. It was proposed that heparin converts these inactive complexes and dimers into active dimers by catalyzing a trans-to-cis isomerization of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline. A S252W gain-of-function mutation in FGFR2, responsible for Apert syndrome (35), was used as indirect evidence in support of this hypothesis. It was proposed that the S252W mutation results in gain of function by promoting a trans-to-cis isomerization of Pro253 (24), as aromatic amino acids preceding a proline have been shown to induce a high fraction of cis isomer in test peptides (29). However, we recently elucidated the crystal structure of S252W FGFR2c in complex with FGF2 and showed unequivocally that Pro253 remains in a trans conformation (6). Instead, we found that the S252W mutation results in receptor gain of function through the introduction of additional receptor-ligand contacts (6) that enhance 1-1 FGF-FGFR binding affinity (1, 7).
Defining the precise mechanism for FGFR dimerization is important not only for our understanding of FGFR function but also for our ability to manipulate FGFR signaling for therapeutic purposes. Hence, to resolve the uncertainty regarding the mode of FGFR dimerization, we studied the effects of abolishing the secondary ligand-receptor interaction site, observed only in the symmetric two-end model, using cellular proliferation, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF), and real-time binding experiments. The receptor and heparin binding affinities of secondary ligand-receptor interaction site FGF10 mutants are indistinguishable from those of wild-type FGF10. However, these mutations reduce the ability of FGF10 to induce receptor dimerization and signaling and provide direct biological evidence in support of a secondary ligand-receptor interaction site for FGFR signaling. We also examined the effect of a naturally occurring Pfeiffer syndrome mutation in FGFR2, Ala172
Phe, which coincidentally maps to the receptor-receptor interaction site in the symmetric two-end model. Indeed, the crystal structure of A172F FGFR2b in complex with FGF10 demonstrates that this substitution results in receptor gain of function by increasing receptor-receptor contacts. Finally, the trans configuration of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline is validated by an FGF10 mutation that abolishes D3-FGF interactions that occur only in the symmetric two-end model. Taken together, our findings support both the mode of ligand-receptor binding and dimerization in the symmetric two-end model and are inconsistent with the asymmetric model for FGFR dimerization.
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Surface plasmon resonance analysis.
All interactions were characterized using a BIAcore (Uppsala, Sweden) 3000 instrument as previously described (8, 9, 40). To study the effects of FGF10 mutations (E158A, K195A, and E158A-K195A) or the pathogenic FGFR2 mutation (A172F) on 1-1 FGF10-FGFR2b binding, wild-type or mutant (E158A, K195A, and E158A-K195A) FGF10 was immobilized on research grade CM5 chips according to standard amine coupling protocol (Biacore AB) (8). FGF homologous factor 1b (FHF1b), formerly known as FGF12b, a structurally homologous protein that does not bind FGFR, was immobilized on control flow cells (8). Wild-type and mutant (E158A, K195A, and E158A-K195A) FGF10, as well as FHF1b, were all immobilized to similar levels (change in response units,
1,000). To obtain kinetic data for wild-type or mutant FGF10-FGFR2b interactions, different concentrations of analytes (wild-type and A172F FGFR2b) in HBS-EP buffer (0.01 M HEPES, 0.15 M NaCl, 3 mM EDTA, 0.005% [vol/vol] polysorbate 20, pH 7.4) were injected at 50 µl/min over the sensor chip containing wild-type and mutant FGF10 ligands.
Data for FGF10-heparin and FGFR2b-heparin interactions were generated using a neoproteoglycan sensor chip, prepared by covalently immobilizing albumin-heparin conjugate (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) as previously described (9, 40). Albumin was immobilized on the control flow cell. To obtain kinetic data, different concentrations of analytes, wild-type and mutant (E158A, K195A, and E158A-K195A) FGF10 or wild-type and A172F FGFR2b, in HBS-EP buffer were injected over the heparin-albumin sensor chip at 50 µl/min.
Reference responses from control flow cells (FGF12 or albumin) were, respectively, subtracted from FGF10 (wild type and mutant) or albumin-heparin flow cells for each analyte injection using BiaEvaluation software (Biacore AB). The kinetic parameters were calculated by globally fitting the sensorgrams to a 1-1 interaction using BiaEvaluation software (Biacore AB). Disturbances at the beginning and end of each sensorgram were excluded. A minimum of four different analyte concentrations were used to determine the kinetic parameters for each interaction. Following curve fitting, each sensorgram was manually examined for the closeness of the model fit to the experimental data.
2 was <10% of Rmax in all cases.
BALB/MK cellular assays. DNA synthesis was measured by a [3H]thymidine incorporation assay using serum-starved confluent cultures of BALB/MK cells as previously described (10). To study the activation of MEK and MAP kinase, serum-starved BALB/MK cells were stimulated with different concentrations of wild-type or E158A-K195A mutant FGF10 plus or minus 0.3 µg of heparin (Sigma)/ml. Immunoblotting experiments were performed by lysing BALB/MK cells in 150 mM NaCl-50 mM Tris (pH 7.4)-1% Triton-10 µg of aprotinin/ml-2 µM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride-2 µM sodium orthovanadate, and the lysates were cleared of insoluble material by centrifugation at 14,000 rpm (Sorvall) for 20 min at 4°C. Proteins (100 µg) were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes. The membranes were blocked and probed with antibodies, including anti-MEK (Santa Cruz Biotechnology), anti-phospho-MEK, anti-MAPK, and anti-phospho-MAPK (all from Cell Signaling) and antitubulin (Sigma). The immunoreactivities of proteins were detected by chemiluminescence (Amersham).
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
Protein samples (0.5 µl), containing 25 pmol of wild-type or mutant FGF10-FGFR2b complex in the presence or absence of 25 pmol of heparin dodecasaccharide, were mixed with 0.5 µl of matrix solution (10 mg of
-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid/ml in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid and 50% acetonitrile). The mixtures were allowed to dry and crystallize at room temperature on top of a preformed thin crystal layer of matrix alone (4). Positive ion mass spectra were acquired in linear mode using a Micromass TofSpec-2E MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer with time lag focusing. Ions were formed by irradiation with a 337-nm-wavelength N2 laser for a pulse time of 4 ns and then accelerated at a potential of 22.5 kV. A matrix suppression lens was set to suppress ions below m/z 5,000, and ions were detected using a high-mass detector. Two hundred laser shots were summed per spectrum. Data were acquired and processed using manufacturer-supplied MassLynx software.
Crystallization, data collection, structure determination, and refinement. Crystals of the A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complex were grown using the previously reported crystallization conditions (2 M ammonium sulfate) for the wild-type FGFR2b-FGF10 (39). A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 crystals belong to space group P6422 and are isomorphous to wild-type FGFR2-FGF10 crystals (39). The unit cell dimensions of the A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 crystals are as follows: a = b = 115.109 Å and c = 161.957 Å. The asymmetric unit contains a single A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complex. A 2.8-Å data set was collected from a flash-frozen crystal (in a dry nitrogen stream) on a charge-coupled device detector at beamline X-4A at the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory. The data were processed using DENZO and SCALEPACK software (23).
Rigid body, positional and B-factor refinement, and simulated annealing were performed using CNS software (3). Tight noncrystallographic symmetry restraints were imposed throughout the refinement for the backbone atoms of FGF10, D2, and D3. Model building into 2Fo-Fc and Fo-Fc electron density maps was performed with program O (15). The final model consists of one FGF10 (residues 72 to 207), one FGFR2b (residues 151 to 359), two sulfate ions, and one PEG-400 molecule. The average B factor for all of the protein atoms is 64 Å2.
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FIG. 2. Crystallographic FGF10-FGFR2b dimer interface. (A) Ribbon diagram of the twofold crystallographic FGF10-FGFR2b canyon dimer in two views related by a 90° rotation about the horizontal axis. (B) Secondary interaction site at the dimeric interface. (C) Interactions at the receptor-receptor interface. D2, D3, and FGF are colored as in Fig. 1. The side chains of selected interacting residues are displayed. Oxygen atoms are colored red, nitrogen is blue, and carbon atoms are the same color as the molecules to which they belong. On the right are views of the whole structure in the exact orientation that the detailed views show, with the regions of interest boxed.
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As mentioned above, there are no protein-protein interfaces that facilitate dimerization in the asymmetric model (PDB ID, 1E0O). We have highlighted the locations of Glu105 and Gly140 of FGF1, which correspond to Glu158 and Lys195 of FGF10, respectively, in the asymmetric model (Fig. 3). Due to the cis-configured D2-D3 linker invariant proline, Glu105 of FGF1 contributes to 1-1 FGF1-FGFR2c binding by making a van der Waals contact with Ile257 of D3 (Fig. 3). Gly140 of FGF1 does not interact with receptor or heparin (Fig. 3). The distinct roles of these two residues in each model provide an attractive opportunity to identify the correct model for FGFR dimerization. The symmetric two-end model predicts that the E158A and K195A mutations should diminish the ability of FGF10 to promote FGFR2b signaling due to a decrease in dimerization efficiency. However, the E158A and K195A mutations should not affect the 1-1 binding affinity of FGF10 for FGFR2b in the symmetric two-end model. The asymmetric model also predicts that the E158A mutation in FGF10 will diminish the ability of FGF10 to activate FGFR2b but, in contrast, will be due to diminished 1-1 FGF10-FGFR2b binding affinity. The asymmetric model predicts that the K195A mutation should have no effect on 1-1 FGF10-FGFR2b binding affinity or FGFR2b signaling.
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FIG. 3. Analysis of the FGF1-FGFR2c-heparin structure (PDB ID, 1E0O). Locations of FGF1 residues corresponding to Glu158 and Lys195 of FGF10 in 1E0O are shown. D2, D3, and FGF are colored as in Fig. 1. Oxygen atoms are colored red, nitrogen is blue, and carbon atoms are the same color as the molecules to which they belong. The location and isomerization state of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline are indicated.
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FIG. 4. Surface plasmon resonance analysis of wild-type (WT) and mutant FGF10-FGFR2b interactions. Sensorgrams of FGFR2b binding to (A) wild-type FGF10, (B) E158A FGF10, (C) K195A FGF10, (D) E158A-K195A FGF10, and (E) R78A FGF10 are shown. In panel F, a sensorgram of A172F FGFR2b binding to wild-type FGF10 is shown. Analyte concentrations are colored as follows: 50 nM, blue; 100 nM, red; 200 nM, green; 400 nM, violet; and 800 nM, brown. Kinetic data are summarized in Table 1. RU, response units.
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TABLE 1. Summary of kinetic data for wild-type and mutant FGF10-FGFR2b interactions
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FIG. 5. Surface plasmon resonance analysis of wild-type (WT) and mutant FGF10 or FGFR2b interactions with heparin. Sensorgrams of heparin binding to (A) wild-type FGF10, (B) E158A FGF10, (C) K195A FGF10, and (D) E158A-K195A FGF10 are shown. In panels E and F, sensorgrams of heparin binding to wild-type FGFR2b and A172F FGFR2b, respectively, are shown. Analyte concentrations are colored as follows: 50 nM, blue; 100 nM, red; 200 nMm, green; 400 nM, violet; and 800 nM, brown. Kinetic data are summarized in Table 2. RU, response units.
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TABLE 2. Summary of kinetic data of wild-type and mutant FGF10-heparin and wild-type and mutant FGFR2b-heparin interactions
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FIG. 6. Structure-based mutagenesis of FGF10 confirms the importance of Glu158 and Lys195 for FGF10 biological activity. (A) Serum-starved BALB/MK cells were stimulated with increasing concentrations of wild-type FGF10 or E158A, K195A, or E158A-K195A FGF10 mutants plus 0.3 µg of heparin (Sigma)/ml. Sixteen hours later, [3H]thymidine was added for 6 h, and incorporation was determined as described previously (39). The error bars indicate standard deviations. FL, full length; EK, E158A-K195A. (B and C) Confluent BALB/MK cultures were incubated overnight in serum-free medium, followed by exposure to purified wild-type (WT) FGF10 or E158A-K195A FGF10 mutant at the indicated concentrations for 5 min at 37°C either in the presence (+) or absence () of 0.3 µg of heparin/ml. Around 100 µg of cell lysates was prepared as described in Materials and Methods, and immunoblot analysis was performed for (B) MEK and P-MEK and (C) MAPK and P-MAPK to assess the activation of these downstream components of the FGF10 pathway. Immunoblotting for tubulin was performed as a loading control.
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20 kDa) and FGFR2b (
25 kDa) and also reveals a peak at a mass of
45 kDa, corresponding to a 1-1 monomeric FGF10-FGFR2b complex peak. The addition of one equivalent of heparin dodecasaccharide to wild-type FGF10-FGFR2b complex results in the appearance of a consistently reproducible peak at
90 kDa (Fig. 7B), which corresponds to a dimeric 2-2 FGF10-FGFR2b complex. Having established that MALDI-TOF is capable of detecting heparin-induced dimerization of FGF-FGFR complexes, we next studied the effects of E158A and K195A mutations on FGFR dimerization in the presence and absence of heparin (Fig. 7C and D). Analysis of the E158A-K195A FGF10-FGFR2b complex in the presence of one equivalent of heparin dodecasaccharide (Fig. 7D) reveals a significantly smaller dimer peak than observed in the wild-type FGF10-FGFR2b complex in the presence of heparin (Fig. 7B). Hence, these data provide direct evidence that Glu158 and Lys195 of FGF10 participate in FGF10-FGFR2b dimerization.
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FIG. 7. MALDI-TOF analysis of FGF10-FGFR2b dimerization. Twenty-five picomoles of 1-1 FGF10-FGFR2b complexes (wild type and mutant) with and without 25 pmol of heparin dodecasaccharide were analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in linear ion mode as described in Materials and Methods. (A) Wild-type FGF10-FGFR2b complex without heparin. (B) Wild-type FGF10-FGFR2b complex with one equivalent of heparin. (C) E158A-K195A FGF10-FGFR2b complex without heparin. (D) E158A-K195A FGF10-FGFR2b complex with one equivalent of heparin. (E) A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complex without heparin. (F) A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complex with one equivalent of heparin.
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Gain-of-function mutations in FGFR2 are responsible for a variety of craniosynostosis syndromes (11, 19). Coincidentally, a novel pathogenic FGFR2 mutation, A172F, was recently detected in a kindred originally described by Pfeiffer in 1964 (16, 25) and maps to the receptor-receptor interface in the symmetric two-end model. Based on this model, the introduction of a Phe at residue 172 in FGFR2 should increase the magnitude of the hydrophobic interaction and further stabilize the dimer. To test this hypothesis, we crystallized the A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complex. A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complex crystals were grown under conditions similar to those for the wild-type FGFR2b-FGF10 complex and are isomorphous to wild-type FGFR2b-FGF10 crystals (PDB ID, 1NUN) (39). The overall conformation of the A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complex is identical to that of the wild-type FGFR2b-FGF10 complex, and two A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 complexes form a symmetric canyon dimer. Data collection and refinement statistics are given in Table 3. Examination of the receptor-receptor interface reveals that Phe172 residues from both receptors engage in a hydrophobic interaction, with their aromatic benzyl groups optimally stacking against each other (Fig. 8). The closest approach between the two Phe172 molecules is 3.3 Å, with a total of 187 Å2 of surface area buried between the two residues, whereas in the wild-type FGFR2b-FGF10 structure, the closest approach between the two Ala172 molecules is 3.8 Å and only 76 Å2 of surface area is buried between the two alanine residues. Thus, the crystal structure provides evidence that the A172F mutation results in receptor gain of function by promoting receptor-receptor contacts, as observed in the symmetric two-end model. Consistent with the observed mode of gain of function, SPR analysis shows that the A172F mutation does not affect 1-1 FGF10-FGFR2b or FGFR2b-heparin binding (Fig. 4F and 5F and Tables 1 and 2).
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TABLE 3. Summary of crystallographic analysis
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FIG. 8. Gain-of-function interactions in the A172F FGFR2b-FGF10 dimer. Detailed view of the receptor-receptor interface. The side chains of interacting residues leading to increased receptor-receptor contacts are displayed. On the right is a view of the whole structure in the exact orientation that the detailed view shows, with the region of interest boxed. D2, D3, and FGF10 are colored as in Fig. 1.
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SPR analysis of an FGF10 mutant reaffirms a trans configuration for the D2-D3 linker invariant proline.
In addition to differing in the mode of receptor dimerization, the asymmetric model differs from the symmetric two-end model in the mode of 1-1 FGF-FGFR binding. In the FGF10-FGFR2b crystal structure (PDB ID, 1NUN), as well as in all other FGF-FGFR crystal structures with the exception of 1E0O, the D2-D3 linker invariant proline is in a trans conformation. We have previously shown that Asp76, Arg78, and Arg155 of FGF10 make specific contacts with D3 within the primary ligand-receptor interface and that the D76A, R78A, and R155A mutations diminish the mitogenic activity of FGF10 (39). Using a model of FGF10-FGFR2b with the D2-D3 linker invariant proline in a cis configuration, we showed that the reorientation of D3 prevents an interaction between these residues and D3 (39). These data argue against a cis configuration for the D2-D3 linker invariant proline. To provide further evidence that the D2-D3 linker invariant proline adopts a trans configuration, we analyzed the binding of the R78A FGF10 mutant to FGFR2b using SPR (Fig. 4E and Table 1). The R78A mutation results in an
4-fold reduction in 1-1 FGF10-FGFR2b binding affinity due to the loss of several hydrogen bonds that occur within the primary ligand-receptor interface in the FGF10-FGFR2b complex (39). Taken together with the lack of effect of the E158A mutation on FGF10-FGFR2b binding affinity (Fig. 4B), these findings confirm that the D2-D3 linker invariant proline must adopt a trans configuration.
Ligand binding specificity can only be explained by a trans conformation of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline. By comparing the crystal structures of FGF2-FGFR2c and FGF10-FGFR2b (26, 39), we have shown that contacts between FGF and the splice isoform-specific ßC'-ßE loop are the basis for each ligand binding preferentially to one splice isoform of FGFR2 (26, 39). These structural data argue against the asymmetric model, as the cis conformation of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline in 1E0O orients the ßC'-ßE loop away from FGF (Fig. 1B), and therefore, this loop does not play any role whatsoever in ligand binding in the asymmetric model. Furthermore, analysis of the effects of pathogenic FGFR mutations mapping to the ßC'-ßE loop of FGFR2c provides physiological evidence against the cis conformation of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline (7). We have shown that these ßC'-ßE loop pathogenic mutations differentially affect the binding of various FGFs and are even capable of altering the FGF binding specificity of FGFR2c (7). Interestingly, Harmer and coworkers recently realized that the D2-D3 linker invariant proline must assume a trans configuration, as they were unable to explain the unique specificity of the FGF19-FGFR4 complex using a FGFR4 model containing a cis-configured D2-D3 linker invariant proline (5). Instead, by using an FGFR4 model containing a trans-configured D2-D3 linker invariant proline, they also concluded that specific interactions between FGF19 and the ßC'-ßE loop of FGFR4 play a central role in determining the exquisite specificity of the FGF19-FGFR4 complex (5).
A canyon dimer also forms in the FGF1-FGFR2c-heparin crystal. The FGF1-FGFR2c-heparin complex (PDB ID, 1E0O) reported by Pellegrini et al. (24) was also crystallized under high-sulfate-ion conditions (1 M lithium sulfate). Interestingly, examination of the crystal packing in 1E0O reveals that, in addition to the asymmetric dimer reported by Pellegrini et al. (24), the crystal lattice also contains a symmetric canyon-like dimer, which is stabilized by secondary ligand-receptor interactions, as well as direct receptor-receptor contact (Fig. 9). We note that in this symmetric canyon-like dimer (PDB ID, 1E0O), the D3 domains are coplanar rather than being perpendicular (as in other canyon dimers) to the plasma membrane due to the cis conformation of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline (Fig. 9). Moreover, a single heparin molecule binds into one half of the canyon, and ordered sulfate ions decorate the other half of the canyon. The presence of a single heparin molecule in this canyon is not unexpected and reflects the 2-2-1 FGF-FGFR-heparin stoichiometry used in the crystallization of the FGF1-FGFR2c-heparin complex. The formation of this symmetric canyon-like dimer, despite the incorrect conformation of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline, is remarkable and reiterates the physiological significance of the mode of FGFR dimerization in the symmetric two-end model. Paradoxically, the incorrect cis configuration of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline must have dissuaded Harmer and coworkers from considering the symmetric canyon-like dimer observed in their crystal.
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FIG. 9. A symmetric canyon-like dimer is observed in 1E0O. (A) GRASP (graphical representation and analysis or structural properties) representation of the canyon dimer in 1E0O. The two views are related by a 90° rotation about the horizontal axis. D2, D3, FGF1, and heparin are colored as in Fig. 1. Note that the membrane insertion points (indicated by arrows) at the end of D3 are coplanar to the plasma membrane, due to the incorrect conformation of the D2-D3 linker invariant proline. The distance between the membrane insertion points at the end of D3 is 84 Å in this representation. Only sulfate ions bound to the canyon are shown, and they are colored as follows: oxygens red, sulfurs yellow, and nitrogens blue. (B) For comparison, GRASP representation of the canyon dimer observed in the FGF2-FGFR1c-heparin structure (PDB ID, 1FQ9). The two views are related by a 90° rotation about the horizontal axis. The distance between the membrane insertion points (indicated by arrows) at the end of D3 is 48 Å in this representation. Coloring is as in panel A.
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Beamline X4A at the National Synchrotron Light Source, a DOE facility, is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The NYU Protein Analysis Facility is supported by NIH shared instrumentation grant RR14662. This work was funded by NIH grants DE13686 (to M.M.), HL52622 (to R.J.L.), and CA71672 (to S.A.A.).
O.A.I. and B.K.Y. contributed equally to this paper. ![]()
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