Receptor tyrosine kinases Flashcards
How many families of RTKs are there?
16 - each with many individual receptors
What is the relationship between RTKs and their ligands?
Some receptors bind to one or many ligands
Some ligands bind to one or many receptors
What is the affinity of RTKs for their ligands?
Can have high or low affinity
What are the common functions of RTKs?
Proliferation, survival and growth
What affect do RTKs have on the cell cycle?
Promoting effect
How are RTKs usually named?
After their ligand
What varies between RTKs and why?
The extracellular domain - allowing the RTKs to interact with many different types of ligand
What is the structure of the extracellular domain of EGF?
Cystenine rich
What is the structure of the extracellular domain of PDGF?
Immunoglobulin-like domains
What is the same about the structure of ALL RTKs?
- All are enzyme-linked receptors (intracellular domain has kinase activity)
- All have a single transmembrane domain that lacks structure and can ‘snake’ backwards and forwards in the membrane
How is ligand binding to RTKs transduced to the inside of the cell?
1) RTKs in the membrane are not close together
2) Dimerised signalling ligand interacts with 2 RTKs in the membrane
3) This brings the receptors in close proximity to each other and orientates them in the right way so that they can interact perfectly- allowing them to to dimerise
4) Cross phosphorylation of the receptors - resulting in a highly active TK
What does ‘canonical’ mean?
The ‘most common’ way (typical)
What is oligomerisation?
Monomers coming together to form a polymer or a dimer
When do intracellular TK domains have a low activity?
When there is no ligand bound - they can not interact and cant phosphorylate each other at the kinase domain
What 3 things does cross-phosphoylation of the TK cause?
1) Increased activity of the kinase
2) Stabilisation of the receptor in the active state (ligand independant)
3) Causes the kinase to phosphorylate other TYROSINES in the receptor - creating docking site
What are the 2 tools for analysis of the RTK singnalling?
What do they exploit?
Exploit dimerisation:
1) Generation of a dominant negative receptor (mutation in the kinase domain)
2) Constitutive activation of the receptor (over-activation)
What does generating a dominant negative TK domain do?
Why is this method advantageous?
- This receptor blocks the activation of the functional TK receptor as no cross-phosphorylation (which is required for stabilisation) can occur
- Poisons the endogenous form of the receptor
Method is advantageous as do not need to KO the receptor in order to study
How is constitutive activation of the TK receptor achieved?
- Genetically engineer a homodimerisation domain on the extracellular portion of the RTK
- Domain dimerises independantly of the ligand binding domain
What are HSPGs?
Heparan sulphate proteoglycans
Where are HSPGs present?
In the extracellular matrix
What do HSPGs interact with?
The extracellular domain of RTKs
What is the structure of HSPGs?
- Protein core (proteoglycan)
- Long chain of sugars (heparin component) built onto the protein core
What are the 3 forms that the protein core of HSPGs come in and what are they called?
1) Inserted into the membrane - Syndecan
2) Tethered to the extracellular membrane - Glypican
3) Secreted - Periecan