Tyrosine Kinase Receptors Flashcards
What are the types of signal transduction mechanisms?
- Conformational-coupling - preformed complex
- Conformational-coupling - diffusion dependent complex formation
- Posttranslational modification (glycosylation/phosphorylation etc…)
- Protein degradation
Mechanism: soluble ligand -> receptor-based recognition/interaction -> cell-based information processing -> cellular responses
What are the roles of receptors in intracellular signalling?
A receptor can convert physical signals into chemical signals
Receptors can act as catalysts and molecular amplifiers
Receptors sense diverse stimuli but initiate a limited repertoire of cellular signals
Receptors act by increasing the rates of key regulatory reactions (catalytic activity)
Most signalling events involves changes in reaction rates (kinetic) rather than their equilibria (thermodynamic)
What are some types of membrane receptors?
GPCR, receptor protein kinase, ion channel, transmembrane scaffold, guanylyl cyclase
What are the types of signalling pathways?
Ligand binding changes receptor conformation (conversion of inactive to activated state) leading to initiation of signalling
Types:
Linear/parallel
Divergence (multiple pathway activation) allows multiple responses to a single signal
Convergence allows signal integration and coordination
Multiply branched
What is involved in regulation of signalling?
Activating and deactivating reactions are usually executed by different regulatory proteins
Separating activation and inactivation enables fine-tuning regulation of signal amplitude (size) and timing
Allostery is the ability of a molecule to alter the conformation of a target protein when it binds non-covalently to that protein
Covalent modification of a protein’s chemical structure is also frequently used to regulate its activity e.g. phosphorylation or dephosphorylation
Describe flexible signalling control?
This is mediated by protein-protein interactions
They can be mediated by small, conserved domains
Modular interaction domains are essential for signal transmission
Adaptors consist exclusively of binding domains or motifs
Distinct species (isoforms) of similar signalling proteins expand the regulatory mechanisms possible in signalling pathways Cells may express one or several protein isoforms to fulfil signalling needs
Describe the tyrosine kinase family in humans?
Human genome encodes ~518 protein kinases
90 human tyrosine kinases (<20% of kinases)
58 human receptor tyrosine kinases (integral membrane proteins) divided into 20 subfamilies
32 cytoplasmic (non-receptor) human tyrosine kinases
Describe the soluble tyrosine kinase family types?
Src family, Abl family and Tec family
They all have a kinase domain
Some have lipid tails
Give an example from the Src family?
C-Src is a cellular proto-oncogene that is highly similar to the chicken v-Src oncogene
C-Src is activated by release of intrasteric inhibition
Activation of c-Src involves liberation of modular binding domains for activation-dependent interactions and phosphorylation of target substrates
C-Src often associates with receptors, including receptor tyrosine kinases
Give an example from the AbI family?
Bcr gene and Abl tyrosine kinase fuse in Philadelphia translocation that causes chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML)
The TK is constitutively active in leukocytes causing them to proliferated = leukaemia
New drug - Imatinib (Gleevec) targets the active site of the tyrosine kinase and blocks its activity – causing a block in cancer
Give an overview of tyrosine kinases?
Many receptor protein tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are activated by growth factors
They are phosphorylated to initiate either dimerisation or activation
They initiate downstream pathways
Mutations in RTKs can be oncogenic
What are some subfamilies of receptor tyrosine kinases?
Human genome encodes 58 different receptor tyrosine kinase genes
Divided into 20 different sub-families
Highly studied ones include:
Platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or ErbB1)
Insulin receptor (IR)
Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2)
They are important targets in disease therapy
What is the structure of receptor tyrosine kinases?
Domains and function: Extracellular - ligand binding Transmembrane - Membrane anchor Juxtamembrane - negative regulation Tyrosine kinase - catalytic C-terminal tail - signal regulation
The cytoplasmic domain can be phosphorylated on different tyrosine residues
Two RTK form a homo/heterodimer and cross phosphorylate each = phosphotyrosine
Give an overview of receptor tyrosine kinase signalling?
Their complexes increase signal efficiency
RTKs lay ‘flat’ freely within the membrane bilayer
Targeted recruitment of RTKs into signalling complexes
Increase in efficiency of phosphorylation and switching ‘on’
What are some types of RTK signalling pathways?
MAPK pathway - stimulus activates transducers = cellular responses
ERK pathway - uses growth factors = proliferation
JNK pathway - stimulated by osmotic/redox stress or radiation = proliferation, apoptosis and embryonic development
P38 pathway - Osmotic stress and radiation = apoptosis, cytokine release and cell cycle arrest