Shannon E. Telesco

ErbB3/HER3 intracellular domain is competent to bind ATP and catalyze autophosphorylation

ErbB3/HER3 is one of four members of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/HER) or ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase family. ErbB3 binds neuregulins via its extracellular region and signals primarily by heterodimerizing with ErbB2/HER2/Neu. A recently appreciated role for ErbB3 in resistance of tumor cells to EGFR/ErbB2-targeted therapeutics has made it a focus of attention. However, efforts to inactivate ErbB3 therapeutically in parallel with other ErbB receptors are challenging because its intracellular kinase domain is thought to be an inactive pseudokinase that lacks several key conserved (and catalytically important) residues—including the catalytic base aspartate. We report here that, despite these sequence alterations, ErbB3 retains sufficient kinase activity to robustly trans-autophosphorylate its intracellular region—although it is substantially less active than EGFR and does not phosphorylate exogenous peptides. The ErbB3 kinase domain binds ATP with a Kd of approximately 1.1 μM. We describe a crystal structure of ErbB3 kinase bound to an ATP analogue, which resembles the inactive EGFR and ErbB4 kinase domains (but with a shortened αC-helix). Whereas mutations that destabilize this configuration activate EGFR and ErbB4 (and promote EGFR-dependent lung cancers), a similar mutation conversely inactivates ErbB3. Using quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations, we delineate a reaction pathway for ErbB3-catalyzed phosphoryl transfer that does not require the conserved catalytic base and can be catalyzed by the “inactive-like” configuration observed crystallographically. These findings suggest that ErbB3 kinase activity within receptor dimers may be crucial for signaling and could represent an important therapeutic target.

Atomistic Insights into Regulatory Mechanisms of the HER2 Tyrosine Kinase Domain: A Molecular Dynamics Study

HER2 (ErbB2/Neu) is a receptor tyrosine kinase belonging to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/ErbB family and is overexpressed in 20-30% of human breast cancers. Although several crystal structures of ErbB kinases have been solved, the precise mechanism of HER2 activation remains unknown, and it has been suggested that HER2 is unique in its requirement for phosphorylation of Y877, a key tyrosine residue located in the activation loop. To elucidate mechanistic details of kinase domain regulation, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of a homology-modeled HER2 kinase structure in active and inactive conformations. Principal component analysis of the atomistic fluctuations reveals a tight coupling between the activation loop and catalytic loop that may contribute to alignment of residues required for catalysis in the active kinase. The free energy perturbation method is also employed to predict a role for phosphorylated Y877 in stabilizing the kinase conformations. Finally, simulation results are presented for a HER2/EGFR heterodimer and reveal that the dimeric interface induces a rearrangement of the alphaC helix toward the active conformation. Elucidation of the molecular regulatory mechanisms in HER2 will help establish structure-function relationships in the wild-type kinase, as well as predict mutations with a propensity for constitutive activation in HER2-mediated cancers.

Molecular Dynamics Analysis of Conserved Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Bond Interaction Networks in ErbB Family Kinases

The EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)/ErbB/HER (human EGFR) family of kinases contains four homologous receptor tyrosine kinases that are important regulatory elements in key signalling pathways. To elucidate the atomistic mechanisms of dimerization-dependent activation in the ErbB family, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations of the intracellular kinase domains of three members of the ErbB family (those with known kinase activity), namely EGFR, ErbB2 (HER2) and ErbB4 (HER4), in different molecular contexts: monomer against dimer and wild-type against mutant. Using bioinformatics and fluctuation analyses of the molecular dynamics trajectories, we relate sequence similarities to correspondence of specific bond-interaction networks and collective dynamical modes. We find that in the active conformation of the ErbB kinases, key subdomain motions are co-ordinated through conserved hydrophilic interactions: activating bond-networks consisting of hydrogen bonds and salt bridges. The inactive conformations also demonstrate conserved bonding patterns (albeit less extensive) that sequester key residues and disrupt the activating bond network. Both conformational states have distinct hydrophobic advantages through context-specific hydrophobic interactions. We show that the functional (activating) asymmetric kinase dimer interface forces a corresponding change in the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions that characterize the inactivating bond network, resulting in motion of the αC-helix through allostery. Several of the clinically identified activating kinase mutations of EGFR act in a similar fashion to disrupt the inactivating bond network. The present molecular dynamics study reveals a fundamental difference in the sequence of events in EGFR activation compared with that described for the Src kinase Hck.

Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms of Activation in the ErbB Family of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases

The ErbB/EGFR/HER family of kinases consists of four homologous receptor tyrosine kinases which are important regulatory elements in many cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Somatic mutations in, or over-expression of, the ErbB family is found in many cancers and is correlated with a poor prognosis; particularly, clinically identified mutations found in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of ErbB1 have been shown to increase its basal kinase activity and patients carrying these mutations respond remarkably to the small tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib. Here, we analyze the potential effects of the currently catalogued clinically identified mutations in the ErbB family kinase domains on the molecular mechanisms of kinase activation. Recently, we identified conserved networks of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions characteristic to the active and inactive conformation, respectively. Here, we show that the clinically identified mutants influence the kinase activity in distinctive fashion by affecting the characteristic interaction networks.

Structural systems biology and multiscale signaling models.

We review current advances in experimental as well as computational modeling and simulation approaches to structural systems biology, whose overall aim is to build quantitative models of signaling networks while retaining the crucial elements of molecular specificity. We briefly discuss the current and emerging experimental and computational methods, particularly focusing on hybrid and multiscale methods, and highlight several applications in cell signaling with quantitative and predictive capabilities. The scope of such models range from delineating protein–protein interactions to describing clinical implications.

Molecular modeling of ErbB4/HER4 kinase in the context of the HER4 signaling network helps rationalize the effects of clinically identified HER4 somatic mutations on the cell phenotype

In the ErbB/HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases, the deregulation of the EGFR/ErbB1/HER1, HER2/ErbB2, and HER3/ErbB3 kinases is associated with several cancers, while the HER4/ErbB4 kinase has been shown to play an anti-carcinogenic role in certain tumors. We present molecular and network models of HER4/ErbB4 activation and signaling in order to elucidate molecular mechanisms of activation and rationalize the effects of the clinically identified HER4 somatic mutants. Our molecular-scale simulations identify the important role played by the interactions within the juxtamembrane region during the activation process. Our results also support the hypothesis that the HER4 mutants may heterodimerize but not activate, resulting in blockage of the HER4-STAT5 differentiation pathway, in favor of the proliferative PI3K/AKT pathway. Translating our molecular simulation results into a cellular pathway model of wild type versus mutant HER4 signaling, we are able to recapitulate the major features of the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT activation downstream of HER4. Our model predicts that the signaling downstream of the wild type HER4 is enriched for the JAK-STAT pathway, whereas downstream of the mutant HER4 is enriched for the PI3K/AKT pathway. HER4 mutations may hence constitute a cellular shift from a program of differentiation to that of proliferation.

3.310 – Computational Methods Related to Reaction Chemistry

In this chapter, we discuss the implementation of several computational techniques that are commonly employed to simulate interactions between biomaterials and cellular systems. These methods include molecular dynamics and homology modeling, which focus on the atomic structure of biomaterials, electronic structure methods, and free-energy simulations. Challenges involved in applying these techniques and connections to cellular experiments are also addressed. These computational methods are important tools in delineating the molecular mechanisms involved in the interactions between biomaterials and tissue, which govern biocompatibility. They have also been applied in the rational design of biomaterials, as molecular-based models predict likely recognition sequences and the corresponding conformations at the interface between material surface and extracellular matrix and cell membrane. Focusing on these molecular mechanisms will lead to new insights into the bioactivity of existing biomaterials and to the development of improved biomaterials for use in bone tissue repair therapies. The chapter concludes with a discussion of recent applications of computational methods to the rational design of biomaterials, including the creation of surfaces with tailored functionality and computational modeling of the attachment function of fibronectin.