Over 30 mutations of the B-RAF gene associated with human cancers have been identified, the majority of which are located within the kinase domain. Here we show that of 22 B-RAF mutants analyzed, 18 have elevated kinase activity and signal to ERK in vivo. Surprisingly, three mutants have reduced kinase activity towards MEK in vitro but, by activating C-RAF in vivo, signal to ERK in cells. The structures of wild type and oncogenic V599EB-RAF kinase domains in complex with the RAF inhibitor BAY43-9006 show that the activation segment is held in an inactive conformation by association with the P loop. The clustering of most mutations to these two regions suggests that disruption of this interaction converts B-RAF into its active conformation. The high activity mutants signal to ERK by directly phosphorylating MEK, whereas the impaired activity mutants stimulate MEK by activating endogenous C-RAF, possibly via an allosteric or transphosphorylation mechanism.

The second messenger hydrogen peroxide is required for optimal activation of numerous signal transduction pathways, particularly those mediated by protein tyrosine kinases. One mechanism by which hydrogen peroxide regulates cellular processes is the transient inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases through the reversible oxidization of their catalytic cysteine, which suppresses protein dephosphorylation. Here we describe a structural analysis of the redox-dependent regulation of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), which is reversibly inhibited by oxidation after cells are stimulated with insulin and epidermal growth factor. The sulphenic acid intermediate produced in response to PTP1B oxidation is rapidly converted into a previously unknown sulphenyl-amide species, in which the sulphur atom of the catalytic cysteine is covalently linked to the main chain nitrogen of an adjacent residue. Oxidation of PTP1B to the sulphenyl-amide form is accompanied by large conformational changes in the catalytic site that inhibit substrate binding. We propose that this unusual protein modification both protects the active-site cysteine residue of PTP1B from irreversible oxidation to sulphonic acid and permits redox regulation of the enzyme by promoting its reversible reduction by thiols.

The crystal structures of a cysteine-215-->serine mutant of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B complexed with high-affinity peptide substrates corresponding to an autophosphorylation site of the epidermal growth factor receptor were determined. Peptide binding to the protein phosphatase was accompanied by a conformational change of a surface loop that created a phosphotyrosine recognition pocket and induced a catalytically competent form of the enzyme. The phosphotyrosine side chain is buried within the period and anchors the peptide substrate to its binding site. Hydrogen bonds between peptide main-chain atoms and the protein contribute to binding affinity, and specific interactions of acidic residues of the peptide with basic residues on the surface of the enzyme confer sequence specificity.

The identification of substrates of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) is an essential step toward a complete understanding of the physiological function of members of this enzyme family. PTPs are defined by a conserved catalytic domain harboring 27 invariant residues. From a mutagenesis study of these invariant residues that was guided by our knowledge of the crystal structure of PTP1B, we have discovered a mutation of the invariant catalytic acid (Asp-181 in PTP1B) that converts an extremely active enzyme into a ''substrate trap.'' Expression of this D181A mutant of PTP1B in COS and 293 cells results in an enzyme that competes with endogenous PTP1B for substrates and promotes the accumulation of phosphotyrosine primarily on the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor as well as on proteins of 120, 80, and 70 kDa. The association between the D181A mutant of PTP1B and these substrates was sufficiently stable to allow isolation of the complex by immunoprecipitation. As predicted for an interaction between the substratebinding site of PTP1B and its substrates, the complex is disrupted by vanadate and, for the EGF receptor, the interaction absolutely requires receptor autophosphorylation. Furthermore, from immunofluorescence studies, the D181A mutant of PTP1B appeared to retain the endogenous EGF receptor in an intracellular complex. These results suggest that the EGF receptor is a bona fide substrate for PTP1B in vivo and that one important function of PTP1B is to prevent the inappropriate, ligandindependent, activation of newly synthesized EGF receptor in the endoplasmic reticulum. This essential catalytic aspartate residue is present in all PTPs and has structurally equivalent counterparts in the dual-specificity phosphatases and the low molecular weight PTPs. Therefore we anticipate that this method may be widely applicable to facilitate the identification of substrates of other members of this enzyme family.The protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are a structurally diverse family of receptor-like and nontransmembrane enzymes that have been implicated in the control of numerous physiological processes, including growth and differentiation (1, 2). Approximately 75 PTPs have been identified to date. These enzymes are characterized by the presence of a conserved catalytic domain of Ϸ240 residues which contains the unique signature motif,

The diverse forms of protein phosphatase 1 in vivo result from the association of its catalytic subunit (PP1c) with different regulatory subunits, one of which is the G‐subunit (GM) that targets PP1c to glycogen particles in muscle. Here we report the structure, at 3.0 Å resolution, of PP1c in complex with a 13 residue peptide (GM[63–75]) of GM. The residues in GM[63–75] that interact with PP1c are those in the Arg/Lys–Val/Ile–Xaa–Phe motif that is present in almost every other identified mammalian PP1‐binding subunit. Disrupting this motif in the GM[63–75] peptide and the M110[1–38] peptide (which mimics the myofibrillar targeting M110 subunit in stimulating the dephosphorylation of myosin) prevents these peptides from interacting with PP1. A short peptide from the PP1‐binding protein p53BP2 that contains the RVXF motif also interacts with PP1c. These findings identify a recognition site on PP1c, invariant from yeast to humans, for a critical structural motif on regulatory subunits. This explains why the binding of PP1 to its regulatory subunits is mutually exclusive, and suggests a novel approach for identifying the functions of PP1‐binding proteins whose roles are unknown.

The tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) is a degenerate 34 amino acid sequence identified in a wide variety of proteins, present in tandem arrays of 3-16 motifs, which form scaffolds to mediate protein-protein interactions and often the assembly of multiprotein complexes. TPR-containing proteins include the anaphase promoting complex (APC) subunits cdc16, cdc23 and cdc27, the NADPH oxidase subunit p67 phox, hsp90-binding immunophilins, transcription factors, the PKR protein kinase inhibitor, and peroxisomal and mitochondrial import proteins. Here, we report the crystal structure of the TPR domain of a protein phosphatase, PP5. Each of the three TPR motifs of this domain consist of a pair of antiparallel α-helices of equivalent length. Adjacent TPR motifs are packed together in a parallel arrangement such that a tandem TPR motif structure is composed of a regular series of antiparallel α-helices. The uniform angular and spatial arrangement of neighbouring α-helices defines a helical structure and creates an amphipathic groove. Multiple-TPR motif proteins would fold into a right-handed super-helical structure with a continuous helical groove suitable for the recognition of target proteins, hence defining a novel mechanism for protein recognition. The spatial arrangement of α-helices in the PP5-TPR domain is similar to those within 14-3-3 proteins.

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) constitute a family of receptor-like and cytoplasmic signal transducing enzymes that catalyze the dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine residues and are characterized by homologous catalytic domains. The crystal structure of a representative member of this family, the 37-kilodalton form (residues 1 to 321) of PTP1B, has been determined at 2.8 A resolution. The enzyme consists of a single domain with the catalytic site located at the base of a shallow cleft. The phosphate recognition site is created from a loop that is located at the amino-terminus of an alpha helix. This site is formed from an 11-residue sequence motif that is diagnostic of PTPs and the dual specificity phosphatases, and that contains the catalytically essential cysteine and arginine residues. The position of the invariant cysteine residue within the phosphate binding site is consistent with its role as a nucleophile in the catalytic reaction. The structure of PTP1B should serve as a model for other members of the PTP family and as a framework for understanding the mechanism of tyrosine dephosphorylation.

At least eight types of ubiquitin chain exist, and individual linkages affect distinct cellular processes. The only distinguishing feature of differently linked ubiquitin chains is their structure, as polymers of the same unit are chemically identical. Here, we have crystallized Lys 63-linked and linear ubiquitin dimers, revealing that both adopt equivalent open conformations, forming no contacts between ubiquitin molecules and thereby differing significantly from Lys 48-linked ubiquitin chains. We also examined the specificity of various deubiquitinases (DUBs) and ubiquitin-binding domains (UBDs). All analysed DUBs, except CYLD, cleave linear chains less efficiently compared with other chain types, or not at all. Likewise, UBDs can show chain specificity, and are able to select distinct linkages from a ubiquitin chain mixture. We found that the UBAN (ubiquitin binding in ABIN and NEMO) motif of NEMO (NF-jB essential modifier) binds to linear chains exclusively, whereas the NZF (Npl4 zinc finger) domain of TAB2 (TAK1 binding protein 2) is Lys 63 specific. Our results highlight remarkable specificity determinants within the ubiquitin system.