RAF kinase functions in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway to transmit growth signals to the downstream kinases MEK and ERK. Activation of RAF catalytic activity is facilitated by a regulatory complex comprising the proteins CNK (Connector enhancer of KSR), HYP (Hyphen), and KSR (Kinase Suppressor of Ras). The sterile ␣-motif (SAM) domain found in both CNK and HYP plays an essential role in complex formation. Here, we have determined the x-ray crystal structure of the SAM domain of CNK in complex with the SAM domain of HYP. The structure reveals a single-junction SAM domain dimer of 1:1 stoichiometry in which the binding mode is a variation of polymeric SAM domain interactions. Through in vitro and in vivo mutational analyses, we show that the specific mode of dimerization revealed by the crystal structure is essential for RAF signaling and facilitates the recruitment of KSR to form the CNK/HYP/KSR regulatory complex. We present two docking-site models to account for how SAM domain dimerization might influence the formation of a higher-order CNK/HYP/KSR complex. RAF kinases are downstream effectors of the RAS family of small GTPases (reviewed in ref. 4). Although the events leading to RAS activation are now well understood, the precise mechanism by which activated RAS in turn activates RAF to transduce signals to MEK and ERK remains unclear (5). Studies in Drosophila S2 cells revealed that activation of RAF kinase at sites of RAS-mediated signaling is facilitated by a regulatory complex comprising the proteins CNK (Connector enhancer of KSR), HYP (Hyphen, also known as Aveugle or AVE), and KSR (Kinase Suppressor of RAS) (6, 7). The sterile ␣-motif (SAM) domain, present in both CNK and HYP, is essential for the ability of CNK/HYP/KSR to associate and for signals to transduce through the RAF-MEK-ERK cascade (6); see Fig. 1A for schematic of domain architecture.The structural characterization of SAM domains has revealed the basis by which some SAM domains engage in polymeric protein-protein interactions (8-14), and the basis by which certain SAM domains bind RNA (15-17). A characteristic constellation of basic residues in the sequence of some SAM domains is diagnostic for binding RNA hairpins in a loop sequence-dependent manner (18). In contrast, SAM domains that mediate polymeric proteinprotein interactions cannot be readily recognized from their primary sequence alone. Polymer formation by SAM domains in general arises from the interaction of two distinct surfaces on the SAM domain termed the midloop (ML) and end-helix (EH) surfaces (8). Repeating ML/EH interactions of adjacent SAM domains lead to polymer extension. SAM domain-mediated polymerization has been shown to underlie many aspects of biological function. For example, SAM domain-mediated polymerization is essential for long-range transcriptional repression by the polycomb group proteins (9). In the TEL transcriptional repressor, which is a common target of chromosomal translocations in several hematalogical malignancies, the N-terminal SA...