CO-CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF RAT PROTEIN FARNESYLTRANSFERASE COMPLEXED WITH A K-RAS4B PEPTIDE SUBSTRATE AND FPP ANALOG AT 2.0A RESOLUTION
[RASK_HUMAN] Defects in KRAS are a cause of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) [MIM:601626]. AML is a malignant disease in which hematopoietic precursors are arrested in an early stage of development. Defects in KRAS are a cause of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) [MIM:607785]. JMML is a pediatric myelodysplastic syndrome that constitutes approximately 30% of childhood cases of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 2% of leukemia. It is characterized by leukocytosis with tissue infiltration and in vitro hypersensitivity of myeloid progenitors to granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor. Defects in KRAS are the cause of Noonan syndrome type 3 (NS3) [MIM:609942]. Noonan syndrome (NS) [MIM:163950] is a disorder characterized by dysmorphic facial features, short stature, hypertelorism, cardiac anomalies, deafness, motor delay, and a bleeding diathesis. It is a genetically heterogeneous and relatively common syndrome, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 1000-2500 live births. Rarely, NS is associated with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). NS3 inheritance is autosomal dominant.      Defects in KRAS are a cause of gastric cancer (GASC) [MIM:613659]; also called gastric cancer intestinal or stomach cancer. Gastric cancer is a malignant disease which starts in the stomach, can spread to the esophagus or the small intestine, and can extend through the stomach wall to nearby lymph nodes and organs. It also can metastasize to other parts of the body. The term gastric cancer or gastric carcinoma refers to adenocarcinoma of the stomach that accounts for most of all gastric malignant tumors. Two main histologic types are recognized, diffuse type and intestinal type carcinomas. Diffuse tumors are poorly differentiated infiltrating lesions, resulting in thickening of the stomach. In contrast, intestinal tumors are usually exophytic, often ulcerating, and associated with intestinal metaplasia of the stomach, most often observed in sporadic disease.   Note=Defects in KRAS are a cause of pylocytic astrocytoma (PA). Pylocytic astrocytomas are neoplasms of the brain and spinal cord derived from glial cells which vary from histologically benign forms to highly anaplastic and malignant tumors. Defects in KRAS are a cause of cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFC syndrome) [MIM:115150]; also known as cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome. CFC syndrome is characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, heart defects and mental retardation. Heart defects include pulmonic stenosis, atrial septal defects and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Some affected individuals present with ectodermal abnormalities such as sparse, friable hair, hyperkeratotic skin lesions and a generalized ichthyosis-like condition. Typical facial features are similar to Noonan syndrome. They include high forehead with bitemporal constriction, hypoplastic supraorbital ridges, downslanting palpebral fissures, a depressed nasal bridge, and posteriorly angulated ears with prominent helices. The inheritance of CFC syndrome is autosomal dominant. Note=KRAS mutations are involved in cancer development.
[FNTA_RAT] Catalyzes the transfer of a farnesyl or geranyl-geranyl moiety from farnesyl or geranyl-geranyl pyrophosphate to a cysteine at the fourth position from the C-terminus of several proteins having the C-terminal sequence Cys-aliphatic-aliphatic-X. The alpha subunit is thought to participate in a stable complex with the substrate. The beta subunit binds the peptide substrate. Through RAC1 prenylation and activation may positively regulate neuromuscular junction development downstream of MUSK (By similarity). [RASK_HUMAN] Ras proteins bind GDP/GTP and possess intrinsic GTPase activity. [FNTB_RAT] Catalyzes the transfer of a farnesyl moiety from farnesyl pyrophosphate to a cysteine at the fourth position from the C-terminus of several proteins. The beta subunit is responsible for peptide-binding.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
Background: The protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) catalyzes addition of the hydrophobic farnesyl isoprenoid to a cysteine residue fourth from the C terminus of several protein acceptors that are essential for cellular signal transduction such as Ras and Rho. This addition is necessary for the biological function of the modified proteins. The majority of Ras-related human cancers are associated with oncogenic variants of K-RasB, which is the highest affinity natural substrate of FTase. Inhibition of FTase causes regression of Ras-mediated tumors in animal models. Results: We present four ternary complexes of rat FTase co-crystallized with farnesyl diphosphate analogs and K-Ras4B peptide substrates. The Ca(1)a(2)X portion of the peptide substrate binds in an extended conformation in the hydrophobic cavity of FTase and coordinates the active site zinc ion. These complexes offer the first view of the polybasic region of the K-Ras4B peptide substrate, which confers the major enhancement of affinity of this substrate. The polybasic region forms a type I beta turn and binds along the rim of the hydrophobic cavity. Removal of the catalytically essential zinc ion results in a dramatically different peptide conformation in which the Ca(1)a(2)X motif adopts a beta turn. A manganese ion binds to the diphosphate mimic of the farnesyl diphosphate analog. Conclusions: These ternary complexes provide new insight into the molecular basis of peptide substrate specificity, and further define the roles of zinc and magnesium in the prenyltransferase reaction. Zinc is essential for productive Ca(1)a(2)X peptide binding, suggesting that the beta-turn conformation identified in previous nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies reflects a state in which the cysteine is not coordinated to the zinc ion. The structural information presented here should facilitate structure-based design and optimization of inhibitors of Ca(1)a(2)X protein prenyltransferases.
The basis for K-Ras4B binding specificity to protein farnesyltransferase revealed by 2 A resolution ternary complex structures.,Long SB, Casey PJ, Beese LS Structure. 2000 Feb 15;8(2):209-22. PMID:10673434
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