Mapping the binding interface of ERK and transcriptional repressor Capicua using photocrosslinking.

Publication Year
2015

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) coordinates cellular responses to a range of stimuli by phosphorylating its numerous substrates. One of these substrates, Capicua (Cic), is a transcriptional repressor that was first identified in Drosophila and has been implicated in a number of human diseases. Here we use a chemical biology approach to map the binding interface of ERK and Cic. The noncanonical amino acid p-azidophenylalanine (AzF) was introduced into the ERK-binding region of Drosophila Cic, and photocrosslinking and tandem mass spectrometry were used to pinpoint its binding site on ERK. We also identified the ERK-binding region of human Cic and showed that it binds to the same site on ERK despite lacking conservation with the Drosophila Cic binding region. Finally, we mapped the amino acids involved in human Cic binding to ERK using AzF-labeled ERK. These results reveal the molecular details of the ERK-Cic interaction and demonstrate that the photocrosslinking approach is complementary to existing methods for mapping kinase-substrate binding interfaces.

Journal
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Volume
112
Issue
28
Pages
8590-5
Date Published
2015 Jul 14
ISSN Number
1091-6490
Alternate Journal
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PMCID
PMC4507193
PMID
26124095