Experimental and computational studies indicate specific binding of pVHL protein to Aurora-A kinase

J Phys Chem B. 2010 Jan 28;114(3):1486-97. doi: 10.1021/jp909869g.

Abstract

Overexpression of Aurora-A kinase is commonly detected in many cancers, whereas the von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) is frequently mutated or absent in renal cell carcinoma and is involved in the Ub proteasome complex, an important degradation pathway. In order to establish a link between Aurora-A overexpression and lack of pVHL protein, we hypothesized that pVHL regulates Aurora-A expression through a physical interaction. We present the first evidence, from both biological assays and computational biology techniques, that human pVHL binds strongly to Aurora-A kinase. Extensive molecular modeling, docking, and dynamic simulations demonstrate that the structure of the pVHL protein would allow it to bind to the TPX2 binding region of Aurora-A. In view of Aurora-A's importance as a therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer, this observation provides novel insights into the Aurora-A/pVHL pathway. In addition, the detailed Aurora-A/pVHL binding structure obtained will be valuable for the design of future Aurora-A inhibitors as therapeutic agents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Aurora Kinases
  • Computational Biology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Isoforms / chemistry
  • Protein Isoforms / metabolism
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / chemistry*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Protein Stability
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Thermodynamics
  • Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein / chemistry*
  • Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein / metabolism*

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Protein Isoforms
  • Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein
  • Aurora Kinases
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases