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Photosensitive tyrosine analogues unravel site-dependent phosphorylation in TrkA initiated MAPK/ERK signaling
Title | Photosensitive tyrosine analogues unravel site-dependent phosphorylation in TrkA initiated MAPK/ERK signaling |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2020 |
Authors | Zhao, S, Shi, J, Yu, G, Li, D, Wang, M, Yuan, C, Zhou, H, Parizadeh, A, Li, Z, Guan, M-X, Ye, S |
Journal | Communications Biology |
Volume | 3 |
Issue | 1 |
Pagination | 706 |
Date Published | 2020/11/25 |
ISBN Number | 2399-3642 |
Abstract | Tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) is a membrane receptor which, upon ligand binding, activates several pathways including MAPK/ERK signaling, implicated in a spectrum of human pathologies; thus, TrkA is an emerging therapeutic target in treatment of neuronal diseases and cancer. However, mechanistic insights into TrKA signaling are lacking due to lack of site-dependent phosphorylation control. Here we engineer two light-sensitive tyrosine analogues, namely p-azido-L-phenylalanine (AzF) and the caged-tyrosine (ONB), through amber codon suppression to optically manipulate the phosphorylation state of individual intracellular tyrosines in TrkA. We identify TrkA-AzF and ONB mutants, which can activate the ERK pathway in the absence of NGF ligand binding through light control. Our results not only reveal how TrkA site-dependent phosphorylation controls the defined signaling process, but also extend the genetic code expansion technology to enable regulation of receptor-type kinase activation by optical control at the precision of a single phosphorylation site. It paves the way for comprehensive analysis of kinase-associated pathways as well as screening of compounds intervening in a site-directed phosphorylation pathway for targeted therapy. |
URL | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01396-0 |
Short Title | Communications Biology |