A RasGAP SH3 peptide aptamer inhibits RasGAP-Aurora interaction and induces caspase-independent tumor cell death

PLoS One. 2008 Aug 6;3(8):e2902. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002902.

Abstract

The Ras GTPase-activating protein RasGAP catalyzes the conversion of active GTP-bound Ras into inactive GDP-bound Ras. However, RasGAP also acts as a positive effector of Ras and exerts an anti-apoptotic activity that is independent of its GAP function and that involves its SH3 (Src homology) domain. We used a combinatorial peptide aptamer approach to select a collection of RasGAP SH3 specific ligands. We mapped the peptide aptamer binding sites by performing yeast two-hybrid mating assays against a panel of RasGAP SH3 mutants. We examined the biological activity of a peptide aptamer targeting a pocket delineated by residues D295/7, L313 and W317. This aptamer shows a caspase-independent cytotoxic activity on tumor cell lines. It disrupts the interaction between RasGAP and Aurora B kinase. This work identifies the above-mentioned pocket as an interesting therapeutic target to pursue and points its cognate peptide aptamer as a promising guide to discover RasGAP small-molecule drug candidates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Aurora Kinases
  • Binding Sites
  • Caspases / metabolism*
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Fragments / pharmacology
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / chemistry
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Sequence Alignment
  • ras GTPase-Activating Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • ras GTPase-Activating Proteins / chemistry
  • ras GTPase-Activating Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Peptide Fragments
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • ras GTPase-Activating Proteins
  • Aurora Kinases
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Caspases