Structural and Functional Insights into the Transmembrane Domain Association of Eph Receptors

Amita R Sahoo; Matthias Buck

doi:10.3390/ijms22168593

Structural and Functional Insights into the Transmembrane Domain Association of Eph Receptors

Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Aug 10;22(16):8593. doi: 10.3390/ijms22168593.

Authors

Amita R Sahoo¹, Matthias Buck^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
² Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
³ Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
⁴ Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.

Abstract

Eph receptors are the largest family of receptor tyrosine kinases and by interactions with ephrin ligands mediate a myriad of processes from embryonic development to adult tissue homeostasis. The interaction of Eph receptors, especially at their transmembrane (TM) domains is key to understanding their mechanism of signal transduction across cellular membranes. We review the structural and functional aspects of EphA1/A2 association and the techniques used to investigate their TM domains: NMR, molecular modelling/dynamics simulations and fluorescence. We also introduce transmembrane peptides, which can be used to alter Eph receptor signaling and we provide a perspective for future studies.

Keywords: Eph receptors; TM dimerization; receptor tyrosine kinase (RTKs); transmembrane domain (TMD).

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Cell Membrane / chemistry
Cell Membrane / metabolism*
Humans
Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Protein Binding
Protein Domains / physiology
Receptors, Eph Family / chemistry*
Receptors, Eph Family / metabolism*

Substances

Receptors, Eph Family