Src homology 3 (SH3) domains are one family of the peptide recognition modules (PRMs), which bind peptides rich in proline or positively charged residues in the target proteins, and play important assembly or regulatory functions in dynamic eukaryotic cellular processes, especially in signal transduction and endocytosis. SH3 domains are conserved from yeast to human, and improper SH3 domain mediated protein-protein interaction (PPI) leads to defects in cellular function and may even result in disease states. Since commonly used large-scale PPI mapping strategies employed full-length proteins or random protein fragments as screening probes and did not identify the particular PPIs mediated by the SH3 domains, I employed a combined experimental and computational strategy to address this problem. I used yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) as my major experimental tool, as well as individual SH3 domains as baits, to map SH3 domain mediated PPI networks, “SH3 domain interactomes”. One of my important contributions has been the improvement for Y2H technology. First, I generated a pair of Y2H host strains that improved the efficiency of high-throughput Y2H screening and validated their usage. These strains were employed in my own research and also were adopted by other researchers in their large-scale PPI network mapping projects. Second, in collaboration with Nicolas Thierry-Mieg, I developed a novel smart-pooling method, Shifted Transversal Design (STD) pooling, and validated its application in large-scale Y2H. STD pooling was proven to be superior among currently available methods for obtaining large-scale PPI maps with higher coverage, high sensitivity and high specificity. I mapped the SH3 domain interactomes for both budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which contain 27 and 84 SH3 domains, respectively. Comparison of these two SH3 interactomes revealed that the role of the SH3 domain is conserved at a functional but not a structural level, playing a major role in the assembly of an endocytosis network from yeast to worm. Moreover, the worm SH3 domains are additionally involved in metazoan-specific functions such as neurogenesis and vulval development. These results provide valuable insights for our understanding of two important evolutionary processes from single cellular eukaryotes to animals: the functional expansion of the SH3 domains into new cellular modules, as well as the conservation and evolution of some cellular modules at the molecular level, particularly the endocytosis module.

Src homology 3 (SH3) domains are one family of the peptide recognition modules (PRMs), which bind peptides rich in proline or positively charged residues in the target proteins, and play important assembly or regulatory functions in dynamic eukaryotic cellular processes, especially in signal transduction and endocytosis. SH3 domains are conserved from yeast to human, and improper SH3 domain mediated protein-protein interaction (PPI) leads to defects in cellular function and may even result in disease states. Since commonly used large-scale PPI mapping strategies employed full-length proteins or random protein fragments as screening probes and did not identify the particular PPIs mediated by the SH3 domains, I employed a combined experimental and computational strategy to address this problem. I used yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) as my major experimental tool, as well as individual SH3 domains as baits, to map SH3 domain mediated PPI networks, “SH3 domain interactomes”. One of my important contributions has been the improvement for Y2H technology. First, I generated a pair of Y2H host strains that improved the efficiency of high-throughput Y2H screening and validated their usage. These strains were employed in my own research and also were adopted by other researchers in their large-scale PPI network mapping projects. Second, in collaboration with Nicolas Thierry-Mieg, I developed a novel smart-pooling method, Shifted Transversal Design (STD) pooling, and validated its application in large-scale Y2H. STD pooling was proven to be superior among currently available methods for obtaining large-scale PPI maps with higher coverage, high sensitivity and high specificity. I mapped the SH3 domain interactomes for both budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which contain 27 and 84 SH3 domains, respectively. Comparison of these two SH3 interactomes revealed that the role of the SH3 domain is conserved at a functional but not a structural level, playing a major role in the assembly of an endocytosis network from yeast to worm. Moreover, the worm SH3 domains are additionally involved in metazoan-specific functions such as neurogenesis and vulval development. These results provide valuable insights for our understanding of two important evolutionary processes from single cellular eukaryotes to animals: the functional expansion of the SH3 domains into new cellular modules, as well as the conservation and evolution of some cellular modules at the molecular level, particularly the endocytosis module.

Les domaines SH3 (Src Homology domain) représentent l'un des modules protéiques le plus largement répandu dans la nature. Ils participent à des interactions intra- et intermoléculaires avec d’autre partenaires au travers de la formation et de la dissociation de complexes multi-protéiques. Le gène nef du Virus d'Immunodéficience Humain (VIH-1) code pour la protéine nef, importante pour la réplication du virus et le développement optimal du SIDA (Syndrome d’Immunodéficience Acquise) chez les personnes infectées. De précédentes études ont mis en évidence que la protéine nef utilise un mode « tertiaire » d’interaction pour mettre en place une affinité et une sélectivité élevées envers les domaines SH3 des kinases de la famille Src (SFKs). Savoir si cette stratégie de reconnaissance tertiaire des domaines SH3 peut être retrouvée dans des protéines cellulaires humaines est donc une question importante pour évaluer le degré de spécificité de la protéine nef comme cible anti-HIV. Nous avons identifié Alix (ALG-2 [apoptosis-linked gene 2]-interacting protein X) comme protéine originale interagissant avec le domaine SH3 de la kinase de cellules Hématopoïétique (Hck). Alix possède une sélectivité comparable à nef envers les domaines SH3 de SFKs. Nous avons combiné une analyse biophysique et structurale, alliant des méthodes telles que la microcalorimetrie à titration isotherme(‘ITC’), la Résonance Plasmonique de Surface (‘SPR’), des méthodes in vitro dites de ‘GST pulldown’, l'interférométrie (‘NPOI’), la Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire (‘NMR’ - HSQC) et la diffusion des rayons X aux petits angles (SAXS) pour explorer les caractéristiques définissant le mode d’interaction entre Alix et le domaine SH3 de la kinase Hck. Cette étude démontre que la protéine cellulaire Alix est unique, structurellement différente mais fonctionnellement semblable à nef. / Src homology (SH) 3 domains is one of the most wide-spreaded protein modules found in nature. They mediate both inter- and intra-molecular protein-protein interactions (PPIs) through the formation and dissociation of multi-protein complexes. These SH3-mediated interactions are responsible for signal transduction, cytoskeleton organization and other cellular processes. The nef gene of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) encodes the HIV-1 Nef protein, which is important for optimal virus replication and development of AIDS (acquired immunize deficiency syndrome) in HIV-1 infected persons. Previous studies show that the HIV-1 Nef protein uses a “tertiary” binding mode to achieve high affinity and selectivity toward SH3 domains of Src-family kinases (SFKs). Whether this strategy of ‘tertiary’ binding mode of SH3 domains can be found in human cellular proteins, besides HIV-1 Nef, is an important question in the specificity of the HIV-1 Nef protein as an anti-HIV target. We identified Alix (ALG-2 [apoptosis-linked gene 2]-interacting protein X) as a novel protein interacting with Hemopoietic cell kinase (Hck) SH3 domain. Alix has similar selectivity towards SH3 domains of SFKs as the HIV-1 Nef. We have combined biophysical and structural biology analysis, including ITC (isothermal titration calorimetry), SPR (surface Plasmon resonance), GST (glutathione S-transferase) pull-down, interferometry, HSQC (heteronuclear single quantum coherence) and SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering) to explore the characteristics of Alix-SH3 recognition mode. This study shows that Alix as a unique cellular protein, which is structurally different but functionally similar in recognizing HIV-1 Nef. The structural information of the Alix-Hck association facilitates the understanding of how Hck and Alix assist viral budding and cell surface receptor regulation.

Src kinase plays a crucial role in a multitude of fundamental cellular processes. Src is an essential component of signalling pathways controlling cellular proliferation, motility or differentiation, and is often found deregulated in tumours. Src activity is therefore maintained under stringent and complex regulation mediated by SH3 and SH2 domains and the phosphorylation state of tyrosines 416 and 527. Active Src adopts an open conformation whereas inactive state of the kinase is characterised by a compact structure stabilised by inhibitory intramolecular interactions. We identified phosphorylation of tyrosine 90 within binding surface of SH3 domain as a new regulatory switch controlling Src kinase activation. Using substitutions mimicking phosphorylation state of the residue we demonstrated that tyrosine 90 phosphorylation controls Src catalytic activity, conformation and interactions mediated by the SH3 domain, representing a positive regulatory mechanism leading to elevated activation of mitogenic pathways and increased invasive potential of cells. Based on correlation between compactness of Src structure and its catalytic activity, we constructed a FRET-based sensor of Src conformation enabling to measure the dynamics of Src activation in cells with spatio-temporal resolution. We found that...

Protein CAS is a major tyrosine-phosphorylated protein in cells transformed by v-crk and v-src oncogenes. It is a multidomain adaptor protein, which serves as a scaffold for assembly of signalling complexes which are important for migration and invasiveness of Src-transformed cells. A novel phosphorylation site in N-terminal SH3 domain was identified - tyrosine 12 located on binding surface of CAS SH3 domain. To study biological importance of tyrosine 12 phosphorylation, non-phosphorylable (Y12F) and phosphomimicking ( Y12E) mutant of CAS were prepared. We found that phosphomimicking mutation Y12E leads to decreased interaction of CAS SH domain with kinase FAK a phosphatase PTP-PEST and also reduce tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK. Using GFP-tagged CAS protein, we show that Y12E mutation caused delocalization of CAS from focal adhesion but has no effect on localization of CAS to podosome-type adhesion. Non-phosphorylable mutation Y12F cause hyperphosphorylation of CAS substrate domain and decrease turnover of focal adhesion and associated cell migration of mouse embryonal fibroblasts (MEFs) independent to integrin singalling. Analogically to migration, CAS Y12F decrease invasiveness of Src-transformed MEF. The results of this diploma thesis show that phosphorylation of Tyr12 in CAS SH3 domain is...

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