Dynamic architecture of a protein kinase #MMPMID25319261
McClendon CL; Kornev AP; Gilson MK; Taylor SS
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014[Oct]; 111 (43): E4623-31 PMID25319261show ga
Protein kinases represent a critically important family of regulatory enzymes. Their activity can be altered by mutations and binding events distant from the active site. To understand the nature of these long-distance effects, we used microsecond-timescale molecular dynamic simulation to subdivide a prototypical kinase, protein kinase A, into contiguous communities that exhibit internally correlated motions. Surprisingly, most of these unconventional structural entities were centered around known protein kinase functions. We thus propose a new framework for analysis of protein kinase structure and function that differs from traditional representations based simply on sequence motifs and secondary structure elements. These results extend our view on the dynamic nature of protein kinases and open a door to understanding of allosteric signaling in these enzymes.