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Abstract
The kinase PAK binds tightly to the SH3 domain of its partner PIX via a central proline-rich sequence. A different N-terminal sequence allows αPAK to bind an SH3 domain of the adaptor Nck. The Nck SH3[2] domain interacts equally with an 18-mer PAK-derived peptide and full-length αPAK. Detailed analysis of this binding by saturation substitution allows related Nck targets to be accurately identified from sequence characteristics alone. All Nck SH3[2] binding proteins, including PAK, NIK, synaptojanin, PRK2, and WIP, possess the motif PXXPXRXXS; in the case of PAK, serine phosphorylation at this site negatively regulates binding. We show that kinase autophosphorylation blocks binding by both Nck and PIX to αPAK, thus providing a mechanism to regulate PAK interactions with its SH3-containing partners. One cellular consequence of the regulatable binding of PAK is facilitation of its cycling between cytosolic and focal complex sites.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is funded by the Glaxo Singapore Research Fund.