T. Linnemann et al., Thermodynamic and kinetic characterization of the interaction between the Ras binding domain of AF6 and members of the Ras subfamily, J BIOL CHEM, 274(19), 1999, pp. 13556-13562
Cellular signaling downstream of Ras is highly diversified and may involve
many different effector molecules. A potential candidate is AF6 which was o
riginally identified as a fusion to ALL-1 in acute myeloid leukemia. In the
present work the interaction between Ras and AF6 is characterized and comp
ared with other effecters. The binding characteristics are quite similar to
Raf and RalGEF, i.e. nucleotide dissociation as well as GTPase-activating
protein activity are inhibited, whereas the intrinsic GTPase activity of Ra
s is unperturbed by AF6 binding. Particularly, the dynamics of interaction
are similar to Raf and RalGEF with a lifetime of the Ras.AF6 complex in the
millisecond range. As probed by P-31 NMR spectroscopy one of two major con
formational states of Ras is stabilized by the interaction with AF6, Lookin
g at the affinities of AF6 to a number of Pas mutants in the effector regio
n, a specificity profile emerges distinct from that of other effector molec
ules. This finding may be useful in defining the biological function of AF6
by selectively switching off other pathways downstream of Ras using the ap
propriate effector mutant. Notably, among the Ras-related proteins AF6 bind
s most tightly to Rap1A which could imply a role of Rap1A in AF6 regulation
.