J Biol Chem, Vol. 274, Issue 3, 1342-1348, January 15, 1999
Characterization and Binding Specificity of the Monomeric
STAT3-SH2 Domain
Serge
Haan
,
Ulrike
Hemmann
,
Ulrich
Hassiepen
,
Fred
Schaper
,
Jens
Schneider-Mergener§,
Axel
Wollmer
,
Peter C.
Heinrich
, and
Joachim
Grötzinger
From the
Institut für Biochemie,
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen,
Pauwelsstrasse 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany and the
§ Institut für Medizische Immunologie,
Universitätsklinikum Charité, Humboldt-Universität zu
Berlin, D-10098 Berlin, Germany
Signal transducers and activators of
transcription (STATs) are important mediators of cytokine signal
transduction. STAT factors are recruited to phosphotyrosine-containing
motifs of activated receptor chains via their SH2 domains. The
subsequent tyrosine phosphorylation of the STATs leads to their
dissociation from the receptor, dimerization, and translocation to the
nucleus. Here we describe the expression, purification, and refolding
of the STAT3-SH2 domain. Proper folding of the isolated protein was proven by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. The STAT3-SH2 domain undergoes a conformational change upon dimerization. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay we demonstrate that the
monomeric domain binds to specific phosphotyrosine peptides. The
specificity of binding to phosphotyrosine peptides was assayed with the
tyrosine motif encompassing Tyr705 of STAT3 and with
all tyrosine motifs present in the cytoplasmic tail of the signal
transducer gp130.
Copyright © 1999 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.