Conserved spatial patterns across the protein kinase family.

Protein kinases are a large family of enzymes heavily involved in signal transduction, regulation of metabolism, and control of cell growth and differentiation. These functions require precise recognition of widely diverse signals and substrates, and very detailed control of protein kinase activity. Large molecules interact primarily through recognition of surface features. Comparison of surfaces is complicated by both sequence diversity and conformational variability, including multiple possible rotameric states of side chains. We used a recently developed method of protein surface comparison to compare different serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases. As we have shown, two hydrophobic cores inside a protein kinase molecule are connected by a unique formation, called the "spine". It exists only in the active conformation of protein kinases and is dynamically disassembled during the inactivation process. Detection of such structures by any other method was not possible as the residues which comprise the spine do not form any sequence or 3D motifs in a traditional sense.