PMID: 20679480

Authors:

Molzan M, Schumacher B, Ottmann C, Baljuls A, Polzien L, Weyand M, Thiel P, Rose R, Rose M, Kuhenne P, Kaiser M, Rapp UR, Kuhlmann J, Ottmann C

Title:

Impaired binding of 14-3-3 to C-RAF in Noonan Syndrome implies new approaches in diseases with increased Ras signaling.

Journal:

Mol Cell Biol. 2010 Aug 2.

Abstract:

The Ras-RAF-MAPK pathway is overactive in many cancers and in some developmental disorders. In one of the latter, Noonan syndrome, nine activating C-RAF mutations cluster around Ser(259), a regulatory site for inhibition by 14-3-3 proteins. We show that these mutations impair binding of 14-3-3 proteins to C-RAF and alter its subcellular localization by promoting Ras-mediated plasma membrane recruitment of C-RAF. By providing biophysical binding data, the 14-3-3/C-RAFpS(259) crystal structure, and cellular analyses we present a mechanistic link between a well-described human developmental disorder and the impairment of a 14-3-3/target protein interaction. As a broader implication of these findings, modulating the C-RAFSer(259)/14-3-3 protein-protein interaction with a stabilizing small molecule may yield a novel potential approach for diseases resulting from an overactive Ras-RAF-MAPK pathway.