FRS2 PTB domain conformation regulates interactions with divergent neurotrophic receptors

Membrane-anchored adaptor proteins FRS2α/β (also known as SNT-1/2) mediate signaling of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) and neurotrophin receptors (TRKs) through their N-terminal phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domains. The FRS2 PTB domain recognizes tyrosine-phosphorylated TRKs at an NPXpY (where pY is phosphotyrosine) motif, whereas its constitutive association with FGFR involves a receptor juxtamembrane region lacking Tyr and Asn residues. Here we show by isothermal titration calorimetry that the FRS2α PTB domain binding to peptides derived from TRKs or FGFR is thermodynamically different. TRK binding is largely enthalpy-driven, whereas the FGFR interaction is governed by a favorable entropic contribution to the free energy of binding. Furthermore, our NMR spectral analysis suggests that disruption of an unstructured region C-terminal to the PTB domain alters local conformation and dynamics of the residues at the ligand-binding site, and that structural disruption of the β8-strand directly weakens the PTB domain association with the FGFR ligand. Together, our new findings support a molecular mechanism by which conformational dynamics of the FRS2α PTB domain dictates its association with either fibroblast growth factor or neurotrophin receptors in neuronal development.