Targeting Grb2 SH3 Domains with Affimer Proteins Provides Novel Insights into Ras Signalling Modulation

Src homology 3 (SH3) domains play a critical role in mediating protein-protein interactions (PPIs) involved in cell proliferation, migration, and the cytoskeleton. Despite their abundance in the human proteome, the functions and molecular interactions of many SH3 domains remain unknown, and this is in part due to the lack of SH3-domain-specific reagents available for their study. Affimer proteins have been developed as affinity reagents targeting a diverse range of targets, including those involved in PPIs. In this study, Affimer proteins were isolated against both the N- and C-terminal SH3 domains (NSH3 and CSH3) of growth-factor-receptor-bound protein 2 (Grb2), an adapter protein that provides a critical link between cell surface receptors and Ras signalling pathways. Targeting the CSH3 alone for the inhibition of PPIs appeared sufficient for curtailing Ras signalling in mammalian cell lines stimulated with human epidermal growth factor (EGF), which conflicts with the notion that the predominant interactions with Ras activating Son of sevenless (SOS) occur via the NSH3 domain. This result supports a model in which allosteric mechanisms involved in Grb2-SOS1 interaction modulate Ras activation.