Research Abstracts Online
January 2010 - March 2011
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
College of Science and Engineering
PI: Tai-Sung Lee
Simulation Studies of Clincally Observed JAK2 Mutations
The tyrosine kinase JAK2 is extremely important in triggering nuclear translocation and regulation of target genes expression through STAT pathways. The V617F mutation, resulting in deregulation of JAK2, has been implicated in the oncogenesis of chronic myeloproliferative diseases (MPDs). However, both the mechanism of JAK2 auto-inhibition and the mechanisms of constitutive activation due to V617F and other mutations are still unclear.
This researcher has recently utilized molecular dynamics (MD) simulation techniques to establish plausible mechanisms of JAK2 auto-inhibition and V617F constitutive activation at the atomic level, which the first to report simulation-derived mechanism of JAK2 auto-regulation. Quest Diagnostics, the researcher’s collaborator, has recently provided additional clinical mutation results of JAK2. Long-time MD simulations on those mutations will be performed based on the simulation-derived structure of JAK2, to rationalize the clinically observed phenotypes. The NAMD simulation package will be used in this project and the molecular system size is around 130,000 atoms. This work would advance the understanding of JAK2 mechanisms at the atomic level and possibly establish a framework for rational structure-based drug design for JAK2-related diseases.