NMR Structural and Binding Studies of the Phosphotyrosine Binding Domain of Tensin

Tensin is a protein localized to the specialized regions of the plasma membrane known as focal adhesions, which are formed around a transmembrane core of an integrin heterodimer. NMR structural and binding studies have been carried out. We have found that the phosphotyrosine binding domain of tensin has at least a dual specificity for both phosphoinositides and phosphotyrosine containing peptides. Additional studies are ongoing to better understand and characterize the functional role of such interactions in the cell.