The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase is implicated in a large number of human cancers. Most EGFR inhibitors target the extracellular, growth factor-binding domain or the intracellular, ATP-binding domain. Here we describe molecules that inhibit the kinase activity of EGFR in a new way, by competing with formation of an essential intradimer coiled coil containing the juxtamembrane segment from each member of the receptor partnership. The most potent molecules we describe bind EGFR directly, decrease the proliferation of wild-type and mutant EGFR-dependent cells lines, inhibit phosphorylation of EGFR and downstream targets, and block coiled coil formation as judged by bipartite tetracysteine display. Potency is directly correlated with the ability to block coiled coil formation within full-length EGFR in cells.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) interacts through its extracellular domain with seven different growth factors. These factors induce different structures within the cytoplasmic juxtamembrane (JM) segment of the dimeric receptor and propagate different growth factor-dependent signals to the cell interior. How this process occurs is unknown. Here we apply diverse experimental and computational tools to show that growth factor identity is encoded by the EGFR transmembrane (TM) helix into discrete helix dimer populations that differ in both cross-location and cross-angle. Helix dimers with smaller cross-angles at multiple cross locations are decoded to induce an EGF-type coiled coil in the adjacent JM, whereas helix dimers with larger cross-angles at fewer cross locations induce the TGF-α-type coiled coil. We propose an updated model for how conformational coupling across multiple EGFR domains results in growth factor-specific information transfer, and demonstrate that this model applies to both EGFR and the related receptor ErbB2.

The hydrocarbon-stapled peptide E1S allosterically inhibits the kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by blocking a distant but essential protein–protein interaction: a coiled coil formed from the juxtamembrane segment (JM) of each member of the dimeric partnership.1 Macrocyclization is not required for activity: the analogous unstapled (but alkene-bearing) peptide is equipotent in cell viability, immunoblot, and bipartite display experiments to detect coiled coil formation on the cell surface.

We previously reported a family of hydrocarbon-stapled peptides designed to interact with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) juxtamembrane (JM) segment, blocking its ability to form a coiled coil dimer that is essential for receptor activation. These hydrocarbon-stapled peptides, most notably E1S, decreased the proliferation of cell lines that express wild-type EGFR (H2030 and A431) as well as those expressing the oncogenic mutants EGFR L858R (H3255) and L858R/T790M (H1975). Although our previous investigations provided evidence that E1S interacted with EGFR directly, the location and details of these interactions were not established. Here we apply biochemical and cross-linking mass spectrometry tools to better define the interactions between E1S and EGFR. Taken with previously reported structure–activity relationships, our results support a model in which E1S interacts simultaneously with both the JM and the C-lobe of the activator kinase, effectively displacing the JM of the receiver kinase. Our results also reveal potential interactions between E1S and the N-terminal region of the C-terminal tail. We propose a model in which E1S inhibits EGFR by both mimicking and inhibiting JM coiled coil formation. This model could be used to design novel, allosteric (and perhaps nonpeptidic) EGFR inhibitors.