The 3-D structures of the complex of p110a with an important portion of its regulatory partner p85,
the fragment niSH2, containing the N-terminal SH2 domain (nSH2) and the inter-SH2 domain (iSH2),
determined in the last few years represent an important first step toward characterizing the activation
of the enzyme at the molecular level
(Fig. 1). Inclusion of the nSH2 and iSH2 domains of p85a in these structures was key for providing
insight into PI3K activation. The iSH2 domain is necessary for stabilizing p110a, and the nSH2 was
shown to have an inhibitory effect on the activity of PI3K . These
structures suggest that binding the phosphotyrosine of the activated receptors interferes with the
interaction of the nSH2 domain of p85a with the p110a subunit and relieves the inhibitory effect of
nSH2 . They showed, in addition, that most mutations occur at interfaces
between p110a domains or between p110a and p85a domains, in positions that have the potential to
modify the conformation of residues in the catalytic site and/or release inhibition by the nSH2 of theregulatory domain in a manner similar to physiological activation by phosphorylated receptors. One
mutation in p110a (H1047R), however, increases PI3K activity by changing the interaction of the
enzyme with the membrane