Structural basis of the collagen-binding mode of discoidin domain receptor 2

Discoidin domain receptor (DDR) is a cell-surface receptor tyrosine kinase activated by the binding of its discoidin (DS) domain to fibrillar collagen. Here, we have determined the NMR structure of the DS domain in DDR2 (DDR2-DS domain), and identified the binding site to fibrillar collagen by transferred cross-saturation experiments. The DDR2-DS domain structure adopts a distorted jellyroll fold, consisting of eight beta-strands. The collagen-binding site is formed at the interloop trench, consisting of charged residues surrounded by hydrophobic residues. The surface profile of the collagen-binding site suggests that the DDR2-DS domain recognizes specific sites on fibrillar collagen. This study provides a molecular basis for the collagen-binding mode of the DDR2-DS domain.