RESUMO
MK2 is a Ser/Thr kinase of significant interest as an anti-inflammatory drug discovery target. Here we describe the development of in vitro tools for the identification and characterization of MK2 inhibitors, including validation of inhibitor interactions with the crystallography construct and determination of the unique binding mode of 2,4-diaminopyrimidine inhibitors in the MK2 active site. Use of these tools in the optimization of a potent and selective inhibitor lead series is described in the accompanying Letter.
Assuntos
Anti-Inflamatórios/química , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular/antagonistas & inibidores , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/química , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Pirimidinas/química , Trifosfato de Adenosina/química , Anti-Inflamatórios/síntese química , Anti-Inflamatórios/farmacologia , Sítios de Ligação , Ligação Competitiva , Simulação por Computador , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular/metabolismo , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/síntese química , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Pirimidinas/síntese química , Pirimidinas/farmacologia , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Structure-based drug design (SBDD) can provide valuable guidance to drug discovery programs. Robust construct design and expression, protein purification and characterization, protein crystallization, and high-resolution diffraction are all needed for rapid, iterative inhibitor design. We describe here robust methods to support SBDD on an oral anti-cytokine drug target, human MAPKAP kinase 2 (MK2). Our goal was to obtain useful diffraction data with a large number of chemically diverse lead compounds. Although MK2 structures and structural methods have been reported previously, reproducibility was low and improved methods were needed. RESULTS: Our construct design strategy had four tactics: N- and C-terminal variations; entropy-reducing surface mutations; activation loop deletions; and pseudoactivation mutations. Generic, high-throughput methods for cloning and expression were coupled with automated liquid dispensing for the rapid testing of crystallization conditions with minimal sample requirements. Initial results led to development of a novel, customized robotic crystallization screen that yielded MK2/inhibitor complex crystals under many conditions in seven crystal forms. In all, 44 MK2 constructs were generated, ~500 crystals were tested for diffraction, and ~30 structures were determined, delivering high-impact structural data to support our MK2 drug design effort. CONCLUSION: Key lessons included setting reasonable criteria for construct performance and prioritization, a willingness to design and use customized crystallization screens, and, crucially, initiation of high-throughput construct exploration very early in the drug discovery process.
