Sequence determinants of a specific inactive protein kinase conformation

Trans-membrane Signaling in Photosynthetic State Transitions: REDOX- AND STRUCTURE-DEPENDENT INTERACTION IN VITRO BETWEEN STT7 KINASE AND THE CYTOCHROME b6f COMPLEX

Trans-membrane signaling involving a serine/threonine kinase (Stt7 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) directs light energy distribution between the two photosystems of oxygenic photosynthesis. Oxidation of plastoquinol mediated by the cytochrome b₆f complex on the electrochemically positive side of the thylakoid membrane activates the kinase domain of Stt7 on the trans (negative) side, leading to phosphorylation and redistribution ("state transition") of the light-harvesting chlorophyll proteins between the two photosystems. The molecular description of the Stt7 kinase and its interaction with the cytochrome b₆f complex are unknown or unclear. In this study, Stt7 kinase has been cloned, expressed, and purified in a heterologous host. Stt7 kinase is shown to be active in vitro in the presence of reductant and purified as a tetramer, as determined by analytical ultracentrifugation, electron microscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, with a molecular weight of 332 kDa, consisting of an 83.41-kDa monomer. Far-UV circular dichroism spectra show Stt7 to be mostly α-helical and document a physical interaction with the b₆f complex through increased thermal stability of Stt7 secondary structure. The activity of wild-type Stt7 and its Cys-Ser mutant at positions 68 and 73 in the presence of a reductant suggest that the enzyme does not require a disulfide bridge for its activity as suggested elsewhere. Kinase activation in vivo could result from direct interaction between Stt7 and the b₆f complex or long-range reduction of Stt7 by superoxide, known to be generated in the b₆f complex by quinol oxidation.

Structure of a pathogen effector reveals the enzymatic mechanism of a novel acetyltransferase family

Effectors secreted by the type III secretion system are essential for bacterial pathogenesis. Members of the Yersinia outer-protein J (YopJ) family of effectors found in diverse plant and animal pathogens depend on a protease-like catalytic triad to acetylate host proteins and produce virulence. However, the structural basis for this noncanonical acetyltransferase activity remains unknown. Here, we report the crystal structures of the YopJ effector HopZ1a, produced by the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae, in complex with the eukaryote-specific cofactor inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) and/or coenzyme A (CoA). Structural, computational and functional characterizations reveal a catalytic core with a fold resembling that of ubiquitin-like cysteine proteases and an acetyl-CoA-binding pocket formed after IP6-induced structural rearrangements. Modeling-guided mutagenesis further identified key IP6-interacting residues of Salmonella effector AvrA that are required for acetylating its substrate. Our study reveals the structural basis of a novel class of acetyltransferases and the conserved allosteric regulation of YopJ effectors by IP6.

Structural Insight into the 14-3-3 Protein-dependent Inhibition of Protein Kinase ASK1 (Apoptosis Signal-regulating kinase 1)

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1, also known as MAP3K5), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K) family, regulates diverse physiological processes. The activity of ASK1 is triggered by various stress stimuli and is involved in the pathogenesis of cancer, neurodegeneration, inflammation, and diabetes. ASK1 forms a high molecular mass complex whose activity is, under non-stress conditions, suppressed through interaction with thioredoxin and the scaffolding protein 14-3-3. The 14-3-3 protein binds to the phosphorylated Ser-966 motif downstream of the ASK1 kinase domain. The role of 14-3-3 in the inhibition of ASK1 has yet to be elucidated. In this study we performed structural analysis of the complex between the ASK1 kinase domain phosphorylated at Ser-966 (pASK1-CD) and the 14-3-3ζ protein. Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements and chemical cross-linking revealed that the pASK1-CD·14-3-3ζ complex is dynamic and conformationally heterogeneous. In addition, structural analysis coupled with the results of phosphorus NMR and time-resolved tryptophan fluorescence measurements suggest that 14-3-3ζ interacts with the kinase domain of ASK1 in close proximity to its active site, thus indicating this interaction might block its accessibility and/or affect its conformation.

Conformation-Selective Analogues of Dasatinib Reveal Insight into Kinase Inhibitor Binding and Selectivity

In the kinase field, there are many widely held tenets about conformation-selective inhibitors that have yet to be validated using controlled experiments. We have designed, synthesized, and characterized a series of kinase inhibitor analogues of dasatinib, an FDA-approved kinase inhibitor that binds the active conformation. This inhibitor series includes two Type II inhibitors that bind the DFG-out inactive conformation and two inhibitors that bind the αC-helix-out inactive conformation. Using this series of compounds, we analyze the impact that conformation-selective inhibitors have on target binding and kinome-wide selectivity.

Gatekeeper Tyrosine Phosphorylation of SYMRK Is Essential for Synchronizing the Epidermal and Cortical Responses in Root Nodule Symbiosis

Symbiosis receptor kinase (SYMRK) is indispensable for activation of root nodule symbiosis (RNS) at both epidermal and cortical levels and is functionally conserved in legumes. Previously, we reported SYMRK to be phosphorylated on "gatekeeper" Tyr both in vitro as well as in planta. Since gatekeeper phosphorylation was not necessary for activity, the significance remained elusive. Herein, we show that substituting gatekeeper with nonphosphorylatable residues like Phe or Ala significantly affected autophosphorylation on selected targets on activation segment/αEF and β3-αC loop of SYMRK. In addition, the same gatekeeper mutants failed to restore proper symbiotic features in a symrk null mutant where rhizobial invasion of the epidermis and nodule organogenesis was unaffected but rhizobia remain restricted to the epidermis in infection threads migrating parallel to the longitudinal axis of the root, resulting in extensive infection patches at the nodule apex. Thus, gatekeeper phosphorylation is critical for synchronizing epidermal/cortical responses in RNS.

A Proteometric Analysis of Human Kinome: Insight into Discriminant Conformation-dependent Residues

Because of the success of imatinib, the first type-II kinase inhibitor approved by the FDA in 2001, sustained efforts have been made by the pharmaceutical industry to discover novel compounds stabilizing the inactive conformation of protein kinases. On the seven type-II inhibitors having reached the market, four were released in 2012, suggesting an acceleration of the research of such a class of compounds. Still, they represent less than a third of the protein kinase inhibitors available to patients today. The identification of key residues involved in the binding of this type of ligands in the kinase active site might ease the design of potent and selective type-II inhibitors. In order to identify those discriminant residues, we have developed a proteometric approach combining residue descriptors of protein kinase sequences and biological activities of various type-II kinase inhibitors. We applied Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression to identify 29 key residues that influence the binding of four type-II inhibitors to most proteins of the kinome. The gatekeeper residue was found to be the most relevant, confirming an essential role in ligand binding as well as in protein kinase conformational changes. Using the newly developed proteometric model, we predicted the propensity of each protein kinase to be inhibited by type-II ligands. The model was further validated using an external data set of protein/ligand activity pairs. Other residues present in the kinase domain, and more specifically in the binding site, have been highlighted by this approach, but their role in biological mechanisms is still unknown.

Type II Inhibitors Targeting CDK2

Kinases can switch between active and inactive conformations of the ATP/Mg(2+) binding motif DFG, which has been explored for the development of type I or type II inhibitors. However, factors modulating DFG conformations remain poorly understood. We chose CDK2 as a model system to study the DFG in-out transition on a target that was thought to have an inaccessible DFG-out conformation. We used site-directed mutagenesis of key residues identified in structural comparisons in conjunction with biochemical and biophysical characterization of the generated mutants. As a result, we identified key residues that facilitate the DFG-out movement, facilitating binding of type II inhibitors. However, surprisingly, we also found that wild type CDK2 is able to bind type II inhibitors. Using protein crystallography structural analysis of the CDK2 complex with an aminopyrimidine-phenyl urea inhibitor (K03861) revealed a canonical type II binding mode and the first available type II inhibitor CDK2 cocrystal structure. We found that the identified type II inhibitors compete with binding of activating cyclins. In addition, analysis of the binding kinetics of the identified inhibitors revealed slow off-rates. The study highlights the importance of residues that may be distant to the ATP binding pocket in modulating the energetics of the DFG-out transition and hence inhibitor binding. The presented data also provide the foundation for a new class of slow off-rate cyclin-competitive CDK2 inhibitors targeting the inactive DFG-out state of this important kinase target.

Structural and dynamic insights into the energetics of activation loop rearrangement in FGFR1 kinase

Protein tyrosine kinases differ widely in their propensity to undergo rearrangements of the N-terminal Asp–Phe–Gly (DFG) motif of the activation loop, with some, including FGFR1 kinase, appearing refractory to this so-called ‘DFG flip'. Recent inhibitor-bound structures have unexpectedly revealed FGFR1 for the first time in a ‘DFG-out' state. Here we use conformationally selective inhibitors as chemical probes for interrogation of the structural and dynamic features that appear to govern the DFG flip in FGFR1. Our detailed structural and biophysical insights identify contributions from altered dynamics in distal elements, including the αH helix, towards the outstanding stability of the DFG-out complex with the inhibitor ponatinib. We conclude that the αC-β4 loop and ‘molecular brake' regions together impose a high energy barrier for this conformational rearrangement, and that this may have significance for maintaining autoinhibition in the non-phosphorylated basal state of FGFR1.

Receptor tyrosine kinases are key mediators of cell proliferation that have been implicated in several disease states for which they represent promising drug targets. Here the authors determine the thermodynamic basis for the low propensity of FGFR1 to access the DFG-Phe-out conformation required to bind type-II inhibitors.

Targeting cancer with kinase inhibitors

Kinase inhibitors have played an increasingly prominent role in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Currently, more than 25 oncology drugs that target kinases have been approved, and numerous additional therapeutics are in various stages of clinical evaluation. In this Review, we provide an in-depth analysis of activation mechanisms for kinases in cancer, highlight recent successes in drug discovery, and demonstrate the clinical impact of selective kinase inhibitors. We also describe the substantial progress that has been made in designing next-generation inhibitors to circumvent on-target resistance mechanisms, as well as ongoing strategies for combining kinase inhibitors in the clinic. Last, there are numerous prospects for the discovery of novel kinase targets, and we explore cancer immunotherapy as a new and promising research area for studying kinase biology.

Approaches toward improving the prognosis of pediatric patients with glioma: pursuing mutant drug targets with emerging small molecules

Gliomas represent approximately 70% of all pediatric brain tumors, and most of these are of astrocytic lineage; furthermore, malignant or high-grade astrocytomas account for approximately 20% of pediatric astrocytoma. Treatment options for pediatric patients with glioma are limited. Although low-grade astrocytomas are relatively slow-growing tumors that can often be cured through surgical resection, a significant proportion of cases recur, as such, new treatments are desperately needed. This review covers the various approaches that are currently being made toward improving the prognosis of pediatric patients with glioma by pursuing pediatric-selective mutant drug targets with emerging small molecules.

DFGmodel: predicting protein kinase structures in inactive states for structure-based discovery of type-II inhibitors

Protein kinases exist in equilibrium of active and inactive states, in which the aspartate-phenylalanine-glycine motif in the catalytic domain undergoes conformational changes that are required for function. Drugs targeting protein kinases typically bind the primary ATP-binding site of an active state (type-I inhibitors) or utilize an allosteric pocket adjacent to the ATP-binding site in the inactive state (type-II inhibitors). Limited crystallographic data of protein kinases in the inactive state hampers the application of rational drug discovery methods for developing type-II inhibitors. Here, we present a computational approach to generate structural models of protein kinases in the inactive conformation. We first perform a comprehensive analysis of all protein kinase structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank. We then develop DFGmodel, a method that takes either a known structure of a kinase in the active conformation or a sequence of a kinase without a structure, to generate kinase models in the inactive conformation. Evaluation of DFGmodel's performance using various measures indicates that the inactive kinase models are accurate, exhibiting RMSD of 1.5 Å or lower. The kinase models also accurately distinguish type-II kinase inhibitors from likely nonbinders (AUC > 0.70), suggesting that they are useful for virtual screening. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of our approach with three case studies. For example, the models are able to capture inhibitors with unintended off-target activity. Our computational approach provides a structural framework for chemical biologists to characterize kinases in the inactive state and to explore new chemical spaces with structure-based drug design.

Targeting conformational plasticity of protein kinases

The quest for ever more selective kinase inhibitors as potential future drugs has yielded a large repertoire of chemical probes that are selective for specific kinase conformations. These probes have been useful tools to obtain structural snapshots of kinase conformational plasticity. Similarly, kinetic and thermodynamic inhibitor binding experiments provide glimpses at the time scales and energetics of conformational interconversions. These experimental insights are complemented by computational predictions of conformational energy landscapes and simulations of conformational transitions and of the process of inhibitors binding to the protein kinase domain. A picture emerges in which highly selective inhibitors capitalize on the dynamic nature of kinases.

Conformational analysis of the DFG-out kinase motif and biochemical profiling of structurally validated type II inhibitors

Structural coverage of the human kinome has been steadily increasing over time. The structures provide valuable insights into the molecular basis of kinase function and also provide a foundation for understanding the mechanisms of kinase inhibitors. There are a large number of kinase structures in the PDB for which the Asp and Phe of the DFG motif on the activation loop swap positions, resulting in the formation of a new allosteric pocket. We refer to these structures as “classical DFG-out” conformations in order to distinguish them from conformations that have also been referred to as DFG-out in the literature but that do not have a fully formed allosteric pocket. We have completed a structural analysis of almost 200 small molecule inhibitors bound to classical DFG-out conformations; we find that they are recognized by both type I and type II inhibitors. In contrast, we find that nonclassical DFG-out conformations strongly select against type II inhibitors because these structures have not formed a large enough allosteric pocket to accommodate this type of binding mode. In the course of this study we discovered that the number of structurally validated type II inhibitors that can be found in the PDB and that are also represented in publicly available biochemical profiling studies of kinase inhibitors is very small. We have obtained new profiling results for several additional structurally validated type II inhibitors identified through our conformational analysis. Although the available profiling data for type II inhibitors is still much smaller than for type I inhibitors, a comparison of the two data sets supports the conclusion that type II inhibitors are more selective than type I. We comment on the possible contribution of the DFG-in to DFG-out conformational reorganization to the selectivity.

Slow inhibition and conformation selective properties of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 inhibitors

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway is a target for anticancer therapy, validated using inhibitors of B-Raf and MAP kinase kinase (MKK) 1 and 2. Clinical outcomes show a high frequency of acquired resistance in patient tumors, involving upregulation of activity of the MAP kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and 2. Thus, inhibitors for ERK1/2 are potentially important for targeted therapeutics against cancer. The structures and potencies of different ERK inhibitors have been published, but their kinetic mechanisms have not been characterized. Here we perform enzyme kinetic studies on six representative ERK inhibitors, with potencies varying from 100 pM to 20 μM. Compounds with significant biological activity (IC50 < 100 nM) that inhibit in the subnanomolar range (Vertex-11e and SCH772984) display slow-onset inhibition and represent the first inhibitors of ERK2 known to demonstrate slow dissociation rate constants (values of 0.2 and 1.1 h(-1), respectively). Furthermore, we demonstrate using kinetic competition assays that Vertex-11e binds with differing affinities to ERK2 in its inactive, unphosphorylated and active, phosphorylated forms. Finally, two-dimensional heteronuclear multiple-quantum correlation nuclear magnetic resonance experiments reveal that distinct conformational states are formed in complexes of Vertex-11e with inactive and active ERK2. Importantly, two conformers interconvert in equilibrium in the active ERK2 apoenzyme, but Vertex-11e strongly shifts the equilibrium completely to one conformer. Thus, a high-affinity, slow dissociation inhibitor stabilizes different enzyme conformations depending on the activity state of ERK2 and reveals properties of conformational selection toward the active kinase.

Molecular dynamics of PLK1 during mitosis

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a key regulator of eukaryotic cell division. During mitosis, dynamic regulation of PLK1 is crucial for its roles in centrosome maturation, spindle assembly, microtubule–kinetochore attachment, and cytokinesis. Similar to other members of the PLK family, the molecular architecture of PLK1 protein is characterized by 2 domains—the kinase domain and the regulatory substrate-binding domain (polo-box domain)—that cooperate and control PLK1 function during mitosis. Mitotic cells employ many layers of regulation to activate and target PLK1 to different cellular structures in a timely manner. During the last decade, numerous studies have shed light on the precise molecular mechanisms orchestrating the mitotic activity of PLK1 in time and space. This review aims to discuss available data and concepts related to regulation of the molecular dynamics of human PLK1 during mitotic progression.

A unique inhibitor binding site in ERK1/2 is associated with slow binding kinetics

Activation of the ERK pathway is a hallmark of cancer, and targeting of upstream signaling partners led to the development of approved drugs. Recently, SCH772984 has been shown to be a selective and potent ERK1/2 inhibitor. Here we report the structural mechanism for its remarkable selectivity. In ERK1/2, SCH772984 induces a so-far-unknown binding pocket that accommodates the piperazine-phenyl-pyrimidine decoration. This new binding pocket was created by an inactive conformation of the phosphate-binding loop and an outward tilt of helix αC. In contrast, structure determination of SCH772984 with the off-target haspin and JNK1 revealed two canonical but distinct type I binding modes. Notably, the new binding mode with ERK1/2 was associated with slow binding kinetics in vitro as well as in cell-based assay systems. The described binding mode of SCH772984 with ERK1/2 enables the design of a new type of specific kinase inhibitors with prolonged on-target activity.

Exploration of type II binding mode: A privileged approach for kinase inhibitor focused drug discovery?

The ATP site of kinases displays remarkable conformational flexibility when accommodating chemically diverse small molecule inhibitors. The so-called activation segment, whose conformation controls catalytic activity and access to the substrate binding pocket, can undergo a large conformational change with the active state assuming a ‘DFG-in’ and an inactive state assuming a ‘DFG-out’ conformation. Compounds that preferentially bind to the DFG-out conformation are typically called ‘type II’ inhibitors in contrast to ‘type I’ inhibitors that bind to the DFG-in conformation. This review surveys the large number of type II inhibitors that have been developed and provides an analysis of their crystallographically determined binding modes. Using a small library of type II inhibitors, we demonstrate that more than 200 kinases can be targeted, suggesting that type II inhibitors may not be intrinsically more selective than type I inhibitors.

Conformation-selective ATP-competitive inhibitors control regulatory interactions and noncatalytic functions of mitogen-activated protein kinases

Most potent protein kinase inhibitors act by competing with ATP to block the phosphotransferase activity of their targets. However, emerging evidence demonstrates that ATP-competitive inhibitors can affect kinase interactions and functions in ways beyond blocking catalytic activity. Here, we show that stabilizing alternative ATP-binding site conformations of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) p38α and Erk2 with ATP-competitive inhibitors differentially, and in some cases divergently, modulates the abilities of these kinases to interact with upstream activators and deactivating phosphatases. Conformation-selective ligands are also able to modulate Erk2's ability to allosterically activate the MAPK phosphatase DUSP6, highlighting how ATP-competitive ligands can control noncatalytic kinase functions. Overall, these studies underscore the relationship between the ATP-binding and regulatory sites of MAPKs and provide insight into how ATP-competitive ligands can be designed to confer graded control over protein kinase function.

Ins and outs of kinase DFG motifs

In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Hari and colleagues show that two positions in kinase active sites, including the well-known "gatekeeper" residue, regulate "in" versus "out" conformations of the conserved "DFG" motif. These findings suggest yet another role for the gatekeeper residue.

Conformation-selective inhibitors reveal differences in the activation and phosphate-binding loops of the tyrosine kinases Abl and Src

Over the past decade, an increasingly diverse array of potent and selective inhibitors that target the ATP-binding sites of protein kinases have been developed. Many of these inhibitors, like the clinically approved drug imatinib (Gleevec), stabilize a specific catalytically inactive ATP-binding site conformation of their kinases targets. Imatinib is notable in that it is highly selective for its kinase target, Abl, over other closely related tyrosine kinases, such as Src. In addition, imatinib is highly sensitive to the phosphorylation state of Abl's activation loop, which is believed to be a general characteristic of all inhibitors that stabilize a similar inactive ATP-binding site conformation. In this report, we perform a systematic analysis of a diverse series of ATP-competitive inhibitors that stabilize a similar inactive ATP-binding site conformation as imatinib with the tyrosine kinases Src and Abl. In contrast to imatinib, many of these inhibitors have very similar potencies against Src and Abl. Furthermore, only a subset of this class of inhibitors is sensitive to the phosphorylation state of the activation loop of these kinases. In attempting to explain this observation, we have uncovered an unexpected correlation between Abl's activation loop and another flexible active site feature, called the phosphate-binding loop (p-loop). These studies shed light on how imatinib is able to obtain its high target selectivity and reveal how the conformational preference of flexible active site regions can vary between closely related kinases.

A highly selective dual insulin receptor (IR)/insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibitor derived from an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor

Dual inhibitors of the closely related receptor tyrosine kinases insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and insulin receptor (IR) are promising therapeutic agents in cancer. Here, we report an unusually selective class of dual inhibitors of IGF-1R and IR identified in a parallel screen of known kinase inhibitors against a panel of 300 human protein kinases. Biochemical and structural studies indicate that this class achieves its high selectivity by binding to the ATP-binding pocket of inactive, unphosphorylated IGF-1R/IR and stabilizing the activation loop in a native-like inactive conformation. One member of this compound family was originally reported as an inhibitor of the serine/threonine kinase ERK, a kinase that is distinct in the structure of its unphosphorylated/inactive form from IR/IGF-1R. Remarkably, this compound binds to the ATP-binding pocket of ERK in an entirely different conformation to that of IGF-1R/IR, explaining the potency against these two structurally distinct kinase families. These findings suggest a novel approach to polypharmacology in which two or more unrelated kinases are inhibited by a single compound that targets different conformations of each target kinase.