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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Protein kinases targeted by small-molecule inhibitors develop resistance through mutation of the 'gatekeeper' threonine residue of the active site. Here we show that the gatekeeper mutation in the cellular forms of c-ABL, c-SRC, platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha and -beta, and epidermal growth factor receptor activates the kinase and promotes malignant transformation of BaF3 cells. Structural analysis reveals that a network of hydrophobic interactions-the hydrophobic spine-characteristic of the active kinase conformation is stabilized by the gatekeeper substitution. Substitution of glycine for the residues constituting the spine disrupts the hydrophobic connectivity and inactivates the kinase. Furthermore, a small-molecule inhibitor that maximizes complementarity with the dismantled spine (compound 14) inhibits the gatekeeper mutation of BCR-ABL-T315I. These results demonstrate that mutation of the gatekeeper threonine is a common mechanism of activation for tyrosine kinases and provide structural insights to guide the development of next-generation inhibitors.

Activation of tyrosine kinases by mutation of the gatekeeper threonine.,Azam M, Seeliger MA, Gray NS, Kuriyan J, Daley GQ Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2008 Oct;15(10):1109-18. Epub 2008 Sep 14. PMID:18794843^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.