Structural and energetic insights into the selective inhibition of PKMYT1 against WEE1

作者：Xuesen Qi, Guozhen Li, Jiahai Liu, Linkai Mou, Yusheng Zhang, Shilin Guo, Xiangyu Chen, Wenxing Li · 发表于：Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1080/07391102.2023.2225106 · 被引用次数：14 · 研究领域：PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in cancer、Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways、Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease

Protein kinase, membrane-associated tyrosine/threonine 1 (PKMYT1), a member of the WEE family and responsible for the regulation of CDK1 phosphorylation, has been considered a promising therapeutic target for cancer therapy. However, the highly structural conservation of the ATP-binding sites of the WEE family poses a challenge to the design of selective inhibitors for PKMYT1. Here, molecular docking, multiple microsecond-length molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and end-point free energy calculations were performed to uncover the molecular mechanism of the binding selectivity of RP-6306 toward PKMYT1 over its highly homologous kinase WEE1. The binding specificity of RP-6306 reported in previous experimental bioassays was clarified by MD simulations and binding free energy calculations. Further, the binding free energy prediction indicated that the binding selectivity of RP-6306 largely derived from the difference in the protein-ligand electrostatic interactions. The per-residue free energy decomposition suggested that the non-conserved gatekeeper residue in the hinge domain of PKMYT1/WEE1, Thr187/Asn376, is the critical factor responsible for the binding selectivity of RP-6306 toward PKMYT1. In addition, a water-mediated hydrogen bond was formed between RP-6306 and Gly191 at the hinge domain in the PKMYT1/RP-6306 complex, which was absent in the WEE1/RP-6306 complex. This study is expected to offer useful information for the design of more potent and selective PKMYT1 inhibi...