Structural highlights
Evolutionary Conservation Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf. Publication Abstract from PubMedThe development of selective inhibitors for discrete anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins implicated in pathologic cell survival remains a formidable but pressing challenge. Such precisely tailored compounds would serve as molecular probes and targeted therapies to study and treat human diseases driven by specific anti-apoptotic blockades. In particular, MCL-1 has emerged as a major resistance factor in human cancer. By screening a library of stabilized alpha-helix of BCL-2 domains (SAHBs), we determined that the MCL-1 BH3 helix is itself a potent and exclusive MCL-1 inhibitor. X-ray crystallography and mutagenesis studies defined key binding and specificity determinants, including the capacity to harness the hydrocarbon staple to optimize affinity while preserving selectivity. MCL-1 SAHB directly targets MCL-1, neutralizes its inhibitory interaction with pro-apoptotic BAK and sensitizes cancer cells to caspase-dependent apoptosis. By leveraging nature's solution to ligand selectivity, we generated an MCL-1-specific agent that defines the structural and functional features of targeted MCL-1 inhibition. The MCL-1 BH3 helix is an exclusive MCL-1 inhibitor and apoptosis sensitizer.,Stewart ML, Fire E, Keating AE, Walensky LD Nat Chem Biol. 2010 Aug;6(8):595-601. Epub 2010 Jun 20. PMID:20562877[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferences
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