Protein kinase inhibitors: insights into drug design from structure

Science. 2004 Mar 19;303(5665):1800-5. doi: 10.1126/science.1095920.

Abstract

Protein kinases are targets for treatment of a number of diseases. This review focuses on kinase inhibitors that are in the clinic or in clinical trials and for which structural information is available. Structures have informed drug design and have illuminated the mechanism of inhibition. We review progress with the receptor tyrosine kinases (growth factor receptors EGFR, VEGFR, and FGFR) and nonreceptor tyrosine kinases (Bcr-Abl), where advances have been made with cancer therapeutic agents such as Herceptin and Gleevec. Among the serine-threonine kinases, p38, Rho-kinase, cyclin-dependent kinases, and Chk1 have been targeted with productive results for inflammation and cancer. Structures have provided insights into targeting the inactive or active form of the kinase, for targeting the global constellation of residues at the ATP site or less conserved additional pockets or single residues, and into targeting noncatalytic domains.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Binding Sites
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Drug Design*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / metabolism
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Structure
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors*
  • Protein Kinases / chemistry*
  • Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Protein Kinases