Reduced efficacy of a Src kinase inhibitor in crowded protein solution

Nat Commun. 2021 Jul 2;12(1):4099. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24349-5.

Abstract

The inside of a cell is highly crowded with proteins and other biomolecules. How proteins express their specific functions together with many off-target proteins in crowded cellular environments is largely unknown. Here, we investigate an inhibitor binding with c-Src kinase using atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in dilute as well as crowded protein solution. The populations of the inhibitor, 4-amino-5-(4-methylphenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine (PP1), in bulk solution and on the surface of c-Src kinase are reduced as the concentration of crowder bovine serum albumins (BSAs) increases. This observation is consistent with the reduced PP1 inhibitor efficacy in experimental c-Src kinase assays in addition with BSAs. The crowded environment changes the major binding pathway of PP1 toward c-Src kinase compared to that in dilute solution. This change is explained based on the population shift mechanism of local conformations near the inhibitor binding site in c-Src kinase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • CSK Tyrosine-Protein Kinase / drug effects
  • CSK Tyrosine-Protein Kinase / metabolism
  • Computational Biology
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Proteins / chemistry
  • Proteins / metabolism*
  • Pyrazoles / pharmacology
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology
  • src-Family Kinases / chemistry
  • src-Family Kinases / drug effects*
  • src-Family Kinases / metabolism*

Substances

  • 4-amino-5-(4-methylphenyl)-7-(tert-butyl)pyrazolo(3,4-d)pyrimidine
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Proteins
  • Pyrazoles
  • Pyrimidines
  • CSK Tyrosine-Protein Kinase
  • src-Family Kinases
  • CSK protein, human
  • pyrimidine