A chemical genetic approach is presented to covalently target a unique lipid binding pocket in the protein kinase p38α, whose function is not yet known. Based on a series of cocrystal structures, a library of 2-arylquinazolines that were decorated with electrophiles were designed and synthesized to covalently target tailored p38α mutants containing artificially introduced cysteine residues. Matching protein-ligand pairs were identified by MS analysis and further validated by MS/MS studies and protein crystallography. The covalent ligands that emerged from this approach showed excellent selectivity towards a single p38α mutant and will be applicable as suitable probes in future studies of biological systems to dissect the function of the lipid pocket by means of pharmacological perturbations.
Keywords: chemical genetics; covalent probes; ligand design; mass spectrometry; p38α MAPK.
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