Allosteric Modalities for Membrane-Bound Receptors: Insights from Drug Hunting for Brain Diseases

J Med Chem. 2019 Jul 11;62(13):5979-6002. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01651. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Abstract

Medicinal chemists are accountable for embedding the appropriate drug target profile into the molecular architecture of a clinical candidate. An accurate characterization of the functional effects following binding of a drug to its biological target is a fundamental step in the discovery of new medicines, informing the translation of preclinical efficacy and safety observations into human trials. Membrane-bound proteins, particularly ion channels and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), are biological targets prone to allosteric modulation. Investigations using allosteric drug candidates and chemical tools suggest that their functional effects may be tailored with a high degree of translational alignment, making them molecular tools to correct pathophysiological functional tone and enable personalized medicine when a causative target-to-disease link is known. We present select examples of functional molecular fine-tuning of allosterism and discuss consequences relevant to drug design.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Allosteric Regulation
  • Animals
  • Brain Diseases / drug therapy
  • Drug Design
  • Humans
  • Ion Channels / agonists*
  • Ion Channels / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Neurotransmitter Agents / chemistry
  • Neurotransmitter Agents / pharmacology*
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / agonists*
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Ion Channels
  • Neurotransmitter Agents
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled