PMID: 14672662 , Related PDB id: 1Q0B

Authors:

Yan Y, Sardana V, Xu B, Homnick C, Halczenko W, Buser CA, Schaber M, Hartman GD, Huber HE, Kuo LC

Title:

Inhibition of a mitotic motor protein: where, how, and conformational consequences.

Journal:

J Mol Biol. 2004 Jan 9;335(2):547-54.

Abstract:

We report here the first inhibitor-bound structure of a mitotic motor protein. The 1.9 A resolution structure of the motor domain of KSP, bound with the small molecule monastrol and Mg2+ x ADP, reveals that monastrol confers inhibition by "induced-fitting" onto the protein some 12 A away from the catalytic center of the enzyme, resulting in the creation of a previously non-existing binding pocket. The structure provides new insights into the biochemical and mechanical mechanisms of the mitotic motor domain. Inhibition of KSP provides a novel mechanism to arrest mitotic spindle formation, a target of several approved and investigative anti-cancer agents. The structural information gleaned from this novel pocket offers a new angle for the design of anti-mitotic agents.