PMID: 28626521

Authors:

Puleo DE, Kucera K, Hammaren HM, Ungureanu D, Newton AS, Silvennoinen O, Jorgensen WL, Schlessinger J

Title:

Identification and Characterization of JAK2 Pseudokinase Domain Small Molecule Binders.

Journal:

ACS Med Chem Lett. 2017 May 17;8(6):618-621. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.7b00153., eCollection 2017 Jun 8.

Abstract:

Janus kinases (JAKs) regulate hematopoiesis via the cytokine-mediated JAK-STAT signaling pathway. JAKs contain tandem C-terminal pseudokinase (JH2) and tyrosine kinase (JH1) domains. The JAK2 pseudokinase domain adopts a protein kinase fold and, despite its pseudokinase designation, binds ATP with micromolar affinity. Recent evidence shows that displacing ATP from the JAK2 JH2 domain alters the hyperactivation state of the oncogenic JAK2 V617F protein while sparing the wild type JAK2 protein. In this study, small molecule binders of JAK2 JH2 were identified via an in vitro screen. Top hits were characterized using biophysical and structural approaches. Development of pseudokinase-selective compounds may offer novel pharmacological opportunities for treating cancers driven by JAK2 V617F and other oncogenic JAK mutants.