A Chemoproteomic Approach to Query the Degradable Kinome Using a Multi-kinase Degrader

Cell Chem Biol. 2018 Jan 18;25(1):88-99.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2017.10.005. Epub 2017 Nov 9.

Abstract

Heterobifunctional molecules that recruit E3 ubiquitin ligases, such as cereblon, for targeted protein degradation represent an emerging pharmacological strategy. A major unanswered question is how generally applicable this strategy is to all protein targets. In this study, we designed a multi-kinase degrader by conjugating a highly promiscuous kinase inhibitor with a cereblon-binding ligand, and used quantitative proteomics to discover 28 kinases, including BTK, PTK2, PTK2B, FLT3, AURKA, AURKB, TEC, ULK1, ITK, and nine members of the CDK family, as degradable. This set of kinases is only a fraction of the intracellular targets bound by the degrader, demonstrating that successful degradation requires more than target engagement. The results guided us to develop selective degraders for FLT3 and BTK, with potentials to improve disease treatment. Together, this study demonstrates an efficient approach to triage a gene family of interest to identify readily degradable targets for further studies and pre-clinical developments.

Keywords: BTK; FLT3; chemoproteomics; drug design; kinase; protein degradation.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase / genetics
  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Proteolysis
  • Proteomics*
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / genetics
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / metabolism

Substances

  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • FLT3 protein, human
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3
  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase
  • BTK protein, human