Matt Coban, Mahesh Gokara, Luis M. Forero Vargas, Sarah D. Tanzer, Sherry X. Zhou, Alexandra Hockla, Banumathi Sankaran, Thomas R. Caulfield, Evette S. Radisky
{"title":"Discovery of an autoinhibited conformation in mesotrypsin reveals a strategy for selective serine protease inhibition","authors":"Matt Coban, Mahesh Gokara, Luis M. Forero Vargas, Sarah D. Tanzer, Sherry X. Zhou, Alexandra Hockla, Banumathi Sankaran, Thomas R. Caulfield, Evette S. Radisky","doi":"10.1126/sciadv.adu9129","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div >Selective inhibition of the more than 100 S1 family serine proteases is a long-standing challenge due to their active site similarity. Mesotrypsin, implicated in cancer progression, exemplifies these difficulties; no current inhibitors achieve selectivity over other human trypsins. We found an unexpected autoinhibited conformation of mesotrypsin via x-ray crystallography, revealing a cryptic pocket adjacent to the active site. Using high-throughput virtual screening targeting this cryptic pocket, we identified a conformationally selective small-molecule inhibitor that stabilizes the inactive state of mesotrypsin. This inhibitor demonstrates selectivity for mesotrypsin over other trypsins. Our findings challenge the accepted view of digestive trypsins as constitutively active enzymes lacking potential for allosteric regulation. Furthermore, analyses of other structures suggest that dynamic sampling of closed states with analogous allosteric cryptic pockets appears widespread among S1 serine proteases. These observations point to a potentially generalizable strategy to achieve selective inhibition, offering broad implications for drug development targeting serine proteases in cancer and other diseases.</div>","PeriodicalId":21609,"journal":{"name":"Science Advances","volume":"11 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.science.org/doi/reader/10.1126/sciadv.adu9129","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Science Advances","FirstCategoryId":"103","ListUrlMain":"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adu9129","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Selective inhibition of the more than 100 S1 family serine proteases is a long-standing challenge due to their active site similarity. Mesotrypsin, implicated in cancer progression, exemplifies these difficulties; no current inhibitors achieve selectivity over other human trypsins. We found an unexpected autoinhibited conformation of mesotrypsin via x-ray crystallography, revealing a cryptic pocket adjacent to the active site. Using high-throughput virtual screening targeting this cryptic pocket, we identified a conformationally selective small-molecule inhibitor that stabilizes the inactive state of mesotrypsin. This inhibitor demonstrates selectivity for mesotrypsin over other trypsins. Our findings challenge the accepted view of digestive trypsins as constitutively active enzymes lacking potential for allosteric regulation. Furthermore, analyses of other structures suggest that dynamic sampling of closed states with analogous allosteric cryptic pockets appears widespread among S1 serine proteases. These observations point to a potentially generalizable strategy to achieve selective inhibition, offering broad implications for drug development targeting serine proteases in cancer and other diseases.
期刊介绍:
Science Advances, an open-access journal by AAAS, publishes impactful research in diverse scientific areas. It aims for fair, fast, and expert peer review, providing freely accessible research to readers. Led by distinguished scientists, the journal supports AAAS's mission by extending Science magazine's capacity to identify and promote significant advances. Evolving digital publishing technologies play a crucial role in advancing AAAS's global mission for science communication and benefitting humankind.