Cited by 164Protein Kinase Regulation and GTPase SignalingProtein Tyrosine PhosphatasesMelanoma and MAPK Pathways

The reactivity-driven biochemical mechanism of covalent KRASG12C inhibitors

Hansen, Rasmus, Peters, Ulf, Babbar, Anjali, Chen, Yuching, Feng, Jun, Janes, Matthew R., Li, Lian-Sheng, Ren, Pingda +2 more·2018·Nature Structural & Molecular Biology

Abstract

Activating mutations in KRAS are among the most common tumor driver mutations. Until recently, KRAS had been considered undruggable with small molecules; the discovery of the covalent KRAS G12C inhibitors ARS-853 and ARS-1620 has demonstrated that it is feasible to inhibit KRAS with high potency in cells and animals. Although the biological activity of these inhibitors has been described, the biochemical mechanism of how the compounds achieve potent inhibition remained incompletely understood. We now show that the activity of ARS-853 and ARS-1620 is primarily driven by KRAS-mediated catalysis of the chemical reaction with Cys12 in human KRAS G12C, while the reversible binding affinity is weak, in the hundreds of micromolar or higher range. The mechanism resolves how an induced, shallow and dynamic pocket not expected to support high-affinity binding of small molecules can nevertheless be targeted with potent inhibitors and may be applicable to other targets conventionally considered undruggable.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41594-018-0061-5

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Authors
Hansen, R., Peters, U., Babbar, A., Chen, Y., Feng, J., Janes, M. R., Li, L.-S., Ren, P., Liu, Y., & Zarrinkar, P. P.
Affiliations
  • Wellspring Biosciences (United States) (US)
  • Kura Oncology (United States) (US)
Corresponding author
Zarrinkar, Patrick P.
Venue
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Published
2018-05-14
Volume
25
Issue
6
Pages
454-462
ISSN
  • 1545-9985 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-9993
OpenAlex
W2800484366
Cited by
153
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 5 · 2012: 1
FWCI
6.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Kinase Regulation and GTPase Signaling
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Melanoma and MAPK Pathways
Keywords
KRAS G12C, covalent inhibitors, undruggable targets, enzyme kinetics, small molecule inhibitors
MeSH terms
Animals, Catalysis, Cysteine, Humans, Kinetics, Mutation, Neoplasms, Protein Binding, Genes, ras, ras Proteins

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