Targeting kinesins!
Kinesins are a superfamily of microtubule-based motor proteins that couple adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis to mechanical work, driving intracellular transport, mitotic spindle assembly, and the regulation of microtubule dynamics.
Mutations in kinesin genes are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegeneration, and cancer.
Many small-molecule inhibitors have been developed against kinesins, but so far they target only a limited subset of family members and binding sites.
Recent cryogenic electron microscopy structures of microtubule-bound kinesins are revealing new conformations, allosteric pockets, and regulatory sites that could be exploited to modulate kinesin activity.
Artificial intelligence-powered drug screening is helping to identify small molecules that bind novel sites in diverse kinesins, potentially expanding their therapeutic and research applications.
https://www.cell.com/trends/biochemical-sciences/fulltext/S0968-0004(26)00280-X
