Structure- and Similarity-Based Survey of Allosteric Kinase Inhibitors, Activators, and Closely Related Compounds

Allosteric kinase inhibitors are thought to have high selectivity and are prime candidates for kinase drug discovery. In addition, the exploration of allosteric mechanisms represents an attractive topic for basic research and drug design. Although the identification and characterization of allosteric kinase inhibitors is still far from being routine, X-ray structures of kinase complexes have been determined for a significant number of such inhibitors. On the basis of structural data, allosteric inhibitors can be confirmed. We report a comprehensive survey of allosteric kinase inhibitors and activators from publicly available X-ray structures, map their binding sites, and determine their distribution over binding pockets in kinases. In addition, we discuss structural features of these compounds and identify active structural analogues and high-confidence target annotations, indicating additional activities for a subset of allosteric inhibitors. This contribution aims to provide a detailed structure-based view of allosteric kinase inhibition.