posted on 2006-01-27, 00:00authored byBernadette M. McArdle, Marc R. Campitelli, Ronald J. Quinn
The relationship between a natural product's biosynthetic enzyme and its therapeutic target is unknown. The concept of
protein fold topologies, as a determining factor in recognition, has been developed through molecular modeling techniques.
We have shown that biosynthetic enzymes and the therapeutic targets of three classes of natural products that inhibit
protein kinases share a common protein fold topology (PFT) and cavity recognition points despite having different fold
type classifications. The clinical agent flavopiridol would have been identified by this new approach.