A Rationale for Drug Design Provided by Co-Crystal Structure of IC261 in Complex with Tubulin

Microtubules composed of α/β tubulin heterodimers are an essential part of the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells and are widely regarded as targets for cancer chemotherapy. IC261, which is discovered as an ATP-competitive inhibitor of serine/threonine-specific casein kinase 1 (CK1), has shown its inhibitory activity on microtubule polymerization in recent studies. However, the structural information of the interaction between tubulin and IC261 is still unclear. Here, we provided a high-resolution (2.85 Å) crystal structure of tubulin and IC261 complex, revealed the intermolecular interaction between tubulin and IC261, and analyzed the structure–activity relationship (SAR). Subsequently, the structure of tubulin-IC261 complex was compared with tubulin-colchicine complex to further elucidate the novelty of IC261. Furthermore, eight optimal candidate compounds of new IC261-based microtubule inhibitors were obtained through molecular docking studies. In conclusion, the co-crystal structure of tubulin-IC261 complex paves a way for the design and development of microtubule inhibitor drugs.