RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Myosin and Myosin-Related Diseases

Myosins are actin-based motor proteins that use the energy from ATP hydrolysis to produce mechanical force and movement. In the context of a cellular and tissue specific environment, myosins drive muscle contraction and play essential roles in intracellular transport, cell movement and differentiation, mechano- and neurosensory processes.

Taking into account such diversity and complexity, isoform-specific modulation of myosin activity is of great therapeutic interest, since aberrant motor activity and movement lead to alterations in cellular functions, which is often the etiological consequence to pathology.

KINARIS has characterized structure-function-relationships for a range of bioactive compounds in complex with the myosin motor domain. These studies have led to the identification and elucidation of new mechanisms of allosteric modulation of myosin motor function. Our studies revealed that different compound classes act by binding to discrete sites in the myosin motor domain employing different mechanisms of action. This increases the potential of our approach and likelihood that one of the identified lead compounds will lead to a therapeutic drug.