# A twist in the tale: shifting from covalent targeting of a tyrosine in JAK3 to a lysine in MK2

## TL;DR

This paper explores new covalent drug targets in kinases, revealing unexpected interactions with lysine using fluorosulfate compounds.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the first use of fluorosulfate warheads for covalent lysine targeting in kinases.

## Key findings

- Fluorosulfate MK2 inhibitor formed an unexpected covalent bond with a catalytic lysine.
- Traditional design methods failed to predict the unique hinge region interaction.
- The findings suggest new opportunities for non-cysteine covalent drug discovery in kinases.

## Abstract

While cysteine targeting in kinases is well established and widely used, covalent interactions with other amino acids remain much less explored. We aimed to develop covalent inhibitors targeting tyrosine residues in the protein kinases JAK3 and MK2 using structure-based design principles to generate small sets of ligands containing tyrosine-reactive sulfonyl fluoride and the less-explored fluorosulfate warheads. While the JAK3 inhibitors failed to achieve covalent binding, the fluorosulfate-bearing MK2 inhibitor 42, which had been designed as an allosteric binder, unexpectedly formed a bond with the “catalytic” lysine, additionally uncovering a unique interaction at the hinge region. This highlights the untapped potential of fluorosulfates and provides a rare example of the use of this electrophile for lysine targeting in kinases. Our results highlight the limitations of traditional design methods and support the integration of fragment/lead-like covalent library screening to discover unanticipated interactions.

A fluorosulfate inhibitor designed for tyrosine unexpectedly formed a covalent bond with the “catalytic” lysine in MK2, revealing an unusual binding mode and highlighting new opportunities for non-cysteine covalent targeting in kinases.