Fragment-based methods for the discovery of inhibitors modulating lysyl-tRNA synthetase and laminin receptor interaction

Lysyl-tRNA synthetase (KRS) is an enzyme that conjugates lysine to its cognate tRNAs in the process of protein synthesis. In addition to its catalytic function, KRS binds to the 67-kDa laminin receptor (LR) on the cell membrane and facilitates cell migration and metastasis. Modulation of this interaction by small-molecule inhibitors can be exploited to suppress cancer metastasis. In this study, we present fragment-based methods for the identification of inhibitors and monitoring protein-protein interactions between KRS and LR. First, we identified the amino acid residues, located on the KRS anticodon-binding domain, which interact with the C-terminal extension of the LR. One-dimensional (1D) relaxation-edited nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and competition experiments were designed and optimized to screen the fragment library. For screening using two-dimensional (2D) NMR, we identified the indicative signals in the KRS anticodon-binding domain and selected inhibitors that bind to KRS and compete with LR at the KRS-LR binding interface. These methods may offer an efficient approach for the discovery of anti-metastatic drugs.