Selective inhibition of engineered receptors via proximity-accelerated alkylation

A new approach for creating allele-specific inhibitors is demonstrated. In this approach, a receptor and ligand are engineered to contain complementary reactive groups that form a covalent bond via a proximity-accelerated reaction upon formation of the receptor-ligand complex, irreversibly modulating the biological function of the receptor. This approach is demonstrated in the cyclophilin-cyclosporin receptor-ligand system by introducing thiol and acrylamide functional groups in the receptor and ligand, respectively.