Class II but Not Second Class-Prospects for the Development of Class II PI3K Inhibitors

The Class II PI3 kinases are emerging from the shadows of their Class I cousins. The data emerging from PIK3C2 genetic modification studies and from siRNA knockdown suggest important roles in physiology and pathology. With some well-studied Class I isoform inhibitors showing strong Class II activity and a wealth of crystallographic information available, the structural similarity of these isoforms to Class I provides both the opportunity and the challenge in design of selective pharmacological inhibitors.