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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Identification of Kinase-substrate Pairs Using High Throughput Screening
Published on: August 29, 2015
Crystal structures of human and mouse ketohexokinase provide a structural basis for species- and isoform-selective
Rebecca Ebenhoch1, Margit Bauer1, Helmut Romig2
1Medicinal Chemistry, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorferstrasse 67, 88400 Biberach an der Riss, Germany.
Abstract:
A molecular understanding of the proteins involved in fructose metabolism is essential for controlling the current spread of fructose-related obesity, diabetes and related adverse metabolic states in Western populations. Fructose catabolism starts with the phosphorylation of D-fructose to fructose 1-phosphate by ketohexokinase (KHK). KHK exists in two alternatively spliced isoforms: the hepatic and intestinal isoform KHK-C and the peripheral isoform KHK-A. Here, the structure of apo murine KHK (mKHK), which differs from structures of human KHK in overall conformation, is reported. An isoform-selective ligand, which offers a 50-fold higher potency on mKHK and human KHK-A compared with KHK-C, is further characterized. In mKHK, large-scale conformational changes are observed upon ligand binding. The structures suggest a combined strategy for the design of species- and isoform-selective KHK inhibitors.
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