Hersperadin is an ATP-competitive small molecule inhibitor of Aurora B kinase, which is one of the three Aurora family kinases involved in the regulation of cell division, with half maximal inhibitory concentration IC50 of 250 nM, where the sulphonamide group of hersperadin inserts into the ATP-pocket in the catalytic cleft of Aurora B kinase and extends into the adjacent hydrophobic pocket. Hersperadin has been found to prevent the phosphorylation of Aurora B, where the Ser-10 phosphorylation of Aurora B in mitosis serves as a biomarker for mitotic progression, with IC50 of 40 nM leading to inhibition of chromosome alignment and segregation.
References:
[1]Jetton N1, Rothberg KG, Hubbard JG, Wise J, Li Y, Ball HL, Ruben L. The cell cycle as a therapeutic target against Trypanosoma brucei: Hesperadin inhibits Aurora kinase-1 and blocks mitotic progression in bloodstream forms. Mol Microbiol. 2009 Apr;72(2):442-58. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06657.x. Epub 2009 Mar 6.
[2]Hauf S1, Cole RW, LaTerra S, Zimmer C, Schnapp G, Walter R, Heckel A, van Meel J, Rieder CL, Peters JM. The small molecule Hesperadin reveals a role for Aurora B in correcting kinetochore-microtubule attachment and in maintaining the spindle assembly checkpoint. J Cell Biol. 2003 Apr 28;161(2):281-94. Epub 2003 Apr 21.
