Mechanism and Specificity of Pentachloropseudilin-mediated Inhibition of Myosin Motor Activity

Here, we report that the natural compound pentachloropseudilin (PClP) acts as a reversible and allosteric inhibitor of myosin ATPase and motor activity. IC50 values are in the range from 1 to 5 mu M for mammalian class-1 myosins and greater than 90 mu M for class-2 and class-5 myosins, and no inhibition was observed with class-6 and class-7 myosins. We show that in mammalian cells, PClP selectively inhibits myosin-1c function. To elucidate the structural basis for PClP-induced allosteric coupling and isoform-specific differences in the inhibitory potency of the compound, we used a multifaceted approach combining direct functional, crystallographic, and in silico modeling studies. Our results indicate that allosteric inhibition by PClP is mediated by the combined effects of global changes in protein dynamics and direct communication between the catalytic and allosteric sites via a cascade of small conformational changes along a conserved communication pathway.