This study identifies cyanoquinoline-based HIPK4 inhibitors with nanomolar potency and reveals their cell-type-specific effects on HIPK4 proteostasis and autophagy.

Journal of the American Chemical Society · Oct 5, 2026Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

Uncompetitive Allosteric Inhibitor of Mitochondrial Creatine Kinase Prevents Binding and Release of Creatine by Stabilization of Loop Closure

Merve Demir, Chen-Ting Ma, Nikhil Puvvula, Laura Koepping, Palak Gosalia, Sirkku Pollari, Shaun Alba, Zoe Zong, Ya Li, Lynn Miya Fujimoto, Andrey A. Bobkov, Taro Hitosugi, Jianhua Zhao, Eduard A. Sergienko

The paper identifies an uncompetitive allosteric inhibitor of mitochondrial creatine kinase that stabilizes loop closure, preventing creatine binding and phosphocreatine release.

Journal of Molecular Biology · Jun 9, 2026Peer-reviewedBiochemistry

Synergistic RAS-MAPK and AKT Activation in MYC-Driven Tumors via Adjacent PVT1 Rearrangements

Ashutosh Tiwari, Utkarsha Paithane, Jordan Friedlein, Kojiro Tashiro, Olivier Saulnier, Karina Barbosa, Quang M. Trinh, Bryan Hall, Shrawantee Saha, Aditi Soni, Takuma Nakashima, Andrey A. Bobkov, Lynn Miya Fujimoto, Rabi Murad, Svetlana Rajkumar Maurya, , Anindya Bagchi

This paper identifies how PVT1 rearrangements in MYC+ cancers generate oncogenic peptides that synergistically activate MYC, AKT, and RAS-MAPK pathways, enhancing tumor aggressiveness.

bioRxiv · Feb 17, 2025 · PreprintCancer Biology

Structural Basis for Substrate Binding, Catalysis and Inhibition of Breast Cancer Target Mitochondrial Creatine Kinase by Covalent Inhibitor via Cryo-EM

Merve Demir, Laura Koepping, Ya Li, Lynn Miya Fujimoto, Andrey A. Bobkov, Jianhua Zhao, Taro Hitosugi, Eduard A. Sergienko

The paper investigates the structural and mechanistic features of mitochondrial creatine kinase (uMtCK) and evaluates the efficacy of a covalent inhibitor in breast cancer cells.

Structure · Jun 18, 2024Peer-reviewedBiochemistry