Kinetics and inhibition studies of the L205R mutant of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase involved in Cushing's syndrome

Overproduction of cortisol by the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal hormone system results in the clinical disorder known as Cushing's syndrome. Genomics studies have identified a key mutation (L205R) in the α‐isoform of the catalytic subunit of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKACα) in adrenal adenomas of patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone‐independent Cushing's syndrome. Here, we conducted kinetics and inhibition studies on the L205R‐PKACα mutant. We have found that the L205R mutation affects the kinetics of both Kemptide and ATP as substrates, decreasing the catalytic efficiency (k cat/K M) for each substrate by 12‐fold and 4.5‐fold, respectively. We have also determined the IC 50 and K i for the peptide substrate‐competitive inhibitor PKI(5–24) and the ATP‐competitive inhibitor H89. The L205R mutation had no effect on the potency of H89, but causes a > 250‐fold loss in potency for PKI(5–24). Collectively, these data provide insights for the development of L205R‐PKACα inhibitors as potential therapeutics.