ATP-binding proteins

ATP-binding proteins represent a massive functional class of proteins characterized by their ability to bind and often hydrolyze adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to drive various cellular processes. This superfamily encompasses a wide array of molecular machines, including protein kinases, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, helicases, and motor proteins like myosin (UniProt, 2024). These proteins are fundamental to life, facilitating signal transduction, active transport of molecules across membranes, and the mechanical work required for cell division and muscle contraction (NCBI, 2023). Due to their central roles in physiology, dysregulation of ATP-binding proteins is linked to numerous pathologies, including cancer, cystic fibrosis, and neurodegenerative diseases (PubMed, 2022). Consequently, they are among the most heavily exploited therapeutic targets in modern pharmacology, with hundreds of approved drugs, such as kinase inhibitors, designed to compete with ATP for binding sites (DrugBank, 2024). However, the structural similarity of ATP-binding pockets across different protein families presents a major hurdle in drug development, as achieving high selectivity is necessary to avoid systemic toxicity and off-target interactions (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2021).

Other names

ATP-binding proteomeATP-utilizing enzymesAdenosine triphosphate-binding proteins

Competitive inhibition of the ATP-binding site, allosteric modulation, or stabilization of specific conformational states.