Leveraging unique structural characteristics of WNK kinases to achieve therapeutic inhibition

Abstract

The with-no-lysine (K) WNK kinases are master regulators of the Na⁺-(K⁺)-Cl^- cotransporters, including the renal-specific NCC and NKCC2 cotransporters. The discovery of WNK463, an orally bioavailable pan-WNK kinase inhibitor that exploits unique structural properties of the WNK catalytic domain to achieve high affinity and kinase selectivity, illustrates a strategy of leveraging distinct kinase features to develop specific inhibitors and validates the genetic predictions of the in vivo pharmacology of WNK inhibition.