Fast in-vitro screening of FLT3-ITD inhibitors using silkworm-baculovirus protein expression system

We report expression and purification of a FLT3 protein with ITD mutation (FLT3-ITD) with a steady tyrosine kinase activity using a silkworm-baculovirus system, and its application as a fast screening system of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The FLT3-ITD protein was expressed in Bombyx mori L. pupae infected by gene-modified nucleopolyhedrovirus, and was purified as an active state. We performed an inhibition assay using 17 potential kinase inhibitors, and succeeded in identifying two potent inhibitors for FLT3-ITD. The result has paved the way for screening FLT3-ITD inhibitors in a fast and easy manner, and also for structural studies.