Herbimycin A abrogates nuclear factor-kappaB activation by interacting preferentially with the IkappaB kinase beta subunit.

NF (nuclear factor)-kappaB is known to be a critical transcription factor in inflammatory responses. We have reported that herbimycin A, a potent Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor, attenuates the NF-kappaB activation triggered by cytokines, bacterial endotoxin, and hydrogen peroxide. Accompanying the suppression by this agent, NF-kappaB-dependent gene expressions, such as cytokine, chemokine, and inducible-type nitric oxide, are specifically inhibited in glial cells. In the present study, we attempted to elucidate the possible target protein for herbimycin A on this pathway. We demonstrate here that herbimycin A preferentially inhibits IKK (IkappaB kinase)beta. Furthermore, substituting alanine for the cysteine at 59 (Cys59) in IKKbeta resulted in the insensitivity to herbimycin A, suggesting that this compound may interact with the Cys59 residue located near the catalytic ATP binding site. Taken together, these results indicate that herbimycin A can be considered a novel candidate for an anti-inflammatory drug agent through its specific inhibition of IKKbeta, which results in prevention of the expression of NF-kappaB-dependent genes implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory responses.