Rational design of the first small-molecule antagonists of NHERF1/EBP50 PDZ domains.

This report describes the first small-molecule antagonists that specifically target the ligand-binding pocket of PDZ domains of NHERF1 multi-functional adaptor protein. Comparison of the peptide sequence homology between the native ligand of NHERF1 PDZ domains and an indole-based non-peptide chemical scaffold allowed the design of a small-molecule antagonist of NHERF1 PDZ domains.