Kinase crystal identification and ATP-competitive inhibitor screening using the fluorescent ligand SKF86002

Co-crystals of SKF86002, a small kinase inhibitor, and various kinases were distinguishable by their strong fluorescence, and the crystals lost their fluorescence when a compound bound competitively to the kinase ATP-binding site and displaced the fluorescent SKF86002. SKF86002 binds a wide variety of kinases and thus would be a useful crystal marker, crystal stabilizer and marker for screening new kinase inhibitors and identifying ligand co-crystals for structural analysis.