KN-93 is a selective inhibitor of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase type II (CaMKII), competitively blocking CaM binding to the kinase (Ki = 370 nM). It does not affect the activities of PKA, PKC, MLCK, or Ca2+-phosphodiesterase. It inhibits histamine-induced aminopyrine uptake in parietal cells (IC50 = 300 nM). More recently, KN-93 has been used to implicate roles for CaMKII in Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in cardiac myocytes, constitutive phosphorylation of 5-lipoxygenase in 3T3 cells, and Ca2+-dependent activation of HIF-1α in colon cancer cells.
