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Zhu G, Chen X. Aptamer-based targeted therapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2018; 134:65-78. [PMID: 30125604 PMCID: PMC6239901 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Precision medicine holds great promise to harness genetic and epigenetic cues for targeted treatment of a variety of diseases, ranging from many types of cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, to cardiovascular diseases. The proteomic profiles resulting from the unique genetic and epigenetic signatures represent a class of relatively well accessible molecular targets for both interrogation (e.g., diagnosis, prognosis) and intervention (e.g., targeted therapy) of these diseases. Aptamers are promising for such applications by specific binding with cognate disease biomarkers. Nucleic acid aptamers are a class of DNA or RNA with unique three-dimensional conformations that allow them to specifically bind with target molecules. Aptamers can be relatively easily screened, reproducibly manufactured, programmably designed, and chemically modified for various biomedical applications, including targeted therapy. Aptamers can be chemically modified to resist enzymatic degradation or optimize their pharmacological behaviors, which ensured their chemical integrity and bioavailability under physiological conditions. In this review, we will focus on recent progress and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the research areas of aptamer-based targeted therapy in the forms of aptamer therapeutics and aptamer-drug conjugates (ApDCs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Guizhi Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Xiaoyuan Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Abstract
Western medicine often aims to specifically treat diseased tissues or organs. However, the majority of current therapeutics failed to do so owing to their limited selectivity and the consequent "off-target" side effects. Targeted therapy aims to enhance the selectivity of therapeutic effects and reduce adverse side effects. One approach toward this goal is to utilize disease-specific ligands to guide the delivery of less-specific therapeutics, such that the therapeutic effects can be guided specifically to diseased tissues or organs. Among these ligands, aptamers, also known as chemical antibodies, have emerged over the past decades as a novel class of targeting ligands that are capable of specific binding to disease biomarkers. Compared with other types of targeting ligands, aptamers have an array of unique advantageous features, which make them promising for developing aptamer-drug conjugates (ApDCs) for targeted therapy. In this Review, we will discuss ApDCs for targeted drug delivery in chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and photothermal therapy, primarily of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guizhi Zhu
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health , Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Gang Niu
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health , Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Xiaoyuan Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health , Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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Matzner D, Mayer G. (Dis)similar Analogues of Riboswitch Metabolites as Antibacterial Lead Compounds. J Med Chem 2015; 58:3275-86. [PMID: 25603286 DOI: 10.1021/jm500868e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The rise of antimicrobial resistance in human pathogenic bacteria has increased the necessity for the discovery of novel, yet unexplored antibacterial drug targets. Riboswitches, which are embedded in untranslated regions of bacterial messenger RNA (mRNA), represent such an interesting target structure. These RNA elements regulate gene expression upon binding to natural metabolites, second messengers, and inorganic ions, such as fluoride with high affinity and in a highly discriminative manner. Recently, efforts have been directed toward the identification of artificial riboswitch activators by establishing high-throughput screening assays, fragment-based screening, and structure-guided ligand design approaches. Emphasis in this review is placed on the special requirements and synthesis of new potential antibiotic drugs that target riboswitches in which dissimilarity is an important aspect in the design of potential lead compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Matzner
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Günter Mayer
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
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Lennarz S, Heider E, Blind M, Mayer G. An aptamer to the MAP kinase insert region. ACS Chem Biol 2015; 10:320-7. [PMID: 25184543 DOI: 10.1021/cb5005756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Targeting functional, non-catalytic domains of protein kinases or other proteins is an emerging field in chemical biology research. Non-ATP competitive kinase inhibitors allow for the investigation of active-site independent functions, e.g., the biological role of protein-protein interactions. These inhibitors also serve as a starting point for developing novel therapeutic strategies. However, the identification of such inhibitors by means of conventional low molecular weight compounds represents a great challenge in modern drug discovery. Employing the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase Erk2, we show that RNA aptamers have the capacity to be a novel, promising class of protein kinase inhibitors that can be applied to target individual subdomains and block domain specific functions without affecting kinase activity per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Lennarz
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, Gerhard-Domagk-Str.1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Elena Heider
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, Gerhard-Domagk-Str.1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Blind
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, Gerhard-Domagk-Str.1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Günter Mayer
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, Gerhard-Domagk-Str.1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
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Hussein M, Bettio M, Schmitz A, Hannam JS, Theis J, Mayer G, Dosa S, Gütschow M, Famulok M. Kovalente Inhibition der Pleckstrin-Homologiedomäne von Cytohesinen durch Cyplecksine. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201302207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Hussein M, Bettio M, Schmitz A, Hannam JS, Theis J, Mayer G, Dosa S, Gütschow M, Famulok M. Cyplecksins Are Covalent Inhibitors of the Pleckstrin Homology Domain of Cytohesin. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013; 52:9529-33. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201302207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Zhu G, Ye M, Donovan MJ, Song E, Zhao Z, Tan W. Nucleic acid aptamers: an emerging frontier in cancer therapy. Chem Commun (Camb) 2012; 48:10472-80. [PMID: 22951893 PMCID: PMC3869973 DOI: 10.1039/c2cc35042d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The last two decades have witnessed the development and application of nucleic acid aptamers in a variety of fields, including target analysis, disease therapy, and molecular and cellular engineering. The efficient and widely applicable aptamer selection, reproducible chemical synthesis and modification, generally impressive target binding selectivity and affinity, relatively rapid tissue penetration, low immunogenicity, and rapid systemic clearance make aptamers ideal recognition elements for use as therapeutics or for in vivo delivery of therapeutics. In this feature article, we discuss the development and biomedical application of nucleic acid aptamers, with emphasis on cancer cell aptamer isolation, targeted cancer therapy, oncology biomarker identification and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guizhi Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
- Departments of Chemistry, Physiology and Functional Genomics, Shands Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, Center For Research at Bio/nano Interface, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200 (USA) Fax: (+1) 352-846-2410
| | - Mao Ye
- State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Michael J. Donovan
- State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Erqun Song
- Departments of Chemistry, Physiology and Functional Genomics, Shands Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, Center For Research at Bio/nano Interface, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200 (USA) Fax: (+1) 352-846-2410
- Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Real-Time Analysis of the Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zilong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Weihong Tan
- State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
- Departments of Chemistry, Physiology and Functional Genomics, Shands Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, Center For Research at Bio/nano Interface, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200 (USA) Fax: (+1) 352-846-2410
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Tesmer VM, Lennarz S, Mayer G, Tesmer JJG. Molecular mechanism for inhibition of g protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 by a selective RNA aptamer. Structure 2012; 20:1300-9. [PMID: 22727813 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2012.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2012] [Revised: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular homeostasis is maintained in part by the rapid desensitization of activated heptahelical receptors that have been phosphorylated by G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2). However, during chronic heart failure GRK2 is upregulated and believed to contribute to disease progression. We have determined crystallographic structures of GRK2 bound to an RNA aptamer that potently and selectively inhibits kinase activity. Key to the mechanism of inhibition is the positioning of an adenine nucleotide into the ATP-binding pocket and interactions with the basic αF-αG loop region of the GRK2 kinase domain. Constraints imposed on the RNA by the terminal stem of the aptamer also play a role. These results highlight how a high-affinity aptamer can be used to selectively trap a novel conformational state of a protein kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie M Tesmer
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, 210 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2216, USA.
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Niebel B, Lentz C, Pofahl M, Mayer G, Hoerauf A, Pfarr KM, Famulok M. ADLOC: an aptamer-displacement assay based on luminescent oxygen channeling. Chemistry 2010; 16:11100-7. [PMID: 20690121 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201001192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Functional nucleic acids, such as aptamers and allosteric ribozymes, can sense their ligands specifically, thereby undergoing structural alterations that can be converted into a detectable signal. The direct coupling of molecular recognition to signal generation enables the production of versatile reporters that can be applied as molecular probes for various purposes, including high-throughput screening. Here we describe an unprecedented type of a nucleic acid-based sensor system and show that it is amenable to high-throughput screening (HTS) applications. The approach detects the displacement of an aptamer from its bound protein partner by means of luminescent oxygen channeling. In a proof-of-principle study we demonstrate that the format is feasible for efficient identification of small drug-like molecules that bind to a protein target, in this case to the Sec7 domain of cytohesin. We extended the approach to a new cytohesin-specific single chain DNA aptamer, C10.41, which exhibits a similar binding behavior to cytohesins but has the advantage of being more stable and easier to synthesize and to modify than the RNA-aptamer M69. The results obtained with both aptamers indicate the general suitability of the aptamer-displacement assay based on luminescent oxygen channelling (ADLOC) for HTS. We also analyzed the potential for false positive hits and identified from a library of 18,000 drug-like small molecules two compounds as strong singlet-oxygen quenchers. With full automation and the use of commercially available plate readers, we estimate that the ADLOC-based assay described here could be used to screen at least 100,000 compounds per day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Niebel
- Life and Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Unit, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
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