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Requejo Cier CJ, Valentini N, Lamarche C. Unlocking the potential of Tregs: innovations in CAR technology. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1267762. [PMID: 37900916 PMCID: PMC10602912 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1267762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) adoptive immunotherapy is emerging as a viable treatment option for both autoimmune and alloimmune diseases. However, numerous challenges remain, including limitations related to cell number, availability of target-specific cells, stability, purity, homing ability, and safety concerns. To address these challenges, cell engineering strategies have emerged as promising solutions. Indeed, it has become feasible to increase Treg numbers or enhance their stability through Foxp3 overexpression, post-translational modifications, or demethylation of the Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR). Specificity can be engineered by the addition of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), with new techniques designed to fine-tune specificity (tandem chimeric antigen receptors, universal chimeric antigen receptors, synNotch chimeric antigen receptors). The introduction of B-cell targeting antibody receptor (BAR) Tregs has paved the way for effective regulation of B cells and plasma cells. In addition, other constructs have emerged to enhance Tregs activation and function, such as optimized chimeric antigen receptors constructs and the use of armour proteins. Chimeric antigen receptor expression can also be better regulated to limit tonic signaling. Furthermore, various opportunities exist for enhancing the homing capabilities of CAR-Tregs to improve therapy outcomes. Many of these genetic modifications have already been explored for conventional CAR-T therapy but need to be further considered for CAR-Tregs therapies. This review highlights innovative CAR-engineering strategies that have the potential to precisely and efficiently manage immune responses in autoimmune diseases and improve transplant outcomes. As these strategies are further explored and optimized, CAR-Treg therapies may emerge as powerful tools for immune intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Requejo Cier
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Research Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Valentini
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Research Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Caroline Lamarche
- Department of Medicine, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Research Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Riddhidev B, Endri K, Sabitri L, Kotsull Lauren N, Nishanth K, Dragan I, Mary Kay H P, James S, William T, L M Viranga T. Rational design of metabolically stable HDAC inhibitors: An overhaul of trifluoromethyl ketones. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 244:114807. [PMID: 36244186 PMCID: PMC10257519 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation of gene expression using histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors is a promising strategy for developing new anticancer agents. The most common HDAC inhibitors are hydroxamates, which, though highly potent, have limitations due to their poor pharmacokinetic properties and lack of isoform selectivity. Trifluoromethylketones (TFMK) developed as alternatives to hydroxamates are rapidly metabolized to inactive trifluoromethyl alcohols in vivo, which prevented their further development as potential drug candidates. In order to overcome this limitation, we designed trifluoropyruvamides (TFPAs) as TFMK surrogates. The presence of an additional electron withdrawing group next to the ketone carbonyl group made the hydrate form of the ketone more stable, thus preventing its metabolic reduction to alcohol in vivo. In addition, this structural modification reduces the potential of the TFMK group to act as a covalent warhead to eliminate off-target effects. Additional structural changes in the cap group of the inhibitors gave analogues with IC50 values ranging from upper nanomolar to low micromolar in the cytotoxicity assay, and they were more selective for cancer cells over normal cells. Some of the most active analogues inhibited HDAC enzymes with low nanomolar IC50 values and were found to be more selective for HDAC8 over other isoforms. These molecules provide a new class of HDAC inhibitors with a metabolically stable metal-binding group that could be used to develop selective HDAC inhibitors by further structural modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Banerjee Riddhidev
- Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA
| | - Karaj Endri
- Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA
| | - Lamichhane Sabitri
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA
| | - N Kotsull Lauren
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, 5101 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Kuganesan Nishanth
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA
| | - Isailovic Dragan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA
| | - Pflum Mary Kay H
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, 5101 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Slama James
- Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA
| | - Taylor William
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA.
| | - Tillekeratne L M Viranga
- Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA.
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Zessin M, Meleshin M, Praetorius L, Sippl W, Bařinka C, Schutkowski M. Uncovering Robust Delactoylase and Depyruvoylase Activities of HDAC Isoforms. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1364-1375. [PMID: 35639992 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Zinc-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs) and sirtuins (SIRT) represent two different classes of enzymes which are responsible for deacylation of modified lysine side chains. The repertoire of acyl residues on lysine side chains identified in vivo is rapidly growing, and very recently lysine lactoylation was described to be involved in metabolic reprogramming. Additionally, lysine pyruvoylation represents a marker for aging and liver cirrhosis. Here, we report a systematic analysis of acyl-specificity of human zinc-dependent HDAC and sirtuin isoforms. We identified HDAC3 as a robust delactoylase with several-thousand-fold higher activity as compared to SIRT2, which was claimed to be the major in vivo delactoylase. Additionally, we systematically searched for enzymes, capable of removing pyruvoyl residues from lysine side chains. Using model peptides, we uncovered high depyruvoylase activity for HDAC6 and HDAC8. Interestingly, such substrates have extremely low KM values for both HDAC isoforms, pointing to possible in vivo functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthes Zessin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, 06120, Germany
| | - Marat Meleshin
- Department of Enzymology, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, 06120, Germany
| | - Lucas Praetorius
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, 06120, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Sippl
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, 06120, Germany
| | - Cyril Bařinka
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV, Prumyslova 595, Vestec, 252 50, Czech Republic
| | - Mike Schutkowski
- Department of Enzymology, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, 06120, Germany
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Design, Synthesis, Bioactivity Evaluation, Crystal Structures, and In Silico Studies of New α-Amino Amide Derivatives as Potential Histone Deacetylase 6 Inhibitors. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27103335. [PMID: 35630812 PMCID: PMC9147695 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27103335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydroxamate, as a zinc-binding group (ZBG), prevails in the design of histone deacetylase 6(HDAC6) inhibitors due to its remarkable zinc-chelating capability. However, hydroxamate-associated genotoxicity and mutagenicity have limited the widespread application of corresponding HDAC6 inhibitors in the treatment of human diseases. To avoid such side effects, researchers are searching for novel ZBGs that may be used for the synthesis of HDAC6 inhibitors. In this study, a series of stereoisomeric compounds were designed and synthesized to discover non-hydroxamate HDAC6 inhibitors using α-amino amide as zinc-ion-chelating groups, along with a pair of enantiomeric isomers with inverted L-shaped vertical structure as cap structures. The anti-proliferative activities were determined against HL-60, Hela, and RPMI 8226 cells, and 7a and its stereoisomer 13a exhibited excellent activities against Hela cells with IC50 = 0.31 µM and IC50 = 5.19 µM, respectively. Interestingly, there is a significant difference between the two stereoisomers. Moreover, an evaluation of cytotoxicity toward human normal liver cells HL-7702 indicated its safety for normal cells. X-ray single crystal diffraction was employed to increase insights into molecule structure and activities. It was found that the carbonyl of the amide bond is on the different side from the amino and pyridine nitrogen atoms. To identify possible protein targets to clarify the mechanism of action and biological activity of 7a, a small-scale virtual screen using reverse docking for HDAC isoforms (1–10) was performed and the results showed that HDAC6 was the best receptor for 7a, suggesting that HDAC6 may be a potential target for 7a. The interaction pattern analysis showed that the α-amino amide moiety of 7a coordinated with the zinc ion of HDAC6 in a bidentate chelate manner, which is similar to the chelation pattern of hydroxamic acid. Finally, the molecular dynamics simulation approaches were used to assess the docked complex’s conformational stability. In this work, we identified 7a as a potential HDAC6 inhibitor and provide some references for the discovery of non-hydroxamic acid HDAC6 inhibitors.
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