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Paul R, Dutta D, Mukhopadhyay TK, Müller D, Lala B, Datta A, Schwalbe H, Dash J. A non-B DNA binding peptidomimetic channel alters cellular functions. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5275. [PMID: 38902227 PMCID: PMC11190219 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49534-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA binding transcription factors possess the ability to interact with lipid membranes to construct ion-permeable pathways. Herein, we present a thiazole-based DNA binding peptide mimic TBP2, which forms transmembrane ion channels, impacting cellular ion concentration and consequently stabilizing G-quadruplex DNA structures. TBP2 self-assembles into nanostructures, e.g., vesicles and nanofibers and facilitates the transportation of Na+ and K+ across lipid membranes with high conductance (~0.6 nS). Moreover, TBP2 exhibits increased fluorescence when incorporated into the membrane or in cellular nuclei. Monomeric TBP2 can enter the lipid membrane and localize to the nuclei of cancer cells. The coordinated process of time-dependent membrane or nuclear localization of TBP2, combined with elevated intracellular cation levels and direct G-quadruplex (G4) interaction, synergistically promotes formation and stability of G4 structures, triggering cancer cell death. This study introduces a platform to mimic and control intricate biological functions, leading to the discovery of innovative therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raj Paul
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, India
| | - Debasish Dutta
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, India
| | - Titas Kumar Mukhopadhyay
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, India
| | - Diana Müller
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe, University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 7, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Binayak Lala
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, India
| | - Ayan Datta
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, India
| | - Harald Schwalbe
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe, University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 7, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jyotirmayee Dash
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, India.
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Gómez-Bra A, Gude L, Arias-Pérez MS. Synthesis, structural study and antitumor activity of novel alditol-based imidazophenanthrolines (aldo-IPs). Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 99:117563. [PMID: 38215623 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
A series of 1H-imidazo [4,5-f][1,10] phenanthroline derivatives functionalized at 2-position with chiral, and conformationally flexible polyhydroxy alkyl chains derived from carbohydrates (alditol-based imidazophenanthrolines, aldo-IPs) is presented herein. These novel glycomimetics showed relevant and differential cytotoxic activity against several cultured tumor cell lines (PC3, HeLa and HT-29), dependent on the nature and stereochemistry of the polyhydroxy alkyl chain. The mannose-based aldo-IP demonstrated the higher cytotoxicity in the series, substantially better than cisplatin metallo-drug in all cell lines tested, and better than G-quadruplex ligand 360A in HeLa and HT29 cells. Cell cycle experiments and Annexin V-PI assays revealed that aldo-IPs induce apoptosis in HeLa cells. Initial study of DNA interactions by DNA FRET melting assays proved that the aldo-IPs produce only a slight thermal stabilization of DNA secondary structures, more pronounced in the case of quadruplex DNA. Viscosity titrations with CT dsDNA suggest that the compounds behave as DNA groove binders, whereas equilibrium dialysis assays showed that the compounds bind CT with Ka values in the range 104-105 M-1. The aldo-IP derivatives were obtained with synthetically useful yields through a feasible one-pot multistep process, by aerobic oxidative cyclization of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-diamine with a selection of unprotected aldoses using (NH4)2SO4 as promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Gómez-Bra
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Orgánica y Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Investigación Química "Andrés M. del Río" (IQAR), 28805-Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Grupo DISCOBAC, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Castilla-La Mancha (IDISCAM), Spain
| | - Lourdes Gude
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Orgánica y Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Investigación Química "Andrés M. del Río" (IQAR), 28805-Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Grupo DISCOBAC, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Castilla-La Mancha (IDISCAM), Spain.
| | - María-Selma Arias-Pérez
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Orgánica y Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Investigación Química "Andrés M. del Río" (IQAR), 28805-Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
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Romano F, Di Porzio A, Iaccarino N, Riccardi G, Di Lorenzo R, Laneri S, Pagano B, Amato J, Randazzo A. G-quadruplexes in cancer-related gene promoters: from identification to therapeutic targeting. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2023; 33:745-773. [PMID: 37855085 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2023.2271168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Guanine-rich DNA sequences can fold into four-stranded noncanonical secondary structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s) which are widely distributed in functional regions of the human genome, such as telomeres and gene promoter regions. Compelling evidence suggests their involvement in key genome functions such as gene expression and genome stability. Notably, the abundance of G4-forming sequences near transcription start sites suggests their potential involvement in regulating oncogenes. AREAS COVERED This review provides an overview of current knowledge on G4s in human oncogene promoters. The most representative G4-binding ligands have also been documented. The objective of this work is to present a comprehensive overview of the most promising targets for the development of novel and highly specific anticancer drugs capable of selectively impacting the expression of individual or a limited number of genes. EXPERT OPINION Modulation of G4 formation by specific ligands has been proposed as a powerful new tool to treat cancer through the control of oncogene expression. Actually, most of G4-binding small molecules seem to simultaneously target a range of gene promoter G4s, potentially influencing several critical driver genes in cancer, thus producing significant therapeutic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Romano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Di Porzio
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Nunzia Iaccarino
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Sonia Laneri
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Bruno Pagano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Jussara Amato
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Randazzo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Ahmed AA, Greenhalf W, Palmer DH, Williams N, Worthington J, Arshad T, Haider S, Alexandrou E, Guneri D, Waller ZAE, Neidle S. The Potent G-Quadruplex-Binding Compound QN-302 Downregulates S100P Gene Expression in Cells and in an In Vivo Model of Pancreatic Cancer. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28062452. [PMID: 36985425 PMCID: PMC10051992 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28062452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The naphthalene diimide compound QN-302, designed to bind to G-quadruplex DNA sequences within the promoter regions of cancer-related genes, has high anti-proliferative activity in pancreatic cancer cell lines and anti-tumor activity in several experimental models for the disease. We show here that QN-302 also causes downregulation of the expression of the S100P gene and the S100P protein in cells and in vivo. This protein is well established as being involved in key proliferation and motility pathways in several human cancers and has been identified as a potential biomarker in pancreatic cancer. The S100P gene contains 60 putative quadruplex-forming sequences, one of which is in the promoter region, 48 nucleotides upstream from the transcription start site. We report biophysical and molecular modeling studies showing that this sequence forms a highly stable G-quadruplex in vitro, which is further stabilized by QN-302. We also report transcriptome analyses showing that S100P expression is highly upregulated in tissues from human pancreatic cancer tumors, compared to normal pancreas material. The extent of upregulation is dependent on the degree of differentiation of tumor cells, with the most poorly differentiated, from more advanced disease, having the highest level of S100P expression. The experimental drug QN-302 is currently in pre-IND development (as of Q1 2023), and its ability to downregulate S100P protein expression supports a role for this protein as a marker of therapeutic response in pancreatic cancer. These results are also consistent with the hypothesis that the S100P promoter G-quadruplex is a potential therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer at the transcriptional level for QN-302.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A Ahmed
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, UK
- Guy's Cancer Centre, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - William Greenhalf
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK
| | - Daniel H Palmer
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK
| | | | | | | | - Shozeb Haider
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, UK
| | | | - Dilek Guneri
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Zoe A E Waller
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Stephen Neidle
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, UK
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Li ML, Yuan JM, Yuan H, Wu BH, Huang SL, Li QJ, Ou TM, Wang HG, Tan JH, Li D, Chen SB, Huang ZS. Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of New Sugar-Substituted Imidazole Derivatives as Selective c-MYC Transcription Repressors Targeting the Promoter G-Quadruplex. J Med Chem 2022; 65:12675-12700. [PMID: 36121464 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
c-MYC is a key driver of tumorigenesis. Repressing the transcription of c-MYC by stabilizing the G-quadruplex (G4) structure with small molecules is a potential strategy for cancer therapy. Herein, we designed and synthesized 49 new derivatives by introducing carbohydrates to our previously developed c-MYC G4 ligand 1. Among these compounds, 19a coupled with a d-glucose 1,2-orthoester displayed better c-MYC G4 binding, stabilization, and protein binding disruption abilities than 1. Our further evaluation indicated that 19a blocked c-MYC transcription by targeting the promoter G4, leading to c-MYC-dependent cancer cell death in triple-negative breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231. Also, 19a significantly inhibited tumor growth in the MDA-MB-231 mouse xenograft model accompanied by c-MYC downregulation. Notably, the safety of 19a was dramatically improved compared to 1. Our findings indicated that 19a could become a promising anticancer candidate, which suggested that introducing carbohydrates to improve the G4-targeting and antitumor activity is a feasible option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mao-Lin Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jing-Mei Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hao Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Bi-Han Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shi-Liang Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qing-Jiang Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Tian-Miao Ou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hong-Gen Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jia-Heng Tan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Ding Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shuo-Bin Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhi-Shu Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
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