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Sánchez-Navarro M. Advances in peptide-mediated cytosolic delivery of proteins. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 171:187-198. [PMID: 33561452 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The number of protein-based drugs is exponentially increasing. However, development of protein therapeutics against intracellular targets is hampered by the lack of efficient cytosolic delivery strategies. In recent years, the use of cell-penetrating peptides has been proposed as a strategy to promote protein internalization. In this article, we provide the reader with a succinct update on the strategies exploited to enable peptide-mediated cytosolic delivery of proteins. First, we analyse the various methods available for delivery. We then describe the most popular and the in vitro assays designed to assess the intracellular distribution of protein cargo.
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Li J, Røise JJ, He M, Das R, Murthy N. Non-viral strategies for delivering genome editing enzymes. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 168:99-117. [PMID: 32931860 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Genome-editing tools such as Cre recombinase (Cre), zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and most recently the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated protein system have revolutionized biomedical research, agriculture, microbial engineering, and therapeutic development. Direct delivery of genome editing enzymes, as opposed to their corresponding DNA and mRNA precursors, is advantageous since they do not require transcription and/or translation. In addition, prolonged overexpression is a problem when delivering viral vector or plasmid DNA which is bypassed when delivering whole proteins. This lowers the risk of insertional mutagenesis and makes for relatively easier manufacturing. However, a major limitation of utilizing genome editing proteins in vivo is their low delivery efficiency, and currently the most successful strategy involves using potentially immunogenic viral vectors. This lack of safe and effective non-viral delivery systems is still a big hurdle for the clinical translation of such enzymes. This review discusses the challenges of non-viral delivery strategies of widely used genome editing enzymes, including Cre recombinase, ZFNs and TALENs, CRISPR/Cas9, and Cas12a (Cpf1) in their protein format and highlights recent innovations of non-viral delivery strategies which have the potential to overcome current delivery limitations and advance the clinical translation of genome editing.
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Cardiac Targeting Peptide, a Novel Cardiac Vector: Studies in Bio-Distribution, Imaging Application, and Mechanism of Transduction. Biomolecules 2018; 8:biom8040147. [PMID: 30441852 PMCID: PMC6315548 DOI: 10.3390/biom8040147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Our previous work identified a 12-amino acid peptide that targets the heart, termed cardiac targeting peptide (CTP). We now quantitatively assess the bio-distribution of CTP, show a clinical application with the imaging of the murine heart, and study its mechanisms of transduction. Bio-distribution studies of cyanine5.5-N-Hydroxysuccinimide (Cy5.5) labeled CTP were undertaken in wild-type mice. Cardiac targeting peptide was labeled with Technetium 99m (99mTc) using the chelator hydrazino-nicotinamide (HYNIC), and imaging performed using micro-single photon emission computerized tomography/computerized tomography (SPECT/CT). Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMCs) were incubated with dual-labeled CTP, and imaged using confocal microscopy. TriCEPs technology was utilized to study the mechanism of transduction. Bio-distribution studies showed peak uptake of CTP at 15 min. 99mTc-HYNIC-CTP showed heart-specific uptake. Robust transduction of beating human iPSC-derived CMCs was seen. TriCEPs experiments revealed five candidate binding partners for CTP, with Kcnh5 being felt to be the most likely candidate as it showed a trend towards being competed out by siRNA knockdown. Transduction efficiency was enhanced by increasing extracellular potassium concentration, and with Quinidine, a Kcnh5 inhibitor, that blocks the channel in an open position. We demonstrate that CTP transduces the normal heart as early as 15 min. 99mTc-HYNIC-CTP targets the normal murine heart with substantially improved targeting compared with 99mTc Sestamibi. Cardiac targeting peptide's transduction ability is not species limited and has human applicability. Cardiac targeting peptide appears to utilize Kcnh5 to gain cell entry, a phenomenon that is affected by pre-treatment with Quinidine and changes in potassium levels.
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Vectored gene delivery for lifetime animal contraception: Overview and hurdles to implementation. Theriogenology 2018; 112:63-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2017.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Abstract
The technique of Cre-mediated DNA recombination at loxP sites has been used widely in manipulation of the genome in cultured cells and in living organisms. Local delivery of Cre recombinase protein tagged with a cell-penetrating (or permeable) peptide (Cre-CPP) has the advantage of additional spatial and temporal control when compared to genetic delivery methods. In this chapter, we describe protocols for injection-based intramuscular delivery of Cre-CPP dissolved in hydrogel to skeletal muscle and by ultrasound-guided injection to cardiac muscle in mice.
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Rhodes CT, Zunino G, Huang SWA, Cardona SM, Cardona AE, Berger MS, Lemmon VP, Lin CHA. Region specific knock-out reveals distinct roles of chromatin modifiers in adult neurogenic niches. Cell Cycle 2018; 17:377-389. [PMID: 29433384 PMCID: PMC5914887 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2018.1426417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone methyltransferases (HMTs) are present in heterogeneous cell populations within the adult brain including neurogenic niches. Yet the question remains whether loss of HMTs and the resulting changes in histone methylation alter cell fate in a region-specific manner. We utilized stereotaxic injection of Cre recombinant protein into the adult neurogenic niches, the subventricular zone (SVZ) adjacent to the lateral ventricle and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus. We confirmed that Cre protein was enzymatically active in vivo and recombination events were restricted to the vicinity of injection areas. In this study, we focus on using Cre mediated recombination in mice harboring floxed HMT: enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) or suppressor of variegation homolog (Suv4-20h). Injectable Cre protein successfully knocked out either EZH2 or Suv4-20h, allowing assessment of long-term effects in a region-specific fashion. We performed meso-scale imaging and flow cytometry for phenotype analysis and unbiased quantification. We demonstrated that regional loss of EZH2 affects the differentiation paradigm of neural stem progenitor cells as well as the maintenance of stem cell population. We further demonstrated that regional loss of Suv4-20h influences the cell cycle but does not affect stem cell differentiation patterns. Therefore, Cre protein mediated knock-out a given HMT unravel their distinguishable and important roles in adult neurogenic niches. This Cre protein-based approach offers tightly-controlled knockouts in multiple cell types simultaneously for studying diverse regulatory mechanisms and is optimal for region-specific manipulation within complex, heterogeneous brain architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Rhodes
- a Department of Biology , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , TX 78249 , USA
| | - Giulia Zunino
- b The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis , University of Miami , Miami , FL 33136 , USA
| | - Shu-Wei Angela Huang
- a Department of Biology , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , TX 78249 , USA
| | - Sandra M Cardona
- a Department of Biology , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , TX 78249 , USA
| | - Astrid E Cardona
- a Department of Biology , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , TX 78249 , USA.,c South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases , University of Texas at San Antonio , TX 78249 , USA
| | - Mitchel S Berger
- d Department of Neurological Surgery , University of California , San Francisco , CA , 94143 , USA
| | - Vance P Lemmon
- b The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis , University of Miami , Miami , FL 33136 , USA
| | - Chin-Hsing Annie Lin
- a Department of Biology , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , TX 78249 , USA.,e Neuroscience Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , TX 78249 , USA
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Rádis-Baptista G, Campelo IS, Morlighem JÉRL, Melo LM, Freitas VJF. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs): From delivery of nucleic acids and antigens to transduction of engineered nucleases for application in transgenesis. J Biotechnol 2017; 252:15-26. [PMID: 28479163 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 04/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been studied for their capacity to translocate across the lipid membrane of several cell types. In membrane translocation, these peptides can remarkably transport biologically active hydrophilic molecules, such as pharmaceuticals, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and even high-molecular-weight proteins, Fig. 3 into the cell cytoplasm and organelles. The development of CPPs as transduction agents includes the modification of gene and protein expression, the reprogramming and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells and the preparation of cellular vaccines. A relatively recent field of CPP application is the transduction of plasmid DNA vectors and CPP-fusion proteins to modify genomes and introduce new traits in cells and organisms. CPP-mediated transduction of components for genome editing is an advantageous alternative to viral DNA vectors. Engineered site-specific nucleases, such as Cre recombinase, ZFN, TALENs and CRISPR associated protein (Cas), have been coupled to CPPs, and the fused proteins have been used to permeate targeted cells and tissues. The functionally active fusion CPP-nucleases subsequently home to the nucleus, incise genomic DNA at specific sites and induce repair and recombination. This review has the objective of discussing CPPs and elucidating the prospective use of CPP-mediated transduction technology, particularly in genome modification and transgenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Science, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, 60.165-081, Brazil.
| | - Iana S Campelo
- Laboratory of Physiology and Control of Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, 60.714-903, Brazil
| | - Jean-Étienne R L Morlighem
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Science, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, 60.165-081, Brazil; Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), Post-graduation program in Biotechnology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, 60.455-900, Brazil
| | - Luciana M Melo
- Laboratory of Physiology and Control of Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, 60.714-903, Brazil
| | - Vicente J F Freitas
- Laboratory of Physiology and Control of Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, 60.714-903, Brazil.
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Bolhassani A, Jafarzade BS, Mardani G. In vitro and in vivo delivery of therapeutic proteins using cell penetrating peptides. Peptides 2017; 87:50-63. [PMID: 27887988 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2016.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The failure of proteins to penetrate mammalian cells or target tumor cells restricts their value as therapeutic tools in a variety of diseases such as cancers. Recently, protein transduction domains (PTDs) or cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been shown to promote the delivery of therapeutic proteins or peptides into live cells. The successful delivery of proteins mainly depends on their physicochemical properties. Although, linear cell penetrating peptides are one of the most effective delivery vehicles; but currently, cyclic CPPs has been developed to potently transport bioactive full-length proteins into cells. Up to now, several small protein transduction domains from viral proteins including Tat or VP22 could be fused to other peptides or proteins to entry them in various cell types at a dose-dependent approach. A major disadvantage of PTD-fusion proteins is primary uptake into endosomal vesicles leading to inefficient release of the fusion proteins into the cytosol. Recently, non-covalent complex formation (Chariot) between proteins and CPPs has attracted a special interest to overcome some delivery limitations (e.g., toxicity). Many preclinical and clinical trials of CPP-based delivery are currently under evaluation. Generally, development of more efficient protein transduction domains would significantly increase the potency of protein therapeutics. Moreover, the synergistic or combined effects of CPPs with other delivery systems for protein/peptide drug delivery would promote their therapeutic effects in cancer and other diseases. In this review, we will describe the functions and implications of CPPs for delivering the therapeutic proteins or peptides in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Golnaz Mardani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Zou Z, Sun Z, Li P, Feng T, Wu S. Cre Fused with RVG Peptide Mediates Targeted Genome Editing in Mouse Brain Cells In Vivo. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:ijms17122104. [PMID: 27983648 PMCID: PMC5187904 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17122104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptides that can pass through cell membranes. CPPs can facilitate the cellular entry of proteins, macromolecules, nanoparticles and drugs. RVG peptide (RVG hereinafter) is a 29-amino-acid CPP derived from a rabies virus glycoprotein that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and enter brain cells. However, whether RVG can be used for genome editing in the brain has not been reported. In this work, we combined RVG with Cre recombinase for bacterial expression. The purified RVG-Cre protein cut plasmids in vitro and traversed cell membranes in cultured Neuro2a cells. By tail vein-injecting RVG-Cre into Cre reporter mouse lines mTmG and Rosa26lacZ, we demonstrated that RVG-Cre could target brain cells and achieve targeted somatic genome editing in adult mice. This direct delivery of the gene-editing enzyme protein into mouse brains with RVG is much safer than plasmid- or viral-based methods, holding promise for further applications in the treatment of various brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Zou
- State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
- College of Life Science, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036, China.
| | - Zhaolin Sun
- State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Pan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Tao Feng
- State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Sen Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
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Meinke G, Bohm A, Hauber J, Pisabarro MT, Buchholz F. Cre Recombinase and Other Tyrosine Recombinases. Chem Rev 2016; 116:12785-12820. [PMID: 27163859 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Tyrosine-type site-specific recombinases (T-SSRs) have opened new avenues for the predictable modification of genomes as they enable precise genome editing in heterologous hosts. These enzymes are ubiquitous in eubacteria, prevalent in archaea and temperate phages, present in certain yeast strains, but barely found in higher eukaryotes. As tools they find increasing use for the generation and systematic modification of genomes in a plethora of organisms. If applied in host organisms, they enable precise DNA cleavage and ligation without the gain or loss of nucleotides. Criteria directing the choice of the most appropriate T-SSR system for genetic engineering include that, whenever possible, the recombinase should act independent of cofactors and that the target sequences should be long enough to be unique in a given genome. This review is focused on recent advancements in our mechanistic understanding of simple T-SSRs and their application in developmental and synthetic biology, as well as in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen Meinke
- Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States
| | - Andrew Bohm
- Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States
| | - Joachim Hauber
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology , 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Frank Buchholz
- Medical Systems Biology, UCC, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus TU Dresden , 01307 Dresden, Germany
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Rhodes CT, Sandstrom RS, Huang SWA, Wang Y, Schotta G, Berger MS, Lin CHA. Cross-species Analyses Unravel the Complexity of H3K27me3 and H4K20me3 in the Context of Neural Stem Progenitor Cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 6:10-25. [PMID: 27429906 DOI: 10.1016/j.nepig.2016.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Neural stem progenitor cells (NSPCs) in the human subventricular zone (SVZ) potentially contribute to life-long neurogenesis, yet subtypes of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) contain NSPC signatures that highlight the importance of cell fate regulation. Among numerous regulatory mechanisms, the post-translational methylations onto histone tails are crucial regulator of cell fate. The work presented here focuses on the role of two repressive chromatin marks tri-methylations on histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) and histone H4 lysine 20 (H4K20me3) in the adult NSPC within the SVZ. To best model healthy human NSPCs as they exist in vivo for epigenetic profiling of H3K27me3 and H4K20me3, we utilized NSPCs isolated from the adult SVZ of baboon brain (Papio anubis) with brain structure and genomic level similar to human. The putative role of H3K27me3 in normal NSPCs predominantly falls into the regulation of gene expression, cell cycle, and differentiation, whereas H4K20me3 is involved in DNA replication/repair, metabolism, and cell cycle. Using conditional knock-out mouse models to diminish Ezh2 and Suv4-20h responsible for H3K27me3 and H4K20me3, respectively, we found that both repressive marks have irrefutable function for cell cycle regulation in the NSPC population. While both EZH2/H3K27me3 and Suv4-20h/H4K20me3 have implication in cancers, our comparative genomics approach between healthy NSPCs and human GBM specimens revealed that substantial sets of genes enriched with H3K27me3 and H4K20me3 in the NSPCs are altered in the human GBM. In sum, our integrated analyses across species highlight important roles of H3K27me3 and H4K20me3 in normal and disease conditions in the context of NSPC.
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Key Words
- Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
- Cre recombinant protein
- Enhancer of zeste (Human- Gene: EZH2, Protein: EZH2) (Mouse- Gene: Ezh2, Protein: Histone-lysine N-methyltransferase EZH2)
- Epigenetic Repression
- Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)
- Neural Stem Progenitor Cells (NSPCs)
- Stereotaxic injection
- Suppressor of variegation homolog 1 (Human- Gene: KMT5B or SUV420H1, Protein: lysine methyltransferase 5B, synonym Suv4-20h1) (Mouse- Gene: Suv4-20h1, synonym Kmt5b, Protein: Histone-lysine N-methyltransferase KMT5B, synonym Suv4-20h1)
- Suppressor of variegation homolog 2 (Human- Gene: KMT5C or SUV420H2, Protein: lysine methyltransferase 5C, synonym Suv4-20h2) (Mouse- Gene: Suv4-20h2, synonym Kmt5c, Protein: Histone-lysine N-methyltransferase KMT5C, synonym Suv4-20h2)
- tri-methylation at histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) and histone 4 lysine 20 (H4K20me3).
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Rhodes
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA
| | - Richard S Sandstrom
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Shu-Wei Angela Huang
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA
| | - Yufeng Wang
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA
| | - Gunnar Schotta
- Ludwig Maximilians University and Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science (CiPSM), Biomedical Center, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Mitchel S Berger
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Chin-Hsing Annie Lin
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA; Neuroscience Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA
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Emerging landscape of cell penetrating peptide in reprogramming and gene editing. J Control Release 2016; 226:124-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 01/31/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Dinca A, Chien WM, Chin MT. Intracellular Delivery of Proteins with Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Therapeutic Uses in Human Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:263. [PMID: 26907261 PMCID: PMC4783992 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17020263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Revised: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein therapy exhibits several advantages over small molecule drugs and is increasingly being developed for the treatment of disorders ranging from single enzyme deficiencies to cancer. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), a group of small peptides capable of promoting transport of molecular cargo across the plasma membrane, have become important tools in promoting the cellular uptake of exogenously delivered proteins. Although the molecular mechanisms of uptake are not firmly established, CPPs have been empirically shown to promote uptake of various molecules, including large proteins over 100 kiloDaltons (kDa). Recombinant proteins that include a CPP tag to promote intracellular delivery show promise as therapeutic agents with encouraging success rates in both animal and human trials. This review highlights recent advances in protein-CPP therapy and discusses optimization strategies and potential detrimental effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Dinca
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
| | - Wei-Ming Chien
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
| | - Michael T Chin
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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Abstract
Cell penetrating peptides (CPP), also known as protein transduction domains (PTD), are small peptides able to carry peptides, proteins, nucleic acid, and nanoparticles, including viral particles, across the cellular membranes into cells, resulting in internalization of the intact cargo. In general, CPPs can be broadly classified into tissue-specific and non-tissue specific peptides, with the latter further sub-divided into three types: (1) cationic peptides of 6-12 amino acids in length comprised predominantly of arginine, lysine and/or ornithine residues; (2) hydrophobic peptides such as leader sequences of secreted growth factors or cytokines; and (3) amphipathic peptides obtained by linking hydrophobic peptides to nuclear localizing signals. Tissue-specific peptides are usually identified by screening of large peptide phage display libraries. These transduction peptides have the potential for a myriad of diagnostic as well as therapeutic applications, ranging from delivery of fluorescent or radioactive compounds for imaging, to delivery of peptides and proteins of therapeutic potential, and improving uptake of DNA, RNA, siRNA and even viral particles. Here we review the potential applications as well as hurdles to the tremendous potential of these CPPs, in particular the cell-type specific peptides.
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