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Nisticò N, Aloisio A, Lupia A, Zimbo AM, Mimmi S, Maisano D, Russo R, Marino F, Scalise M, Chiarella E, Mancuso T, Fiume G, Omodei D, Zannetti A, Salvatore G, Quinto I, Iaccino E. Development of Cyclic Peptides Targeting the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Mesenchymal Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Subtype. Cells 2023; 12:cells12071078. [PMID: 37048151 PMCID: PMC10093212 DOI: 10.3390/cells12071078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by the lack of expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors and amplification of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Being the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) highly expressed in mesenchymal TNBC and correlated with aggressive growth behavior, it represents an ideal target for anticancer drugs. Here, we have applied the phage display for selecting two highly specific peptide ligands for targeting the EGFR overexpressed in MDA-MB-231 cells, a human TNBC cell line. Molecular docking predicted the peptide-binding affinities and sites in the extracellular domain of EGFR. The binding of the FITC-conjugated peptides to human and murine TNBC cells was validated by flow cytometry. Confocal microscopy confirmed the peptide binding specificity to EGFR-positive MDA-MB-231 tumor xenograft tissues and their co-localization with the membrane EGFR. Further, the peptide stimulation did not affect the cell cycle of TNBC cells, which is of interest for their utility for tumor targeting. Our data indicate that these novel peptides are highly specific ligands for the EGFR overexpressed in TNBC cells, and thus they could be used in conjugation with nanoparticles for tumor-targeted delivery of anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Nisticò
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Annamaria Aloisio
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Antonio Lupia
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
- Net4Science srl, University “Magna Græcia”, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Zimbo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Selena Mimmi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Domenico Maisano
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Rossella Russo
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Fabiola Marino
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Mariangela Scalise
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Emanuela Chiarella
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Teresa Mancuso
- “Annunziata” Regional Hospital Cosenza, 87100 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fiume
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Daniela Omodei
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, IBB-CNR, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Antonella Zannetti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, IBB-CNR, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Giuliana Salvatore
- Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie e del Benessere, Università degli studi di Napoli “Parthenope”, 80133 Naples, Italy
- CEINGE- Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.A.R.L., 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Ileana Quinto
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Enrico Iaccino
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
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Gomari MM, Abkhiz S, Pour TG, Lotfi E, Rostami N, Monfared FN, Ghobari B, Mosavi M, Alipour B, Dokholyan NV. Peptidomimetics in cancer targeting. Mol Med 2022; 28:146. [PMID: 36476230 PMCID: PMC9730693 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-022-00577-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The low efficiency of treatment strategies is one of the main obstacles to developing cancer inhibitors. Up to now, various classes of therapeutics have been developed to inhibit cancer progression. Peptides due to their small size and easy production compared to proteins are highly regarded in designing cancer vaccines and oncogenic pathway inhibitors. Although peptides seem to be a suitable therapeutic option, their short lifespan, instability, and low binding affinity for their target have not been widely applicable against malignant tumors. Given the peptides' disadvantages, a new class of agents called peptidomimetic has been introduced. With advances in physical chemistry and biochemistry, as well as increased knowledge about biomolecule structures, it is now possible to chemically modify peptides to develop efficient peptidomimetics. In recent years, numerous studies have been performed to the evaluation of the effectiveness of peptidomimetics in inhibiting metastasis, angiogenesis, and cancerous cell growth. Here, we offer a comprehensive review of designed peptidomimetics to diagnose and treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mahmoudi Gomari
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shadi Abkhiz
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Taha Ghantab Pour
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Lotfi
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Neda Rostami
- grid.411425.70000 0004 0417 7516Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Nafe Monfared
- grid.411705.60000 0001 0166 0922Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Babak Ghobari
- grid.412831.d0000 0001 1172 3536Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mona Mosavi
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behruz Alipour
- grid.411705.60000 0001 0166 0922Medical Biotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nikolay V. Dokholyan
- grid.240473.60000 0004 0543 9901Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA USA ,grid.240473.60000 0004 0543 9901Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA USA
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Perez JJ, Perez RA, Perez A. Computational Modeling as a Tool to Investigate PPI: From Drug Design to Tissue Engineering. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:681617. [PMID: 34095231 PMCID: PMC8173110 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.681617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) mediate a large number of important regulatory pathways. Their modulation represents an important strategy for discovering novel therapeutic agents. However, the features of PPI binding surfaces make the use of structure-based drug discovery methods very challenging. Among the diverse approaches used in the literature to tackle the problem, linear peptides have demonstrated to be a suitable methodology to discover PPI disruptors. Unfortunately, the poor pharmacokinetic properties of linear peptides prevent their direct use as drugs. However, they can be used as models to design enzyme resistant analogs including, cyclic peptides, peptide surrogates or peptidomimetics. Small molecules have a narrower set of targets they can bind to, but the screening technology based on virtual docking is robust and well tested, adding to the computational tools used to disrupt PPI. We review computational approaches used to understand and modulate PPI and highlight applications in a few case studies involved in physiological processes such as cell growth, apoptosis and intercellular communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Perez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roman A Perez
- Bioengineering Institute of Technology, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Sant Cugat, Spain
| | - Alberto Perez
- The Quantum Theory Project, Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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Chu W, Prodromou R, Day KN, Schneible JD, Bacon KB, Bowen JD, Kilgore RE, Catella CM, Moore BD, Mabe MD, Alashoor K, Xu Y, Xiao Y, Menegatti S. Peptides and pseudopeptide ligands: a powerful toolbox for the affinity purification of current and next-generation biotherapeutics. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1635:461632. [PMID: 33333349 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Following the consolidation of therapeutic proteins in the fight against cancer, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases, recent advancements in biochemistry and biotechnology have introduced a host of next-generation biotherapeutics, such as CRISPR-Cas nucleases, stem and car-T cells, and viral vectors for gene therapy. With these drugs entering the clinical pipeline, a new challenge lies ahead: how to manufacture large quantities of high-purity biotherapeutics that meet the growing demand by clinics and biotech companies worldwide. The protein ligands employed by the industry are inadequate to confront this challenge: while featuring high binding affinity and selectivity, these ligands require laborious engineering and expensive manufacturing, are prone to biochemical degradation, and pose safety concerns related to their bacterial origin. Peptides and pseudopeptides make excellent candidates to form a new cohort of ligands for the purification of next-generation biotherapeutics. Peptide-based ligands feature excellent target biorecognition, low or no toxicity and immunogenicity, and can be manufactured affordably at large scale. This work presents a comprehensive and systematic review of the literature on peptide-based ligands and their use in the affinity purification of established and upcoming biological drugs. A comparative analysis is first presented on peptide engineering principles, the development of ligands targeting different biomolecular targets, and the promises and challenges connected to the industrial implementation of peptide ligands. The reviewed literature is organized in (i) conventional (α-)peptides targeting antibodies and other therapeutic proteins, gene therapy products, and therapeutic cells; (ii) cyclic peptides and pseudo-peptides for protein purification and capture of viral and bacterial pathogens; and (iii) the forefront of peptide mimetics, such as β-/γ-peptides, peptoids, foldamers, and stimuli-responsive peptides for advanced processing of biologics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenning Chu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Raphael Prodromou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Kevin N Day
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - John D Schneible
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Kaitlyn B Bacon
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - John D Bowen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Ryan E Kilgore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Carly M Catella
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Brandyn D Moore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Matthew D Mabe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606
| | - Kawthar Alashoor
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642
| | - Yiman Xu
- College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University, 201620 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanxin Xiao
- College of Textile, Donghua University, Songjiang District, Shanghai, 201620, People's Republic of China
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way room 2-009, Raleigh, NC 27606.
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