1
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Sayar SB, Has C. Strategy for the Optimization of Read-Through Therapy for Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa with COL17A1 Nonsense Mutation. J Invest Dermatol 2024; 144:2221-2229.e1. [PMID: 38522573 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2024.02.027] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Read-through therapy suppresses premature termination codons and induces read-through activity, consequently restoring missing proteins. Aminoglycosides are widely studied as read-through drugs in different human genetic disorders, including hereditary skin diseases. Our previous work revealed that aminoglycosides affect COL17A1 nonsense mutations and represent a therapeutic option to alleviate disease severity. However, the amount of restored type XVII collagen (C17) in C17-deficient junctional epidermolysis bullosa keratinocytes was <1% relative to that in normal keratinocytes and was achieved only after high-dose gentamicin treatment, which induced deep transcriptional changes. Therefore, in this study, we designed a strategy combining aminoglycosides with compounds known to reduce their side effects. We developed translational read-through-inducing drug cocktail, version 5 containing low dosage of aminoglycosides, CC-90009, NMDI-14, melatonin, and apocynin that was able to induce about 20% of missing C17 without cell toxicity or an effect on in vitro wound closure. Translational read-through-inducing drugs cocktail, version 5 significantly induced COL17A1 expression and reverted the proinflammatory phenotype of C17-deficient junctional epidermolysis bullosa keratinocytes. Evaluation of this drug cocktail regarding its stability, penetration, and efficacy as a topical treatment remains to be determined. Translational read-through-inducing drug cocktail, version 5 might represent an improved therapeutic strategy for junctional epidermolysis bullosa and for other genetic skin disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saliha Beyza Sayar
- Department of Dermatology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Cristina Has
- Department of Dermatology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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2
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Susorov D, Echeverria D, Khvorova A, Korostelev A. mRNA-specific readthrough of nonsense codons by antisense oligonucleotides (R-ASOs). Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:8687-8701. [PMID: 39011883 PMCID: PMC11347175 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae624] [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: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Nonsense mutations account for >10% of human genetic disorders, including cystic fibrosis, Alagille syndrome, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A nonsense mutation results in the expression of a truncated protein, and therapeutic strategies aim to restore full-length protein expression. Most strategies under development, including small-molecule aminoglycosides, suppressor tRNAs, or the targeted degradation of termination factors, lack mRNA target selectivity and may poorly differentiate between nonsense and normal stop codons, resulting in off-target translation errors. Here, we demonstrate that antisense oligonucleotides can stimulate readthrough of disease-causing nonsense codons, resulting in high yields of full-length protein in mammalian cellular lysate. Readthrough efficiency depends on the sequence context near the stop codon and on the precise targeting position of an oligonucleotide, whose interaction with mRNA inhibits peptide release to promote readthrough. Readthrough-inducing antisense oligonucleotides (R-ASOs) enhance the potency of non-specific readthrough agents, including aminoglycoside G418 and suppressor tRNA, enabling a path toward target-specific readthrough of nonsense mutations in CFTR, JAG1, DMD, BRCA1 and other mutant genes. Finally, through systematic chemical engineering, we identify heavily modified fully functional R-ASO variants, enabling future therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Susorov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Dimas Echeverria
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Anastasia Khvorova
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Andrei A Korostelev
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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3
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Torices L, Nunes-Xavier CE, Pulido R. Potentiation by Protein Synthesis Inducers of Translational Readthrough of Pathogenic Premature Termination Codons in PTEN Isoforms. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2836. [PMID: 39199607 PMCID: PMC11352852 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The PTEN tumor suppressor is frequently targeted in tumors and patients with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) through nonsense mutations generating premature termination codons (PTC) that may cause the translation of truncated non-functional PTEN proteins. We have previously described a global analysis of the readthrough reconstitution of the protein translation and function of the human canonical PTEN isoform by aminoglycosides. Here, we report the efficient functional readthrough reconstitution of the PTEN translational isoform PTEN-L, which displays a minimal number of PTC in its specific N-terminal extension in association with disease. We illustrate the importance of the specific PTC and its nucleotide proximal sequence for optimal readthrough and show that the more frequent human PTEN PTC variants and their mouse PTEN PTC equivalents display similar patterns of readthrough efficiency. The heterogeneous readthrough response of the different PTEN PTC variants was independent of the length of the PTEN protein being reconstituted, and we found a correlation between the amount of PTEN protein being synthesized and the PTEN readthrough efficiency. Furthermore, combination of aminoglycosides and protein synthesis inducers increased the readthrough response of specific PTEN PTC. Our results provide insights with which to improve the functional reconstitution of human-disease-related PTC pathogenic variants from PTEN isoforms by increasing protein synthesis coupled to translational readthrough.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leire Torices
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain; (L.T.); (C.E.N.-X.)
| | - Caroline E. Nunes-Xavier
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain; (L.T.); (C.E.N.-X.)
- Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, CIBERER, ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Pulido
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain; (L.T.); (C.E.N.-X.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, CIBERER, ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Ikerbasque, The Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
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4
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Temaj G, Chichiarelli S, Telkoparan-Akillilar P, Saha S, Nuhii N, Hadziselimovic R, Saso L. P53: A key player in diverse cellular processes including nuclear stress and ribosome biogenesis, highlighting potential therapeutic compounds. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 226:116332. [PMID: 38830426 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116332] [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: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
The tumor suppressor proteins are key transcription factors involved in the regulation of various cellular processes, such as apoptosis, DNA repair, cell cycle, senescence, and metabolism. The tumor suppressor protein p53 responds to different type of stress signaling, such as hypoxia, DNA damage, nutrient deprivation, oncogene activation, by activating or repressing the expression of different genes that target processes mentioned earlier. p53 has the ability to modulate the activity of many other proteins and signaling pathway through protein-protein interaction, post-translational modifications, or non-coding RNAs. In many cancers the p53 is found to be mutated or inactivated, resulting in the loss of its tumor suppressor function and acquisition of new oncogenic properties. The tumor suppressor protein p53 also plays a role in the development of other metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease. In this review, we will summarize the current data and knowledge on the molecular mechanisms and the functions of p53 in different pathways and processes at the cellular level and discuss the its implications for human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gazmend Temaj
- Faculty of Pharmacy, College UBT, 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo.
| | - Silvia Chichiarelli
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi-Fanelli", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Sarmistha Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Applied Sciences & Humanities, GLA University, Mathura 00185, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Nexhibe Nuhii
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Tetovo, 1200 Tetovo, Macedonia.
| | - Rifat Hadziselimovic
- Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| | - Luciano Saso
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", La Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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5
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Wang J, Gao G, Wang D. Developing AAV-delivered nonsense suppressor tRNAs for neurological disorders. Neurotherapeutics 2024; 21:e00391. [PMID: 38959711 PMCID: PMC11269797 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00391] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy is a clinical stage therapeutic modality for neurological disorders. A common genetic defect in myriad monogenic neurological disorders is nonsense mutations that account for about 11% of all human pathogenic mutations. Stop codon readthrough by suppressor transfer RNA (sup-tRNA) has long been sought as a potential gene therapy approach to target nonsense mutations, but hindered by inefficient in vivo delivery. The rapid advances in AAV delivery technology have not only powered gene therapy development but also enabled in vivo preclinical assessment of a range of nucleic acid therapeutics, such as sup-tRNA. Compared with conventional AAV gene therapy that delivers a transgene to produce therapeutic proteins, AAV-delivered sup-tRNA has several advantages, such as small gene sizes and operating within the endogenous gene expression regulation, which are important considerations for treating some neurological disorders. This review will first examine sup-tRNA designs and delivery by AAV vectors. We will then analyze how AAV-delivered sup-tRNA can potentially address some neurological disorders that are challenging to conventional gene therapy, followed by discussing available mouse models of neurological diseases for in vivo preclinical testing. Potential challenges for AAV-delivered sup-tRNA to achieve therapeutic efficacy and safety will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaming Wang
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Guangping Gao
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
| | - Dan Wang
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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6
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Morais P, Zhang R, Yu YT. Therapeutic Nonsense Suppression Modalities: From Small Molecules to Nucleic Acid-Based Approaches. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1284. [PMID: 38927491 PMCID: PMC11201248 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Nonsense mutations are genetic mutations that create premature termination codons (PTCs), leading to truncated, defective proteins in diseases such as cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis type 1, Dravet syndrome, Hurler syndrome, Beta thalassemia, inherited bone marrow failure syndromes, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and even cancer. These mutations can also trigger a cellular surveillance mechanism known as nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) that degrades the PTC-containing mRNA. The activation of NMD can attenuate the consequences of truncated, defective, and potentially toxic proteins in the cell. Since approximately 20% of all single-point mutations are disease-causing nonsense mutations, it is not surprising that this field has received significant attention, resulting in a remarkable advancement in recent years. In fact, since our last review on this topic, new examples of nonsense suppression approaches have been reported, namely new ways of promoting the translational readthrough of PTCs or inhibiting the NMD pathway. With this review, we update the state-of-the-art technologies in nonsense suppression, focusing on novel modalities with therapeutic potential, such as small molecules (readthrough agents, NMD inhibitors, and molecular glue degraders); antisense oligonucleotides; tRNA suppressors; ADAR-mediated RNA editing; targeted pseudouridylation; and gene/base editing. While these various modalities have significantly advanced in their development stage since our last review, each has advantages (e.g., ease of delivery and specificity) and disadvantages (manufacturing complexity and off-target effect potential), which we discuss here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Morais
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Research and Development, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, 42113 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Rui Zhang
- Center for RNA Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA;
| | - Yi-Tao Yu
- Center for RNA Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA;
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7
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Maksiutenko EM, Barbitoff YA, Danilov LG, Matveenko AG, Zemlyanko OM, Efremova EP, Moskalenko SE, Zhouravleva GA. Gene Expression Analysis of Yeast Strains with a Nonsense Mutation in the eRF3-Coding Gene Highlights Possible Mechanisms of Adaptation. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6308. [PMID: 38928012 PMCID: PMC11203930 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126308] [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: 05/18/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, there are two translation termination factors, eRF1 (Sup45) and eRF3 (Sup35), which are essential for viability. Previous studies have revealed that presence of nonsense mutations in these genes leads to amplification of mutant alleles (sup35-n and sup45-n), which appears to be necessary for the viability of such cells. However, the mechanism of this phenomenon remained unclear. In this study, we used RNA-Seq and proteome analysis to reveal the complete set of gene expression changes that occur during cellular adaptation to the introduction of the sup35-218 nonsense allele. Our analysis demonstrated significant changes in the transcription of genes that control the cell cycle: decreases in the expression of genes of the anaphase promoting complex APC/C (APC9, CDC23) and their activator CDC20, and increases in the expression of the transcription factor FKH1, the main cell cycle kinase CDC28, and cyclins that induce DNA biosynthesis. We propose a model according to which yeast adaptation to nonsense mutations in the translation termination factor genes occurs as a result of a delayed cell cycle progression beyond the G2-M stage, which leads to an extension of the S and G2 phases and an increase in the number of copies of the mutant sup35-n allele.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeniia M. Maksiutenko
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
- St. Petersburg Branch, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Yury A. Barbitoff
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
- Bioinformatics Institute, 197342 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Lavrentii G. Danilov
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Andrew G. Matveenko
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Olga M. Zemlyanko
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
- Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Elena P. Efremova
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Svetlana E. Moskalenko
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
- St. Petersburg Branch, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Galina A. Zhouravleva
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; (E.M.M.); (Y.A.B.); (L.G.D.); (A.G.M.); (O.M.Z.); (E.P.E.); (S.E.M.)
- Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
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8
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Temaj G, Chichiarelli S, Telkoparan-Akillilar P, Saha S, Nuhii N, Hadziselimovic R, Saso L. Advances in molecular function of UPF1 in Cancer. Arch Biochem Biophys 2024; 756:109989. [PMID: 38621446 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.109989] [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: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
It is known that more than 10 % of genetic diseases are caused by a mutation in protein-coding mRNA (premature termination codon; PTC). mRNAs with an early stop codon are degraded by the cellular surveillance process known as nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), which prevents the synthesis of C-terminally truncated proteins. Up-frameshift-1 (UPF1) has been reported to be involved in the downregulation of various cancers, and low expression of UPF1 was shown to correlate with poor prognosis. It is known that UPF1 is a master regulator of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). UPF1 may also function as an E3 ligase and degrade target proteins without using mRNA decay mechanisms. Increasing evidence indicates that UPF1 could serve as a good biomarker for cancer diagnosis and treatment for future therapeutic applications. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have the ability to bind different proteins and regulate gene expression; this role in cancer cells has already been identified by different studies. This article provides an overview of the aberrant expression of UPF1, its functional properties, and molecular processes during cancer for clinical applications in cancer. We also discussed the interactions of lncRNA with UPF1 for cell growth during tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gazmend Temaj
- Faculty of Pharmacy, College UBT, 10000, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo.
| | - Silvia Chichiarelli
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi-Fanelli", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Sarmistha Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Applied Sciences & Humanities, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Nexhibe Nuhii
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Tetovo, 1200, Tetovo, Macedonia.
| | - Rifat Hadziselimovic
- Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| | - Luciano Saso
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", La Sapienza University, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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9
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Torices L, Nunes-Xavier CE, Mingo J, Luna S, Erramuzpe A, Cortés JM, Pulido R. Induction of Translational Readthrough on Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases Targeted by Premature Termination Codon Mutations in Human Disease. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2743:1-19. [PMID: 38147205 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3569-8_1] [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] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Nonsense mutations generating premature termination codons (PTCs) in various genes are frequently associated with somatic cancer and hereditary human diseases since PTCs commonly generate truncated proteins with defective or altered function. Induced translational readthrough during protein biosynthesis facilitates the incorporation of an amino acid at the position of a PTC, allowing the synthesis of a complete protein. This may evade the pathological effect of the PTC mutation and provide new therapeutic opportunities. Several protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) genes are targeted by PTC in human disease, the tumor suppressor PTEN being the more prominent paradigm. Here, using PTEN and laforin as examples, two PTPs from the dual-specificity phosphatase subfamily, we describe methodologies to analyze in silico the distribution and frequency of pathogenic PTC in PTP genes. We also summarize laboratory protocols and technical notes to study the induced translational readthrough reconstitution of the synthesis of PTP targeted by PTC in association with disease in cellular models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leire Torices
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Caroline E Nunes-Xavier
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
- Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Janire Mingo
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Sandra Luna
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Asier Erramuzpe
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
- Ikerbasque, The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Jesús M Cortés
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
- Ikerbasque, The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
- Cell Biology and Histology Department, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - Rafael Pulido
- Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.
- Ikerbasque, The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
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10
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Davey-Young J, Hasan F, Tennakoon R, Rozik P, Moore H, Hall P, Cozma E, Genereaux J, Hoffman KS, Chan PP, Lowe TM, Brandl CJ, O’Donoghue P. Mistranslating the genetic code with leucine in yeast and mammalian cells. RNA Biol 2024; 21:1-23. [PMID: 38629491 PMCID: PMC11028032 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2024.2340297] [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] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Translation fidelity relies on accurate aminoacylation of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs). AARSs specific for alanine (Ala), leucine (Leu), serine, and pyrrolysine do not recognize the anticodon bases. Single nucleotide anticodon variants in their cognate tRNAs can lead to mistranslation. Human genomes include both rare and more common mistranslating tRNA variants. We investigated three rare human tRNALeu variants that mis-incorporate Leu at phenylalanine or tryptophan codons. Expression of each tRNALeu anticodon variant in neuroblastoma cells caused defects in fluorescent protein production without significantly increased cytotoxicity under normal conditions or in the context of proteasome inhibition. Using tRNA sequencing and mass spectrometry we confirmed that each tRNALeu variant was expressed and generated mistranslation with Leu. To probe the flexibility of the entire genetic code towards Leu mis-incorporation, we created 64 yeast strains to express all possible tRNALeu anticodon variants in a doxycycline-inducible system. While some variants showed mild or no growth defects, many anticodon variants, enriched with G/C at positions 35 and 36, including those replacing Leu for proline, arginine, alanine, or glycine, caused dramatic reductions in growth. Differential phenotypic defects were observed for tRNALeu mutants with synonymous anticodons and for different tRNALeu isoacceptors with the same anticodon. A comparison to tRNAAla anticodon variants demonstrates that Ala mis-incorporation is more tolerable than Leu at nearly every codon. The data show that the nature of the amino acid substitution, the tRNA gene, and the anticodon are each important factors that influence the ability of cells to tolerate mistranslating tRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Davey-Young
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Farah Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rasangi Tennakoon
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter Rozik
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Henry Moore
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Baskin School of Engineering & UCSC Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Peter Hall
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ecaterina Cozma
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie Genereaux
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Patricia P. Chan
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Baskin School of Engineering & UCSC Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Todd M. Lowe
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Baskin School of Engineering & UCSC Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Christopher J. Brandl
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Patrick O’Donoghue
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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11
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Carrard J, Lejeune F. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, a simplified view of a complex mechanism. BMB Rep 2023; 56:625-632. [PMID: 38052423 PMCID: PMC10761751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is both a quality control mechanism and a gene regulation pathway. It has been studied for more than 30 years, with an accumulation of many mechanistic details that have often led to debate and hence to different models of NMD activation, particularly in higher eukaryotes. Two models seem to be opposed, since the first requires intervention of the exon junction complex (EJC) to recruit NMD factors downstream of the premature termination codon (PTC), whereas the second involves an EJC-independent mechanism in which NMD factors concentrate in the 3'UTR to initiate NMD in the presence of a PTC. In this review we describe both models, giving recent molecular details and providing experimental arguments supporting one or the other model. In the end it is certainly possible to imagine that these two mechanisms co-exist, rather than viewing them as mutually exclusive. [BMB Reports 2023; 56(12): 625-632].
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Carrard
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277 - CANTHER - Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Fabrice Lejeune
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277 - CANTHER - Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, Lille F-59000, France
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12
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Carrard J, Ratajczak F, Elsens J, Leroy C, Kong R, Geoffroy L, Comte A, Fournet G, Joseph B, Li X, Moebs-Sanchez S, Lejeune F. Identifying Potent Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay Inhibitors with a Novel Screening System. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2801. [PMID: 37893174 PMCID: PMC10604367 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11102801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a quality control mechanism that degrades mRNAs carrying a premature termination codon. Its inhibition, alone or in combination with other approaches, could be exploited to develop therapies for genetic diseases caused by a nonsense mutation. This, however, requires molecules capable of inhibiting NMD effectively without inducing toxicity. We have built a new screening system and used it to identify and validate two new molecules that can inhibit NMD at least as effectively as cycloheximide, a reference NMD inhibitor molecule. These new NMD inhibitors show no cellular toxicity at tested concentrations and have a working concentration between 6.2 and 12.5 µM. We have further validated this NMD-inhibiting property in a physiopathological model of lung cancer in which the TP53 gene carries a nonsense mutation. These new molecules may potentially be of interest in the development of therapies for genetic diseases caused by a nonsense mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Carrard
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Fiona Ratajczak
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Joséphine Elsens
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Catherine Leroy
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Rebekah Kong
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Lucie Geoffroy
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Arnaud Comte
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSA Lyon, ICBMS, UMR 5246, Bâtiment Lederer, 1 Rue Victor Grignard, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Guy Fournet
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSA Lyon, ICBMS, UMR 5246, Bâtiment Lederer, 1 Rue Victor Grignard, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Benoît Joseph
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSA Lyon, ICBMS, UMR 5246, Bâtiment Lederer, 1 Rue Victor Grignard, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Xiubin Li
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSA Lyon, ICBMS, UMR 5246, Bâtiment Lederer, 1 Rue Victor Grignard, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sylvie Moebs-Sanchez
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSA Lyon, ICBMS, UMR 5246, Bâtiment Lederer, 1 Rue Victor Grignard, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Fabrice Lejeune
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
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13
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Magaña AJ, Sklenicka J, Pinilla C, Giulianotti M, Chapagain P, Santos R, Ramirez MS, Tolmasky ME. Restoring susceptibility to aminoglycosides: identifying small molecule inhibitors of enzymatic inactivation. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:1591-1602. [PMID: 37731693 PMCID: PMC10507813 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00226h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing resistance to antimicrobial medicines is a critical health problem that must be urgently addressed. Adding to the increasing number of patients that succumb to infections, there are other consequences to the rise in resistance like the compromise of several medical procedures and dental work that are heavily dependent on infection prevention. Since their introduction in the clinics, aminoglycoside antibiotics have been a critical component of the armamentarium to treat infections. Still, the increase in resistance and their side effects led to a decline in their utilization. However, numerous current factors, like the urgent need for antimicrobials and their favorable properties, led to renewed interest in these drugs. While efforts to design new classes of aminoglycosides refractory to resistance mechanisms and with fewer toxic effects are starting to yield new promising molecules, extending the useful life of those already in use is essential. For this, numerous research projects are underway to counter resistance from different angles, like inhibition of expression or activity of resistance components. This review focuses on selected examples of one aspect of this quest, the design or identification of small molecule inhibitors of resistance caused by enzymatic modification of the aminoglycoside. These compounds could be developed as aminoglycoside adjuvants to overcome resistant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel J Magaña
- Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies, Department of Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, California State University Fullerton Fullerton CA 92831 USA
| | - Jan Sklenicka
- Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies, Department of Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, California State University Fullerton Fullerton CA 92831 USA
| | - Clemencia Pinilla
- Center for Translational Science, Florida International University Port St. Lucie FL 34987 USA
| | - Marc Giulianotti
- Center for Translational Science, Florida International University Port St. Lucie FL 34987 USA
| | - Prem Chapagain
- Department of Physics, Florida International University Miami FL 33199 USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University Miami FL 33199 USA
| | - Radleigh Santos
- Department of Mathematics, Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale FL 33314 USA
| | - Maria Soledad Ramirez
- Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies, Department of Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, California State University Fullerton Fullerton CA 92831 USA
| | - Marcelo E Tolmasky
- Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies, Department of Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, California State University Fullerton Fullerton CA 92831 USA
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14
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Osum SH, Oribamise EI, Corbière SM, Taisto M, Jubenville T, Coutts A, Kirstein MN, Fisher J, Moertel C, Du M, Bedwell D, Largaespada DA, Watson AL. Combining nonsense mutation suppression therapy with nonsense-mediated decay inhibition in neurofibromatosis type 1. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 33:227-239. [PMID: 37520682 PMCID: PMC10384610 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) results from germline mutations in the tumor-suppressor gene NF1 and predisposes patients to developing nervous system tumors. Twenty percent of NF1 patients harbor nonsense mutations resulting in premature termination codons (PTCs). Nonsense suppression therapies can facilitate ribosomal readthrough of PTCs to restore full-length protein, but their potential in NF1 is underexplored. We developed a minipig model of NF1 carrying a PTC to test whether nonsense suppression could restore expression of the NF1-encoded protein neurofibromin in vitro and in vivo. Nonsense suppression did not reliably increase neurofibromin in primary NF1-/- Schwann cells isolated from minipig neurofibromas but could reduce phosphorylated ERK. Gentamicin in vivo produced a similar plasma pharmacokinetic profile to humans and was detectable in clinically relevant tissues, including cerebral cortex, sciatic nerve, optic nerve, and skin. In gentamicin-treated animals, increased neurofibromin expression was seen in the optic nerve. Nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) causes degradation of transcripts with PTCs, which could impede nonsense suppression therapies. Nonsense suppression in combination with NMD inhibition restored neurofibromin protein expression in primary NF1-/- Schwann cells isolated from minipig neurofibromas. Thus, the effectiveness of nonsense suppression therapies can be improved in NF1 by the concurrent use of NMD inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara H. Osum
- Masonic Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 2-191 Moos Tower, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Eunice I. Oribamise
- Masonic Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 2-191 Moos Tower, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Mandy Taisto
- Recombinetics Inc., 3388 Mike Collins Drive, #1, Eagan, MN 55121, USA
| | - Tyler Jubenville
- Masonic Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 2-191 Moos Tower, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alex Coutts
- Recombinetics Inc., 3388 Mike Collins Drive, #1, Eagan, MN 55121, USA
| | - Mark N. Kirstein
- Masonic Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 2-191 Moos Tower, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Room 459, 717 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
| | - James Fisher
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Room 459, 717 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
| | - Christopher Moertel
- Masonic Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 2-191 Moos Tower, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ming Du
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Bevill Biomedical Research Building Room 432A, 845 19 Street South, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - David Bedwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Bevill Biomedical Research Building Room 432A, 845 19 Street South, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - David A. Largaespada
- Masonic Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 2-191 Moos Tower, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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15
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Redhead C, Taye N, Hubmacher D. En route towards a personalized medicine approach: Innovative therapeutic modalities for connective tissue disorders. Matrix Biol 2023; 122:46-54. [PMID: 37657665 PMCID: PMC10529529 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2023.08.005] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Connective tissue disorders can be caused by pathogenic variants (mutations) in genes encoding extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Such disorders typically manifest during development or postnatal growth and result in significant morbidity and mortality. The development of curative treatments for connective tissue disorders is hampered in part by the inability of many mature connective tissues to efficiently regenerate. To be most effective, therapeutic strategies designed to preserve or restore tissue function will likely need to be initiated during phases of significant endogenous connective tissue remodeling and organ sculpting postnatally and directly target the underlying ECM protein mutations. With recent advances in whole exome sequencing, in-vitro and in-vivo disease modeling, and the development of mutation-specific molecular therapeutic modalities, it is now feasible to directly correct disease-causing mutations underlying connective tissue disorders and ameliorate their pathogenic consequences. These technological advances may lead to potentially curative personalized medicine approaches for connective tissue disorders that have previously been considered incurable. In this review, we highlight innovative therapeutic modalities including gene replacement, exon skipping, DNA/mRNA editing, and pharmacological approaches that were used to preserve or restore tissue function in the context of connective tissue disorders. Inherent to a successful application of these approaches is the need to deepen the understanding of mechanisms that regulate ECM formation and homeostasis, and to decipher how individual mutations in ECM proteins compromise ECM and connective tissue development and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlene Redhead
- Orthopedic Research Laboratories, Leni & Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Nandaraj Taye
- Orthopedic Research Laboratories, Leni & Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Dirk Hubmacher
- Orthopedic Research Laboratories, Leni & Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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16
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Valášek LS, Kučerová M, Zeman J, Beznosková P. Cysteine tRNA acts as a stop codon readthrough-inducing tRNA in the human HEK293T cell line. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:1379-1387. [PMID: 37221013 PMCID: PMC10573299 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079688.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Under certain circumstances, any of the three termination codons can be read through by a near-cognate tRNA; i.e., a tRNA whose two out of three anticodon nucleotides base pair with those of the stop codon. Unless programed to synthetize C-terminally extended protein variants with expanded physiological roles, readthrough represents an undesirable translational error. On the other side of a coin, a significant number of human genetic diseases is associated with the introduction of nonsense mutations (premature termination codons [PTCs]) into coding sequences, where stopping is not desirable. Here, the tRNA's ability to induce readthrough opens up the intriguing possibility of mitigating the deleterious effects of PTCs on human health. In yeast, the UGA and UAR stop codons were described to be read through by four readthrough-inducing rti-tRNAs-tRNATrp and tRNACys, and tRNATyr and tRNAGln, respectively. The readthrough-inducing potential of tRNATrp and tRNATyr was also observed in human cell lines. Here, we investigated the readthrough-inducing potential of human tRNACys in the HEK293T cell line. The tRNACys family consists of two isoacceptors, one with ACA and the other with GCA anticodons. We selected nine representative tRNACys isodecoders (differing in primary sequence and expression level) and tested them using dual luciferase reporter assays. We found that at least two tRNACys can significantly elevate UGA readthrough when overexpressed. This indicates a mechanistically conserved nature of rti-tRNAs between yeast and human, supporting the idea that they could be used in the PTC-associated RNA therapies.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Codon, Terminator/genetics
- Cysteine/genetics
- Cysteine/metabolism
- HEK293 Cells
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics
- RNA, Transfer, Cys/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer, Trp/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer, Tyr
- RNA, Transfer/genetics
- RNA, Transfer/metabolism
- Anticodon
- Codon, Nonsense/genetics
- Protein Biosynthesis
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Affiliation(s)
- Leoš Shivaya Valášek
- Laboratory of Regulation of Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, 142 20 Prague, the Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Kučerová
- Laboratory of Regulation of Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, 142 20 Prague, the Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Zeman
- Laboratory of Regulation of Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, 142 20 Prague, the Czech Republic
| | - Petra Beznosková
- Laboratory of Regulation of Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology ASCR, 142 20 Prague, the Czech Republic
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17
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Benslimane N, Miressi F, Loret C, Richard L, Nizou A, Pyromali I, Faye PA, Favreau F, Lejeune F, Lia AS. Amlexanox: Readthrough Induction and Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay Inhibition in a Charcot-Marie-Tooth Model of hiPSCs-Derived Neuronal Cells Harboring a Nonsense Mutation in GDAP1 Gene. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1034. [PMID: 37513945 PMCID: PMC10385573 DOI: 10.3390/ph16071034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonsense mutations are involved in multiple peripheral neuropathies. These mutations induce the presence of a premature termination codon (PTC) at the mRNA level. As a result, a dysfunctional or truncated protein is synthesized, or even absent linked to nonsense-mediated mRNA degradation (NMD) system activation. Readthrough molecules or NMD inhibitors could be innovative therapies in these hereditary neuropathies, particularly molecules harboring the dual activity as amlexanox. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most common inherited pathology of the peripheral nervous system, affecting 1 in 2500 people worldwide. Nonsense mutations in the GDAP1 gene have been associated with a severe form of CMT, prompting us to investigate the effect of readthrough and NMD inhibitor molecules. Although not clearly defined, GDAP1 could be involved in mitochondrial functions, such as mitophagy. We focused on the homozygous c.581C>G (p.Ser194*) mutation inducing CMT2H using patient human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal cells. Treatment during 20 h with 100 µM of amlexanox on this cell model stabilized GDAP1 mRNAs carrying UGA-PTC and induced a restoration of the mitochondrial morphology. These results highlight the potential of readthrough molecules associated to NMD inhibitors for the treatment of genetic alterations in CMT, opening the way for future investigations and a potential therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nesrine Benslimane
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Federica Miressi
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Camille Loret
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Laurence Richard
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
- CHU Limoges, Service de Neurologie, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Angélique Nizou
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Ioanna Pyromali
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Pierre-Antoine Faye
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Limoges, Service de Biochimie et de Génétique Moléculaire, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Frédéric Favreau
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Limoges, Service de Biochimie et de Génétique Moléculaire, F-87000 Limoges, France
| | - Fabrice Lejeune
- CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, University of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Lia
- NeurIT UR 20218, GEIST Institute, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, University of Limoges, F-87000 Limoges, France
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Limoges, Service de Biochimie et de Génétique Moléculaire, F-87000 Limoges, France
- Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire (CHU) Limoges, UF de Bioinformatique, F-87000 Limoges, France
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18
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Li S, Li J, Shi W, Nie Z, Zhang S, Ma F, Hu J, Chen J, Li P, Xie X. Pharmaceuticals Promoting Premature Termination Codon Readthrough: Progress in Development. Biomolecules 2023; 13:988. [PMID: 37371567 DOI: 10.3390/biom13060988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Around 11% of all known gene lesions causing human genetic diseases are nonsense mutations that introduce a premature stop codon (PTC) into the protein-coding gene sequence. Drug-induced PTC readthrough is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating hereditary diseases caused by nonsense mutations. To date, it has been found that more than 50 small-molecular compounds can promote PTC readthrough, known as translational readthrough-inducing drugs (TRIDs), and can be divided into two major categories: aminoglycosides and non-aminoglycosides. This review summarizes the pharmacodynamics and clinical application potential of the main TRIDs discovered so far, especially some newly discovered TRIDs in the past decade. The discovery of these TRIDs brings hope for treating nonsense mutations in various genetic diseases. Further research is still needed to deeply understand the mechanism of eukaryotic cell termination and drug-induced PTC readthrough so that patients can achieve the greatest benefit from the various TRID treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Juan Li
- Central Laboratory, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Genetic Study of Hematopathy, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wenjing Shi
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ziyan Nie
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shasha Zhang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Fengdie Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jun Hu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jianjun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Peiqiang Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaodong Xie
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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19
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Zhang D, Zhu L, Wang F, Li P, Wang Y, Gao Y. Molecular mechanisms of eukaryotic translation fidelity and their associations with diseases. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 242:124680. [PMID: 37141965 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Converting genetic information into functional proteins is a complex, multi-step process, with each step being tightly regulated to ensure the accuracy of translation, which is critical to cellular health. In recent years, advances in modern biotechnology, especially the development of cryo-electron microscopy and single-molecule techniques, have enabled a clearer understanding of the mechanisms of protein translation fidelity. Although there are many studies on the regulation of protein translation in prokaryotes, and the basic elements of translation are highly conserved in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, there are still great differences in the specific regulatory mechanisms. This review describes how eukaryotic ribosomes and translation factors regulate protein translation and ensure translation accuracy. However, a certain frequency of translation errors does occur in translation, so we describe diseases that arise when the rate of translation errors reaches or exceeds a threshold of cellular tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dejiu Zhang
- Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Lei Zhu
- College of Basic Medical, Qingdao Binhai University, Qingdao, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Peifeng Li
- Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yin Wang
- Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
| | - Yanyan Gao
- Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
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20
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Romão L. The power of 2,6-diaminopurine in correcting UGA nonsense codons in CFTR mRNA. Mol Ther 2023; 31:921-922. [PMID: 36944336 PMCID: PMC10124090 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Luísa Romão
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Faculdade de Ciências, BioISI - Instituto de Biossistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
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21
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Leroy C, Spelier S, Essonghe NC, Poix V, Kong R, Gizzi P, Bourban C, Amand S, Bailly C, Guilbert R, Hannebique D, Persoons P, Arhant G, Prévotat A, Reix P, Hubert D, Gérardin M, Chamaillard M, Prevarskaya N, Rebuffat S, Shapovalov G, Beekman J, Lejeune F. Use of 2,6-diaminopurine as a potent suppressor of UGA premature stop codons in cystic fibrosis. Mol Ther 2023; 31:970-985. [PMID: 36641622 PMCID: PMC10124085 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonsense mutations are responsible for around 10% of cases of genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis. 2,6-diaminopurine (DAP) has recently been shown to promote efficient readthrough of UGA premature stop codons. In this study, we show that DAP can correct a nonsense mutation in the Cftr gene in vivo in a new CF mouse model, in utero, and through breastfeeding, thanks, notably, to adequate pharmacokinetic properties. DAP turns out to be very stable in plasma and is distributed throughout the body. The ability of DAP to correct various endogenous UGA nonsense mutations in the CFTR gene and to restore its function in mice, in organoids derived from murine or patient cells, and in cells from patients with cystic fibrosis reveals the potential of such readthrough-stimulating molecules in developing a therapeutic approach. The fact that correction by DAP of certain nonsense mutations reaches a clinically relevant level, as judged from previous studies, makes the use of this compound all the more attractive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Leroy
- University Lille, CNRS, INSERM, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, 59000 Lille, France; Unité Tumorigenèse et Résistance aux Traitements, Institut Pasteur de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Sacha Spelier
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 EA Utrecht, the Netherlands; Regenerative Medicine Utrecht, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Center for Living Technologies, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Nadège Charlene Essonghe
- University Lille, INSERM, U1003-PHYCEL-Physiologie Cellulaire, 59000 Lille, France; Laboratory of Excellence, Ion Channels Science and Therapeutics, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Virginie Poix
- University Lille, CNRS, INSERM, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, 59000 Lille, France; Unité Tumorigenèse et Résistance aux Traitements, Institut Pasteur de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Rebekah Kong
- University Lille, CNRS, INSERM, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, 59000 Lille, France; Unité Tumorigenèse et Résistance aux Traitements, Institut Pasteur de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Patrick Gizzi
- Plateforme de Chimie Biologique Intégrative de Strasbourg, UAR 3286 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Claire Bourban
- Plateforme de Chimie Biologique Intégrative de Strasbourg, UAR 3286 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Séverine Amand
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratory of Molecules of Communication and Adaptation of Microorganisms (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS-MNHN, CP 54, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Christine Bailly
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratory of Molecules of Communication and Adaptation of Microorganisms (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS-MNHN, CP 54, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Romain Guilbert
- Institut Pasteur de Lille-PLEHTA (Plateforme d'Expérimentation et de Haute Technologie Animale), 59019 Lille, France
| | - David Hannebique
- Institut Pasteur de Lille-PLEHTA (Plateforme d'Expérimentation et de Haute Technologie Animale), 59019 Lille, France
| | - Philippe Persoons
- Institut Pasteur de Lille-PLEHTA (Plateforme d'Expérimentation et de Haute Technologie Animale), 59019 Lille, France
| | - Gwenaëlle Arhant
- University Lille, CNRS, INSERM, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, 59000 Lille, France; Unité Tumorigenèse et Résistance aux Traitements, Institut Pasteur de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Anne Prévotat
- University Lille, Clinique des Maladies Respiratoires, CRCM Hôpital Calmette, CHRU Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Philippe Reix
- CRCM Pédiatrique Lyon, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, UMR 5558 (EMET), CNRS, LBBE, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Dominique Hubert
- Pulmonary Department and Adult CF Centre, Cochin Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Michèle Gérardin
- CF Pediatric Centre, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, 75019 Paris, France
| | - Mathias Chamaillard
- University Lille, INSERM, U1003-PHYCEL-Physiologie Cellulaire, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Natalia Prevarskaya
- University Lille, INSERM, U1003-PHYCEL-Physiologie Cellulaire, 59000 Lille, France; Laboratory of Excellence, Ion Channels Science and Therapeutics, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Sylvie Rebuffat
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratory of Molecules of Communication and Adaptation of Microorganisms (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS-MNHN, CP 54, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - George Shapovalov
- University Lille, INSERM, U1003-PHYCEL-Physiologie Cellulaire, 59000 Lille, France; Laboratory of Excellence, Ion Channels Science and Therapeutics, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Jeffrey Beekman
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 EA Utrecht, the Netherlands; Regenerative Medicine Utrecht, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Center for Living Technologies, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Fabrice Lejeune
- University Lille, CNRS, INSERM, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, 59000 Lille, France; Unité Tumorigenèse et Résistance aux Traitements, Institut Pasteur de Lille, 59000 Lille, France.
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22
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Wagner RN, Wießner M, Friedrich A, Zandanell J, Breitenbach-Koller H, Bauer JW. Emerging Personalized Opportunities for Enhancing Translational Readthrough in Rare Genetic Diseases and Beyond. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:6101. [PMID: 37047074 PMCID: PMC10093890 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076101] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonsense mutations trigger premature translation termination and often give rise to prevalent and rare genetic diseases. Consequently, the pharmacological suppression of an unscheduled stop codon represents an attractive treatment option and is of high clinical relevance. At the molecular level, the ability of the ribosome to continue translation past a stop codon is designated stop codon readthrough (SCR). SCR of disease-causing premature termination codons (PTCs) is minimal but small molecule interventions, such as treatment with aminoglycoside antibiotics, can enhance its frequency. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of translation termination (both at PTCs and at cognate stop codons) and highlight recently discovered pathways that influence its fidelity. We describe the mechanisms involved in the recognition and readthrough of PTCs and report on SCR-inducing compounds currently explored in preclinical research and clinical trials. We conclude by reviewing the ongoing attempts of personalized nonsense suppression therapy in different disease contexts, including the genetic skin condition epidermolysis bullosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland N. Wagner
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Michael Wießner
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Andreas Friedrich
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Johanna Zandanell
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Johann W. Bauer
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
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23
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Recoding of Nonsense Mutation as a Pharmacological Strategy. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11030659. [PMID: 36979640 PMCID: PMC10044939 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately 11% of genetic human diseases are caused by nonsense mutations that introduce a premature termination codon (PTC) into the coding sequence. The PTC results in the production of a potentially harmful shortened polypeptide and activation of a nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) pathway. The NMD pathway reduces the burden of unproductive protein synthesis by lowering the level of PTC mRNA. There is an endogenous rescue mechanism that produces a full-length protein from a PTC mRNA. Nonsense suppression therapies aim to increase readthrough, suppress NMD, or are a combination of both strategies. Therefore, treatment with translational readthrough-inducing drugs (TRIDs) and NMD inhibitors may increase the effectiveness of PTC suppression. Here we discuss the mechanism of PTC readthrough and the development of novel approaches to PTC suppression. We also discuss the toxicity and bioavailability of therapeutics used to stimulate PTC readthrough.
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24
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Adachi H, Pan Y, He X, Chen JL, Klein B, Platenburg G, Morais P, Boutz P, Yu YT. Targeted pseudouridylation: An approach for suppressing nonsense mutations in disease genes. Mol Cell 2023; 83:637-651.e9. [PMID: 36764303 PMCID: PMC9975048 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Nonsense mutations create premature termination codons (PTCs), activating the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway to degrade most PTC-containing mRNAs. The undegraded mRNA is translated, but translation terminates at the PTC, leading to no production of the full-length protein. This work presents targeted PTC pseudouridylation, an approach for nonsense suppression in human cells. Specifically, an artificial box H/ACA guide RNA designed to target the mRNA PTC can suppress both NMD and premature translation termination in various sequence contexts. Targeted pseudouridylation exhibits a level of suppression comparable with that of aminoglycoside antibiotic treatments. When targeted pseudouridylation is combined with antibiotic treatment, a much higher level of suppression is observed. Transfection of a disease model cell line (carrying a chromosomal PTC) with a designer guide RNA gene targeting the PTC also leads to nonsense suppression. Thus, targeted pseudouridylation is an RNA-directed gene-specific approach that suppresses NMD and concurrently promotes PTC readthrough.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hironori Adachi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Yi Pan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Xueyang He
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan L Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Bart Klein
- ProQR Therapeutics, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Paul Boutz
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA; Center for Biomedical Informatics and Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Yi-Tao Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
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25
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A High-Throughput Assay for In Vitro Determination of Release Factor-Dependent Peptide Release from a Pretermination Complex by Fluorescence Anisotropy-Application to Nonsense Suppressor Screening and Mechanistic Studies. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13020242. [PMID: 36830611 PMCID: PMC9953321 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020242] [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: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Premature termination codons (PTCs) account for ~12% of all human disease mutations. Translation readthrough-inducing drugs (TRIDs) are prominent among the several therapeutic approaches being used to overcome PTCs. Ataluren is the only TRID that has been approved for treating patients suffering from a PTC disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but it gives variable readthrough results in cells isolated from patients suffering from other PTC diseases. We recently elucidated ataluren's mechanism of action as a competitive inhibitor of release factor complex (RFC) catalysis of premature termination and identified ataluren's binding sites on the ribosome responsible for such an inhibition. These results suggest the possibility of discovering new TRIDs, which would retain ataluren's low toxicity while displaying greater potency and generality in stimulating readthrough via the inhibition of termination. Here we present a detailed description of a new in vitro plate reader assay that we are using both to screen small compound libraries for the inhibition of RFC-dependent peptide release and to better understand the influence of termination codon identity and sequence context on RFC activity.
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26
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Lightfoot HL, Smith GF. Targeting RNA with small molecules-A safety perspective. Br J Pharmacol 2023. [PMID: 36631428 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA is a major player in cellular function, and consequently can drive a number of disease pathologies. Over the past several years, small molecule-RNA targeting (smRNA targeting) has developed into a promising drug discovery approach. Numerous techniques, tools, and assays have been developed to support this field, and significant investments have been made by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. To date, the focus has been on identifying disease validated primary targets for smRNA drug development, yet RNA as a secondary (off) target for all small molecule drug programs largely has been unexplored. In this perspective, we discuss structure, target, and mechanism-driven safety aspects of smRNAs and highlight how these parameters can be evaluated in drug discovery programs to produce potentially safer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen L Lightfoot
- Safety and Mechanistic Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Graham F Smith
- Data Science and AI, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
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27
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Astner-Rohracher A, Mauritz M, Leitinger M, Rossini F, Kalss G, Neuray C, Retter E, Wortmann SB, Achleitner MT, Mayr JA, Trinka E. A case report: New-onset refractory status epilepticus in a patient with FASTKD2-related mitochondrial disease. Front Neurol 2023; 13:1063733. [PMID: 36712458 PMCID: PMC9875587 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.1063733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite extensive work-up, the underlying etiology remains unknown in 50% of affected individuals. Mitochondrial disorders represent rare causes of NORSE. Biallelic variants in FASTKD2 were reported as a cause of infantile encephalomyopathy with refractory epilepsy. Case description In the study, we report a previously healthy 14-year-old with a new, homozygous FASTKD2 variant presenting with NORSE. Following a seizure-free period of 7 years, he experienced another super-refractory SE and subsequently developed drug-resistant focal epilepsy, mild myopathy, optic atrophy, and discrete psychomotor slowing. Structural MRI at the time of NORSE showed right temporo-parieto-occipital FLAIR hyperintensity and diffusion restriction, with extensive right hemispheric atrophy at the age of 22 years. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a novel homozygous loss of function variant [c.(1072C>T);(1072C>T)] [p.(Arg358Ter);(Arg358Ter)] in FASTKD2 (NM_001136193), resulting in a premature termination codon in the protein-coding region and loss of function of FASTKD2. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in muscle and skin fibroblasts was unremarkable. Conclusion This is the first case of a normally developed adolescent with a new homozygous loss of function variant in FASTKD2, manifesting with NORSE. The phenotypical spectrum of FASTKD2-related mitochondrial disease is heterogeneous, ranging from recurrent status epilepticus and refractory focal epilepsy in an adolescent with normal cognitive development to severe forms of infantile mitochondrial encephalopathy. Although mitochondrial diseases are rare causes of NORSE, clinical features such as young age at onset and multi-system involvement should trigger genetic testing. Early diagnosis is essential for counseling and treatment considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Astner-Rohracher
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Paracelsus Medical University Hospital, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Matthias Mauritz
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Paracelsus Medical University Hospital, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Markus Leitinger
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Paracelsus Medical University Hospital, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Fabio Rossini
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Paracelsus Medical University Hospital, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Gudrun Kalss
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Paracelsus Medical University Hospital, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Caroline Neuray
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Saskia B. Wortmann
- University Children's Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Center for Mitochondrial Medicine, Amalia Children's Hospital, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | | | - Johannes A. Mayr
- University Children's Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Paracelsus Medical University Hospital, Salzburg, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner Institute for Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT–University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria
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28
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Kawai S, Takashima S, Ando M, Shintaku S, Takeda S, Otake K, Ito Y, Fukui M, Yamamoto M, Shoji Y, Shirahase H, Kitao T. Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Triaryl Derivatives with Readthrough-Inducing Activity. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2023; 71:701-716. [PMID: 37661376 DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c23-00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The readthrough mechanism, which skips the premature termination codon and restores the biosynthesis of the defective enzyme, is an emerging therapeutic tactic for nonsense mutation-related diseases, such as Hurler syndrome, a type of mucopolysaccharidosis. In the present study, novel triaryl derivatives were synthesized and their readthrough-inducing activities were evaluated by a luciferase reporter assay with a partial α-L-iduronidase (IDUA) DNA sequence containing the Q70X nonsense mutation found in Hurler syndrome and by measuring the enzyme activity of IDUA knockout cells transfected with the mutant IDUA gene. KY-516, a representative compound in which the meta position carboxyl group of the left ring of the clinically used ataluren was converted to the para position sulfamoylamino group, the central ring to triazole, and the right ring to cyanobenzene, exhibited the most potent readthrough-inducing activity in the Q70X/luciferase reporter assay. In Q70X mutant IDUA transgenic cells, KY-516 significantly increased enzyme activity at 0.1 µM. After the oral administration of KY-516 (10 mg/kg), the highest plasma concentration of KY-516 was above 5 µM in rats. These results indicate that KY-516, a novel triaryl derivative, exhibits potent readthrough-inducing activity and has potential as a therapeutic agent for Hurler syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Kawai
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Shunsuke Takashima
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Masafumi Ando
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Sayaka Shintaku
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Shigemitsu Takeda
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Kazuya Otake
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Yuma Ito
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Masaki Fukui
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Megumi Yamamoto
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Yoshimichi Shoji
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Hiroaki Shirahase
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
| | - Tatsuya Kitao
- Drug Discovery Research Department, Kyoto Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd
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29
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Corrao F, Zizzo MG, Tutone M, Melfi R, Fiduccia I, Carollo PS, Leonardo AD, Caldara G, Perriera R, Pace A, Belmonte B, Sammataro S, Pibiri I, Lentini L. Nonsense codons suppression. An acute toxicity study of three optimized TRIDs in murine model, safety and tolerability evaluation. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 156:113886. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
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30
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Evaluation of Pharmacological Rescue of Melanocortin-4 Receptor Nonsense Mutations by Aminoglycoside. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12111793. [PMID: 36362948 PMCID: PMC9697516 DOI: 10.3390/life12111793] [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: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is critical for central satiety regulation, therefore presenting a potent target for pharmacological obesity treatment. Melanocortin-4 receptor mutations prevalently cause monogenetic obesity. A possibility of overcoming stop mutations is aminoglycoside-mediated translational readthrough. Promising results were achieved in COS-7 cells, but data for human cell systems are still missing, so uncertainty surrounds this potential treatment. In transfected HEK-293 cells, we tested whether translational readthrough by aminoglycoside Geneticin combined with high-affinity ligand setmelanotide, which is effective in proopiomelanocortin or leptin receptor deficiency patients, is a treatment option for affected patients. Five MC4R nonsense mutants (W16X, Y35X_D37V, E61X, W258X, Q307X) were investigated. Confocal microscopy and cell surface expression assays revealed the importance of the mutations’ position within the MC4R. N-terminal mutants were marginally expressed independent of Geneticin treatment, whereas mutants with nonsense mutations in transmembrane helix 6 or helix 8 showed wild-type-like expression. For functional analysis, Gs and Gq/11 signaling were measured. N-terminal mutants (W16X, Y35X_D37V) showed no cAMP formation after challenge with alpha-MSH or setmelanotide, irrespective of Geneticin treatment. Similarly, Gs activation was almost impossible in W258X and Q307X with wild-type-like cell surface expression. Results for Gq/11 signaling were comparable. Based on our data, this approach improbably represents a therapeutic option.
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31
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Christie M, Friesen Westley J, Suresh B, Baiazitov Ramil Y, Wu D, Karloff Diane B, Chang-Sun L, Young-Choon M, Hongyu R, Jairo S, Yuki T, Priya V, Welch Ellen M, Xiaojiao X, Jin Z. Guanidino Quinazolines and Pyrimidines Promote Readthrough of Premature Termination Codons in Cells with Native Nonsense Mutations. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2022; 76:128989. [PMID: 36150638 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Using small molecules to induce readthrough of premature termination codons is a promising therapeutic approach to treating genetic diseases and cancers caused by nonsense mutations, as evidenced by the widespread use of ataluren to treat nonsense mutation Duchene muscular dystrophy. Herein we describe a series of novel guanidino quinazoline and pyrimidine scaffolds that induce readthrough in both HDQ-P1 mammary carcinoma cells and mdx myotubes. Linkage of basic, tertiary amines with aliphatic, hydrophobic substituents to the terminal guanidine nitrogen of these scaffolds led to significant potency increases. Further potency gains were achieved by flanking the pyrimidine ring with hydrophobic substituents, inducing readthrough at concentrations as low as 120 nM and demonstrating the potential of these compounds to be used either in combination with ataluren or as stand-alone therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morrill Christie
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - J Friesen Westley
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Babu Suresh
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Y Baiazitov Ramil
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Du Wu
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - B Karloff Diane
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Lee Chang-Sun
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Moon Young-Choon
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Ren Hongyu
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Sierra Jairo
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Tomizawa Yuki
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Vazirani Priya
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - M Welch Ellen
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Xue Xiaojiao
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
| | - Zhuo Jin
- PTC Therapeutics, Inc., 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, 07080, USA
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32
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Al-Amri AH, Armstrong P, Amici M, Ligneul C, Rouse J, El-Asrag ME, Pantiru A, Vancollie VE, Ng HW, Ogbeta JA, Goodchild K, Ellegood J, Lelliott CJ, Mullins JG, Bretman A, Al-Ali R, Beetz C, Al-Gazali L, Al Shamsi A, Lerch JP, Mellor JR, Al Sayegh A, Ali M, Inglehearn CF, Clapcote SJ. PDZD8 Disruption Causes Cognitive Impairment in Humans, Mice, and Fruit Flies. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:323-334. [PMID: 35227461 PMCID: PMC9302898 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The discovery of coding variants in genes that confer risk of intellectual disability (ID) is an important step toward understanding the pathophysiology of this common developmental disability. METHODS Homozygosity mapping, whole-exome sequencing, and cosegregation analyses were used to identify gene variants responsible for syndromic ID with autistic features in two independent consanguineous families from the Arabian Peninsula. For in vivo functional studies of the implicated gene's function in cognition, Drosophila melanogaster and mice with targeted interference of the orthologous gene were used. Behavioral, electrophysiological, and structural magnetic resonance imaging analyses were conducted for phenotypic testing. RESULTS Homozygous premature termination codons in PDZD8, encoding an endoplasmic reticulum-anchored lipid transfer protein, showed cosegregation with syndromic ID in both families. Drosophila melanogaster with knockdown of the PDZD8 ortholog exhibited impaired long-term courtship-based memory. Mice homozygous for a premature termination codon in Pdzd8 exhibited brain structural, hippocampal spatial memory, and synaptic plasticity deficits. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate the involvement of homozygous loss-of-function mutations in PDZD8 in a neurodevelopmental cognitive disorder. Model organisms with manipulation of the orthologous gene replicate aspects of the human phenotype and suggest plausible pathophysiological mechanisms centered on disrupted brain development and synaptic function. These findings are thus consistent with accruing evidence that synaptic defects are a common denominator of ID and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed H. Al-Amri
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom,Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom,National Genetic Centre, Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Paul Armstrong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Mascia Amici
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Clemence Ligneul
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - James Rouse
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Mohammed E. El-Asrag
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt,Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham
| | - Andreea Pantiru
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | | | - Hannah W.Y. Ng
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer A. Ogbeta
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Kirstie Goodchild
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Jacob Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Amanda Bretman
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Lihadh Al-Gazali
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Aisha Al Shamsi
- Pediatrics Department, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jason P. Lerch
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jack R. Mellor
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Abeer Al Sayegh
- Genetics Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Manir Ali
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Chris F. Inglehearn
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Steven J. Clapcote
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom,Address correspondence to Steven J. Clapcote, Ph.D.
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Gene-based therapeutics for rare genetic neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. Mol Ther 2022; 30:2416-2428. [PMID: 35585789 PMCID: PMC9263284 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We are in an emerging era of gene-based therapeutics with significant promise for rare genetic disorders. The potential is particularly significant for genetic central nervous system disorders that have begun to achieve Food and Drug Administration approval for select patient populations. This review summarizes the discussions and presentations of the National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored workshop "Gene-Based Therapeutics for Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Psychiatric Disorders," which was held in January 2021. Here, we distill the points raised regarding various precision medicine approaches related to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders that may be amenable to gene-based therapies.
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Abreu RBV, Gomes TT, Nepomuceno TC, Li X, Fuchshuber-Moraes M, De Gregoriis G, Suarez-Kurtz G, Monteiro ANA, Carvalho MA. Functional Restoration of BRCA1 Nonsense Mutations by Aminoglycoside-Induced Readthrough. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:935995. [PMID: 35837282 PMCID: PMC9273842 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.935995] [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: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BRCA1 is a major tumor suppressor that functions in the accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks via homologous recombination (HR). Nonsense mutations in BRCA1 lead to inactive truncated protein products and are associated with high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. These mutations generate premature termination codons (PTCs). Different studies have shown that aminoglycosides can induce PTC suppression by promoting stop codon readthrough and restoring full-length (FL) protein expression. The use of these compounds has been studied in clinical trials for genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, with encouraging results. Here we show proof-of-concept data demonstrating that the aminoglycoside G418 can induce BRCA1 PTC readthrough and restore FL protein synthesis and function. We first demonstrate that G418 treatment restores BRCA1 FL protein synthesis in HCC1395, a human breast tumor cell line carrying the R1751X mutation. HCC1395 cells treated with G418 also recover HR DNA repair and restore cell cycle checkpoint activation. A set of naturally occurring BRCA1 nonsense variants encoding different PTCs was evaluated in a GFP C-terminal BRCA1 construct model and BRCA1 PTC readthrough levels vary depending on the stop codon context. Because PTC readthrough could generate FL protein carrying pathogenic missense mutations, variants representing the most probable acquired amino acid substitutions in consequence of readthrough were functionally assessed by a validated transcription activation assay. Overall, this is the first study that evaluates the readthrough of PTC variants with clinical relevance in the breast and ovarian cancer-predisposing gene BRCA1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata B. V. Abreu
- Divisão de Pesquisa Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thiago T. Gomes
- Divisão de Pesquisa Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thales C. Nepomuceno
- Divisão de Pesquisa Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Cancer Epidemiology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Xueli Li
- Cancer Epidemiology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
| | | | | | | | - Alvaro N. A. Monteiro
- Cancer Epidemiology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Marcelo A. Carvalho
- Divisão de Pesquisa Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro—IFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Marcelo A. Carvalho,
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35
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Potapova NA. Nonsense Mutations in Eukaryotes. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2022; 87:400-412. [PMID: 35790376 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922050029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nonsense mutations are a type of mutations which results in a premature termination codon occurrence. In general, these mutations have been considered to be among the most harmful ones which lead to premature protein translation termination and result in shortened nonfunctional polypeptide. However, there is evidence that not all nonsense mutations are harmful as well as some molecular mechanisms exist which allow to avoid pathogenic effects of these mutations. This review addresses relevant information on nonsense mutations in eukaryotic genomes, characteristics of these mutations, and different molecular mechanisms preventing or mitigating harmful effects thereof.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezhda A Potapova
- Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems (IITP), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 127051, Russia.
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Beryozkin A, Samanta A, Gopalakrishnan P, Khateb S, Banin E, Sharon D, Nagel-Wolfrum K. Translational Read-Through Drugs (TRIDs) Are Able to Restore Protein Expression and Ciliogenesis in Fibroblasts of Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa Caused by a Premature Termination Codon in FAM161A. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073541. [PMID: 35408898 PMCID: PMC8998412 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Ataluren and Gentamicin are translational readthrough drugs (TRIDs) that induce premature termination codon (PTC) readthrough, resulting in the production of full-length proteins that usually harbor a single missense substitution. FAM161A is a ciliary protein which is expressed in photoreceptors, and pathogenic variants in this gene cause retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Applying TRIDs on fibroblasts from RP patients due to PTC in the FAM161A (p.Arg523*) gene may uncover whether TRIDs can restore expression, localization and function of this protein. Fibroblasts from six patients and five age-matched controls were starved prior to treatment with ataluren or gentamicin, and later FAM161A expression, ciliogenesis and cilia length were analyzed. In contrast to control cells, fibroblasts of patients did not express the FAM161A protein, showed a lower percentage of ciliated cells and grew shorter cilia after starvation. Ataluren and Gentamicin treatment were able to restore FAM161A expression, localization and co-localization with α-tubulin. Ciliogenesis and cilia length were restored following Ataluren treatment almost up to a level which was observed in control cells. Gentamicin was less efficient in ciliogenesis compared to Ataluren. Our results provide a proof-of-concept that PTCs in FAM161A can be effectively suppressed by Ataluren or Gentamicin, resulting in a full-length functional protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avigail Beryozkin
- Hadassah Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (A.B.); (P.G.); (S.K.); (E.B.); (D.S.)
| | - Ananya Samanta
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany;
- Institute of Development Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Prakadeeswari Gopalakrishnan
- Hadassah Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (A.B.); (P.G.); (S.K.); (E.B.); (D.S.)
| | - Samer Khateb
- Hadassah Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (A.B.); (P.G.); (S.K.); (E.B.); (D.S.)
| | - Eyal Banin
- Hadassah Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (A.B.); (P.G.); (S.K.); (E.B.); (D.S.)
| | - Dror Sharon
- Hadassah Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; (A.B.); (P.G.); (S.K.); (E.B.); (D.S.)
| | - Kerstin Nagel-Wolfrum
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany;
- Institute of Development Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Sainio MT, Rasila T, Molchanova SM, Järvilehto J, Torregrosa-Muñumer R, Harjuhaahto S, Pennonen J, Huber N, Herukka SK, Haapasalo A, Zetterberg H, Taira T, Palmio J, Ylikallio E, Tyynismaa H. Neurofilament Light Regulates Axon Caliber, Synaptic Activity, and Organelle Trafficking in Cultured Human Motor Neurons. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:820105. [PMID: 35237613 PMCID: PMC8883324 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.820105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurofilament light (NFL) is one of the proteins forming multimeric neuron-specific intermediate filaments, neurofilaments, which fill the axonal cytoplasm, establish caliber growth, and provide structural support. Dominant missense mutations and recessive nonsense mutations in the neurofilament light gene (NEFL) are among the causes of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy, which affects the peripheral nerves with the longest axons. We previously demonstrated that a neuropathy-causing homozygous nonsense mutation in NEFL led to the absence of NFL in patient-specific neurons. To understand the disease-causing mechanisms, we investigate here the functional effects of NFL loss in human motor neurons differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). We used genome editing to generate NEFL knockouts and compared them to patient-specific nonsense mutants and isogenic controls. iPSC lacking NFL differentiated efficiently into motor neurons with normal axon growth and regrowth after mechanical axotomy and contained neurofilaments. Electrophysiological analysis revealed that motor neurons without NFL fired spontaneous and evoked action potentials with similar characteristics as controls. However, we found that, in the absence of NFL, human motor neurons 1) had reduced axonal caliber, 2) the amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSC) was decreased, 3) neurofilament heavy (NFH) levels were reduced and no compensatory increases in other filament subunits were observed, and 4) the movement of mitochondria and to a lesser extent lysosomes was increased. Our findings elaborate the functional roles of NFL in human motor neurons. NFL is not only a structural protein forming neurofilaments and filling the axonal cytoplasm, but our study supports the role of NFL in the regulation of synaptic transmission and organelle trafficking. To rescue the NFL deficiency in the patient-specific nonsense mutant motor neurons, we used three drugs, amlexanox, ataluren (PTC-124), and gentamicin to induce translational read-through or inhibit nonsense-mediated decay. However, the drugs failed to increase the amount of NFL protein to detectable levels and were toxic to iPSC-derived motor neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus T. Sainio
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tiina Rasila
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Svetlana M. Molchanova
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Julius Järvilehto
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rubén Torregrosa-Muñumer
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sandra Harjuhaahto
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jana Pennonen
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nadine Huber
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Sanna-Kaisa Herukka
- Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
- Neurology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Annakaisa Haapasalo
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, United Kingdom
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tomi Taira
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Biosciences for Electrophysiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Palmio
- Neuromuscular Research Center, Tampere University Hospital and Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Emil Ylikallio
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Clinical Neurosciences, Neurology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Henna Tyynismaa
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Lejeune F. Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay, a Finely Regulated Mechanism. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10010141. [PMID: 35052820 PMCID: PMC8773229 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10010141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is both a mechanism for rapidly eliminating mRNAs carrying a premature termination codon and a pathway that regulates many genes. This implies that NMD must be subject to regulation in order to allow, under certain physiological conditions, the expression of genes that are normally repressed by NMD. Therapeutically, it might be interesting to express certain NMD-repressed genes or to allow the synthesis of functional truncated proteins. Developing such approaches will require a good understanding of NMD regulation. This review describes the different levels of this regulation in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice Lejeune
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR9020-U1277—CANTHER—Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France;
- Unité Tumorigenèse et Résistance aux Traitements, Institut Pasteur de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
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The potential value of amlexanox in the treatment of cancer: Molecular targets and therapeutic perspectives. Biochem Pharmacol 2021; 197:114895. [PMID: 34968491 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Amlexanox (AMX) is an azoxanthone drug used for decades for the treatment of mouth aphthous ulcers and now considered for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. The drug is usually viewed as a dual inhibitor of the non-canonical IκB kinases IKK-ɛ (inhibitor-kappaB kinase epsilon) and TBK1 (TANK-binding kinase 1). But a detailed target profile analysis indicated that AMX binds directly to twelve protein targets, including different enzymes (IKK-ɛ, TBK1, GRK1, GRK5, PDE4B, 5- and 12-lipoxygenases) and non-enzyme proteins (FGF-1, HSP90, S100A4, S100A12, S100A13). AMX has been demonstrated to have marked anticancer effects in multiple models of xenografted tumors in mice, including breast, colon, lung and gastric cancers and in onco-hematological models. The anticancer potency is generally modest but largely enhanced upon combination with cytotoxic (temozolide, docetaxel), targeted (selumetinib) or biotherapeutic agents (anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA4 antibodies). The multiple targets participate in the anticancer effects, chiefly IKK-ɛ/TBK1 but also S100A proteins and PDE4B. The review presents the molecular basis of the antitumor effects of AMX. The capacity of the drug to block nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is also discussed, as well as AMX-induced reduction of cancer-related pain. Altogether, the analysis provides a survey of the anticancer action of AMX, with the implicated protein targets. The use of this well-tolerated drug to treat cancer should be further considered and the design of newer analogues encouraged.
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Sonoda M, Ishimura M, Eguchi K, Yada Y, Lenhartová N, Shiraishi A, Tanaka T, Sakai Y, Ohga S. Progressive B cell depletion in human MALT1 deficiency. Clin Exp Immunol 2021; 206:237-247. [PMID: 34559885 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma-translocation gene 1 (MALT1)-deficiency is a rare combined immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent infections, dermatitis and enteropathy. We herein investigate the immunological profiles of our patient and previously reported children with MALT1-deficiency. A mutation analysis was performed by targeted panel sequencing for primary immunodeficiency. Lymphocyte subset, activation and B cell differentiation were analyzed by flow cytometry and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding. Pneumocystis pneumonia developed in a 6-month-old Japanese infant with atopic dermatitis, enteritis and growth restriction. This infant showed agammaglobulinemia without lymphopenia. At 8 years of age, the genetic diagnosis of MALT1-deficiency was confirmed on a novel homozygous mutation of c.1102G>T, p.E368X. T cell stimulation tests showed impairments in the production of interleukin-2, phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 and differentiation of B cells. In combination with the literature data, we found that the number of circulatory B cells, but not T cells, were inversely correlated with the age of patients. The hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) successfully reconstituted the differentiation of mature B cells and T cells. These data conceptualize that patients with complete MALT1-deficiency show aberrant differentiation and depletion of B cells. The early diagnosis and HCT lead to a cure of the disease phenotype associated with the loss-of-function mutations in human CARD11.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoshi Sonoda
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masataka Ishimura
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Katsuhide Eguchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yutaro Yada
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Nina Lenhartová
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Akira Shiraishi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Tamami Tanaka
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yasunari Sakai
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shouichi Ohga
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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UPF1: From mRNA Surveillance to Protein Quality Control. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9080995. [PMID: 34440199 PMCID: PMC8392595 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9080995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective recognition and removal of faulty transcripts and misfolded polypeptides are crucial for cell viability. In eukaryotic cells, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) constitutes an mRNA surveillance pathway for sensing and degrading aberrant transcripts harboring premature termination codons (PTCs). NMD functions also as a post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanism by downregulating naturally occurring mRNAs. As NMD is activated only after a ribosome reaches a PTC, PTC-containing mRNAs inevitably produce truncated and potentially misfolded polypeptides as byproducts. To cope with the emergence of misfolded polypeptides, eukaryotic cells have evolved sophisticated mechanisms such as chaperone-mediated protein refolding, rapid degradation of misfolded polypeptides through the ubiquitin–proteasome system, and sequestration of misfolded polypeptides to the aggresome for autophagy-mediated degradation. In this review, we discuss how UPF1, a key NMD factor, contributes to the selective removal of faulty transcripts via NMD at the molecular level. We then highlight recent advances on UPF1-mediated communication between mRNA surveillance and protein quality control.
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Schilff M, Sargsyan Y, Hofhuis J, Thoms S. Stop Codon Context-Specific Induction of Translational Readthrough. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11071006. [PMID: 34356630 PMCID: PMC8301745 DOI: 10.3390/biom11071006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Premature termination codon (PTC) mutations account for approximately 10% of pathogenic variants in monogenic diseases. Stimulation of translational readthrough, also known as stop codon suppression, using translational readthrough-inducing drugs (TRIDs) may serve as a possible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of genetic PTC diseases. One important parameter governing readthrough is the stop codon context (SCC)-the stop codon itself and the nucleotides in the vicinity of the stop codon on the mRNA. However, the quantitative influence of the SCC on treatment outcome and on appropriate drug concentrations are largely unknown. Here, we analyze the readthrough-stimulatory effect of various readthrough-inducing drugs on the SCCs of five common premature termination codon mutations of PEX5 in a sensitive dual reporter system. Mutations in PEX5, encoding the peroxisomal targeting signal 1 receptor, can cause peroxisomal biogenesis disorders of the Zellweger spectrum. We show that the stop context has a strong influence on the levels of readthrough stimulation and impacts the choice of the most effective drug and its concentration. These results highlight potential advantages and the personalized medicine nature of an SCC-based strategy in the therapy of rare diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirco Schilff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (M.S.); (Y.S.); (J.H.)
| | - Yelena Sargsyan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (M.S.); (Y.S.); (J.H.)
| | - Julia Hofhuis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (M.S.); (Y.S.); (J.H.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Medical School, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sven Thoms
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (M.S.); (Y.S.); (J.H.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Medical School, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-521-106-86502
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