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Yuan D, Zhai X, Zhu K, Ji J, Liu W. Tuftsin-tailored fusion protein inhibits the growth of circulating gastric tumor cells associated with macrophage phagocytosis. Biochem Biophys Rep 2023; 34:101443. [PMID: 36875797 PMCID: PMC9974367 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2023.101443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a major cause of tumor metastasis and resistance to anticancer therapies. To date, no effective low-toxicity chemotherapeutic agents or antibodies have exhibited significant clinical activity against CTCs. Macrophages are important mediators of antitumor immunity. Tuftsin (TF), a tetrapeptide located at residues 289-292 of the CH2 domain of the Fc region of the IgG heavy chain, binds to Nrp-1, a receptor on the surface of macrophages that promotes phagocytosis and induces nonspecific activation of the immune system against tumors. Lidamycin (LDM) is an antitumor chemotherapy agent that is strongly cytotoxic to tumors and can dissociate into an apoprotein (LDP) and active enediyne (AE) in vitro. We previously constructed the fusion protein LDP-TF through genetic engineering and inserted the chromophore AE to produce LDM-TF, which can target macrophages to promote their phagocytic and cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. Preliminary experiments confirmed the anti-tumor activity of LDM-TFs. In this study, we found that LDM-TF effectively inhibited the growth of CTCs of gastric cancer origin and enhanced macrophage phagocytosis both in vivo and in vitro. Tumor cell expression of CD47, which helps to evade phagocytosis by macrophages, was substantially downregulated by LDM-TF. Notably, our in vitro experiments demonstrated that the combination of LDM-TF and anti-CD47 antibodies promoted phagocytosis more than either component alone. Our findings demonstrate the significant inhibitory effect of LDM-TF on the growth of CTCs of gastric cancer origin and suggest that the combination of LDM-TF and anti-CD47 antibodies may exhibit synergistic effects, thereby providing a new option for the clinical treatment of patients with advanced tumors that have metastasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Yuan
- Department of Internal Medicine Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250117, China
| | - Xiaoyang Zhai
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, 515041, Shantou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Kunli Zhu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, China
| | - Jiangang Ji
- Department of Encephalopathy, Weifang Traditional Chinese Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261041, China
| | - Wenjuan Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250117, China
- Corresponding author.
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Liu WJ, Du Y, Wen R, Yang M, Xu J. Drug resistance to targeted therapeutic strategies in non-small cell lung cancer. Pharmacol Ther 2019; 206:107438. [PMID: 31715289 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.107438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Rapidly developing molecular biology techniques have been employed to identify cancer driver genes in specimens from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Inhibitors and antibodies that specifically target driver gene-mediated signaling pathways to suppress tumor growth and progression are expected to extend the survival time and further improve the quality of life of patients. However, the health of patients with advanced and metastatic NSCLC presents significant challenges due to treatment resistance, mediated by cancer driver gene alteration, epigenetic alteration, and tumor heterogeneity. In this review, we discuss two different resistance mechanisms in NSCLC targeted therapies, namely changes in the targeted oncogenes (on-target resistance) and changes in other related signaling pathways (off-target resistance) in tumor cells. We highlight the conventional mechanisms of drug resistance elicited by the complex heterogeneous microenvironment of NSCLC during targeted therapy, including mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), the receptor tyrosine kinase ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1), and the serine/threonine-protein kinase BRAF (v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B). We also discuss the mechanism of action of less common oncoproteins, as in-depth understanding of these molecular mechanisms is important for optimizing treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Juan Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, China
| | - Yue Du
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Ru Wen
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA
| | - Ming Yang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, China.
| | - Jian Xu
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Paul R, Ilamaran M, Khatri V, Amdare N, Reddy MVR, Kaliraj P. Immunological evaluation of fusion protein of Brugia malayi abundant larval protein transcript-2 (BmALT-2) and Tuftsin in experimental mice model. Parasite Epidemiol Control 2019; 4:e00092. [PMID: 30847408 PMCID: PMC6378782 DOI: 10.1016/j.parepi.2019.e00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Filariasis, a neglected tropical helminth disease needs vaccine besides mass drug administration for its successful eradication. Methods An attempt was made to produce a fusion protein (P-TUFT-ALT-2) of abundant larval transcript protein-2 and Tuftsin to enhance its immunogenicity. The fusion construct was expressed in Pichia pastoris, a nonexpensive commercial expression system. This study focused on the evaluation of immunological response produced by P-TUFT-ALT-2 in Balb/c mice. Result and discussion P-TUFT-ALT-2 showed an enhanced IgG peak titre compared to E. coli expressed E-ALT-2 and P. pastoris expressed P-ALT-2. IgG2b, IgG2a and IgG1 production were predominant indicating a balanced Th1/Th2 response. P-TUFT-ALT-2 also induced about 28% and 9.5% higher splenocyte proliferation over control and E-ALT-2 respectively. Splenocytes produced predominant IFN-γ followed by IL-5, IL-2 and IL-10 specifying a balanced Th1/Th2 response. P-TUFT-ALT-2 showed 55% to 80% with an average of 65% cytotoxicity in B. malayi L3 larvae in in vitro ADCC assay. Conclusion This experiment validates P-TUFT-ALT-2 as a potential vaccine candidate for human lymphatic filariasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajkumar Paul
- Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Sardar Patel Road, Guindy, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Meganathan Ilamaran
- Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Sardar Patel Road, Guindy, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Vishal Khatri
- Department of Biochemistry & J.B. Tropical Disease Research Centre, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, Maharashtra, India
| | - Nitin Amdare
- Department of Biochemistry & J.B. Tropical Disease Research Centre, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, Maharashtra, India
| | - Maryada Venkata Rami Reddy
- Department of Biochemistry & J.B. Tropical Disease Research Centre, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, Maharashtra, India
| | - Perumal Kaliraj
- Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Sardar Patel Road, Guindy, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India
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Enediyne-activated, EGFR-targeted human β-defensin 1 has therapeutic efficacy against non-small cell lung carcinoma. J Transl Med 2018; 98:1538-1548. [PMID: 30206309 DOI: 10.1038/s41374-018-0109-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Human β-defensins contain an oncolytic motif that binds to tumor cell membranes and mediate permeabilization, rapid induction of cytolysis, and apoptosis. Previous studies have indicated that a fragment of the mature human β-defensin-1 (HBD1) peptide (DF) has antitumor properties. While targeted drug treatments using fusion proteins have been shown to increase drug efficacy, this phenomenon has not been studied for this defensin. Thus, in this study, we designed and prepared a fusion protein containing this HBD1 fragment and an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting oligopeptide (Ec) as well as lidamycin (LDM), an extremely potent cytotoxic antitumor antibiotic, which consists of an apoprotein (LDP) and a highly active enediyne (AE). The fusion protein (Ec-LDP-DF) and its enediyne-integrated fusion protein (Ec-LDP(AE)-DF) were then purified and used to treat lung carcinoma cells in culture as well as lung carcinoma xenograft mouse models. The multifunctional fusion protein Ec-LDP-DF was shown to effectively bind to EGFR-expressing tumor cells. Furthermore, the enediyne-energized Ec-LDP(AE)-DF analog exhibited extremely potent cytotoxicity in NSCLC cell lines and an IC50 less than 10-10 mol/L. Ec-LDP(AE)-DF also significantly inhibited the growth of human carcinoma A549 and H460 xenografts in athymic mice at well-tolerated doses. Treatment resulted in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. EGF-stimulated EGFR phosphorylation was also abolished by Ec-LDP(AE)-DF. In summary, our understanding of the role of defensins in cancer development and progression is continually expanding, and Ec-LDP(AE)-DF is a promising cancer cell-targeting agent for NSCLC.
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EGFR-targeting, β-defensin-tailored fusion protein exhibits high therapeutic efficacy against EGFR-expressed human carcinoma via mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2018; 39:1777-1786. [PMID: 30013033 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-018-0069-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Defensins play an essential role in innate immunity. In this study, a novel recombinant β-defensin that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was designed and prepared. The EGFR-targeting β-defensin consists of an EGF-derived oligopeptide (Ec), a β-defensin-1 peptide (hBD1) and a lidamycin-derived apoprotein (LDP), which serves as the "scaffold" for the fusion protein (Ec-LDP-hBD1). Ec-LDP-hBD1 effectively bound to EGFR highly expressed human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. The cytotoxicity of Ec-LDP-hBD1 to EGFR highly expressed A431 cells was more potent than that to EGFR low-expressed human lung carcinoma A549 and H460 cells (the IC50 values in A431, A549, and H460 cells were 1.8 ± 0.55, 11.9 ± 0.51, and 5.19 ± 1.21 μmol/L, respectively); in addition, the cytotoxicity of Ec-LDP-hBD1 was much stronger than that of Ec-LDP and hBD1. Moreover, Ec-LDP-hBD1 suppressed cancer cell proliferation and induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Its in vivo anticancer action was evaluated in athymic mice with A431 and H460 xenografts. The mice were administered Ec-LDP-hBD1 (5, 10 mg/kg, i.v.) two times with a weekly interval. Administration of Ec-LDP-hBD1 markedly inhibited the tumor growth without significant body weight changes. The in vivo imaging further revealed that Ec-LDP-hBD1 had a tumor-specific distribution with a clear image of localization. The results demonstrate that the novel recombinant EGFR-targeting β-defensin Ec-LDP-hBD1 displays both selectivity and enhanced cytotoxicity against relevant cancer cells by inducing mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and exhibits high therapeutic efficacy against the EGFR-expressed carcinoma xenograft. This novel format of β-defensin, which induces mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, may play an active role in EGFR-targeting cancer therapy.
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Guo XF, Zhu XF, Cao HY, Zhong GS, Li L, Deng BG, Chen P, Wang PZ, Miao QF, Zhen YS. A bispecific enediyne-energized fusion protein targeting both epidermal growth factor receptor and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor showing enhanced antitumor efficacy against non-small cell lung cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 8:27286-27299. [PMID: 28460483 PMCID: PMC5432335 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.15933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) both overexpressed on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and are known cooperatively to promote tumor progression and drug resistance. This study was to construct a novel bispecific fusion protein EGF-IGF-LDP-AE consisting of EGFR and IGF-IR specific ligands (EGF and IGF-1) and lidamycin, an enediyne antibiotic with potent antitumor activity, and investigate its antitumor efficacy against NSCLC. Binding and internalization assays showed that EGF-IGF-LDP protein could bind to NSCLC cells with high affinity and then internalized into cells with higher efficiency than that of monospecific proteins. In vitro, the enediyne-energized analogue of bispecific fusion protein (EGF-IGF-LDP-AE) displayed extremely potent cytotoxicity to NSCLC cell lines with IC50<10−11 mol/L. Moreover, the bispecific protein EGF-IGF-LDP-AE was more cytotoxic than monospecific proteins (EGF-LDP-AE and LDP-IGF-AE) and lidamycin. In vivo, EGF-IGF-LDP-AE markedly inhibited the growth of A549 xenografts, and the efficacy was more potent than that of lidamycin and monospecific counterparts. EGF-IGF-LDP-AE caused significant cell cycle arrest and it also induced cell apoptosis in a dosage-dependent manner. Pretreatment with EGF-IGF-LDP-AE inhibited EGF-, IGF-stimulated EGFR and IGF-1R phosphorylation, and blocked two main downstream signaling molecules AKT and ERK activation. These data suggested that EGF-LDP-IGF-AE protein would be a promising targeted agent for NSCLC patients with EGFR and/or IGF-1R overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Fang Guo
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xiao-Fei Zhu
- Department of Clinical Immunology, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang, China
| | - Hai-Ying Cao
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Gen-Shen Zhong
- Laboratory of Cancer Biotherapy, Institute of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui, China
| | - Liang Li
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Perking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Bao-Guo Deng
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Pei-Zhen Wang
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Qing-Fang Miao
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Perking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yong-Su Zhen
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Perking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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Liu WJ, Song XR, Zuo BL, Wang XW. Construction of an Ec-LDP-D5 fusion protein that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor and its anti-pancreatic cancer activity. PRECISION RADIATION ONCOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/pro6.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wen-juan Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology; Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute; Jinan China
| | - Xian-rang Song
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology; Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute; Jinan China
| | - Bin-li Zuo
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology; Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute; Jinan China
| | - Xing-wu Wang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology; Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute; Jinan China
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Feiner RC, Müller KM. Recent progress in protein-protein interaction study for EGFR-targeted therapeutics. Expert Rev Proteomics 2016; 13:817-32. [PMID: 27424502 DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2016.1212665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression is upregulated in many tumors and its aberrant signaling drives progression of many cancer types. Consequently, EGFR has become a clinically validated target as extracellular tumor marker for antibodies as well as for tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Within the last years, new mechanistic insights were uncovered and, based on clinical experience as well as progress in protein engineering, novel bio-therapeutic approaches were developed and tested. AREAS COVERED The potential therapeutic targeting arsenal in the fight against cancer now encompasses bispecific or biparatopic antibodies, DARPins, Adnectins, Affibodies, peptides and combinations of these binding molecules with viral- and nano-particles. We review past and recent binding proteins from the literature and include a brief description of the various targeting approaches. Special attention is given to the binding modes with the EGFR. Expert commentary: Clinical data from the three approved anti EGFR antibodies indicate that there is room for improved therapeutic efficacy. Having choices in size, affinity, avidity and the mode of EGFR binding as well as the possibility to combine various effector functions opens the possibility to rationally design more effective therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Christine Feiner
- a Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology group, Faculty of Technology , Bielefeld University , Bielefeld , Germany
| | - Kristian Mark Müller
- a Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology group, Faculty of Technology , Bielefeld University , Bielefeld , Germany
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