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Huang K, Yang Q, Bao M, Wang S, Zhao L, Shi Q, Yang Y. Modulated Cell Internalization Behavior of Icosahedral DNA Framework with Programmable Surface Modification. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:21442-21452. [PMID: 39038211 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c04106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Surface modification could enhance the cell internalization efficiency of nanovehicles for targeted gene or drug delivery. However, the influence of surface modification parameters, including recognition manners, valences, and patterns, is often clouded, especially for the endocytosis of DNA nanostructures in customized shapes. Focusing on an icosahedral DNA framework, we systematically programmed three distinct types of ligands with diverse valence and spatial distribution on their outer surface to study the internalization efficiency, endocytic pathways, and postinternalization fate. The comparison in different aspects of parameters deepens our understanding of the intricate relationship between surface modification and cell entry behavior, offering insights crucial for designing and optimizing DNA framework nanostructures for potent cell-targeted purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kui Huang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Qiulan Yang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Min Bao
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Shengwen Wang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Luming Zhao
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Qian Shi
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
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Bauer AN, Williams JF, Pokhrel LR, Garcia S, Majumdar N, Eells JB, Cook PP, Akula SM. Evaluating Molecular Mechanism of Viral Inhibition of Aerosolized Smart Nano-Enabled Antiviral Therapeutic (SNAT) on SARS-CoV-2-Infected Hamsters. TOXICS 2024; 12:495. [PMID: 39058147 PMCID: PMC11280845 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12070495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Smart Nano-enabled Antiviral Therapeutic (SNAT) is a promising nanodrug that previously demonstrated efficacy in preclinical studies to alleviate SARS-CoV-2 pathology in hamsters. SNAT comprises taxoid (Tx)-decorated amino (NH2)-functionalized near-atomic size positively charged silver nanoparticles (Tx-[NH2-AgNPs]). Herein, we aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the viral inhibition and safety of aerosolized SNAT treatment in SARS-CoV-2-infected golden Syrian hamsters. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and ELISAs showed SNAT binds directly to the SARS-CoV-2 virus by interacting with intact spike (S) protein, specifically to S2 subunit. SNAT (≥1 µg/mL) treatment significantly lowered SARS-CoV-2 infections of Calu-3 cells. Extraction-free whole transcriptome assay was used to detect changes in circulatory micronome in hamsters treated intranasally with SNAT (two doses of 10 µg/mL of 2 mL each administered 24 h apart). Uninfected hamsters treated with SNAT had altered circulatory concentrations of 18 microRNAs (8 miRNAs upregulated, 10 downregulated) on day 3 post-treatment compared to uninfected controls. SNAT-induced downregulation of miR-141-3p and miR-200b-3p may reduce viral replication and inflammation by targeting Ythdf2 and Slit2, respectively. Further, SNAT treatment significantly lowered IL-6 expression in infected hamster lungs compared to untreated infected hamsters. Taken together, we demonstrate that SNAT binds directly to SARS-CoV-2 via the S protein to prevent viral entry and propose a model by which SNAT alters the cellular miRNA-directed milieu to promote antiviral cellular processes and neutralize infection. Our results provide insights into the use of low-dose intranasally delivered SNAT in treating SARS-CoV-2 infections in a hamster model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anais N. Bauer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA; (A.N.B.); (J.F.W.); (S.G.); (N.M.)
| | - John F. Williams
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA; (A.N.B.); (J.F.W.); (S.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Lok R. Pokhrel
- Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Selena Garcia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA; (A.N.B.); (J.F.W.); (S.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Niska Majumdar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA; (A.N.B.); (J.F.W.); (S.G.); (N.M.)
| | - Jeffrey B. Eells
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA;
| | - Paul P. Cook
- Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA;
| | - Shaw M. Akula
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA; (A.N.B.); (J.F.W.); (S.G.); (N.M.)
- Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA;
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Elko EA, Mead HL, Nelson GA, Zaia JA, Ladner JT, Altin JA. Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 mutations at Spike D796 evade antibodies from pre-Omicron convalescent and vaccinated subjects. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0329123. [PMID: 38189279 PMCID: PMC10871546 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03291-23] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineages of the Omicron variant rapidly became dominant in early 2022 and frequently cause human infections despite vaccination or prior infection with other variants. In addition to antibody-evading mutations in the receptor-binding domain, Omicron features amino acid mutations elsewhere in the Spike protein; however, their effects generally remain ill defined. The Spike D796Y substitution is present in all Omicron sub-variants and occurs at the same site as a mutation (D796H) selected during viral evolution in a chronically infected patient. Here, we map antibody reactivity to a linear epitope in the Spike protein overlapping position 796. We show that antibodies binding this region arise in pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 convalescent and vaccinated subjects but that both D796Y and D796H abrogate their binding. These results suggest that D796Y contributes to the fitness of Omicron in hosts with pre-existing immunity to other variants of SARS-CoV-2 by evading antibodies targeting this site.IMPORTANCESevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved substantially through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: understanding the drivers and consequences of this evolution is essential for projecting the course of the pandemic and developing new countermeasures. Here, we study the immunological effects of a particular mutation present in the Spike protein of all Omicron strains and find that it prevents the efficient binding of a class of antibodies raised by pre-Omicron vaccination and infection. These findings reveal a novel consequence of a poorly understood Omicron mutation and shed light on the drivers and effects of SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A. Elko
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Heather L. Mead
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Georgia A. Nelson
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - John A. Zaia
- Center for Gene Therapy, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Jason T. Ladner
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - John A. Altin
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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Sharma T, Gerstman B, Chapagain P. Distinctive Features of the XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domains and Their Roles in Conformational Changes and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Binding. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12586. [PMID: 37628766 PMCID: PMC10454900 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and the high transmissibility of the XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 subvariants of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron has reignited concerns over the potential impact on vaccine efficacy for these and future variants. We investigated the roles of the XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 mutations on the structure of the spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD) and its interactions with the host cell receptor ACE2. To bind to ACE2, the RBD must transition from the closed-form to the open-form configuration. We found that the XBB variants have less stable closed-form structures that may make the transition to the open-form easier. We found that the mutations enhance the RBD-ACE2 interactions in XBB.1.16 compared to XBB.1.5. We observed significant structural changes in the loop and motif regions of the RBD, altering well-known antibody-binding sites and potentially rendering primary RBD-specific antibodies ineffective. Our findings elucidate how subtle structural changes and interactions contribute to the subvariants' fitness over their predecessors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tej Sharma
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Bernard Gerstman
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Prem Chapagain
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
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