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Ding GB, Cao H, Zhu C, Chen F, Ye J, Li BC, Yang P, Stauber RH, Qiao M, Li Z. Biosynthesized tumor acidity and MMP dual-responsive plant toxin gelonin for robust cancer therapy. Biomater Sci 2024; 12:346-360. [PMID: 38099814 DOI: 10.1039/d3bm01779f] [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: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Among all kinds of anticancer agents, small molecule drugs produce an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect due to the lack of selectivity, notorious drug resistance and side effects. Therefore, researchers have begun to pay extensive attention to macromolecular drugs with high efficacy and specificity. As a plant toxin, gelonin exerts potent antitumor activity via inhibiting intracellular protein synthesis. However, gelonin lacks a translocation domain, and thus its poor cellular uptake leads to low outcomes of antitumor response. Here, tumor acidity and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) dual-responsive functional gelonin (Trx-PVGLIG-pHLIP-gelonin, TPpG), composed of a thioredoxin (Trx) tag, a pH low insertion peptide (pHLIP), an MMP-responsive motif PVGLIG hexapeptide and gelonin, was innovatively proposed and biologically synthesized by a gene recombination technique. TPpG exhibited good thermal and serum stability, showed MMP responsiveness and could enter tumor cells under weakly acidic conditions, especially for MMP2-overexpressing HT1080 cells. Compared to low MMP2-expressing MCF-7 cells, TPpG displayed enhanced in vitro antitumor efficacy to HT1080 cells at pH 6.5 as determined by different methods. Likewise, TPpG was much more effective in triggering cell apoptosis and inhibiting protein synthesis in HT1080 cells than in MCF-7 cells. Intriguingly, with enhanced stability and pH/MMP dual responsiveness, TPpG notably inhibited subcutaneous HT1080 xenograft growth in mice and no noticeable off-target side effect was observed. This ingeniously designed strategy aims at providing new perspectives for the development of a smart platform that can intelligently respond to a tumor microenvironment for efficient protein delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Bin Ding
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences/School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China.
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Huiyan Cao
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Chenchen Zhu
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Fangyuan Chen
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Jiaqi Ye
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences/School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China.
| | - Bin-Chun Li
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Peng Yang
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Roland H Stauber
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
- Nanobiomedicine Department/ENT, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz 55131, Germany
| | - Mingqiang Qiao
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Zhuoyu Li
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
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Advances on Delivery of Cytotoxic Enzymes as Anticancer Agents. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27123836. [PMID: 35744957 PMCID: PMC9230553 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27123836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most serious human diseases, causing millions of deaths worldwide annually, and, therefore, it is one of the most investigated research disciplines. Developing efficient anticancer tools includes studying the effects of different natural enzymes of plant and microbial origin on tumor cells. The development of various smart delivery systems based on enzyme drugs has been conducted for more than two decades. Some of these delivery systems have been developed to the point that they have reached clinical stages, and a few have even found application in selected cancer treatments. Various biological, chemical, and physical approaches have been utilized to enhance their efficiencies by improving their delivery and targeting. In this paper, we review advanced delivery systems for enzyme drugs for use in cancer therapy. Their structure-based functions, mechanisms of action, fused forms with other peptides in terms of targeting and penetration, and other main results from in vivo and clinical studies of these advanced delivery systems are highlighted.
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Ding GB, Zhu C, Wang Q, Cao H, Li BC, Yang P, Stauber RH, Nie G, Li Z. Molecularly engineered tumor acidity-responsive plant toxin gelonin for safe and efficient cancer therapy. Bioact Mater 2022; 18:42-55. [PMID: 35387163 PMCID: PMC8961304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy and inexorable side effects of small molecule antineoplastic agents, extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of more potent macromolecular agents with high specificity. Gelonin is a plant-derived protein toxin that exhibits robust antitumor effect via inactivating ribosomes and inhibiting protein synthesis. Nonetheless, its poor internalization ability to tumor cells has compromised the therapeutic promise of gelonin. In this study, a tumor acidity-responsive intracellular protein delivery system ─ functional gelonin (Trx-pHLIP-Gelonin, TpG) composed of a thioredoxin (Trx) tag, a pH low insertion peptide (pHLIP) and gelonin, was designed and obtained by genetic recombination technique for the first time. TpG could effectively enter into tumor cells under weakly acidic conditions and markedly suppress tumor cell proliferation via triggering cell apoptosis and inhibiting protein synthesis. Most importantly, treatment by intravenous injection into subcutaneous SKOV3 solid tumors in a mouse model showed that TpG was much more effective than gelonin in curtailing tumor growth rates with negligible toxicity. Collectively, our present work suggests that the tumor acidity-targeted delivery manner endowed by pHLIP offers a new avenue for efficient delivery of other bioactive substances to acidic diseased tissues. A pH-responsive gelonin delivery platform — TpG was molecularly engineered. TpG exhibited good thermal stability and excellent serum stability. TpG enabled an efficient intracellular translocation of gelonin at pH 6.5. TpG exerted pronounced anti-proliferative effect via inducing massive apoptosis. TpG significantly delayed tumor growth with favorable in vivo biosafety profile.
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Yang X, Xia X, Xia XX, Sun Z, Yan D. Improving Targeted Delivery and Antitumor Efficacy with Engineered Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis Ligand-Affibody Fusion Protein. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:3854-3861. [PMID: 34543035 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis ligand (TRAIL) is a promising protein candidate for selective apoptosis of a variety of cancer cells. However, the short half-life and a lack of targeted delivery are major obstacles for its application in cancer therapy. Here, we propose a simple strategy to solve the targeting problem by genetically fusing an anti-HER2 affibody to the C-terminus of the TRAIL. The fusion protein TRAIL-affibody was produced as a soluble form with high yield in recombinant Escherichia coli. In vitro studies proved that the affibody domain promoted the cellular uptake of the fusion protein in the HER2 overexpressed SKOV-3 cells and improved its apoptosis-inducing ability. In addition, the fusion protein exhibited higher accumulation at the tumor site and greater antitumor effect than those of TRAIL in vivo, indicating that the affibody promoted the tumor homing of the TRAIL and then improved the therapeutic efficacy. Importantly, repeated injection of high-dose TRAIL-affibody showed no obvious toxicity in mice. These results demonstrated that the engineered TRAIL-affibody is promising to be a highly tumor-specific and targeted cancer therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyuan Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuelin Xia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Xia Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhao Sun
- Shandong Luning Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Guangrao County, Shandong Province 257336, People's Republic of China
| | - Deyue Yan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
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Setayesh-Mehr Z, Poorsargol M. Toxic proteins application in cancer therapy. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:3827-3840. [PMID: 33895972 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06363-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) as family of anti-cancer drugs recently received much attention due to their interesting anti-cancer mechanism. In spite of small drugs, RIPs use the large-size effect (LSE) to prevent the efflux process governed by drug resistance transporters (DRTs) which prevents inside of the cells against drug transfection. There are many clinical translation obstacles that severely restrict their applications especially their delivery approach to the tumor cells. As the main goal of this review, we will focus on trichosanthin (TCS) and gelonin (Gel) and other types, especially scorpion venom-derived RIPs to clarify that they are struggling with what types of bio-barriers and these challenges could be solved in cancer therapy science. Then, we will try to highlight recent state-of-the-arts in delivery of RIPs for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Setayesh-Mehr
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
| | - Mahdiye Poorsargol
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
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Kim D, Amatya R, Hwang S, Lee S, Min KA, Shin MC. BSA-Silver Nanoparticles: A Potential Multimodal Therapeutics for Conventional and Photothermal Treatment of Skin Cancer. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13040575. [PMID: 33920666 PMCID: PMC8073043 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13040575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Silver nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted a considerable interest in the field of cancer research due to their potential utility in cancer therapy. In the present study, we developed bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated silver NPs (BSA-Silver NPs) and characterized in vitro multimodal therapeutic activities of NPs for the treatment of skin cancer. BSA-Silver NPs were synthesized by a single-step reduction process, and the successful preparation was verified through a list of physical characterizations, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV–VIS) light spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The synthesized BSA-Silver NPs showed marked cytocidal effects on B16F10 melanoma cells, which was likely caused by oxidative stress. BSA-Silver NPs also elicited significant anti-angiogenic effects on HUVEC (human umbilical vein endothelial cell) by inhibiting their proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Moreover, BSA-Silver NPs showed a considerable light-to-heat conversion ability, suggesting their utility as photothermal agents. Overall, our findings suggest that BSA-Silver NPs may be promising candidates for the multimodal therapy of skin cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dasom Kim
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju Daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam 52828, Korea; (D.K.); (R.A.)
| | - Reeju Amatya
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju Daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam 52828, Korea; (D.K.); (R.A.)
| | - Seungmi Hwang
- College of Pharmacy and Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 50834, Korea; (S.H.); (S.L.)
| | - Sumi Lee
- College of Pharmacy and Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 50834, Korea; (S.H.); (S.L.)
| | - Kyoung Ah Min
- College of Pharmacy and Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 50834, Korea; (S.H.); (S.L.)
- Correspondence: (K.A.M.); (M.C.S.); Tel.: +82-55-320-3459 (K.A.M.); +82-55-772-2421 (M.C.S.)
| | - Meong Cheol Shin
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju Daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam 52828, Korea; (D.K.); (R.A.)
- Correspondence: (K.A.M.); (M.C.S.); Tel.: +82-55-320-3459 (K.A.M.); +82-55-772-2421 (M.C.S.)
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Bao G, Tang M, Zhao J, Zhu X. Nanobody: a promising toolkit for molecular imaging and disease therapy. EJNMMI Res 2021; 11:6. [PMID: 33464410 PMCID: PMC7815856 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-021-00750-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanobodies are the recombinant variable domains of heavy-chain-only antibodies, with many unique properties such as small size, excellent solubility, superior stability, quick clearance from blood, and deep tissue penetration. As a result, nanobodies have become a promising tool for the diagnosis and therapy of diseases. As imaging tracers, nanobodies allow an early acquisition of high-quality images, provide a comprehensive evaluation of the disease, and subsequently enable a personalized precision therapy. As therapeutic agents, nanobodies enable a targeted therapy by lesion-specific delivery of drugs and effector domains, thereby improving the specificity and efficacy of the therapy. Up to date, a wide variety of nanobodies have been developed for a broad range of molecular targets and have played a significant role in patients with a broad spectrum of diseases. In this review, we aim to outline the current state-of-the-art research on the nanobodies for medical applications and then discuss the challenges and strategies for their further clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangfa Bao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Ming Tang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jun Zhao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Xiaohua Zhu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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Lieser RM, Yur D, Sullivan MO, Chen W. Site-Specific Bioconjugation Approaches for Enhanced Delivery of Protein Therapeutics and Protein Drug Carriers. Bioconjug Chem 2020; 31:2272-2282. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Lieser
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States of America
| | - Daniel Yur
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States of America
| | - Millicent O. Sullivan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States of America
| | - Wilfred Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States of America
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Zhang F, Yin J, Zhang C, Han M, Wang X, Fu S, Du J, Zhang H, Li W. Affibody-Conjugated RALA Polymers Delivering Oligomeric 5-Fluorodeoxyuridine for Targeted Therapy of HER2 Overexpressing Gastric Cancer. Macromol Biosci 2020; 20:e2000083. [PMID: 32558229 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202000083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Affibody-conjugated RALA (affi-RA) are designed for delivering oligomeric 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR, metabolite of 5-FU) strand to raise the selectivity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), decrease its toxicity and improve its suboptimal therapeutic efficacy. The nanodrugs, FUdR@affi-RA, are spontaneously assembled by electrostatic interaction between positively charged affi-RA and negatively charged FUdR15 -strands (15 consecutive FUdR). FUdR@affi-RA exhibits excellent stability under simulated physiological conditions. Compared with free FUdR, FUdR@affi-RA shows excellent targeting and higher cytotoxicity in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpressing gastric cancer N87 cells. Moreover, the anticancer mechanism studies reveal that FUdR@affi-RA enhances the expression and activity of apoptosis-associated proteins in the Bcl-2/Bax-caspase 8,9-caspase 3 apoptotic pathway induced by FUdR. This study indicates that the fusion vector, affi-RA, presents a promising delivery system platform for nucleoside analogue drugs and provides a new strategy for the development of therapeutics of cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanghua Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Jiwei Yin
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Mengnan Han
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Xuming Wang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Shuangqing Fu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Jie Du
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Honglei Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Wei Li
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
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Asrorov AM, Gu Z, Min KA, Shin MC, Huang Y. Advances on Tumor-Targeting Delivery of Cytotoxic Proteins. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2019; 3:107-118. [PMID: 32259092 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.9b00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Great attention has been paid to cytotoxic proteins (e.g., ribosome-inactivating proteins, RIPs) possessing high anticancer activities; unlike small drugs, cytotoxic proteins can effectively retain inside the cells and avoid drug efflux mediated by multidrug resistance transporters due to the large-size effect. However, the clinical translation of these proteins is severely limited because of various biobarriers that hamper their effective delivery to tumor cells. Hence, in order to overcome these barriers, many smart drug delivery systems (DDS) have been developed. In this review, we will introduce two representative type I RIPs, trichosanthin (TCS) and gelonin (Gel), and overview the major biobarriers for protein-based cancer therapy. Finally, we outline advances on the development of smart DDS for effective delivery of these cytotoxic proteins for various applications in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akmal M Asrorov
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 501 Haike Road, Shanghai 201203, China.,Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, 83, M. Ulughbek Street, Tashkent 100125, Uzbekistan
| | - Zeyun Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 501 Haike Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Kyoung Ah Min
- College of Pharmacy and Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 50834, Korea
| | - Meong Cheol Shin
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju Daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam 52828, Korea
| | - Yongzhuo Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 501 Haike Road, Shanghai 201203, China
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Liu H, Lindbo S, Ding H, Altai M, Garousi J, Orlova A, Tolmachev V, Hober S, Gräslund T. Potent and specific fusion toxins consisting of a HER2‑binding, ABD‑derived affinity protein, fused to truncated versions of Pseudomonas exotoxin A. Int J Oncol 2019; 55:309-319. [PMID: 31180549 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion toxins consisting of an affinity protein fused to toxic polypeptides derived from Pseudomonas exotoxin A (ETA) are promising agents for targeted cancer therapy. In this study, we examined whether fusion toxins consisting of an albumin binding domain‑derived affinity protein (ADAPT) interacting with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), coupled to the ETA‑derived polypeptides PE38X8 or PE25, with or without an albumin binding domain (ABD) for half‑life extension, can be used for specific killing of HER2‑expressing cells. The fusion toxins could easily be expressed in a soluble form in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. All constructs had strong affinity for HER2 (KD 10 to 26 nM) and no tendency for aggregation could be detected. The fusion toxins including the ABD showed strong interaction with human and mouse serum albumin [equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) 1 to 3 nM and 2 to 10 nM, respectively]. The in vitro investigation of the cytotoxic potential revealed IC50‑values in the picomolar range for cells expressing high levels of HER2. The specificity was also demonstrated, by showing that free HER2 receptors on the target cells are required for fusion toxin activity. In mice, the fusion toxins containing the ABD exhibited an appreciably longer time in circulation. The uptake was highest in liver and kidney. Fusion with PE25 was associated with the highest hepatic uptake. Collectively, the results suggest that fusion toxins consisting of ADAPTs and ETA‑derivatives are promising agents for targeted cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Liu
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 114 17 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sarah Lindbo
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 114 17 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Haozhong Ding
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 114 17 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mohamed Altai
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Javad Garousi
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Orlova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sophia Hober
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 114 17 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Torbjörn Gräslund
- Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 114 17 Stockholm, Sweden
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Ding GB, Wu G, Li B, Yang P, Li Z. High-yield expression in Escherichia coli, biophysical characterization, and biological evaluation of plant toxin gelonin. 3 Biotech 2019; 9:19. [PMID: 30622857 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-018-1559-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gelonin is a plant toxin that exerts potent cytotoxic activity by inactivation of the 60S ribosomal subunit. The high-level expression of soluble gelonin still remains a great challenge and there was no detailed biophysical analysis of gelonin from Escherichia coli (E. coli) yet. In this study, the soluble and high-yield expression of recombinant gelonin (rGel) was achieved in E. coli BL21 (DE3) for the first time, with a yield of 6.03 mg/L medium. Circular dichroism (CD) analysis indicated that rGel consisted of 21.7% α-helix, 26.3% β-sheet, 18.5% β-turn, and 32.3% random coil, and it could maintain its secondary structure up to 60 °C. The antitumor activity of rGel was evaluated in two colon cancer cell lines-HCT116 and HCT-8, and it was clearly demonstrated that rGel exerted antiproliferative activity against these two cell lines by inhibiting cellular protein synthesis. These findings provide insights for researchers involved in the expression of similar biotoxins, and the biophysical characterizations of gelonin will favor its further therapeutic applications.
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Park T, Min KA, Cheong H, Moon C, Shin MC. Genetic engineering and characterisation of chlorotoxin-fused gelonin for enhanced glioblastoma therapy. J Drug Target 2018; 27:950-958. [DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2018.1516221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Taehoon Park
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung Ah Min
- College of Pharmacy and Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, Gimhae, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Heesun Cheong
- Division of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheol Moon
- College of Pharmacy, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, Jeonnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Meong Cheol Shin
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea
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