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Özay B, Tükel EY, Ayna Duran G, Kiraz Y. Identification of potential inhibitors for drug resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia through differentially expressed gene analysis and in silico screening. Anal Biochem 2024; 694:115619. [PMID: 39025197 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2024.115619] [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: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a disease of lymphocyte origin predominantly diagnosed in children. While its 5-year survival rate is high, resistance to chemotherapy drugs is still an obstacle. Our aim is to determine differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to Asparaginase, Daunorubicin, Prednisolone, and Vincristine resistance and identify potential inhibitors via docking. Three datasets were accessed from the Gene Expression Omnibus database; GSE635, GSE19143, and GSE22529. The microarray data was analyzed using R4.2.0 and Bioconductor packages, and pathway and protein-protein interaction analysis were performed. We identified 1294 upregulated DEGs, with 12 genes consistently upregulated in all four resistant groups. KEGG analysis revealed an association with the PI3K-Akt pathway. Among DEGs, 33 hub genes including MDM2 and USP7 were pinpointed. Within common genes, CLDN9 and HS3ST3A1 were subjected to molecular docking against 3556 molecules. Following ADMET analysis, three drugs emerged as potential inhibitors: Flunarizine, Talniflumate, and Eltrombopag. Molecular dynamics analysis for HS3ST3A1 indicated all candidates had the potential to overcome drug resistance, Eltrombopag displaying particularly promising results. This study promotes a further understanding of drug resistance in ALL, introducing novel genes for consideration in diagnostic screening. It also presents potential inhibitor candidates to tackle drug resistance through repurposing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Başak Özay
- İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, 35330, Balçova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ezgi Yağmur Tükel
- İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, 35330, Balçova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Gizem Ayna Duran
- İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 35330, Balçova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Yağmur Kiraz
- İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, 35330, Balçova, Izmir, Turkey.
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2
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Domsicova M, Korcekova J, Poturnayova A, Breier A. New Insights into Aptamers: An Alternative to Antibodies in the Detection of Molecular Biomarkers. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6833. [PMID: 38999943 PMCID: PMC11240909 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25136833] [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: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Aptamers are short oligonucleotides with single-stranded regions or peptides that recently started to transform the field of diagnostics. Their unique ability to bind to specific target molecules with high affinity and specificity is at least comparable to many traditional biorecognition elements. Aptamers are synthetically produced, with a compact size that facilitates deeper tissue penetration and improved cellular targeting. Furthermore, they can be easily modified with various labels or functional groups, tailoring them for diverse applications. Even more uniquely, aptamers can be regenerated after use, making aptasensors a cost-effective and sustainable alternative compared to disposable biosensors. This review delves into the inherent properties of aptamers that make them advantageous in established diagnostic methods. Furthermore, we will examine some of the limitations of aptamers, such as the need to engage in bioinformatics procedures in order to understand the relationship between the structure of the aptamer and its binding abilities. The objective is to develop a targeted design for specific targets. We analyse the process of aptamer selection and design by exploring the current landscape of aptamer utilisation across various industries. Here, we illuminate the potential advantages and applications of aptamers in a range of diagnostic techniques, with a specific focus on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) aptasensors and their integration into the well-established ELISA method. This review serves as a comprehensive resource, summarising the latest knowledge and applications of aptamers, particularly highlighting their potential to revolutionise diagnostic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Domsicova
- Centre of Biosciences, Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Cesta 9, 84005 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.D.); (J.K.); (A.P.)
| | - Jana Korcekova
- Centre of Biosciences, Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Cesta 9, 84005 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.D.); (J.K.); (A.P.)
| | - Alexandra Poturnayova
- Centre of Biosciences, Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Cesta 9, 84005 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.D.); (J.K.); (A.P.)
| | - Albert Breier
- Centre of Biosciences, Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Cesta 9, 84005 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.D.); (J.K.); (A.P.)
- Institute of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Radlinského 9, 81237 Bratislava, Slovakia
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Koksaldi I, Park D, Atilla A, Kang H, Kim J, Seker UOS. RNA-Based Sensor Systems for Affordable Diagnostics in the Age of Pandemics. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:1026-1037. [PMID: 38588603 PMCID: PMC11036506 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00698] [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: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, the significance of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools has become increasingly vital, driven by the need for quick and precise virus identification. RNA-based sensors, particularly toehold sensors, have emerged as promising candidates for POC detection systems due to their selectivity and sensitivity. Toehold sensors operate by employing an RNA switch that changes the conformation when it binds to a target RNA molecule, resulting in a detectable signal. This review focuses on the development and deployment of RNA-based sensors for POC viral RNA detection with a particular emphasis on toehold sensors. The benefits and limits of toehold sensors are explored, and obstacles and future directions for improving their performance within POC detection systems are presented. The use of RNA-based sensors as a technology for rapid and sensitive detection of viral RNA holds great potential for effectively managing (dealing/coping) with present and future pandemics in resource-constrained settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilkay
Cisil Koksaldi
- UNAM
− Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National
Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM), Bilkent
University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Dongwon Park
- Department
of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science
and Technology, Pohang 37673, South Korea
| | - Abdurahman Atilla
- UNAM
− Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National
Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM), Bilkent
University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Hansol Kang
- Department
of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science
and Technology, Pohang 37673, South Korea
| | - Jongmin Kim
- Department
of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science
and Technology, Pohang 37673, South Korea
| | - Urartu Ozgur Safak Seker
- UNAM
− Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National
Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM), Bilkent
University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
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Chen L, Yu Z, Wu Z, Zhou M, Wang Y, Yu X, Li W, Liu G, Tang Y. AptaDB: a comprehensive database integrating aptamer-target interactions. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 30:189-199. [PMID: 38164624 PMCID: PMC10870366 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079784.123] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Aptamers have emerged as research hotspots of the next generation due to excellent performance benefits and application potentials in pharmacology, medicine, and analytical chemistry. Despite the numerous aptamer investigations, the lack of comprehensive data integration has hindered the development of computational methods for aptamers and the reuse of aptamers. A public access database named AptaDB, derived from experimentally validated data manually collected from the literature, was hence developed, integrating comprehensive aptamer-related data, which include six key components: (i) experimentally validated aptamer-target interaction information, (ii) aptamer property information, (iii) structure information of aptamer, (iv) target information, (v) experimental activity information, and (vi) algorithmically calculated similar aptamers. AptaDB currently contains 1350 experimentally validated aptamer-target interactions, 1230 binding affinity constants, 1293 aptamer sequences, and more. Compared to other aptamer databases, it contains twice the number of entries found in available databases. The collection and integration of the above information categories is unique among available aptamer databases and provides a user-friendly interface. AptaDB will also be continuously updated as aptamer research evolves. We expect that AptaDB will become a powerful source for aptamer rational design and a valuable tool for aptamer screening in the future. For access to AptaDB, please visit http://lmmd.ecust.edu.cn/aptadb/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zhuohang Yu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zengrui Wu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Moran Zhou
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yimeng Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xinxin Yu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Weihua Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Guixia Liu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yun Tang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
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Xie S, Yang G, Wu J, Jiang L, Yuan C, Xu P, Huang M, Liu Y, Li J. In silico screening of natural products as uPAR inhibitors via multiple structure-based docking and molecular dynamics simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-12. [PMID: 38111151 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2295386] [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: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Cancer remains one of the most pressing challenges to global healthcare, exerting a significant impact on patient life expectancy. Cancer metastasis is a critical determinant of the lethality and treatment resistance of cancer. The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) shows great potential as a target for anticancer and antimetastatic therapies. In this work, we aimed to identify potential uPAR inhibitors by structural dynamics-based virtual screenings against a natural product library on four representative apo-uPAR structural models recently derived from long-timescale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Fifteen potential inhibitors (NP1-NP15) were initially identified through molecular docking, consensus scoring, and visual inspection. Subsequently, we employed MD-based molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) calculations to evaluate their binding affinities to uPAR. Structural dynamics analyses further indicated that all of the top 6 compounds exhibited stable binding to uPAR and interacted with the critical residues in the binding interface between uPAR and its endogenous ligand uPA, suggesting their potential as uPAR inhibitors by interrupting the uPAR-uPA interaction. We finally predicted the ADMET properties of these compounds. The natural products NP5, NP12, and NP14 with better binding affinities to uPAR than the uPAR inhibitors previously discovered by us were proven to be potentially orally active in humans. This work offers potential uPAR inhibitors that may contribute to the development of novel effective anticancer and antimetastatic therapeutics.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Xie
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Guiqian Yang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Juhong Wu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | | | - Cai Yuan
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Peng Xu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | | | - Yichang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Jinyu Li
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Xiamen, China
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Van den Avont A, Sharma-Walia N. Anti-nucleolin aptamer AS1411: an advancing therapeutic. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1217769. [PMID: 37808518 PMCID: PMC10551449 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1217769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted therapy is highly desirable, as it allows for selective cytotoxicity on diseased cells without off-target side effects. Nucleolin is a remarkable target for cancer therapy given its high abundance, selective presence on the plasma membrane, and multifaceted influence on the initiation and progression of cancer. Nucleolin is a protein overexpressed on the cell membrane in many tumors and serves as a binding protein for several ligands implicated in angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. Nucleolin is present in the cytoplasm, nucleoplasm, and nucleolus and is used by selected pathogens for cell entry. AS1411 is a guanosine-rich oligonucleotide aptamer that binds nucleolin and is internalized in the tumor cells. AS1411 is well tolerated at therapeutic doses and localizes to tumor cells overexpressing nucleolin. AS1411 has a good safety profile with efficacy in relapsed acute myeloid leukemia and renal cell carcinoma producing mild or moderate side effects. The promising potential of AS1411 is its ability to be conjugated to drugs and nanoparticles. When a drug is bound to AS1411, the drug will localize to tumor cells leading to targeted therapy with fewer systemic side effects than traditional practices. AS1411 can also be bound to nanoparticles capable of detecting nucleolin at concentrations far lower than lab techniques used today for cancer diagnosis. AS1411 has a promising potential to change cancer diagnoses and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Neelam Sharma-Walia
- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
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