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Zong HF, Li X, Han L, Wang L, Liu JJ, Yue YL, Chen J, Ke Y, Jiang H, Xie YQ, Zhang BH, Zhu JW. A novel bispecific antibody drug conjugate targeting HER2 and HER3 with potent therapeutic efficacy against breast cancer. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2024; 45:1727-1739. [PMID: 38605180 PMCID: PMC11272928 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-024-01279-8] [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: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapy has become one of the most promising approaches in cancer immunotherapy. Bispecific targeting could enhance the efficacy and safety of ADC by improving its specificity, affinity and internalization. In this study we constructed a HER2/HER3-targeting bispecific ADC (BsADC) and characterized its physiochemical properties, target specificity and internalization in vitro, and assessed its anti-tumor activities in breast cancer cell lines and in animal models. The HER2/HER3-targeting BsADC had a drug to antibody ratio (DAR) of 2.89, displayed a high selectivity against the target JIMT-1 breast cancer cells in vitro, as well as a slightly higher level of internalization than HER2- or HER3-monospecific ADCs. More importantly, the bispecific ADC potently inhibited the viability of MCF7, JIMT-1, BT474, BxPC-3 and SKOV-3 cancer cells in vitro. In JIMT-1 breast cancer xenograft mice, a single injection of bispecific ADC (3 mg/kg, i.v.) significantly inhibited the tumor growth with an efficacy comparable to that caused by combined injection of HER2 and HER3-monospecific ADCs (3 mg/kg for each). Our study demonstrates that the bispecific ADC concept can be applied to development of more potent new cancer therapeutics than the monospecific ADCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Fang Zong
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Jecho Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Xi Li
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Lei Han
- Jecho Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jun-Jun Liu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Ya-Li Yue
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Jecho Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yong Ke
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Hua Jiang
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21704, USA
| | - Yue-Qing Xie
- Jecho Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200240, China
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21704, USA
| | - Bao-Hong Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Jian-Wei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
- Jecho Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200240, China.
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21704, USA.
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Zhang J, Liu J, Yue Y, Wang L, He Q, Xu S, Li J, Liao Y, Chen Y, Wang S, Xie Y, Zhang B, Bian Y, Dimitrov DS, Yuan Y, Zhu J. The immunotoxin targeting PRLR increases tamoxifen sensitivity and enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy in breast cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:173. [PMID: 38898487 PMCID: PMC11188579 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03099-4] [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: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though tamoxifen achieves success in treating estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive breast cancer, the followed development of tamoxifen resistance is a common challenge in clinic. Signals downstream of prolactin receptor (PRLR) could synergize with ERα in breast cancer progression. However, the potential effect of targeting PRL-PRLR axis combined with tamoxifen has not been thoroughly investigated. METHODS High-throughput RNA-seq data obtained from TCGA, Metabric and GEO datasets were analyzed to explore PRLR expression in breast cancer cell and the association of PRLR expression with tamoxifen treatment. Exogenous or PRL overexpression cell models were employed to investigate the role of activated PRLR pathway in mediating tamoxifen insensitivity. Immunotoxin targeting PRLR (N8-PE24) was constructed with splicing-intein technique, and the efficacy of N8-PE24 against breast cancer was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo methods, including analysis of cells growth or apoptosis, 3D spheroids culture, and animal xenografts. RESULTS PRLR pathway activated by PRL could significantly decrease sensitivity of ERα-positive breast cancer cells to tamoxifen. Tamoxifen treatment upregulated transcription of PRLR and could induce significant accumulation of PRLR protein in breast cancer cells by alkalizing lysosomes. Meanwhile, tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 achieved by long-term tamoxifen pressure exhibited both upregulated transcription and protein level of PRLR. Immunotoxin N8-PE24 enhanced sensitivity of breast cancer cells to tamoxifen both in vitro and in vivo. In xenograft models, N8-PE24 significantly enhanced the efficacy of tamoxifen and paclitaxel when treating PRLR-positive triple-negative breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS PRL-PRLR axis potentially associates with tamoxifen insensitivity in ERα-positive breast cancer cells. N8-PE24 could inhibit cell growth of the breast cancers and promote drug sensitivity of PRLR-positive breast cancer cells to tamoxifen and paclitaxel. Our study provides a new perspective for targeting PRLR to treat breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Junjun Liu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yali Yue
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Qunye He
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Shuyi Xu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Junyan Li
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yunji Liao
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | | | - Yueqing Xie
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc, Frederick, MD, 21704, USA
- Jecho Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd, Tianjin, 300467, China
| | - Baohong Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yanlin Bian
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Dimiter S Dimitrov
- University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Yunsheng Yuan
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Building 6, Room 208, 800 Dongchuan road, Shanghai, 200240, China.
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc, Frederick, MD, 21704, USA.
- Jecho Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd, Tianjin, 300467, China.
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Schmitz M, Ballestin JB, Liang J, Tomas F, Freist L, Voigt K, Di Ventura B, Öztürk MA. Int&in: A machine learning-based web server for active split site identification in inteins. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4985. [PMID: 38717278 PMCID: PMC11078102 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Inteins are proteins that excise themselves out of host proteins and ligate the flanking polypeptides in an auto-catalytic process called protein splicing. In nature, inteins are either contiguous or split. In the case of split inteins, the two fragments must first form a complex for the splicing to occur. Contiguous inteins have previously been artificially split in two fragments because split inteins allow for distinct applications than contiguous ones. Even naturally split inteins have been split at unnatural split sites to obtain fragments with reduced affinity for one another, which are useful to create conditional inteins or to study protein-protein interactions. So far, split sites in inteins have been heuristically identified. We developed Int&in, a web server freely available for academic research (https://intein.biologie.uni-freiburg.de) that runs a machine learning model using logistic regression to predict active and inactive split sites in inteins with high accuracy. The model was trained on a dataset of 126 split sites generated using the gp41-1, Npu DnaE and CL inteins and validated using 97 split sites extracted from the literature. Despite the limited data size, the model, which uses various protein structural features, as well as sequence conservation information, achieves an accuracy of 0.79 and 0.78 for the training and testing sets, respectively. We envision Int&in will facilitate the engineering of novel split inteins for applications in synthetic and cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Schmitz
- BIOSS and CIBSS Research Signalling Centers, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Institute of Biology II, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- 4HF Biotec GmbHFreiburgGermany
| | - Jara Ballestin Ballestin
- BIOSS and CIBSS Research Signalling Centers, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Institute of Biology II, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Bioprocess Innovation Unit, ViraTherapeutics GmbHRumAustria
| | - Junsheng Liang
- BIOSS and CIBSS Research Signalling Centers, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Institute of Biology II, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Franziska Tomas
- BIOSS and CIBSS Research Signalling Centers, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Institute of Biology II, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Department of Molecular Life SciencesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Leon Freist
- Institute of Biology III, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Karsten Voigt
- Institute of Biology III, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Barbara Di Ventura
- BIOSS and CIBSS Research Signalling Centers, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Institute of Biology II, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Mehmet Ali Öztürk
- BIOSS and CIBSS Research Signalling Centers, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Institute of Biology II, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
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di Leandro L, Colasante M, Pitari G, Ippoliti R. Hosts and Heterologous Expression Strategies of Recombinant Toxins for Therapeutic Purposes. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:699. [PMID: 38133203 PMCID: PMC10748335 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15120699] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The production of therapeutic recombinant toxins requires careful host cell selection. Bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells are common choices, but no universal solution exists. Achieving the delicate balance in toxin production is crucial due to potential self-intoxication. Recombinant toxins from various sources find applications in antimicrobials, biotechnology, cancer drugs, and vaccines. "Toxin-based therapy" targets diseased cells using three strategies. Targeted cancer therapy, like antibody-toxin conjugates, fusion toxins, or "suicide gene therapy", can selectively eliminate cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed. Notable toxins from various biological sources may be used as full-length toxins, as plant (saporin) or animal (melittin) toxins, or as isolated domains that are typical of bacterial toxins, including Pseudomonas Exotoxin A (PE) and diphtheria toxin (DT). This paper outlines toxin expression methods and system advantages and disadvantages, emphasizing host cell selection's critical role.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (L.d.L.); (M.C.); (G.P.)
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Liu X, Tan Q, Wen J, Wang X, Yang G, Li Y, Lu M, Ye W, Si A, Ma S, Ding T, Sun L, Liu F, Zhang M, Jiang T, Gao W. Improving the cytotoxicity of immunotoxins by reducing the affinity of the antibody in acidic pH. J Transl Med 2023; 21:572. [PMID: 37626430 PMCID: PMC10463491 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04210-7] [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: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunotoxins are antibody-toxin conjugates that bind to surface antigens and exert effective cytotoxic activity after internalization into tumor cells. Immunotoxins exhibit effective cytotoxicity and have been approved by the FDA to treat multiple hematological malignancies, such as hairy cell leukemia and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. However, most of the internalized immunotoxin is degraded in lysosomes, and only approximately 5% of free toxin escapes into the cytosol to exert cytotoxicity. Many studies have improved immunotoxins by engineering the toxin fragment to reduce immunogenicity or increase stability, but how the antibody fragment contributes to the activity of immunotoxins has not been well demonstrated. METHODS In the current study, we used 32A9 and 42A1, two anti-GPC3 antibodies with similar antigen-binding capabilities and internalization rates, to construct scFv-mPE24 immunotoxins and evaluated their in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities. Next, the antigen-binding capacity, trafficking, intracellular protein stability and release of free toxin of 32A9 scFv-mPE24 and 42A1 scFv-mPE24 were compared to elucidate their different antitumor activities. Furthermore, we used a lysosome inhibitor to evaluate the degradation behavior of 32A9 scFv-mPE24 and 42A1 scFv-mPE24. Finally, the antigen-binding patterns of 32A9 and 42A1 were compared under neutral and acidic pH conditions. RESULTS Although 32A9 and 42A1 had similar antigen binding capacities and internalization rates, 32A9 scFv-mPE24 had superior antitumor activity compared to 42A1 scFv-mPE24. We found that 32A9 scFv-mPE24 exhibited faster degradation and drove efficient free toxin release compared to 42A1 scFv-mPE24. These phenomena were determined by the different degradation behaviors of 32A9 scFv-mPE24 and 42A1 scFv-mPE24 in lysosomes. Moreover, 32A9 was sensitive to the low-pH environment, which made the 32A9 conjugate easily lose antigen binding and undergo degradation in lysosomes, and the free toxin was then efficiently produced to exert cytotoxicity, whereas 42A1 was resistant to the acidic environment, which kept the 42A1 conjugate relatively stable in lysosomes and delayed the release of free toxin. CONCLUSIONS These results showed that a low pH-sensitive antibody-based immunotoxin degraded faster in lysosomes, caused effective free toxin release, and led to improved cytotoxicity compared to an immunotoxin based on a normal antibody. Our findings suggested that a low pH-sensitive antibody might have an advantage in the design of immunotoxins and other lysosomal degradation-dependent antibody conjugate drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingqing Tan
- Department of Gynecology Oncology, Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changzhou Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China
| | - Jiaqi Wen
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Xufei Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Yang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuxiao Li
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital With Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ming Lu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Ye
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Anfeng Si
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, 34 Yanggongjing Road, Nanjing, 210000, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Sujuan Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Tong Ding
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Luan Sun
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Mei Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital With Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, 34 Yanggongjing Road, Nanjing, 210000, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
| | - Wei Gao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Road, Xuehai Building, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
- The Affiliated Changzhou Second People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou Second People's Hospital, Changzhou Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
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Wu T, Song Z, Huang H, Jakos T, Jiang H, Xie Y, Zhu J. Construction and evaluation of GPC3-targeted immunotoxins as a novel therapeutic modality for hepatocellular carcinoma. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 113:109393. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Sibuh BZ, Gahtori R, Al-Dayan N, Pant K, Far BF, Malik AA, Gupta AK, Sadhu S, Dohare S, Gupta PK. Emerging trends in immunotoxin targeting cancer stem cells. Toxicol In Vitro 2022; 83:105417. [PMID: 35718257 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2022.105417] [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: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are self-renewing multipotent cells that play a vital role in the development of cancer drug resistance conditions. Various therapies like conventional, targeted, and radiotherapies have been broadly used in targeting and killing these CSCs. Among these, targeted therapy selectively targets CSCs and leads to overcoming disease recurrence conditions in cancer patients. Immunotoxins (ITs) are protein-based therapeutics with selective targeting capabilities. These chimeric molecules are composed of two functional moieties, i.e., a targeting moiety for cell surface binding and a toxin moiety that induces the programmed cell death upon internalization. Several ITs have been constructed recently, and their preclinical and clinical efficacies have been evaluated. In this review, we comprehensively discussed the recent preclinical and clinical advances as well as significant challenges in ITs targeting CSCs, which might reduce the burden of drug resistance conditions in cancer patients from bench to bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belay Zeleke Sibuh
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology (SET), Sharda University, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida 201310, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Rekha Gahtori
- Department of Biotechnology, Sir J.C. Bose Technical Campus, Kumaun University, Bhimtal, Nainital 263136, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Noura Al-Dayan
- Department of Medical Lab Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj 16278, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kumud Pant
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun 248002, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Bahareh Farasati Far
- Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Asrar Ahmad Malik
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research (SBSR), Sharda University, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida 201310, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ashish Kumar Gupta
- Department of Life Sciences, J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA, Faridabad 121006, Haryana, India
| | - Soumi Sadhu
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research (SBSR), Sharda University, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida 201310, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sushil Dohare
- Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Piyush Kumar Gupta
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun 248002, Uttarakhand, India; Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research (SBSR), Sharda University, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida 201310, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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8
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Li M, Mei S, Yang Y, Shen Y, Chen L. Strategies to mitigate the on- and off-target toxicities of recombinant immunotoxins: an antibody engineering perspective. Antib Ther 2022; 5:164-176. [PMID: 35928456 PMCID: PMC9344849 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Targeted cancer therapies using immunotoxins has achieved remarkable efficacies in hematological malignancies. However, the clinical development of immunotoxins is also faced with many challenges like anti-drug antibodies and dose-limiting toxicity issues. Such a poor efficacy/safety ratio is also the major hurdle in the research and development of antibody-drug conjugates. From an antibody engineering perspective, various strategies were summarized/proposed to tackle the notorious on target off tumor toxicity issues, including passive strategy (XTENylation of immunotoxins) and active strategies (modulating the affinity and valency of the targeting moiety of immunotoxins, conditionally activating immunotoxins in the tumor microenvironments and reconstituting split toxin to reduce systemic toxicity etc.). By modulating the functional characteristics of the targeting moiety and the toxic moiety of immunotoxins, selective tumor targeting can be augmented while sparing the healthy cells in normal tissues expressing the same target of interest. If successful, the improved therapeutic index will likely help to address the dose-limiting toxicities commonly observed in the clinical trials of various immunotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyu Li
- Department of Postgraduate , Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, P.R. China
- Joint Graduate School , Yangtze Delta Drug Advanced Research Institute, Nantong, P.R. China
- Joint Graduate School , Yangtze Delta Pharmaceutical College, Nantong, P.R. China
| | - Sen Mei
- Biotherapeutics , Biocytogen Jiangsu Co. Ltd, Nantong, P.R. China
| | - Yi Yang
- Joint Graduate School , Yangtze Delta Drug Advanced Research Institute, Nantong, P.R. China
- Joint Graduate School , Yangtze Delta Pharmaceutical College, Nantong, P.R. China
- Institute of Innovative Medicine , Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co, Ltd, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yuelei Shen
- Joint Graduate School , Yangtze Delta Drug Advanced Research Institute, Nantong, P.R. China
- Joint Graduate School , Yangtze Delta Pharmaceutical College, Nantong, P.R. China
- Biotherapeutics , Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co, Ltd, Beijing, P.R. China
- Institute of Innovative Medicine , Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co, Ltd, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Lei Chen
- Biotherapeutics , Biocytogen Jiangsu Co. Ltd, Nantong, P.R. China
- Biotherapeutics , Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co, Ltd, Beijing, P.R. China
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9
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Zong HF, Zhang BH, Zhu JW. Generating a Bispecific Antibody Drug Conjugate Targeting PRLR and HER2 with Improving the Internalization. PHARMACEUTICAL FRONTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1749334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractAntibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapy has become one of the most promising approaches in cancer immunotherapy. The bispecific targeting could improve the specificity, affinity, and internalization of the ADC molecules. Prolactin preceptor (PRLR) and HER2 have crosstalk signaling in breast cancer, and PRLR undergoes a rapid internalization compared with HER2. To improve the efficacy of HER2 ADCs with enhancing the target specificity and internalization, we constructed a PRLR/HER2-targeting bispecific ADC (BsADC). We evaluated the characterization of PRLR × HER2 BsADC from the affinity and internalization, and further assessed its in vitro cytotoxicity in human breast-cancer cell lines (BT474, T47D, and MDA-MB-231) using Cell Count Kit-8 analysis. Our data demonstrated that PRLR × HER2 BsADC kept the affinity to two targeting antigens after conjugating drugs and exhibited higher internalization efficiency in comparison to HER2 ADC. Furthermore, PRLR × HER2 BsADC demonstrated to have superior antitumor activity in human breast cancer in vitro. In conclusion, our findings indicate that it is feasible through increasing the internalization of target antibody to enhance the antitumor activity and therapeutic potential that could be further evaluated in in vivo animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Fang Zong
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Bao-Hong Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian-Wei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Jecho Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Tharappel AM, Li Z, Li H. Inteins as Drug Targets and Therapeutic Tools. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:821146. [PMID: 35211511 PMCID: PMC8861304 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.821146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant pathogens are of significant concern in recent years. Hence new antifungal and anti-bacterial drug targets are urgently needed before the situation goes beyond control. Inteins are polypeptides that self-splice from exteins without the need for cofactors or external energy, resulting in joining of extein fragments. Inteins are present in many organisms, including human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Cryptococcus neoformans, C. gattii, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Because intein elements are not present in human genes, they are attractive drug targets to develop antifungals and antibiotics. Thus far, a few inhibitors of intein splicing have been reported. Metal-ions such as Zn2+ and Cu2+, and platinum-containing compound cisplatin inhibit intein splicing in M. tuberculosis and C. neoformans by binding to the active site cysteines. A small-molecule inhibitor 6G-318S and its derivative 6G-319S are found to inhibit intein splicing in C. neoformans and C. gattii with a MIC in nanomolar concentrations. Inteins have also been used in many other applications. Intein can be used in activating a protein inside a cell using small molecules. Moreover, split intein can be used to deliver large genes in experimental gene therapy and to kill selected species in a mixed population of microbes by taking advantage of the toxin-antitoxin system. Furthermore, split inteins are used in synthesizing cyclic peptides and in developing cell culture model to study infectious viruses including SARS-CoV-2 in the biosafety level (BSL) 2 facility. This mini-review discusses the recent research developments of inteins in drug discovery and therapeutic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Mathew Tharappel
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Zhong Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Hongmin Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- BIO5 Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- *Correspondence: Hongmin Li,
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Zong H, Han L, Chen J, Pan Z, Wang L, Sun R, Ding K, Xie Y, Jiang H, Lu H, Gilly J, Zhang B, Zhu J. Kinetics study of the natural split Npu DnaE intein in the generation of bispecific IgG antibodies. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 106:161-171. [PMID: 34882254 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11707-y] [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: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Rapid and efficient bispecific antibody (BsAb) production for industrial applications is still facing many challenges. We reported a technology platform for generating bispecific IgG antibodies, "Bispecific Antibody by Protein Trans-splicing (BAPTS)." While the "BAPTS" method has shown potential in high-throughput screening of BsAbs, further understanding and optimizing the methodology is desirable. A large number of BsAbs were selected to illustrate the conversion efficiency and kinetics parameters. The temperature of reaction makes no significant influence in conversion efficiency, which can reach more than 70% within 2 h, and CD3 × HER2 BsAb can reach 90%. By fitting trans-splicing reaction to single-component exponential decay curves, the apparent first-order rate constants at a series of temperatures were determined. The rate constant ranges from 0.02 to 0.11 min-1 at 37 °C, which is a high rate reported for the protein trans-splicing reaction (PTS). The reaction process is activated rapidly with activation energy of 8.9 kcal·mol-1 (CD3 × HER2) and 5.2 kcal·mol-1 (CD3 × EGFR). The BsAbs generated by "BAPTS" technology not only had the similar post-translation modifications to the parental antibodies, but also demonstrated excellent in vitro and in vivo bioactivity. The kinetics parameters and activation energy of the reaction illustrate feasible for high-throughput screening and industrial applications using the "BAPTS" approach. KEY POINTS: • The trans-splicing reaction of Npu DnaE intein in "BAPTS" platform is a rapid process with low reaction activation and high rate. • The BsAb generated by "BAPTS" remained effective in tumor cell killing. • The kinetics parameters and activation energy of the reaction illustrate feasible for high-throughput screening and industrial applications using the "BAPTS" approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huifang Zong
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Han
- Jecho Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhidi Pan
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rui Sun
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kai Ding
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yueqing Xie
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Hua Jiang
- Jecho Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China.,Jecho Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Huili Lu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - John Gilly
- Jecho Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China
| | - Baohong Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. .,Jecho Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China. .,Jecho Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD, USA.
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Wu T, Zhu J. Recent development and optimization of pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin immunotoxins in cancer therapeutic applications. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 96:107759. [PMID: 34162138 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant immunotoxins are fusion proteins composed of a peptide toxin and a specific targeting domain through genetic recombination. They are engineered to recognize disease-specific target receptors and kill the cell upon internalization. Full-sized monoclonal antibodies, smaller antibody fragments and ligands, such as a cytokine or a growth factor, have been commonly used as the targeting domain, while bacterial Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin (PE) is the usual toxin fusion partner, due to its natural cytotoxicity and other unique advantages. PE-based recombinant immunotoxins have shown remarkable efficacy in the treatment of tumors and autoimmune diseases. At the same time, efforts are underway to address major challenges, including immunogenicity, nonspecific cytotoxicity and poor penetration, which limit their clinical applications. Recent strategies for structural optimization of PE-based immunotoxins, combined with mutagenesis approaches, have reduced the immunogenicity and non-specific cytotoxicity, thus increasing both their safety and efficacy. This review highlights novel insights and design concepts that were used to advance immunotoxins for the treatment of hematological and solid tumors and also presents future development prospect of PE-based recombinant immunotoxins that are expected to play an important role in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Wu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, China; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, MOE, China; School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; Jecho Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD 21704, USA.
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Purde V, Kudryashova E, Heisler DB, Shakya R, Kudryashov DS. Intein-mediated cytoplasmic reconstitution of a split toxin enables selective cell ablation in mixed populations and tumor xenografts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:22090-22100. [PMID: 32839344 PMCID: PMC7486740 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2006603117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of proteinaceous toxins for cell ablation is limited by their high on- and off-target toxicity, severe side effects, and a narrow therapeutic window. The selectivity of targeting can be improved by intein-based toxin reconstitution from two dysfunctional fragments provided their cytoplasmic delivery via independent, selective pathways. While the reconstitution of proteins from genetically encoded elements has been explored, exploiting cell-surface receptors for boosting selectivity has not been attained. We designed a robust splitting algorithm and achieved reliable cytoplasmic reconstitution of functional diphtheria toxin from engineered intein-flanked fragments upon receptor-mediated delivery of one of them to the cells expressing the counterpart. Retargeting the delivery machinery toward different receptors overexpressed in cancer cells enables selective ablation of specific subpopulations in mixed cell cultures. In a mouse model, the transmembrane delivery of a split-toxin construct potently inhibits the growth of xenograft tumors expressing the split counterpart. Receptor-mediated delivery of engineered split proteins provides a platform for precise therapeutic and experimental ablation of tumors or desired cell populations while also greatly expanding the applicability of the intein-based protein transsplicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vedud Purde
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Elena Kudryashova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210;
| | - David B Heisler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Reena Shakya
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Dmitri S Kudryashov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210;
- The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
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