N-terminal extended conjugates of the agonists and antagonists of both bradykinin receptor subtypes: structure-activity relationship, cell imaging using ligands conjugated with fluorophores and prospect for functionally active cargoes

Chemical modification of bradykinin-polymer conjugates for optimum delivery of nanomedicines to tumors

We recently prepared pH-responsive HPMA copolymer conjugates of bradykinin (P-BK), which release BK in response to the acidic tumor microenvironment, and found that administration of P-BK increased the tumor accumulation and therapeutic efficacy of nanomedicine. Because the release of BK from P-BK determines its onset of action, P-BKs with different release rates were prepared, and their properties were evaluated. The release kinetics were significantly altered by substitution proximal to hydrazone bond, release constant of methyl-substituted P-BK (P-MeBK) was approximately 4- and 80-fold higher than that of cyclopropyl-substituted P-BK (P-CPBK) and phenyl-substituted P-BK (P-PhBK). None of the P-BKs were active, but the release of BK restored their BK-like activity. Pre-administration of the P-BKs increased the tumor accumulation of nanomedicine in C26 tumor-bearing mice by 2- and 1.4-fold for P-MeBK and P-PhBK at 3 and 6 h. Altogether, this study provides insights into the design of pH-responsive nanodrugs with the desired release properties to target acidic lesions such as cancer and inflammation.

A Systematic Review of Molecular Imaging Agents Targeting Bradykinin B1 and B2 Receptors

Kinins, bradykinin and kallidin are vasoactive peptides that signal through the bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors (B1R and B2R). B2R is constitutively expressed in healthy tissues and mediates responses such as vasodilation, fluid balance and retention, smooth muscle contraction, and algesia, while B1R is absent in normal tissues and is induced by tissue trauma or inflammation. B2R is activated by kinins, while B1R is activated by kinins that lack the C-terminal arginine residue. Perturbations of the kinin system have been implicated in inflammation, chronic pain, vasculopathy, neuropathy, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. In general, excess activation and signaling of the kinin system lead to a pro-inflammatory state. Depending on the disease context, agonism or antagonism of the bradykinin receptors have been considered as therapeutic options. In this review, we summarize molecular imaging agents targeting these G protein-coupled receptors, including optical and radioactive probes that have been used to interrogate B1R/B2R expression at the cellular and anatomical levels, respectively. Several of these preclinical agents, described herein, have the potential to guide therapeutic interventions for these receptors.

Bradykinin receptors: Agonists, antagonists, expression, signaling, and adaptation to sustained stimulation

Bradykinin-related peptides, the kinins, are blood-derived peptides that stimulate 2 G protein-coupled receptors, the B1 and B2 receptors (B1R, B2R). The pharmacologic and molecular identities of these 2 receptor subtypes will be succinctly reviewed herein, with emphasis on drug development, receptor expression, signaling, and adaptation to persistent stimulation. Peptide and non-peptide antagonists and fluorescent ligands have been produced for each receptor. The B2R is widely and constitutively expressed in mammalian tissues, whereas the B1R is mostly inducible under the effect of cytokines during infection and immunopathology. The B2R is temporarily desensitized by a cycle of phosphorylation/endocytosis followed by recycling, whereas the nonphosphorylable B1R is relatively resistant to desensitization and translocated to caveolae on activation. Both receptor subtypes, mainly coupled to protein G Gq, phospholipase C and calcium signaling, mediate the vascular aspects of inflammation (vasodilation, edema formation). On this basis, icatibant, a peptide antagonist of the B2R, is approved in the management of hereditary angioedema attacks. This disease is the therapeutic showcase of the kallikrein-kinin system, with an orally bioavailable B2R antagonist under development, as well as other agents that inhibit the kinin forming protease, plasma kallikrein. Other clinical applications are still elusive despite the maturity of the medicinal chemistry efforts applied to kinin receptors.

G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)-Mediated Calcium Signaling in Ovarian Cancer: Focus on GPCRs activated by Neurotransmitters and Inflammation-Associated Molecules

G-coupled protein receptors (GCPR) involve several signaling pathways, some of them being coupled with intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) mobilization. GPCRs were involved in migration, invasion and metastasis of different types of cancers, including ovarian cancer. Many studies have discussed the essential contribution of GPCRs activated by steroid hormones in ovarian cancer. However, ovarian cancer is also associated with altered signals coming from the nervous system, the immune system or the inflammatory environment, in which GPCRs are ‘sensing’ these molecular signals. Many studies have been oriented so far on ovarian cell lines (most of them being of human cell lines), and only few studies based on animal models or clinical studies have been devoted to the expression changes or functional role of GPCRs in ovarian cancer. In this paper, we review the alterations of GPCRs activated by neurotransmitters (muscarinic receptors, serotonin receptors, dopamine receptors, adrenoceptors) or inflammation-associated molecules (bradykinin receptors, histamine receptors, chemokine receptors) in ovarian cancer and we discuss their potential as histological biomarkers.

Bifunctional ligands of the bradykinin B2 and B1 receptors: An exercise in peptide hormone plasticity

Kinins are the small and fragile hydrophilic peptides related to bradykinin (BK) and derived from circulating kininogens via the action of kallikreins. Kinins bind to the preformed and widely distributed B₂ receptor (B₂R) and to the inducible B₁ receptor (B₁R). B₂Rs and B₁Rs are related G protein coupled receptors that possess natural agonist ligands of nanomolar affinity (BK and Lys BK for B₂Rs, Lys-des-Arg⁹-BK for B₁R). Decades of structure-activity exploration have resulted in the production of peptide analogs that are antagonists, one of which is clinically used (the B₂R antagonist icatibant), and also non-peptide ligands for both receptor subtypes. The modification of kinin receptor ligands has made them resistant to extracellular or endosomal peptidases and/or produced bifunctional ligands, defined as agonist or antagonist peptide ligands conjugated with a chemical fluorophore (emitting in the whole spectrum, from the infrared to the ultraviolet), a drug-like moiety, an epitope, an isotope chelator/carrier, a cleavable sequence (thus forming a pro-drug) and even a fused protein. Dual molecular targets for specific modified peptides may be a source of side effects or of medically exploitable benefits. Biotechnological protein ligands for either receptor subtype have been produced: they are enhanced green fluorescent protein or the engineered peroxidase APEX2 fused to an agonist kinin sequence at their C-terminal terminus. Antibodies endowed with pharmacological actions (agonist, antagonist) at B₂R have been reported, though not monoclonal antibodies. These findings define classes of alternative ligands of the kinin receptor of potential therapeutic and diagnostic value.

Infrared-emitting, peptidase-resistant fluorescent ligands of the bradykinin B2 receptor: application to cytofluorometry and imaging

BACKGROUND

We have previously reported the design, pharmacological properties and imaging application of bradykinin (BK) B₂ receptor (B₂R) ligands conjugated with fluorophores such as fluorescein derivatives at their N-terminus. To take advantage of the high penetration of infrared light into living tissues and their low autofluorescence in this region of the spectrum, additional probes conjugated with cyanine dye 7 (Cy7) were synthesized and characterized.

RESULTS

The antagonist B-9430 (D-Arg-[Hyp³,Igl⁵,D-Igl⁷,Oic⁸]-BK) and the agonist B-9972 (D-Arg-[Hyp³,Igl⁵,Oic⁷,Igl⁸]-BK) were N-terminally extended with the infrared fluorophore Cy7, producing the peptides B-10665 and B-10666, respectively. Pharmacological studies indicated that the agonist B-10666 lost much affinity for the B₂R vs. the parent peptide, whereas the antagonist B-10665 better retained its potency vs. B-9430 (competition of [³H]BK binding to human B₂R, contractility of the human isolated umbilical vein for which potency losses were more important in each case). Both probes stained HEK 293 cells that expressed the B₂R-green fluorescent protein (GFP) construction in a specific manner (confocal microscopy) and with very extensive co-localization of the green and infrared fluorescence in either case. The agonist B-10666 at 100 nM promoted the endocytosis of B₂R-GFP in live cells, but not the antagonist version at 10-25 nM. The Cy7-labeled peptides did not label cells expressing the β₂-adrenoceptor-GFP construction. B-10665 at low nanomolar concentrations was an effective probe for the recombinant B₂Rs in cytofluorometry and macroscopic imaging of cell wells (IVIS imaging system operated for infrared fluorescence detection).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a propensity for non-specific binding when used at high concentrations and limited sensitivity, Cy7-conjugated peptidase-resistant B₂R ligands support original imaging and cytofluorometric applications.

Pharmacological evidence of bradykinin regeneration from extended sequences that behave as peptidase-activated B2 receptor agonists

While bradykinin (BK) is known to be degraded by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), we have recently discovered that Met-Lys-BK-Ser-Ser is paradoxically activated by ACE. We designed and evaluated additional "prodrug" peptides extended around the BK sequence as potential ligands that could be locally activated by vascular or blood plasma peptidases. BK regeneration was estimated using the contractility of the human umbilical vein as model of vascular functions mediated by endogenous B2 receptors (B2Rs) and the endocytosis of the fusion protein B2R-green fluorescent protein (B2R-GFP) expressed in Human Embryonic Kidney 293 cells. Of three BK sequences extended by a C-terminal dipeptide, BK-His-Leu had the most desirable profile, exhibiting little direct affinity for the receptor but a significant one for ACE (as shown by competition of [(3)H]BK binding to B2R-GFP or of [(3)H]enalaprilat to recombinant ACE, respectively). The potency of the contractile effect of this analog on the vein was reduced 18-fold by the ACE inhibitor enalaprilat, pharmacologically evidencing BK regeneration in situ. BK-Arg, a potential substrate of arginine carboxypeptidases, had a low affinity for B2Rs and its potency as a contractile agent was reduced 15-fold by tissue treatment with an inhibitor of these enzymes, Plummer's inhibitor. B2R-GFP internalization in response to 100 nM of the extended peptides recapitulated these findings, as enalaprilat selectively inhibited the effect of BK-His-Leu and Plummer's inhibitor, that of BK-Arg. The two peptidase inhibitors did not affect BK-induced effects in either assay. The novel C-terminally extended BKs had no or very little affinity for the kinin B1 receptor (competition of [(3)H]Lys-des-Arg(9)-BK binding). The feasibility of peptidase-activated B2R agonists is illustrated by C-terminal extensions of the BK sequence.

Fluorescent approaches for understanding interactions of ligands with G protein coupled receptors

G protein coupled receptors are responsible for a wide variety of signaling responses in diverse cell types. Despite major advances in the determination of structures of this class of receptors, the underlying mechanisms by which binding of different types of ligands specifically elicits particular signaling responses remain unclear. The use of fluorescence spectroscopy can provide important information about the process of ligand binding and ligand dependent conformational changes in receptors, especially kinetic aspects of these processes that can be difficult to extract from X-ray structures. We present an overview of the extensive array of fluorescent ligands that have been used in studies of G protein coupled receptors and describe spectroscopic approaches for assaying binding and probing the environment of receptor-bound ligands with particular attention to examples involving yeast pheromone receptors. In addition, we discuss the use of fluorescence spectroscopy for detecting and characterizing conformational changes in receptors induced by the binding of ligands. Such studies have provided strong evidence for diversity of receptor conformations elicited by different ligands, consistent with the idea that GPCRs are not simple on and off switches. This diversity of states constitutes an underlying mechanistic basis for biased agonism, the observation that different stimuli can produce different responses from a single receptor. It is likely that continued technical advances will allow fluorescence spectroscopy to play an important role in continued probing of structural transitions in G protein coupled receptors. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Structural and biophysical characterisation of membrane protein-ligand binding.

Green fluorescent protein fused to peptide agonists of two dissimilar G protein-coupled receptors: novel ligands of the bradykinin B2 (rhodopsin family) receptor and parathyroid hormone PTH1 (secretin family) receptor

We hypothesized that peptide hormone sequences that stimulate and internalize G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) could be prolonged with a functional protein cargo. To verify this, we have selected two widely different pairs of peptide hormones and GPCRs that nevertheless share agonist-induced arrestin-mediated internalization. For the parathyroid hormone (PTH) PTH1 receptor (PTH1R) and the bradykinin (BK) B2 receptor (B2R), we have designed fusion proteins of the agonists PTH1-34 and maximakinin (MK, a BK homologue) with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), thus producing candidate high molecular weight ligands. According to docking models of each hormone to its receptor, EGFP was fused either at the N-terminus (MK) or C-terminus (PTH1-34) of the ligand; the last construction is also secretable due to inclusion of the preproinsulin signal peptide and has been produced as a conditioned medium. EGFP-MK has been produced as a lysate of transfected cells. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for GFP, average concentrations of 1.5 and 1670 nmol/L, respectively, of ligand were found in these preparations. The functional properties and potential of these analogs for imaging receptor-expressing cells were examined. Microscopic and cytofluorometric evidence of specific binding and internalization of both fusion proteins was obtained using recipient HEK 293a cells that expressed the cognate recombinant receptor. Endosomal colocalization studies were conducted (Rab5, Rab7, β-arrestin1). Evidence of agonist signaling was obtained (expression of c-Fos, cyclic AMP responsive element (CRE) reporter gene for PTH1-34-EGFP). The constructs PTH1-34-EGFP and EGFP-MK represent bona fide agonists that support the feasibility of transporting protein cargoes inside cells using GPCRs.

C-C chemokine receptor-7 mediated endocytosis of antibody cargoes into intact cells

The C–C chemokine receptor-7 (CCR7) is a G protein coupled receptor that has a role in leukocyte homing, but that is also expressed in aggressive tumor cells. Preclinical research supports that CCR7 is a valid target in oncology. In view of the increasing availability of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies that carry cytotoxic cargoes, we studied the feasibility of forcing intact cells to internalize known monoclonal antibodies by exploiting the cycle of endocytosis and recycling triggered by the CCR7 agonist CCL19. Firstly, an anti-CCR7 antibody (CD197; clone 150503) labeled surface recombinant CCR7 expressed in intact HEK 293a cells and the fluorescent antibody was internalized following CCL19 treatment. Secondly, a recombinant myc-tagged CCL19 construction was exploited along the anti-myc monoclonal antibody 4A6. The myc-tagged ligand was produced as a conditioned medium of transfected HEK 293a cells that contained the equivalent of 430 ng/ml of immunoreactive CCL19 (average value, ELISA determination). CCL19-myc, but not authentic CCL19, carried the fluorophore-labeled antibody 4A6 into other recipient cells that expressed recombinant CCR7 (microscopy, cytofluorometry). The immune complexes were apparent in endosomal structures, co-localized well with the small GTPase Rab5 and progressed toward Rab7-positive endosomes. A dominant negative form of Rab5 (GDP-locked) inhibited this endocytosis. Further, endosomes in CCL19-myc- or CCL19-stimulated cells were positive for β-arrestin₂, but rarely for β-arrestin₁. Following treatment with CCL19-myc and the 4A6 antibody, the melanoma cell line A375 that expresses endogenous CCR7 was specifically stained using a secondary peroxidase-conjugated antibody. Agonist-stimulated CCR7 can transport antibody-based cargoes, with possible therapeutic applications in oncology.

Inhibitory effects of cytoskeleton disrupting drugs and GDP-locked Rab mutants on bradykinin B₂ receptor cycling

The bradykinin (BK) B₂ receptor (B₂R) is G protein coupled and phosphorylated upon agonist stimulation; its endocytosis and recycling are documented. We assessed the effect of drugs that affect the cytoskeleton on B2R cycling. These drugs were targeted to tubulin (paclitaxel, or the novel combretastatin A-4 mimetic 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonate [IMZ-602]) and actin (cytochalasin D). Tubulin ligands did not alter agonist-induced receptor endocytosis, as shown using antibodies reactive with myc-tagged B₂Rs (microscopy, cytofluorometry), but rather reduced the progression of the ligand-receptor-β-arrestin complex from the cell periphery to the interior. The 3 fluorescent probes of this complex (B2R-green fluorescent protein [B2R-GFP], the fluorescent agonist fluorescein-5-thiocarbamoyl-D-Arg-[Hyp³, Igl⁵, Oic⁷, Igl⁸]-BK and β-arrestin2-GFP) were condensed in punctuate structures that remained close to the cell surface in the presence of IMZ-602. Cytochalasin D selectively inhibited the recycling of endocytosed B₂R-GFP (B₂R-GFP imaging, [³H]BK binding). Dominant negative (GDP-locked)-Rab5 and -Rab11 reproduced the effects of inhibitors of tubulin and actin, respectively, on the cycling of B₂R-GFP. GDP-locked-Rab4 also inhibited B₂R-GFP recycling to the cell surface. Consistent with the displacement of cargo along specific cytoskeletal elements, Rab5-associated progression of the endocytosed BK B₂R follows microtubules toward their (-) end, while its recycling progresses along actin fibers to the cell surface. However, tubulin ligands do not suppress the tested desensitization or resensitization mechanisms of the B₂R.