Protein−Liposome Conjugates Using Cysteine-Lipids And Native Chemical Ligation

Liposome-Papain Conjugates for Catalytic Digestion of Antibody Producing Fab Fragments

Papain is useful for the enzymatic digestion of various proteins to produce functional peptides or protein fragments. Immobilized papain being reactive toward proteins and easily removable from a reaction mixture is worth developed. In the present work, liposomes were applied as colloidal carriers of papain for the catalytic digestion of polyclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG). Papain was covalently conjugated at pH = 7.0 via tris-succinimidyl aminotriacetate (TSAT) to liposomes incorporated with 5 mol % poly(ethylene glycol)-tethered lipid with a reactive amino group. The papain-conjugated liposome (liposome-papain) catalyzed the hydrolysis of Nα-benzoyl-l-arginine 4-nitroanilide hydrochloride (BAPNA) at pH = 5.0-7.0. The activity of liposome-papain significantly increased with increasing temperature from 25 to 50 °C. The Michaelis constant Km was determined with respect to the liposome-papain- and free papain-catalyzed reactions with BAPNA at 37 °C as Km = 1.11 ± 0.13 and 11.6 ± 2.9 mM, respectively. Liposome-papain was applied to the catalytic digestion of 10 mg·mL-1 IgG at 37 °C for 24 h at pH = 5.0-7.0. The reaction mixture could be analyzed without pretreatment by using the affinity columns immobilized with the protein A or protein L ligand because colloidal liposome-papain quickly flowed through the chromatographic stationary phase, exhibiting little proteolytic effect on the proteinaceous ligands. The analysis clearly demonstrated the catalytic production of antigen-binding fragments (Fab) from IgG in an enzyme concentration- and pH-dependent manner. Liposome-papain with 15 or 50 mol % anionic lipids also catalyzed the formation of Fab from IgG. The above results demonstrated that liposome-papain was useful to digest IgG and to purify Fab formed with the affinity chromatography.

Preparation and Catalytic Properties of Carbonic Anhydrase Conjugated to Liposomes through a Bis-Aryl Hydrazone Bond

Liposomes (lipid vesicles) with sizes of about 100-200 nm carrying surface-bound (immobilized) water-soluble enzymes are functionalized molecular compartment systems for possible applications, for example, as therapeutic materials or as catalytic reaction units for running reactions in aqueous media in vitro. One way of covalently attaching enzyme molecules under mild conditions in a controlled way to the surface of preformed liposomes is to apply the spectrophotometrically traceable bis-aryl hydrazone (BAH) bond between the liposome and the enzyme molecules of interest. Using bovine carbonic anhydrase (BCA), an aqueous dispersion of liposome-BAH-BCA - conjugates of defined composition was prepared. The liposomes used consisted of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), N-(methylpolyoxyethylene oxycarbonyl)-1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DSPE-PEG), and N-(aminopropylpolyoxyethylene oxycarbonyl)-1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DSPE-PEG-NH₂). The amino group of some of the DSPE-PEG-NH₂ molecules present in the liposomes were converted into an aromatic aldehyde, which (after purification) reacted with (purified) BCA molecules that had on their surface on average one acetone protected aromatic hydrazine. After purification of the liposome-BAH-BCA conjugate dispersion obtained, it was characterized in terms of (i) BCA activity, (ii) overall BCA structure, and (iii) storage stability. For an average liposome of 138 nm diameter, about 1200 BCA molecules were attached to the outer liposome surface. Liposomally bound BCA was found to exhibit (i) similar catalytic activity at 25 °C and (ii) similar storage stability when stored in a dispersed state in aqueous solution at 4 °C as free BCA. Measurements at 5 °C clearly showed that liposome-BAH-BCA is able to catalyze the hydration of carbon dioxide to hydrogen carbonate.

Liposomal Amphotericin B Formulation Displaying Lipid-Modified Chitin-Binding Domains with Enhanced Antifungal Activity

Fungal infections affect more than one billion people worldwide and cause more than one million deaths per year. Amphotericin B (AmB), a polyene antifungal drug, has been used as the gold standard for many years because of its broad antifungal spectrum, high activity, and low tendency of drug resistance. However, the side effects of AmB, such as nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity, have hampered its widespread use, leading to the development of a liposome-type AmB formulation, AmBisome. Herein, we report a simple but highly effective strategy to enhance the antifungal activity of AmBisome with a lipid-modified protein. The chitin-binding domain (LysM) of the antifungal chitinase, Pteris ryukyuensis chitinase A (PrChiA), a small 5.3 kDa protein that binds to fungal cell wall chitin, was engineered to have a glutamine-containing peptide tag at the C-terminus for the microbial transglutaminase (MTG)-catalyzed crosslinking reaction (LysM-Q). LysM-Q was site-specifically modified with a lysine-containing lipid peptide substrate of MTG with a palmitoyl moiety (Pal-K). The resulting palmitoylated LysM (LysM-Pal) exhibited negligible cytotoxicity to mammalian cells and can be easily anchored to yield LysM-presenting AmBisome (LysM-AmBisome). LysM-AmBisome exhibited a dramatic enhancement of antifungal activity toward Trichoderma viride and Cryptococcus neoformans, demonstrating the marked impact of displaying a cell-wall binder protein on the targeting ability of antifungal liposomal formulations. Our simple strategy with enzymatic protein lipidation provides a potent approach to upgrade other types of lipid-based drug formulations.

Chemical Synthesis and Semisynthesis of Lipidated Proteins

Lipidation is a ubiquitous modification of peptides and proteins that can occur either co- or post-translationally. An array of different lipid classes can adorn proteins and has been shown to influence a number of crucial biological activities, including the regulation of signaling, cell-cell adhesion events, and the anchoring of proteins to lipid rafts and phospholipid membranes. Whereas nature employs a range of enzymes to install lipid modifications onto proteins, the use of these for the chemoenzymatic generation of lipidated proteins is often inefficient or impractical. An alternative is to harness the power of modern synthetic and semisynthetic technologies to access lipid-modified proteins in a pure and homogeneously modified form. This Review aims to highlight significant advances in the development of lipidation and ligation chemistry and their implementation in the synthesis and semisynthesis of homogeneous lipidated proteins that have enabled the influence of these modifications on protein structure and function to be uncovered.

Chemische Synthese und Semisynthese von lipidierten Proteinen

Lipidierung ist eine ubiquitäre Modifikation von Peptiden und Proteinen, die entweder co‐ oder posttranslational auftreten kann. Für die Vielzahl von Lipidklassen wurde gezeigt, dass diese viele entscheidende biologische Aktivitäten, z. B. die Regulierung der Signalweiterleitung, Zell‐Zell‐Adhäsion sowie die Anlagerung von Proteinen an Lipid‐Rafts und Phospholipidmembranen, beeinflussen. Während die Natur Enzyme nutzt, um Lipidmodifikationen in Proteine einzubringen, ist ihre Nutzung für die chemoenzymatische Herstellung von lipidierten Proteinen häufig ineffizient. Eine Alternative ist die Kombination moderner synthetischer und semisynthetischer Techniken, um lipidierte Proteine in reiner und homogen modifizierter Form zu erhalten. Dieser Aufsatz erörtert Fortschritte in der Entwicklung der Lipidierungs‐ und Ligationschemie und deren Anwendung in der Synthese und Semisynthese homogen lipidierter Proteine, die es ermöglichen, den Einfluss dieser Modifikationen auf die Proteinstruktur und ‐funktion zu untersuchen.

Thiolated Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications: Mimicking the Workhorses of Our Body

Advances in nanotechnology have generated a broad range of nanoparticles (NPs) for numerous biomedical applications. Among the various properties of NPs are functionalities being related to thiol substructures. Numerous biological processes that are mediated by cysteine or cystine subunits of proteins representing the workhorses of the bodies can be transferred to NPs. This review focuses on the interface between thiol chemistry and NPs. Pros and cons of different techniques for thiolation of NPs are discussed. Furthermore, the various functionalities gained by thiolation are highlighted. These include overall bio- and mucoadhesive, cellular uptake enhancing, and permeation enhancing properties. Drugs being either covalently attached to thiolated NPs via disulfide bonds or being entrapped in thiolated polymeric NPs that are stabilized via inter- and intrachain crosslinking can be released at the diseased tissue or in target cells under reducing conditions. Moreover, drugs, targeting ligands, biological analytes, and enzymes bearing thiol substructures can be immobilized on noble metal NPs and quantum dots for therapeutic, theranostic, diagnostic, biosensing, and analytical reasons. Within this review a concise summary and analysis of the current knowledge, future directions, and potential clinical use of thiolated NPs are provided.

Chemical approaches for investigating site-specific protein S-fatty acylation

Protein S-fatty acylation or S-palmitoylation is a reversible and regulated lipid post-translational modification (PTM) in eukaryotes. Loss-of-function mutagenesis studies have suggested important roles for protein S-fatty acylation in many fundamental biological pathways in development, neurobiology, and immunity that are also associated with human diseases. However, the hydrophobicity and reversibility of this PTM have made site-specific gain-of-function studies more challenging to investigate. In this review, we summarize recent chemical biology approaches and methods that have enabled site-specific gain-of-function studies of protein S-fatty acylation and the investigation of the mechanisms and significance of this PTM in eukaryotic biology.

Detection of U-87 Tumor Cells by RGD-Functionalized/Gd-Containing Giant Unilamellar Vesicles in Magnetization Transfer Contrast Magnetic Resonance Images

OBJECTIVES

The targeting of tumor cells and their visualization with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important task in biomedicine. The low sensitivity of this technique is a significant drawback and one that may hamper the detection of the imaging reporters used.To overcome this sensitivity issue, this work explores the synergy between 2 strategies: (1) arginine, glycine, aspartic acid peptide (RGD)-functionalized giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) loaded with Gd complexes to accumulate large amounts of MRI contrast agent at the targeting site; and (2) the use of magnetization transfer contrast (MTC), which is a sensitive MRI technique for the detection of Gd complexes in the tumor region.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Giant unilamellar vesicles were prepared using the gentle swelling method, and the cyclic RGD targeting moiety was introduced onto the external membrane. Paramagnetic Gd-containing complexes and the fluorescent probe rhodamine were both part of the vesicle membranes and Gd-complexes were also the payload within the inner aqueous cavity. Giant unilamellar vesicles that were loaded with the imaging reporters, but devoid of the RGD targeting moiety, were used as controls. U-87 MG human glioblastoma cells, which are known to overexpress the targets for RGD moieties, were used. In the in vivo experiments, U-87 MG cells were subcutaneously injected into nu/nu mice, and the generated tumors were imaged using MRI, 15 days after cell administration. Magnetic resonance imaging was carried out at 7 T, and T2W, T1W, and MTC/Z-spectra were acquired. Confocal microscopy images and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used for result validation.

RESULTS

In vitro results show that RGD GUVs specifically bind to U-87 MG cells. Microscopy demonstrates that (1) RGD GUVs were anchored onto the external surface of the tumor cells without any internalization; (2) a low number of GUVs per cell were clustered at specific regions; and (3) there is no evidence for macrophage uptake or cell toxicity. The MRI of cell pellets after incubation with RGD GUVs and untargeted ctrl-GUVs was performed. No difference in T1 signal was detected, whereas a 15% difference in MT contrast is present between the RGD GUV-treated cells and the ctrl-GUV-treated cells.Magnetic resonance imaging scans of tumor-bearing mice were acquired before and after (t = 0, 4 hours and 24 hours) the administration of RGD GUVs and ctrl-GUVs. A roughly 16% MTC difference between the 2 groups was observed after 4 hours. Immunofluorescence analyses and ICP-MS analyses (for Gd-detection) of the explanted tumors confirmed the specific accumulation of RGD GUVs in the tumor region.

CONCLUSIONS

RGD GUVs seem to be interesting carriers that can facilitate the specific accumulation of MRI contrast agents at the tumor region. However, the concentration achieved is still below the threshold needed for T1w-MRI visualization. Conversely, MTC proved to be sufficiently sensitive for the visualization of detectable contrast between pretargeting and posttargeting images.

Extending the Half-Life of a Protein in Vivo by Enzymatic Labeling with Amphiphilic Lipopeptides

Synthesis of lipid-protein conjugates is one of the significant techniques in drug delivery systems of proteins; however, the intact conjugation of a lipid and protein is yet challenging due to the hydrophobicity of lipid molecules. In order to facilitate easy handling of the lipid moiety in conjugation, we have focused on a microbial transglutaminase (MTG) that can ligate specific lysine (K) and glutamine (Q) residues in lipopeptides and a protein of interest. As MTG substrates, monolipid- and dilipid-fused amphiphilic short lipopeptide substrates (lipid-G₃S-RHK or lipid₂-KG₃S-RHK) were designed. These amphiphilic lipopeptides and a model protein (enhanced green fluorescent protein, EGFP) fused with LLQG (LQ-EGFP) were both water-soluble, and thus lipid-protein conjugates were efficiently obtained through the MTG reaction with a >80% conversion rate of LQ-EGFP even using cholesterol-G₃S-RHK. In vitro cell adhesion and in vivo half-life stability of the successfully obtained lipid-protein conjugates were evaluated, showing that the monocholesterol-G₃S-RHK modification of a protein gave the highest cell adhesion efficiency and longest half-life time by formation of a stable albumin/lipid-protein complex.

Supramolecular cancer nanotheranostics

Among the many challenges in medicine, the treatment and cure of cancer remains an outstanding goal given the complexity and diversity of the disease. Nanotheranostics, the integration of therapy and diagnosis in nanoformulations, is the next generation of personalized medicine to meet the challenges in precise cancer diagnosis, rational management and effective therapy, aiming to significantly increase the survival rate and improve the life quality of cancer patients. Different from most conventional platforms with unsatisfactory theranostic capabilities, supramolecular cancer nanotheranostics have unparalleled advantages in early-stage diagnosis and personal therapy, showing promising potential in clinical translations and applications. In this review, we summarize the progress of supramolecular cancer nanotheranostics and provide guidance for designing new targeted supramolecular theranostic agents. Based on extensive state-of-the-art research, our review will provide the existing and new researchers a foundation from which to advance supramolecular cancer nanotheranostics and promote translationally clinical applications.

Non-canonical lipoproteins with programmable assembly and architecture

The substrate promiscuity of an acyltransferase is leveraged to synthesize artificial lipoproteins bearing a non-canonical PTM (ncPTM). The non-canonical functionality of these lipoproteins results in a distinctive hysteretic assembly-absent from the canonical lipoproteins-and is used to prepare hybrid multiblock materials with precise and programmable patterns of amphiphilicity. This study demonstrates the promise of expanding the repertoire of PTMs for the development of nanomaterials with a unique assembly and function.

PEGylation and surface functionalization of liposomes containing drug nanocrystals for cell-targeted delivery

Liposomal formulations have important therapeutic applications in anti-cancer treatments but current formulations suffer from serious side effects, high dosage requirements and prolonged treatment. In this study, PEGylated azide-functionalized liposomes containing drug nanocrystals were investigated with the aim of increasing the drug payload and achieving functionalization for targeted delivery. Liposomes were characterized using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), small and ultra-small angle neutron scattering (SANS/USANS) and small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS). Cryo-TEM experiments revealed the dimensions of the nanocrystal-loaded liposomes and the change of shape from spherical to elongated after the formation of nanocrystals. Results from SANS/USANS experiments confirmed the asymmetric particle shape. SAXS/WAXS experiments confirmed that the crystalline drug only occurred in freeze-thawed samples and correlated with a new unidentified polymorphic form of ciprofloxacin. Using a small molecule dye, dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO)-cy5, specific conjugation between DBCO groups and surface azide groups on the liposomes was confirmed; this indicates the promise of this system for tumour-targeted delivery.

Lipid-peptide bioconjugation through pyridyl disulfide reaction chemistry and its application in cell targeting and drug delivery

Background

The design of efficient drug delivery vectors requires versatile formulations able to simultaneously direct a multitude of molecular targets and to bypass the endosomal recycling pathway of cells. Liposomal-based vectors need the decoration of the lipid surface with specific peptides to fulfill the functional requirements. The unspecific binding of peptides to the lipid surface is often accompanied with uncontrolled formulations and thus preventing the molecular mechanisms of a successful therapy.

Results

We present a simple synthesis pathway to anchor cysteine-terminal peptides to thiol-reactive lipids for adequate and quantitative liposomal formulations. As a proof of concept, we have synthesized two different lipopeptides based on (a) the truncated Fibroblast Growth Factor (tbFGF) for cell targeting and (b) the pH sensitive and fusogenic GALA peptide for endosomal scape.

Conclusions

The incorporation of these two lipopeptides in the liposomal formulation improves the fibroblast cell targeting and promotes the direct delivery of cargo molecules to the cytoplasm of the cell.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12951-019-0509-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Synthesis and Characterization of Aptamer-Targeted SNALPs for the Delivery of siRNA

Aptamers selected against cell surface receptors represent a unique set of ligands that can be used to target nanoparticles and other therapeutics to specific cell types. Here, we describe a method for using aptamers to deliver stable nucleic acid lipid particles (SNALPs) encapsulating small interfering RNA (siRNA) to cells in vitro. Using this method, we have demonstrated the ability of aptamer-conjugated SNALPs to achieve target-specific delivery and siRNA-mediated knockdown of a gene of interest. We also describe methods to characterize SNALP size, siRNA encapsulation efficiency, and aptamer conjugation efficiency.

Efficient Synthesis of Peptide and Protein Functionalized Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamides Using Native Chemical Ligation

The advancement of DNA-based bionanotechnology requires efficient strategies to functionalize DNA nanostructures in a specific manner with other biomolecules, most importantly peptides and proteins. Common DNA-functionalization methods rely on laborious and covalent conjugation between DNA and proteins or peptides. Pyrrole-imidazole (Py-Im) polyamides, based on natural minor groove DNA-binding small molecules, can bind to DNA in a sequence specific fashion. In this study, we explore the use of Py-Im polyamides for addressing proteins and peptides to DNA in a sequence specific and non-covalent manner. A generic synthetic approach based on native chemical ligation was established that allows efficient conjugation of both peptides and recombinant proteins to Py-Im polyamides. The effect of Py-Im polyamide conjugation on DNA binding was investigated by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). Although the synthesis of different protein-Py-Im-polyamide conjugates was successful, attenuation of DNA affinity was observed, in particular for the protein-Py-Im-polyamide conjugates. The practical use of protein-Py-Im-polyamide conjugates for addressing DNA structures in an orthogonal but non-covalent manner, therefore, remains to be established.

In situ vesicle formation by native chemical ligation

Phospholipid vesicles are of intense fundamental and practical interest, yet methods for their de novo generation from reactive precursors are limited. A non-enzymatic and chemoselective method to spontaneously generate phospholipid membranes from water-soluble starting materials would be a powerful tool for generating vesicles and studying lipid membranes. Here we describe the use of native chemical ligation (NCL) to rapidly prepare phospholipids spontaneously from thioesters. While NCL is one of the most popular tools for synthesizing proteins and nucleic acids, to our knowledge this is the first example of using NCL to generate phospholipids de novo. The lipids are capable of in situ synthesis and self-assembly into vesicles that can grow to several microns in diameter. The selectivity of the NCL reaction makes in situ membrane formation compatible with biological materials such as proteins. This work expands the application of NCL to the formation of phospholipid membranes.

A novel anti-VEGF165 monoclonal antibody-conjugated liposomal nanocarrier system: physical characterization and cellular uptake evaluation in vitro and in vivo

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important target for cancer therapy. In the present study, we conjugated the novel fully-human anti-VEGF165 monoclonal antibody, mAb165, with a PEGylated liposome (lip) to produce a monoclonal antibody-conjugated PEGylated liposome (mAb-lip). Physical characterization of mAb-lips showed an average particle size of 108nm. Using a bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay, the coupling efficiency of mAb165 conjugated to the liposome was 69.8±0.5μg mAb/μmol phospholipid. In addition, we confirmed that conjugation between mAb165 and the liposome did not affect the structure and VEGF binding affinity of the antibody. Cell uptake of mAb-lips was assessed in four cell lines: MCF-7, HepG-2, SGC-7901, and L02 cells. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that there was no significant difference in cell uptake between mAb-lips and mAb-free liposome either in VEGF-expressing tumor cells or normal cells. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel encapsulated in mAb-lips was not increased in the four cell lines. However, in BALB/c nude mice bearing MCF-7 xenografts, mAb-lips showed superior targeting activity to tumor tissues when compared with the unmodified liposome, which was demonstrated by the fact that rhodamine-labeled mAb-lips exhibited higher fluorescence intensity in tumor tissues than the unmodified liposome. Thus, our study indicated that mAb-lips may have the potential to enhance the therapeutic index of anticancer agents through targeted delivery to tumor cells in vivo.

Sortagging: a robust and efficient chemoenzymatic ligation strategy

Bioorthogonal, chemoselective ligation methods are an essential part of the tools utilized to investigate biochemical pathways. Specifically enzymatic approaches are valuable methods in this context due to the inherent specificity of the deployed enzymes and the mild conditions of the modification reactions. One of the most common strategies is based on the transpeptidation catalyzed by sortase A derived from Staphylococcus aureus. The procedure is well established and a wide variety of applications have been published to date. Here, implementations of sortase A, which range from protein labeling using fluorescence dyes and the preparation of cyclic proteins to the modification of entire cells, are summarized. Furthermore, there is a focus on the optimization approaches established to solve the drawbacks of sortase-mediated transpeptidation.

Traceless chemical ligation from S-, O-, and N-acyl isopeptides

Peptides are ubiquitous in nature where they play crucial roles as catalysts (enzymes), cell membrane ion transporters, and structural elements (proteins) within biological systems. In addition, both linear and cyclic peptides have found use as pharmaceuticals and components of various conjugate molecular systems. Small wonder then that chemists throughout the ages have sought to mimic nature by synthesis of the amide polymers known as peptides and proteins. The fundamental reaction in the formation of a peptide bond is condensation of an amine of one amino acid with the activated carbonyl group of another. This "fragment condensation" has been achieved in many ways both in solution and by solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPSS) on resin. The most successful method for in-solution coupling is known as native chemical ligation (NCL), and the technique dates back to the pioneering work of Wieland (1953) and subsequently Kent (1994) among many others. This Account builds on the established principles of NCL as applied specifically to S-, O-, and N-isopeptides, molecules that are generally more soluble and less prone to aggregation than native peptides. This Account also covers NCL of isopeptides containing terminal and nonterminal S-acylated cysteine units, reactions that enable the synthesis of native peptides from S-acyl peptides without the use of auxiliaries. With C-terminal S-acyl isopeptides, NCL was carried out under microwave irradiation in phosphate buffer (pH 7.3) at 50 °C. Intramolecular acyl migration was observed through 5-19-membered transition states with relative rates, as assessed by product analysis, in the order, 5 > 10 > 11 > 14, 16, or 17 > 12 > 13, 15, or 19 > 18 ≫ 9 > 8. The rate/pH profile for the 15-membered TS showed a maximum for ligated product versus transacylation at pH 7.0-7.3 presumably associated with the pKa of the N-nucleophile in the hydrogen-bonded TS. Cysteine occurs at low abundance (1.7%) in natural peptides and is rarely available in a terminal position thus limiting the utility of the method. This Account reports, however, NCL at nonterminal acyl cysteine through 5-, 8-, 11-, and 14-membered TSs with relative rates of ligation in the order, 5 ≫ 14 > 11 ≫ 8, thus paralleling the results with acylated terminal cysteine residues. In an obvious sequel to the work with acylated cysteine, we discuss intramolecular O- to N-acyl shift in O-acyl serine and O-acyl tyrosine isopeptides where the story becomes more complex in terms of viable conditions and optimum size of the cyclic TS. N- to N-acyl migration in acyl tryptophan isopeptides is described, and finally, chemical ligation is applied to the synthesis of cyclic peptides. Conformational analysis and quantum chemical calculations are used to rationalize ligation through a range of cyclic transition states. This Account highlights the fact that NCL of acyl isopeptides is an extremely useful strategy for the synthesis of a wide variety of native peptides in good yields and under mild conditions. Mechanistic aspects of the ligations are not fully resolved, but theoretical studies indicate that hydrogen bonding within the various cyclic transition states plays a major role.

Post-assembly functionalization of supramolecular nanostructures with bioactive peptides and fluorescent proteins by native chemical ligation

Post-assembly functionalization of supramolecular nanostructures has the potential to expand the range of their applications. We report here the use of the chemoselective native chemical ligation (NCL) reaction to functionalize self-assembled peptide amphiphile (PA) nanofibers. This strategy can be used to incorporate specific bioactivity on the nanofibers, and as a model, we demonstrate functionalization with the RGDS peptide following self-assembly. Incorporation of bioactivity is verified by the observation of characteristic changes in fibroblast morphology following NCL-mediated attachment of the signal to PA nanofibers. The NCL reaction does not alter the PA nanofiber morphology, and biotinylated RGDS peptide was found to be accessible on the nanofiber surface after ligation for binding with streptavidin-conjugated gold nanoparticles. In order to show that this strategy is not limited to short peptides, we utilized NCL to conjugate yellow fluorescent protein and/or cyan fluorescent protein to self-assembled PA nanofibers. Förster resonance energy transfer and fluorescence anisotropy measurements are consistent with the immobilization of the protein on the PA nanofibers. The change in electrophoretic mobility of the protein upon conjugation with PA molecules confirmed the formation of a covalent linkage. NCL-mediated attachment of bioactive peptides and proteins to self-assembled PA nanofibers allows the independent control of self-assembly and bioactivity while retaining the biodegradable peptide structure of the PA molecule and thus can be useful in tailoring design of biomaterials.

Paramagnetic liposomes for molecular MRI and MRI-guided drug delivery

Liposomes are a versatile class of nanoparticles with tunable properties, and multiple liposomal drug formulations have been clinically approved for cancer treatment. In recent years, an extensive library of gadolinium (Gd)-containing liposomal MRI contrast agents has been developed for molecular and cellular imaging of disease-specific markers and for image-guided drug delivery. This review discusses the advances in the development and novel applications of paramagnetic liposomes in molecular and cellular imaging, and in image-guided drug delivery. A high targeting specificity has been achieved in vitro using ligand-conjugated paramagnetic liposomes. On targeting of internalizing cell receptors, the effective longitudinal relaxivity r1 of paramagnetic liposomes is modulated by compartmentalization effects. This provides unique opportunities to monitor the biological fate of liposomes. In vivo contrast-enhanced MRI studies with nontargeted liposomes have shown the extravasation of liposomes in diseases associated with endothelial dysfunction, such as tumors and myocardial infarction. The in vivo use of targeted paramagnetic liposomes has facilitated the specific imaging of pathophysiological processes, such as angiogenesis and inflammation. Paramagnetic liposomes loaded with drugs have been utilized for therapeutic interventions. MR image-guided drug delivery using such liposomes allows the visualization and quantification of local drug delivery.

An RNA alternative to human transferrin: a new tool for targeting human cells

The transferrin receptor, CD71, is an attractive target for drug development because of its high expression on a number of cancer cell lines and the blood brain barrier. To generate serum-stabilized aptamers that recognize the human transferrin receptor, we have modified the traditional aptamer selection protocol by employing a functional selection step that enriches for RNA molecules which bind the target receptor and are internalized by cells. Selected aptamers were specific for the human receptor, rapidly endocytosed by cells and shared a common core structure. A minimized variant was found to compete with the natural ligand, transferrin, for receptor binding and cell uptake, but performed ~twofold better than it in competition experiments. Using this molecule, we generated aptamer-targeted siRNA-laden liposomes. Aptamer targeting enhanced both uptake and target gene knockdown in cells grown in culture when compared to nonmodified or nontargeted liposomes. The aptamer should prove useful as a surrogate for transferrin in many applications including cell imaging and targeted drug delivery.

New method for site-specific modification of liposomes with proteins using sortase A-mediated transpeptidation

A new method was developed for site-specific modifications of liposomes by proteins via sortase A (SrtA)-mediated transpeptidation reactions. In this regard, the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) was biologically engineered to carry at its polypeptide C-terminus the LPATG motif recognized by SrtA and used as the protein donor for linking to liposomes that were decorated with phospholipids carrying a diglycine motif as the other SrtA substrate and the eGFP acceptor. Under the influence of SrtA, eGFP was efficiently attached to liposomes, as proved by analyzing the enzymatic reaction products and the resultant fluorescent liposomes. It was observed that increasing the concentration and the distance of the diglycine motif on and from the liposome surface could significantly improve the efficiency of liposome modification by proteins. It is anticipated that this strategy can be widely useful for the modification of liposomes by other proteins.

Hepatocellular carcinoma targeting effect of PEGylated liposomes modified with lactoferrin

A hepatocellular carcinoma targeting lactoferrin (Lf) modified PEGylated liposome system was developed for improving drug efficacies to hepatic cancer cells. In this present work, PEGylated liposomes (PLS) were successfully prepared by the thin film hydration method combined with peglipid post insertion. Lf was covalently conjugated to the distal end of DSPE-PEG2000-COOH lipid by amide bound and loaded onto PEGylated liposomes surface as the targeting ligand. To confirm the targeting efficacies to hepatic cancer, coumarin-6 and DiR were encapsulated as fluorescent probes. The confocal microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that Lf conjugated PEGylated liposomes (Lf-PLS) were efficiently associated by HepG2 cells, while limited interaction was found for liposomes modified with a negative control protein. A similar pharmacokinetic behavior was observed in pharmacokinetics study of the liposomal formulations. Meanwhile, the in vivo imaging of liposomes in HepG2 tumor bearing mice indicated that Lf-PLS achieved more accumulation in tumor compared with PLS without Lf conjugated. The significant in vitro and in vivo results suggested that Lf-PLS might be a promising drug delivery system for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy with low toxicity.

The controlled display of biomolecules on nanoparticles: a challenge suited to bioorthogonal chemistry

Interest in developing diverse nanoparticle (NP)-biological composite materials continues to grow almost unabated. This is motivated primarily by the desire to simultaneously exploit the properties of both NP and biological components in new hybrid devices or materials that can be applied in areas ranging from energy harvesting and nanoscale electronics to biomedical diagnostics. The utility and effectiveness of these composites will be predicated on the ability to assemble these structures with control over NP/biomolecule ratio, biomolecular orientation, biomolecular activity, and the separation distance within the NP-bioconjugate architecture. This degree of control will be especially critical in creating theranostic NP-bioconjugates that, as a single vector, are capable of multiple functions in vivo, including targeting, image contrast, biosensing, and drug delivery. In this review, a perspective is given on current and developing chemistries that can provide improved control in the preparation of NP-bioconjugates. The nanoscale properties intrinsic to several prominent NP materials are briefly described to highlight the motivation behind their use. NP materials of interest include quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, viral capsids, liposomes, and NPs composed of gold, lanthanides, silica, polymers, or magnetic materials. This review includes a critical discussion on the design considerations for NP-bioconjugates and the unique challenges associated with chemistry at the biological-nanoscale interface-the liabilities of traditional bioconjugation chemistries being particularly prominent therein. Select bioorthogonal chemistries that can address these challenges are reviewed in detail, and include chemoselective ligations (e.g., hydrazone and Staudinger ligation), cycloaddition reactions in click chemistry (e.g., azide-alkyne cyclyoaddition, tetrazine ligation), metal-affinity coordination (e.g., polyhistidine), enzyme driven modifications (e.g., HaloTag, biotin ligase), and other site-specific chemistries. The benefits and liabilities of particular chemistries are discussed by highlighting relevant NP-bioconjugation examples from the literature. Potential chemistries that have not yet been applied to NPs are also discussed, and an outlook on future developments in this field is given.

Detection of macrophages via paramagnetic vesicles incorporating oxidatively tailored cholesterol ester: an approach for atherosclerosis imaging

AIM

Macrophages play a key role in the initiation, progression and complications of atherosclerosis. In this article we describe the synthesis of biocompatible, paramagnetic, fluorescent phosphatidylserine vesicles containing cholesterol ester with a free carboxylic acid function and its use for targeted imaging of macrophages.

METHODS & RESULTS

We synthesized anionic vesicles containing a combination of phosphatidylserine and a novel synthetic oxidized cholesterol ester derivative (cholesterol-9-carboxynonanoate [9-CCN]). In vitro studies to characterize particle size, MRI relaxation times and stability were performed. Vesicles containing 9-CCN demonstrated enhanced ability to bind human low-density lipoprotein and to be internalized by macrophages. Experiments in cultured macrophages with 9-CCN vesicles, alone and in the presence of low-density lipoprotein, indicated uptake of vesicles through scavenger receptor and integrin-dependent pathways. In vivo MRI using 9-CCN vesicles containing gadolinium in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis revealed protracted enhancement of 9-CCN vesicles and colocalization with arterial macrophages not seen with control vesicles. Pharmacokinetic experiments demonstrated prolonged plasma residence time of 9-CCN vesicles, perhaps due to its capacity to bind to low-density lipoprotein.

CONCLUSION

Vesicles containing 9-CCN demonstrate prolonged plasma and plaque retention in experimental atherosclerosis. Such a strategy may represent a simple yet clinically relevant approach for macrophage imaging.

Chemoselective protein and peptide immobilization on biosensor surfaces

Site-specific immobilization of proteins and peptides on a sensor surface represents a significant challenge for bioanalytical applications such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The most common protocols for covalent protein immobilization usually result in heterogeneous presentation of the ligand at the surface, which can in some instances yield conflicting results with analogous data obtained in solution. Here, we discuss two complementary and generic bioconjugation methods that allow chemoselective immobilization of peptides and proteins via either their C-terminus (native chemical ligation) or their N-terminus (oxime ligation). While the protocols described in this chapter were designed for use in a Biacore instrument, the methods should also be applicable to other SPR instruments and, with slight adjustments, to many other types of bioanalytical applications that rely on protein-functionalized surfaces.

An intein-mediated site-specific click conjugation strategy for improved tumor targeting of nanoparticle systems

The ability to modify and directly target nanoparticulate carriers has greatly increased their applicability in diagnostic and therapeutic studies. Generally essential to the targeting of nanoparticles is the bioconjugation of targeting ligands to the agent's surface. While bioconjugation techniques have steadily improved in recent years, the field is still plagued with inefficient conjugations reactions and/or the lack of site-specific coupling. To overcome these limitations, click chemistry and expressed protein ligation (EPL) are combined to produce a highly efficient, site-specific reaction. This new EPL-click conjugation strategy is applied to create superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) labeled with HER2/neu affibodies. These HER2-SPIO nanoparticles prove to be highly potent and receptor-specific in both in vitro cell studies and murine tumor models. Moreover, when EPL-click-derived HER2-SPIO are compared with SPIO that had been labeled with HER2 affibodies using other popular bioconjugation methods, they produce a statistically significant improvement in contrast enhancement upon cell binding. The EPL-click system is also successfully extended to other nanoparticle platforms (i.e., liposomes and dendrimers) highlighting the versatility of the approach.