1
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Bardhan A, Brown W, Albright S, Tsang M, Davidson LA, Deiters A. Direct Activation of Nucleobases with Small Molecules for the Conditional Control of Antisense Function. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318773. [PMID: 38411401 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318773] [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: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Conditionally controlled antisense oligonucleotides provide precise interrogation of gene function at different developmental stages in animal models. Only one example of small molecule-induced activation of antisense function exist. This has been restricted to cyclic caged morpholinos that, based on sequence, can have significant background activity in the absence of the trigger. Here, we provide a new approach using azido-caged nucleobases that are site-specifically introduced into antisense morpholinos. The caging group design is a simple azidomethylene (Azm) group that, despite its very small size, efficiently blocks Watson-Crick base pairing in a programmable fashion. Furthermore, it undergoes facile decaging via Staudinger reduction when exposed to a small molecule phosphine, generating the native antisense oligonucleotide under conditions compatible with biological environments. We demonstrated small molecule-induced gene knockdown in mammalian cells, zebrafish embryos, and frog embryos. We validated the general applicability of this approach by targeting three different genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirban Bardhan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Wes Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Savannah Albright
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Michael Tsang
- Department of Cell Biology, Center for Integrative Organ Systems., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Lance A Davidson
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
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2
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Saady A, Malcolm GK, Fitzpatrick MP, Pairault N, Tizzard GJ, Mohammed S, Tavassoli A, Goldup SM. A Platform Approach to Cleavable Macrocycles for the Controlled Disassembly of Mechanically Caged Molecules. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202400344. [PMID: 38276911 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202400344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Inspired by interlocked oligonucleotides, peptides and knotted proteins, synthetic systems where a macrocycle cages a bioactive species that is "switched on" by breaking the mechanical bond have been reported. However, to date, each example uses a bespoke chemical design. Here we present a platform approach to mechanically caged structures wherein a single macrocycle precursor is diversified at a late stage to include a range of trigger units that control ring opening in response to enzymatic, chemical, or photochemical stimuli. We also demonstrate that our approach is applicable to other classes of macrocycles suitable for rotaxane and catenane formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abed Saady
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Georgia K Malcolm
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Matthew P Fitzpatrick
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Noel Pairault
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Graham J Tizzard
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Soran Mohammed
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Ali Tavassoli
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Stephen M Goldup
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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3
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Brown W, Davidson LA, Deiters A. Expanding the Genetic Code of Xenopus laevis Embryos. ACS Chem Biol 2024; 19:516-525. [PMID: 38277773 PMCID: PMC10877573 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00686] [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: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
The incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins through genetic code expansion has been successfully adapted to African claw-toed frog embryos. Six unique unnatural amino acids are incorporated site-specifically into proteins and demonstrate robust and reliable protein expression. Of these amino acids, several are caged analogues that can be used to establish conditional control over enzymatic activity. Using light or small molecule triggers, we exhibit activation and tunability of protein functions in live embryos. This approach was then applied to optical control over the activity of a RASopathy mutant of NRAS, taking advantage of generating explant cultures from Xenopus. Taken together, genetic code expansion is a robust approach in the Xenopus model to incorporate novel chemical functionalities into proteins of interest to study their function and role in a complex biological setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wes Brown
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Lance A. Davidson
- Departments
of Bioengineering, Developmental Biology, and Computational and Systems
Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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4
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Kvorjak M, Ruffo E, Tivon Y, So V, Parikh A, Deiters A, Lohmueller J. Conditional Control of Universal CAR T Cells by Cleavable OFF-Switch Adaptors. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:2996-3007. [PMID: 37791909 PMCID: PMC10594876 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
As living drugs, engineered T cell therapies are revolutionizing disease treatment with their unique functional capabilities. However, they suffer from limitations of potentially unpredictable behavior, toxicities, and nontraditional pharmacokinetics. Engineering conditional control mechanisms responsive to tractable stimuli such as small molecules or light is thus highly desirable. We and others previously developed "universal" chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that interact with coadministered antibody adaptors to direct target cell killing and T cell activation. Universal CARs are of high therapeutic interest due to their ability to simultaneously target multiple antigens on the same disease or different diseases by combining with adaptors to different antigens. Here, we further enhance the programmability and potential safety of universal CAR T cells by engineering OFF-switch adaptors that can conditionally control CAR activity, including T cell activation, target cell lysis, and transgene expression, in response to a small molecule or light stimulus. Moreover, in adaptor combination assays, OFF-switch adaptors were capable of orthogonal conditional targeting of multiple antigens simultaneously, following Boolean logic. OFF-switch adaptors represent a robust new approach for the precision targeting of universal CAR T cells with potential for enhanced safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kvorjak
- UPMC
Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Division
of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Department
of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center
for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Elisa Ruffo
- UPMC
Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Division
of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Department
of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center
for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Yaniv Tivon
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Victor So
- UPMC
Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Division
of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Department
of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center
for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Avani Parikh
- UPMC
Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Division
of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Department
of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center
for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Center
for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Jason Lohmueller
- UPMC
Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Division
of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
- Department
of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center
for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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5
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Darrah K, Albright S, Kumbhare R, Tsang M, Chen JK, Deiters A. Antisense Oligonucleotide Activation via Enzymatic Antibiotic Resistance Mechanism. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:2176-2182. [PMID: 37326511 PMCID: PMC10592181 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00027] [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: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The structure and mechanism of the bacterial enzyme β-lactamase have been well-studied due to its clinical role in antibiotic resistance. β-Lactamase is known to hydrolyze the β-lactam ring of the cephalosporin scaffold, allowing a spontaneous self-immolation to occur. Previously, cephalosporin-based sensors have been developed to evaluate β-lactamase expression in both mammalian cells and zebrafish embryos. Here, we present a circular caged morpholino oligonucleotide (cMO) activated by β-lactamase-mediated cleavage of a cephalosporin motif capable of silencing the expression of T-box transcription factor Ta (tbxta), also referred to as no tail a (ntla), eliciting a distinct, observable phenotype. We explore the use of β-lactamase to elicit a biological response in aquatic embryos for the first time and expand the utility of cephalosporin as a cleavable linker beyond targeting antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The addition of β-lactamase to the current suite of enzymatic triggers presents unique opportunities for robust, orthogonal control over endogenous gene expression in a spatially resolved manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie
E. Darrah
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Savannah Albright
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Rohan Kumbhare
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Michael Tsang
- Department
of Developmental Biology, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - James K. Chen
- Department
of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford
University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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6
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He F, Chai Y, Zeng Z, Lu F, Chen H, Zhu J, Fang Y, Cheng K, Miclet E, Alezra V, Wan Y. Rapid Formation of Intramolecular Disulfide Bridges using Light: An Efficient Method to Control the Conformation and Function of Bioactive Peptides. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:22639-22648. [PMID: 37788450 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Disulfide bonds are widely found in natural peptides and play a pivotal role in stabilizing their secondary structures, which are highly associated with their biological functions. Herein, we introduce a light-mediated strategy to effectively control the formation of disulfides. Our strategy is based on 2-nitroveratryl (oNv), a widely used photolabile motif, which serves both as a photocaging group and an oxidant (after photolysis). We demonstrated that irradiation of oNv-caged thiols with UV light could release free thiols that are rapidly oxidized by locally released byproduct nitrosoarene, leading to a "break-to-bond" fashion. This strategy is highlighted by the in situ restoration of the antimicrobial peptide tachyplesin I (TPI) from its external disulfide-caged analogue TPI-1. TPI-1 exhibits a distorted structure and a diminished function. However, upon irradiation, the β-hairpin structure and membrane activity of TPI were largely restored via rapid intramolecular disulfide formation. Our study proposes a powerful method to regulate the conformation and function of peptides in a spatiotemporal manner, which has significant potential for the design of disulfide-centered light-responsive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng He
- National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, P. R. China
| | - Yu Chai
- National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, P. R. China
| | - Zizhen Zeng
- National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, P. R. China
| | - Fangling Lu
- National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, P. R. China
| | - Huanwen Chen
- National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, P. R. China
| | - Jinhua Zhu
- Institute of TCM, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, P. R. China
| | - Yuanying Fang
- National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, P. R. China
| | - Keguang Cheng
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, P. R. China
| | - Emeric Miclet
- Sorbonne Université, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Laboratoire des Biomolécules, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Valérie Alezra
- Laboratoire de Méthodologie, Synthèse et Molécules Thérapeutiques, ICMMO, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay 91400, France
| | - Yang Wan
- National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, P. R. China
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7
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Wang Z, Fan X, Mu G, Zhao X, Wang Q, Wang J, Tang X. Cathepsin B-activatable cyclic antisense oligonucleotides for cell-specific target gene knockdown in vitro and in vivo. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 33:548-558. [PMID: 37588686 PMCID: PMC10425675 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Trigger-activatable antisense oligonucleotides have been widely applied to regulate gene function. Among them, caged cyclic antisense oligonucleotides (cASOs) maintain a specific topology that temporarily inhibits their interaction with target genes. By inserting linkers that respond to cell-specific endogenous stimuli, they can be powerful tools and potential therapeutic agents for specific types of cancer cells with low off-target effects on normal cells. Here, we developed enzyme-activatable cASOs by tethering two terminals of linear antisense oligonucleotides through a cathepsin B (CB) substrate peptide (Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly [GFLG]), which could be efficiently uncaged by CB. CB-activatable cASOs were used to successfully knock down two disease-related endogenous genes in CB-abundant PC-3 tumor cells at the mRNA and protein levels but had much less effect on gene knockdown in CB-deficient human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs). In addition, reduced nonspecific immunostimulation was found using cASOs compared with their linear counterparts. Further in vivo studies indicated that CB-activatable cASOs showed effective tumor inhibition in PC-3 tumor model mice through downregulation of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) protein in tumors. This study applies endogenous enzyme-activatable cASOs for antitumor therapy in tumor model mice, which demonstrates a promising stimulus-responsive cASO strategy for cell-specific gene knockdown upon endogenous activation and ASO prodrug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinli Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guanqun Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoran Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinjing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, People’s Republic of China
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8
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Wang R, He W, Yi X, Wu Z, Chu X, Jiang JH. Site-Specific Bioorthogonal Activation of DNAzymes for On-Demand Gene Therapy. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:17926-17935. [PMID: 37535859 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
RNA-cleaving DNAzymes hold great promise as gene silencers, and spatiotemporal control of their activity through site-specific reactions is crucial but challenging for on-demand therapy. We herein report a novel design of a bioorthogonally inducible DNAzyme that is deactivated by site-specific installation of bioorthogonal caging groups on the designated backbone sites but restores the activity via a phosphine-triggered Staudinger reduction. We perform a systematical screening for installing the caging groups on each backbone site in the catalytic core of 10-23 DNAzyme and identify an inducible DNAzyme with very low leakage activity. This design is demonstrated to achieve bioorthogonally controlled cleavage of exogenous and endogenous mRNA in live cells. It is further extended to photoactivation and endogenous stimuli activation for spatiotemporal or targeted control of gene silencing. The bioorthogonally inducible DNAzyme is applied to a triple-negative breast cancer mouse model using a lipid nanoparticle delivery system, demonstrating high efficiency in knockdown of Lcn2 oncogenes and substantial suppression of tumor growth, thus highlighting the potential of precisely controlling the DNAzyme functions for on-demand gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Wenhan He
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Xin Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Zhenkun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Xia Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Jian-Hui Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
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9
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Kvorjak M, Ruffo E, Tivon Y, So V, Parikh AB, Deiters A, Lohmueller J. Conditional control of universal CAR T cells by cleavable OFF-switch adaptors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.22.541664. [PMID: 37292935 PMCID: PMC10245878 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.22.541664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
As living drugs, engineered T cell therapies are revolutionizing disease treatment with their unique functional capabilities. However, they suffer from limitations of potentially unpredictable behavior, toxicities, and non-traditional pharmacokinetics. Engineering conditional control mechanisms responsive to tractable stimuli such as small molecules or light is thus highly desirable. We and others previously developed "universal" chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that interact with co-administered antibody adaptors to direct target cell killing and T cell activation. Universal CARs are of high therapeutic interest due to their ability to simultaneously target multiple antigens on the same disease or different diseases by combining with adaptors to different antigens. Here, we further enhance the programmability and potential safety of universal CAR T cells by engineering OFF-switch adaptors that can conditionally control CAR activity, including T cell activation, target cell lysis, and transgene expression, in response to a small molecule or light stimulus. Moreover, in adaptor combination assays, OFF-switch adaptors were capable of orthogonal conditional targeting of multiple antigens simultaneously following Boolean logic. OFF-switch adaptors represent a robust new approach for precision targeting of universal CAR T cells with potential for enhanced safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kvorjak
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Center for Systems Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Elisa Ruffo
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Center for Systems Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Yaniv Tivon
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Victor So
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Center for Systems Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Avani B. Parikh
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Center for Systems Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Alexander Deiters
- University of Pittsburgh, Center for Systems Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Jason Lohmueller
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Center for Systems Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
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10
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Brown W, Wesalo J, Tsang M, Deiters A. Engineering Small Molecule Switches of Protein Function in Zebrafish Embryos. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:2395-2403. [PMID: 36662675 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Precise temporally regulated protein function directs the highly complex processes that make up embryo development. The zebrafish embryo is an excellent model organism to study development, and conditional control over enzymatic activity is desirable to target chemical intervention to specific developmental events and to investigate biological mechanisms. Surprisingly few, generally applicable small molecule switches of protein function exist in zebrafish. Genetic code expansion allows for site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins that contain caging groups that are removed through addition of small molecule triggers such as phosphines or tetrazines. This broadly applicable control of protein function was applied to activate several enzymes, including a GTPase and a protease, with temporal precision in zebrafish embryos. Simple addition of the small molecule to the media produces robust and tunable protein activation, which was used to gain insight into the development of a congenital heart defect from a RASopathy mutant of NRAS and to control DNA and protein cleavage events catalyzed by a viral recombinase and a viral protease, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wes Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Joshua Wesalo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Michael Tsang
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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11
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Sun YJ, Chen WD, Liu J, Li JJ, Zhang Y, Cai WQ, Liu L, Tang XJ, Hou J, Wang M, Cheng L. A Conformational Restriction Strategy for the Control of CRISPR/Cas Gene Editing with Photoactivatable Guide RNAs. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202212413. [PMID: 36453982 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202212413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas system is one of the most powerful tools for gene editing. However, approaches for precise control of genome editing and regulatory events are still desirable. Here, we report the spatiotemporal and efficient control of CRISPR/Cas9- and Cas12a-mediated editing with conformationally restricted guide RNAs (gRNAs). This approach relied on only two or three pre-installed photo-labile substituents followed by an intramolecular cyclization, representing a robust synthetic method in comparison to the heavily modified linear gRNAs that often require extensive screening and time-consuming optimization. This tactic could direct the precise cleavage of the genes encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) protein within a predefined cutting region without notable editing leakage in live cells. We also achieved light-mediated myostatin (MSTN) gene editing in embryos, wherein a new bow-knot-type gRNA was constructed with excellent OFF/ON switch efficiency. Overall, our work provides a significant new strategy in CRISPR/Cas editing with modified circular gRNAs to precisely manipulate where and when genes are edited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Jie Sun
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Wen-Da Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ji Liu
- BNLMS, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Jun-Jin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and College of Biological Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Wei-Qi Cai
- BNLMS, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Li Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xin-Jing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jian Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and College of Biological Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Ming Wang
- BNLMS, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liang Cheng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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12
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Brown W, Rosenblum C, Deiters A. Small-Molecule Phosphine Activation of Protein Function in Zebrafish Embryos with an Expanded Genetic Code. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2676:247-263. [PMID: 37277638 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3251-2_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Conditional control of protein function in a living model organism is an important tool for studying the effects of that protein during development and disease. In this chapter, we walk through the steps to generate a small-molecule-activatable enzyme in zebrafish embryos through the incorporation of a noncanonical amino acid into the protein active site. This method can be applied to many enzyme classes, which we highlight with temporal control of a luciferase and a protease. We demonstrate that strategic placement of the noncanonical amino acid completely blocks enzyme activity, which is then promptly restored after addition of the nontoxic small molecule inducer to the embryo water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wes Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Carolyn Rosenblum
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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13
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Dorn RS, Prescher JA. Bioorthogonal Phosphines: Then and Now. Isr J Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.202200070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert S. Dorn
- Departments of Chemistry University of California Irvine California 92697 United States
| | - Jennifer A. Prescher
- Departments of Chemistry University of California Irvine California 92697 United States
- Molecular Biology & Biochemistry University of California Irvine California 92697 United States
- Pharmaceutical Sciences University of California Irvine California 92697 United States
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14
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Pattanayak S, Sarode BR, Deiters A, Chen JK. Bicyclic Caged Morpholino Oligonucleotides for Optical Gene Silencing. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200374. [PMID: 36068175 PMCID: PMC9637763 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200374] [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: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Caged morpholino oligonucleotides (cMOs) are synthetic tools that allow light-inducible gene silencing in live organisms. Previously reported cMOs have utilized hairpin, duplex, and cyclic structures, as well as caged nucleobases. While these antisense technologies enable efficient optical control of RNA splicing and translation, they can have limited dynamic range. A new caging strategy was developed where the two MO termini are conjugated to an internal position through a self-immolative trifunctional linker, thereby generating a bicyclic cMO that is conformationally resistant to RNA binding. The efficacy of this alternative cMO design has been demonstrated in zebrafish embryos and compared to linear MOs and monocyclic constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankha Pattanayak
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Present Address, Creyon Bio, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Bhagyesh R Sarode
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - James K Chen
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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15
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Brown W, Bardhan A, Darrah K, Tsang M, Deiters A. Optical Control of MicroRNA Function in Zebrafish Embryos. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:16819-16826. [PMID: 36073798 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c04479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs play crucial and dynamic roles in vertebrate development and diseases. Some, like miR-430, are highly expressed during early embryo development and regulate hundreds of transcripts, which can make it difficult to study their role in the timing and location of specific developmental processes using conventional morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) knockdown or genetic deletion approaches. We demonstrate that light-activated circular morpholino oligonucleotides (cMOs) can be applied to the conditional control of microRNA function. We targeted miR-430 in zebrafish embryos to study its role in the development of the embryo body and the heart. Using 405 nm irradiation, precise spatial and temporal control over miR-430 function was demonstrated, offering insight into the cell populations and developmental timepoints involved in each process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wes Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Anirban Bardhan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Kristie Darrah
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Michael Tsang
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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16
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Ortho-Phosphinoarenesulfonamide-Mediated Staudinger Reduction of Aryl and Alkyl Azides. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27175707. [PMID: 36080474 PMCID: PMC9458194 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Conventional Staudinger reductions of organic azides are sluggish with aryl or bulky aliphatic azides. In addition, Staudinger reduction usually requires a large excess of water to promote the decomposition of the aza-ylide intermediate into phosphine oxide and amine products. To overcome the challenges above, we designed a novel triaryl phosphine reagent 2c with an ortho-SO2NH2 substituent. Herein, we report that such phosphine reagents are able to mediate the Staudinger reduction of both aryl and alkyl azides in either anhydrous or wet solvents. Good to excellent yields were obtained in all cases (even at a diluted concentration of 0.01 M). The formation of B-TAP, a cyclic aza-ylide, instead of phosphine oxide, eliminates the requirement of water in the Staudinger reduction. In addition, computational studies disclose that the intramolecular protonation of the aza-ylide by the ortho-SO2NH2 group is kinetically favorable and responsible for the acceleration of Staudinger reduction of the aryl azides.
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17
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Higashi SL, Shintani Y, Ikeda M. Installing Reduction Responsiveness into Biomolecules by Introducing Nitroaryl Groups. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202201103. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.202201103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sayuri L. Higashi
- United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences Gifu University 1-1 Yanagido Gifu 501-1193 Japan
- Present address: Institut für Physiologische Chemie und Pathobiochemie Universität Münster Waldeyerstraße 15 48149 Münster Germany
| | - Yuki Shintani
- Department of Life Science and Chemistry Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology Gifu University 1-1 Yanagido Gifu 501-1193 Japan
| | - Masato Ikeda
- United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences Gifu University 1-1 Yanagido Gifu 501-1193 Japan
- Department of Life Science and Chemistry Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology Gifu University 1-1 Yanagido Gifu 501-1193 Japan
- Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE) Gifu University 1-1 Yanagido Gifu 501-1193 Japan
- Institute of Nano-Life-Systems Institutes of Innovation for Future Society Nagoya University Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku Nagoya 464-8603 Japan
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