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Lardeux H, Stavenhagen K, Paris C, Dueholm R, Kurek C, De Maria L, Gnerlich F, Leek T, Czechtizky W, Guillarme D, Jora M. Unravelling the Link between Oligonucleotide Structure and Diastereomer Separation in Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography. Anal Chem 2024; 96:9994-10002. [PMID: 38855895 PMCID: PMC11190878 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c01384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Therapeutic oligonucleotides (ONs) commonly incorporate phosphorothioate (PS) modifications. These introduce chiral centers and generate ON diastereomers. The increasing number of ONs undergoing clinical trials and reaching the market has led to a growing interest to better characterize the ON diastereomer composition, especially for small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs). In this study, and for the first time, we identify higher-order structures as the major cause of ON diastereomer separation in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). We have used conformational predictions and melting profiles of several representative full-length ONs to first analyze ON folding and then run mass spectrometry and HILIC to underpin the link between their folding and diastereomer separation. On top, we show how one can either enhance or suppress diastereomer separation depending on chromatographic settings, such as column temperature, pore size, stationary phase, mobile-phase ionic strength, and organic modifier. This work will significantly facilitate future HILIC-based characterization of PS-containing ONs; e.g., enabling monitoring of batch-to-batch diastereomer distributions in full-length siRNAs, a complex task that is now for the first time shown as possible on this delicate class of therapeutic double-stranded ONs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honorine Lardeux
- School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel Servet 1, Geneva 4 1211, Switzerland
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel Servet 1, Geneva 4 1211, Switzerland
| | - Kathrin Stavenhagen
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Clément Paris
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Rikke Dueholm
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Camille Kurek
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Leonardo De Maria
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Felix Gnerlich
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Tomas Leek
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Werngard Czechtizky
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
| | - Davy Guillarme
- School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel Servet 1, Geneva 4 1211, Switzerland
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel Servet 1, Geneva 4 1211, Switzerland
| | - Manasses Jora
- Medicinal
Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, Sweden
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Lei L, Harp JM, Chaput JC, Wassarman K, Schlegel MK, Manoharan M, Egli M. Structure and Stability of Ago2 MID-Nucleotide Complexes: All-in-One (Drop) His 6-SUMO Tag Removal, Nucleotide Binding, and Crystal Growth. Curr Protoc 2024; 4:e1088. [PMID: 38923271 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.1088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
The middle (MID) domain of eukaryotic Argonaute (Ago) proteins and archaeal and bacterial homologues mediates the interaction with the 5'-terminal nucleotide of miRNA and siRNA guide strands. The MID domain of human Ago2 (hAgo2) is comprised of 139 amino acids with a molecular weight of 15.56 kDa. MID adopts a Rossman-like beta1-alpha1-beta2-alpha2-beta3-alpha3-beta4-alpha4 fold with a nucleotide specificity loop between beta3 and alpha3. Multiple crystal structures of nucleotides bound to hAgo2 MID have been reported, whereby complexes were obtained by soaking ligands into crystals of MID domain alone. This protocol describes a simplified one-step approach to grow well-diffracting crystals of hAgo2 MID-nucleotide complexes by mixing purified His6-SUMO-MID fusion protein, Ulp1 protease, and excess nucleotide in the presence of buffer and precipitant. The crystal structures of MID complexes with UMP, UTP and 2'-3' linked α-L-threofuranosyl thymidine-3'-triphosphate (tTTP) are presented. This article also describes fluorescence-based assays to measure dissociation constants (Kd) of MID-nucleotide interactions for nucleoside 5'-monophosphates and nucleoside 3',5'-bisphosphates. © 2024 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Crystallization of Ago2 MID-nucleotide complexes Basic Protocol 2: Measurement of dissociation constant Kd between Ago2 MID and nucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Lei
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Joel M Harp
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - John C Chaput
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California
| | | | | | | | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
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Carlesso A, Hörberg J, Deganutti G, Reymer A, Matsson P. Structural dynamics of therapeutic nucleic acids with phosphorothioate backbone modifications. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae058. [PMID: 38800826 PMCID: PMC11127634 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) offer ground-breaking possibilities for selective pharmacological intervention for any gene product-related disease. Therapeutic ASOs contain extensive chemical modifications that improve stability to enzymatic cleavage and modulate binding affinity relative to natural RNA/DNA. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation can provide valuable insights into how such modifications affect ASO conformational sampling and target binding. However, force field parameters for chemically modified nucleic acids (NAs) are still underdeveloped. To bridge this gap, we developed parameters to allow simulations of ASOs with the widely applied phosphorothioate (PS) backbone modification, and validated these in extensive all-atom MD simulations of relevant PS-modified NA systems representing B-DNA, RNA, and DNA/RNA hybrid duplex structures. Compared to the corresponding natural NAs, single PS substitutions had marginal effects on the ordered DNA/RNA duplex, whereas substantial effects of phosphorothioation were observed in single-stranded RNA and B-DNA, corroborated by the experimentally derived structure data. We find that PS-modified NAs shift between high and low twist states, which could affect target recognition and protein interactions for phosphorothioated oligonucleotides. Furthermore, conformational sampling was markedly altered in the PS-modified ssRNA system compared to that of the natural oligonucleotide, indicating sequence-dependent effects on conformational preference that may in turn influence duplex formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Carlesso
- Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 431, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Johanna Hörberg
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Anna Reymer
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Pär Matsson
- Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 431, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- SciLifeLab, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
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Desgraves JF, Mendez Valdez MJ, Chandar J, Gurses ME, Henderson L, Castro JR, Seetheram D, Ivan ME, Komotar RJ, Shah AH. Antisense Oligonucleotides for Rapid Translation of Gene Therapy in Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1944. [PMID: 38792022 PMCID: PMC11119631 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16101944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The limited efficacy of current treatments for malignant brain tumors necessitates novel therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to assess the potential of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) as adjuvant therapy for high-grade gliomas, focusing on their CNS penetration and clinical translation prospects. METHODS A comprehensive review of the existing literature was conducted to evaluate the implications of ASOs in neuro-oncology. Studies that investigated ASO therapy's efficacy, CNS penetration, and safety profile were analyzed to assess its potential as a therapeutic intervention for high-grade gliomas. RESULTS ASOs present a promising avenue for enhancing targeted gene therapies in malignant gliomas. Their potent CNS penetration, in vivo durability, and efficient transduction offer advantages over conventional treatments. Preliminary in vivo and in vitro studies suggest ASOs as a viable adjuvant therapy for high-grade gliomas, warranting further exploration in clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS ASOs hold significant promise as adjuvant therapy for high-grade gliomas, offering improved CNS penetration and durability compared with existing treatments. While preliminary studies are encouraging, additional research is needed to establish the safety and efficacy of ASO therapy in clinical settings. Further investigation and clinical trials are warranted to validate ASOs as a transformative approach in neuro-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelisah F. Desgraves
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (J.F.D.); (M.J.M.V.); (J.C.); (L.H.); (J.R.C.); (D.S.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Mynor J. Mendez Valdez
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (J.F.D.); (M.J.M.V.); (J.C.); (L.H.); (J.R.C.); (D.S.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Jay Chandar
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (J.F.D.); (M.J.M.V.); (J.C.); (L.H.); (J.R.C.); (D.S.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Muhammet Enes Gurses
- Department of Neurosurgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1095 NW 14th Terrace (D4-6), Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.E.I.); (R.J.K.)
| | - Lisa Henderson
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (J.F.D.); (M.J.M.V.); (J.C.); (L.H.); (J.R.C.); (D.S.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Jesus R. Castro
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (J.F.D.); (M.J.M.V.); (J.C.); (L.H.); (J.R.C.); (D.S.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Deepa Seetheram
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (J.F.D.); (M.J.M.V.); (J.C.); (L.H.); (J.R.C.); (D.S.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Michael E. Ivan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1095 NW 14th Terrace (D4-6), Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.E.I.); (R.J.K.)
| | - Ricardo J. Komotar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1095 NW 14th Terrace (D4-6), Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.E.I.); (R.J.K.)
| | - Ashish H. Shah
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (J.F.D.); (M.J.M.V.); (J.C.); (L.H.); (J.R.C.); (D.S.); (A.H.S.)
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Lyu J, Zhu T, Zhou Y, Zhao T, Fei M, Zhong X, He H. Controlling the Crystal Growth of DNA Molecules via Strategic Chemical Modifications. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202400012. [PMID: 38477176 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400012] [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: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Intermolecular interactions are critical to the crystallization of biomolecules, yet the precise control of biomolecular crystal growth based on these interactions remains elusive. To understand the connections between the crystallization kinetics and the strength of intermolecular interactions, herein we have employed DNA triangular crystals and modified ones as a versatile tool to investigate how the strength of intermolecular interaction affects crystal growth. Interestingly, we have found that the 2'-O-methylation at sticky ends of the DNA triangle could strengthen its intermolecular interaction, resulting in the accelerated formation of smaller crystals. Conversely, phosphorothioate modification could weaken the sticky-end cohesion and delay the nucleation, resulting in formation of fewer but larger crystals. In addition, these modification effects were consistently observed in the crystallization of a DNA decamer. In one word, our experimental results demonstrate that the strength of intermolecular interaction directly impacts crystal growth. It suggests that 2'-O-methylation and phosphorothioate modification represents a rational strategy for controlling DNA molecules grow into desired crystals and it also facilitates structural determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiazhen Lyu
- School of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College & Translational Medicine Research Center, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, PR China
| | - Tingyu Zhu
- School of Stomatology, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, PR China
| | - Yan Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, PR China
| | - Ting Zhao
- School of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College & Translational Medicine Research Center, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, PR China
| | - Meiling Fei
- School of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College & Translational Medicine Research Center, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, PR China
| | - Xiaowu Zhong
- School of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College & Translational Medicine Research Center, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, PR China
| | - Hongfei He
- School of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College & Translational Medicine Research Center, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, PR China
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Story S, Bhaduri S, Ganguly S, Dakarapu R, Wicks SL, Bhadra J, Kwange S, Arya DP. Understanding Antisense Oligonucleotide Efficiency in Inhibiting Prokaryotic Gene Expression. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:971-987. [PMID: 38385613 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00645] [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] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Oligonucleotides offer a unique opportunity for sequence specific regulation of gene expression in bacteria. A fundamental question to address is the choice of oligonucleotide, given the large number of options available. Different modifications varying in RNA binding affinities and cellular uptake are available but no comprehensive comparisons have been performed. Herein, the efficiency of blocking expression of β-galactosidase (β-Gal) in E. coli was evaluated utilizing different antisense oligomers (ASOs). Fluorescein (FAM)-labeled oligomers were used to understand their differences in bacterial uptake. Flow cytometry analysis revealed significant differences in uptake, with high fluorescence seen in cells treated with FAM-labeled peptidic nucleic acid (PNA), phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotide (PMO) and phosphorothioate (PS) oligomers, and low fluorescence observed in cells treated with phosphodiester (PO) oligomers. Thermal denaturation (Tm) of oligomer:RNA duplexes and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) studies reveal that ASO binding to target RNA demonstrates a good correlation between Tm and Kd values. There was no correlation between Kd values and reduction of β-Gal activity in bacterial cells. However, cell-free translation assays demonstrated a direct relationship between Kd values and inhibition of gene expression by antisense oligomers, with tight binding oligomers such as LNA being the most efficient. Membrane active compounds such as polymyxin B and A22 further improved the cellular uptake of FAM-PNA and FAM-PS oligomers in wild-type E. coli cells. PNA and PMO were most effective in cellular uptake and reducing β-Gal activity as compared to oligomers with PS or those with PO linkages. Overall, cell uptake of the oligomers is shown as the key determinant in predicting their differences in bacterial antisense inhibition, and the RNA affinity is the key determinant in inhibition of gene expression in cell free systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Story
- NUBAD, LLC, Greenville, South Carolina 29605, United States
| | | | - Sudakshina Ganguly
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
| | | | - Sarah L Wicks
- NUBAD, LLC, Greenville, South Carolina 29605, United States
| | - Jhuma Bhadra
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
| | - Simeon Kwange
- NUBAD, LLC, Greenville, South Carolina 29605, United States
| | - Dev P Arya
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
- NUBAD, LLC, Greenville, South Carolina 29605, United States
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Nasiri M, Bahadorani M, Dellinger K, Aravamudhan S, Vivero-Escoto JL, Zadegan R. Improving DNA nanostructure stability: A review of the biomedical applications and approaches. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 260:129495. [PMID: 38228209 PMCID: PMC11060068 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129495] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
DNA's programmable, predictable, and precise self-assembly properties enable structural DNA nanotechnology. DNA nanostructures have a wide range of applications in drug delivery, bioimaging, biosensing, and theranostics. However, physiological conditions, including low cationic ions and the presence of nucleases in biological systems, can limit the efficacy of DNA nanostructures. Several strategies for stabilizing DNA nanostructures have been developed, including i) coating them with biomolecules or polymers, ii) chemical cross-linking of the DNA strands, and iii) modifications of the nucleotides and nucleic acids backbone. These methods significantly enhance the structural stability of DNA nanostructures and thus enable in vivo and in vitro applications. This study reviews the present perspective on the distinctive properties of the DNA molecule and explains various DNA nanostructures, their advantages, and their disadvantages. We provide a brief overview of the biomedical applications of DNA nanostructures and comprehensively discuss possible approaches to improve their biostability. Finally, the shortcomings and challenges of the current biostability approaches are examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahboobeh Nasiri
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering, North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, USA
| | - Mehrnoosh Bahadorani
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering, North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, USA
| | - Kristen Dellinger
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering, North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, USA
| | - Shyam Aravamudhan
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering, North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, USA
| | - Juan L Vivero-Escoto
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Reza Zadegan
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering, North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, USA.
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Hoogenboezem EN, Patel SS, Lo JH, Cavnar AB, Babb LM, Francini N, Gbur EF, Patil P, Colazo JM, Michell DL, Sanchez VM, McCune JT, Ma J, DeJulius CR, Lee LH, Rosch JC, Allen RM, Stokes LD, Hill JL, Vickers KC, Cook RS, Duvall CL. Structural optimization of siRNA conjugates for albumin binding achieves effective MCL1-directed cancer therapy. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1581. [PMID: 38383524 PMCID: PMC10881965 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45609-0] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The high potential of siRNAs to silence oncogenic drivers remains largely untapped due to the challenges of tumor cell delivery. Here, divalent lipid-conjugated siRNAs are optimized for in situ binding to albumin to improve pharmacokinetics and tumor delivery. Systematic variation of the siRNA conjugate structure reveals that the location of the linker branching site dictates tendency toward albumin association versus self-assembly, while the lipid hydrophobicity and reversibility of albumin binding also contribute to siRNA intracellular delivery. The lead structure increases tumor siRNA accumulation 12-fold in orthotopic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) tumors over the parent siRNA. This structure achieves approximately 80% silencing of the anti-apoptotic oncogene MCL1 and yields better survival outcomes in three TNBC models than an MCL-1 small molecule inhibitor. These studies provide new structure-function insights on siRNA-lipid conjugate structures that are intravenously injected, associate in situ with serum albumin, and improve pharmacokinetics and tumor treatment efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella N Hoogenboezem
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Shrusti S Patel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Justin H Lo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ashley B Cavnar
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Lauren M Babb
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nora Francini
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Eva F Gbur
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Prarthana Patil
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Juan M Colazo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Danielle L Michell
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Violeta M Sanchez
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Joshua T McCune
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jinqi Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Carlisle R DeJulius
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Linus H Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jonah C Rosch
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ryan M Allen
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Larry D Stokes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jordan L Hill
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kasey C Vickers
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Rebecca S Cook
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Craig L Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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Chang Z, Wu Y, Hu P, Jiang J, Quan G, Wu C, Pan X, Huang Z. The Necessity to Investigate In Vivo Fate of Nanoparticle-Loaded Dissolving Microneedles. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:286. [PMID: 38399340 PMCID: PMC10892231 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16020286] [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: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Transdermal drug delivery systems are rapidly gaining prominence and have found widespread application in the treatment of numerous diseases. However, they encounter the challenge of a low transdermal absorption rate. Microneedles can overcome the stratum corneum barrier to enhance the transdermal absorption rate. Among various types of microneedles, nanoparticle-loaded dissolving microneedles (DMNs) present a unique combination of advantages, leveraging the strengths of DMNs (high payload, good mechanical properties, and easy fabrication) and nanocarriers (satisfactory solubilization capacity and a controlled release profile). Consequently, they hold considerable clinical application potential in the precision medicine era. Despite this promise, no nanoparticle-loaded DMN products have been approved thus far. The lack of understanding regarding their in vivo fate represents a critical bottleneck impeding the clinical translation of relevant products. This review aims to elucidate the current research status of the in vivo fate of nanoparticle-loaded DMNs and elaborate the necessity to investigate the in vivo fate of nanoparticle-loaded DMNs from diverse aspects. Furthermore, it offers insights into potential entry points for research into the in vivo fate of nanoparticle-loaded DMNs, aiming to foster further advancements in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyao Chang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; (Z.C.); (Y.W.); (X.P.)
| | - Yuhuan Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; (Z.C.); (Y.W.); (X.P.)
| | - Ping Hu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; (P.H.); (G.Q.); (C.W.)
| | - Junhuang Jiang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; (P.H.); (G.Q.); (C.W.)
| | - Guilan Quan
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; (P.H.); (G.Q.); (C.W.)
| | - Chuanbin Wu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; (P.H.); (G.Q.); (C.W.)
| | - Xin Pan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; (Z.C.); (Y.W.); (X.P.)
| | - Zhengwei Huang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; (P.H.); (G.Q.); (C.W.)
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10
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Asohan J, Fakih HH, Das T, Sleiman HF. Control of the Assembly and Disassembly of Spherical Nucleic Acids Is Critical for Enhanced Gene Silencing. ACS NANO 2024; 18:3996-4007. [PMID: 38265027 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c05940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Spherical nucleic acids─nanospheres with nucleic acids on their corona─have emerged as a promising class of nanocarriers, aiming to address the shortcomings of traditional nucleic therapeutics, namely, their poor stability, biodistribution, and cellular entry. By conjugating hydrophobic monomers to a growing nucleic acid strand in a sequence-defined manner, our group has developed self-assembled spherical nucleic acids (SaSNAs), for unaided, enhanced gene silencing. By virtue of their self-assembled nature, SaSNAs can disassemble under certain conditions in contrast to covalent or gold nanoparticle SNAs. Gene silencing involves multiple steps including cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and therapeutic cargo release. Whether assembly vs disassembly is advantageous to any of these steps has not been previously studied. In this work, we modify the DNA and hydrophobic portions of SaSNAs and examine their effects on stability, cellular uptake, and gene silencing. When the linkages between the hydrophobic units are changed from phosphate to phosphorothioate, we find that the SaSNAs disassemble better in endosomal conditions and exhibit more efficacious silencing, despite having cellular uptake similar to that of their phosphate counterparts. Thus, disassembly in the endolysosomal compartments is advantageous, facilitating the release of the nucleic acid cargo and the interactions between the hydrophobic units and endosomal lipids. We also find that SaSNAs partially disassemble in serum to bind albumin; the disassembled, albumin-bound strands are less efficient at cellular uptake and gene silencing than their assembled counterparts, which can engage scavenger receptors for internalization. When the DNA portion is cross-linked by G-quadruplex formation, disassembly decreases and cellular uptake significantly increases. However, this does not translate to greater gene silencing, again illustrating the need for disassembly of the SaSNAs when they are in the endosome. This work showcases the advantages of the dual nature of SaSNAs for gene silencing, requiring extracellular assembly and disassembly inside the cell compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jathavan Asohan
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St West, Montreal, Québec Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Hassan H Fakih
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St West, Montreal, Québec Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Trishalina Das
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St West, Montreal, Québec Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Hanadi F Sleiman
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St West, Montreal, Québec Canada, H3A 0B8
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11
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Zhang HJ, Ociepa M, Nassir M, Zheng B, Lewicki SA, Salmaso V, Baburi H, Nagel J, Mirza S, Bueschbell B, Al-Hroub H, Perzanowska O, Lin Z, Schmidt MA, Eastgate MD, Jacobson KA, Müller CE, Kowalska J, Jemielity J, Baran PS. Stereocontrolled access to thioisosteres of nucleoside di- and triphosphates. Nat Chem 2024; 16:249-258. [PMID: 37857844 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01347-2] [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: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Nucleoside diphosphates and triphosphates impact nearly every aspect of biochemistry; however, the use of such compounds as tools or medicinal leads for nucleotide-dependent enzymes and receptors is hampered by their rapid in vivo metabolism. Although a successful strategy to address the instability of the monophosphate moiety in oligonucleotide therapeutics has been accomplished by their isosteric replacement with phosphorothioates, no practical methods exist to rapidly and controllably access stereopure di- and triphosphate thioisosteres of both natural and unnatural nucleosides. Here we show how a modular, reagent-based platform can enable the stereocontrolled and scalable synthesis of a library of such molecules. This operationally simple approach provides access to pure stereoisomers of nucleoside α-thiodiphosphates and α-thiotriphosphates, as well as symmetrical or unsymmetrical dinucleoside thiodiphosphates and thiotriphosphates (including RNA cap reagents). We demonstrate that ligand-receptor interactions can be dramatically influenced by P-stereochemistry, showing that such thioisosteric replacements can have profound effects on the potency and stability of lead candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Jun Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michał Ociepa
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Molhm Nassir
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bin Zheng
- Chemical Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Sarah A Lewicki
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Veronica Salmaso
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Helay Baburi
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jessica Nagel
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Salahuddin Mirza
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Beatriz Bueschbell
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Haneen Al-Hroub
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Olga Perzanowska
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ziqin Lin
- Chemical Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Michael A Schmidt
- Chemical Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Martin D Eastgate
- Chemical Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Kenneth A Jacobson
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Christa E Müller
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Joanna Kowalska
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Jacek Jemielity
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Phil S Baran
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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12
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Liu R, Liu Z, Chen M, Xing H, Zhang P, Zhang J. Cooperatively designed aptamer-PROTACs for spatioselective degradation of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein for enhanced combinational therapy. Chem Sci 2023; 15:134-145. [PMID: 38131089 PMCID: PMC10732009 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc04249a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling proteins (NSPs) have emerged as a promising class of therapeutic targets for many diseases. However, most NSPs-based therapies largely rely on small-molecule inhibitors with limited efficacy and off-target effects. Inspired by proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology, we report a new archetype of PROTAC (PS-ApTCs) by introducing a phosphorothioate-modified aptamer to a CRBN ligand, realizing tumor-targeting and spatioselective degradation of NSPs with improved efficacy. Using nucleolin as a model, we demonstrate that PS-ApTCs is capable of effectively degrading nucleolin in the target cell membrane and cytoplasm but not in the nucleus, through the disruption of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. Moreover, PS-ApTCs exhibits superior antiproliferation, pro-apoptotic, and cell cycle arrest potencies. Importantly, we demonstrate that a combination of PS-ApTCs-mediated nucleolin degradation with aptamer-drug conjugate-based chemotherapy enables a synergistic effect on tumor inhibition. Collectively, PS-ApTCs could expand the PROTAC toolbox to more targets in subcellular localization and accelerate the discovery of new combinational therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Zheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Mohan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Hang Xing
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University Changsha 410082 China
| | - Penghui Zhang
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, The Key Laboratory of Zhejiang Province for Aptamers and Theranostics, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences Hangzhou 310022 China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
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13
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Ji C, Wei J, Zhang L, Hou X, Tan J, Yuan Q, Tan W. Aptamer-Protein Interactions: From Regulation to Biomolecular Detection. Chem Rev 2023; 123:12471-12506. [PMID: 37931070 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Serving as the basis of cell life, interactions between nucleic acids and proteins play essential roles in fundamental cellular processes. Aptamers are unique single-stranded oligonucleotides generated by in vitro evolution methods, possessing the ability to interact with proteins specifically. Altering the structure of aptamers will largely modulate their interactions with proteins and further affect related cellular behaviors. Recently, with the in-depth research of aptamer-protein interactions, the analytical assays based on their interactions have been widely developed and become a powerful tool for biomolecular detection. There are some insightful reviews on aptamers applied in protein detection, while few systematic discussions are from the perspective of regulating aptamer-protein interactions. Herein, we comprehensively introduce the methods for regulating aptamer-protein interactions and elaborate on the detection techniques for analyzing aptamer-protein interactions. Additionally, this review provides a broad summary of analytical assays based on the regulation of aptamer-protein interactions for detecting biomolecules. Finally, we present our perspectives regarding the opportunities and challenges of analytical assays for biological analysis, aiming to provide guidance for disease mechanism research and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cailing Ji
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Junyuan Wei
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Xinru Hou
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Jie Tan
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Quan Yuan
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Weihong Tan
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
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14
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Borsa BA, Hernandez LI, Jiménez T, Tellapragada C, Giske CG, Hernandez FJ. Therapeutic-oligonucleotides activated by nucleases (TOUCAN): A nanocarrier system for the specific delivery of clinical nucleoside analogues. J Control Release 2023; 361:260-269. [PMID: 37541593 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.07.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Nucleoside analogues have been in clinical use since 1960s and they are still used as the first therapeutic option for several cancers and viral infections, due to their high therapeutic efficacy. However, their wide clinical acceptance has been limited due to their high toxicity and severe side effects to patients. Herein, we report on a nanocarrier system that delivers nucleosides analogues in a target-specific manner, making nucleoside-based therapeutics safer and with the possibility to be used in other human conditions. This system, named, Therapeutic OligonUCleotides Activated by Nucleases" (TOUCAN) combines: i) the recognition power of oligonucleotides as substrates, ii) the use of nucleases as enzymatic biomarkers and iii) the clinical efficacy of nucleoside analogues, in a single approach. As a proof-of-concept, we report on a TOUCAN that is activated by a specific nuclease produced by bacteria and releases a therapeutic nucleoside, floxuridine. We demonstrate, for the first time, that, by incorporating a therapeutic nucleoside analogue into oligonucleotide probes, we can specifically inhibit bacterial growth in cultures. In this study, Staphylococcus aureus was selected as the targeted bacteria and the TOUCAN strategy successfully inhibited its growth with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.62 to 40 mg/L across all tested strains. Moreover, our results indicate that the intravenous administration of TOUCANs at a dose of 20 mg/kg over a 24-h period is a highly effective method for treating bacterial infections in a mouse model of pyomyositis. Importantly, no signs of toxicity were observed in our in vitro and in vivo studies. This work can significantly impact the current management of bacterial infections, laying the grounds for the development of a different class of antibiotics. Furthermore, it can provide a safer delivery platform for clinical nucleoside therapeutics in any human conditions, such as cancer and viral infection, where specific nuclease activity has been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baris A Borsa
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM), Linköping, Sweden; Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Sweden; Nucleic Acid Technologies Laboratory (NAT-Lab), Linköping, Sweden
| | - Luiza I Hernandez
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKE), Linköping University, Sweden; SOMAprobes, Science and Technology Park of Gipuzkoa, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Tania Jiménez
- SOMAprobes, Science and Technology Park of Gipuzkoa, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Chaitanya Tellapragada
- Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christian G Giske
- Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Frank J Hernandez
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM), Linköping, Sweden; Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Sweden; Nucleic Acid Technologies Laboratory (NAT-Lab), Linköping, Sweden.
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15
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Kusznir EA, Hau JC, Portmann M, Reinhart AG, Falivene F, Bastien J, Worm J, Ross A, Lauer M, Ringler P, Sladojevich F, Huber S, Bleicher K, Keller M. Propensities of Fatty Acid-Modified ASOs: Self-Assembly vs Albumin Binding. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:866-879. [PMID: 37145959 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
We conducted a biophysical study to investigate the self-assembling and albumin-binding propensities of a series of fatty acid-modified locked nucleic acid (LNA) antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) gapmers specific to the MALAT1 gene. To this end, a series of biophysical techniques were applied using label-free ASOs that were covalently modified with saturated fatty acids (FAs) of varying length, branching, and 5'/3' attachment. Using analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), we demonstrate that ASOs conjugated with fatty acids longer than C16 exhibit an increasing tendency to form self-assembled vesicular structures. The C16 to C24 conjugates interacted via the fatty acid chains with mouse and human serum albumin (MSA/HSA) to form stable adducts with near-linear correlation between FA-ASO hydrophobicity and binding strength to mouse albumin. This was not observed for the longer fatty acid chain ASO conjugates (>C24) under the experimental conditions applied. The longer FA-ASO however adopted self-assembled structures with increasing intrinsic stabilities proportional to the fatty acid chain length. For instance, FA chain lengths smaller than C24 readily formed self-assembled structures containing 2 (C16), 6 (C22, bis-C12), and 12 (C24) monomers, as measured by analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). Incubation with albumin disrupted these supramolecular architectures to form FA-ASO/albumin complexes mostly with 2:1 stoichiometry and binding affinities in the low micromolar range, as determined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). Binding of FA-ASOs underwent a biphasic pattern for medium-length FA chain lengths (>C16) with an initial endothermic phase of particulate disruption, followed by an exothermic binding event to the albumin. Conversely, ASO modified with di-palmitic acid (C32) formed a strong, hexameric complex. This structure was not disrupted when incubated with albumin under conditions above the critical nanoparticle concentration (CNC; <0.4 μM). It is noteworthy that the interaction of parent, fatty acid-free malat1 ASO to albumin was below detectability by ITC (KD ≫150 μM). This work demonstrates that the nature of mono- vs multimeric structures of hydrophobically modified ASOs is governed by the hydrophobic effect. Consequently, supramolecular assembly to form particulate structures is a direct consequence of the fatty acid chain length. This provides opportunities to exploit the concept of hydrophobic modification to influence pharmacokinetics (PK) and biodistribution for ASOs in two ways: (1) binding of the FA-ASO to albumin as a carrier vehicle and (2) self-assembly resulting in albumin-inert, supramolecular architectures. Both concepts create opportunities to influence biodistribution, receptor interaction, uptake mechanism, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) properties in vivo, potentially enabling access to extrahepatic tissues in sufficient concentration to treat disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric-André Kusznir
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, Lead Discovery, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Christophe Hau
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, Lead Discovery, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michaela Portmann
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, pCMC, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Gaëlle Reinhart
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, pCMC, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabio Falivene
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, pCMC, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Bastien
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, RMR, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jesper Worm
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, RMR, Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Fremtidsvej 3, 2970 Hoersholm, Denmark
| | - Alfred Ross
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, pCMC, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Lauer
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, Lead Discovery, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Ringler
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, CH - 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Filippo Sladojevich
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, pCMC, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sylwia Huber
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, Lead Discovery, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Konrad Bleicher
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, RMR, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Keller
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, pCMC, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
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16
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Wang D, Li Y, Deng X, Torre M, Zhang Z, Li X, Zhang W, Cullion K, Kohane DS, Weldon CB. An aptamer-based depot system for sustained release of small molecule therapeutics. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2444. [PMID: 37117194 PMCID: PMC10147605 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Delivery of hydrophilic small molecule therapeutics by traditional drug delivery systems is challenging. Herein, we have used the specific interaction between DNA aptamers and drugs to create simple and effective drug depot systems. The specific binding of a phosphorothioate-modified aptamer to drugs formed non-covalent aptamer/drug complexes, which created a sustained release system. We demonstrated the effectiveness of this system with small hydrophilic molecules, the site 1 sodium channel blockers tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin. The aptamer-based delivery system greatly prolonged the duration of local anesthesia and reduced systemic toxicity. The beneficial effects of the aptamers were restricted to the compounds they were specific to. These studies establish aptamers as a class of highly specific, modifiable drug delivery systems, and demonstrate potential usefulness in the management of postoperative pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dali Wang
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yang Li
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xiaoran Deng
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Matthew Torre
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Zipei Zhang
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xiyu Li
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kathleen Cullion
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Daniel S Kohane
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Christopher B Weldon
- Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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17
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Hall J. Future directions for medicinal chemistry in the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:423-433. [PMID: 36693762 PMCID: PMC10019366 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079511.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics has matured, with the regulatory approval of several single-stranded and double-stranded RNA drugs. In this Perspective, I discuss enabling developments and likely future directions in the field from the perspective of oligonucleotide chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Hall
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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18
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Bi S, Chen W, Fang Y, Wang Y, Zhang Q, Guo H, Ju H, Liu Y. Cancer Cell-Selective Membrane Receptor Clustering Driven by VEGF Secretion for In Vivo Therapy. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:5041-5052. [PMID: 36815672 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c10428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Clustering of cell membrane receptors regulates cell behaviors. Although receptor clustering plans have achieved wide applications in cancer therapy, it still remains challenging to manipulate receptor clustering selectively for cancer cells with little influence on normal cells. Here, we design a Raji cell Selective MAnipulation of Receptor Clustering (SMARC) strategy for CD20, which is driven by endogenous secretion of Raji cells. Retractable DNA nanostrings with repeating hairpin-structured units are anchored to the cell membrane CD20, which contract in response to Raji cell-secreted vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with corresponding CD20 clustering. The contraction of DNA nanostrings is intensified via a VEGF amplifier including DNA cyclic reactions to continuously trigger the foldings of hairpin-structured units in DNA nanostrings. The SMARC strategy shows selective and efficient apoptosis of Raji cells with little interference to normal B cells and demonstrates good in vivo therapeutic efficacy, which provides a promising tool for precise cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyi Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Yanyun Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yingfei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Hongqian Guo
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Huangxian Ju
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Ying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.,Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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19
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Wang R, Wang X, Xie S, Zhang Y, Ji D, Zhang X, Cui C, Jiang J, Tan W. Molecular elements: novel approaches for molecular building. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220024. [PMID: 36633277 PMCID: PMC9835600 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Classically, a molecular element (ME) is a pure substance composed of two or more atoms of the same element. However, MEs, in the context of this review, can be any molecules as elements bonded together into the backbone of synthetic oligonucleotides (ONs) with designed sequences and functions, including natural A, T, C, G, U, and unnatural bases. The use of MEs can facilitate the synthesis of designer molecules and smart materials. In particular, we discuss the landmarks associated with DNA structure and related technologies, as well as the extensive application of ONs, the ideal type of molecules for intervention therapy aimed at correcting disease-causing genetic errors (indels). It is herein concluded that the discovery of ON therapeutics and the fabrication of designer molecules or nanostructures depend on the ME concept that we previously published. Accordingly, ME will be our focal point as we discuss related research directions and perspectives in making molecules and materials. This article is part of the theme issue 'Reactivity and mechanism in chemical and synthetic biology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruowen Wang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China,Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, and Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, People's Republic of China,Department of Chemistry, Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/Nano Interface, Health Cancer Center, University of Florida Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200, USA
| | - Xueqiang Wang
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, People's Republic of China,Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, and Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Sitao Xie
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, People's Republic of China,Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, and Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanyan Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China
| | - Dingkun Ji
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaobing Zhang
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, and Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng Cui
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, and Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, People's Republic of China,Department of Chemistry, Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/Nano Interface, Health Cancer Center, University of Florida Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200, USA
| | - Jianhui Jiang
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, and Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Weihong Tan
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China,Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, People's Republic of China,Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, and Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, People's Republic of China,Department of Chemistry, Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/Nano Interface, Health Cancer Center, University of Florida Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200, USA
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20
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Hoogenboezem EN, Patel SS, Cavnar AB, Lo JH, Babb LM, Francini N, Patil P, Colazo JM, Michell DL, Sanchez VM, McCune JT, Ma J, DeJulius CR, Lee LH, Rosch JC, Allen RM, Stokes LD, Hill JL, Vickers KC, Cook RS, Duvall CL. Structural Optimization of siRNA Conjugates for Albumin Binding Achieves Effective MCL1-Targeted Cancer Therapy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.14.528574. [PMID: 36824780 PMCID: PMC9948981 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.14.528574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
The high potential for therapeutic application of siRNAs to silence traditionally undruggable oncogenic drivers remains largely untapped due to the challenges of tumor cell delivery. Here, siRNAs were optimized for in situ binding to albumin through C18 lipid modifications to improve pharmacokinetics and tumor delivery. Systematic variation of siRNA conjugates revealed a lead structure with divalent C18 lipids each linked through three repeats of hexaethylene glycol connected by phosphorothioate bonds. Importantly, we discovered that locating the branch site of the divalent lipid structure proximally (adjacent to the RNA) rather than at a more distal site (after the linker segment) promotes association with albumin, while minimizing self-assembly and lipoprotein association. Comparison to higher albumin affinity (diacid) lipid variants and siRNA directly conjugated to albumin underscored the importance of conjugate hydrophobicity and reversibility of albumin binding for siRNA delivery and bioactivity in tumors. The lead conjugate increased tumor siRNA accumulation 12-fold in orthotopic mouse models of triple negative breast cancer over the parent siRNA. When applied for silencing of the anti-apoptotic oncogene MCL-1, this structure achieved approximately 80% MCL1 silencing in orthotopic breast tumors. Furthermore, application of the lead conjugate structure to target MCL1 yielded better survival outcomes in three independent, orthotopic, triple negative breast cancer models than an MCL1 small molecule inhibitor. These studies provide new structure-function insights on optimally leveraging siRNA-lipid conjugate structures that associate in situ with plasma albumin for molecular-targeted cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shrusti S. Patel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Ashley B. Cavnar
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Justin H. Lo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Lauren M. Babb
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Nora Francini
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Prarthana Patil
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Juan M. Colazo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | | | - Violeta M. Sanchez
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Joshua T. McCune
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Jinqi Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | | | | | - Jonah C. Rosch
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Ryan M. Allen
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Larry D. Stokes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Jordan L. Hill
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Kasey C. Vickers
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Rebecca S. Cook
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Craig L. Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
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21
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Rybarczyk A, Lehmann T, Iwańczyk-Skalska E, Juzwa W, Pławski A, Kopciuch K, Blazewicz J, Jagodziński PP. In silico and in vitro analysis of the impact of single substitutions within EXO-motifs on Hsa-MiR-1246 intercellular transfer in breast cancer cell. J Appl Genet 2023; 64:105-124. [PMID: 36394782 PMCID: PMC9837009 DOI: 10.1007/s13353-022-00730-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
MiR-1246 has recently gained much attention and many studies have shown its oncogenic role in colorectal, breast, lung, and ovarian cancers. However, miR-1246 processing, stability, and mechanisms directing miR-1246 into neighbor cells remain still unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of single-nucleotide substitutions within short exosome sorting motifs - so-called EXO-motifs: GGAG and GCAG present in miR-1246 sequence on its intracellular stability and extracellular transfer. We applied in silico methods such as 2D and 3D structure analysis and modeling of protein interactions. We also performed in vitro validation through the transfection of fluorescently labeled miRNA to MDA-MB-231 cells, which we analyzed by flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. Our results suggest that nucleotides alterations that disturbed miR-1246 EXO-motifs were able to modulate miRNA-1246 stability and its transfer level to the neighboring cells, suggesting that the molecular mechanism of RNA stability and intercellular transfer can be closely related.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Rybarczyk
- Institute of Computing Science, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 2, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
| | - Tomasz Lehmann
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Fredry 10, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
| | - Ewa Iwańczyk-Skalska
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Fredry 10, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
| | - Wojciech Juzwa
- Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 48, 60-627 Poznan, Poland
| | - Andrzej Pławski
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszyńska 32, 60-479 Poznan, Poland
| | - Kamil Kopciuch
- Institute of Computing Science, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 2, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
| | - Jacek Blazewicz
- Institute of Computing Science, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 2, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Paweł P. Jagodziński
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Fredry 10, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
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22
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Wong KH, Lal SK. Alternative antiviral approaches to combat influenza A virus. Virus Genes 2023; 59:25-35. [PMID: 36260242 PMCID: PMC9832087 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-022-01935-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Influenza A (IAV) is a major human respiratory pathogen that contributes to a significant threat to health security, worldwide. Despite vaccinations and previous immunisations through infections, humans can still be infected with influenza several times throughout their lives. This phenomenon is attributed to the antigenic changes of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins in IAV via genetic mutation and reassortment, conferring antigenic drift and antigenic shift, respectively. Numerous findings indicate that slow antigenic drift and reassortment-derived antigenic shift exhibited by IAV are key processes that allow IAVs to overcome the previously acquired host immunity, which eventually leads to the annual re-emergence of seasonal influenza and even pandemic influenza, in rare occasions. As a result, current therapeutic options hit a brick wall quickly. As IAV remains a constant threat for new outbreaks worldwide, the underlying processes of genetic changes and alternative antiviral approaches for IAV should be further explored to improve disease management. In the light of the above, this review discusses the characteristics and mechanisms of mutations and reassortments that contribute to IAV's evolution. We also discuss several alternative RNA-targeting antiviral approaches, namely the CRISPR/Cas13 systems, RNA interference (RNAi), and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) as potential antiviral approaches against IAV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka Heng Wong
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor DE, Malaysia
| | - Sunil K Lal
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor DE, Malaysia.
- Tropical Medicine & Biology Multidisciplinary Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia.
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23
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Mráziková K, Kruse H, Mlýnský V, Auffinger P, Šponer J. Multiscale Modeling of Phosphate···π Contacts in RNA U-Turns Exposes Differences between Quantum-Chemical and AMBER Force Field Descriptions. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6182-6200. [PMID: 36454943 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Phosphate···π, also called anion···π, contacts occur between nucleobases and anionic phosphate oxygens (OP2) in r(GNRA) and r(UNNN) U-turn motifs (N = A,G,C,U; R = A,G). These contacts were investigated using state-of-the-art quantum-chemical methods (QM) to characterize their physicochemical properties and to serve as a reference to evaluate AMBER force field (AFF) performance. We found that phosphate···π interaction energies calculated with the AFF for dimethyl phosphate···nucleobase model systems are less stabilizing in comparison with double-hybrid DFT and that minimum contact distances are larger for all nucleobases. These distance stretches are also observed in large-scale AFF vs QM/MM computations and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on several r(gcGNRAgc) tetraloop hairpins when compared to experimental data extracted from X-ray/cryo-EM structures (res. ≤ 2.5 Å) using the WebFR3D bioinformatic tool. MD simulations further revealed shifted OP2/nucleobase positions. We propose that discrepancies between the QM and AFF result from a combination of missing polarization in the AFF combined with too large AFF Lennard-Jones (LJ) radii of nucleobase carbon atoms in addition to an exaggerated short-range repulsion of the r-12 LJ repulsive term. We compared these results with earlier data gathered on lone pair···π contacts in CpG Z-steps occurring in r(UNCG) tetraloops. In both instances, charge transfer calculations do not support any significant n → π* donation effects. We also investigated thiophosphate···π contacts that showed reduced stabilizing interaction energies when compared to phosphate···π contacts. Thus, we challenge suggestions that the experimentally observed enhanced thermodynamic stability of phosphorothioated r(GNRA) tetraloops can be explained by larger London dispersion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaudia Mráziková
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65Brno, Czech Republic.,National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Holger Kruse
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Mlýnský
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pascal Auffinger
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du CNRS, Strasbourg67084, France
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65Brno, Czech Republic
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24
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Sarli SL, Watts JK. Harnessing nucleic acid technologies for human health on earth and in space. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2022; 35:113-126. [PMID: 36336357 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2022.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid therapeutics are a versatile class of sequence-programmable drugs that offer a robust and clinically viable strategy to modulate expression or correct genetic defects contributing to disease. The majority of drugs currently on the market target proteins; however, proteins only represent a subset of possible disease targets. Nucleic acid therapeutics allow intuitive engagement with genome sequences providing a more direct way to target many diseases at their genetic root cause. Their clinical success depends on platform technologies which can support durable and well tolerated pharmacological activity in a given tissue. Nucleic acid drugs possess a potent combination of target specificity and adaptability required to advance drug development for many diseases. As these therapeutic technologies mature, their clinical applications can also expand access to personalized therapies for patients with rare or solo genetic diseases. Spaceflight crew members exposed to the unique hazards of spaceflight, especially those related to galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) exposure, represent another patient subset who may also benefit from nucleic acid drugs as countermeasures. In this review, we will discuss the various classes of RNA- and DNA-targeted nucleic acid drugs, provide an overview of their present-day clinical applications, and describe major strategies to improve their delivery, safety, and overall efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Sarli
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan K Watts
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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25
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Hyjek-Składanowska M, Anderson BA, Mykhaylyk V, Orr C, Wagner A, Poznański J, Skowronek K, Seth P, Nowotny M. Structures of annexin A2-PS DNA complexes show dominance of hydrophobic interactions in phosphorothioate binding. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:1409-1423. [PMID: 36124719 PMCID: PMC9943651 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of phosphorothioate (PS) linkages to the backbone of therapeutic nucleic acids substantially increases their stability and potency. It also affects their interactions with cellular proteins, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie this effect are poorly understood. Here, we report structural and biochemical studies of interactions between annexin A2, a protein that does not possess any known canonical DNA binding domains, and phosphorothioate-modified antisense oligonucleotides. We show that a unique mode of hydrophobic interactions between a sulfur atom of the phosphorothioate group and lysine and arginine residues account for the enhanced affinity of modified nucleic acid for the protein. Our results demonstrate that this mechanism of interaction is observed not only for nucleic acid-binding proteins but can also account for the association of PS oligonucleotides with other proteins. Using the anomalous diffraction of sulfur, we showed that preference for phosphorothioate stereoisomers is determined by the hydrophobic environment around the PS linkage that comes not only from protein but also from additional structural features within the ASO such as 5-Me groups on cytosine nucleobases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malwina Hyjek-Składanowska
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw 02-109, Poland
| | | | | | - Christian Orr
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Armin Wagner
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Jarosław T Poznański
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Skowronek
- Biophysics and Structural Biology Facility, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Punit Seth
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Marcin Nowotny
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +48 22 597 0717; Fax: +48 22 597 0715;
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26
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Zhang L, Liang XH, De Hoyos CL, Migawa M, Nichols JG, Freestone G, Tian J, Seth PP, Crooke ST. The Combination of Mesyl-Phosphoramidate Inter-Nucleotide Linkages and 2'- O-Methyl in Selected Positions in the Antisense Oligonucleotide Enhances the Performance of RNaseH1 Active PS-ASOs. Nucleic Acid Ther 2022; 32:401-411. [PMID: 35861704 PMCID: PMC9595634 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2022.0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that mediate RNA target degradation by RNase H1 are used as drugs to treat various diseases. Previously we found that introduction of a single 2'-O-methyl (2'-OMe) modification in position 2 of the central deoxynucleotide region of a gapmer phosphorothioate (PS) ASO, in which several residues at the termini are 2'-methoxyethyl, 2' constrained ethyl, or locked nucleic acid, dramatically reduced cytotoxicity with only modest effects on potency. More recently, we demonstrated that replacement of the PS linkage at position 2 or 3 in the gap with a mesyl-phosphoramidate (MsPA) linkage also significantly reduced toxicity without meaningful loss of potency and increased the elimination half-life of the ASOs. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the combination of MsPA linkages and 2'-OMe nucleotides on PS ASO performance. We found that two MsPA modifications at the 5' end of the gap or in the 3'-wing of a Gap 2'-OMe PS ASO substantially increased the activity of ASOs with OMe at position 2 of the gap without altering the safety profile. Such effects were observed with multiple sequences in cells and animals. Thus, the MsPA modification improves the RNase H1 cleavage rate of PS ASOs with a 2'-OMe in the gap, significantly reduces binding of proteins involved in cytotoxicity, and prolongs elimination half-lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingdi Zhang
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Xue-Hai Liang
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Cheryl Li De Hoyos
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Michael Migawa
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Joshua G Nichols
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Graeme Freestone
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Jun Tian
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Punit P Seth
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Stanley T Crooke
- Department of Core Antisense Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
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27
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Yoshida T, Morihiro K, Naito Y, Mikami A, Kasahara Y, Inoue T, Obika S. Identification of nucleobase chemical modifications that reduce the hepatotoxicity of gapmer antisense oligonucleotides. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:7224-7234. [PMID: 35801870 PMCID: PMC9303313 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, gapmer antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics are under clinical development for the treatment of various diseases, including previously intractable human disorders; however, they have the potential to induce hepatotoxicity. Although several groups have reported the reduced hepatotoxicity of gapmer ASOs following chemical modifications of sugar residues or internucleotide linkages, only few studies have described nucleobase modifications to reduce hepatotoxicity. In this study, we introduced single or multiple combinations of 17 nucleobase derivatives, including four novel derivatives, into hepatotoxic locked nucleic acid gapmer ASOs and examined their effects on hepatotoxicity. The results demonstrated successful identification of chemical modifications that strongly reduced the hepatotoxicity of gapmer ASOs. This approach expands the ability to design gapmer ASOs with optimal therapeutic profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tokuyuki Yoshida
- Division of Molecular Target and Gene Therapy Products, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Morihiro
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.,National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuki Naito
- Database Center for Life Science (DBCLS), 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.,National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Atsushi Mikami
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuuya Kasahara
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.,National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takao Inoue
- Division of Molecular Target and Gene Therapy Products, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Satoshi Obika
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.,National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
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28
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Paul A, Muralidharan A, Biswas A, Venkatesh Kamath B, Joseph A, Alex AT. siRNA Therapeutics and its Challenges: Recent Advances in Effective Delivery for Cancer Therapy. OPENNANO 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.onano.2022.100063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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29
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Li J, Wan H, Zhang H, Wang XL, Liu G, Wu G, He X, Deng Z, Zhao YL. Molecular recognition between bacterial phosphorothioate DNA and sulfur-binding domain (SBD): competition between the water cage and chalcogen-hydrophobic packet. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:9176-9187. [PMID: 35383346 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00291d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial DNA phosphorothioation (PT) physiologically and stereo-specifically replaces a non-bridging oxygen in a phosphate link with a sulfur atom, which can be recognized by a highly conserved sulfur-binding domain (SBD). Here we conducted thermodynamic integration (TI), molecular dynamics simulation, and quantum chemical calculations to decipher the specific molecular interactions between PT-DNA and SBD in Streptomyces coelicolor type IV restriction enzyme ScoMcrA. The TI-calculated binding affinity of (5'-CCGRp-PSGCCGG-3')2 is larger than that of (5'-CCGGCCGG-3')2 by about 7.4-7.7 kcal mol-1. The binding difference dominantly stems from hydration energy of non-phosphorothioate DNA (9.8-10.6 kcal mol-1) in aqueous solution, despite the persistent preference of 2.6-3.2 kcal mol-1 in the DNA-SBD MD simulations. Furthermore, the quantum chemical calculations reveal an unusual non-covalent interaction in the phosphorothioate-binding scenario, where the PS⋯NP165 chalcogen bond prevails the PS⋯HCβ vdW interactions from the adjacent residues H116-R117-Y164-P165-A168. Thus, the chalcogen-hydrophobic interaction pulls PT-DNA into the SBD binding pocket while the water cage pulls a normal DNA molecule out. The synergetic mechanism suggests the special roles of the proline pyrrolidine group in the SBD proteins, consistent with the experimental observations in the X-ray crystallography and structural bioinformatics analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Haibo Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Haoqing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Xiao-Lei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Geng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Xinyi He
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Yi-Lei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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30
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Kao CC, Nie Y, Ren S, De Costa NTTS, Pandey RK, Hong J, Smith DB, Symons JA, Beigelman L, Blatt LM. Mechanism of action of hepatitis B virus S antigen transport-inhibiting oligonucleotide polymer, STOPS, molecules. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 27:335-348. [PMID: 35024245 PMCID: PMC8717253 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A functional cure of chronic hepatitis B requires eliminating the hepatitis B virus (HBV)-encoded surface antigen (HBsAg), which can suppress immune responses. STOPS are phosphorothioated single-stranded oligonucleotides containing novel chemistries that significantly reduce HBsAgs produced by HBV-infected liver cells. The STOPS molecule ALG-10000 functions inside cells to reduce the levels of multiple HBV-encoded molecules. However, it does not bind HBV molecules. An affinity resin coupled with ALG-10000 was found to bind several proteins from liver cells harboring replicating HBV. Silencing RNAs targeting host factors SRSF1, HNRNPA2B1, GRP78 (HspA5), RPLP1, and RPLP2 reduced HBsAg levels and other HBV molecules that are concomitantly reduced by STOPS. Host proteins RPLP1/RPLP2 and GRP78 function in the translation of membrane proteins, protein folding, and degradation. ALG-10000 and the knockdowns of RPLP1/2 and GRP78 decreased the levels of HBsAg and increased their ubiquitination and proteasome degradation. GRP78, RPLP1, and RPLP2 affected HBsAg production only when HBsAg was expressed with HBV regulatory sequences, suggesting that HBV has evolved to engage with these STOPS-interacting molecules. The STOPS inhibition of HBsAg levels in HBV-infected cells occurs by sequestering cellular proteins needed for proper expression and folding of HBsAg.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Cheng Kao
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Yuchun Nie
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Suping Ren
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | - Rajendra K Pandey
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Jin Hong
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - David B Smith
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Julian A Symons
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Leonid Beigelman
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Lawrence M Blatt
- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., 1 Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
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31
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Halloy F, Biscans A, Bujold KE, Debacker A, Hill AC, Lacroix A, Luige O, Strömberg R, Sundstrom L, Vogel J, Ghidini A. Innovative developments and emerging technologies in RNA therapeutics. RNA Biol 2022; 19:313-332. [PMID: 35188077 PMCID: PMC8865321 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2022.2027150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-based therapeutics are emerging as a powerful platform for the treatment of multiple diseases. Currently, the two main categories of nucleic acid therapeutics, antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), achieve their therapeutic effect through either gene silencing, splicing modulation or microRNA binding, giving rise to versatile options to target pathogenic gene expression patterns. Moreover, ongoing research seeks to expand the scope of RNA-based drugs to include more complex nucleic acid templates, such as messenger RNA, as exemplified by the first approved mRNA-based vaccine in 2020. The increasing number of approved sequences and ongoing clinical trials has attracted considerable interest in the chemical development of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids as drugs, especially since the FDA approval of the first siRNA drug in 2018. As a result, a variety of innovative approaches is emerging, highlighting the potential of RNA as one of the most prominent therapeutic tools in the drug design and development pipeline. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive summary of current efforts in academia and industry aimed at fully realizing the potential of RNA-based therapeutics. Towards this, we introduce established and emerging RNA-based technologies, with a focus on their potential as biosensors and therapeutics. We then describe their mechanisms of action and their application in different disease contexts, along with the strengths and limitations of each strategy. Since the nucleic acid toolbox is rapidly expanding, we also introduce RNA minimal architectures, RNA/protein cleavers and viral RNA as promising modalities for new therapeutics and discuss future directions for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Halloy
- Department of Paediatrics, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Annabelle Biscans
- Oligonucleotide Chemistry, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&d, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Katherine E. Bujold
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, (Ontario), Canada
| | | | - Alyssa C. Hill
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Eth Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie Lacroix
- Sixfold Bioscience, Translation & Innovation Hub, London, UK
| | - Olivia Luige
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Roger Strömberg
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Linda Sundstrom
- Mechanistic and Structural Biology, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&d, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jörg Vogel
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (Hiri), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (Hzi), Würzburg, Germany
- RNA Biology Group, Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alice Ghidini
- Mechanistic and Structural Biology, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&d, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
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32
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Hunsicker-Wang LM, Vogt MJ, Hoogstraten CG, Cosper NJ, Davenport AM, Hendon CH, Scott RA, Britt RD, DeRose VJ. Spectroscopic characterization of Mn2+ and Cd2+ coordination to phosphorothioates in the conserved A9 metal site of the hammerhead ribozyme. J Inorg Biochem 2022; 230:111754. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2022.111754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Krakowiak A, Czernek L, Pichlak M, Kaczmarek R. Intracellular HINT1-Assisted Hydrolysis of Nucleoside 5'- O-Selenophosphate Leads to the Release of Hydrogen Selenide That Exhibits Toxic Effects in Human Cervical Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020607. [PMID: 35054788 PMCID: PMC8775712 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we present a new selenium derivative, 2′-deoxyguanosine-5′-O-selenophosphate (dGMPSe), synthesized by the oxathiaphospholane method and adapted here for the synthesis of nucleoside selenophosphates. Using biochemical assays (HPLC- and fluorescence-based), we investigated the enzymatic activity of HINT1 towards dGMPSe in comparison with the corresponding thiophosphate nucleoside, i.e., dGMPS. Both substrates showed similar kcat and a small difference in Km, and during the reactions the release of reducing agents such as H2Se and H2S were expected and detected. MTT viability assay and microscopic analysis showed that dGMPSe was toxic to HeLa cancer cells, and this cytotoxicity was due to the release of H2Se. The release of H2Se or H2S in the living cells after administration of dGMPSe and/or dGMPS, both without carrier and by electroporation, was observed using a fluorescence assay, as previously for NMPS. In conclusion, our comparative experiments with dGMPSe and dGMPS indicate that the HINT1 enzyme is capable of converting (d)NMPSe to (d)NMP and H2Se, both in vitro and intracellularly. Since the anticancer activity of various selenium compounds depends on the formation of hydrogen selenide, the actual inducer of cell death, we propose that selenium-containing nucleotides represent another option as novel compounds with anticancer therapeutic potential.
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34
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Qi S, Duan N, Khan IM, Dong X, Zhang Y, Wu S, Wang Z. Strategies to manipulate the performance of aptamers in SELEX, post-SELEX and microenvironment. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 55:107902. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Hou Y, Gan T, Fang T, Zhao Y, Luo Q, Liu X, Qi L, Zhang Y, Jia F, Han J, Li S, Wang S, Wang F. OUP accepted manuscript. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:3070-3082. [PMID: 35258624 PMCID: PMC8989551 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyridostatin (PDS) is a well-known G-quadruplex (G4) inducer and stabilizer, yet its target genes have remained unclear. Herein, applying MS proteomics strategy, we revealed PDS significantly downregulated 22 proteins but upregulated 16 proteins in HeLa cancer cells, of which the genes both contain a number of G4 potential sequences, implying that PDS regulation on gene expression is far more complicated than inducing/stabilizing G4 structures. The PDS-downregulated proteins consequently upregulated 6 proteins to activate cyclin and cell cycle regulation, suggesting that PDS itself is not a potential anticancer agent, at least toward HeLa cancer cells. Importantly, SUB1, which encodes human positive cofactor and DNA lesion sensor PC4, was downregulated by 4.76-fold. Further studies demonstrated that the downregulation of PC4 dramatically promoted the cytotoxicity of trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(thiazole)] (trans-PtTz) toward HeLa cells to a similar level of cisplatin, contributable to retarding the repair of 1,3-trans-PtTz crosslinked DNA lesion mediated by PC4. These findings not only provide new insights into better understanding on the biological functions of PDS but also implicate a strategy for the rational design of novel multi-targeting platinum anticancer drugs via conjugation of PDS as a ligand to the coordination scaffold of transplatin for battling drug resistance to cisplatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinzhu Hou
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Chemical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, 100049 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Tieliang Gan
- College of Chemical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, 100049 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Tiantian Fang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yao Zhao
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Yao Zhao. Tel: +86 010 62529069;
| | - Qun Luo
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Chemical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, 100049 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xingkai Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Chemical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, 100049 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Luyu Qi
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Chemical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, 100049 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yanyan Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Feifei Jia
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Juanjuan Han
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Shumu Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems; National Centre for Mass Spectrometry in Beijing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun North First Street, Haidian District, 100190 Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Shijun Wang
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Shijun Wang. Tel: +86 0531 89628750;
| | - Fuyi Wang
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +86 010 62529069;
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36
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Knott GJ, Chong YS, Passon DM, Liang XH, Deplazes E, Conte MR, Marshall AC, Lee M, Fox AH, Bond CS. Structural basis of dimerization and nucleic acid binding of human DBHS proteins NONO and PSPC1. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:522-535. [PMID: 34904671 PMCID: PMC8754649 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Drosophila behaviour/human splicing (DBHS) proteins are a family of RNA/DNA binding cofactors liable for a range of cellular processes. DBHS proteins include the non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein (NONO) and paraspeckle protein component 1 (PSPC1), proteins capable of forming combinatorial dimers. Here, we describe the crystal structures of the human NONO and PSPC1 homodimers, representing uncharacterized DBHS dimerization states. The structures reveal a set of conserved contacts and structural plasticity within the dimerization interface that provide a rationale for dimer selectivity between DBHS paralogues. In addition, solution X-ray scattering and accompanying biochemical experiments describe a mechanism of cooperative RNA recognition by the NONO homodimer. Nucleic acid binding is reliant on RRM1, and appears to be affected by the orientation of RRM1, influenced by a newly identified 'β-clasp' structure. Our structures shed light on the molecular determinants for DBHS homo- and heterodimerization and provide a basis for understanding how DBHS proteins cooperatively recognize a broad spectrum of RNA targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin J Knott
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Yee Seng Chong
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Daniel M Passon
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Xue-Hai Liang
- Department of Core Antisense Research, IONIS Pharmaceuticals Inc., 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Evelyne Deplazes
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Maria R Conte
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Andrew C Marshall
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Mihwa Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic 3086, Australia
| | - Archa H Fox
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.,School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Charles S Bond
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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37
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Roussis SG, Cedillo I, Rentel C. Characterizing the Diastereoisomeric Distribution of Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides by Metal Ion Complexation Chromatography, In-Series Reversed Phase-Strong Anion Exchange Chromatography, and 31P NMR. Anal Chem 2021; 93:16035-16042. [PMID: 34813705 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c03593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Replacement of a non-bridging oxygen atom of the phosphate diester linkage of an oligonucleotide by sulfur conveys pharmacokinetic benefits, such as increased nuclease resistance and enhanced protein binding. Substitution renders the internucleotide linkages chiral, and so phosphorothioate diester (PS) oligonucleotides comprise complex mixtures of diastereoisomers. Currently, chromatographic separation of individual diastereoisomers is limited to oligonucleotides that contain no more than about four or five PS linkages. The development of therapeutic PS oligonucleotides, which often contain >15 PS linkages, would be greatly aided by methods useful for assessing batch-to-batch stereo-reproducibility. To this effect, the relative sensitivities of metal ion complexation chromatography (MICC), in-series reversed phase-strong anion exchange chromatography (RP-SAX), and 31P NMR toward changes in the diastereoisomeric distributions of therapeutic PS oligonucleotides were compared. Model oligonucleotides synthesized under conditions known to impact PS stereochemistry were used to evaluate the method performance, and all three methods showed excellent sensitivity toward changes in the diastereoisomeric composition. Interactions via the solvent-accessible areas and a combination of hydrophobic and electrostatic forces may be responsible for the selectivity demonstrated by MICC and in-series RP-SAX, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stilianos G Roussis
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Ct., Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Isaiah Cedillo
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Ct., Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Claus Rentel
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Ct., Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
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38
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Welte H, Sinn P, Kovermann M. Fluorine NMR Spectroscopy Enables to Quantify the Affinity Between DNA and Proteins in Cell Lysate. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2973-2980. [PMID: 34390111 PMCID: PMC8596521 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The determination of the binding affinity quantifying the interaction between proteins and nucleic acids is of crucial interest in biological and chemical research. Here, we have made use of site-specific fluorine labeling of the cold shock protein from Bacillus subtilis, BsCspB, enabling to directly monitor the interaction with single stranded DNA molecules in cell lysate. High-resolution 19 F NMR spectroscopy has been applied to exclusively report on resonance signals arising from the protein under study. We have found that this experimental approach advances the reliable determination of the binding affinity between single stranded DNA molecules and its target protein in this complex biological environment by intertwining analyses based on NMR chemical shifts, signal heights, line shapes and simulations. We propose that the developed experimental platform offers a potent approach for the identification of binding affinities characterizing intermolecular interactions in native surroundings covering the nano-to-micromolar range that can be even expanded to in cell applications in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Welte
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078467KonstanzGermany
| | - Pia Sinn
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078467KonstanzGermany
| | - Michael Kovermann
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078467KonstanzGermany
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39
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Takahashi M, Seki M, Nashimoto M. A naked antisense oligonucleotide with phosphorothioate linkages is taken up intracellularly more efficiently but functions less effectively. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 573:140-144. [PMID: 34411896 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.08.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
We have been developing a gene silencing technology by harnessing a tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease, tRNase ZL, with antisense oligonucleotides. Here, to further improve this technology, we investigated how the length and the modifications of naked oligonucleotides affect the efficiency of their uptake by HeLa, HEK293, and HL60 cells by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. 7-30-nt Alexa-Fluor-568-labeled DNAs with phosphorothioate linkages and 7-30-nt Alexa-Fluor-568-labeled, 2'-O-methylated RNAs without phosphorothioate linkages were examined, and, on the whole, longer oligonucleotides were shown to be intracellularly taken up more efficiently. In addition, a 2'-O-methoxyethylated RNA without phosphorothioate linkages, a 2'-fluoriated RNA without phosphorothioate linkages, a 2'-O-methylated RNA with phosphorothioate linkages, and a 2'-O-methylated RNA with phosphorothioate linkages and LNA modifications of 5'-/3'-terminal nucleotides were examined. The oligonucleotides with phosphorothioate linkages were taken up by the cells more efficiently than those without the linkages. Furthermore, we examined how the phosphorothioate linkages of oligonucleotides affect their antisense effects using 22-nt anti-miR16 oligonucleotides with and without phosphorothioate linkages. The latter oligonucleotide decreased the miR16 level much more intensively than the former, although the latter was intracellularly taken up much less efficiently. These observations may be not generalized and differ depending on features of oligonucleotides and cell types. Taken together these results suggest that the productive uptake efficiency for an antisense oligonucleotide needs to be considered to select its length and modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Takahashi
- Research Institute for Healthy Living, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan
| | - Mineaki Seki
- Research Institute for Healthy Living, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan
| | - Masayuki Nashimoto
- Research Institute for Healthy Living, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan.
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40
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Anderson BA, Freestone GC, Low A, De-Hoyos CL, Iii WJD, Østergaard ME, Migawa MT, Fazio M, Wan WB, Berdeja A, Scandalis E, Burel SA, Vickers TA, Crooke ST, Swayze EE, Liang X, Seth PP. Towards next generation antisense oligonucleotides: mesylphosphoramidate modification improves therapeutic index and duration of effect of gapmer antisense oligonucleotides. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:9026-9041. [PMID: 34417625 PMCID: PMC8450106 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The PS modification enhances the nuclease stability and protein binding properties of gapmer antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and is one of very few modifications that support RNaseH1 activity. We evaluated the effect of introducing stereorandom and chiral mesyl-phosphoramidate (MsPA) linkages in the DNA gap and flanks of gapmer PS ASOs and characterized the effect of these linkages on RNA-binding, nuclease stability, protein binding, pro-inflammatory profile, antisense activity and toxicity in cells and in mice. We show that all PS linkages in a gapmer ASO can be replaced with MsPA without compromising chemical stability and RNA binding affinity but these designs reduced activity. However, replacing up to 5 PS in the gap with MsPA was well tolerated and replacing specific PS linkages at appropriate locations was able to greatly reduce both immune stimulation and cytotoxicity. The improved nuclease stability of MsPA over PS translated to significant improvement in the duration of ASO action in mice which was comparable to that of enhanced stabilized siRNA designs. Our work highlights the combination of PS and MsPA linkages as a next generation chemical platform for identifying ASO drugs with improved potency and therapeutic index, reduced pro-inflammatory effects and extended duration of effect.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Audrey Low
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael T Migawa
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Michael Fazio
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - W Brad Wan
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Andres Berdeja
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Eli Scandalis
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | | | | | - Stanley T Crooke
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Eric E Swayze
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Xuehai Liang
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Punit P Seth
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
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41
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In vivo evaluation of biodistribution and toxicity of pH-responsive strontium nanoparticles for gene delivery. JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL INVESTIGATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40005-021-00547-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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42
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Overcoming the challenges of tissue delivery for oligonucleotide therapeutics. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2021; 42:588-604. [PMID: 34020790 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2021.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic therapeutic oligonucleotides (STO) represent the third bonafide platform for drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry after small molecule and protein therapeutics. So far, thirteen STOs have been approved by regulatory agencies and over one hundred of them are in different stages of clinical trials. STOs hybridize to their target RNA or DNA in cells via Watson-Crick base pairing to exert their pharmacological effects. This unique class of therapeutic agents has the potential to target genes and gene products that are considered undruggable by other therapeutic platforms. However, STOs must overcome several extracellular and intracellular obstacles to interact with their biological RNA targets inside cells. These obstacles include degradation by extracellular nucleases, scavenging by the reticuloendothelial system, filtration by the kidney, traversing the capillary endothelium to access the tissue interstitium, cell-surface receptor-mediated endocytic uptake, and escape from endolysosomal compartments to access the nuclear and/or cytoplasmic compartments where their targets reside. In this review, we present the recent advances in this field with a specific focus on antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and siRNA therapeutics.
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43
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Liczner C, Duke K, Juneau G, Egli M, Wilds CJ. Beyond ribose and phosphate: Selected nucleic acid modifications for structure-function investigations and therapeutic applications. Beilstein J Org Chem 2021; 17:908-931. [PMID: 33981365 PMCID: PMC8093555 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.17.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past 25 years, the acceleration of achievements in the development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics has resulted in numerous new drugs making it to the market for the treatment of various diseases. Oligonucleotides with alterations to their scaffold, prepared with modified nucleosides and solid-phase synthesis, have yielded molecules with interesting biophysical properties that bind to their targets and are tolerated by the cellular machinery to elicit a therapeutic outcome. Structural techniques, such as crystallography, have provided insights to rationalize numerous properties including binding affinity, nuclease stability, and trends observed in the gene silencing. In this review, we discuss the chemistry, biophysical, and structural properties of a number of chemically modified oligonucleotides that have been explored for gene silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Liczner
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Kieran Duke
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Juneau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, and Center for Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Christopher J Wilds
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
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Warminski M, Kowalska J, Nowak E, Kubacka D, Tibble R, Kasprzyk R, Sikorski PJ, Gross JD, Nowotny M, Jemielity J. Structural Insights into the Interaction of Clinically Relevant Phosphorothioate mRNA Cap Analogs with Translation Initiation Factor 4E Reveal Stabilization via Electrostatic Thio-Effect. ACS Chem Biol 2021; 16:334-343. [PMID: 33439620 PMCID: PMC7901015 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.0c00864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
![]()
mRNA-based
therapies and vaccines constitute a disruptive technology
with the potential to revolutionize modern medicine. Chemically modified
5′ cap structures have provided access to mRNAs with superior
translational properties that could benefit the currently flourishing
mRNA field. Prime examples of compounds that enhance mRNA properties
are antireverse cap analog diastereomers that contain an O-to-S substitution
within the β-phosphate (β-S-ARCA D1 and D2), where D1
is used in clinically investigated mRNA vaccines. The compounds were
previously found to have high affinity for eukaryotic translation
initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and augment translation in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular basis for the
beneficial “thio-effect” remains unclear. Here, we employed
multiple biophysical techniques and captured 11 cap analog-eIF4E crystallographic
structures to investigate the consequences of the β-O-to-S or
-Se substitution on the interaction with eIF4E. We determined the SP/RP configurations
of β-S-ARCA and related compounds and obtained structural insights
into the binding. Unexpectedly, in both stereoisomers, the β-S/Se
atom occupies the same binding cavity between Lys162 and Arg157, indicating
that the key driving force for complex stabilization is the interaction
of negatively charged S/Se with positively charged amino acids. This
was observed for all structural variants of the cap and required significantly
different conformations of the triphosphate for each diastereomer.
This finding explains why both β-S-ARCA diastereomers have higher
affinity for eIF4E than unmodified caps. Binding affinities determined
for di-, tri-, and oligonucleotide cap analogs suggested that the
“thio-effect” was preserved in longer RNAs. Our observations
broaden the understanding of thiophosphate biochemistry and enable
the rational design of translationally active mRNAs and eIF4E-targeting
drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Warminski
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Kowalska
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Nowak
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Ksiecia Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dorota Kubacka
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ryan Tibble
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Renata Kasprzyk
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Pawel J. Sikorski
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - John D. Gross
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Marcin Nowotny
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Ksiecia Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Jemielity
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
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45
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Liang XH, De Hoyos CL, Shen W, Zhang L, Fazio M, Crooke ST. Solid-Phase Separation of Toxic Phosphorothioate Antisense Oligonucleotide-Protein Nucleolar Aggregates Is Cytoprotective. Nucleic Acid Ther 2021; 31:126-144. [PMID: 33534636 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2020.0923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotides (PS-ASOs) interact with proteins and can localize to or induce the formation of a variety of subcellular PS-ASO-protein or PS-ASO-ribonucleoprotein aggregates. In this study, we show that these different aggregates that form with varying compositions at various concentrations in the cytosol, nucleus, and nucleolus may undergo phase separations in cells. Some aggregates can form with both nontoxic and toxic PS-ASOs, such as PS bodies, paraspeckles, and nuclear filaments. However, toxic PS-ASOs have been shown to form unique nucleolar aggregates that result in nucleolar dysfunction and apoptosis. These include liquid-like aggregates that we labeled "cloudy nucleoli" and solid-like perinucleolar filaments. Toxic nucleolar aggregates may undergo solid-phase separation and in the solid phase, protein mobility in and out of the aggregates is limited. Other aggregates appear to undergo liquid-phase separation, including paraspeckles and perinucleolar caps, in which protein mobility is negatively correlated with the binding affinity of the proteins to PS-ASOs. However, PS bodies and nuclear filaments are solid-like aggregates. Importantly, in cells that survived treatment with toxic PS-ASOs, solid-like PS-ASO aggregates accumulated, especially Hsc70-containing nucleolus-like structures, in which modest pre-rRNA transcriptional activity was retained and appeared to mitigate the nucleolar toxicity. This is the first demonstration that exogenous drugs, PS-ASOs, can form aggregates that undergo phase separations and that solid-phase separation of toxic PS-ASO-induced nucleolar aggregates is cytoprotective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Hai Liang
- Core Antisense Research and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Cheryl Li De Hoyos
- Core Antisense Research and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Wen Shen
- Core Antisense Research and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Lingdi Zhang
- Core Antisense Research and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Michael Fazio
- Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Stanley T Crooke
- Core Antisense Research and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
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46
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Zhang Z, Vögele J, Mráziková K, Kruse H, Cang X, Wöhnert J, Krepl M, Šponer J. Phosphorothioate Substitutions in RNA Structure Studied by Molecular Dynamics Simulations, QM/MM Calculations, and NMR Experiments. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:825-840. [PMID: 33467852 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c10192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorothioates (PTs) are important chemical modifications of the RNA backbone where a single nonbridging oxygen of the phosphate is replaced with a sulfur atom. PT can stabilize RNAs by protecting them from hydrolysis and is commonly used as a tool to explore their function. It is, however, unclear what basic physical effects PT has on RNA stability and electronic structure. Here, we present molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, quantum mechanical (QM) calculations, and NMR spectroscopy measurements, exploring the effects of PT modifications in the structural context of the neomycin-sensing riboswitch (NSR). The NSR is the smallest biologically functional riboswitch with a well-defined structure stabilized by a U-turn motif. Three of the signature interactions of the U-turn: an H-bond, an anion-π interaction, and a potassium binding site; are formed by RNA phosphates, making the NSR an ideal model for studying how PT affects RNA structure and dynamics. By comparing with high-level QM calculations, we reveal the distinct physical properties of the individual interactions facilitated by the PT. The sulfur substitution, besides weakening the direct H-bond interaction, reduces the directionality of H-bonding while increasing its dispersion and induction components. It also reduces the induction and increases the dispersion component of the anion-π stacking. The sulfur force-field parameters commonly employed in the literature do not reflect these distinctions, leading to the unsatisfactory description of PT in simulations of the NSR. We show that it is not possible to accurately describe the PT interactions using one universal set of van der Waals sulfur parameters and provide suggestions for improving the force-field performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyue Zhang
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jennifer Vögele
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences and Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Klaudia Mráziková
- Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Kralovopolska 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Holger Kruse
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Kralovopolska 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Xiaohui Cang
- Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Jens Wöhnert
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences and Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Miroslav Krepl
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Kralovopolska 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Kralovopolska 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
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47
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McKenzie LK, El-Khoury R, Thorpe JD, Damha MJ, Hollenstein M. Recent progress in non-native nucleic acid modifications. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:5126-5164. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cs01430c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
While Nature harnesses RNA and DNA to store, read and write genetic information, the inherent programmability, synthetic accessibility and wide functionality of these nucleic acids make them attractive tools for use in a vast array of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke K. McKenzie
- Institut Pasteur
- Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry
- Laboratory for Bioorganic Chemistry of Nucleic Acids
- CNRS UMR3523
- 75724 Paris Cedex 15
| | | | | | | | - Marcel Hollenstein
- Institut Pasteur
- Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry
- Laboratory for Bioorganic Chemistry of Nucleic Acids
- CNRS UMR3523
- 75724 Paris Cedex 15
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48
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Pallan PS, Lybrand TP, Schlegel MK, Harp JM, Jahns H, Manoharan M, Egli M. Incorporating a Thiophosphate Modification into a Common RNA Tetraloop Motif Causes an Unanticipated Stability Boost. Biochemistry 2020; 59:4627-4637. [PMID: 33275419 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
GNRA (N = A, C, G, or U; R = A or G) tetraloops are common RNA secondary structural motifs and feature a phosphate stacked atop a nucleobase. The rRNA sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) is capped by GApGA, and the phosphate p stacks on G. We recently found that regiospecific incorporation of a single dithiophosphate (PS2) but not a monothiophosphate (PSO) instead of phosphate in the backbone of RNA aptamers dramatically increases the binding affinity for their targets. In the RNA:thrombin complex, the key contribution to the 1000-fold tighter binding stems from an edge-on contact between PS2 and a phenylalanine ring. Here we investigated the consequences of replacing the SRL phosphate engaged in a face-on interaction with guanine with either PS2 or PSO for stability. We found that PS2···G and Rp-PSO···G contacts stabilize modified SRLs compared to the parent loop to unexpected levels: up to 6.3 °C in melting temperature Tm and -4.7 kcal/mol in ΔΔG°. Crystal structures demonstrate that the vertical distance to guanine for the closest sulfur is just 0.05 Å longer on average compared to that of oxygen despite the larger van der Waals radius of the former (1.80 Å for S vs 1.52 Å for O). The higher stability is enthalpy-based, and the negative charge as assessed by a neutral methylphosphonate modification plays only a minor role. Quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations are supportive of favorable dispersion attraction interactions by sulfur making the dominant contribution. A stacking interaction between phosphate and guanine (SRL) or uracil (U-turn) is also found in newly classified RNA tetraloop families besides GNRA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mark K Schlegel
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Hartmut Jahns
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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49
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Jain S, Kaur J, Prasad S, Roy I. Nucleic acid therapeutics: a focus on the development of aptamers. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 16:255-274. [PMID: 32990095 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2021.1829587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aptamers provide exciting opportunities for the development of specific and targeted therapeutic approaches. AREAS COVERED In this review, the authors discuss different therapeutic options available with nucleic acids, including aptamers, focussing on similarities and differences between them. The authors concentrate on case studies with specific aptamers, which exemplify their distinct advantages. The reasons for failure, wherever available, are deliberated upon. Attempts to accelerate the in vitro selection process have been discussed. Challenges with aptamers in terms of their specificity and targeted delivery and strategies to overcome these are described. Examples of precise regulation of systemic half-life of aptamers using antidotes are discussed. EXPERT OPINION Despite their nontoxic nature, a variety of reasons limit the therapeutic potential of aptamers in the clinic. The analysis of adverse effects observed with the pegnivacogin/anivamersen pair has highlighted the need to screen for preexisting PEG antibodies in any clinical trial involving pegylated molecules. Surprisingly, and promisingly, the ability of nucleic acid therapeutics to breach the blood brain barrier seems achievable. The recognition of specific motifs, e.g. G-quadruplex in thrombin-binding aptamers, or a 'nucleation' zone while designing aptamer-antidote pairs, is likely to accelerate the discovery of therapeutically efficacious molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Jain
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Punjab, India
| | - Jaskirat Kaur
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Punjab, India
| | - Shivcharan Prasad
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Punjab, India
| | - Ipsita Roy
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Punjab, India
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50
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Ochoa S, Milam VT. Modified Nucleic Acids: Expanding the Capabilities of Functional Oligonucleotides. Molecules 2020; 25:E4659. [PMID: 33066073 PMCID: PMC7587394 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25204659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last three decades, oligonucleotides have been extensively investigated as probes, molecular ligands and even catalysts within therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The narrow chemical repertoire of natural nucleic acids, however, imposes restrictions on the functional scope of oligonucleotides. Initial efforts to overcome this deficiency in chemical diversity included conservative modifications to the sugar-phosphate backbone or the pendant base groups and resulted in enhanced in vivo performance. More importantly, later work involving other modifications led to the realization of new functional characteristics beyond initial intended therapeutic and diagnostic prospects. These results have inspired the exploration of increasingly exotic chemistries highly divergent from the canonical nucleic acid chemical structure that possess unnatural physiochemical properties. In this review, the authors highlight recent developments in modified oligonucleotides and the thrust towards designing novel nucleic acid-based ligands and catalysts with specifically engineered functions inaccessible to natural oligonucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Ochoa
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA;
| | - Valeria T. Milam
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA;
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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