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Höing A, Struth R, Beuck C, Rafieiolhosseini N, Hoffmann D, Stauber RH, Bayer P, Niemeyer J, Knauer SK. Dual activity inhibition of threonine aspartase 1 by a single bisphosphate ligand. RSC Adv 2022; 12:34176-34184. [PMID: 36545626 PMCID: PMC9709806 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra06019a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapy resistance remains a challenge for the clinics. Here, dual-active chemicals that simultaneously inhibit independent functions in disease-relevant proteins are desired though highly challenging. As a model, we here addressed the unique protease threonine aspartase 1, involved in various cancers. We hypothesized that targeting basic residues in its bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) by precise bisphosphate ligands inhibits additional steps required for protease activity. We report the bisphosphate anionic bivalent inhibitor 11d, selectively binding to the basic NLS cluster (220KKRR223) with high affinity (K D = 300 nM), thereby disrupting its interaction and function with Importin α (IC50 = 6 μM). Cell-free assays revealed that 11d additionally affected the protease's catalytic substrate trans-cleavage activity. Importantly, functional assays comprehensively demonstrated that 11d inhibited threonine aspartase 1 also in living tumor cells. We demonstrate for the first time that intracellular interference with independent key functions in a disease-relevant protein by an inhibitor binding to a single site is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Höing
- Molecular Biology II, Center of Medical Biotechnology (ZMB)/Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 545141 EssenGermany
| | - Robin Struth
- Organic Chemistry, Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 745141 EssenGermany
| | - Christine Beuck
- Structural and Medicinal Biochemistry, Center for Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 545141 EssenGermany
| | - Neda Rafieiolhosseini
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biophysics, Center for Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 545141 EssenGermany
| | - Daniel Hoffmann
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biophysics, Center for Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 545141 EssenGermany
| | - Roland H. Stauber
- Molecular and Cellular Oncology/ENT, University Medical Center Mainz (UMM)Langenbeckstrasse 155101 MainzGermany
| | - Peter Bayer
- Structural and Medicinal Biochemistry, Center for Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 545141 EssenGermany
| | - Jochen Niemeyer
- Organic Chemistry, Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 745141 EssenGermany
| | - Shirley K. Knauer
- Molecular Biology II, Center of Medical Biotechnology (ZMB)/Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 545141 EssenGermany
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Höing A, Kirupakaran A, Beuck C, Pörschke M, Niemeyer FC, Seiler T, Hartmann L, Bayer P, Schrader T, Knauer SK. Recognition of a Flexible Protein Loop in Taspase 1 by Multivalent Supramolecular Tweezers. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:4504-4518. [PMID: 36200481 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Many natural proteins contain flexible loops utilizing well-defined complementary surface regions of their interacting partners and usually undergo major structural rearrangements to allow perfect binding. The molecular recognition of such flexible structures is still highly challenging due to the inherent conformational dynamics. Notably, protein-protein interactions are on the other hand characterized by a multivalent display of complementary binding partners to enhance molecular affinity and specificity. Imitating this natural concept, we here report the rational design of advanced multivalent supramolecular tweezers that allow addressing two lysine and arginine clusters on a flexible protein surface loop. The protease Taspase 1, which is involved in cancer development, carries a basic bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) and thus interacts with Importin α, a prerequisite for proteolytic activation. Newly established synthesis routes enabled us to covalently fuse several tweezer molecules into multivalent NLS ligands. The resulting bi- up to pentavalent constructs were then systematically compared in comprehensive biochemical assays. In this series, the stepwise increase in valency was robustly reflected by the ligands' gradually enhanced potency to disrupt the interaction of Taspase 1 with Importin α, correlated with both higher binding affinity and inhibition of proteolytic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Höing
- Molecular Biology II, Center of Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Abbna Kirupakaran
- Institute of Organic Chemistry I, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 7, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Christine Beuck
- Structural and Medicinal Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Marius Pörschke
- Structural and Medicinal Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Felix C Niemeyer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry I, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 7, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Theresa Seiler
- Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Laura Hartmann
- Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Peter Bayer
- Structural and Medicinal Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas Schrader
- Institute of Organic Chemistry I, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 7, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Shirley K Knauer
- Molecular Biology II, Center of Medical Biotechnology (ZMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
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Closantel is an allosteric inhibitor of human Taspase1. iScience 2021; 24:103524. [PMID: 34934933 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103524] [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: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Dimerization of Taspase1 activates an intrinsic serine protease function that leads to the catalytic Thr234 residue, which allows to catalyze the consensus sequence Q-3X-2D-1⋅G1X2D3D4, present in Trithorax family members and TFIIA. Noteworthy, Taspase1 performs only a single hydrolytic step on substrate proteins, which makes it impossible to screen for inhibitors in a classical screening approach. Here, we report the development of an HTRF reporter assay that allowed the identification of an inhibitor, Closantel sodium, that inhibits Taspase1 in a noncovalent fashion (IC50 = 1.6 μM). The novel inhibitor interferes with the dimerization step and/or the intrinsic serine protease function of the proenzyme. Of interest, Taspase1 is required to activate the oncogenic functions of the leukemogenic AF4-MLL fusion protein and was shown in several studies to be overexpressed in many solid tumors. Therefore, the inhibitor may be useful for further validation of Taspase1 as a target for cancer therapy.
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Gribko A, Stiefel J, Liebetanz L, Nagel SM, Künzel J, Wandrey M, Hagemann J, Stauber RH, Freese C, Gül D. IsoMAG-An Automated System for the Immunomagnetic Isolation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma-Derived Circulating Tumor Cells. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:2040. [PMID: 34829387 PMCID: PMC8623084 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11112040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND detailed information about circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as an indicator of therapy response and cancer metastasis is crucial not only for basic research but also for diagnostics and therapeutic approaches. Here, we showcase a newly developed IsoMAG IMS system with an optimized protocol for fully automated immunomagnetic enrichment of CTCs, also revealing rare CTC subpopulations. METHODS using different squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, we developed an isolation protocol exploiting highly efficient EpCAM-targeting magnetic beads for automated CTC enrichment by the IsoMAG IMS system. By FACS analysis, we analyzed white blood contamination usually preventing further downstream analysis of enriched cells. RESULTS 1 µm magnetic beads with tosyl-activated hydrophobic surface properties were found to be optimal for automated CTC enrichment. More than 86.5% and 95% of spiked cancer cells were recovered from both cell culture media or human blood employing our developed protocol. In addition, contamination with white blood cells was minimized to about 1200 cells starting from 7.5 mL blood. Finally, we showed that the system is applicable for HNSCC patient samples and characterized isolated CTCs by immunostaining using a panel of tumor markers. CONCLUSION Herein, we demonstrate that the IsoMAG system allows the detection and isolation of CTCs from HNSCC patient blood for disease monitoring in a fully-automated process with a significant leukocyte count reduction. Future developments seek to integrate the IsoMAG IMS system into an automated microfluidic-based isolation workflow to further facilitate single CTC detection also in clinical routine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Gribko
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (A.G.); (S.M.N.); (M.W.); (J.H.); (R.H.S.)
| | - Janis Stiefel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM, Carl-Zeiss-Str. 18-20, 55129 Mainz, Germany; (J.S.); (L.L.)
| | - Lana Liebetanz
- Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM, Carl-Zeiss-Str. 18-20, 55129 Mainz, Germany; (J.S.); (L.L.)
| | - Sophie Madeleine Nagel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (A.G.); (S.M.N.); (M.W.); (J.H.); (R.H.S.)
| | - Julian Künzel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany;
| | - Madita Wandrey
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (A.G.); (S.M.N.); (M.W.); (J.H.); (R.H.S.)
| | - Jan Hagemann
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (A.G.); (S.M.N.); (M.W.); (J.H.); (R.H.S.)
| | - Roland H. Stauber
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (A.G.); (S.M.N.); (M.W.); (J.H.); (R.H.S.)
| | - Christian Freese
- Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM, Carl-Zeiss-Str. 18-20, 55129 Mainz, Germany; (J.S.); (L.L.)
| | - Désirée Gül
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (A.G.); (S.M.N.); (M.W.); (J.H.); (R.H.S.)
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Gül D, Habtemichael N, Dietrich D, Dietrich J, Gößwein D, Khamis A, Deuss E, Künzel J, Schneider G, Strieth S, Stauber RH. Identification of cytokeratin24 as a tumor suppressor for the management of head and neck cancer. Biol Chem 2021; 403:869-890. [PMID: 34450690 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
To improve management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients, we need to increase our understanding of carcinogenesis, to identify biomarkers, and drug targets. This study aimed to identify novel biomarkers by providing transcriptomics profiles of matched primary tumors, lymph node metastasis, and non-malignant tissue of 20 HNSCC patients as well as by bioinformatic analyses of a TCGA HNSCC cohort, comprising 554 patients. We provide cancer cell signaling networks differentially expressed in tumors versus metastases, such as mesenchymal-epithelial transition, and structural integrity networks. As a proof of principle study, we exploited the data sets and performed functional analyses of a novel cytokeratin, cytokeratin24 (cKRT24), which had not been described as biomarker for tumors before. Survival analysis revealed that low cKRT24 expression correlated with poor overall survival in HNSCC. Experimentally, downregulation of cKRT24 in primary tumors, metastases, and HNSCC cell lines was verified on mRNA and protein level. Cloning and ectopic overexpression of cKRT24 not only affected viability and growth of HNSSC cell lines, but also inhibited tumor growth in murine xenograft studies. We conclude that cKRT24 functions as a tumor suppressor in HNSCC, and may serve as an additional prognostic biomarker and novel target to support current HNSCC treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Désirée Gül
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University Medical Center, D-55131Mainz, Germany
| | - Negusse Habtemichael
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University Medical Center, D-55131Mainz, Germany
| | - Dimo Dietrich
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology,University Medical Center Bonn, D-53127Bonn, Germany
| | - Jörn Dietrich
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology,University Medical Center Bonn, D-53127Bonn, Germany
| | - Dorothee Gößwein
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University Medical Center, D-55131Mainz, Germany
| | - Aya Khamis
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University Medical Center, D-55131Mainz, Germany
| | - Eric Deuss
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University Medical Center, D-55131Mainz, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital, D-45147Essen, Germany
| | - Julian Künzel
- Ear, Nose and Throat Department, University Hospital, D-93053Regensburg, Germany
| | - Günter Schneider
- Ear, Nose and Throat Department, University Hospital, D-93053Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Strieth
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology,University Medical Center Bonn, D-53127Bonn, Germany
| | - Roland H Stauber
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University Medical Center, D-55131Mainz, Germany
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TASP1 Promotes Proliferation and Migration in Gastric Cancer via EMT and AKT/P-AKT Pathway. J Immunol Res 2021; 2021:5521325. [PMID: 34012990 PMCID: PMC8105097 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5521325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Threonine aspartase 1 (TASP1) was reported to function in the development of cancer. However, the regulatory mechanism of TASP1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. In this study, we determined the expression of TASP1 in tissues of GC patients, GC cells by qRT-PCR, and western blot and assessed the relationship between TASP1 and GC cell proliferation and migration via CCK-8 and transwell assay. It was found that the expression of TASP1 in GC tissues or GC cell lines was significantly higher than that in normal adjacent tissues or normal cells. The proliferation and migration of GC cells were inhibited upon TASP1 knockdown. Mechanism investigation revealed that TASP1 promoted GC cell proliferation and migration through upregulating the p-AKT/AKT expression. TASP1 induced GC cell migration via the epithelial -mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway. In conclusion, TASP1 promotes GC progression through the EMT and AKT/p-AKT pathway, and it may serve as a new potential biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.
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Künzel J, Gribko A, Lu Q, Stauber RH, Wünsch D. Nanomedical detection and downstream analysis of circulating tumor cells in head and neck patients. Biol Chem 2020; 400:1465-1479. [PMID: 30903749 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The establishment of novel biomarkers in liquid biopsies of cancer patients has come more into focus in prognostic and diagnostic research efforts. Due to their prognostic relevance disseminated tumor cells or circulating tumor cells are the subject of intensive research and are discussed as early diagnostic indicators for treatment failure and the formation of micrometastases. A potential association of this early-systemic tumor component with poor prognosis of cancer patients could be already demonstrated for various entities including breast, colon, lung, melanoma, ovarian and prostate cancers. Thus, the detection of circulating tumor cells seems to be also applicable for minimal-invasive monitoring of therapy progress in head and neck cancer patients. A major problem of the use in clinical routine is that circulating tumor cells could not be detected by modern imaging techniques. To overcome these limitations highly sensitive detection methods and techniques for their molecular characterization are urgently needed allowing mechanistic understanding and targeting of circulating tumor cells. Especially the medical application of nanotechnology (nanomedical methods) has made valuable contributions to the field. Here, we want to provide a comprehensive overview on (nanomedical) detection methods for circulating tumor cells and discuss their merits, pitfalls and future perspectives especially for head and neck solid squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Künzel
- Nanobiomedicine Department/Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/ENT, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, D-55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Alena Gribko
- Nanobiomedicine Department/Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/ENT, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, D-55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Qiang Lu
- Nanobiomedicine Department/Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/ENT, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, D-55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Roland H Stauber
- Nanobiomedicine Department/Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/ENT, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, D-55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Désirée Wünsch
- Nanobiomedicine Department/Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/ENT, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, D-55131 Mainz, Germany
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A Strategy To Isolate Modifiers of Caenorhabditis elegans Lethal Mutations: Investigating the Endoderm Specifying Ability of the Intestinal Differentiation GATA Factor ELT-2. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2018; 8:1425-1437. [PMID: 29593072 PMCID: PMC5940137 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ELT-2 GATA factor normally functions in differentiation of the C. elegans endoderm, downstream of endoderm specification. We have previously shown that, if ELT-2 is expressed sufficiently early, it is also able to specify the endoderm and to replace all other members of the core GATA-factor transcriptional cascade (END-1, END-3, ELT-7). However, such rescue requires multiple copies (and presumably overexpression) of the end-1p::elt-2 cDNA transgene; a single copy of the transgene does not rescue. We have made this observation the basis of a genetic screen to search for genetic modifiers that allow a single copy of the end-1p::elt-2 cDNA transgene to rescue the lethality of the end-1end-3 double mutant. We performed this screen on a strain that has a single copy insertion of the transgene in an end-1end-3 background. These animals are kept alive by virtue of an extrachromosomal array containing multiple copies of the rescuing transgene; the extrachromosomal array also contains a toxin under heat shock control to counterselect for mutagenized survivors that have been able to lose the rescuing array. A screen of ∼14,000 mutagenized haploid genomes produced 17 independent surviving strains. Whole genome sequencing was performed to identify genes that incurred independent mutations in more than one surviving strain. The C. elegans gene tasp-1 was mutated in four independent strains. tasp-1 encodes the C. elegans homolog of Taspase, a threonine-aspartic acid protease that has been found, in both mammals and insects, to cleave several proteins involved in transcription, in particular MLL1/trithorax and TFIIA. A second gene, pqn-82, was mutated in two independent strains and encodes a glutamine-asparagine rich protein. tasp-1 and pqn-82 were verified as loss-of-function modifiers of the end-1p::elt-2 transgene by RNAi and by CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations. In both cases, gene loss leads to modest increases in the level of ELT-2 protein in the early endoderm although ELT-2 levels do not strictly correlate with rescue. We suggest that tasp-1 and pqn-82 represent a class of genes acting in the early embryo to modulate levels of critical transcription factors or to modulate the responsiveness of critical target genes. The screen’s design, rescuing lethality with an extrachromosomal transgene followed by counterselection, has a background survival rate of <10−4 without mutagenesis and should be readily adapted to the general problem of identifying suppressors of C. elegans lethal mutations.
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