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Shiekh S, Kodikara SG, Balci H. Structure, Topology, and Stability of Multiple G-quadruplexes in Long Telomeric Overhangs. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168205. [PMID: 37481156 PMCID: PMC10799177 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres and their single stranded overhangs gradually shorten with successive cell divisions, as part of the natural aging process, but can be elongated by telomerase, a nucleoprotein complex which is activated in the majority of cancers. This prominent implication in cancer and aging has made the repetitive telomeric sequences (TTAGGG repeats) and the G-quadruplex structures that form in their overhangs the focus of intense research in the past several decades. However, until recently most in vitro efforts to understand the structure, stability, dynamics, and interactions of telomeric overhangs had been focused on short sequences that are not representative of longer sequences encountered in a physiological setting. In this review, we will provide a broad perspective about telomeres and associated factors, and introduce the agents and structural characteristics involved in organizing, maintaining, and protecting telomeric DNA. We will also present a summary of recent research performed on long telomeric sequences, nominally defined as those that can form two or more tandem G-quadruplexes, i.e., which contain eight or more TTAGGG repeats. Results of experimental studies using a broad array of experimental tools, in addition to recent computational efforts will be discussed, particularly in terms of their implications for the stability, folding topology, and compactness of the tandem G-quadruplexes that form in long telomeric overhangs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajad Shiekh
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | | | - Hamza Balci
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
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2
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Sato K, Knipscheer P. G-quadruplex resolution: From molecular mechanisms to physiological relevance. DNA Repair (Amst) 2023; 130:103552. [PMID: 37572578 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2023.103552] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Guanine-rich DNA sequences can fold into stable four-stranded structures called G-quadruplexes or G4s. Research in the past decade demonstrated that G4 structures are widespread in the genome and prevalent in regulatory regions of actively transcribed genes. The formation of G4s has been tightly linked to important biological processes including regulation of gene expression and genome maintenance. However, they can also pose a serious threat to genome integrity especially by impeding DNA replication, and G4-associated somatic mutations have been found accumulated in the cancer genomes. Specialised DNA helicases and single stranded DNA binding proteins that can resolve G4 structures play a crucial role in preventing genome instability. The large variety of G4 unfolding proteins suggest the presence of multiple G4 resolution mechanisms in cells. Recently, there has been considerable progress in our detailed understanding of how G4s are resolved, especially during DNA replication. In this review, we first discuss the current knowledge of the genomic G4 landscapes and the impact of G4 structures on DNA replication and genome integrity. We then describe the recent progress on the mechanisms that resolve G4 structures and their physiological relevance. Finally, we discuss therapeutic opportunities to target G4 structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Sato
- Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Puck Knipscheer
- Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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3
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Vijay Kumar MJ, Morales R, Tsvetkov AS. G-quadruplexes and associated proteins in aging and Alzheimer's disease. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2023; 4:1164057. [PMID: 37323535 PMCID: PMC10267416 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2023.1164057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Aging is a prominent risk factor for many neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, memory loss, and neuropsychiatric and behavioral symptoms, accounting for most of the reported dementia cases. This disease is now becoming a major challenge and burden on modern society, especially with the aging population. Over the last few decades, a significant understanding of the pathophysiology of AD has been gained by studying amyloid deposition, hyperphosphorylated tau, synaptic dysfunction, oxidative stress, calcium dysregulation, and neuroinflammation. This review focuses on the role of non-canonical secondary structures of DNA/RNA G-quadruplexes (G4s, G4-DNA, and G4-RNA), G4-binding proteins (G4BPs), and helicases, and their roles in aging and AD. Being critically important for cellular function, G4s are involved in the regulation of DNA and RNA processes, such as replication, transcription, translation, RNA localization, and degradation. Recent studies have also highlighted G4-DNA's roles in inducing DNA double-strand breaks that cause genomic instability and G4-RNA's participation in regulating stress granule formation. This review emphasizes the significance of G4s in aging processes and how their homeostatic imbalance may contribute to the pathophysiology of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. J. Vijay Kumar
- The Department of Neurology, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- The Department of Neurology, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrey S. Tsvetkov
- The Department of Neurology, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
- UTHealth Consortium on Aging, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, United States
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4
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Papp C, Mukundan VT, Jenjaroenpun P, Winnerdy FR, Ow GS, Phan AT, Kuznetsov VA. Stable bulged G-quadruplexes in the human genome: identification, experimental validation and functionalization. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:4148-4177. [PMID: 37094040 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA sequence composition determines the topology and stability of G-quadruplexes (G4s). Bulged G-quadruplex structures (G4-Bs) are a subset of G4s characterized by 3D conformations with bulges. Current search algorithms fail to capture stable G4-B, making their genome-wide study infeasible. Here, we introduced a large family of computationally defined and experimentally verified potential G4-B forming sequences (pG4-BS). We found 478 263 pG4-BS regions that do not overlap 'canonical' G4-forming sequences in the human genome and are preferentially localized in transcription regulatory regions including R-loops and open chromatin. Over 90% of protein-coding genes contain pG4-BS in their promoter or gene body. We observed generally higher pG4-BS content in R-loops and their flanks, longer genes that are associated with brain tissue, immune and developmental processes. Also, the presence of pG4-BS on both template and non-template strands in promoters is associated with oncogenesis, cardiovascular disease and stemness. Our G4-BS models predicted G4-forming ability in vitro with 91.5% accuracy. Analysis of G4-seq and CUT&Tag data strongly supports the existence of G4-BS conformations genome-wide. We reconstructed a novel G4-B 3D structure located in the E2F8 promoter. This study defines a large family of G4-like sequences, offering new insights into the essential biological functions and potential future therapeutic uses of G4-B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Papp
- Department of Urology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Vineeth T Mukundan
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Piroon Jenjaroenpun
- Division of Bioinformatics and Data Management for Research, Research Group and Research Network Division, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR Biomedical Institutes, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fernaldo Richtia Winnerdy
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Ghim Siong Ow
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR Biomedical Institutes, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anh Tuân Phan
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371, Singapore
- NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 636921, Singapore
| | - Vladimir A Kuznetsov
- Department of Urology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR Biomedical Institutes, Singapore, Singapore
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Neupane A, Chariker JH, Rouchka EC. Structural and Functional Classification of G-Quadruplex Families within the Human Genome. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030645. [PMID: 36980918 PMCID: PMC10048163 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030645] [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: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4s) are short secondary DNA structures located throughout genomic DNA and transcribed RNA. Although G4 structures have been shown to form in vivo, no current search tools that examine these structures based on previously identified G-quadruplexes and filter them based on similar sequence, structure, and thermodynamic properties are known to exist. We present a framework for clustering G-quadruplex sequences into families using the CD-HIT, MeShClust, and DNACLUST methods along with a combination of Starcode and BLAST. Utilizing this framework to filter and annotate clusters, 95 families of G-quadruplex sequences were identified within the human genome. Profiles for each family were created using hidden Markov models to allow for the identification of additional family members and generate homology probability scores. The thermodynamic folding energy properties, functional annotation of genes associated with the sequences, scores from different prediction algorithms, and transcription factor binding motifs within a family were used to annotate and compare the diversity within and across clusters. The resulting set of G-quadruplex families can be used to further understand how different regions of the genome are regulated by factors targeting specific structures common to members of a specific cluster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryan Neupane
- School of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Julia H. Chariker
- Department of Neuroscience Training, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- Kentucky IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (KY INBRE) Bioinformatics Core, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Eric C. Rouchka
- Kentucky IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (KY INBRE) Bioinformatics Core, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(502)-852-3060
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Wang Z, Liu W, Li G, Wang J, Zhao B, Huang P, Mei W. Ruthenium(II) Complexes Coupled by Erianin via a Flexible Carbon Chain as a Potential Stabilizer of c-myc G-Quadruplex DNA. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28041529. [PMID: 36838516 PMCID: PMC9958891 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28041529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Herein, two novel ruthenium(II) complexes coupled by erianin via a flexible carbon chain, [Ru(phen)2(L1-(CH2)4-erianin)](ClO4)2 (L1 = 2-(2-(tri-fluoromethyphenyl))-imidazo [4,5f][1-10]phenanthroline (1) and [Ru(phen)2(L2-(CH2)4-eria)](ClO4)2 (L2 = 2-(4-(tri-fluoromethyphenyl))-imidazo [4,5f][1,10]phenanthroline (2), have been synthesized and investigated as a potential G-quadruplex(G4) DNA stabilizer. Both complexes, especially 2, can bind to c-myc G4 DNA with high affinity by electronic spectra, and the binding constant calculated for 1 and 2 is about 15.1 and 2.05 × 107 M-1, respectively. This was further confirmed by the increase in fluorescence intensity for both complexes. Moreover, the positive band at 265 nm in the CD spectra of c-myc G4 DNA decreased treated with 2, indicating that 2 may bind to c-myc G4 DNA through extern groove binding mode. Furthermore, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay indicated that the melting point of c-myc G4 DNA treated with 1 and 2 increased 15.5 and 16.5 °C, respectively. Finally, molecular docking showed that 1 can bind to c-myc G4 DNA in the extern groove formed by base pairs G7-G9 and G22-A24, and 2 inserts into the small groove of c-myc G4 DNA formed by base pairs T19-A24. In summary, these ruthenium(II) complexes, especially 2, can be developed as potential c-myc G4 DNA stabilizers and will be exploited as potential anticancer agents in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixiang Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wentao Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guohu Li
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jiacheng Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Southern Pharmacy, Guangdong Jiangmen Chinese Medical, Jiangmen 510047, China
- Correspondence: (B.Z.); (W.M.)
| | - Peishan Huang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wenjie Mei
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Province Engineering Technology Centre for Molecular Probe and Bio-Medical Imaging, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Correspondence: (B.Z.); (W.M.)
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Tornesello ML, Tornesello AL, Starita N, Cerasuolo A, Izzo F, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM. Telomerase: a good target in hepatocellular carcinoma? An overview of relevant preclinical data. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2022; 26:767-780. [PMID: 36369706 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2022.2147062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Noemy Starita
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Cerasuolo
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- Hepatobiliary Surgical Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale-IRCCS di Napoli, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Franco Maria Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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8
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Zhang L, Lu Y, Ma X, Xing Y, Sun J, Jia Y. The potential interplay between G-quadruplex and p53: their roles in regulation of ferroptosis in cancer. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:965924. [PMID: 35959461 PMCID: PMC9358135 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.965924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ferroptosis is a novel form of regulated cell death trigged by various biological processes, and p53 is involved in different ferroptosis regulations and functions as a crucial regulator. Both DNA and RNA can fold into G-quadruplex in GC-rich regions and increasing shreds of evidence demonstrate that G-quadruplexes have been associated with some important cellular events. Investigation of G-quadruplexes is thus vital to revealing their biological functions. Specific G-quadruplexes are investigated to discover new effective anticancer drugs. Multiple modulations have been discovered between the secondary structure G-quadruplex and p53, probably further influencing the ferroptosis in cancer. G-quadruplex binds to ferric iron-related structures directly and may affect the p53 pathways as well as ferroptosis in cancer. In addition, G-quadruplex also interacts with p53 indirectly, including iron-sulfur cluster metabolism, telomere homeostasis, lipid peroxidation, and glycolysis. In this review, we summarized the latent interplay between G-quadruplex and p53 which focused mainly on ferroptosis in cancer to provide the potential understanding and encourage future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Zhang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yi Lu
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuanxin Xing
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jinbo Sun
- Department of Neurology, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Jinbo Sun, ; Yanfei Jia,
| | - Yanfei Jia
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Jinbo Sun, ; Yanfei Jia,
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Mendes E, Aljnadi IM, Bahls B, Victor BL, Paulo A. Major Achievements in the Design of Quadruplex-Interactive Small Molecules. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15030300. [PMID: 35337098 PMCID: PMC8953082 DOI: 10.3390/ph15030300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic small molecules that can recognize and bind to G-quadruplex and i-Motif nucleic acids have great potential as selective drugs or as tools in drug target discovery programs, or even in the development of nanodevices for medical diagnosis. Hundreds of quadruplex-interactive small molecules have been reported, and the challenges in their design vary with the intended application. Herein, we survey the major achievements on the therapeutic potential of such quadruplex ligands, their mode of binding, effects upon interaction with quadruplexes, and consider the opportunities and challenges for their exploitation in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduarda Mendes
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (E.M.); (I.M.A.); (B.B.)
| | - Israa M. Aljnadi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (E.M.); (I.M.A.); (B.B.)
- Faculty of Sciences, BioISI, Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Bárbara Bahls
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (E.M.); (I.M.A.); (B.B.)
- Faculty of Sciences, BioISI, Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Bruno L. Victor
- Faculty of Sciences, BioISI, Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Alexandra Paulo
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (E.M.); (I.M.A.); (B.B.)
- Correspondence:
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Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes and Their Use as Probes and Photoreactive Agents for G-quadruplexes Labelling. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27051541. [PMID: 35268640 PMCID: PMC8912042 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to their optical and electrochemical properties, ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes have been used in a wide array of applications. Since the discovery of the light-switch ON effect of [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ when interacting with DNA, the design of new Ru(II) complexes as light-up probes for specific regions of DNA has been intensively explored. Amongst them, G-quadruplexes (G4s) are of particular interest. These structures formed by guanine-rich parts of DNA and RNA may be associated with a wide range of biological events. However, locating them and understanding their implications in biological pathways has proven challenging. Elegant approaches to tackle this challenge relies on the use of photoprobes capable of marking, reversibly or irreversibly, these G4s. Indeed, Ru(II) complexes containing ancillary π-deficient TAP ligands can create a covalently linked adduct with G4s after a photoinduced electron transfer from a guanine residue to the excited complex. Through careful design of the ligands, high selectivity of interaction with G4 structures can be achieved. This allows the creation of specific Ru(II) light-up probes and photoreactive agents for G4 labelling, which is at the core of this review composed of an introduction dedicated to a brief description of G-quadruplex structures and two main sections. The first one will provide a general picture of ligands and metal complexes interacting with G4s. The second one will focus on an exhaustive and comprehensive overview of the interactions and (photo)reactions of Ru(II) complexes with G4s.
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Jawarkar RD, Bakal RL, Khatale PN, Lewaa I, Jain CM, Manwar JV, Jaiswal MS. QSAR, pharmacophore modeling and molecular docking studies to identify structural alerts for some nitrogen heterocycles as dual inhibitor of telomerase reverse transcriptase and human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. FUTURE JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1186/s43094-021-00380-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA are amongst the favorable target for researchers to discover novel and more effective anticancer agents. To understand and elucidate structure activity relationship and mechanism of inhibition of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA, a QSAR modeling and molecular docking were conducted.
Results
Two robust QSAR model were obtained which consist of full set QSAR model (R2: 0.8174, CCCtr: 0.8995, Q2loo: 0.7881, Q2LMO: 0.7814) and divided set QSAR model (R2: 0.8217, CCCtr: 0.9021, Q2loo: 0.7886, Q2LMO: 0.7783, Q2-F1: 0.7078, Q2-F2: 0.6865, Q2-F3: 0.7346) for envisaging the inhibitory activity of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. The analysis reveals that carbon atom exactly at 3 bonds from aromatic carbon atom, nitrogen atom exactly at six bonds from planer nitrogen atom, aromatic carbon atom within 2 A0 from the center of mass of molecule and occurrence of element hydrogen within 2 A0 from donar atom are the key pharmacophoric features important for dual inhibition of TERT and human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. To validate this analysis, pharmacophore modeling and the molecular docking is performed. Molecular docking analysis support QSAR analysis and revealed that, dual inhibition of TERT and human telomeric DNA is mainly contributed from hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions.
Conclusion
The findings of molecular docking, pharmacophore modelling, and QSAR are all consistent and in strong agreement. The validated QSAR analyses can detect structural alerts, pharmacophore modelling can classify a molecule's consensus pharmacophore involving hydrophobic and acceptor regions, whereas docking analysis can reveal the mechanism of dual inhibition of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. The combination of QSAR, pharmacophore modeling and molecular docking may be useful for the future drug design of dual inhibitors to combat the devastating issue of resistance.
Graphical abstract
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12
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Zell J, Duskova K, Chouh L, Bossaert M, Chéron N, Granzhan A, Britton S, Monchaud D. Dual targeting of higher-order DNA structures by azacryptands induces DNA junction-mediated DNA damage in cancer cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:10275-10288. [PMID: 34551430 PMCID: PMC8501980 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA is intrinsically dynamic and folds transiently into alternative higher-order structures such as G-quadruplexes (G4s) and three-way DNA junctions (TWJs). G4s and TWJs can be stabilised by small molecules (ligands) that have high chemotherapeutic potential, either as standalone DNA damaging agents or combined in synthetic lethality strategies. While previous approaches have claimed to use ligands that specifically target either G4s or TWJs, we report here on a new approach in which ligands targeting both TWJs and G4s in vitro demonstrate cellular effects distinct from that of G4 ligands, and attributable to TWJ targeting. The DNA binding modes of these new, dual TWJ-/G4-ligands were studied by a panel of in vitro methods and theoretical simulations, and their cellular properties by extensive cell-based assays. We show here that cytotoxic activity of TWJ-/G4-ligands is mitigated by the DNA damage response (DDR) and DNA topoisomerase 2 (TOP2), making them different from typical G4-ligands, and implying a pivotal role of TWJs in cells. We designed and used a clickable ligand, TrisNP-α, to provide unique insights into the TWJ landscape in cells and its modulation upon co-treatments. This wealth of data was exploited to design an efficient synthetic lethality strategy combining dual ligands with clinically relevant DDR inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Zell
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l’Université de Bourgogne (ICMUB), CNRS UMR 6302, UBFC Dijon, 21078 Dijon, France
| | - Katerina Duskova
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l’Université de Bourgogne (ICMUB), CNRS UMR 6302, UBFC Dijon, 21078 Dijon, France
| | - Leïla Chouh
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196, PSL Research University, 91405 Orsay, France
- Université Paris Saclay, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Madeleine Bossaert
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), CNRS UMR 5089, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Équipe labellisée la Ligue Contre le Cancer, 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Nicolas Chéron
- Pasteur, Département de chimie, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), CNRS UMR8640, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Anton Granzhan
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196, PSL Research University, 91405 Orsay, France
- Université Paris Saclay, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Sébastien Britton
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), CNRS UMR 5089, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Équipe labellisée la Ligue Contre le Cancer, 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - David Monchaud
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l’Université de Bourgogne (ICMUB), CNRS UMR 6302, UBFC Dijon, 21078 Dijon, France
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13
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Seimiya H, Nagasawa K, Shin-Ya K. Chemical targeting of G-quadruplexes in telomeres and beyond for molecular cancer therapeutics. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 2021; 74:617-628. [PMID: 34285374 DOI: 10.1038/s41429-021-00454-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4s) are higher-order structures formed by guanine-rich sequences of nucleic acids, such as the telomeric 5'-TTAGGG-3'/5'-UUAGGG-3' repeats and those in gene regulatory regions. G4s regulate various biological events, including replication, transcription, and translation. Imbalanced G4 dynamics is associated with diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Telomestatin is a natural macrocyclic compound derived from Streptomyces anulatus 3533-SV4. It interacts with the guanine quartet via π-π stacking and potently stabilizes G4. Because G4 stabilization at the telomeric repeat inhibits the telomere-synthesizing enzyme telomerase, telomestatin was originally identified as a telomerase inhibitor. Whereas non-toxic doses of telomestatin induce gradual shortening of telomeres and eventual crisis in human cancer cells, higher doses trigger prompt replication stress and DNA damage responses, resulting in acute cell death. Suppression of the transcription and translation of G4-containing genes is also implicated in the anticancer effects of telomestatin. Because telomestatin is rare, labile, and insoluble, synthetic oxazole telomestatin derivatives have been developed and verified for their therapeutic efficacies in preclinical cancer models. Furthermore, a variety of G4-stabilizing compounds have been reported as promising seeds for molecular cancer therapeutics. To improve the design of future clinical studies, it will be important to identify predictive biomarkers of drug efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Seimiya
- Division of Molecular Biotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Kazuo Nagasawa
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Shin-Ya
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Technology Research Association for Next Generation Natural Products Chemistry, Tokyo, Japan
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14
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Jin M, Li J, Chen Y, Zhao J, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Du P, Zhang L, Lu X. Near-Infrared Small Molecule as a Specific Fluorescent Probe for Ultrasensitive Recognition of Antiparallel Human Telomere G-Quadruplexes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:32743-32752. [PMID: 34228441 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c07101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In the past 10 years, many fluorescent probes have been developed to recognize G-quadruplexes (G4s) since G4s play an important role in biological systems. However, the selectivity and sensitivity of existing probes for G4s limit their further applications. Herein, we design and synthesize a new probe (TOVJ) by introducing 9-vinyljulolidine into TO. The new probe exhibits almost no fluorescence in an aqueous solution. Upon interacting with G4s, especially the antiparallel G4s, the fluorescence intensity was greatly enhanced (maximum 2742-fold) with a large Stokes shift of 198 nm and the maximum emission peak at 694 nm (near-infrared region). TOVJ showed high sensitivity and selectivity to G4s over other DNA topologies (ssDNA/dsDNA), especially to antiparallel G4s. For antiparallel human telomere G4 detection, the limits of detection of Hum24 and 22AG Na+ were as low as 164 and 231 pM, respectively. This indicates that TOVJ is a highly sensitive fluorescence sensor that can be effectively used for antiparallel human telomere G4 detection. The result of live-cell imaging showed that TOVJ could enter live cells and locate in the mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Jin
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Chen
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Zhao
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Peiyao Du
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Libing Zhang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic, Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoquan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Bioelectrochemistry and Environmental Analysis of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, People's Republic of China
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15
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De Magis A, Kastl M, Brossart P, Heine A, Paeschke K. BG-flow, a new flow cytometry tool for G-quadruplex quantification in fixed cells. BMC Biol 2021; 19:45. [PMID: 33706790 PMCID: PMC7953821 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-00986-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nucleic acids can fold into non-canonical secondary structures named G-quadruplexes (G4s), which consist of guanine-rich sequences stacked into guanine tetrads stabilized by Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and monovalent cations. G4 structure formation and properties are well established in vitro, but potential in vivo functions remain controversial. G4s are evolutionarily enriched at distinct, functional genomic loci, and both genetic and molecular findings indicate that G4s are involved in multiple aspects of cellular homeostasis. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the function of G4 structures and the trigger signals for their formation, robust biochemical methods are needed to detect and quantify G4 structures in living cells. Currently available methods mostly rely on fluorescence microscopy or deep sequencing of immunoprecipitated DNA or RNA using G4-specific antibodies. These methods provide a clear picture of the cellular or genomic localization of G4 structures but are very time-consuming. Here, we assembled a novel protocol that uses the G4-specific antibody BG4 to quantify G4 structures by flow cytometry (BG-flow). RESULTS We describe and validate a flow cytometry-based protocol for quantifying G4 levels by using the G4-specific antibody BG4 to label standard cultured cells (Hela and THP-1) as well as primary cells obtained from human blood (peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)). We additionally determined changes in G4 levels during the cell cycle in immortalized MCF-7 cells, and validated changes previously observed in G4 levels by treating mouse macrophages with the G4-stabilizing agent pyridostatin (PDS). CONCLUSION We provide mechanistic proof that BG-flow is working in different kinds of cells ranging from mouse to humans. We propose that BG-flow can be combined with additional antibodies for cell surface markers to determine G4 structures in subpopulations of cells, which will be beneficial to address the relevance and consequences of G4 structures in mixed cell populations. This will support ongoing research that discusses G4 structures as a novel diagnostic tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio De Magis
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Melanie Kastl
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Peter Brossart
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Annkristin Heine
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katrin Paeschke
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
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16
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Kosiol N, Juranek S, Brossart P, Heine A, Paeschke K. G-quadruplexes: a promising target for cancer therapy. Mol Cancer 2021; 20:40. [PMID: 33632214 PMCID: PMC7905668 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-021-01328-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 71.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA and RNA can fold into a variety of alternative conformations. In recent years, a particular nucleic acid structure was discussed to play a role in malignant transformation and cancer development. This structure is called a G-quadruplex (G4). G4 structure formation can drive genome instability by creating mutations, deletions and stimulating recombination events. The importance of G4 structures in the characterization of malignant cells was currently demonstrated in breast cancer samples. In this analysis a correlation between G4 structure formation and an increased intratumor heterogeneity was identified. This suggests that G4 structures might allow breast cancer stratification and supports the identification of new personalized treatment options. Because of the stability of G4 structures and their presence within most human oncogenic promoters and at telomeres, G4 structures are currently tested as a therapeutic target to downregulate transcription or to block telomere elongation in cancer cells. To date, different chemical molecules (G4 ligands) have been developed that aim to target G4 structures. In this review we discuss and compare G4 function and relevance for therapeutic approaches and their impact on cancer development for three cancer entities, which differ significantly in their amount and type of mutations: pancreatic cancer, leukemia and malignant melanoma. G4 structures might present a promising new strategy to individually target tumor cells and could support personalized treatment approaches in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Kosiol
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Immune-Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan Juranek
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Immune-Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Peter Brossart
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Immune-Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Annkristin Heine
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Immune-Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katrin Paeschke
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Immune-Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
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17
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Bhari VK, Kumar D, Kumar S, Mishra R. Shelterin complex gene: Prognosis and therapeutic vulnerability in cancer. Biochem Biophys Rep 2021; 26:100937. [PMID: 33553693 PMCID: PMC7859307 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.100937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere encompasses a (TTAGGG)n tandem repeats, and its dysfunction has emerged as the epicenter of driving carcinogenesis by promoting genetic instability. Indeed, they play an essential role in stabilizing chromosomes and therefore protecting them from end-to-end fusion and DNA degradation. Telomere length homeostasis is regulated by several key players including shelterin complex genes, telomerase, and various other regulators. Targeting these regulatory players can be a good approach to combat cancer as telomere length is increasingly correlated with cancer initiation and progression. In this review, we have aimed to describe the telomere length regulator's role in prognostic significance and important drug targets in breast cancer. Moreover, we also assessed alteration in telomeric function by various telomere length regulators and compares this to the regulatory mechanisms that can be associated with clinical biomarkers in cancer. Using publicly available software we summarized mutational and CpG island prediction analysis of the TERT gene breast cancer patient database. Studies have reported that the TERT gene has prognostic significance in breast cancer progression however mechanistic approaches are not defined yet. Interestingly, we reported using the UCSC Xena web-based tool, we confirmed a positive correlation of shelterin complex genes TERF1 and TERF2 in recurrent free survival, indicating the critical role of these genes in breast cancer prognosis. Moreover, the epigenetic landscape of DNA damage repair genes in different breast cancer subtypes also being analyzed using the UCSC Xena database. Together, these datasets provide a comprehensive resource for shelterin complex gene profiles and define epigenetic landscapes of DNA damage repair genes which reveals the key role of shelterin complex genes in breast cancer with the potential to identify novel and actionable targets for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Kumar Bhari
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Durgesh Kumar
- Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Surendra Kumar
- Department of Neurology, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Rajeev Mishra
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
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18
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Zell J, Rota Sperti F, Britton S, Monchaud D. DNA folds threaten genetic stability and can be leveraged for chemotherapy. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:47-76. [PMID: 35340894 PMCID: PMC8885165 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00151a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Damaging DNA is a current and efficient strategy to fight against cancer cell proliferation. Numerous mechanisms exist to counteract DNA damage, collectively referred to as the DNA damage response (DDR) and which are commonly dysregulated in cancer cells. Precise knowledge of these mechanisms is necessary to optimise chemotherapeutic DNA targeting. New research on DDR has uncovered a series of promising therapeutic targets, proteins and nucleic acids, with application notably via an approach referred to as combination therapy or combinatorial synthetic lethality. In this review, we summarise the cornerstone discoveries which gave way to the DNA being considered as an anticancer target, and the manipulation of DDR pathways as a valuable anticancer strategy. We describe in detail the DDR signalling and repair pathways activated in response to DNA damage. We then summarise the current understanding of non-B DNA folds, such as G-quadruplexes and DNA junctions, when they are formed and why they can offer a more specific therapeutic target compared to that of canonical B-DNA. Finally, we merge these subjects to depict the new and highly promising chemotherapeutic strategy which combines enhanced-specificity DNA damaging and DDR targeting agents. This review thus highlights how chemical biology has given rise to significant scientific advances thanks to resolutely multidisciplinary research efforts combining molecular and cell biology, chemistry and biophysics. We aim to provide the non-specialist reader a gateway into this exciting field and the specialist reader with a new perspective on the latest results achieved and strategies devised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Zell
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l'Université de Bourgogne, ICMUB CNRS UMR 6302, UBFC Dijon France
| | - Francesco Rota Sperti
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l'Université de Bourgogne, ICMUB CNRS UMR 6302, UBFC Dijon France
| | - Sébastien Britton
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS Toulouse France
- Équipe Labellisée la Ligue Contre le Cancer 2018 Toulouse France
| | - David Monchaud
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l'Université de Bourgogne, ICMUB CNRS UMR 6302, UBFC Dijon France
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19
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Effect of 4,5-diazafluorene derivative on γδ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against renal cell carcinoma. Life Sci 2021; 269:119066. [PMID: 33460663 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119066] [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: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
AIMS This study aimed to investigate the effect of previously synthesized 4,5-diazafluorene derivative (14c) on γδ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS A real-time cell analyzer monitored cell proliferation, and Cell Counting Kit-8 determined cell viability. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyzed gene expression, and protein expression was determined by cellular immunofluorescence analysis and Western blot. KEY FINDINGS The compound 14c induced the expression of immunomodulatory molecules, such as natural killer group 2, member D ligands (NKG2DLs), fibroblast-associated (Fas) death receptor, and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptors (TRAILRs) in RCC. In addition, 14c induced DNA damage responses in RCC. Blocking DNA damage by KU-55933 reduced the effect of γδ T cells on 14c-treated RCC, suggesting that DNA damage responses were involved in the augmentation of γδ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Treating 786-O cells with a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate prodrug further enhanced the anti-tumor effect of γδ T cell plus 14c combination treatment. SIGNIFICANCE The present evidence indicates that 14c induced DNA damage responses in RCC and augmented γδ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity primarily through NKG2D/NKG2DLs pathways, suggesting potential cancer immunotherapy for harnessing γδ T cells and small compounds that induce DNA damage responses.
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20
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Sasaki S, Ma Y, Ishizuka T, Bao HL, Hirokawa T, Xu Y, Tera M, Nagasawa K. Linear consecutive hexaoxazoles as G4 ligands inducing chair-type anti-parallel topology of a telomeric G-quadruplex. RSC Adv 2020; 10:43319-43323. [PMID: 35519695 PMCID: PMC9058415 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra09413g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplex structures (G4s) in guanine-rich regions of DNA play critical roles in various biological phenomena, including replication, translation, and gene expression. There are three types of G4 topology, i.e., parallel, anti-parallel, and hybrid, and ligands that selectively interact with or stabilize a specific topology have been extensively explored to enable studies of topology-related functions. Here, we describe the synthesis of a new series of G4 ligands based on 6LCOs (6-linear consecutive oxazoles), i.e., L2H2-2M2EA-6LCO (2), L2A2-2M2EAc-6LCO (3), and L2G2-2M2EG-6LCO (4), which bear four aminoalkyl, acetamidealkyl, and guanidinylalkyl side chains, respectively. Among them, ligand 2 stabilized telomeric G4 and induced anti-parallel topology independently of the presence of cations. The anti-parallel topology induced by 2 was identified as chair-type by means of 19F NMR spectroscopy and fluorescence experiments with 2-aminopurine-labeled DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Sasaki
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei Tokyo 184-8588 Japan
| | - Yue Ma
- Institute of Global Innovation Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei Tokyo 184-8588 Japan
| | - Takumi Ishizuka
- Division of Chemistry, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazak 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake Miyazaki 889-1692 Japan
| | - Hong-Liang Bao
- Division of Chemistry, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazak 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake Miyazaki 889-1692 Japan
| | - Takatsugu Hirokawa
- Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba 1-1-1 Tennodai Tsukuba, 305-8575 Japan
- Division of Biomedical Science, University of Tsukuba 1-1-1 Tennodai Tsukuba, 305-8575 Japan
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ward Tokyo 135-0064 Japan
| | - Yan Xu
- Division of Chemistry, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazak 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake Miyazaki 889-1692 Japan
| | - Masayuki Tera
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei Tokyo 184-8588 Japan
| | - Kazuo Nagasawa
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei Tokyo 184-8588 Japan
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21
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Lang DK, Kaur R, Arora R, Saini B, Arora S. Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycles as Anticancer Agents: An Overview. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2020; 20:2150-2168. [DOI: 10.2174/1871520620666200705214917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Background:
Cancer is spreading all over the world, and it is becoming the leading cause of major
deaths. Today’s most difficult task for every researcher is to invent a new drug that can treat cancer with minimal
side effects. Many factors, including pollution, modern lifestyle and food habits, exposure to oncogenic
agents or radiations, enhanced industrialization, etc. can cause cancer. Treatment of cancer is done by various
methods that include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and immunotherapy in combination or singly along
with kinase inhibitors. Most of the anti-cancer drugs use the concept of kinase inhibition.
Objective:
The number of drugs being used in chemotherapy has heterocycles as their basic structure in spite of
various side effects. Medicinal chemists are focusing on nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds like pyrrole,
pyrrolidine, pyridine, imidazole, pyrimidines, pyrazole, indole, quinoline, oxadiazole, azole, benzimidazole,
etc. as the key building blocks to develop active biological compounds. The aim of this study is to attempt
to compile a dataset of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic anti-cancer drugs.
Methods:
We adopted a structural search on notorious journal publication websites and electronic databases
such as Bentham Science, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, USFDA, etc. for the collection of peer-reviewed
research and review articles for the present review. The quality papers were retrieved, studied, categorized into
different sections, analyzed and used for article writing.
Conclusion:
As per FDA databases, nitrogen-based heterocycles in the drug design are almost 60% of unique
small-molecule drugs. Some of the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic anti-cancer drugs are Axitinib, Bosutinib,
Cediranib, Dasatanib (Sprycel®), Erlotinib (Tarceva®), Gefitinib (Iressa®), Imatinib (Gleevec®), Lapatinib (Tykerb
®), Linifanib, Sorafenib (Nexavar®), Sunitinib (Sutent®), Tivozanib, etc. In the present review, we shall focus
on the overview of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic active compounds as anti-cancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rajwinder Kaur
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
| | - Rashmi Arora
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
| | - Balraj Saini
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
| | - Sandeep Arora
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
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22
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Ahmed AA, Neidle S. A G-Quadruplex-Binding Small Molecule and the HDAC Inhibitor SAHA (Vorinostat) Act Synergistically in Gemcitabine-Sensitive and Resistant Pancreatic Cancer Cells. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25225407. [PMID: 33227941 PMCID: PMC7699281 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25225407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The stabilisation of G-quadruplexes (G4s) by small-molecule compounds is an effective approach for causing cell growth arrest, followed by cell death. Some of these compounds are currently being developed for the treatment of human cancers. We have previously developed a substituted naphthalene diimide G4-binding molecule (CM03) with selective potency for pancreatic cancer cells, including gemcitabine-resistant cells. We report here that CM03 and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor SAHA (suberanilohydroxamic acid) have synergistic effects at concentrations close to and below their individual GI50 values, in both gemcitabine-sensitive and resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines. Immunoblot analysis showed elevated levels of γ-H2AX and cleaved PARP proteins upon drug combination treatment, indicating increased levels of DNA damage (double-strand break events: DSBs) and apoptosis induction, respectively. We propose that the mechanism of synergy involves SAHA relaxing condensed chromatin, resulting in higher levels of G4 formation. In turn, CM03 can stabilise a greater number of G4s, leading to the downregulation of more G4-containing genes as well as a higher incidence of DSBs due to torsional strain on DNA and chromatin structure.
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23
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Gadgil RY, Romer EJ, Goodman CC, Rider SD, Damewood FJ, Barthelemy JR, Shin-Ya K, Hanenberg H, Leffak M. Replication stress at microsatellites causes DNA double-strand breaks and break-induced replication. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:15378-15397. [PMID: 32873711 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.013495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Short tandemly repeated DNA sequences, termed microsatellites, are abundant in the human genome. These microsatellites exhibit length instability and susceptibility to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) due to their tendency to form stable non-B DNA structures. Replication-dependent microsatellite DSBs are linked to genome instability signatures in human developmental diseases and cancers. To probe the causes and consequences of microsatellite DSBs, we designed a dual-fluorescence reporter system to detect DSBs at expanded (CTG/CAG) n and polypurine/polypyrimidine (Pu/Py) mirror repeat structures alongside the c-myc replication origin integrated at a single ectopic chromosomal site. Restriction cleavage near the (CTG/CAG)100 microsatellite leads to homology-directed single-strand annealing between flanking AluY elements and reporter gene deletion that can be detected by flow cytometry. However, in the absence of restriction cleavage, endogenous and exogenous replication stressors induce DSBs at the (CTG/CAG)100 and Pu/Py microsatellites. DSBs map to a narrow region at the downstream edge of the (CTG)100 lagging-strand template. (CTG/CAG) n chromosome fragility is repeat length-dependent, whereas instability at the (Pu/Py) microsatellites depends on replication polarity. Strikingly, restriction-generated DSBs and replication-dependent DSBs are not repaired by the same mechanism. Knockdown of DNA damage response proteins increases (Rad18, polymerase (Pol) η, Pol κ) or decreases (Mus81) the sensitivity of the (CTG/CAG)100 microsatellites to replication stress. Replication stress and DSBs at the ectopic (CTG/CAG)100 microsatellite lead to break-induced replication and high-frequency mutagenesis at a flanking thymidine kinase gene. Our results show that non-B structure-prone microsatellites are susceptible to replication-dependent DSBs that cause genome instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rujuta Yashodhan Gadgil
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Eric J Romer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Caitlin C Goodman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - S Dean Rider
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - French J Damewood
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Joanna R Barthelemy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Kazuo Shin-Ya
- Biomedical Information Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany; Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Michael Leffak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
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24
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Fernandes SG, Dsouza R, Pandya G, Kirtonia A, Tergaonkar V, Lee SY, Garg M, Khattar E. Role of Telomeres and Telomeric Proteins in Human Malignancies and Their Therapeutic Potential. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1901. [PMID: 32674474 PMCID: PMC7409176 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12071901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are the ends of linear chromosomes comprised of repetitive nucleotide sequences in humans. Telomeres preserve chromosomal stability and genomic integrity. Telomere length shortens with every cell division in somatic cells, eventually resulting in replicative senescence once telomere length becomes critically short. Telomere shortening can be overcome by telomerase enzyme activity that is undetectable in somatic cells, while being active in germline cells, stem cells, and immune cells. Telomeres are bound by a shelterin complex that regulates telomere lengthening as well as protects them from being identified as DNA damage sites. Telomeres are transcribed by RNA polymerase II, and generate a long noncoding RNA called telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA), which plays a key role in regulating subtelomeric gene expression. Replicative immortality and genome instability are hallmarks of cancer and to attain them cancer cells exploit telomere maintenance and telomere protection mechanisms. Thus, understanding the role of telomeres and their associated proteins in cancer initiation, progression and treatment is very important. The present review highlights the critical role of various telomeric components with recently established functions in cancer. Further, current strategies to target various telomeric components including human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) as a therapeutic approach in human malignancies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stina George Fernandes
- Sunandan Divatia School of Science, SVKM’s NMIMS (Deemed to be University), Vile Parle West, Mumbai 400056, India; (S.G.F.); (R.D.)
| | - Rebecca Dsouza
- Sunandan Divatia School of Science, SVKM’s NMIMS (Deemed to be University), Vile Parle West, Mumbai 400056, India; (S.G.F.); (R.D.)
| | - Gouri Pandya
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201313, India; (G.P.); (A.K.)
| | - Anuradha Kirtonia
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201313, India; (G.P.); (A.K.)
| | - Vinay Tergaonkar
- Laboratory of NF-κB Signaling, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore; (V.T.); (S.Y.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore 117597, Singapore
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore 117597, Singapore
| | - Sook Y. Lee
- Laboratory of NF-κB Signaling, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore; (V.T.); (S.Y.L.)
| | - Manoj Garg
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201313, India; (G.P.); (A.K.)
| | - Ekta Khattar
- Sunandan Divatia School of Science, SVKM’s NMIMS (Deemed to be University), Vile Parle West, Mumbai 400056, India; (S.G.F.); (R.D.)
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25
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Bajaj S, Kumar MS, Peters GJ, Mayur YC. Targeting telomerase for its advent in cancer therapeutics. Med Res Rev 2020; 40:1871-1919. [PMID: 32391613 DOI: 10.1002/med.21674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase has emerged as an important primary target in anticancer therapy. It is a distinctive reverse transcriptase enzyme, which extends the length of telomere at the 3' chromosomal end, and uses telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA template-containing domains. Telomerase has a vital role and is a contributing factor in human health, mainly affecting cell aging and cell proliferation. Due to its unique feature, it ensures unrestricted cell proliferation in malignancy and plays a major role in cancer disease. The development of telomerase inhibitors with increased specificity and better pharmacokinetics is being considered to design and develop newer potent anticancer agents. Use of natural and synthetic compounds for the inhibition of telomerase activity can lead to an opening of new vistas in cancer treatment. This review details about the telomerase biochemistry, use of natural and synthetic compounds; vaccines and oncolytic virus in therapy that suppress the telomerase activity. We have discussed structure-activity relationships of various natural and synthetic telomerase inhibitors to help medicinal chemists and chemical biology researchers with a ready reference and updated status of their clinical trials. Suppression of human TERT (hTERT) activity through inhibition of hTERT promoter is an important approach for telomerase inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - G J Peters
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Y C Mayur
- SPPSPTM, SVKM's NMIMS, Mumbai, India
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26
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Structural Features of Nucleoprotein CST/Shelterin Complex Involved in the Telomere Maintenance and Its Association with Disease Mutations. Cells 2020; 9:cells9020359. [PMID: 32033110 PMCID: PMC7072152 DOI: 10.3390/cells9020359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere comprises the ends of eukaryotic linear chromosomes and is composed of G-rich (TTAGGG) tandem repeats which play an important role in maintaining genome stability, premature aging and onsets of many diseases. Majority of the telomere are replicated by conventional DNA replication, and only the last bit of the lagging strand is synthesized by telomerase (a reverse transcriptase). In addition to replication, telomere maintenance is principally carried out by two key complexes known as shelterin (TRF1, TRF2, TIN2, RAP1, POT1, and TPP1) and CST (CDC13/CTC1, STN1, and TEN1). Shelterin protects the telomere from DNA damage response (DDR) and regulates telomere length by telomerase; while, CST govern the extension of telomere by telomerase and C strand fill-in synthesis. We have investigated both structural and biochemical features of shelterin and CST complexes to get a clear understanding of their importance in the telomere maintenance. Further, we have analyzed ~115 clinically important mutations in both of the complexes. Association of such mutations with specific cellular fault unveils the importance of shelterin and CST complexes in the maintenance of genome stability. A possibility of targeting shelterin and CST by small molecule inhibitors is further investigated towards the therapeutic management of associated diseases. Overall, this review provides a possible direction to understand the mechanisms of telomere borne diseases, and their therapeutic intervention.
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27
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Ma Y, Iida K, Nagasawa K. Topologies of G-quadruplex: Biological functions and regulation by ligands. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 531:3-17. [PMID: 31948752 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.12.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
G-Quadruplex (G4) is one of the higher-order structures occurring in guanine-rich sequences of nucleic acids, and plays critical roles in biological processes. The G4-forming sequences can generate three kinds of topologies, i.e., parallel, anti-parallel, and hybrid, and these polymorphic structures have an important influence on G4-related biological functions. In this review, we highlight variety of structures generated by G4s containing various sequences and under diverse conditions. We also discuss the G4 ligands which induce specific topologies and/or conversion between different topologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Ma
- Institute of Global Innovation Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan.
| | - Keisuke Iida
- Department of Chemistry, Chiba University, Japan
| | - Kazuo Nagasawa
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan.
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28
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Mulholland K, Sullivan HJ, Garner J, Cai J, Chen B, Wu C. Three-Dimensional Structure of RNA Monomeric G-Quadruplex Containing ALS and FTD Related G4C2 Repeat and Its Binding with TMPyP4 Probed by Homology Modeling based on Experimental Constraints and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:57-75. [PMID: 31800202 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The G-quadruplex-forming hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE), d(G4C2)n, within the human C9orf72 gene is the root cause for familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD). A recent study has shown that TMPyP4 has good potential to work as a RNA G-quadruplex binder in treating ALS and FTD. Although the high-resolution structure of the monomeric DNA antiparallel G-quadruplex form of the monomeric hexanucleotide repeat was recently solved, the RNA parallel G-quadruplex structure and its complex with TMPyP4 are not available yet. In this study, we first constructed the homology model for the parallel monomeric RNA G-quadruplex of r(G4C2)3G4 based on experimental constraints and the parallel monomeric G-quadruplex DNA crystal structure. Although the G-tetra core of the homology model was stable observed in 15 μs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we observed that the loops adopt additional conformations besides the initial crystal conformation, where TMPyP4 binding was found to reduce the loop fluctuation of the RNA monomeric G-quadruplex. Next, we probed the elusive binding behavior of TMPyP4 to the RNA monomeric G-quadruplex. Encouragingly, the binding modes observed are similar to the modes observed in two experimental complexes of a parallel DNA G-quadruplex with TMPyP4. We also constructed a Markov state model to provide insights into the binding pathways. Together, the findings from our study may assist future development of G-quadruplex-specific ligands in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Mulholland
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Holli-Joi Sullivan
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Joseph Garner
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Jun Cai
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Brian Chen
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Chun Wu
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
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29
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Duskova K, Lejault P, Benchimol É, Guillot R, Britton S, Granzhan A, Monchaud D. DNA Junction Ligands Trigger DNA Damage and Are Synthetic Lethal with DNA Repair Inhibitors in Cancer Cells. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 142:424-435. [PMID: 31833764 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b11150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Translocation of DNA and RNA polymerases along their duplex substrates results in DNA supercoiling. This torsional stress promotes the formation of plectonemic structures, including three-way DNA junction (TWJ), which can block DNA transactions and lead to DNA damage. While cells have evolved multiple mechanisms to prevent the accumulation of such structures, stabilizing TWJ through ad hoc ligands offer an opportunity to trigger DNA damage in cells with high levels of transcription and replication, such as cancer cells. Here, we develop a series of azacryptand-based TWJ ligands, we thoroughly characterize their TWJ-interacting properties in vitro and demonstrate their capacity to trigger DNA damage in rapidly dividing human cancer cells. We also demonstrate that TWJ ligands are amenable to chemically induced synthetic lethality strategies upon association with inhibitors of DNA repair, thus paving the way toward innovative drug combinations to fight cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Duskova
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l'Université de Bourgogne (ICMUB), CNRS UMR 6302 , UBFC Dijon , 21078 Dijon , France
| | - Pauline Lejault
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l'Université de Bourgogne (ICMUB), CNRS UMR 6302 , UBFC Dijon , 21078 Dijon , France
| | - Élie Benchimol
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196 , PSL Research University , 91405 Orsay , France.,Université Paris Saclay, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196 , Université Paris-Sud , 91405 Orsay , France
| | - Régis Guillot
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), CNRS UMR 8182, Université Paris-Sud , Université Paris Saclay , 91405 Orsay , France
| | - Sébastien Britton
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), CNRS UMR 5089, Université de Toulouse , UPS , Equipe labellisée la Ligue Contre le Cancer , 31077 Toulouse , France
| | - Anton Granzhan
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196 , PSL Research University , 91405 Orsay , France.,Université Paris Saclay, CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196 , Université Paris-Sud , 91405 Orsay , France
| | - David Monchaud
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l'Université de Bourgogne (ICMUB), CNRS UMR 6302 , UBFC Dijon , 21078 Dijon , France
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30
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G-Quadruplex Binders Induce Immunogenic Cell Death Markers in Aggressive Breast Cancer Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11111797. [PMID: 31731707 PMCID: PMC6895816 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11111797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: DNA G-quadruplex (G4) structures represent potential anti-cancer targets. In this study, we compared the effect of two G4-targeting compounds, C066-3108 and the gold standard BRACO-19. Methods: In breast and prostate cancer cells, cytotoxicity induced by both molecules was measured by a sulforhodamine B assay. In breast cancer cells, cycle, apoptosis, the formation of G4 structures, calreticulin and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), as well as T cell activation, were analyzed by flow cytometry and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by luminescence. Results: Both ligands inhibited cell survival and induced DNA damage. In MCF-7 cells, G4 ligands increased the subG0/G1 phase of the cell cycle inducing apoptosis and reduced intracellular ATP. In untreated MCF-7 cells, we observed a slight presence of G4 structures associated with the G2/M phase. In MDA-MB231 cells, G4 ligands decreased the G1 and enhanced the G2/M phase. We observed a decrease of intracellular ATP, calreticulin cell surface exposure and an increase of HMGB1, accompanied by T cell activation. Both compounds induced G4 structure formation in the subG0/G1 phase. Conclusions: Our data report similar effects for both compounds and the first evidence that G4 ligands induce the release of danger signals associated with immunogenic cell death and induction of T cell activation.
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31
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The role of telomeres and telomerase in cirrhosis and liver cancer. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 16:544-558. [PMID: 31253940 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-019-0165-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 275] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is a key enzyme for cell survival that prevents telomere shortening and the subsequent cellular senescence that is observed after many rounds of cell division. In contrast, inactivation of telomerase is observed in most cells of the adult liver. Absence of telomerase activity and shortening of telomeres has been implicated in hepatocyte senescence and the development of cirrhosis, a chronic liver disease that can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. During hepatocarcinogenesis, telomerase reactivation is required to enable the uncontrolled cell proliferation that leads to malignant transformation and HCC development. Part of the telomerase complex, telomerase reverse transcriptase, is encoded by TERT, and several mechanisms of telomerase reactivation have been described in HCC that include somatic TERT promoter mutations, TERT amplification, TERT translocation and viral insertion into the TERT gene. An understanding of the role of telomeres and telomerase in HCC development is important to develop future targeted therapies and improve survival of this disease. In this Review, the roles of telomeres and telomerase in liver carcinogenesis are discussed, in addition to their potential translation to clinical practice as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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32
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Konieczna N, Romaniuk-Drapała A, Lisiak N, Totoń E, Paszel-Jaworska A, Kaczmarek M, Rubiś B. Telomerase Inhibitor TMPyP4 Alters Adhesion and Migration of Breast-Cancer Cells MCF7 and MDA-MB-231. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20112670. [PMID: 31151281 PMCID: PMC6600420 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20112670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Human telomeres were one of the first discovered and characterized sequences forming quadruplex structures. Association of these structures with oncogenic and tumor suppressor proteins suggests their important role in cancer development and therapy efficacy. Since cationic porphyrin TMPyP4 is known as G-quadruplex stabilizer and telomerase inhibitor, the aim of the study was to analyze the anticancer properties of this compound in two different human breast-cancer MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The cytotoxicity of TMPyP4 alone or in combination with doxorubicin was measured by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromid) and clonogenic assays, and the cell-cycle alterations were analyzed by flow cytometry. Telomerase expression and activity were evaluated using qPCR and telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assays, respectively. The contribution of G-quadruplex inhibitor to protein pathways engaged in cell survival, DNA repair, adhesion, and migration was performed using immunodetection. Scratch assay and functional assessment of migration and cell adhesion were also performed. Consequently, it was revealed that in the short term, TMPyP4 neither revealed cytotoxic effect nor sensitized MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 to doxorubicin, but altered breast-cancer cell adhesion and migration. It suggests that TMPyP4 might substantially contribute to a significant decrease in cancer cell dissemination and, consequently, cancer cell survival reduction. Importantly, this effect might not be associated with telomeres or telomerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Konieczna
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland.
- Department of Medical Diagnostics, 38A Dobra St., 60-595 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Aleksandra Romaniuk-Drapała
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Natalia Lisiak
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Ewa Totoń
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Anna Paszel-Jaworska
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Mariusz Kaczmarek
- Department of Immunology, Chair of Clinical Immunology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 5D Rokietnicka St., 60-806 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Błażej Rubiś
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355 Poznań, Poland.
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Mandal S, Kawamoto Y, Yue Z, Hashiya K, Cui Y, Bando T, Pandey S, Hoque ME, Hossain MA, Sugiyama H, Mao H. Submolecular dissection reveals strong and specific binding of polyamide-pyridostatin conjugates to human telomere interface. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:3295-3305. [PMID: 30820532 PMCID: PMC6468309 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
To modulate biological functions, G-quadruplexes in genome are often non-specifically targeted by small molecules. Here, specificity is increased by targeting both G-quadruplex and its flanking duplex DNA in a naturally occurring dsDNA-ssDNA telomere interface using polyamide (PA) and pyridostatin (PDS) conjugates (PA-PDS). We innovated a single-molecule assay in which dissociation constant (Kd) of the conjugate can be separately evaluated from the binding of either PA or PDS. We found Kd of 0.8 nM for PA-PDS, which is much lower than PDS (Kd ∼ 450 nM) or PA (Kd ∼ 35 nM). Functional assays further indicated that the PA-PDS conjugate stopped the replication of a DNA polymerase more efficiently than PA or PDS. Our results not only established a new method to dissect multivalent binding into actions of individual monovalent components, they also demonstrated a strong and specific G-quadruplex targeting strategy by conjugating highly specific duplex-binding molecules with potent quadruplex ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shankar Mandal
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Yusuke Kawamoto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Zhizhou Yue
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Kaori Hashiya
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yunxi Cui
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Toshikazu Bando
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shankar Pandey
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | | | | | - Hiroshi Sugiyama
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell–Material Science (iCeMS), Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Hanbin Mao
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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34
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Developing Novel G-Quadruplex Ligands: from Interaction with Nucleic Acids to Interfering with Nucleic Acid⁻Protein Interaction. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24030396. [PMID: 30678288 PMCID: PMC6384609 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24030396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplex is a special secondary structure of nucleic acids in guanine-rich sequences of genome. G-quadruplexes have been proved to be involved in the regulation of replication, DNA damage repair, and transcription and translation of oncogenes or other cancer-related genes. Therefore, targeting G-quadruplexes has become a novel promising anti-tumor strategy. Different kinds of small molecules targeting the G-quadruplexes have been designed, synthesized, and identified as potential anti-tumor agents, including molecules directly bind to the G-quadruplex and molecules interfering with the binding between the G-quadruplex structures and related binding proteins. This review will explore the feasibility of G-quadruplex ligands acting as anti-tumor drugs, from basis to application. Meanwhile, since helicase is the most well-defined G-quadruplex-related protein, the most extensive research on the relationship between helicase and G-quadruplexes, and its meaning in drug design, is emphasized.
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35
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Abstract
This review describes a selection of macrocyclic natural products and structurally modified analogs containing peptidic and non-peptidic elements as structural features that potentially modulate cellular permeability. Examples range from exclusively peptidic structures like cyclosporin A or phepropeptins to compounds with mostly non-peptidic character, such as telomestatin or largazole. Furthermore, semisynthetic approaches and synthesis platforms to generate general and focused libraries of compounds at the interface of cyclic peptides and non-peptidic macrocycles are discussed.
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36
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Sullivan HJ, Readmond C, Radicella C, Persad V, Fasano TJ, Wu C. Binding of Telomestatin, TMPyP4, BSU6037, and BRACO19 to a Telomeric G-Quadruplex-Duplex Hybrid Probed by All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations with Explicit Solvent. ACS OMEGA 2018; 3:14788-14806. [PMID: 30555989 PMCID: PMC6289566 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b01574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A promising anticancer therapeutic strategy is the stabilization of telomeric G-quadruplexes using G-quadruplex-binding small molecules. Although many G-quadruplex-specific ligands have been developed, their low potency and selectivity to G-quadruplexes over duplex remains unsolved. Recently, a crystal structure of a telomeric 3' quadruplex-duplex hybrid was reported and the quadruplex-duplex interface was suggested to a good target to address the issues. However, there are no high-resolution complex structures reported for G-quadruplex ligands except for a docked BSU6037. In this study, molecular dynamic (MD) binding simulations with a free ligand were used to study binding poses and dynamics of four representative ligands: telomestatin, TMPyP4, BSU6037, and BRACO19. The MD data showed that BSU6037 was able to fully intercalate into the interface whereas TMPyP4 and BRACO19 could only maintain partial intercalation into the interface and telomestatin only binds at the quadruplex and duplex ends. Both linear ligands, BSU6037 and BRACO19, were able to interact with the interface, yet they were not selective over duplex DNA. The DNA geometry, binding modes, and binding pathways were systematically characterized, and the binding energy was calculated and compared for each system. The interaction of the ligands to the interface was by the means of an induced-fit binding mechanism rather than a lock-key mechanism, consisting of the DNA unfolding at the interface to allow entrance of the drug and then the refolding and repacking of the DNA and the ligand to further stabilize the G-quadruplex. On the basis of the findings in this study, modifications were suggested to optimize the interface binding for TMPyp4 and telomestatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holli-Joi Sullivan
- Chemistry
& Biochemistry and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Carolyn Readmond
- Chemistry
& Biochemistry and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Christina Radicella
- Chemistry
& Biochemistry and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Victoria Persad
- Chemistry
& Biochemistry and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Thomas J. Fasano
- Chemistry
& Biochemistry and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Chun Wu
- Chemistry
& Biochemistry and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
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37
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Wu W, Rokutanda N, Takeuchi J, Lai Y, Maruyama R, Togashi Y, Nishikawa H, Arai N, Miyoshi Y, Suzuki N, Saeki Y, Tanaka K, Ohta T. HERC2 Facilitates BLM and WRN Helicase Complex Interaction with RPA to Suppress G-Quadruplex DNA. Cancer Res 2018; 78:6371-6385. [PMID: 30279242 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-1877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BLM and WRN are RecQ DNA helicasesessential for genomic stability. Here, we demonstrate that HERC2, a HECT E3 ligase, is critical for their functions to suppress G-quadruplex (G4) DNA. HERC2 interacted with BLM, WRN, and replication protein A (RPA) complexes during the S-phase of the cell cycle. Depletion of HERC2 dissociated RPA from BLM and WRN complexes and significantly increased G4 formation. Triple depletion revealed that HERC2 has an epistatic relationship with BLM and WRN in their G4-suppressing function. In vitro, HERC2 released RPA onto single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) rather than anchoring onto RPA-coated ssDNA. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of the catalytic ubiquitin-binding site of HERC2 inhibited ubiquitination of RPA2, caused RPA accumulation in the helicase complexes, and increased G4, indicating an essential role for E3 activity in the suppression of G4. Both depletion of HERC2 and inactivation of E3 sensitized cells to the G4-interacting compounds telomestatin and pyridostatin. Overall, these results indicate that HERC2 is a master regulator of G4 suppression that affects the sensitivity of cells to G4 stabilizers. Given that HERC2 expression is frequently reduced in many types of cancers, G4 accumulation as a result of HERC2 deficiency may provide a therapeutic target for G4 stabilizers.Significance: HERC2 is revealed as a master regulator of G-quadruplex, a DNA secondary structure that triggers genomic instability and may serve as a potential molecular target in cancer therapy.Graphical Abstract: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/78/22/6371/F1.large.jpg Cancer Res; 78(22); 6371-85. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwen Wu
- Department of Translational Oncology, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Nana Rokutanda
- Department of Translational Oncology, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Jun Takeuchi
- Department of Translational Oncology, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yongqiang Lai
- Department of Translational Oncology, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.,Department of General Surgery, Gaoming People's Hospital in Foshan, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Reo Maruyama
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukiko Togashi
- Department of Translational Oncology, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Nishikawa
- Institute of Advanced Medical Science, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Naoko Arai
- Laboratory of Protein Metabolism, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuo Miyoshi
- Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Nao Suzuki
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yasushi Saeki
- Laboratory of Protein Metabolism, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiji Tanaka
- Laboratory of Protein Metabolism, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohiko Ohta
- Department of Translational Oncology, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.
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38
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Bandara G, Muñoz-Cano R, Tobío A, Yin Y, Komarow HD, Desai A, Metcalfe DD, Olivera A. Targeting Sphingosine Kinase Isoforms Effectively Reduces Growth and Survival of Neoplastic Mast Cells With D816V-KIT. Front Immunol 2018; 9:631. [PMID: 29643855 PMCID: PMC5883065 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mastocytosis is a disorder resulting from an abnormal mast cell (MC) accumulation in tissues that is often associated with the D816V mutation in KIT, the tyrosine kinase receptor for stem cell factor. Therapies available to treat aggressive presentations of mastocytosis are limited, thus exploration of novel pharmacological targets that reduce MC burden is desirable. Since increased generation of the lipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) by sphingosine kinase (SPHK) has been linked to oncogenesis, we studied the involvement of the two SPHK isoforms (SPHK1 and SPHK2) in the regulation of neoplastic human MC growth. While SPHK2 inhibition prevented entry into the cell cycle in normal and neoplastic human MCs with minimal effect on cell survival, SPHK1 inhibition caused cell cycle arrest in G2/M and apoptosis, particularly in D816V-KIT MCs. This was mediated via activation of the DNA damage response (DDR) cascade, including phosphorylation of the checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2), CHK2-mediated M-phase inducer phosphatase 3 depletion, and p53 activation. Combination treatment of SPHK inhibitors with KIT inhibitors showed greater growth inhibition of D816V-KIT MCs than either inhibitor alone. Furthermore, inhibition of SPHK isoforms reduced the number of malignant bone marrow MCs from patients with mastocytosis and the growth of D816V-KIT MCs in a xenograft mouse model. Our results reveal a role for SPHK isoforms in the regulation of growth and survival in normal and neoplastic MCs and suggest a regulatory function for SPHK1 in the DDR in MCs with KIT mutations. The findings also suggest that targeting the SPHK/S1P axis may provide an alternative to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, alone or in combination, for the treatment of aggressive mastocytosis and other hematological malignancies associated with the D816V-KIT mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geethani Bandara
- Mast Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Rosa Muñoz-Cano
- Allergy Section, Pneumology Department, Hospital Clinic, ARADyAL, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Araceli Tobío
- Mast Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Yuzhi Yin
- Mast Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Hirsh D Komarow
- Mast Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Avanti Desai
- Mast Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Dean D Metcalfe
- Mast Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ana Olivera
- Mast Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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39
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Brazvan B, Ebrahimi-Kalan A, Velaei K, Mehdipour A, Aliyari Serej Z, Ebrahimi A, Ghorbani M, Cheraghi O, Nozad Charoudeh H. Telomerase activity and telomere on stem progeny senescence. Biomed Pharmacother 2018; 102:9-17. [PMID: 29547744 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.02.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Revised: 02/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The end of linear chromosomes is formed of a special nucleoprotein heterochromatin structure with repetitive TTAGGG sequences called telomere. Telomere length is regulated by a special enzyme called telomerase, a specific DNA polymerase that adds new telomeric sequences to the chromosome ends. Telomerase consists of two parts; the central protein part and the accessory part which is a RNA component transported by the central part. Regulation of telomere length by this enzyme is a multi-stage process. Telomere length elongation is strongly influenced by the level of telomerase and has a strong correlation with the activity of telomerase enzyme. Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) gene expression plays an important role in maintaining telomere length and high proliferative property of cells. Except a low activity of telomerase enzyme in hematopoietic and few types of stem cells, most of somatic cells didn't showed telomerase activity. Moreover, cytokines are secretory proteins that control many aspects of hematopoiesis, especially immune responses and inflammation. Also, the induction of hTERT gene expression by cytokines is organized through the PI3K/AKT and NF/kB signaling pathways. In this review we have tried to talk about effects of immune cell cytokines on telomerase expression/telomere length and the induction of telomerase expression by cytokines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balal Brazvan
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran
| | - Abbas Ebrahimi-Kalan
- Department of Neurosciences and Cognition, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Kobra Velaei
- Department of Anatomical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ahmad Mehdipour
- Department of Tissue Engineering, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Zeynab Aliyari Serej
- Applied Cell Sciences Department, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ayyub Ebrahimi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Halic Uuniversity, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Mohammad Ghorbani
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran
| | - Omid Cheraghi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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40
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Zhou G, Liu X, Li Y, Xu S, Ma C, Wu X, Cheng Y, Yu Z, Zhao G, Chen Y. Telomere targeting with a novel G-quadruplex-interactive ligand BRACO-19 induces T-loop disassembly and telomerase displacement in human glioblastoma cells. Oncotarget 2017; 7:14925-39. [PMID: 26908447 PMCID: PMC4924762 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Interference with telomerase and telomere maintenance is emerging as an attractive target for anticancer therapies. Ligand-induced stabilization of G-quadruplex formation by the telomeric DNA 3'-overhang inhibits telomerase from catalyzing telomeric DNA synthesis and from capping telomeric ends, making these ligands good candidates for chemotherapeutic purposes. BRACO-19 is one of the most effective and specific ligand for telomeric G4. It is shown here that BRACO-19 suppresses proliferation and reduces telomerase activity in human glioblastoma cells, paralleled by the displacement of telomerase from nuclear to cytoplasm. Meanwhile, BRACO-19 triggers extensive DNA damage response at telomere, which may result from uncapping and disassembly of telomeric T-loop structure, characterized by the formation of anaphase bridge and telomere fusion, as well as the release of telomere-binding protein from telomere. The resulting dysfunctional telomere ultimately provokes p53 and p21-mediated cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and senescence. Notably, normal primary astrocytes do not respond to the treatment of BRACO-19, suggesting the agent's good selectivity for cancer cells. These results reinforce the notion that G-quadruplex binding compounds can act as broad inhibitors of telomere-related processes and have potential as selective antineoplastic drugs for various tumors including malignant gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangtong Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xinrui Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yunqian Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Songbai Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Chengyuan Ma
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xinmin Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ye Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhiyun Yu
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Gang Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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41
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Interaction of Quindoline derivative with telomeric repeat–containing RNA induces telomeric DNA-damage response in cancer cells through inhibition of telomeric repeat factor 2. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2017; 1861:3246-3256. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2017.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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42
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Zhang X, Wei Y, Bing T, Liu X, Zhang N, Wang J, He J, Jin B, Shangguan D. Development of squaraine based G-quadruplex ligands using click chemistry. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4766. [PMID: 28684846 PMCID: PMC5500484 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04344-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The G-quadruplex (G4) structures of nucleic acids are considered to play an intrinsic role in gene expression. To this end, the development of new G4 ligands has attracted extensive research interests towards potential applications as G4-targeted drugs and molecular probes. To date, the majority of G4 ligands have been composed of an extended planar aromatic scaffold that interacts with the terminal G-tetrad plane via π-π interactions, and various side chains that interact with the sugar-phosphate backbone, loops or grooves of the G4 structures. The side chains act to modulate the affinity and selectivity of the G4 ligands, alongside influencing their biodistribution. Here, we present a click chemistry methodology to generate a series of squaraine-based G4 ligand derivatives based on our previously reported G4 probe (named CSTS) but with varing side chains. We find that importantly these new G4 ligand derivatives retain the G4 selectivity, optical properties and low cytotoxicity of CSTS, but exhibit different binding behaviors to G4 structures, and distinct cellular uptake efficiencies. Indeed, of these new complexes, several exhibit much higher affinity and cellular uptake than CSTS. Overall, this novel, facile and highly effective strategy has significant future potential for the high-throughput screening of G4 ligands or probes targeted towards in vivo applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yongbiao Wei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Tao Bing
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiangjun Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Junyan Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Junqing He
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Bing Jin
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Dihua Shangguan
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. .,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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43
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Amagai K, Ikeda H, Hashimoto J, Kozone I, Izumikawa M, Kudo F, Eguchi T, Nakamura T, Osada H, Takahashi S, Shin-Ya K. Identification of a gene cluster for telomestatin biosynthesis and heterologous expression using a specific promoter in a clean host. Sci Rep 2017; 7:3382. [PMID: 28611443 PMCID: PMC5469769 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03308-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomestatin, a strong telomerase inhibitor with G-quadruplex stabilizing activity, is a potential therapeutic agent for treating cancers. Difficulties in isolating telomestatin from microbial cultures and in chemical synthesis are bottlenecks impeding the wider use. Therefore, improvement in telomestatin production and structural diversification are required for further utilization and application. Here, we discovered the gene cluster responsible for telomestatin biosynthesis, and achieved production of telomestatin by heterologous expression of this cluster in the engineered Streptomyces avermitilis SUKA strain. Utilization of an optimal promoter was essential for successful production. Gene disruption studies revealed that the tlsB, tlsC, and tlsO-T genes play key roles in telomestatin biosynthesis. Moreover, exchanging TlsC core peptide sequences resulted in the production of novel telomestatin derivatives. This study sheds light on the expansion of chemical diversity of natural peptide products for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Amagai
- Technology Research Association for Next Generation Natural Products Chemistry, 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Natural Product Biosynthesis Research Unit, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Haruo Ikeda
- Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Junko Hashimoto
- Japan Biological Informatics Consortium, 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan
| | - Ikuko Kozone
- Japan Biological Informatics Consortium, 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan
| | - Miho Izumikawa
- Japan Biological Informatics Consortium, 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan
| | - Fumitaka Kudo
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8551, Japan
| | - Tadashi Eguchi
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8551, Japan
| | - Takemichi Nakamura
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Molecular Structure Characterization Unit, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Osada
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Chemical Biology Research Group, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Shunji Takahashi
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Natural Product Biosynthesis Research Unit, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.
| | - Kazuo Shin-Ya
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan.
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44
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Berardinelli F, Coluzzi E, Sgura A, Antoccia A. Targeting telomerase and telomeres to enhance ionizing radiation effects in in vitro and in vivo cancer models. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2017; 773:204-219. [PMID: 28927529 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2017.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
One of the hallmarks of cancer consists in the ability of tumor cells to divide indefinitely, and to maintain stable telomere lengths throughout the activation of specific telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMM). Therefore in the last fifteen years, researchers proposed to target telomerase or telomeric structure in order to block limitless replicative potential of cancer cells providing a fascinating strategy for a broad-spectrum cancer therapy. In the present review, we report in vitro and in vivo evidence regarding the use of chemical agents targeting both telomerase or telomere structure and showing promising antitumor effects when used in combination with ionizing radiation (IR). RNA interference, antisense oligonucleotides (e.g., GRN163L), non-nucleoside inhibitors (e.g., BIBR1532) and nucleoside analogs (e.g., AZT) represent some of the most potent strategies to inhibit telomerase activity used in combination with IR. Furthermore, radiosensitizing effects were demonstrated also for agents acting directly on the telomeric structure such as G4-ligands (e.g., RHPS4 and Telomestatin) or telomeric-oligos (T-oligos). To date, some of these compounds are under clinical evaluation (e.g., GRN163L and KML001). Advantages of Telomere/Telomerase Targeting Compounds (T/TTCs) coupled with radiotherapy may be relevant in the treatment of radioresistant tumors and in the development of new optimized treatment plans with reduced dose adsorbed by patients and consequent attenuation of short- end long-term side effects. Pros and cons of possible future applications in cancer therapy based on the combination of T/TCCs and radiation treatment are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Berardinelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy.
| | - E Coluzzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy
| | - A Sgura
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - A Antoccia
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Rome Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
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45
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Effects of Replication and Transcription on DNA Structure-Related Genetic Instability. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8010017. [PMID: 28067787 PMCID: PMC5295012 DOI: 10.3390/genes8010017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many repetitive sequences in the human genome can adopt conformations that differ from the canonical B-DNA double helix (i.e., non-B DNA), and can impact important biological processes such as DNA replication, transcription, recombination, telomere maintenance, viral integration, transposome activation, DNA damage and repair. Thus, non-B DNA-forming sequences have been implicated in genetic instability and disease development. In this article, we discuss the interactions of non-B DNA with the replication and/or transcription machinery, particularly in disease states (e.g., tumors) that can lead to an abnormal cellular environment, and how such interactions may alter DNA replication and transcription, leading to potential conflicts at non-B DNA regions, and eventually result in genetic stability and human disease.
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46
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Mulholland K, Wu C. Binding of Telomestatin to a Telomeric G-Quadruplex DNA Probed by All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations with Explicit Solvent. J Chem Inf Model 2016; 56:2093-2102. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.6b00473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Mulholland
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Chun Wu
- College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
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47
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Abstract
Telomerase activity is responsible for the maintenance of chromosome end structures (telomeres) and cancer cell immortality in most human malignancies, making telomerase an attractive therapeutic target. The rationale for targeting components of the telomerase holoenzyme has been strengthened by accumulating evidence indicating that these molecules have extra-telomeric functions in tumour cell survival and proliferation. This Review discusses current knowledge of the biogenesis, structure and multiple functions of telomerase-associated molecules intertwined with recent advances in drug discovery approaches. We also describe the fertile ground available for the pursuit of next-generation small-molecule inhibitors of telomerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg M Arndt
- Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) Drug Discovery Centre for Childhood Cancer, Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia
| | - Karen L MacKenzie
- Personalised Medicine Program, Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia
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48
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Chen Y, Zhang Y. Functional and mechanistic analysis of telomerase: An antitumor drug target. Pharmacol Ther 2016; 163:24-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2016.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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49
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Xu Y, Goldkorn A. Telomere and Telomerase Therapeutics in Cancer. Genes (Basel) 2016; 7:genes7060022. [PMID: 27240403 PMCID: PMC4929421 DOI: 10.3390/genes7060022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase capable of utilizing an integrated RNA component as a template to add protective tandem telomeric single strand DNA repeats, TTAGGG, to the ends of chromosomes. Telomere dysfunction and telomerase reactivation are observed in approximately 90% of human cancers; hence, telomerase activation plays a unique role as a nearly universal step on the path to malignancy. In the past two decades, multiple telomerase targeting therapeutic strategies have been pursued, including direct telomerase inhibition, telomerase interference, hTERT or hTERC promoter driven therapy, telomere-based approaches, and telomerase vaccines. Many of these strategies have entered clinical development, and some have now advanced to phase III clinical trials. In the coming years, one or more of these new telomerase-targeting drugs may be expected to enter the pharmacopeia of standard care. Here, we briefly review the molecular functions of telomerase in cancer and provide an update about the preclinical and clinical development of telomerase targeting therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yucheng Xu
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
| | - Amir Goldkorn
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
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Abstract
Quadruplex-forming sequences are widely prevalent in human and other genomes, including bacterial ones. These sequences are over-represented in eukaryotic telomeres, promoters, and 5' untranslated regions. They can form quadruplex structures, which may be transient in many situations in normal cells since they can be effectively resolved by helicase action. Mutated helicases in cancer cells are unable to unwind quadruplexes, which are impediments to transcription, translation, or replication, depending on their location within a particular gene. Small molecules that can stabilize quadruplex structures augment these effects and produce cell and proliferation growth inhibition. This article surveys the chemical biology of quadruplexes. It critically examines the major classes of quadruplex-binding small molecules that have been developed to date and the various approaches to discovering selective agents. The challenges of requiring (and achieving) small-molecule targeted selectivity for a particular quadruplex are discussed in relation to the potential of these small molecules as clinically useful therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Neidle
- UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London , 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, U.K
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