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Zamyatnin AA, Gregory LC, Townsend PA, Soond SM. Beyond basic research: the contribution of cathepsin B to cancer development, diagnosis and therapy. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2022; 26:963-977. [PMID: 36562407 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2022.2161888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In view of other candidate proteins from the cathepsin family of proteases holding great potential in being targeted during cancer therapy, the importance of Cathepsin B (CtsB) stands out as being truly exceptional. Based on its contribution to oncogenesis, its intimate connection with regulating apoptosis and modulating extracellular and intracellular functions through its secretion or compartmentalized subcellular localization, collectively highlight its complex molecular involvement with a myriad of normal and pathological regulatory processes. Despite its complex functional nature, CtsB is emerging as one of the few cathepsin proteases that has been extensively researched to yield tangible outcomes for cancer therapy. AREAS COVERED In this article, we review the scientific literature that has justified or shaped the importance of CtsB expression in cancer progression, from the perspective of highlighting a paradigm that is rapidly changing from basic research toward a broader clinical and translational context. EXPERT OPINION In doing so, we detail its maturation as a diagnostic marker through describing the development of CtsB-specific Activity-Based Probes, the rapid evolution of these toward a new generation of Prodrugs, and the evaluation of these in model systems for their therapeutic potential as anti-cancer agents in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey A Zamyatnin
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.,Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Department of Biotechnology, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, Russia.,Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Levy C Gregory
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Paul A Townsend
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.,Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Surinder M Soond
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.,Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
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Kung CP, Weber JD. It’s Getting Complicated—A Fresh Look at p53-MDM2-ARF Triangle in Tumorigenesis and Cancer Therapy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:818744. [PMID: 35155432 PMCID: PMC8833255 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.818744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Anti-tumorigenic mechanisms mediated by the tumor suppressor p53, upon oncogenic stresses, are our bodies’ greatest weapons to battle against cancer onset and development. Consequently, factors that possess significant p53-regulating activities have been subjects of serious interest from the cancer research community. Among them, MDM2 and ARF are considered the most influential p53 regulators due to their abilities to inhibit and activate p53 functions, respectively. MDM2 inhibits p53 by promoting ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation of p53, while ARF activates p53 by physically interacting with MDM2 to block its access to p53. This conventional understanding of p53-MDM2-ARF functional triangle have guided the direction of p53 research, as well as the development of p53-based therapeutic strategies for the last 30 years. Our increasing knowledge of this triangle during this time, especially through identification of p53-independent functions of MDM2 and ARF, have uncovered many under-appreciated molecular mechanisms connecting these three proteins. Through recognizing both antagonizing and synergizing relationships among them, our consideration for harnessing these relationships to develop effective cancer therapies needs an update accordingly. In this review, we will re-visit the conventional wisdom regarding p53-MDM2-ARF tumor-regulating mechanisms, highlight impactful studies contributing to the modern look of their relationships, and summarize ongoing efforts to target this pathway for effective cancer treatments. A refreshed appreciation of p53-MDM2-ARF network can bring innovative approaches to develop new generations of genetically-informed and clinically-effective cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che-Pei Kung
- ICCE Institute, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
- *Correspondence: Che-Pei Kung, ; Jason D. Weber,
| | - Jason D. Weber
- ICCE Institute, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
- *Correspondence: Che-Pei Kung, ; Jason D. Weber,
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Das S, Kapadia A, Pal S, Datta A. Spatio-Temporal Autophagy Tracking with a Cell-Permeable, Water-Soluble, Peptide-Based, Autophagic Vesicle-Targeted Sensor. ACS Sens 2021; 6:2252-2260. [PMID: 34115486 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c00191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is an essential cellular degradation process. Impaired autophagy has been linked to multiple disorders, including cancer and neurodegeneration. Tracking the autophagic flux in living cells will provide mechanistic insights into autophagy and will allow rapid screening of autophagy modulators as potential therapeutics. Imaging autophagy to track the autophagic flux demands a cell-permeable probe that can specifically target autophagic vesicles and report on the extent of autophagy. Existing fluorescent protein-based probes for imaging autophagy target autophagic vesicles but are cell-impermeable and degrade with the progress of autophagy resulting in ambiguous information on the later stages of autophagy. Although small-molecule-based autophagy probes can be cell-permeable, they are mostly water-insoluble and often target lysosomes instead of autophagic vesicles leading to incomplete evidence of the early stages of the process. Hence, there is a major gap in the ability to link the imaging data obtained by applying fluorescent sensors to the real extent of autophagy in living cells. To address these challenges, we have combined the desirable features of targetability and cell permeability to develop a novel water-soluble, cell-permeable, visible-light excitable, peptide-based, fluorescent sensor, HCFP, for imaging autophagy and tracking the autophagic flux. The probe readily enters living cells within 30 min of incubation, distinctly targets autophagic vesicles, and spatio-temporally tracks the entire autophagy pathway in living cells via a ratiometric pH-sensitive detection scheme. The salient features of the probe combining targetability with cell permeability should provide an edge in high-throughput screening of autophagy modulators by tracking autophagy live.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayani Das
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1-Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India
| | - Akshay Kapadia
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1-Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India
| | - Suranjana Pal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1-Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India
| | - Ankona Datta
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1-Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India
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Kondo E, Iioka H, Saito K. Tumor-homing peptide and its utility for advanced cancer medicine. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:2118-2125. [PMID: 33793015 PMCID: PMC8177760 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides, such as antibodies, have gained great attention as tools for the development of specific delivery systems for payloads, which might be applied as non-invasive carriers in vivo. Among these, tumor-homing peptides recently have been studied for use in tumor medicine. Tumor-homing peptides are oligopeptides, usually consisting of 30 or fewer amino acids that are efficiently and specifically incorporated into tumor cells, suggesting their potential use in establishing novel non-invasive tumor imaging systems for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Here, we briefly introduce the biological characteristics of our tumor-homing peptides, focusing especially on those developed using a random peptide library constructed using mRNA display technology. The advantage of the tumor-homing peptides is their biological safety, given that these molecules do not show significant cytotoxicity against non-neoplastic cells; lack serious antigenicity, which alternatively might evoke unfavorable immune responses and inflammation in vivo; and are rapidly incorporated into target cells/tissues, with rates exceeding those seen for antibodies. Given their small size, tumor-homing peptides also are easy to modify and redesign. Based on these merits, tumor-homing peptides are expected to find wide application in various aspects of tumor medicine, including imaging diagnostics (eg, with dye-conjugated probes for direct visualization of invasive/metastatic tumor lesions in vivo) and therapeutics (eg, using peptide-drug conjugates [PDCs] for tumor targeting). Although further evidence will be required to demonstrate their practical utility, tumor-homing peptides are expected to show great potential as a next-generation bio-tool contributing to precision medicine for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eisaku Kondo
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Iioka
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Ken Saito
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
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Piperigkou Z, Kyriakopoulou K, Koutsakis C, Mastronikolis S, Karamanos NK. Key Matrix Remodeling Enzymes: Functions and Targeting in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1441. [PMID: 33809973 PMCID: PMC8005147 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tissue functionality and integrity demand continuous changes in distribution of major components in the extracellular matrices (ECMs) under normal conditions aiming tissue homeostasis. Major matrix degrading proteolytic enzymes are matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), plasminogen activators, atypical proteases such as intracellular cathepsins and glycolytic enzymes including heparanase and hyaluronidases. Matrix proteases evoke epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and regulate ECM turnover under normal procedures as well as cancer cell phenotype, motility, invasion, autophagy, angiogenesis and exosome formation through vital signaling cascades. ECM remodeling is also achieved by glycolytic enzymes that are essential for cancer cell survival, proliferation and tumor progression. In this article, the types of major matrix remodeling enzymes, their effects in cancer initiation, propagation and progression as well as their pharmacological targeting and ongoing clinical trials are presented and critically discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoi Piperigkou
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis and Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, 265 04 Patras, Greece; (K.K.); (C.K.)
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH)/Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (ICE-HT), 265 04 Patras, Greece
| | - Konstantina Kyriakopoulou
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis and Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, 265 04 Patras, Greece; (K.K.); (C.K.)
| | - Christos Koutsakis
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis and Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, 265 04 Patras, Greece; (K.K.); (C.K.)
| | | | - Nikos K. Karamanos
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis and Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, 265 04 Patras, Greece; (K.K.); (C.K.)
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH)/Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (ICE-HT), 265 04 Patras, Greece
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Soond SM, Kozhevnikova MV, Townsend PA, Zamyatnin AA. Cysteine Cathepsin Protease Inhibition: An update on its Diagnostic, Prognostic and Therapeutic Potential in Cancer. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2019; 12:ph12020087. [PMID: 31212661 PMCID: PMC6630828 DOI: 10.3390/ph12020087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In keeping with recent developments in basic research; the importance of the Cathepsins as targets in cancer therapy have taken on increasing importance and given rise to a number of key areas of interest in the clinical setting. In keeping with driving basic research in this area in a translational direction; recent findings have given rise to a number of exciting developments in the areas of cancer diagnosis; prognosis and therapeutic development. As a fast-moving area of research; the focus of this review brings together the latest findings and highlights the translational significance of these developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surinder M Soond
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Trubetskaya str. 8-2, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Maria V Kozhevnikova
- Federal State Autonomous Edu-cational Institution of Higher Education I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation (Sechenovskiy University), Hospital Therapy Department No. 1, 6-1 Bolshaya Pirogovskaya str, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Paul A Townsend
- Division of Cancer Sciences and Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester M20 4GJ, UK.
| | - Andrey A Zamyatnin
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Trubetskaya str. 8-2, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia.
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Klimpel A, Neundorf I. Bifunctional peptide hybrids targeting the matrix of mitochondria. J Control Release 2018; 291:147-156. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Design of peptide–dendrimer conjugates with tumor homing and antitumor effects. RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11164-018-3280-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Shikata Y, Kiga M, Futamura Y, Aono H, Inoue H, Kawada M, Osada H, Imoto M. Mitochondrial uncoupler exerts a synthetic lethal effect against β-catenin mutant tumor cells. Cancer Sci 2017; 108:772-784. [PMID: 28107588 PMCID: PMC5406605 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Revised: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The wingless/int‐1 (Wnt) signal transduction pathway plays a central role in cell proliferation, survival, differentiation and apoptosis. When β‐catenin: a component of the Wnt pathway, is mutated into an active form, cell growth signaling is hyperactive and drives oncogenesis. As β‐catenin is mutated in a wide variety of tumors, including up to 10% of all sporadic colon carcinomas and 20% of hepatocellular carcinomas, it has been considered a promising target for therapeutic interventions. Therefore, we screened an in‐house natural product library for compounds that exhibited synthetic lethality towards β‐catenin mutations and isolated nonactin, an antibiotic mitochondrial uncoupler, as a hit compound. Nonactin, as well as other mitochondrial uncouplers, induced apoptosis selectively in β‐catenin mutated tumor cells. Significant tumor regression was observed in the β‐catenin mutant HCT 116 xenograft model, but not in the β‐catenin wild type A375 xenograft model, in response to daily administration of nonactin in vivo. Furthermore, we found that expression of an active mutant form of β‐catenin induced a decrease in the glycolysis rate. Taken together, our results demonstrate that tumor cells with mutated β‐catenin depend on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for survival. Therefore, they undergo apoptosis in response to mitochondrial dysfunction following the addition of mitochondrial uncouplers, such as nonactin. These results suggest that targeting mitochondria is a potential chemotherapeutic strategy for tumor cells that harbor β‐catenin mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Shikata
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Masaki Kiga
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yushi Futamura
- Chemical Biology Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), Saitama, Japan
| | - Harumi Aono
- Chemical Biology Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), Saitama, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Inoue
- Numazu Branch, Institute of Microbial Chemistry, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Manabu Kawada
- Numazu Branch, Institute of Microbial Chemistry, Shizuoka, Japan.,Laboratory of Oncology, Institute of Microbial Chemistry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Osada
- Chemical Biology Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), Saitama, Japan
| | - Masaya Imoto
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
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Saito K, Iioka H, Kojima C, Ogawa M, Kondo E. Peptide-based tumor inhibitor encoding mitochondrial p14(ARF) is highly efficacious to diverse tumors. Cancer Sci 2016; 107:1290-301. [PMID: 27317619 PMCID: PMC5021028 DOI: 10.1111/cas.12991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
p14ARF is one of the major tumor suppressors conventionally identified both as the mdm2‐binding molecule restoring p53 function in the nucleus, and as a nucleophosmin‐binding partner inside the nucleolous to stabilize ribosomal RNA. However, its recently reported mitochondrial localization has pointed to novel properties as a tumor suppressor. At the same time, functional peptides are gaining much attention in nanomedicine for their in vivo utility as non‐invasive biologics. We previously reported the p14ARF‐specific peptide that restored the sensitivity to gefitinib on the gefitinib‐resistant lung cancer cells. Based on the information of this prototype peptide, here we generated the more powerful anti‐tumor peptide “r9‐CatB‐p14 MIS,” which comprises the minimal inhibitory sequence of the mitochondrial targeting p14ARF protein in combination with the proteolytic cleavage site for cathepsin B, which is activated in various tumor cells, fused with the nine‐polyarginine‐domain for cell penetration, and demonstrated its novel action of regulating mitochondrial function in accordance with localization of endogenous p14ARF. The p14 MIS peptide showed a potent tumor inhibiton in vitro and in vivo against not only lung cancer cells but also tumor cells of diverse lineages, via modulating mitochondrial membrane potential, with minimal cytotoxicity to non‐neoplastic cells and tissues. Hence, this mitochondrially targeted p14 peptide agent provides a novel basis for non‐invasive peptide‐based antitumor therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Saito
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Iioka
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Chie Kojima
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mikako Ogawa
- Laboratory of Bioanalysis and Molecular Imaging, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Eisaku Kondo
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
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