1
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Selective targeting of metastatic ovarian cancer using an engineered anthrax prodrug activated by membrane-anchored serine proteases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2201423119. [PMID: 35867758 PMCID: PMC9282395 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201423119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatments for advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer remain a challenge due to a lack of potent, selective, and effective therapeutics. Here, we developed the basis for a transformative anticancer strategy based on anthrax toxin that has been engineered to be selectively activated by the catalytic power of zymogen-activating proteases on the surface of malignant tumor cells to induce cell death. Exposure to the engineered toxin is cytotoxic to ovarian tumor cell lines and ovarian tumor spheroids derived from patient ascites. Preclinical studies demonstrate that toxin treatment induces tumor regression in several in vivo ovarian cancer models, including patient-derived xenografts, without adverse side effects, supportive of progression toward clinical evaluation. These data lay the groundwork for developing therapeutics for treating women with late-stage and recurrent ovarian cancers, utilizing a mechanism distinct from current anticancer therapies.
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2
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Imaging of anthrax intoxication in mice reveals shared and individual functions of surface receptors CMG-2 and TEM-8 in cellular toxin entry. J Biol Chem 2021; 298:101467. [PMID: 34871548 PMCID: PMC8716333 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin and edema toxin are binary toxins that consist of a common cell-binding moiety, protective antigen (PA), and the enzymatic moieties, lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). PA binds to either of two receptors, capillary morphogenesis protein-2 (CMG-2) or tumor endothelial marker-8 (TEM-8), which triggers the binding and cytoplasmic translocation of LF and EF. However, the distribution of functional TEM-8 and CMG-2 receptors during anthrax toxin intoxication in animals has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we describe an assay to image anthrax toxin intoxication in animals, and we use it to visualize TEM-8- and CMG-2-dependent intoxication in mice. Specifically, we generated a chimeric protein consisting of the N-terminal domain of LF fused to a nuclear localization signal-tagged Cre recombinase (LFn-NLS-Cre). When PA and LFn-NLS-Cre were coadministered to transgenic mice expressing a red fluorescent protein in the absence of Cre and a green fluorescent protein in the presence of Cre, intoxication could be visualized at single-cell resolution by confocal microscopy or flow cytometry. Using this assay, we found that: (a) CMG-2 is critical for intoxication in the liver and heart, (b) TEM-8 is required for intoxication in the kidney and spleen, (c) CMG-2 and TEM-8 are redundant for intoxication of some organs, (d) combined loss of CMG-2 and TEM-8 completely abolishes intoxication, and (e) CMG-2 is the dominant receptor on leukocytes. The novel assay will be useful for basic and clinical/translational studies of Bacillus anthracis infection and for clinical development of reengineered toxin variants for cancer treatment.
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3
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Jia X, Zhang Y, Wang T, Fu Y. Highly Efficient Method for Intracellular Delivery of Proteins Mediated by Cholera Toxin-Induced Protein Internalization. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:4067-4078. [PMID: 34672633 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Delivery of functional proteins into cells may help us understand how specific protein influences cell behavior as well as treat diseases caused by protein deficiency or loss-of-function mutations. However, protein cannot enter cells by diffusion. In this work, a novel cell biology tool for delivering recombinant proteins into mammalian cells was developed. We hijacked the intracellular transport routes used by the cholera toxin and took advantage of recent development on split intein that is compatible with denatured conditions and shows an exceptional splicing activity to deliver a protein of interest into mammalian cells. Here, we used green fluorescent protein and apoptin as proofs-of-concept. The results demonstrate that the cholera toxin B subunit alone could deliver other recombinant proteins into cells through either covalent conjugation or noncovalent interaction. Our method offers more than 10-fold better delivery efficiency than the tat cell-penetrating peptide and is selective for ganglioside-rich cells. This study adds a useful tool to the receptor-mediated intracellular targeting toolkit and opens possibility for the selective delivery of therapeutic proteins into ganglioside-rich cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofan Jia
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yuan Fu
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
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4
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Gholami M, Moghbeli M, Kafilzadeh F, Kargar M, Torbati MB, Tavizi A, Bellevile S, Hatami J, Eslami Z. Production of recombinant lethal factor of Bacillus anthracis in Bacillus subtilis. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 2020; 51:9-15. [PMID: 32393098 DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2020.1762215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is considered as a disease with high rates of mortality and morbidity. The limitations and side effects of common treatments have prompted the need for innovative cancer therapies. Furthermore, selectivity and targeting of cancer cells are crucial factors to successful treatment of cancer. One of these methods is the use of bacterial toxins including Bacillus anthracis toxin to aid cancer therapy. This toxin is composed of three polypeptides: protective factor (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF). PA can bind to various surface receptors of all types of human cells and it internalizes the lethal factor and edema factor subunits of the toxin in the cytosol. In the present study, we cloned and expressed the lef gene of B. anthracis as the lethal part of the toxin in Bacillus subtilis WB600 by a shuttle expression vector PHT4. The rLF made in B. subtilis is efficiently secreted by the host into the culture medium which facilitates downstream processing. The rLF can be used to study cancer treatment. Abbreviations: EF: edema factor; LF: lethal factor; PA: protective factor; rLF: recombinant lethal factor; rPAm: recombinant protective factor mutants; uPA: urokinase-type plasminogen activator; uPAR: urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Majid Moghbeli
- Department of Biology, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Kargar
- Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom, Iran
| | | | | | | | - Javad Hatami
- Department of Education, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Eslami
- ALHSB Health Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA
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5
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Park M, Xu X, Min W, Sugiman-Marangos SN, Beilhartz GL, Adams JJ, Sidhu SS, Grunebaum E, Melnyk RA. Intracellular Delivery of Human Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase by Engineered Diphtheria Toxin Rescues Function in Target Cells. Mol Pharm 2018; 15:5217-5226. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jarret J. Adams
- Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, Terrence Donnelly Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Sachdev S. Sidhu
- Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, Terrence Donnelly Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Eyal Grunebaum
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
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6
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Paliga D, Raudzus F, Leppla SH, Heumann R, Neumann S. Lethal Factor Domain-Mediated Delivery of Nurr1 Transcription Factor Enhances Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity and Protects from Neurotoxin-Induced Degeneration of Dopaminergic Cells. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:3393-3403. [PMID: 30121937 PMCID: PMC6476859 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1311-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The orphan transcription factor nuclear receptor-related 1 protein (Nurr1, also known as NR4A2) plays a key role in embryonic development and maintenance of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Nurr1 deficiency is associated with Parkinson’s disease where dopaminergic neurons degenerate suggesting that counter-regulation of Nurr1 activity may have therapeutic effects. Here, we bacterially expressed and isolated a human Nurr1 fusion protein containing a N-terminal cell delivery domain derived from detoxified anthrax lethal factor followed by wild type ubiquitin with deubiquitinating enzyme recognition site for intracellular cleavage. Addition of the Nurr1 fusion protein to dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells generated a cleaved, cytosolic Nurr1-containing fragment which was associated with increased levels of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis. Promoter-activity assays confirmed that exposure of cells to full-length Nurr1 fusion protein activated not only its cognate human tyrosine hydroxylase promoter but also the corresponding mouse sequence, although at a reduced efficiency. Using 6-hydroxydopamine as a dopaminergic cell specific neurotoxin, we demonstrate that full-length Nurr1 fusion protein promotes a concentration-dependent protection from this toxic insult. Altogether, the enhancement of tyrosine hydroxylase in naïve dopaminergic cells and the protective effects in a cellular model of Parkinson’s disease suggest that full-length Nurr1 fusion protein may contribute to the development of a novel concept of protein-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Paliga
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Fabian Raudzus
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stephen H Leppla
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rolf Heumann
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Neumann
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
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7
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Martin EW, Buzza MS, Driesbaugh KH, Liu S, Fortenberry YM, Leppla SH, Antalis TM. Targeting the membrane-anchored serine protease testisin with a novel engineered anthrax toxin prodrug to kill tumor cells and reduce tumor burden. Oncotarget 2016; 6:33534-53. [PMID: 26392335 PMCID: PMC4741784 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/03/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The membrane-anchored serine proteases are a unique group of trypsin-like serine proteases that are tethered to the cell surface via transmembrane domains or glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchors. Overexpressed in tumors, with pro-tumorigenic properties, they are attractive targets for protease-activated prodrug-like anti-tumor therapies. Here, we sought to engineer anthrax toxin protective antigen (PrAg), which is proteolytically activated on the cell surface by the proprotein convertase furin to instead be activated by tumor cell-expressed membrane-anchored serine proteases to function as a tumoricidal agent. PrAg's native activation sequence was mutated to a sequence derived from protein C inhibitor (PCI) that can be cleaved by membrane-anchored serine proteases, to generate the mutant protein PrAg-PCIS. PrAg-PCIS was resistant to furin cleavage in vitro, yet cytotoxic to multiple human tumor cell lines when combined with FP59, a chimeric anthrax toxin lethal factor-Pseudomonas exotoxin fusion protein. Molecular analyses showed that PrAg-PCIS can be cleaved in vitro by several serine proteases including the membrane-anchored serine protease testisin, and mediates increased killing of testisin-expressing tumor cells. Treatment with PrAg-PCIS also potently attenuated the growth of testisin-expressing xenograft tumors in mice. The data indicates PrAg can be engineered to target tumor cell-expressed membrane-anchored serine proteases to function as a potent tumoricidal agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik W Martin
- Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases and the Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Marguerite S Buzza
- Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases and the Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Kathryn H Driesbaugh
- Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases and the Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Shihui Liu
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yolanda M Fortenberry
- Division of Pediatric Hematology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Stephen H Leppla
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Toni M Antalis
- Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases and the Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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8
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Ryou JH, Sohn YK, Hwang DE, Park WY, Kim N, Heo WD, Kim MY, Kim HS. Engineering of bacterial exotoxins for highly efficient and receptor-specific intracellular delivery of diverse cargos. Biotechnol Bioeng 2016; 113:1639-46. [PMID: 26773973 DOI: 10.1002/bit.25935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The intracellular delivery of proteins with high efficiency in a receptor-specific manner is of great significance in molecular medicine and biotechnology, but remains a challenge. Herein, we present the development of a highly efficient and receptor-specific delivery platform for protein cargos by combining the receptor binding domain of Escherichia coli Shiga-like toxin and the translocation domain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A. We demonstrated the utility and efficiency of the delivery platform by showing a cytosolic delivery of diverse proteins both in vitro and in vivo in a receptor-specific manner. In particular, the delivery system was shown to be effective for targeting an intracellular protein and consequently suppressing the tumor growth in xenograft mice. The present platform can be widely used for intracellular delivery of diverse functional macromolecules with high efficiency in a receptor-specific manner. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1639-1646. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Hyun Ryou
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea
| | - Yoo-Kyoung Sohn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea
| | - Da-Eun Hwang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea
| | - Woo-Yong Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea
| | - Nury Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea
| | - Won-Do Heo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea
| | - Mi-Young Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea
| | - Hak-Sung Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea.
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9
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Bachran C, Leppla SH. Tumor Targeting and Drug Delivery by Anthrax Toxin. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:toxins8070197. [PMID: 27376328 PMCID: PMC4963830 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8070197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax toxin is a potent tripartite protein toxin from Bacillus anthracis. It is one of the two virulence factors and causes the disease anthrax. The receptor-binding component of the toxin, protective antigen, needs to be cleaved by furin-like proteases to be activated and to deliver the enzymatic moieties lethal factor and edema factor to the cytosol of cells. Alteration of the protease cleavage site allows the activation of the toxin selectively in response to the presence of tumor-associated proteases. This initial idea of re-targeting anthrax toxin to tumor cells was further elaborated in recent years and resulted in the design of many modifications of anthrax toxin, which resulted in successful tumor therapy in animal models. These modifications include the combination of different toxin variants that require activation by two different tumor-associated proteases for increased specificity of toxin activation. The anthrax toxin system has proved to be a versatile system for drug delivery of several enzymatic moieties into cells. This highly efficient delivery system has recently been further modified by introducing ubiquitin as a cytosolic cleavage site into lethal factor fusion proteins. This review article describes the latest developments in this field of tumor targeting and drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephen H Leppla
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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10
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Rabideau AE, Pentelute BL. Delivery of Non-Native Cargo into Mammalian Cells Using Anthrax Lethal Toxin. ACS Chem Biol 2016; 11:1490-501. [PMID: 27055654 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.6b00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The intracellular delivery of peptide and protein therapeutics is a major challenge due to the plasma membrane, which acts as a barrier between the extracellular environment and the intracellular milieu. Over the past two decades, a nontoxic PA/LFN delivery platform derived from anthrax lethal toxin has been developed for the transport of non-native cargo into the cytosol of cells in order to understand the translocation process through a protective antigen (PA) pore and to probe intracellular biological functions. Enzyme-mediated ligation using sortase A and native chemical ligation are two facile methods used to synthesize these non-native conjugates, inaccessible by recombinant technology. Cargo molecules that translocate efficiently include enzymes from protein toxins, antibody mimic proteins, and peptides of varying lengths and non-natural amino acid compositions. The PA pore has been found to effectively convey over 30 known cargos other than native lethal factor (LF; i.e., non-native) with diverse sequences and functionalities on the LFN transporter protein. All together these studies demonstrated that non-native cargos must adopt an unfolded or extended conformation and contain a suitable charge composition in order to efficiently pass through the PA pore. This review provides insight into design parameters for the efficient delivery of new cargos using PA and LFN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E. Rabideau
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Bradley Lether Pentelute
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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11
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Ryou JH, Sohn YK, Hwang DE, Kim HS. Shiga-like toxin-based high-efficiency and receptor-specific intracellular delivery system for a protein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2015. [PMID: 26220340 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.07.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The cell-specific cytosolic delivery of functional macromolecules with high efficiency is of great significance in molecular medicine and biotechnology. Herein, we present a Shiga-like toxin II-based high-efficiency and receptor-specific intracellular delivery system. We designed and constructed the Shiga-like toxin-based carrier (STC) to comprise the targeting and translocation domains, and used it for delivering a protein cargo. The STC was shown to deliver a protein cargo into the cytosol with high efficiency in a receptor-specific manner, exhibiting much higher efficiency than the most widely used cell-penetrating peptide. The general utility of the STC was demonstrated by modulating the targeting domain. The present delivery platform can be widely used for the intracellular delivery of diverse biomolecules in a receptor-specific and genetically encodable manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Hyun Ryou
- Graduate School of Medical Science & Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea; Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoo-Kyoung Sohn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Da-Eun Hwang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Hak-Sung Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea.
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12
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Translocation of Non-Canonical Polypeptides into Cells Using Protective Antigen. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11944. [PMID: 26178180 PMCID: PMC4503955 DOI: 10.1038/srep11944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of pathogenic bacteria infect host eukaryotic cells using protein toxins, which enter the cytosol and exert their cytotoxic effects. Anthrax lethal toxin, for example, utilizes the membrane-spanning translocase, protective antigen (PA) pore, to deliver the protein toxin lethal factor (LF) from the endosome into the cytosol of cells. Previous work has investigated the delivery of natural peptides and enzymatic domains appended to the C-terminus of the PA-binding domain of lethal factor (LFN) into the cytosol via PA pore. Here, we move beyond natural amino acids and systematically investigate the translocation of polypeptide cargo containing non-canonical amino acids and functionalities through PA pore. Our results indicate translocation is not perturbed with alterations to the peptide backbone or side-chain. Moreover, despite their structural complexity, we found that the small molecule drugs, doxorubicin and monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF) translocated efficiently through PA pore. However, we found cyclic peptides and the small molecule drug docetaxel abrogated translocation due to their large size and structural rigidity. For cargos that reached the cytosol, we demonstrated that each remained intact after translocation. These studies show PA is capable of translocating non-canonical cargo provided it is in a conformational state conducive for passage through the narrow pore.
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13
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Auger A, Park M, Nitschke F, Minassian LM, Beilhartz GL, Minassian BA, Melnyk RA. Efficient Delivery of Structurally Diverse Protein Cargo into Mammalian Cells by a Bacterial Toxin. Mol Pharm 2015; 12:2962-71. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anick Auger
- Program in Molecular Structure & Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Minyoung Park
- Program in Molecular Structure & Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Felix Nitschke
- Program in Genetics & Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lori M. Minassian
- Program in Molecular Structure & Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Greg L. Beilhartz
- Program in Molecular Structure & Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Berge A. Minassian
- Program in Genetics & Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department
of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Roman A. Melnyk
- Program in Molecular Structure & Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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14
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Verdurmen WPR, Luginbühl M, Honegger A, Plückthun A. Efficient cell-specific uptake of binding proteins into the cytoplasm through engineered modular transport systems. J Control Release 2015; 200:13-22. [PMID: 25526701 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2014.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2014] [Revised: 12/13/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Through advances in protein scaffold engineering and selection technologies, highly specific binding proteins, which fold under reducing conditions, can be generated against virtually all targets. Despite tremendous therapeutic opportunities, intracellular applications are hindered by difficulties associated with achieving cytosolic delivery, compounded by even correctly measuring it. Here, we addressed cytosolic delivery systematically through the development of a biotin ligase-based assay that objectively quantifies cytosolic delivery in a generic fashion. We developed modular transport systems that consist of a designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) for receptor targeting and a different DARPin for intracellular recognition and a bacterial toxin-derived component for cytosolic translocation. We show that both anthrax pores and the translocation domain of Pseudomonas exotoxin A (ETA) efficiently deliver DARPins into the cytosol. We found that the cargo must not exceed a threshold thermodynamic stability for anthrax pores, which can be addressed by engineering, while the ETA pathway does not appear to have this restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter P R Verdurmen
- Dept of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Manuel Luginbühl
- Dept of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Annemarie Honegger
- Dept of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- Dept of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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15
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Liao X, Rabideau AE, Pentelute BL. Delivery of antibody mimics into mammalian cells via anthrax toxin protective antigen. Chembiochem 2014; 15:2458-66. [PMID: 25250705 PMCID: PMC4498471 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201402290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Antibody mimics have significant scientific and therapeutic utility for the disruption of protein-protein interactions inside cells; however, their delivery to the cell cytosol remains a major challenge. Here we show that protective antigen (PA), a component of anthrax toxin, efficiently transports commonly used antibody mimics to the cytosol of mammalian cells when conjugated to the N-terminal domain of LF (LFN). In contrast, a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) was not able to deliver any of these antibody mimics into the cell cytosol. The refolding and binding of a transported tandem monobody to Bcr-Abl (its protein target) in chronic myeloid leukemia cells were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. We also observed inhibition of Bcr-Abl kinase activity and induction of apoptosis caused by the monobody. In a separate case, we show disruption of key interactions in the MAPK signaling pathway after PA-mediated delivery of an affibody binder that targets hRaf-1. We show for the first time that PA can deliver bioactive antibody mimics to disrupt intracellular protein-protein interactions. This technology adds a useful tool to expand the applications of these modern agents to the intracellular milieu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Liao
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts Avenue 18-596, Cambridge, MA 02193 (USA) E-mail:
| | - Amy E Rabideau
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts Avenue 18-596, Cambridge, MA 02193 (USA) E-mail:
| | - Bradley L Pentelute
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts Avenue 18-596, Cambridge, MA 02193 (USA) E-mail:
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Gurnev PA, Nestorovich EM. Channel-forming bacterial toxins in biosensing and macromolecule delivery. Toxins (Basel) 2014; 6:2483-540. [PMID: 25153255 PMCID: PMC4147595 DOI: 10.3390/toxins6082483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Revised: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To intoxicate cells, pore-forming bacterial toxins are evolved to allow for the transmembrane traffic of different substrates, ranging from small inorganic ions to cell-specific polypeptides. Recent developments in single-channel electrical recordings, X-ray crystallography, protein engineering, and computational methods have generated a large body of knowledge about the basic principles of channel-mediated molecular transport. These discoveries provide a robust framework for expansion of the described principles and methods toward use of biological nanopores in the growing field of nanobiotechnology. This article, written for a special volume on "Intracellular Traffic and Transport of Bacterial Protein Toxins", reviews the current state of applications of pore-forming bacterial toxins in small- and macromolecule-sensing, targeted cancer therapy, and drug delivery. We discuss the electrophysiological studies that explore molecular details of channel-facilitated protein and polymer transport across cellular membranes using both natural and foreign substrates. The review focuses on the structurally and functionally different bacterial toxins: gramicidin A of Bacillus brevis, α-hemolysin of Staphylococcus aureus, and binary toxin of Bacillus anthracis, which have found their "second life" in a variety of developing medical and technological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip A Gurnev
- Physics Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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