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Gorgogietas V, Rajaei B, Heeyoung C, Santacreu BJ, Marín-Cañas S, Salpea P, Sawatani T, Musuaya A, Arroyo MN, Moreno-Castro C, Benabdallah K, Demarez C, Toivonen S, Cosentino C, Pachera N, Lytrivi M, Cai Y, Carnel L, Brown C, Urano F, Marchetti P, Gilon P, Eizirik DL, Cnop M, Igoillo-Esteve M. GLP-1R agonists demonstrate potential to treat Wolfram syndrome in human preclinical models. Diabetologia 2023; 66:1306-1321. [PMID: 36995380 PMCID: PMC10244297 DOI: 10.1007/s00125-023-05905-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS Wolfram syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the WFS1 gene. It is characterised by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, optic nerve atrophy, diabetes insipidus, hearing loss and neurodegeneration. Considering the unmet treatment need for this orphan disease, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists under wolframin (WFS1) deficiency with a particular focus on human beta cells and neurons. METHODS The effect of the GLP-1R agonists dulaglutide and exenatide was examined in Wfs1 knockout mice and in an array of human preclinical models of Wolfram syndrome, including WFS1-deficient human beta cells, human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived beta-like cells and neurons from control individuals and individuals affected by Wolfram syndrome, and humanised mice. RESULTS Our study shows that the long-lasting GLP-1R agonist dulaglutide reverses impaired glucose tolerance in WFS1-deficient mice, and that exenatide and dulaglutide improve beta cell function and prevent apoptosis in different human WFS1-deficient models including iPSC-derived beta cells from people with Wolfram syndrome. Exenatide improved mitochondrial function, reduced oxidative stress and prevented apoptosis in Wolfram syndrome iPSC-derived neural precursors and cerebellar neurons. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION Our study provides novel evidence for the beneficial effect of GLP-1R agonists on WFS1-deficient human pancreatic beta cells and neurons, suggesting that these drugs may be considered as a treatment for individuals with Wolfram syndrome.
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Grants
- UH3 TR002065 NCATS NIH HHS
- U01 DK127786 NIDDK NIH HHS
- R01 DK132090 NIDDK NIH HHS
- UL1 TR000448 NCATS NIH HHS
- P60 DK020579 NIDDK NIH HHS
- P30 DK020579 NIDDK NIH HHS
- UL1 TR002345 NCATS NIH HHS
- UH2 TR002065 NCATS NIH HHS
- Pandarome project FWO and F.R.S.-FNRS under the Excellence of Science (EOS) programme
- Welbio-FNRS
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)/NIDDK
- Philanthropic supports from the Silberman Fund, the Ellie White Foundation for the Rare Genetic Disorders, the Snow Foundation, the Unravel Wolfram Syndrome Fund, the Stowe Fund, the Feiock Fund, the Cachia Fund, the Gildenhorn Fund, the Eye Hope Foundation, Ontario Wolfram League, Associazione Gentian - Sindrome di Wolfram Italia, Alianza de Familias Afectadas por el Sindrome Wolfram Spain, Wolfram syndrome UK, and Association Syndrome de Wolfram France.
- the Walloon Region SPW-EER Win2Wal project BetaSource
- National Institutes of Health Human Islet Research Network Consortium on Beta Cell Death & Survival from Pancreatic β-Cell Gene Networks to Therapy [HIRN-CBDS])
- Eye Hope Foundation
- Fonds Erasme for Medical Research
- Alianza de familias afectadas por el síndrome de Wolfram (AFASW)
- Brussels Region Innoviris (Bridge) project DiaType
- Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation (Innovate2CureType1)
- Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS)
- Francophone Foundation for Diabetes Research (FFRD, that is sponsored by the French Diabetes Federation, Abbott, Eli Lilly,Merck Sharp & Dohme and Novo Nordisk)
- NIH/ National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
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Affiliation(s)
- Vyron Gorgogietas
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bahareh Rajaei
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chae Heeyoung
- Institut de Recherche Expérimental et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Université Catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgique
| | - Bruno J Santacreu
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sandra Marín-Cañas
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Paraskevi Salpea
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Toshiaki Sawatani
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Anyishai Musuaya
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - María N Arroyo
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Khadija Benabdallah
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Celine Demarez
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sanna Toivonen
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cristina Cosentino
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Pachera
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maria Lytrivi
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ying Cai
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Cris Brown
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Fumihiko Urano
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Piero Marchetti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, AOUP Cisanello University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Patrick Gilon
- Institut de Recherche Expérimental et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Université Catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgique
| | - Decio L Eizirik
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Miriam Cnop
- ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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A novel strategy for production of liraglutide precursor peptide and development of a new long-acting incretin mimic. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266833. [PMID: 35500009 PMCID: PMC9060347 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, a small number of incretin mimics are used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) due to their longer half-life. The present study aimed to introduce a novel method for producing the liraglutide precursor peptide (LPP) and developing a potentially new incretin mimic. Here, human αB-crystallin (αB-Cry) was ligated to the LPP at the gene level, and the gene construct was expressed in Escherichia coli with a relatively good efficiency. The hybrid protein (αB-lir) was then purified by a precipitation method followed by anion exchange chromatography. After that, the peptide was released from the carrier protein by a chemical cleavage method yielding about 70%. The LPP was then purified by gel filtration chromatography, and HPLC estimated its purity to be about 98%. Also, the molecular mass of the purified peptide was finally confirmed by mass spectroscopy analysis. Assessment of the secondary structures suggested a dominant α-helical structure for the LPP and a β-sheet rich structure for the hybrid protein. The subcutaneous injection of the LPP and the αB-lir hybrid protein significantly reduced the blood sugar levels in healthy and diabetic mice and stimulated insulin secretion. Also, the hybrid protein exerts its bioactivities more effectively than the LPP over a relatively longer period of time. The results of this study suggested a novel method for the easy and cost-effective production of the LPP and introduced a new long-acting incretin mimic that can be potentially used for the treatment of T2DM patients.
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Kim TY, Nam YR, Park JH, Lee DE, Kim HS. Site-Specific Lipidation of a Small-Sized Protein Binder Enhances the Antitumor Activity through Extended Blood Half-Life. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:19778-19784. [PMID: 32803073 PMCID: PMC7424708 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Protein and peptide therapeutics tend to have a short blood circulation time mainly caused by rapid clearance in kidney, leading to a low therapeutic efficacy. Here, we demonstrate that the antitumor activity of a small-sized protein binder can be significantly enhanced by prolonged blood half-life through site-specific lipidation. An unnatural amino acid was genetically incorporated into a specific site with the highest accessibility in a human interleukin-6 (IL-6)-targeting protein binder with a size of 30.8 kDa, followed by conjugation with palmitic acid using cooper-free click chemistry. The resulting protein binder was shown to have a binding capacity for serum albumin, maintaining a comparable binding affinity for human IL-6 to the native protein binder. The terminal half-life of the lipidated protein binder was estimated to be 10.7 h, whereas the native one had a half-life of 20 min, resulting in a significantly enhanced tumor suppression effect. The present approach can be generally applied to small-sized therapeutic proteins for the elongation of circulation time and increase of bioavailability in blood, consequently enhancing their therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Yoon Kim
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute
of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - You Ree Nam
- Advanced
Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic
Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Jeongeup, Jeonbuk 56212, Korea
| | - Jin Ho Park
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute
of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Dong-Eun Lee
- Advanced
Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic
Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Jeongeup, Jeonbuk 56212, Korea
| | - Hak-Sung Kim
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute
of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
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Cha S, Lee SH, Kang SH, Hasan MN, Kim YJ, Cho S, Lee YK. Antibody-mediated oral delivery of therapeutic DNA for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Biomater Res 2018; 22:19. [PMID: 30065848 PMCID: PMC6062860 DOI: 10.1186/s40824-018-0129-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic progressive metabolic disease that involves uncontrolled elevation of blood glucose levels. Among various therapeutic approaches, GLP-1 prevents type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients from experiencing hyperglycemic episodes. However, the short half-life (< 5 min) and rapid clearance of GLP-1 often limits its therapeutic use. Here, we developed an oral GLP-1 gene delivery system to achieve an extended antidiabetic effect. Methods Human IgG1 (hIgG1)-Fc-Arg/pDNA complexes were prepared by an electrostatic complexation of the expression plasmid with various ratios of the positively modified Fc fragments of an antibody (hIgG1-Fc-Arg) having a targeting ability to FcRn receptor. The shape and size of the complexes were examined by atomic force and field emission electron microscope. The stability of the complexes was tested in simulated gastrointestinal pH and physiological serum condition. Cellular uptake, transport, and toxicity of the complexes were tested in the Caco-2 cells. Biodistribution and antidiabetic effect of the complexes were observed in either Balb/c mice or Lepdb/db mice. Results A 50/1 ratio of the hIgG1-Fc-Arg/pDNA produced a complex structure having approximately 40 ~ 60 nm size and also demonstrated protection of pDNA in the complex from the physiological pH and serum conditions. Cellular uptake and transport of the complex were demonstrated in Caco-2 cells having FcRn receptor expression and forming the monolayer-polarized structure. The cellular toxicity of both delivery vehicle and the complex revealed their minimal toxicity comparable with nontoxicity of a commercial transfection reagent. Biodistribution of the complex showed the detectable distribution of the complex in the most parts of gastrointestinal tract due to ubiquitous expression of the FcRn receptors. An in vivo type 2 diabetes treatment study of oral administration of hIgG1-Fc-9Arg/pGLP-1 complexes showed absorption and expression in GI tract of either Balb/c mice or Lepdb/db mice. Conclusion In this study, we developed an oral GLP-1 gene delivery system on the platform of cationic hIgG1-Fc-9Arg. Prolonged t1/2, less immunoactivity, and better bioactivities of hIgG-Fc-9Arg/pGLP-1 complexes appeared to be a promising approach to achieve potent treatment of type 2 diabetes treatment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40824-018-0129-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungbin Cha
- 1Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Konkuk University, Chungju, 27478 Republic of Korea
| | | | | | - Mohammad Nazmul Hasan
- 3Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea National University of Transportation, Chungju, 27469 Republic of Korea
| | - Young Jun Kim
- 1Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Konkuk University, Chungju, 27478 Republic of Korea
| | - Sungpil Cho
- 44D Biomaterials Center, Korea National University of Transportation, Jeungpyeong, 27909 Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Kyu Lee
- KB-Biomed, Chungju, 27469 Republic of Korea.,3Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea National University of Transportation, Chungju, 27469 Republic of Korea.,44D Biomaterials Center, Korea National University of Transportation, Jeungpyeong, 27909 Republic of Korea
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Wang W, Zhang D, Yang R, Xia W, Qian K, Shi Z, Brown R, Zhou H, Xi Y, Shi L, Chen L, Xu F, Sun X, Zhu D, Gong DW. Hepatic and cardiac beneficial effects of a long-acting Fc-apelin fusion protein in diet-induced obese mice. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2018; 34:e2997. [PMID: 29577579 DOI: 10.1002/dmrr.2997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Apelin is a peptide ligand of the G-protein-coupled receptor APJ and exhibits anti-diabetes and anti-heart failure activities. However, short serum half-life of the apelin peptide limits its potential clinical applications. This study aimed to develop a long-acting apelin analog. METHODS To extend apelin's in vivo half-life, we made a recombinant protein by fusing the IgG Fc fragment to apelin-13 (Fc-apelin-13), conducted pharmacokinetics studies in mice, and determined in vitro biological activities in suppressing cyclic adenosine monophosphate and activating extracellular signal-regulated kinase signalling by reporter assays. We investigated the effects of Fc-apelin-13 on food intake, body weight, fasting blood glucose and insulin levels, glucose tolerance test, hepatic steatosis, and cardiac function and fibrosis by subcutaneous administration of Fc-apelin-13 in diet-induced obese mice for 4 weeks. RESULTS The estimated half-life of Fc-apelin-13 in blood was approximately 33 hours. Reporter assays showed that Fc-apelin-13 was active in suppressing cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element and activating serum response element activities. Four weeks of Fc-apelin-13 treatment in obese mice did not affect food intake and body weight, but resulted in a significant improvement of glucose tolerance, and a decrease in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, as well as in serum alanine transaminase levels. Moreover, cardiac stroke volume and output were increased and cardiac fibrosis was decreased in the treated mice. CONCLUSIONS Fc-apelin-13 fusion protein has an extended in vivo half-life and exerts multiple benefits on obese mice with respect to the improvement of glucose disposal, amelioration of liver steatosis and heart fibrosis, and increase of cardiac output. Hence, Fc-apelin-13 is potentially a therapeutic for obesity-associated disease conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weimin Wang
- Department of Endocrinology, Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dongming Zhang
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rongze Yang
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Wei Xia
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kun Qian
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zhengrong Shi
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Robert Brown
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Huifen Zhou
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yue Xi
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lin Shi
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ling Chen
- Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Feng Xu
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Nephrology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiaojian Sun
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dalong Zhu
- Department of Endocrinology, Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Da-Wei Gong
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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