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Danov A, Pollin I, Moon E, Ho M, Wilson BA, Papathanos PA, Kaplan T, Levy A. Identification of novel toxins associated with the extracellular contractile injection system using machine learning. Mol Syst Biol 2024; 20:859-879. [PMID: 39069594 PMCID: PMC11297309 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-024-00053-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Secretion systems play a crucial role in microbe-microbe or host-microbe interactions. Among these systems, the extracellular contractile injection system (eCIS) is a unique bacterial and archaeal extracellular secretion system that injects protein toxins into target organisms. However, the specific proteins that eCISs inject into target cells and their functions remain largely unknown. Here, we developed a machine learning classifier to identify eCIS-associated toxins (EATs). The classifier combines genetic and biochemical features to identify EATs. We also developed a score for the eCIS N-terminal signal peptide to predict EAT loading. Using the classifier we classified 2,194 genes from 950 genomes as putative EATs. We validated four new EATs, EAT14-17, showing toxicity in bacterial and eukaryotic cells, and identified residues of their respective active sites that are critical for toxicity. Finally, we show that EAT14 inhibits mitogenic signaling in human cells. Our study provides insights into the diversity and functions of EATs and demonstrates machine learning capability of identifying novel toxins. The toxins can be employed in various applications dependently or independently of eCIS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleks Danov
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Inbal Pollin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Eric Moon
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Mengfei Ho
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Brenda A Wilson
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Philippos A Papathanos
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Tommy Kaplan
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Asaf Levy
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.
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Escher TE, Satchell KJF. RAS degraders: The new frontier for RAS-driven cancers. Mol Ther 2023; 31:1904-1919. [PMID: 36945775 PMCID: PMC10362401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The function and significance of RAS proteins in cancer have been widely studied for decades. In 2013, the National Cancer Institute established the RAS Initiative to explore innovative approaches for attacking the proteins encoded by mutant forms of RAS genes and to create effective therapies for RAS-driven cancers. This initiative spurred researchers to develop novel approaches and to discover small molecules targeting this protein that was at one time termed "undruggable." More recently, advanced efforts in RAS degraders including PROTACs, linker-based degraders, and direct proteolysis degraders have been explored as novel strategies to target RAS for cancer treatment. These RAS degraders present new opportunities for RAS therapies and may prove fruitful in understanding basic cell biology. Novel delivery strategies will further enhance the efficacy of these therapeutics. In this review, we summarize recent efforts to develop RAS degraders, including PROTACs and E3 adaptor and ligase fusions as cancer therapies. This review also details the direct RAS protease degrader, RAS/RAP1-specific endopeptidase that directly and specifically cleaves RAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor E Escher
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Karla J F Satchell
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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Vidimar V, Park M, Stubbs CK, Ingram NK, Qiang W, Zhang S, Gursel D, Melnyk RA, Satchell KJF. Proteolytic pan-RAS Cleavage Leads to Tumor Regression in Patient-derived Pancreatic Cancer Xenografts. Mol Cancer Ther 2022; 21:810-820. [PMID: 35247912 PMCID: PMC9933180 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The lack of effective RAS inhibition represents a major unmet medical need in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, we investigate the anticancer activity of RRSP-DTB, an engineered biologic that cleaves the Switch I of all RAS isoforms, in KRAS-mutant PDAC cell lines and patient-derived xenografts (PDX). We first demonstrate that RRSP-DTB effectively engages RAS and impacts downstream ERK signaling in multiple KRAS-mutant PDAC cell lines inhibiting cell proliferation at picomolar concentrations. We next tested RRSP-DTB in immunodeficient mice bearing KRAS-mutant PDAC PDXs. Treatment with RRSP-DTB led to ≥95% tumor regression after 29 days. Residual tumors exhibited disrupted tissue architecture, increased fibrosis and fewer proliferating cells compared with controls. Intratumoral levels of phospho-ERK were also significantly lower, indicating in vivo target engagement. Importantly, tumors that started to regrow without RRSP-DTB shrank when treatment resumed, demonstrating resistance to RRSP-DTB had not developed. Tracking persistence of the toxin activity following intraperitoneal injection showed that RRSP-DTB is active in sera from immunocompetent mice for at least 1 hour, but absent after 16 hours, justifying use of daily dosing. Overall, we report that RRSP-DTB strongly regresses hard-to-treat KRAS-mutant PDX models of pancreatic cancer, warranting further development of this pan-RAS biologic for the management of RAS-addicted tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vania Vidimar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Minyoung Park
- Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Caleb K Stubbs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Nana K Ingram
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Wenan Qiang
- Center for Developmental Therapeutics, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Reproductive Science in Medicine), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
- Pathology Core Facility, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Shanshan Zhang
- Pathology Core Facility, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Demirkan Gursel
- Pathology Core Facility, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Roman A Melnyk
- Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Karla J F Satchell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
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Jiang F, Shen J, Cheng J, Wang X, Yang J, Li N, Gao N, Jin Q. N-terminal signal peptides facilitate the engineering of PVC complex as a potent protein delivery system. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm2343. [PMID: 35486720 PMCID: PMC9054023 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm2343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular contractile injection systems (eCISs) are widespread bacterial nanomachines that resemble T4 phage tail. As a typical eCIS, Photorhabdus virulence cassette (PVC) was proposed to inject toxins into eukaryotic cells by puncturing the cell membrane from outside. This makes it an ideal tool for protein delivery in biomedical research. However, how to manipulate this nanocomplex as a molecular syringe is still undetermined. Here, we identify that one group of N-terminal signal peptide (SP) sequences are crucial for the effector loading into the inner tube of PVC complex. By application of genetic operation, cryo-electron microscopy, in vitro translocation assays, and animal experiments, we show that, under the guidance of the SP, numerous prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins can be loaded into PVC to exert their functions across cell membranes. We therefore might customize PVC as a potent protein delivery nanosyringe for biotherapy by selecting cargo proteins in a broad spectrum, regardless of their species, sizes, and charges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Jiang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jiawei Shen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jiaxuan Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xia Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jianguo Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Ningning Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Ning Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Qi Jin
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P. R. China
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Woida PJ, Satchell KJF. Bacterial Toxin and Effector Regulation of Intestinal Immune Signaling. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:837691. [PMID: 35252199 PMCID: PMC8888934 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.837691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The host immune response is highly effective to detect and clear infecting bacterial pathogens. Given the elaborate surveillance systems of the host, it is evident that in order to productively infect a host, the bacteria often coordinate virulence factors to fine-tune the host response during infection. These coordinated events can include either suppressing or activating the signaling pathways that control the immune response and thereby promote bacterial colonization and infection. This review will cover the surveillance and signaling systems for detection of bacteria in the intestine and a sample of the toxins and effectors that have been characterized that cirumvent these signaling pathways. These factors that promote infection and disease progression have also been redirected as tools or therapeutics. Thus, these toxins are enemies deployed to enhance infection, but can also be redeployed as allies to enable research and protect against infection.
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RAS specific protease induces irreversible growth arrest via p27 in several KRAS mutant colorectal cancer cell lines. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17925. [PMID: 34504197 PMCID: PMC8429734 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97422-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ras-specific proteases to degrade RAS within cancer cells are under active development as an innovative strategy to treat tumorigenesis. The naturally occurring biological toxin effector called RAS/RAP1-specific endopeptidase (RRSP) is known to cleave all RAS within a cell, including HRAS, KRAS, NRAS and mutant KRAS G13D. Yet, our understanding of the mechanisms by which RRSP drives growth inhibition are unknown. Here, we demonstrate, using isogenic mouse fibroblasts expressing a single isoform of RAS or mutant KRAS, that RRSP equally inactivates all isoforms of RAS as well as the major oncogenic KRAS mutants. To investigate how RAS processing might lead to varying outcomes in cell fate within cancer cells, we tested RRSP against four colorectal cancer cell lines with a range of cell fates. While cell lines highly susceptible to RRSP (HCT116 and SW1463) undergo apoptosis, RRSP treatment of GP5d and SW620 cells induces G1 cell cycle arrest. In some cell lines, growth effects were dictated by rescued expression of the tumor suppressor protein p27 (Kip1). The ability of RRSP to irreversibly inhibit cancer cell growth highlights the antitumor potential of RRSP, and further warrants investigation as a potential anti-tumor therapeutic.
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Geller AM, Pollin I, Zlotkin D, Danov A, Nachmias N, Andreopoulos WB, Shemesh K, Levy A. The extracellular contractile injection system is enriched in environmental microbes and associates with numerous toxins. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3743. [PMID: 34145238 PMCID: PMC8213781 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23777-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The extracellular Contractile Injection System (eCIS) is a toxin-delivery particle that evolved from a bacteriophage tail. Four eCISs have previously been shown to mediate interactions between bacteria and their invertebrate hosts. Here, we identify eCIS loci in 1,249 bacterial and archaeal genomes and reveal an enrichment of these loci in environmental microbes and their apparent absence from mammalian pathogens. We show that 13 eCIS-associated toxin genes from diverse microbes can inhibit the growth of bacteria and/or yeast. We identify immunity genes that protect bacteria from self-intoxication, further supporting an antibacterial role for some eCISs. We also identify previously undescribed eCIS core genes, including a conserved eCIS transcriptional regulator. Finally, we present our data through an extensive eCIS repository, termed eCIStem. Our findings support eCIS as a toxin-delivery system that is widespread among environmental prokaryotes and likely mediates antagonistic interactions with eukaryotes and other prokaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Martin Geller
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Inbal Pollin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - David Zlotkin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Aleks Danov
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nimrod Nachmias
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Keren Shemesh
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Asaf Levy
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
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