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Luo A, He J, Yu J, Wu Y, Harvey PJ, Kasheverov IE, Kudryavtsev DS, McIntosh JM, Tsetlin VI, Craik DJ, Zhangsun D, Luo S. Aspartic acid mutagenesis of αO-Conotoxin GeXIVA isomers reveals arginine residues crucial for inhibition of the α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 271:132472. [PMID: 38772455 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
The two most active disulfide bond isomers of the analgesic αO-conotoxin GeXIVA, namely GeXIVA[1, 2] and GeXIVA[1, 4], were subjected to Asp-scanning mutagenesis to determine the key amino acid residues for activity at the rat α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). These studies revealed the key role of arginine residues for the activity of GeXIVA isomers towards the α9α10 nAChR. Based on these results, additional analogues with 2-4 mutations were designed and tested. The analogues [T1A,D14A,V28K]GeXIVA[1, 2] and [D14A,I23A,V28K]GeXIVA[1, 4] were developed and showed sub-nanomolar activity for the α9α10 nAChR with IC50 values of 0.79 and 0.38 nM. The latter analogue had exceptional selectivity for the α9α10 receptor subtype over other nAChR subtypes and can be considered as a drug candidate for further development. Molecular dynamics of receptor-ligand complexes allowed us to make deductions about the possible causes of increases in the affinity of key GeXIVA[1, 4] mutants for the α9α10 nAChR.
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Affiliation(s)
- An Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jie He
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jinpeng Yu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yong Wu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Peta J Harvey
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Igor E Kasheverov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str. 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russian Federation
| | - Denis S Kudryavtsev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str. 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russian Federation
| | - J Michael McIntosh
- Departments of Biology and Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA. George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, USA 84108
| | - Victor I Tsetlin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str. 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russian Federation
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
| | - Sulan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
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2
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Guo X, He L, Xu W, Wang W, Feng X, Fu Y, Zhang X, Ding RB, Qi X, Bao J, Luo S. αO-Conotoxin GeXIVA[1,2] Suppresses In Vivo Tumor Growth of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Inhibiting AKT-mTOR, STAT3 and NF-κB Signaling Mediated Proliferation and Inducing Apoptosis. Mar Drugs 2024; 22:252. [PMID: 38921563 PMCID: PMC11205035 DOI: 10.3390/md22060252] [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: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most problematic subtype. There is an urgent need to develop novel drug candidates for TNBC. Marine toxins are a valuable source for drug discovery. We previously identified αO-conotoxin GeXIVA[1,2] from Conus generalis, which is a selective antagonist of α9 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Recent studies indicated that α9 nAChR expression is positively correlated with breast cancer development; thus, α9 nAChR could serve as a therapeutic target for breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the in vivo antitumor effects of GeXIVA[1,2] on TNBC and to elucidate its underlying anticancer mechanism. Our data showed that GeXIVA[1,2] effectively suppressed 4T1 tumor growth in vivo at a very low dose of 0.1 nmol per mouse. Our results uncovered that the antitumor mechanism of GeXIVA[1,2] simultaneously induced apoptosis and blocked proliferation. Further investigations revealed that GeXIVA[1,2]-induced Caspase-3-dependent apoptosis was achieved through regulating Bax/Bcl-2 balance, and GeXIVA[1,2]-inhibited proliferation was mediated by the downregulation of the AKT-mTOR, STAT3 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Our study provides valuable arguments to demonstrate the potential of GeXIVA[1,2] as a novel marine-derived anticancer drug candidate for the treatment of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xijun Guo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Leping He
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Weifeng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Wanrong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Xiaoli Feng
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Yuanfeng Fu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Xiaofan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Ren-Bo Ding
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
| | - Xingzhu Qi
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
| | - Jiaolin Bao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
| | - Sulan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center of One Health, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; (X.G.); (L.H.); (W.X.); (W.W.); (X.F.); (Y.F.); (X.Z.); (R.-B.D.); (X.Q.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
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Liao YC, Cheng TC, Tu SH, Chang J, Guo P, Chen LC, Ho YS. Tumor targeting and therapeutic assessments of RNA nanoparticles carrying α9-nAChR aptamer and anti-miR-21 in triple-negative breast cancers. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 33:351-366. [PMID: 37547295 PMCID: PMC10400867 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly aggressive with a poor prognosis because of a lack of cell markers as drug targets. α9-Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is expressed abundantly in TNBC; thus, it is a valuable biomarker for TNBC detection and treatment. In this study, we utilized thermodynamically stable three-way junction (3WJ) packaging RNA (pRNA) as the core to construct RNA nanoparticles with an α9-nAChR RNA aptamer as a targeting ligand and an anti-microRNA-21 (miR-21) as a therapeutic module. We compared the configuration of the two RNA nanoparticles and found that 3WJ-B-α9-nAChR-aptamer fluorescent RNA nanoparticles (3WJ-B-α9-apt-Alexa) exhibited better specificity for α9-nAChR in TNBC cells compared with 3WJ-C-α9-nAChR. Furthermore, 3WJ-B-α9-apt-Alexa bound more efficiently to TNBC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors than 3WJ fluorescent RNA nanoparticles (3WJ-Alexa) with little or no accumulation in healthy organs after systemic injection in mice. Moreover, 3WJ-B-α9-nAChR-aptamer RNA nanoparticles carrying anti-miR-21 (3WJ-B-α9-apt-anti-miR-21) significantly suppressed TNBC-PDX tumor growth and induced cell apoptosis because of reduced miR-21 gene expression and upregulated the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) proteins. In addition, no pathological changes were detected upon toxicity examination of treated mice. In conclusion, the 3WJ-B-α9-nAChR-aptamer RNA nanoparticles established in this study efficiently deliver therapeutic anti-miR-21, indicating their potential as a novel TNBC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- You-Cheng Liao
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Chun Cheng
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Hsin Tu
- Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Jungshan Chang
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
- International Master/PhD Program in Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Peixuan Guo
- Center for RNA Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Li-Ching Chen
- Department of Biological Science & Technology, College of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Soon Ho
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
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Tae HS, Adams DJ. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype expression, function, and pharmacology: Therapeutic potential of α-conotoxins. Pharmacol Res 2023; 191:106747. [PMID: 37001708 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
The pentameric nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are typically classed as muscle- or neuronal-type, however, the latter has also been reported in non-neuronal cells. Given their broad distribution, nAChRs mediate numerous physiological and pathological processes including synaptic transmission, presynaptic modulation of transmitter release, neuropathic pain, inflammation, and cancer. There are 17 different nAChR subunits and combinations of these subunits produce subtypes with diverse pharmacological properties. The expression and role of some nAChR subtypes have been extensively deciphered with the aid of knock-out models. Many nAChR subtypes expressed in heterologous systems are selectively targeted by the disulfide-rich α-conotoxins. α-Conotoxins are small peptides isolated from the venom of cone snails, and a number of them have potential pharmaceutical value.
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Gao B, Huang Y, Peng C, Lin B, Liao Y, Bian C, Yang J, Shi Q. High-Throughput Prediction and Design of Novel Conopeptides for Biomedical Research and Development. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9895270. [PMID: 37850131 PMCID: PMC10521759 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9895270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cone snail venoms have been considered a valuable treasure for international scientists and businessmen, mainly due to their pharmacological applications in development of marine drugs for treatment of various human diseases. To date, around 800 Conus species are recorded, and each of them produces over 1,000 venom peptides (termed as conopeptides or conotoxins). This reflects the high diversity and complexity of cone snails, although most of their venoms are still uncharacterized. Advanced multiomics (such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) approaches have been recently developed to mine diverse Conus venom samples, with the main aim to predict and identify potentially interesting conopeptides in an efficient way. Some bioinformatics techniques have been applied to predict and design novel conopeptide sequences, related targets, and their binding modes. This review provides an overview of current knowledge on the high diversity of conopeptides and multiomics advances in high-throughput prediction of novel conopeptide sequences, as well as molecular modeling and design of potential drugs based on the predicted or validated interactions between these toxins and their molecular targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingmiao Gao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Yu Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
| | - Chao Peng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
- BGI-Marine Research Institute for Biomedical Technology, Shenzhen Huahong Marine Biomedicine Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong 518119, China
| | - Bo Lin
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Yanling Liao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570102, China
| | - Chao Bian
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
| | - Jiaan Yang
- Research and Development Department, Micro Pharmtech Ltd., Wuhan, Hubei 430075, China
| | - Qiong Shi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518081, China
- BGI-Marine Research Institute for Biomedical Technology, Shenzhen Huahong Marine Biomedicine Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong 518119, China
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Crosstalk between the peripheral nervous system and breast cancer influences tumor progression. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188828. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Aronowitz AL, Ali SR, Glaun MDE, Amit M. Acetylcholine in Carcinogenesis and Targeting Cholinergic Receptors in Oncology. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2022; 6:e2200053. [PMID: 35858206 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Tumor cells modulate and are modulated by their microenvironments, which include the nervous system. Accumulating evidence links the overexpression and activity of nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptor subtypes to tumorigenesis in breast, ovarian, prostate, gastric, pancreatic, and head and neck cancers. Nicotinic and muscarinic receptors have downstream factors are associated with angiogenesis, cell proliferation and migration, antiapoptotic signaling, and survival. Clinical trials analyzing the efficacy of various therapies targeting cholinergic signaling or downstream pathways of acetylcholine have shed promising light on novel cancer therapeutics. Although the evidence for cholinergic signaling involvement in tumor development is substantial, a more detailed understanding of the acetylcholine-induced mechanisms of tumorigenesis remains to be unlocked. Such an understanding would enable the development of clinical applications ranging from the identification of novel biomarkers to the utilization of existing drugs to modulate cholinergic signaling to the development of novel cancer therapies, as discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra L Aronowitz
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Shahrukh R Ali
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Mica D E Glaun
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Otolaryngology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Moran Amit
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
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Zhang B, Ren M, Yang F, Li R, Yu L, Luo A, Zhangsun D, Luo S, Dong S. Oligo-basic amino acids, potential nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 152:113215. [PMID: 35667234 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Oligo-basic amino acids have been extensively studied in molecular biology and pharmacology, but the inhibitory activity on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) was unknown. In this study, the inhibitory activity of 8 oligopeptides, including both basic and acidic amino acids, was evaluated on 9 nAChR subtypes by a two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC). Among them, the oligo-lysine K9, K12, d-K9, d-K9F, and oligo-arginine R9 showed nanomolar inhibitory activity on various nAChRs, especially for α7 and α9α10 nAChRs. d-K9 containing N-Fmoc protecting group (d-K9F) has an enhanced inhibitory activity on most of the nAChRs, including 47-fold promotion on α1β1δε nAChR. However, H9 and H12 only showed weak inhibitory activity on α9α10 and α1β1δε nAChRs, and the acidic oligopeptide D9 has no inhibitory activity on nAChRs. Flexible docking of K9 in α10(+) α9(-) and α7(+) α7(-) binding pockets showed particularly strong dipole-dipole interactions, which may be responsible for the inhibition of nAChRs. These results demonstrated that oligo-basic amino acids have the potential to be the lead compounds as selective nAChR subtype inhibitors, and oligo-lysines deserved to be modified for further exploitation and utilization. On the other hand, the toxicity and side effects of these nAChR inhibitory peptides should be contemplated in the application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baojian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Maomao Ren
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Fang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Rui Li
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Liutong Yu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - An Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Sulan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Shuai Dong
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Marine Drugs of Haikou, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
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Español A, Sanchez Y, Salem A, Obregon J, Sales ME. Nicotinic receptors modulate antitumor therapy response in triple negative breast cancer cells. World J Clin Oncol 2022; 13:505-519. [PMID: 35949430 PMCID: PMC9244968 DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v13.i6.505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Triple negative breast cancer is more aggressive than other breast cancer subtypes and constitutes a public health problem worldwide since it has high morbidity and mortality due to the lack of defined therapeutic targets. Resistance to chemotherapy complicates the course of patients’ treatment. Several authors have highlighted the participation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in the modulation of conventional chemotherapy treatment in cancers of the airways. However, in breast cancer, less is known about the effect of nAChR activation by nicotine on chemotherapy treatment in smoking patients.
AIM To investigate the effect of nicotine on paclitaxel treatment and the signaling pathways involved in human breast MDA-MB-231 tumor cells.
METHODS Cells were treated with paclitaxel alone or in combination with nicotine, administered for one or three 48-h cycles. The effect of the addition of nicotine (at a concentration similar to that found in passive smokers’ blood) on the treatment with paclitaxel (at a therapeutic concentration) was determined using the 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The signaling mediators involved in this effect were determined using selective inhibitors. We also investigated nAChR expression, and ATP “binding cassette” G2 drug transporter (ABCG2) expression and its modulation by the different treatments with Western blot. The effect of the treatments on apoptosis induction was determined by flow cytometry using annexin-V and 7AAD markers.
RESULTS Our results confirmed that treatment with paclitaxel reduced MDA-MB-231 cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner and that the presence of nicotine reversed the cytotoxic effect induced by paclitaxel by involving the expression of functional α7 and α9 nAChRs in these cells. The action of nicotine on paclitaxel treatment was linked to modulation of the protein kinase C, mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and NF-κB signaling pathways, and to an up-regulation of ABCG2 protein expression. We also detected that nicotine significantly reduced the increase in cell apoptosis induced by paclitaxel treatment. Moreover, the presence of nicotine reduced the efficacy of paclitaxel treatment administered in three cycles to MDA-MB-231 tumor cells.
CONCLUSION Our findings point to nAChRs as responsible for the decrease in the chemotherapeutic effect of paclitaxel in triple negative tumors. Thus, nAChRs should be considered as targets in smoking patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Español
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology and Tumor Biology, CEFYBO CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1121ABG, Argentina
| | - Yamila Sanchez
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology and Tumor Biology, CEFYBO CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1121ABG, Argentina
| | - Agustina Salem
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology and Tumor Biology, CEFYBO CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1121ABG, Argentina
| | - Jaqueline Obregon
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology and Tumor Biology, CEFYBO CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1121ABG, Argentina
| | - Maria Elena Sales
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology and Tumor Biology, CEFYBO CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1121ABG, Argentina
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Hu K, Wang C, Luo C, Zheng H, Song H, Bergstedt J, Fall K, Luo T, Czene K, Valdimarsdóttir UA, Fang F, Lu D. Neuroendocrine pathways and breast cancer progression: a pooled analysis of somatic mutations and gene expression from two large breast cancer cohorts. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:680. [PMID: 35729536 PMCID: PMC9210628 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09779-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Experimental studies indicate that neuroendocrine pathways might play a role in progression of breast cancer. We aim to test the hypothesis that somatic mutations in the genes of neuroendocrine pathways influence breast cancer prognosis, through dysregulated gene expression in tumor tissue. Methods We conducted an extreme case–control study including 208 breast cancer patients with poor invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) and 208 patients with favorable iDFS who were individually matched on molecular subtype from the Breast Cancer Cohort at West China Hospital (WCH; N = 192) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; N = 224). Whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing of tumor and paired normal breast tissues were performed. Adrenergic, glucocorticoid, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic pathways were assessed for differences in mutation burden and gene expression in relation to breast cancer iDFS using the logistic regression and global test, respectively. Results In the pooled analysis, presence of any somatic mutation (odds ratio = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.07–2.58) of the glucocorticoid pathway was associated with poor iDFS and a two-fold increase of tumor mutation burden was associated with 17% elevated odds (95% CI: 2–35%), after adjustment for cohort membership, age, menopausal status, molecular subtype, and tumor stage. Differential expression of genes in the glucocorticoid pathway in tumor tissue (P = 0.028), but not normal tissue (P = 0.701), was associated with poor iDFS. Somatic mutation of the adrenergic and cholinergic pathways was significantly associated with iDFS in WCH, but not in TCGA. Conclusion Glucocorticoid pathway may play a role in breast cancer prognosis through differential mutations and expression. Further characterization of its functional role may open new avenues for the development of novel therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09779-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kejia Hu
- Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer, Clinical Research Center for Breast, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Chengshi Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer, Clinical Research Center for Breast, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Chuanxu Luo
- Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer, Clinical Research Center for Breast, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hong Zheng
- Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer, Clinical Research Center for Breast, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Huan Song
- West China Biomedical Big Data Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Center of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Jacob Bergstedt
- Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katja Fall
- Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro Universitet, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Ting Luo
- Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer, Clinical Research Center for Breast, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Kamila Czene
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Unnur A Valdimarsdóttir
- Center of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.,Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Fang Fang
- Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Donghao Lu
- Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer, Clinical Research Center for Breast, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. .,Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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11
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Chrna5 is overexpressed in psoriasis patients and promotes psoriasis-like inflammation in mouse models. J Invest Dermatol 2022; 142:2978-2987.e6. [PMID: 35513071 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that psoriasis is closely related to smoking, and the cholinergic receptor nicotinic subunit alpha-5 (Chrna5) plays an important role in smoking-related diseases. However, studies on the relationship between Chrna5 and psoriasis are limited. This study aimed to examine the role of Chrna5 in psoriasis development and pathogenesis. Analysis in psoriatic tissues and imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse models showed that Chrna5 was highly expressed in psoriatic lesional skin. To further verify the function of Chrna5, we constructed Chrna5-knockout mice and induced the psoriasis model. We found that Chrna5 knockout significantly reduced the severity of psoriasis and could regulate inflammation via the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1)/c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK)-MAPK/NF-κB pathway. The single-cell sequencing results revealed that after Chrna5 knockout, the keratinocyte subpopulation was significantly reduced and the related Janus kinase/signal transduction and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway was downregulated, further indicating the importance of Chrna5 in psoriasis. Human keratinocytes were analyzed, and silencing Chrna5 inhibited keratinocyte proliferation and migration. In summary, Chrna5 played important roles in the development and pathogenesis of psoriasis, and targeting Chrna5 may be an effective strategy for the treatment of psoriasis.
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12
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Vasarri M, Barletta E, Degl’Innocenti D. Marine Migrastatics: A Comprehensive 2022 Update. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20050273. [PMID: 35621924 PMCID: PMC9145002 DOI: 10.3390/md20050273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is responsible for the bad prognosis in cancer patients. Advances in research on metastasis prevention focus attention on the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer cell motility and invasion to improve therapies for long-term survival in cancer patients. The so-called “migrastatics” could help block cancer cell invasion and lead to the rapid development of antimetastatic therapies, improving conventional cancer therapies. In the relentless search for migrastatics, the marine environment represents an important source of natural compounds due to its enormous biodiversity. Thus, this review is a selection of scientific research that has pointed out in a broad spectrum of in vitro and in vivo models the anti-cancer power of marine-derived products against cancer cell migration and invasion over the past five years. Overall, this review might provide a useful up-to-date guide about marine-derived compounds with potential interest for pharmaceutical and scientific research on antimetastatic drug endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzia Vasarri
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, 50134 Florence, Italy; (E.B.); (D.D.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Emanuela Barletta
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, 50134 Florence, Italy; (E.B.); (D.D.)
| | - Donatella Degl’Innocenti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, 50134 Florence, Italy; (E.B.); (D.D.)
- Interuniversity Center of Marine Biology and Applied Ecology “G. Bacci” (CIBM), Viale N. Sauro 4, 57128 Livorno, Italy
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13
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Abstract
Covering: 2020This review covers the literature published in 2020 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 757 citations (747 for the period January to December 2020) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, mangroves and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. The emphasis is on new compounds (1407 in 420 papers for 2020), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Pertinent reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that led to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included. A meta analysis of bioactivity data relating to new MNPs reported over the last five years is also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony R Carroll
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia. .,Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Brent R Copp
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Rohan A Davis
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.,School of Enivironment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Robert A Keyzers
- Centre for Biodiscovery, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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14
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Nicotine treatment regulates PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression via inhibition of Akt pathway in HER2-type breast cancer cells. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0260838. [PMID: 35085258 PMCID: PMC8794171 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune checkpoint molecules such as PD-L1 and PD-L2 have a substantial contribution to cancer immunotherapy including breast cancer. Microarray expression profiling identified several molecular subtypes, namely luminal-type (with a good-prognosis), HER2-type (with an intermediate-prognosis), and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)-type (with a poor-prognosis). We found that PD-L1 and PD-L2 mRNA expressions were highly expressed in TNBC-type cell lines (HCC1937, MDA-MB-231), moderately expressed in HER2-type cell line (SK-BR-3), and poorly expressed in luminal-type cell lines (MDA-MB-361, MCF7). The PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression in SK-BR-3 cells, but not those in HCC1937 and MDA-MB-231 cells, decreased by nicotine stimulation in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, nicotine treatment decreased the phosphorylation of Akt in SK-BR-3 cells, but not in other cell lines. These results show that nicotine regulates the expression of immune checkpoint molecules, PD-L1 and PD-L2, via inhibition of Akt phosphorylation. This findings may provide the new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of breast cancer.
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15
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Marine Origin Ligands of Nicotinic Receptors: Low Molecular Compounds, Peptides and Proteins for Fundamental Research and Practical Applications. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12020189. [PMID: 35204690 PMCID: PMC8961598 DOI: 10.3390/biom12020189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of our review is to briefly show what different compounds of marine origin, from low molecular weight ones to peptides and proteins, offer for understanding the structure and mechanism of action of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and for finding novel drugs to combat the diseases where nAChRs may be involved. The importance of the mentioned classes of ligands has changed with time; a protein from the marine snake venom was the first excellent tool to characterize the muscle-type nAChRs from the electric ray, while at present, muscle and α7 receptors are labeled with the radioactive or fluorescent derivatives prepared from α-bungarotoxin isolated from the many-banded krait. The most sophisticated instruments to distinguish muscle from neuronal nAChRs, and especially distinct subtypes within the latter, are α-conotoxins. Such information is crucial for fundamental studies on the nAChR revealing the properties of their orthosteric and allosteric binding sites and mechanisms of the channel opening and closure. Similar data are provided by low-molecular weight compounds of marine origin, but here the main purpose is drug design. In our review we tried to show what has been obtained in the last decade when the listed classes of compounds were used in the nAChR research, applying computer modeling, synthetic analogues and receptor mutants, X-ray and electron-microscopy analyses of complexes with the nAChRs, and their models which are acetylcholine-binding proteins and heterologously-expressed ligand-binding domains.
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16
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Pucci S, Zoli M, Clementi F, Gotti C. α9-Containing Nicotinic Receptors in Cancer. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 15:805123. [PMID: 35126059 PMCID: PMC8814915 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.805123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors containing the α9 or the α9 and α10 subunits are expressed in various extra-neuronal tissues. Moreover, most cancer cells and tissues highly express α9-containing receptors, and a number of studies have shown that they are powerful regulators of responses that stimulate cancer processes such as proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, and metastasis. It has also emerged that their modulation is a promising target for drug development. The aim of this review is to summarize recent data showing the involvement of these receptors in controlling the downstream signaling cascades involved in the promotion of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Pucci
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy
- NeuroMi Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Zoli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (CfNN), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Francesco Clementi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Cecilia Gotti
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy
- NeuroMi Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Cecilia Gotti
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17
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Tsetlin V, Haufe Y, Safronova V, Serov D, Shadamarshan P, Son L, Shelukhina I, Kudryavtsev D, Kryukova E, Kasheverov I, Nicke A, Utkin Y. Interaction of α9α10 Nicotinic Receptors With Peptides and Proteins From Animal Venoms. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 15:765541. [PMID: 35002625 PMCID: PMC8732759 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.765541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike most neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits, α7, α9, and α10 subunits are able to form functional homo- or heteromeric receptors without any β subunits. While the α7 subtype is widely distributed in the mammalian brain and several peripheral tissues, α9 and α9α10 nAChRs are mainly found in the cochlea and immune cells. α-Conotoxins that specifically block the α9α10 receptor showed anti-nociceptive and anti-hyperalgesic effects in animal models. Hence, this subtype is considered a drug target for analgesics. In contrast to the α9α10-selective α-conotoxins, the three-finger toxin α-bungarotoxin inhibits muscle-type and α7 nAChRs in addition to α9α10 nAChRs. However, the selectivity of α-neurotoxins at the α9α10 subtype was less intensively investigated. Here, we compared the potencies of α-conotoxins and α-neurotoxins at the human α9α10 nAChR by two-electrode voltage clamp analysis upon expression in Xenopus oocytes. In addition, we analyzed effects of several α9α10-selective α-conotoxins on mouse granulocytes from bone marrow to identify possible physiological functions of the α9α10 nAChR subtype in these cells. The α-conotoxin-induced IL-10 release was measured upon LPS-stimulation. We found that α-conotoxins RgIA, PeIA, and Vc1.1 enhance the IL-10 expression in granulocytes which might explain the known anti-inflammatory and associated analgesic activities of α9α10-selective α-conotoxins. Furthermore, we show that two long-chain α-neurotoxins from the cobra Naja melanoleuca venom that were earlier shown to bind to muscle-type and α7 nAChRs, also inhibit the α9α10 subtype at nanomolar concentrations with one of them showing a significantly slower dissociation from this receptor than α-bungarotoxin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Tsetlin
- Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yves Haufe
- Faculty of Medicine, Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Valentina Safronova
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia
| | - Dmitriy Serov
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia
| | - PranavKumar Shadamarshan
- Faculty of Medicine, Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Lina Son
- Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina Shelukhina
- Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Denis Kudryavtsev
- Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Kryukova
- Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Igor Kasheverov
- Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Annette Nicke
- Faculty of Medicine, Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Yuri Utkin
- Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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18
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Yousuf A, Wu X, Bony AR, Sadeghi M, Huang YH, Craik DJ, Adams DJ. ɑO-Conotoxin GeXIVA isomers modulate N-type calcium (Ca V 2.2) channels and inwardly-rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels via GABA B receptor activation. J Neurochem 2021; 160:154-171. [PMID: 34738241 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
αO-Conotoxin GeXIVA is a 28 amino acid peptide derived from the venom of the marine snail Conus generalis. The presence of four cysteine residues in the structure of GeXIVA allows it to have three different disulfide isomers, that is, the globular, ribbon or bead isomer. All three isomers are active at α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, with the bead isomer, GeXIVA[1,2], being the most potent and exhibiting analgesic activity in animal models of neuropathic pain. The original report of GeXIVA activity failed to observe any effect of the isomers on high voltage-activated (HVA) calcium channel currents in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In this study, we report, for the first time, the activity of globular GeXIVA[1,3] at G protein-coupled GABAB receptors (GABAB R) inhibiting HVA N-type calcium (Cav2.2) channels and reducing membrane excitability in mouse DRG neurons. The inhibition of HVA Ba2+ currents and neuroexcitability by GeXIVA[1,3] was partially reversed by the selective GABAB R antagonist CGP 55845. In transfected HEK293T cells co-expressing human GABAB R1 and R2 subunits and Cav2.2 channels, both GeXIVA[1,3] and GeXIVA[1,4] inhibited depolarization-activated Ba2+ currents mediated by Cav2.2 channels, whereas GeXIVA[1,2] had no effect. The effects of three cyclized GeXIVA[1,4] ribbon isomers were also tested, with cGeXIVA GAG being the most potent at human GABAB R-coupled Cav2.2 channels. Interestingly, globular GeXIVA[1,3] also reversibly potentiated inwardly-rectifying K+ currents mediated by human GIRK1/2 channels co-expressed with GABAB R in HEK293T cells. This study highlights GABAB R as a potentially important receptor target for the activity of αO-conotoxin GeXIVA to mediate analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arsalan Yousuf
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Xiaosa Wu
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Anuja R Bony
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mahsa Sadeghi
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - David J Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
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CHRNA5 belongs to the secondary estrogen signaling network exhibiting prognostic significance in breast cancer. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2021; 44:453-472. [PMID: 33469842 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-020-00581-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Cholinergic signals can be important modulators of cellular signaling in cancer. We recently have shown that knockdown of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha 5, CHRNA5, diminishes the proliferative potential of breast cancer cells. However, modulation of CHRNA5 expression in the context of estrogen signaling and its prognostic implications in breast cancer remained unexplored. METHODS Meta-analyses of large breast cancer microarray cohorts were used to evaluate the association of CHRNA5 expression with estrogen (E2) treatment, estrogen receptor (ER) status and patient prognosis. The results were validated through RT-qPCR analyses of multiple E2 treated cell lines, CHRNA5 depleted MCF7 cells and across a breast cancer patient cDNA panel. We also calculated a predicted secondary (PS) score representing direct/indirect induction of gene expression by E2 based on a public dataset (GSE8597). Co-expression analysis was performed using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) pipeline. Multiple other publicly available datasets such as CCLE, COSMIC and TCGA were also analyzed. RESULTS Herein we found that CHRNA5 expression was induced by E2 in a dose- and time-dependent manner in breast cancer cell lines. ER- breast tumors exhibited higher CHRNA5 expression levels than ER+ tumors. Independent meta-analysis for survival outcome revealed that higher CHRNA5 expression was associated with a worse prognosis in untreated breast cancer patients. Furthermore, CHRNA5 and its co-expressed gene network emerged as secondarily induced targets of E2 stimulation. These targets were largely downregulated by exposure to CHRNA5 siRNA in MCF7 cells while the response of primary ESR1 targets was dependent on the direction of the PS-score. Moreover, primary and secondary target genes were uncoupled and clustered distinctly based on multiple public datasets. CONCLUSION Our findings strongly associate increased expression of CHRNA5 and its co-expression network with secondary E2 signaling and a worse prognosis in breast cancer.
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20
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Dyshlovoy SA, Honecker F. Marine Compounds and Cancer: Updates 2020. Mar Drugs 2020; 18:md18120643. [PMID: 33333876 PMCID: PMC7765281 DOI: 10.3390/md18120643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sergey A. Dyshlovoy
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 690041 Vladivostok, Russia
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Department of Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with Section Pneumology, Hubertus Wald-Tumorzentrum, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany;
- Martini-Klinik, Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Friedemann Honecker
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Department of Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with Section Pneumology, Hubertus Wald-Tumorzentrum, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany;
- Tumor and Breast Center ZeTuP St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
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21
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Li X, Tae HS, Chu Y, Jiang T, Adams DJ, Yu R. Medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential of α-conotoxins antagonizing the α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 222:107792. [PMID: 33309557 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
α-Conotoxins are disulfide-rich and well-structured peptides, most of which can block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with exquisite selectivity and potency. There are various nAChR subtypes, of which the α9α10 nAChR functions as a heteromeric ionotropic receptor in the mammalian cochlea and mediates postsynaptic transmission from the medial olivocochlear. The α9α10 nAChR subtype has also been proposed as a target for the treatment of neuropathic pain and the suppression of breast cancer cell proliferation. Therefore, α-conotoxins targeting the α9α10 nAChR are potentially useful in the development of specific therapeutic drugs and pharmacological tools. Despite dissimilarities in their amino acid sequence and structures, these conopeptides are potent antagonists of the α9α10 nAChR subtype. Consequently, the activity and stability of these peptides have been subjected to chemical modifications. The resulting synthetic analogues have not only functioned as molecular probes to explore ligand binding sites of the α9α10 nAChR, but also have the potential to become candidates for drug development. From the perspectives of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, we highlight the structure and function of the α9α10 nAChR and review studies of α-conotoxins targeting it, including their three-dimensional structures, structure optimization strategies, and binding modes at the α9α10 nAChR, as well as their therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Yanyan Chu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China; Innovation Platform of Marine Drug Screening & Evaluation, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266100, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - David J Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266003, China; Innovation Platform of Marine Drug Screening & Evaluation, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266100, China.
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