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Lekka M. Applicability of atomic force microscopy to determine cancer-related changes in cells. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2022; 380:20210346. [PMID: 35909354 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The determination of mechanical properties of living cells as an indicator of cancer progression has become possible with the development of local measurement techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM). Its most important advantage is a nanoscopic character, implying that very local alterations can be quantified. The results gathered from AFM measurements of various cancers show that, for most cancers, individual cells are characterized by the lower apparent Young's modulus, denoting higher cell deformability. The measured value depends on various factors, like the properties of substrates used for cell growth, force loading rate or indentation depth. Despite this, the results proved the AFM capability to recognize mechanically altered cells. This can significantly impact the development of methodological approaches toward the precise identification of pathological cells. This article is part of the theme issue 'Nanocracks in nature and industry'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Lekka
- Department of Biophysical Microstructures, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland
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Lipid metabolism and ageing in Caenorhabditis elegans: a complex interplay. Biogerontology 2022; 23:541-557. [PMID: 36048312 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-022-09989-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Life expectancy in Western countries is increasing, with concomitant rise in ageing-related pathologies, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. Consequently, the medical, psychological and economic burden to society is increasing. Thus, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the association of ageing with elevated vulnerability to disease is crucial towards promoting quality of life in old age. Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a versatile model to study ageing, due to its simplicity, fast life cycle, and the availability of a wide range of biological tools to target specific genes and cells. Indeed, recent studies in C. elegans have revealed that lipid metabolism plays a key role in controlling longevity by impinging on a plethora of molecular pathways and cell types. Here, we summarise findings relevant to the interplay between lipid metabolism and ageing in C. elegans, and discuss the implications for the pathogenesis of age-related disorders in humans.
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Santiago-Mujika E, Luthi-Carter R, Giorgini F, Kalaria RN, Mukaetova-Ladinska EB. Tubulin and Tubulin Posttranslational Modifications in Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:730107. [PMID: 34776926 PMCID: PMC8586541 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.730107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two most common forms of dementia in older people. Although these two dementia types differ in their etiology, they share many pathophysiological and morphological features, including neuronal loss, which is associated with the microtubule (MT) destabilization. Stabilization of MTs is achieved in different ways: through interactions with MT binding proteins (MTBP) or by posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of tubulin. Polyglutamylation and tyrosination are two foremost PTMs that regulate the interaction between MTs and MTBPs, and play, therefore, a role in neurodegeneration. In this review, we summarize key information on tubulin PTMs in relation to AD and VaD and address the importance of studying further the tubulin code to reveal sites of potential intervention in development of novel and effective dementia therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estibaliz Santiago-Mujika
- Department of Neuroscience, Behavior and Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth Luthi-Carter
- Department of Neuroscience, Behavior and Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Flaviano Giorgini
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Raj N. Kalaria
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeta B. Mukaetova-Ladinska
- Department of Neuroscience, Behavior and Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- Evington Centre, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
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Kubiak A, Chighizola M, Schulte C, Bryniarska N, Wesołowska J, Pudełek M, Lasota M, Ryszawy D, Basta-Kaim A, Laidler P, Podestà A, Lekka M. Stiffening of DU145 prostate cancer cells driven by actin filaments - microtubule crosstalk conferring resistance to microtubule-targeting drugs. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:6212-6226. [PMID: 33885607 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr06464e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The crucial role of microtubules in the mitotic-related segregation of chromosomes makes them an excellent target for anticancer microtubule targeting drugs (MTDs) such as vinflunine (VFL), colchicine (COL), and docetaxel (DTX). MTDs affect mitosis by directly perturbing the structural organisation of microtubules. By a direct assessment of the biomechanical properties of prostate cancer DU145 cells exposed to different MTDs using atomic force microscopy, we show that cell stiffening is a response to the application of all the studied MTDs (VFL, COL, DTX). Changes in cellular rigidity are typically attributed to remodelling of the actin filaments in the cytoskeleton. Here, we demonstrate that cell stiffening can be driven by crosstalk between actin filaments and microtubules in MTD-treated cells. Our findings improve the interpretation of biomechanical data obtained for living cells in studies of various physiological and pathological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrzej Kubiak
- Department of Biophysical Microstructures, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Kraków, Poland.
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W. Pilkington IV A, Legleiter J. Challenges in understanding the structure/activity relationship of Aβ oligomers. AIMS BIOPHYSICS 2019. [DOI: 10.3934/biophy.2019.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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Guzmán-Ocampo DC, Aguayo-Ortiz R, Cano-González L, Castillo R, Hernández-Campos A, Dominguez L. Effects of the Protonation State of Titratable Residues and the Presence of Water Molecules on Nocodazole Binding to β-Tubulin. ChemMedChem 2017; 13:20-24. [PMID: 29059502 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201700530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of microtubule assembly by antimitotic agents is a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer, parasite infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. One of these agents is nocodazole (NZ), which inhibits microtubule polymerization by binding to β-tubulin. NZ was recently co-crystallized in Gallus gallus tubulin, providing new information about the features of interaction for ligand recognition and stability. In this work, we used state-of-the-art computational approaches to evaluate the protonation effects of titratable residues and the presence of water molecules in the binding of NZ. Analysis of protonation states showed that residue E198 has the largest modification in its pKa value. The resulting E198 pKa value, calculated with pH-REMD methodology (pKa =6.21), was higher than the isolated E amino acid (pKa =4.25), thus being more likely to be found in its protonated state at the binding site. Moreover, we identified an interaction between a water molecule and C239 and G235 as essential for NZ binding. Our results suggest that the protonation state of E198 and the structural water molecules play key roles in the binding of NZ to β-tubulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulce C Guzmán-Ocampo
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo Aguayo-Ortiz
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Lucia Cano-González
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Rafael Castillo
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Alicia Hernández-Campos
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Laura Dominguez
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
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Aguayo-Ortiz R, Cano-González L, Castillo R, Hernández-Campos A, Dominguez L. Structure-based approaches for the design of benzimidazole-2-carbamate derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibitors. Chem Biol Drug Des 2017; 90:40-51. [PMID: 28004475 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules are highly dynamic assemblies of α/β-tubulin heterodimers whose polymerization inhibition is among one of the most successful approaches for anticancer drug development. Overexpression of the class I (βI) and class III (βIII) β-tubulin isotypes in breast and lung cancers and the highly expressed class VI (βVI) β-tubulin isotype in normal blood cells have increased the interest for designing specific tubulin-binding anticancer therapies. To this end, we employed our previously proposed model of the β-tubulin-nocodazole complex, supported by the recently determined X-ray structure, to identify the fundamental structural differences between β-tubulin isotypes. Moreover, we employed docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to determine the binding mode of a series of benzimidazole-2-carbamete (BzC) derivatives in the βI-, βIII-, and βVI-tubulin isotypes. Our results demonstrate that Ala198 in the βVI isotype reduces the affinity of BzCs, explaining the low bone marrow toxicity for nocodazole. Additionally, no significant differences in the binding modes between βI- and βIII-BzC complexes were observed; however, Ser239 in the βIII isotype might be associated with the low affinity of BzCs to this isotype. Finally, our study provides insight into the β-tubulin-BzC interaction features essential for the development of more selective and less toxic anticancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Aguayo-Ortiz
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México, Mexico.,Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México, Mexico
| | - Lucia Cano-González
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México, Mexico
| | - Rafael Castillo
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México, Mexico
| | - Alicia Hernández-Campos
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México, Mexico
| | - Laura Dominguez
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México, Mexico
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