1
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Childs-Disney JL, Yang X, Gibaut QMR, Tong Y, Batey RT, Disney MD. Targeting RNA structures with small molecules. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2022; 21:736-762. [PMID: 35941229 PMCID: PMC9360655 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-022-00521-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 70.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
RNA adopts 3D structures that confer varied functional roles in human biology and dysfunction in disease. Approaches to therapeutically target RNA structures with small molecules are being actively pursued, aided by key advances in the field including the development of computational tools that predict evolutionarily conserved RNA structures, as well as strategies that expand mode of action and facilitate interactions with cellular machinery. Existing RNA-targeted small molecules use a range of mechanisms including directing splicing - by acting as molecular glues with cellular proteins (such as branaplam and the FDA-approved risdiplam), inhibition of translation of undruggable proteins and deactivation of functional structures in noncoding RNAs. Here, we describe strategies to identify, validate and optimize small molecules that target the functional transcriptome, laying out a roadmap to advance these agents into the next decade.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xueyi Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | | | - Yuquan Tong
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Robert T Batey
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
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2
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Tong Y, Gibaut QMR, Rouse W, Childs-Disney JL, Suresh BM, Abegg D, Choudhary S, Akahori Y, Adibekian A, Moss WN, Disney MD. Transcriptome-Wide Mapping of Small-Molecule RNA-Binding Sites in Cells Informs an Isoform-Specific Degrader of QSOX1 mRNA. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:11620-11625. [PMID: 35737519 PMCID: PMC9594100 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c01929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between cellular RNAs in MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells and a panel of small molecules appended with a diazirine cross-linking moiety and an alkyne tag were probed transcriptome-wide in live cells. The alkyne tag allows for facile pull-down of cellular RNAs bound by each small molecule, and the enrichment of each RNA target defines the compound's molecular footprint. Among the 34 chemically diverse small molecules studied, six bound and enriched cellular RNAs. The most highly enriched interaction occurs between the novel RNA-binding compound F1 and a structured region in the 5' untranslated region of quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase 1 isoform a (QSOX1-a), not present in isoform b. Additional studies show that F1 specifically bound RNA over DNA and protein; that is, we studied the entire DNA, RNA, and protein interactome. This interaction was used to design a ribonuclease targeting chimera (RIBOTAC) to locally recruit Ribonuclease L to degrade QSOX1 mRNA in an isoform-specific manner, as QSOX1-a, but not QSOX1-b, mRNA and protein levels were reduced. The RIBOTAC alleviated QSOX1-mediated phenotypes in cancer cells. This approach can be broadly applied to discover ligands that bind RNA in cells, which could be bioactive themselves or augmented with functionality such as targeted degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuquan Tong
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Quentin M R Gibaut
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Warren Rouse
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Jessica L Childs-Disney
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Blessy M Suresh
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Daniel Abegg
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Shruti Choudhary
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Yoshihiro Akahori
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Alexander Adibekian
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Walter N Moss
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Matthew D Disney
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
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3
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Tran TPA, Poulet S, Pernak M, Rayar A, Azoulay S, Di Giorgio A, Duca M. Development of 2-deoxystreptamine-nucleobase conjugates for the inhibition of oncogenic miRNA production. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:311-319. [PMID: 35434630 PMCID: PMC8942232 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00345c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The discovery of new original scaffolds for selective RNA targeting is one of the main challenges of current medicinal chemistry since therapeutically relevant RNAs represent potential targets for a number of pathologies. Recent efforts have been devoted to the search for RNA ligands targeting the biogenesis of oncogenic miRNAs whose overexpression has been directly linked to the development of various cancers. In this work, we developed a new series of RNA ligands for the targeting of oncogenic miRNA biogenesis based on the 2-deoxystreptamine scaffold. The latter is part of the aminoglycoside neomycin and is known to play an essential role in the RNA interaction of this class of RNA binders. 2-deoxystreptamine was thus conjugated to natural and artificial nucleobases to obtain new binders of the oncogenic miR-372 precursor (pre-miR-372). We identified some conjugates exhibiting a similar biological activity to previously synthesized neomycin analogs and studied their mode of binding with the target pre-miR-372.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sylvain Poulet
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN) Nice France
| | - Mélanie Pernak
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN) Nice France
| | - Anita Rayar
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN) Nice France
| | - Stéphane Azoulay
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN) Nice France
| | - Audrey Di Giorgio
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN) Nice France
| | - Maria Duca
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN) Nice France
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4
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Mukherjee S, Murata A, Ishida R, Sugai A, Dohno C, Hamada M, Krishna S, Nakatani K. HT-SELEX-based identification of binding pre-miRNA hairpin-motif for small molecules. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 27:165-174. [PMID: 34976435 PMCID: PMC8685993 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Selective targeting of biologically relevant RNAs with small molecules is a long-standing challenge due to the lack of clear understanding of the binding RNA motifs for small molecules. The standard SELEX procedure allows the identification of specific RNA binders (aptamers) for the target of interest. However, more effort is needed to identify and characterize the sequence-structure motifs in the aptamers important for binding to the target. Herein, we described a strategy integrating high-throughput (HT) sequencing with conventional SELEX followed by bioinformatic analysis to identify aptamers with high binding affinity and target specificity to unravel the sequence-structure motifs of pre-miRNA, which is essential for binding to the recently developed new water-soluble small-molecule CMBL3aL. To confirm the fidelity of this approach, we investigated the binding of CMBL3aL to the identified motifs by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy and its potential regulatory activity on dicer-mediated cleavage of the obtained aptamers and endogenous pre-miRNAs comprising the identified motif in its hairpin loop. This new approach would significantly accelerate the identification process of binding sequence-structure motifs of pre-miRNA for the compound of interest and would contribute to increase the spectrum of biomedical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjukta Mukherjee
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Asako Murata
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Ryoga Ishida
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 55N-06-10, 3-4-1 Okubo Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Ayako Sugai
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Chikara Dohno
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Michiaki Hamada
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 55N-06-10, 3-4-1 Okubo Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Sudhir Krishna
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Kazuhiko Nakatani
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
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5
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Uzuner E, Ulu GT, Gürler SB, Baran Y. The Role of MiRNA in Cancer: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2257:375-422. [PMID: 34432288 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1170-8_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is also determined by the alterations of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. These gene expressions can be regulated by microRNAs (miRNA). At this point, researchers focus on addressing two main questions: "How are oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes regulated by miRNAs?" and "Which other mechanisms in cancer cells are regulated by miRNAs?" In this work we focus on gathering the publications answering these questions. The expression of miRNAs is affected by amplification, deletion or mutation. These processes are controlled by oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which regulate different mechanisms of cancer initiation and progression including cell proliferation, cell growth, apoptosis, DNA repair, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, drug resistance, metabolic regulation, and immune response regulation in cancer cells. In addition, profiling of miRNA is an important step in developing a new therapeutic approach for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erez Uzuner
- Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Gizem Tugçe Ulu
- Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Sevim Beyza Gürler
- Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Yusuf Baran
- Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey.
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6
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Soares S, Guerreiro SG, Cruz-Martins N, Faria I, Baylina P, Sales MG, Correa-Duarte MA, Fernandes R. The Influence of miRNAs on Radiotherapy Treatment in Prostate Cancer - A Systematic Review. Front Oncol 2021; 11:704664. [PMID: 34414113 PMCID: PMC8369466 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.704664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last years, extensive investigation on miRNomics have shown to have great advantages in cancer personalized medicine regarding diagnosis, treatment and even clinical outcomes. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common male cancer and about 50% of all PCa patients received radiotherapy (RT), despite some of them develop radioresistance. Here, we aim to provide an overview on the mechanisms of miRNA biogenesis and to discuss the functional impact of miRNAs on PCa under radiation response. As main findings, 23 miRNAs were already identified as being involved in genetic regulation of PCa cell response to RT. The mechanisms of radioresistance are still poorly understood, despite it has been suggested that miRNAs play an important role in cell signaling pathways. Identification of miRNAs panel can be thus considered an upcoming and potentially useful strategy in PCa diagnosis, given that radioresistance biomarkers, in both prognosis and therapy still remains a challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sílvia Soares
- BioMark@ISEP, School of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,LaBMI - Laboratory of Medical & Industrial Biotechnology, Porto Research, Technology & Innovation Center (PORTIC), P.PORTO - Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), Porto, Portugal.,Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.,CEB, Centre of Biological Engineering of Minho University, Braga, Portugal.,Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Susana G Guerreiro
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto-IPATIMUP, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biomedicine, Biochemistry Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Natália Cruz-Martins
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biomedicine, Biochemistry Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies (CESPU), Gandra, Portugal
| | - Isabel Faria
- School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pilar Baylina
- LaBMI - Laboratory of Medical & Industrial Biotechnology, Porto Research, Technology & Innovation Center (PORTIC), P.PORTO - Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), Porto, Portugal.,School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria Goreti Sales
- BioMark@ISEP, School of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,CEB, Centre of Biological Engineering of Minho University, Braga, Portugal.,Biomark@UC, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel A Correa-Duarte
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.,CINBIO, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.,Southern Galicia Institute of Health Research (IISGS), and Biomedical Research Networking Center for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Vigo, Spain
| | - Rúben Fernandes
- LaBMI - Laboratory of Medical & Industrial Biotechnology, Porto Research, Technology & Innovation Center (PORTIC), P.PORTO - Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), Porto, Portugal.,School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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7
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Liu D, Wan X, Shan X, Fan R, Zha W. Drugging the "undruggable" microRNAs. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:1861-1871. [PMID: 33052435 PMCID: PMC11073314 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03676-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
As a naturally occurring class of gene regulators, microRNAs (miRNAs) have attracted much attention as promising targets for therapeutic development. However, RNAs including miRNAs have long been considered undruggable, and most efforts have been devoted to using synthetic oligonucleotides to regulate miRNAs. Encouragingly, recent findings have revealed that miRNAs can also be drugged with small molecules that directly target miRNAs. In this review paper, we give a summary of recently emerged small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) and small-molecule degraders (SMDs) for miRNAs. SMIs are small molecules that directly bind to miRNAs to inhibit their biogenesis, and SMDs are bifunctional small molecules that upon binding to miRNAs induce miRNA degradation. Strategies for discovering SMIs and developing SMDs were summarized. Applications of SMIs and SMDs in miRNA inhibition and cancer therapy were also introduced. Overall, SMIs and SMDs introduced here have high potency and specificity in miRNA inhibition. We envision that these small molecules will pave the way for developing novel therapeutics toward miRNAs that were previously considered undruggable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dejun Liu
- The Yancheng Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Yancheng, 224001, China
| | - Xinqiang Wan
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Yancheng City No.1 People's Hospital, Yancheng, 224001, China
| | - Xiangxiang Shan
- Department of Geraeology, Yancheng City No.1 People's Hospital, Yancheng, 224001, China
| | - Rengen Fan
- Department of General Surgery, Yancheng City No.1 People's Hospital, Yancheng, 224001, China.
| | - Wenzhang Zha
- Department of General Surgery, Yancheng City No.1 People's Hospital, Yancheng, 224001, China.
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8
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Murata A, Mori Y, Di Y, Sugai A, Das B, Takashima Y, Nakatani K. Small Molecule-Induced Dimerization of Hairpin RNA Interfered with the Dicer Cleavage Reaction. Biochemistry 2021; 60:245-249. [PMID: 33476116 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs are potential targets for drug development. Small molecules that can inhibit or promote a specific miRNA's biogenesis would be useful for regulating its target genes. Various types of small molecules have been investigated so far for their potential application in modulating miRNA biogenesis. They bind to the target primary or precursor miRNAs and inhibit the processing of these precursors by Drosha or Dicer. However, the binding site that effectively interferes with the Dicer cleavage reaction is still undetermined. Here we report that our designed small molecule restricted naphthyridine dimer (RND) binds to the hairpin loop of a hairpin RNA and induces its dimerization. This study shows that the binding of the RND to the hairpin loop was not effective in interfering with the Dicer cleavage reaction, but dimerization of the hairpin RNA by RND binding effectively interfered with the Dicer cleavage reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asako Murata
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuki Mori
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yue Di
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ayako Sugai
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Osaka, Japan
| | - Bimolendu Das
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yusuke Takashima
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Nakatani
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Osaka, Japan
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9
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Weidle UH, Birzele F, Nopora A. microRNAs Promoting Growth of Gastric Cancer Xenografts and Correlation to Clinical Prognosis. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2021; 18:1-15. [PMID: 33419892 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The annual death toll for gastric cancer is in the range of 700,000 worldwide. Even in patients with early-stage gastric cancer recurrence within five years has been observed after surgical resection and following chemotherapy with therapy-resistant features. Therefore, the identification of new targets and treatment modalities for gastric cancer is of paramount importance. In this review we focus on the role of microRNAs with documented efficacy in preclinical xenograft models with respect to growth of human gastric cancer cells. We have identified 31 miRs (-10b, -19a, -19b, -20a, -23a/b, -25, -27a-3p, -92a, -93, -100, -106a, -130a, -135a, -135b-5p, -151-5p, -187, -199-3p, -215, -221-3p, -224, -340a, -382, -421, -425, -487a, -493, -532-3p, -575, -589, -664a-3p) covering 26 different targets which promote growth of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo as xenografts. Five miRs (miRs -10b, 151-5p, -187, 532-3p and -589) additionally have an impact on metastasis. Thirteen of the identified miRs (-19b, -20a/b, -25, -92a, -106a, -135a, -187, -221-3p, -340a, -421, -493, -575 and -589) have clinical impact on worse prognosis in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich H Weidle
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany;
| | - Fabian Birzele
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Adam Nopora
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany;
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10
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RNA-Targeted Therapies and High-Throughput Screening Methods. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21082996. [PMID: 32340368 PMCID: PMC7216119 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21082996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are involved in regulating all aspects of RNA metabolism, including processing, transport, translation, and degradation. Dysregulation of RNA metabolism is linked to a plethora of diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and neuromuscular disorders. Recent years have seen a dramatic shift in the knowledge base, with RNA increasingly being recognised as an attractive target for precision medicine therapies. In this article, we are going to review current RNA-targeted therapies. Furthermore, we will scrutinise a range of drug discoveries targeting protein-RNA interactions. In particular, we will focus on the interplay between Lin28 and let-7, splicing regulatory proteins and survival motor neuron (SMN) pre-mRNA, as well as HuR, Musashi, proteins and their RNA targets. We will highlight the mechanisms RBPs utilise to modulate RNA metabolism and discuss current high-throughput screening strategies. This review provides evidence that we are entering a new era of RNA-targeted medicine.
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11
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Zhao Y, Chen X, Yin J, Qu J. SNMFSMMA: using symmetric nonnegative matrix factorization and Kronecker regularized least squares to predict potential small molecule-microRNA association. RNA Biol 2019; 17:281-291. [PMID: 31739716 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2019.1694732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) could be used as targets of small-molecule (SM) drugs to treat diseases. In recent years, researchers have proposed many computational models to reveal miRNA-SM associations due to the huge cost of experimental methods. Considering the shortcomings of the previous models, such as the prediction accuracy of some models is low or some cannot be applied for new SMs (miRNAs), we developed a novel model named Symmetric Nonnegative Matrix Factorization for Small Molecule-MiRNA Association prediction (SNMFSMMA). Different from some models directly applying the integrated similarities, SNMFSMMA first performed matrix decomposition on the integrated similarity matrixes, and calculated the Kronecker product of the new integrated similarity matrixes to obtain the SM-miRNA pair similarity. Further, we applied regularized least square to obtain the mapping function of the SM-miRNA pairs to the associated probabilities by minimizing the objective function. On the basis of Dataset 1 and 2 extracted from SM2miR v1.0 database, we implemented global leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV), miRNA-fixed local LOOCV, SM-fixed local LOOCV and 5-fold cross-validation to evaluate the prediction performance. Finally, the AUC values obtained by SNMFSMMA in these validation reached 0.9711 (0.8895), 0.9698 (0.8884), 0.8329 (0.7651) and 0.9644 ± 0.0035 (0.8814 ± 0.0033) based on Dataset 1 (Dataset 2), respectively. In the first case study, 5 of the top 10 associations predicted were confirmed. In the second, 7 and 8 of the top 10 predicted miRNAs related with 5-FU and 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine were confirmed. These results demonstrated the reliable predictive power of SNMFSMMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhao
- School of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Xing Chen
- School of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Jun Yin
- School of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Jia Qu
- School of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
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12
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Murata A, Nakamori M, Nakatani K. Modulating RNA secondary and tertiary structures by mismatch binding ligands. Methods 2019; 167:78-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Revised: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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13
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Patutina OA, Miroshnichenko SK, Mironova NL, Sen'kova AV, Bichenkova EV, Clarke DJ, Vlassov VV, Zenkova MA. Catalytic Knockdown of miR-21 by Artificial Ribonuclease: Biological Performance in Tumor Model. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:879. [PMID: 31456683 PMCID: PMC6698794 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Control of the expression of oncogenic small non-coding RNAs, notably microRNAs (miRNAs), is an attractive therapeutic approach. We report a design platform for catalytic knockdown of miRNA targets with artificial, sequence-specific ribonucleases. miRNases comprise a peptide [(LeuArg)2Gly]2 capable of RNA cleavage conjugated to the miRNA-targeted oligodeoxyribonucleotide, which becomes nuclease-resistant within the conjugate design, without resort to chemically modified nucleotides. Our data presented here showed for the first time a truly catalytic character of our miR-21-miRNase and its ability to cleave miR-21 in a multiple catalytic turnover mode. We demonstrate that miRNase targeted to miR-21 (miR-21-miRNase) knocked down malignant behavior of tumor cells, including induction of apoptosis, inhibition of cell invasiveness, and retardation of tumor growth, which persisted on transplantation into mice of tumor cells treated once with miR-21-miRNase. Crucially, we discover that the high biological activity of miR-21-miRNase can be directly related not only to its truly catalytic sequence-specific cleavage of miRNA but also to its ability to recruit the non-sequence specific RNase H found in most cells to elevate catalytic turnover further. miR-21-miRNase worked synergistically even with low levels of RNase H. Estimated degradation in the presence of RNase H exceeded 103 miRNA target molecules per hour for each miR-21-miRNase molecule, which provides the potency to minimize delivery requirements to a few molecules per cell. In contrast to the comparatively high doses required for the simple steric block of antisense oligonucleotides, truly catalytic inactivation of miRNA offers more effective, irreversible, and persistent suppression of many copy target sequences. miRNase design can be readily adapted to target other pathogenic microRNAs overexpressed in many disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A Patutina
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Svetlana K Miroshnichenko
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Nadezhda L Mironova
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Aleksandra V Sen'kova
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Elena V Bichenkova
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - David J Clarke
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Valentin V Vlassov
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Marina A Zenkova
- Laboratory of Nucleic Acids Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
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14
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Di Giorgio A, Duca M. Synthetic small-molecule RNA ligands: future prospects as therapeutic agents. MEDCHEMCOMM 2019; 10:1242-1255. [PMID: 31534649 PMCID: PMC6748380 DOI: 10.1039/c9md00195f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
RNA is one of the most intriguing and promising biological targets for the discovery of innovative drugs in many pathologies and various biologically relevant RNAs that could serve as drug targets have already been identified. Among the most important ones, one can mention prokaryotic ribosomal RNA which is the target of several marketed antibiotics, viral RNAs or oncogenic microRNAs that are tightly involved in the development and progression of various cancers. Oligonucleotides are efficient and specific RNA targeting agents but suffer from poor pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties. For this reason, a number of synthetic small-molecule ligands have been identified and studied upon screening of chemical libraries or focused design of RNA binders. In this review, we report the most relevant examples of synthetic compounds bearing sufficient selectivity to envisage clinical studies and future therapeutic applications with a particular attention for the main strategies that can be undertaken toward the improvement of selectivity and biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Di Giorgio
- Université Côte d'Azur , CNRS , Institute of Chemistry of Nice (ICN) , Nice , France .
| | - M Duca
- Université Côte d'Azur , CNRS , Institute of Chemistry of Nice (ICN) , Nice , France .
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15
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Otabe T, Nagano K, Kawai G, Murata A, Nakatani K. Inhibition of pre-miRNA-136 processing by Dicer with small molecule BzDANP suggested the formation of ternary complex of pre-miR-136–BzDANP–Dicer. Bioorg Med Chem 2019; 27:2140-2148. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2019.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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16
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Fan R, Xiao C, Wan X, Cha W, Miao Y, Zhou Y, Qin C, Cui T, Su F, Shan X. Small molecules with big roles in microRNA chemical biology and microRNA-targeted therapeutics. RNA Biol 2019; 16:707-718. [PMID: 30900502 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2019.1593094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Aberrant miRNA expression or function have close links with various human diseases. Therefore, therapeutic treatments with disease-associated miRNAs as targets are emerging. However, the intracellular miRNA networks are extremely complicated and poorly understood, which thus hinder the development of miRNA-targeted therapeutics. Small molecules that are able to regulate endogenous miRNAs hold great potential in both elucidation of miRNA networks and treatment of miRNA-related diseases. Herein, we summarize current strategies for discovery of small molecule modifiers of miRNAs, and we highlight aspects of miRNA cellular biology elucidated by using these small molecules and miRNA-targeted therapeutics realized by these small molecules. We envision that this area will expand dramatically in the near future and will ultimately contribute to a better understanding of miRNA-involved cellular processes and development of therapeutic agents for miRNA-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rengen Fan
- a Department of General Surgery, Yancheng City No. 1 People's Hospital , Yancheng , China
| | - Chaocheng Xiao
- b Department of General Surgery, Yancheng City No. 1 People's Hospital , Yancheng , China
| | - Xinqiang Wan
- c Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Yancheng City No. 1 People's Hospital , Yancheng , China
| | - Wenzhang Cha
- a Department of General Surgery, Yancheng City No. 1 People's Hospital , Yancheng , China
| | - Yufeng Miao
- d Department of Medical Oncology , Wuxi Third People's Hospital , Wuxi , China
| | - Yong Zhou
- a Department of General Surgery, Yancheng City No. 1 People's Hospital , Yancheng , China
| | - Chenglin Qin
- a Department of General Surgery, Yancheng City No. 1 People's Hospital , Yancheng , China
| | - Ting Cui
- e Department of Cardiology, The Third People's Hospital of Yancheng , Yancheng , China
| | - Fenglian Su
- f School of Medical University, Xuzhou , Xuzhou , China
| | - Xiangxiang Shan
- g Department of Geraeology, Yancheng City No.1 People's Hospital , Yancheng , China
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17
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Wang CC, Chen X, Qu J, Sun YZ, Li JQ. RFSMMA: A New Computational Model to Identify and Prioritize Potential Small Molecule-MiRNA Associations. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 59:1668-1679. [PMID: 30840454 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
More and more studies found that many complex human diseases occur accompanied by aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs). Small molecule (SM) drugs have been utilized to treat complex human diseases by affecting the expression of miRNAs. Several computational methods were proposed to infer underlying associations between SMs and miRNAs. In our study, we proposed a new calculation model of random forest based small molecule-miRNA association prediction (RFSMMA) which was based on the known SM-miRNA associations in the SM2miR database. RFSMMA utilized the similarity of SMs and miRNAs as features to represent SM-miRNA pairs and further implemented the machine learning algorithm of random forest to train training samples and obtain a prediction model. In RFSMMA, integrating multiple kinds of similarity can avoid the bias of single similarity and choosing more reliable features from original features can represent SM-miRNA pairs more accurately. We carried out cross validations to assess predictive accuracy of RFSMMA. As a result, RFSMMA acquired AUCs of 0.9854, 0.9839, 0.7052, and 0.9917 ± 0.0008 under global leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV), miRNA-fixed local LOOCV, SM-fixed local LOOCV, and 5-fold cross validation, respectively, under data set 1. Based on data set 2, RFSMMA obtained AUCs of 0.8456, 0.8463, 0.6653, and 0.8389 ± 0.0033 under four cross validations according to the order mentioned above. In addition, we implemented a case study on three common SMs, namely, 5-fluorouracil, 17β-estradiol, and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Among the top 50 associated miRNAs of these three SMs predicted by RFSMMA, 31, 32, and 28 miRNAs were verified, respectively. Therefore, RFSMMA is shown to be an effective and reliable tool for identifying underlying SM-miRNA associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chun Wang
- School of Information and Control Engineering , China University of Mining and Technology , Xuzhou 221116 , China
| | - Xing Chen
- School of Information and Control Engineering , China University of Mining and Technology , Xuzhou 221116 , China
| | - Jia Qu
- School of Information and Control Engineering , China University of Mining and Technology , Xuzhou 221116 , China
| | - Ya-Zhou Sun
- College of Computer Science and Software Engineering , Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060 , China
| | - Jian-Qiang Li
- College of Computer Science and Software Engineering , Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060 , China
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18
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Vo DD, Becquart C, Tran TPA, Di Giorgio A, Darfeuille F, Staedel C, Duca M. Building of neomycin-nucleobase-amino acid conjugates for the inhibition of oncogenic miRNAs biogenesis. Org Biomol Chem 2019; 16:6262-6274. [PMID: 30116813 DOI: 10.1039/c8ob01858h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a recently discovered category of small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Accumulating evidence indicates that miRNAs are aberrantly expressed in a variety of human cancers, thus being oncogenic. The inhibition of oncogenic miRNAs (defined as the blocking of miRNAs' production or function) would find application in the therapy of different types of cancer in which these miRNAs are implicated. In this work, we describe the design and synthesis of new small-molecule RNA ligands with the aim of inhibiting Dicer-mediated processing of oncogenic miRNAs. One of the synthesized compound (4b) composed of the aminoglycoside neomycin conjugated to an artificial nucleobase and to amino acid histidine is able to selectively decrease miR-372 levels in gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells and to restore the expression of the target LATS2 protein. This activity led to the inhibition of proliferation of these cells. The study of the interactions of 4b with pre-miR-372 allowed for the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the conjugate, thus leading to new perspectives for the design of future inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duc Duy Vo
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry of Nice (ICN), Nice, France.
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19
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Brustikova K, Sedlak D, Kubikova J, Skuta C, Solcova K, Malik R, Bartunek P, Svoboda P. Cell-Based Reporter System for High-Throughput Screening of MicroRNA Pathway Inhibitors and Its Limitations. Front Genet 2018. [PMID: 29535760 PMCID: PMC5835079 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs repressing gene expression. They contribute to many physiological processes and pathologies. Consequently, strategies for manipulation of the miRNA pathway are of interest as they could provide tools for experimental or therapeutic interventions. One of such tools could be small chemical compounds identified through high-throughput screening (HTS) with reporter assays. While a number of chemical compounds have been identified in such high-throughput screens, their application potential remains elusive. Here, we report our experience with cell-based HTS of a library of 12,816 chemical compounds to identify miRNA pathway modulators. We used human HeLa and mouse NIH 3T3 cell lines with stably integrated or transiently expressed luciferase reporters repressed by endogenous miR-30 and let-7 miRNAs and identified 163 putative miRNA inhibitors. We report that compounds relieving miRNA-mediated repression via stress induction are infrequent; we have found only two compounds that reproducibly induced stress granules and relieved miRNA-targeted reporter repression. However, we have found that this assay type readily yields non-specific (miRNA-independent) stimulators of luciferase reporter activity. Furthermore, our data provide partial support for previously published miRNA pathway modulators; the most notable intersections were found among anthracyclines, dopamine derivatives, flavones, and stilbenes. Altogether, our results underscore the importance of appropriate negative controls in development of small compound inhibitors of the miRNA pathway. This particularly concerns validation strategies, which would greatly profit from assays that fundamentally differ from the routinely employed miRNA-targeted reporter assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Brustikova
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - David Sedlak
- CZ-OPENSCREEN, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jana Kubikova
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Ctibor Skuta
- CZ-OPENSCREEN, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Katerina Solcova
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Radek Malik
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petr Bartunek
- CZ-OPENSCREEN, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petr Svoboda
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
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20
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Grijalvo S, Alagia A, Jorge AF, Eritja R. Covalent Strategies for Targeting Messenger and Non-Coding RNAs: An Updated Review on siRNA, miRNA and antimiR Conjugates. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E74. [PMID: 29415514 PMCID: PMC5852570 DOI: 10.3390/genes9020074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Oligonucleotide-based therapy has become an alternative to classical approaches in the search of novel therapeutics involving gene-related diseases. Several mechanisms have been described in which demonstrate the pivotal role of oligonucleotide for modulating gene expression. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and more recently siRNAs and miRNAs have made important contributions either in reducing aberrant protein levels by sequence-specific targeting messenger RNAs (mRNAs) or restoring the anomalous levels of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that are involved in a good number of diseases including cancer. In addition to formulation approaches which have contributed to accelerate the presence of ASOs, siRNAs and miRNAs in clinical trials; the covalent linkage between non-viral vectors and nucleic acids has also added value and opened new perspectives to the development of promising nucleic acid-based therapeutics. This review article is mainly focused on the strategies carried out for covalently modifying siRNA and miRNA molecules. Examples involving cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), carbohydrates, polymers, lipids and aptamers are discussed for the synthesis of siRNA conjugates whereas in the case of miRNA-based drugs, this review article makes special emphasis in using antagomiRs, locked nucleic acids (LNAs), peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) as well as nanoparticles. The biomedical applications of siRNA and miRNA conjugates are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Grijalvo
- Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC, CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
- Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Adele Alagia
- Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Andreia F Jorge
- Coimbra Chemistry Centre, (CQC), Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Ramon Eritja
- Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC, CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
- Networking Centre in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
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21
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Modulation of oncogenic miRNA biogenesis using functionalized polyamines. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1667. [PMID: 29374231 PMCID: PMC5786041 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20053-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs are key factors in the regulation of gene expression and their deregulation has been directly linked to various pathologies such as cancer. The use of small molecules to tackle the overexpression of oncogenic miRNAs has proved its efficacy and holds the promise for therapeutic applications. Here we describe the screening of a 640-compound library and the identification of polyamine derivatives interfering with in vitro Dicer-mediated processing of the oncogenic miR-372 precursor (pre-miR-372). The most active inhibitor is a spermine-amidine conjugate that binds to the pre-miR-372 with a KD of 0.15 µM, and inhibits its in vitro processing with a IC50 of 1.06 µM. The inhibition of miR-372 biogenesis was confirmed in gastric cancer cells overexpressing miR-372 and a specific inhibition of proliferation through de-repression of the tumor suppressor LATS2 protein, a miR-372 target, was observed. This compound modifies the expression of a small set of miRNAs and its selective biological activity has been confirmed in patient-derived ex vivo cultures of gastric carcinoma. Polyamine derivatives are promising starting materials for future studies about the inhibition of oncogenic miRNAs and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about the application of functionalized polyamines as miRNAs interfering agents.
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Abstract
Following the elucidation of the human genome, chemogenomics emerged in the beginning of the twenty-first century as an interdisciplinary research field with the aim to accelerate target and drug discovery by making best usage of the genomic data and the data linkable to it. What started as a systematization approach within protein target families now encompasses all types of chemical compounds and gene products. A key objective of chemogenomics is the establishment, extension, analysis, and prediction of a comprehensive SAR matrix which by application will enable further systematization in drug discovery. Herein we outline future perspectives of chemogenomics including the extension to new molecular modalities, or the potential extension beyond the pharma to the agro and nutrition sectors, and the importance for environmental protection. The focus is on computational sciences with potential applications for compound library design, virtual screening, hit assessment, analysis of phenotypic screens, lead finding and optimization, and systems biology-based prediction of toxicology and translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Jacoby
- Janssen Research & Development, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - J B Brown
- Life Science Informatics Research Unit, Laboratory of Molecular Biosciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
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23
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Nguyen DD, Chang S. Development of Novel Therapeutic Agents by Inhibition of Oncogenic MicroRNAs. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 19:E65. [PMID: 29280958 PMCID: PMC5796015 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRs, miRNAs) are regulatory small noncoding RNAs, with their roles already confirmed to be important for post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression affecting cell physiology and disease development. Upregulation of a cancer-causing miRNA, known as oncogenic miRNA, has been found in many types of cancers and, therefore, represents a potential new class of targets for therapeutic inhibition. Several strategies have been developed in recent years to inhibit oncogenic miRNAs. Among them is a direct approach that targets mature oncogenic miRNA with an antisense sequence known as antimiR, which could be an oligonucleotide or miRNA sponge. In contrast, an indirect approach is to block the biogenesis of miRNA by genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system or a small molecule inhibitor. The development of these inhibitors is straightforward but involves significant scientific and therapeutic challenges that need to be resolved. In this review, we summarize recent relevant studies on the development of miRNA inhibitors against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinh-Duc Nguyen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea.
| | - Suhwan Chang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea.
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24
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Safir Filho M, Martin AR, Benhida R. Assessment of new triplet forming artificial nucleobases as RNA ligands directed towards HCV IRES IIId loop. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2017; 27:1780-1783. [PMID: 28274634 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.02.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We report the synthesis of two new artificial nucleobase scaffolds, 1 and 2, featuring adequate hydrogen bonding donors and acceptors for the molecular recognition of U:A and C:G base pairs, respectively. The tethering of these structures to various amino acids and the assessment of these artificial nucleobase-amino acid conjugates as RNA ligands against a model of HCV IRES IIId domain are also reported. Compound 1e displayed the highest affinity (Kd twice lower than neomycin - control). Moreover, it appears that this interaction is enthalpically and entropically favored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Safir Filho
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR7272, 06108 Nice, France; CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília DF 70040-020, Brazil
| | - Anthony R Martin
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR7272, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Rachid Benhida
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR7272, 06108 Nice, France.
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