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Țiburcă L, Zaha DC, Jurca MC, Severin E, Jurca A, Jurca AD. The Role of Aminopeptidase ERAP1 in Human Pathology-A Review. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:1651-1667. [PMID: 38534723 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46030107] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Aminopeptidases are a group of enzymatic proteins crucial for protein digestion, catalyzing the cleavage of amino acids at the N-terminus of peptides. Among them are ERAP1 (coding for endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1), ERAP2 (coding for endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2), and LNPEP (coding for leucyl and cystinyl aminopeptidase). These genes encoding these enzymes are contiguous and located on the same chromosome (5q21); they share structural homology and functions and are associated with immune-mediated diseases. These aminopeptidases play a key role in immune pathology by cleaving peptides to optimal sizes for binding to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and contribute to cellular homeostasis. By their ability to remove the extracellular region of interleukin 2 and 6 receptors (IL2, IL6) and the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF), ERAP1 and ERAP2 are involved in regulating the innate immune response and, finally, in blood pressure control and angiogenesis. The combination of specific genetic variations in these genes has been linked to various conditions, including autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases and cancer, as well as hematological and dermatological disorders. This literature review aims to primarily explore the impact of ERAP1 polymorphisms on its enzymatic activity and function. Through a systematic examination of the available literature, this review seeks to provide valuable insights into the role of ERAP1 in the pathogenesis of various diseases and its potential implications for targeted therapeutic interventions. Through an exploration of the complex interplay between ERAP1 and various disease states, this review contributes to the synthesis of current biomedical research findings and their implications for personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Țiburcă
- Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Universității Street 1, 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Dana Carmen Zaha
- Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Universității Street 1, 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Maria Claudia Jurca
- Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Universității Street 1, 410087 Oradea, Romania
- Regional Center of Medical Genetics Bihor, County Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bihor, 65-67, Gheorghe Doja Street, 410169 Oradea, Romania
| | - Emilia Severin
- Department of Genetics, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Dionisie Lupu 37 Street, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Aurora Jurca
- Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Universității Street 1, 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Alexandru Daniel Jurca
- Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Universității Street 1, 410087 Oradea, Romania
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Temponeras I, Samiotaki M, Koumantou D, Nikopaschou M, Kuiper JJW, Panayotou G, Stratikos E. Distinct modulation of cellular immunopeptidome by the allosteric regulatory site of ER aminopeptidase 1. Eur J Immunol 2023; 53:e2350449. [PMID: 37134263 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202350449] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
ER aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an ER-resident aminopeptidase that excises N-terminal residues of peptides that then bind onto Major Histocompatibility Complex I molecules (MHC-I) and indirectly modulates adaptive immune responses. ERAP1 contains an allosteric regulatory site that accommodates the C-terminus of at least some peptide substrates, raising questions about its exact influence on antigen presentation and the potential of allosteric inhibition for cancer immunotherapy. We used an inhibitor that targets this regulatory site to study its effect on the immunopeptidome of a human cancer cell line. The immunopeptidomes of allosterically inhibited and ERAP1 KO cells contain high-affinity peptides with sequence motifs consistent with the cellular HLA class I haplotypes but are strikingly different in peptide composition. Compared to KO cells, allosteric inhibition did not affect the length distribution of peptides and skewed the peptide repertoire both in terms of sequence motifs and HLA allele utilization, indicating significant mechanistic differences between the two ways of disrupting ERAP1 function. These findings suggest that the regulatory site of ERAP1 plays distinct roles in antigenic peptide selection, which should be taken into consideration when designing therapeutic interventions targeting the cancer immunopeptidome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Temponeras
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, Greece
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patra, Greece
| | - Martina Samiotaki
- Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Institute for Bioinnovation, Vari, Greece
| | - Despoina Koumantou
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, Greece
| | - Martha Nikopaschou
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, Greece
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, Greece
| | - Jonas J W Kuiper
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - George Panayotou
- Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Institute for Bioinnovation, Vari, Greece
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, Greece
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, Greece
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3
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A Comparative Review of Pregnancy and Cancer and Their Association with Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1 and 2. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043454. [PMID: 36834865 PMCID: PMC9965492 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The fundamental basis of pregnancy and cancer is to determine the fate of the survival or the death of humanity. However, the development of fetuses and tumors share many similarities and differences, making them two sides of the same coin. This review presents an overview of the similarities and differences between pregnancy and cancer. In addition, we will also discuss the critical roles that Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase (ERAP) 1 and 2 may play in the immune system, cell migration, and angiogenesis, all of which are essential for fetal and tumor development. Even though the comprehensive understanding of ERAP2 lags that of ERAP1 due to the lack of an animal model, recent studies have shown that both enzymes are associated with an increased risk of several diseases, including pregnancy disorder pre-eclampsia (PE), recurrent miscarriages, and cancer. The exact mechanisms in both pregnancy and cancer need to be elucidated. Therefore, a deeper understanding of ERAP's role in diseases can make it a potential therapeutic target for pregnancy complications and cancer and offer greater insight into its impact on the immune system.
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Luddy KA, Teer JK, Freischel A, O’Farrelly C, Gatenby R. Evolutionary selection identifies critical immune-relevant genes in lung cancer subtypes. Front Genet 2022; 13:921447. [PMID: 36092893 PMCID: PMC9451599 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.921447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In an evolving population, proliferation is dependent on fitness so that a numerically dominant population typically possesses the most well adapted phenotype. In contrast, the evolutionary "losers" typically disappear from the population so that their genetic record is lost. Historically, cancer research has focused on observed genetic mutations in the dominant tumor cell populations which presumably increase fitness. Negative selection, i.e., removal of deleterious mutations from a population, is not observable but can provide critical information regarding genes involved in essential cellular processes. Similar to immunoediting, "evolutionary triage" eliminates mutations in tumor cells that increase susceptibility to the host immune response while mutations that shield them from immune attack increase proliferation and are readily observable (e.g., B2M mutations). These dynamics permit an "inverse problem" analysis linking the fitness consequences of a mutation to its prevalence in a tumor cohort. This is evident in "driver mutations" but, equally important, can identify essential genes in which mutations are seen significantly less than expected by chance. Here we utilized this new approach to investigate evolutionary triage in immune-related genes from TCGA lung adenocarcinoma cohorts. Negative selection differs between the two cohorts and is observed in endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase genes, ERAP1 and ERAP2 genes, and DNAM-1/TIGIT ligands. Targeting genes or molecular pathways under positive or negative evolutionary selection may permit new treatment options and increase the efficacy of current immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A. Luddy
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Jamie K. Teer
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Audrey Freischel
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Cliona O’Farrelly
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Robert Gatenby
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States
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5
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Temponeras I, Stamatakis G, Samiotaki M, Georgiadis D, Pratsinis H, Panayotou G, Stratikos E. ERAP2 Inhibition Induces Cell-Surface Presentation by MOLT-4 Leukemia Cancer Cells of Many Novel and Potentially Antigenic Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031913. [PMID: 35163832 PMCID: PMC8836666 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have linked the activity of ER aminopeptidase 2 (ERAP2) to increased efficacy of immune-checkpoint inhibitor cancer immunotherapy, suggesting that pharmacological inhibition of ERAP2 could have important therapeutic implications. To explore the effects of ERAP2 inhibition on the immunopeptidome of cancer cells, we treated MOLT-4 T lymphoblast leukemia cells with a recently developed selective ERAP2 inhibitor, isolated Major Histocompatibility class I molecules (MHCI), and sequenced bound peptides by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Inhibitor treatment induced significant shifts on the immunopeptidome so that more than 20% of detected peptides were either novel or significantly upregulated. Most of the inhibitor-induced peptides were 9mers and had sequence motifs and predicted affinity consistent with being optimal ligands for at least one of the MHCI alleles carried by MOLT-4 cells. Such inhibitor-induced peptides could serve as triggers for novel cytotoxic responses against cancer cells and synergize with the therapeutic effect of immune-checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Temponeras
- National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, 15341 Agia Paraskevi, Greece; (I.T.); (H.P.)
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, 26504 Patra, Greece
| | - George Stamatakis
- Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, Institute for Bioinnovation, 16672 Vari, Greece; (G.S.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
| | - Martina Samiotaki
- Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, Institute for Bioinnovation, 16672 Vari, Greece; (G.S.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
| | - Dimitris Georgiadis
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Zografou, Greece;
| | - Harris Pratsinis
- National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, 15341 Agia Paraskevi, Greece; (I.T.); (H.P.)
| | - George Panayotou
- Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, Institute for Bioinnovation, 16672 Vari, Greece; (G.S.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, 15341 Agia Paraskevi, Greece; (I.T.); (H.P.)
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Zografou, Greece;
- Correspondence: or
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Sauerer T, Lischer C, Weich A, Berking C, Vera J, Dörrie J. Single-Molecule RNA Sequencing Reveals IFNγ-Induced Differential Expression of Immune Escape Genes in Merkel Cell Polyomavirus-Positive MCC Cell Lines. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:785662. [PMID: 35003017 PMCID: PMC8727593 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.785662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive cancer, which is mainly caused by genomic integration of the Merkel cell polyomavirus and subsequent expression of a truncated form of its large T antigen. The resulting primary tumor is known to be immunogenic and under constant pressure to escape immune surveillance. Because interferon gamma (IFNγ), a key player of immune response, is secreted by many immune effector cells and has been shown to exert both anti-tumoral and pro-tumoral effects, we studied the transcriptomic response of MCC cells to IFNγ. In particular, immune modulatory effects that may help the tumor evade immune surveillance were of high interest to our investigation. The effect of IFNγ treatment on the transcriptomic program of three MCC cell lines (WaGa, MKL-1, and MKL-2) was analyzed using single-molecule sequencing via the Oxford Nanopore platform. A significant differential expression of several genes was detected across all three cell lines. Subsequent pathway analysis and manual annotation showed a clear upregulation of genes involved in the immune escape of tumor due to IFNγ treatment. The analysis of selected genes on protein level underlined our sequencing results. These findings contribute to a better understanding of immune escape of MCC and may help in clinical treatment of MCC patients. Furthermore, we demonstrate that single-molecule sequencing can be used to assess characteristics of large eukaryotic transcriptomes and thus contribute to a broader access to sequencing data in the community due to its low cost of entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Sauerer
- RNA-based Immunotherapy, Hautklinik, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen European Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg, Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christopher Lischer
- Systems Tumor Immunology, Hautklinik, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen European Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg, Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Adrian Weich
- Systems Tumor Immunology, Hautklinik, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen European Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg, Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Carola Berking
- Hautklinik, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen European Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg, Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Julio Vera
- Systems Tumor Immunology, Hautklinik, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen European Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg, Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jan Dörrie
- RNA-based Immunotherapy, Hautklinik, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen European Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg, Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Mavridis G, Mpakali A, Zoidakis J, Makridakis M, Vlahou A, Kaloumenou E, Ziotopoulou A, Georgiadis D, Papakyriakou A, Stratikos E. The ERAP1 active site cannot productively access the N-terminus of antigenic peptide precursors stably bound onto MHC class I. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16475. [PMID: 34389743 PMCID: PMC8363620 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95786-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing of N-terminally elongated antigenic peptide precursors by Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is a key step in antigen presentation and the adaptive immune response. Although ERAP1 can efficiently process long peptides in solution, it has been proposed that it can also process peptides bound onto Major Histocompatibility Complex I molecules (MHCI). In a previous study, we suggested that the occasionally observed “ontο MHCI” trimming by ERAP1 is likely due to fast peptide dissociation followed by solution trimming, rather than direct action of ERAP1 onto the MHCI complex. However, other groups have proposed that ERAP1 can trim peptides covalently bound onto MHCI, which would preclude peptide dissociation. To explore this interaction, we constructed disulfide-linked MHCI-peptide complexes using HLA-B*08 and a 12mer kinetically labile peptide, or a 16mer carrying a phosphinic transition-state analogue N-terminus with high-affinity for ERAP1. Kinetic and biochemical analyses suggested that while both peptides could access the ERAP1 active site when free in solution, they were unable to do so when tethered in the MHCI binding groove. Our results suggest that MHCI binding protects, rather than promotes, antigenic peptide precursor trimming by ERAP1 and thus solution trimming is the more likely model of antigenic peptide processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Mavridis
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, 15341, Agia Paraskevi, Greece
| | - Anastasia Mpakali
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, 15341, Agia Paraskevi, Greece
| | - Jerome Zoidakis
- Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Manousos Makridakis
- Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Antonia Vlahou
- Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Kaloumenou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, Greece
| | - Angeliki Ziotopoulou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, Greece
| | - Dimitris Georgiadis
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, Greece
| | - Athanasios Papakyriakou
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, 15341, Agia Paraskevi, Greece
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, 15341, Agia Paraskevi, Greece. .,Biochemistry Laboratory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, Greece.
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Aminopeptidase Expression in Multiple Myeloma Associates with Disease Progression and Sensitivity to Melflufen. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13071527. [PMID: 33810334 PMCID: PMC8036322 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13071527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The aims of this study were to investigate aminopeptidase expression in multiple myeloma and to identify the aminopeptidases responsible for the activation of the peptide–drug conjugate melflufen in multiple myeloma. We observed a differential expression of aminopeptidases between relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. A higher expression of the aminopeptidase genes XPNPEP1, RNPEP, DPP3, and BLMH in multiple myeloma plasma cells was associated with shorter patient overall survival. The peptide–drug conjugate melflufen was particularly active towards plasma cells from relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients. Melflufen could be hydrolyzed to its active form by the aminopeptidases LAP3, LTA4H, RNPEP, and ANPEP, all of which are expressed in multiple myeloma. These results indicate critical roles for aminopeptidases in disease progression and the activity of melflufen in multiple myeloma. Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by extensive immunoglobulin production leading to an excessive load on protein homeostasis in tumor cells. Aminopeptidases contribute to proteolysis by catalyzing the hydrolysis of amino acids from proteins or peptides and function downstream of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. Notably, aminopeptidases can be utilized in the delivery of antibody and peptide-conjugated drugs, such as melflufen, currently in clinical trials. We analyzed the expression of 39 aminopeptidase genes in MM samples from 122 patients treated at Finnish cancer centers and 892 patients from the CoMMpass database. Based on ranked abundance, LAP3, ERAP2, METAP2, TTP2, and DPP7 were highly expressed in MM. ERAP2, XPNPEP1, DPP3, RNPEP, and CTSV were differentially expressed between relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed MM samples (p < 0.05). Sensitivity to melflufen was detected ex vivo in 11/15 MM patient samples, and high sensitivity was observed, especially in relapsed/refractory samples. Survival analysis revealed that high expression of XPNPEP1, RNPEP, DPP3, and BLMH (p < 0.05) was associated with shorter overall survival. Hydrolysis analysis demonstrated that melflufen is a substrate for aminopeptidases LAP3, LTA4H, RNPEP, and ANPEP. The sensitivity of MM cell lines to melflufen was reduced by aminopeptidase inhibitors. These results indicate critical roles of aminopeptidases in disease progression and the activity of melflufen in MM.
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Voutsadakis IA. High Tumor Mutation Burden and Other Immunotherapy Response Predictors in Breast Cancers: Associations and Therapeutic Opportunities. Target Oncol 2021; 15:127-138. [PMID: 31741177 DOI: 10.1007/s11523-019-00689-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The recent development of effective immunotherapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of cancer has rekindled the interest for the immune system and its activation for an anti-cancer response. At the same time, it has become evident that not all types of cancers respond equally to these treatments, and even within the same tumor type only a subset of patients derive clinical benefit. Biomarkers predictive of response to immunotherapy have been sought and in certain occasions incorporated in the indication for treatment. These include expression of PD-L1 and defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR). OBJECTIVE Tumor mutation burden (TMB) has been associated with response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. The current investigation examines TMB as a biomarker of response to immunotherapy in breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Publicly available data from the breast cancer study of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the METABRIC study were analyzed. Parameters examined included the TMB and specific mutations that may impact on TMB. In addition, correlations with breast cancer sub-types were investigated. RESULTS The percentage of breast cancers with high TMB (more than 192 mutations per sample) was low (3.5-4.6%) in luminal and triple-negative cancers and higher (14.1%) in the HER2-positive subset. Almost all cancers with high TMB had defects in MMR proteins or the replicative polymerases POLE and POLD1. CONCLUSIONS Small sub-sets of breast cancers with high TMB exist and may present an opportunity for effective immunotherapeutic targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis A Voutsadakis
- Algoma District Cancer Program, Sault Area Hospital, 750 Great Northern Road, Sault Ste Marie, ON, P6B 0A8, Canada. .,Section of Internal Medicine, Division of Clinical Sciences, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, ON, Canada.
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10
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Hutchinson JP, Temponeras I, Kuiper J, Cortes A, Korczynska J, Kitchen S, Stratikos E. Common allotypes of ER aminopeptidase 1 have substrate-dependent and highly variable enzymatic properties. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100443. [PMID: 33617882 PMCID: PMC8024916 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Polymorphic variation of immune system proteins can drive variability of individual immune responses. Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) generates antigenic peptides for presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. Coding SNPs in ERAP1 have been associated with predisposition to inflammatory rheumatic disease and shown to affect functional properties of the enzyme, but the interplay between combinations of these SNPs as they exist in allotypes has not been thoroughly explored. We used phased genotype data to estimate ERAP1 allotype frequency in 2504 individuals across five major human populations, generated highly pure recombinant enzymes corresponding to the ten most common ERAP1 allotypes, and systematically characterized their in vitro enzymatic properties. We find that ERAP1 allotypes possess a wide range of enzymatic activities, up to 60-fold, whose ranking is substrate dependent. Strikingly, allotype 10, previously associated with Behçet’s disease, is consistently a low-activity outlier, suggesting that a significant percentage of individuals carry a subactive ERAP1 gene. Enzymatic analysis revealed that ERAP1 allotypes can differ in both catalytic efficiency and substrate affinity, differences that can change intermediate accumulation in multistep trimming reactions. Alterations in efficacy of an allosteric inhibitor that targets the regulatory site suggest that allotypic variation influences the communication between the regulatory and the active site. Our work defines the wide landscape of ERAP1 activity in human populations and demonstrates how common allotypes can induce substrate-dependent variability in antigen processing, thus contributing, in synergy with major histocompatibility complex haplotypes, to immune response variability and predisposition to chronic inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ioannis Temponeras
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Jonas Kuiper
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Adrian Cortes
- Human Genetics, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Justyna Korczynska
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Semra Kitchen
- Adaptive Immunity Research Unit, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece; Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, Athens, Greece.
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11
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Mpakali A, Stratikos E. The Role of Antigen Processing and Presentation in Cancer and the Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:E134. [PMID: 33406696 PMCID: PMC7796214 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13010134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent clinical successes of cancer immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are rapidly changing the landscape of cancer treatment. Regardless of initial impressive clinical results though, the therapeutic benefit of ICIs appears to be limited to a subset of patients and tumor types. Recent analyses have revealed that the potency of ICI therapies depends on the efficient presentation of tumor-specific antigens by cancer cells and professional antigen presenting cells. Here, we review current knowledge on the role of antigen presentation in cancer. We focus on intracellular antigen processing and presentation by Major Histocompatibility class I (MHCI) molecules and how it can affect cancer immune evasion. Finally, we discuss the pharmacological tractability of manipulating intracellular antigen processing as a complementary approach to enhance tumor immunogenicity and the effectiveness of ICI immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Mpakali
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, 15341 Athens, Greece
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, 15341 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zographou, 15784 Athens, Greece
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12
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Mavridis G, Arya R, Domnick A, Zoidakis J, Makridakis M, Vlahou A, Mpakali A, Lelis A, Georgiadis D, Tampé R, Papakyriakou A, Stern LJ, Stratikos E. A systematic re-examination of processing of MHCI-bound antigenic peptide precursors by endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:7193-7210. [PMID: 32184355 PMCID: PMC7247305 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.012976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) trims antigenic peptide precursors to generate mature antigenic peptides for presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) molecules and regulates adaptive immune responses. ERAP1 has been proposed to trim peptide precursors both in solution and in preformed MHCI-peptide complexes, but which mode is more relevant to its biological function remains controversial. Here, we compared ERAP1-mediated trimming of antigenic peptide precursors in solution or when bound to three MHCI alleles, HLA-B*58, HLA-B*08, and HLA-A*02. For all MHCI-peptide combinations, peptide binding onto MHCI protected against ERAP1-mediated trimming. In only a single MHCI-peptide combination, trimming of an HLA-B*08-bound 12-mer progressed at a considerable rate, albeit still slower than in solution. Results from thermodynamic, kinetic, and computational analyses suggested that this 12-mer is highly labile and that apparent on-MHC trimming rates are always slower than that of MHCI-peptide dissociation. Both ERAP2 and leucine aminopeptidase, an enzyme unrelated to antigen processing, could trim this labile peptide from preformed MHCI complexes as efficiently as ERAP1. A pseudopeptide analogue with high affinity for both HLA-B*08 and the ERAP1 active site could not promote the formation of a ternary ERAP1/MHCI/peptide complex. Similarly, no interactions between ERAP1 and purified peptide-loading complex were detected in the absence or presence of a pseudopeptide trap. We conclude that MHCI binding protects peptides from ERAP1 degradation and that trimming in solution along with the dynamic nature of peptide binding to MHCI are sufficient to explain ERAP1 processing of antigenic peptide precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Mavridis
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi 15341, Greece
| | - Richa Arya
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
| | - Alexander Domnick
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Jerome Zoidakis
- Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Manousos Makridakis
- Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Antonia Vlahou
- Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Anastasia Mpakali
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi 15341, Greece
| | - Angelos Lelis
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Chemistry Department, University of Athens, Athens 15772, Greece
| | - Dimitris Georgiadis
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Chemistry Department, University of Athens, Athens 15772, Greece
| | - Robert Tampé
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | | | - Lawrence J Stern
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi 15341, Greece.
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13
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Liddle J, Hutchinson JP, Kitchen S, Rowland P, Neu M, Cecconie T, Holmes DS, Jones E, Korczynska J, Koumantou D, Lea JD, Nickels L, Pemberton M, Phillipou A, Schneck JL, Sheehan H, Tinworth CP, Uings I, Wojno-Picon J, Young RJ, Stratikos E. Targeting the Regulatory Site of ER Aminopeptidase 1 Leads to the Discovery of a Natural Product Modulator of Antigen Presentation. J Med Chem 2020; 63:3348-3358. [PMID: 32109056 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b02123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
ER aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an intracellular enzyme that generates antigenic peptides and is an emerging target for cancer immunotherapy and the control of autoimmunity. ERAP1 inhibitors described previously target the active site and are limited in selectivity, minimizing their clinical potential. To address this, we targeted the regulatory site of ERAP1 using a high-throughput screen and discovered a small molecule hit that is highly selective for ERAP1. (4aR,5S,6R,8S,8aR)-5-(2-(Furan-3-yl)ethyl)-8-hydroxy-5,6,8a-trimethyl-3,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydronaphthalene-1-carboxylic acid is a natural product found in Dodonaea viscosa that constitutes a submicromolar, highly selective, and cell-active modulator of ERAP1. Although the compound activates hydrolysis of small model substrates, it is a competitive inhibitor for physiologically relevant longer peptides. Crystallographic analysis confirmed that the compound targets the regulatory site of the enzyme that normally binds the C-terminus of the peptide substrate. Our findings constitute a novel starting point for the development of selective ERAP1 modulators that have potential for further clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Liddle
- Discovery Partnerships with Academia, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Jonathan P Hutchinson
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Semra Kitchen
- Discovery Partnerships with Academia, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Paul Rowland
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Margarete Neu
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Ted Cecconie
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Duncan S Holmes
- Discovery Partnerships with Academia, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Emma Jones
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Justyna Korczynska
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Despoina Koumantou
- National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Patriarchou Gregoriou and Neapoleos 27, Agia Paraskevi, Athens 15341, Greece
| | - Jonathan D Lea
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Leng Nickels
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Michelle Pemberton
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Alex Phillipou
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Jessica L Schneck
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Hester Sheehan
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Christopher P Tinworth
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Iain Uings
- Discovery Partnerships with Academia, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Justyna Wojno-Picon
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Robert J Young
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Patriarchou Gregoriou and Neapoleos 27, Agia Paraskevi, Athens 15341, Greece
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14
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Mechanism for antigenic peptide selection by endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:26709-26716. [PMID: 31843903 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1912070116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an intracellular enzyme that optimizes the peptide cargo of major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) molecules and regulates adaptive immunity. It has unusual substrate selectivity for length and sequence, resulting in poorly understood effects on the cellular immunopeptidome. To understand substrate selection by ERAP1, we solved 2 crystal structures of the enzyme with bound transition-state pseudopeptide analogs at 1.68 Å and 1.72 Å. Both peptides have their N terminus bound at the active site and extend away along a large internal cavity, interacting with shallow pockets that can influence selectivity. The longer peptide is disordered through the central region of the cavity and has its C terminus bound in an allosteric pocket of domain IV that features a carboxypeptidase-like structural motif. These structures, along with enzymatic and computational analyses, explain how ERAP1 can select peptides based on length while retaining the broad sequence-specificity necessary for its biological function.
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15
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Georgiadis D, Mpakali A, Koumantou D, Stratikos E. Inhibitors of ER Aminopeptidase 1 and 2: From Design to Clinical Application. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:2715-2729. [PMID: 29446724 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180214111849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Endoplasmic Reticulum aminopeptidase 1 and 2 are two homologous enzymes that help generate peptide ligands for presentation by Major Histocompatibility Class I molecules. Their enzymatic activity influences the antigenic peptide repertoire and indirectly controls adaptive immune responses. Accumulating evidence suggests that these two enzymes are tractable targets for the regulation of immune responses with possible applications ranging from cancer immunotherapy to treating inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Here, we review the state-of-the-art in the development of inhibitors of ERAP1 and ERAP2 as well as their potential and limitations for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitris Georgiadis
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Anastasia Mpakali
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Greece
| | - Despoina Koumantou
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Greece
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Greece
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16
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Koumantou D, Barnea E, Martin-Esteban A, Maben Z, Papakyriakou A, Mpakali A, Kokkala P, Pratsinis H, Georgiadis D, Stern LJ, Admon A, Stratikos E. Editing the immunopeptidome of melanoma cells using a potent inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1). Cancer Immunol Immunother 2019; 68:1245-1261. [PMID: 31222486 PMCID: PMC6684451 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-019-02358-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, including treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors, often is limited by ineffective presentation of antigenic peptides that elicit T-cell-mediated anti-tumor cytotoxic responses. Manipulation of antigen presentation pathways is an emerging approach for enhancing the immunogenicity of tumors in immunotherapy settings. ER aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an intracellular enzyme that trims peptides as part of the system that generates peptides for binding to MHC class I molecules (MHC-I). We hypothesized that pharmacological inhibition of ERAP1 in cells could regulate the cellular immunopeptidome. To test this hypothesis, we treated A375 melanoma cells with a recently developed potent ERAP1 inhibitor and analyzed the presented MHC-I peptide repertoire by isolating MHC-I, eluting bound peptides, and identifying them using capillary chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Although the inhibitor did not reduce cell-surface MHC-I expression, it induced qualitative and quantitative changes in the presented peptidomes. Specifically, inhibitor treatment altered presentation of about half of the total 3204 identified peptides, including about one third of the peptides predicted to bind tightly to MHC-I. Inhibitor treatment altered the length distribution of eluted peptides without change in the basic binding motifs. Surprisingly, inhibitor treatment enhanced the average predicted MHC-I binding affinity, by reducing presentation of sub-optimal long peptides and increasing presentation of many high-affinity 9-12mers, suggesting that baseline ERAP1 activity in this cell line is destructive for many potential epitopes. Our results suggest that chemical inhibition of ERAP1 may be a viable approach for manipulating the immunopeptidome of cancer.
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MESH Headings
- Aminopeptidases/antagonists & inhibitors
- Aminopeptidases/metabolism
- Antigen Presentation
- Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Cancer Vaccines/immunology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/metabolism
- HLA Antigens/metabolism
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/metabolism
- Humans
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Immunotherapy/methods
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Melanoma/drug therapy
- Minor Histocompatibility Antigens/metabolism
- Molecular Targeted Therapy
- Peptides/genetics
- Peptides/immunology
- Peptides/metabolism
- Protease Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Protein Binding
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Despoina Koumantou
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Patriarchou Gregoriou and Neapoleos 27, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Athens, Greece
| | - Eilon Barnea
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Adrian Martin-Esteban
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad Autonoma), Madrid, Spain
| | - Zachary Maben
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Athanasios Papakyriakou
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Patriarchou Gregoriou and Neapoleos 27, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Athens, Greece
| | - Anastasia Mpakali
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Patriarchou Gregoriou and Neapoleos 27, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Athens, Greece
| | - Paraskevi Kokkala
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Harris Pratsinis
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Patriarchou Gregoriou and Neapoleos 27, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitris Georgiadis
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Lawrence J Stern
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Arie Admon
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Patriarchou Gregoriou and Neapoleos 27, Agia Paraskevi, 15341, Athens, Greece.
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17
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Giastas P, Neu M, Rowland P, Stratikos E. High-Resolution Crystal Structure of Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1 with Bound Phosphinic Transition-State Analogue Inhibitor. ACS Med Chem Lett 2019; 10:708-713. [PMID: 31097987 PMCID: PMC6511960 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.9b00002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an intracellular enzyme that helps generate peptides presented by Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I (MHC class I) molecules and is an emerging target for immunotherapy applications. Despite almost two decades of research on ERAP1, lack of high-resolution crystal structures has hampered drug-development efforts. By optimizing the protein construct, we obtained a high-resolution (1.60 Å) crystal structure of the closed-conformation of ERAP1 with a potent phosphinic pseudopeptide inhibitor bound in its active site. The structure provides key insight on the mechanism of inhibition as well as selectivity toward homologous enzymes and allows detailed mapping of the internal cavity of the enzyme that accommodates peptide-substrates. Bis-tris propane and malic acid molecules, found bound in pockets in the internal cavity, reveal potential druggable secondary binding sites. The ability to obtain high-resolution crystal structures of ERAP1 removes a major bottleneck in the development of compounds that regulate its activity and will greatly accelerate drug-discovery efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petros Giastas
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia
Paraskevi, Athens 15310, Greece
| | - Margarete Neu
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Paul Rowland
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia
Paraskevi, Athens 15310, Greece
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18
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Salomon E, Schmitt M, Marapaka AK, Stamogiannos A, Revelant G, Schmitt C, Alavi S, Florent I, Addlagatta A, Stratikos E, Tarnus C, Albrecht S. Aminobenzosuberone Scaffold as a Modular Chemical Tool for the Inhibition of Therapeutically Relevant M1 Aminopeptidases. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23102607. [PMID: 30314342 PMCID: PMC6222927 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23102607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The synthesis of racemic substituted 7-amino-5,7,8,9-tetrahydrobenzocyclohepten-6-one hydrochlorides was optimized to enhance reproducibility and increase the overall yield. In order to investigate their specificity, series of enzyme inhibition assays were carried out against a diversity of proteases, covering representative members of aspartic, cysteine, metallo and serine endopeptidases and including eight members of the monometallic M1 family of aminopeptidases as well as two members of the bimetallic M17 and M28 aminopeptidase families. This aminobenzosuberone scaffold indeed demonstrated selective inhibition of M1 aminopeptidases to the exclusion of other tested protease families; it was particularly potent against mammalian APN and its bacterial/parasitic orthologues EcPepN and PfAM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Salomon
- Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications, Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 68093 Mulhouse, France.
| | - Marjorie Schmitt
- Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications, Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 68093 Mulhouse, France.
| | - Anil Kumar Marapaka
- Centre for Chemical Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Dehli 110001, India.
| | - Athanasios Stamogiannos
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, INRASTES, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece.
| | - Germain Revelant
- Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications, Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 68093 Mulhouse, France.
| | - Céline Schmitt
- Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications, Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 68093 Mulhouse, France.
| | - Sarah Alavi
- Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications, Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 68093 Mulhouse, France.
| | - Isabelle Florent
- Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 75231 Paris, France.
| | - Anthony Addlagatta
- Centre for Chemical Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Rafi Marg, New Dehli 110001, India.
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- Protein Chemistry Laboratory, INRASTES, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece.
| | - Céline Tarnus
- Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications, Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 68093 Mulhouse, France.
| | - Sébastien Albrecht
- Laboratoire d'Innovation Moléculaire et Applications, Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 68093 Mulhouse, France.
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19
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Overexpression of low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) is associated with worsened prognosis and decreased cancer immunity in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 503:1537-1543. [PMID: 30033103 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.07.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AIM Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized with underlying genetic disorders and the role of low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) in ccRCC is unknown. METHOD An in silico exploratory analysis using multiple public genetic datasets was used to establish association between LRP1 expression and clinicopathological parameters. Associations of interest were validated using 155 ccRCC samples using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS LRP1 was overexpressed in tumor compared with normal kidney tissue. Increased LRP1 expression in ccRCC was associated with advanced stage, grade and worsened overall survival and progression-free survival. Functional annotation indicated an immune-modulatory role of LRP1 in ccRCC. LRP1 expression was significantly correlated with expressions of PBRM1, SETD2, and KDM5C. Positive correlations between LRP1 and pro-angiogenic factors ERAP1, SCG2, STAB1, and RUNX1 were observed. LRP1 expression was positively correlated with PD-L2 level. Negative correlations between LRP1 and anti-angiogenic factors EMCN and IL18 were observed. LRP1 expression was not associated with microvessel density (MVD) yet was negatively correlated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). CONCLUSION LRP1 is associated with worsened prognosis in ccRCC and is related to cancer immune modulation. LRP1-targeted therapy can be of therapeutic potential.
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20
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Rastall DPW, Alyaquob FS, O’Connell P, Pepelyayeva Y, Peters D, Godbehere-Roosa S, Pereira-Hicks C, Aldhamen YA, Amalfitano A. Mice expressing human ERAP1 variants associated with ankylosing spondylitis have altered T-cell repertoires and NK cell functions, as well as increased in utero and perinatal mortality. Int Immunol 2017; 29:277-289. [PMID: 28814066 PMCID: PMC5890900 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxx035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Specific variants of endoplasmic reticulum-associated aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) identified by genome-wide association study modify the risk for developing ankylosing spondylitis. We previously confirmed that disease-associated ERAP1 variants have altered enzymatic abilities that can impact upon the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines from cells expressing the same ERAP1 variants. To determine if these ERAP1 variants also impacted immune responses in vivo, we generated two strains of transgenic mice expressing human ERAP1 genes containing non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with an increased (ERAP1-High) or decreased (ERAP1-Low) risk for developing autoimmune disease. After vaccination with foreign antigens, ERAP1-High mice generated unique populations of antigen-specific T-cell clones. The expression of ERAP1-High also reduced MHC-I expression on the surface of multiple cell types, demonstrating a global impact on the MHC-I peptidome. ERAP1 variants also affected the innate immune system, because NK cells from murine ERAP1 (mERAP1) knockout mice and ERAP1-High/mERAP1-/- mice had decreased surface expression of the activating receptor NKG2D on their NK and T cells, and NK cells derived from mERAP1-/- mice or ERAP1-Low mice demonstrated more active NK cell killing than NK cells derived from wild-type or ERAP1-High mice. Finally, these studies were conducted in female mice, as all male ERAP1-High mice died in utero or shortly after birth, making ERAP1-High one of the only dominant lethal autosomal genes known in mammals. Together, these results present the first direct evidence that human disease-associated ERAP1 variants can greatly alter survival, as well as antigen presentation, T-cell repertoire and NK cell responses in vivo.
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MESH Headings
- Adaptive Immunity/genetics
- Aminopeptidases/genetics
- Animals
- Antigen Presentation
- Clone Cells
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/genetics
- Female
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/genetics
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/metabolism
- Humans
- Immunity, Innate/genetics
- Killer Cells, Natural/physiology
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Minor Histocompatibility Antigens/genetics
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Risk
- Spondylitis, Ankylosing/genetics
- T-Lymphocytes/physiology
- Transgenes/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Andrea Amalfitano
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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21
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Mpakali A, Saridakis E, Harlos K, Zhao Y, Kokkala P, Georgiadis D, Giastas P, Papakyriakou A, Stratikos E. Ligand-Induced Conformational Change of Insulin-Regulated Aminopeptidase: Insights on Catalytic Mechanism and Active Site Plasticity. J Med Chem 2017; 60:2963-2972. [PMID: 28328206 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b01890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) is an enzyme with several important biological functions that is known to process a large variety of different peptidic substrates, although the mechanism behind this wide specificity is not clearly understood. We describe a crystal structure of IRAP in complex with a recently developed bioactive and selective inhibitor at 2.53 Å resolution. In the presence of this inhibitor, the enzyme adopts a novel conformation in which domains II and IV are juxtaposed, forming a hollow structure that excludes external solvent access to the catalytic center. A loop adjacent to the enzyme's GAMEN motif undergoes structural reconfiguration, allowing the accommodation of bulky inhibitor side chains. Atomic interactions between the inhibitor and IRAP that are unique to this conformation can explain the strong selectivity compared to homologous aminopeptidases ERAP1 and ERAP2. This conformation provides insight on IRAP's catalytic cycle and reveals significant active-site plasticity that may underlie its substrate permissiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Mpakali
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi , Athens 15310, Greece
| | - Emmanuel Saridakis
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi , Athens 15310, Greece
| | - Karl Harlos
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford University , Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Yuguang Zhao
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford University , Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Paraskevi Kokkala
- Department of Chemistry, University of Athens , Athens 15771, Greece
| | | | - Petros Giastas
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi , Athens 15310, Greece
| | | | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi , Athens 15310, Greece
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22
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Stamogiannos A, Maben Z, Papakyriakou A, Mpakali A, Kokkala P, Georgiadis D, Stern LJ, Stratikos E. Critical Role of Interdomain Interactions in the Conformational Change and Catalytic Mechanism of Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1. Biochemistry 2017; 56:1546-1558. [PMID: 28218509 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b01170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an intracellular enzyme that is important for the generation of antigenic epitopes and major histocompatibility class I-restricted adaptive immune responses. ERAP1 processes a vast variety of different peptides but still shows length and sequence selectivity, although the mechanism behind these properties is poorly understood. X-ray crystallographic analysis has revealed that ERAP1 can assume at least two distinct conformations in which C-terminal domain IV is either proximal or distal to active site domain II. To improve our understanding of the role of this conformational change in the catalytic mechanism of ERAP1, we used site-directed mutagenesis to perturb key salt bridges between domains II and IV. Enzymatic analysis revealed that these mutations, although located away from the catalytic site, greatly reduce the catalytic efficiency and change the allosteric kinetic behavior. The variants were more efficiently activated by small peptides and bound a competitive inhibitor with weaker affinity and faster dissociation kinetics. Molecular dynamics analysis suggested that the mutations affect the conformational distribution of ERAP1, reducing the population of closed states. Small-angle X-ray scattering indicated that both the wild type and the ERAP1 variants are predominantly in an open conformational state in solution. Overall, our findings suggest that electrostatic interactions between domains II and IV in ERAP1 are crucial for driving a conformational change that regulates the structural integrity of the catalytic site. The extent of domain opening in ERAP1 probably underlies its specialization for antigenic peptide precursors and should be taken into account in inhibitor development efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zachary Maben
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School , Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, United States
| | | | - Anastasia Mpakali
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos , Agia Paraskevi, 15341 Athens, Greece
| | - Paraskevi Kokkala
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitris Georgiadis
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Lawrence J Stern
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School , Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, United States
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos , Agia Paraskevi, 15341 Athens, Greece
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23
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Kokkala P, Mpakali A, Mauvais FX, Papakyriakou A, Daskalaki I, Petropoulou I, Kavvalou S, Papathanasopoulou M, Agrotis S, Fonsou TM, van Endert P, Stratikos E, Georgiadis D. Optimization and Structure-Activity Relationships of Phosphinic Pseudotripeptide Inhibitors of Aminopeptidases That Generate Antigenic Peptides. J Med Chem 2016; 59:9107-9123. [PMID: 27606717 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b01031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The oxytocinase subfamily of M1 aminopeptidases, consisting of ER aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1), ER aminopeptidase 2 (ERAP2), and insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP), plays critical roles in the generation of antigenic peptides and indirectly regulates human adaptive immune responses. We have previously demonstrated that phosphinic pseudotripeptides can constitute potent inhibitors of this group of enzymes. In this study, we used synthetic methodologies able to furnish a series of stereochemically defined phosphinic pseudotripeptides and demonstrate that side chains at P1' and P2' positions are critical determinants in driving potency and selectivity. We identified low nanomolar inhibitors of ERAP2 and IRAP that display selectivity of more than 2 and 3 orders of magnitude, respectively. Cellular analysis demonstrated that one of the compounds that is a selective IRAP inhibitor can reduce IRAP-dependent but not ERAP1-dependent cross-presentation by dendritic cells with nanomolar efficacy. Our results encourage further preclinical development of phosphinic pseudotripeptides as regulators of adaptive immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paraskevi Kokkala
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Anastasia Mpakali
- National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos" , GR 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Attikis, Greece
| | - Francois-Xavier Mauvais
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1151, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité 8253, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Athanasios Papakyriakou
- National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos" , GR 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Attikis, Greece
| | - Ira Daskalaki
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioanna Petropoulou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Sofia Kavvalou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Mirto Papathanasopoulou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Stefanos Agrotis
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Theodora-Markisia Fonsou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Peter van Endert
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1151, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité 8253, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos" , GR 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Attikis, Greece
| | - Dimitris Georgiadis
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
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Stamogiannos A, Papakyriakou A, Mauvais FX, van Endert P, Stratikos E. Screening Identifies Thimerosal as a Selective Inhibitor of Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1. ACS Med Chem Lett 2016; 7:681-5. [PMID: 27437077 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.6b00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We employed virtual screening followed by in vitro evaluation to discover novel inhibitors of ER aminopeptidase 1, an important enzyme for the human adaptive immune response that has emerged as an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy and the control of autoimmunity. Screening hits included three structurally related compounds carrying the (E)-N'-((1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-1H-pyrazole-5-carbohydrazide scaffold and (2-carboxylatophenyl)sulfanyl-ethylmercury as novel ERAP1 inhibitors. The latter, also known as thimerosal, a common component in vaccines, was found to inhibit ERAP1 in the submicromolar range and to present strong selectivity versus the homologous aminopeptidases ERAP2 and IRAP. Cell-based analysis indicated that thimerosal can effectively reduce ERAP1-dependent cross-presentation by dendritic cells in a dose-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Francois-Xavier Mauvais
- Institut
National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité1151; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité 8253, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Peter van Endert
- Institut
National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité1151; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité 8253, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Efstratios Stratikos
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi GR-15310, Athens, Greece
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25
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Stratikos E. Regulating adaptive immune responses using small molecule modulators of aminopeptidases that process antigenic peptides. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2014; 23:1-7. [PMID: 25173825 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Revised: 08/10/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Antigenic peptide processing by intracellular aminopeptidases has emerged recently as an important pathway that regulates adaptive immune responses. Pathogens and cancer can manipulate the activity of key enzymes of this pathway to promote immune evasion. Furthermore, the activity of these enzymes is naturally variable due to polymorphic variation, contributing to predisposition to disease, most notably autoimmunity. Here, we review recent findings that suggest that the pharmacological regulation of the activity of these aminopeptidases constitutes a valid approach for regulating human immune responses. We furthermore review the state of the art in chemical tools for inhibiting these enzymes and how these tools can be useful for the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for a variety of diseases including cancer, viral infections and autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efstratios Stratikos
- National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece.
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