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Cruz-Vicente P, Gonçalves AM, Barroca-Ferreira J, Silvestre SM, Romão MJ, Queiroz JA, Gallardo E, Passarinha LA. Unveiling the biopathway for the design of novel COMT inhibitors. Drug Discov Today 2022; 27:103328. [PMID: 35907613 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an enzyme responsible for the O-methylation of biologically active catechol-based molecules. It has been associated with several neurological disorders, especially Parkinson's disease (PD), because of its involvement in catecholamine metabolism, and has been considered an important therapeutic target for central nervous system disorders. In this review, we summarize the biophysical, structural, and therapeutical relevance of COMT; the medicinal chemistry behind the development of COMT inhibitors and the application of computer-aided design to support the design of novel molecules; current methodologies for the biosynthesis, isolation, and purification of COMT; and revise existing bioanalytical approaches for the assessment of enzymatic activity in several biological matrices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Cruz-Vicente
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana M Gonçalves
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jorge Barroca-Ferreira
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Samuel M Silvestre
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria J Romão
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Eugénia Gallardo
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia-UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Luis A Passarinha
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal; Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia-UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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2
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Gonçalves AM, Sousa Â, Pedro AQ, Romão MJ, Queiroz JA, Gallardo E, Passarinha LA. Advances in Membrane-Bound Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Stability Achieved Using a New Ionic Liquid-Based Storage Formulation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23137264. [PMID: 35806268 PMCID: PMC9266758 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23137264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane-bound catechol-O-methyltransferase (MBCOMT), present in the brain and involved in the main pathway of the catechol neurotransmitter deactivation, is linked to several types of human dementia, which are relevant pharmacological targets for new potent and nontoxic inhibitors that have been developed, particularly for Parkinson’s disease treatment. However, the inexistence of an MBCOMT 3D-structure presents a blockage in new drugs’ design and clinical studies due to its instability. The enzyme has a clear tendency to lose its biological activity in a short period of time. To avoid the enzyme sequestering into a non-native state during the downstream processing, a multi-component buffer plays a major role, with the addition of additives such as cysteine, glycerol, and trehalose showing promising results towards minimizing hMBCOMT damage and enhancing its stability. In addition, ionic liquids, due to their virtually unlimited choices for cation/anion paring, are potential protein stabilizers for the process and storage buffers. Screening experiments were designed to evaluate the effect of distinct cation/anion ILs interaction in hMBCOMT enzymatic activity. The ionic liquids: choline glutamate [Ch][Glu], choline dihydrogen phosphate ([Ch][DHP]), choline chloride ([Ch]Cl), 1- dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C12mim]Cl), and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim]Cl) were supplemented to hMBCOMT lysates in a concentration from 5 to 500 mM. A major potential stabilizing effect was obtained using [Ch][DHP] (10 and 50 mM). From the DoE 146% of hMBCOMT activity recovery was obtained with [Ch][DHP] optimal conditions (7.5 mM) at −80 °C during 32.4 h. These results are of crucial importance for further drug development once the enzyme can be stabilized for longer periods of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M. Gonçalves
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (A.M.G.); (Â.S.); (J.A.Q.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal;
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (A.M.G.); (Â.S.); (J.A.Q.)
| | - Augusto Q. Pedro
- CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;
| | - Maria J. Romão
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal;
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (A.M.G.); (Â.S.); (J.A.Q.)
| | - Eugénia Gallardo
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (A.M.G.); (Â.S.); (J.A.Q.)
- Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia, UBI Medical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal
- Correspondence: (E.G.); (L.A.P.); Tel.: +351-275-329-002 (E.G. & L.A.P.)
| | - Luís A. Passarinha
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (A.M.G.); (Â.S.); (J.A.Q.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal;
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia, UBI Medical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal
- Correspondence: (E.G.); (L.A.P.); Tel.: +351-275-329-002 (E.G. & L.A.P.)
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3
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Carapito R, Valente JFA, Queiroz JA, Sousa F. Arginine-Affinity Chromatography for Nucleic Acid (DNA and RNA) Isolation. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2466:135-144. [PMID: 35585316 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2176-9_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid-based therapy has been emerging as a new strategy with great potential for the treatment of numerous diseases, especially those caused by gene defects. In this context, biotechnology plays a critical role on establishing suitable processes for biopharmaceuticals manufacturing, while the purification step still imposes a major burden. Affinity chromatography using amino acids as specific ligands has been successfully applied for plasmid DNA purification. In this protocol, we describe the process for nucleic acids production and extraction, as well as the chromatographic matrix synthesis for separation between DNA and RNA. This novel arginine-macroporous support presents excellent binding capacity and great robustness for nucleic acids isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Carapito
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Joana F A Valente
- CDRSP-IPLEIRIA - Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
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4
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Carvalho J, Lopes-Nunes J, Vialet B, Rosado T, Gallardo E, Vale J, Eloy C, Ferreira S, Palmeira-de-Oliveira R, Campello MPC, Paulo A, Barthélémy P, Mergny JL, Salgado GF, Queiroz JA, Ellington AD, Cruz C. Nanoaggregate-forming lipid-conjugated AS1411 aptamer as a promising tumor-targeted delivery system of anticancer agents in vitro. Nanomedicine 2021; 36:102429. [PMID: 34174419 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2021.102429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Nanoparticles offer targeted delivery of drugs with minimal toxicity to surrounding healthy tissue and have great potential in the management of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases. We synthesized lipid-modified AS1411 aptamers capable of forming nanoaggregates in solution containing Mg2+. The nanoaggregates presented suitable properties for pharmaceutical applications such as small size (100 nm), negative charge, and drug release. The nanoaggregates were loaded with acridine orange derivative C8 for its specific delivery into cervical cancer cell lines and HPV-positive tissue biopsies. This improved inhibition of HeLa proliferation and cell uptake without significantly affecting healthy cells. Finally, the nanoaggregates were incorporated in a gel formulation with promising tissue retention properties aiming at developing a local delivery strategy of the nanoaggregates in the female genital tract. Collectively, these findings suggest that the nanoformulation protocol has great potential for the delivery of both anticancer and antiviral agents, becoming a novel modality for cervical cancer management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Jéssica Lopes-Nunes
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Brune Vialet
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, Bordeaux, France
| | - Tiago Rosado
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal; C4 - Cloud Computing Competence Centre, UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, EM506, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Eugenia Gallardo
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João Vale
- Laboratório de Anatomia Patológica, Ipatimup Diagnósticos, Porto, Portugal
| | - Catarina Eloy
- Laboratório de Anatomia Patológica, Ipatimup Diagnósticos, Porto, Portugal; Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sofia Ferreira
- C4 - Cloud Computing Competence Centre, UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, EM506, Covilhã, Portugal; Labfit, HPRD - Health Products Research and Development, Lda, Edifício UBIMEDICAL, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Rita Palmeira-de-Oliveira
- Labfit, HPRD - Health Products Research and Development, Lda, Edifício UBIMEDICAL, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Maria Paula Cabral Campello
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; DECN - Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - António Paulo
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; DECN - Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Jean-Louis Mergny
- Institute of Biophysics of the CAS, Brno, Czech Republic; Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France
| | - Gilmar F Salgado
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, Bordeaux, France
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Andrew D Ellington
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
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5
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Cruz C, Pedro AQ, Carvalho J, Santos T, Talhada D, Paiva A, Queiroz JA, Andrade M, Pinto M, Montenegro L, Delgado L, Pereira P. Nucleolin as a potential biomarker for canine malignant neoplasia. Res Vet Sci 2021; 135:297-303. [PMID: 33077166 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Human nucleolin (NCL) is a multifunctional protein that is involved in diverse pathological processes. Recent evidences have shown that NCL is markedly overexpressed on the surface of most human cancer cells when compared to normal cells, being overexpressed in several malignant cells. Based on the exposed, the purpose of this pilot study is to investigate the expression pattern of NCL in canine malignant neoplasia and control groups. NCL expression at both messenger RNA and protein levels in the subcellular fractions were respectively detected by RT-PCR and western blotting, allowing to infer the NCL positivity rate in canine neoplasia. The identity of NCL amplicons obtained by RT-PCR was confirmed by Sanger sequencing and found to correspond to Canis lupus familiaris. Using flow cytometry, the blood cells expressing NCL from canine neoplasms were also identified using several cell surface markers and their levels quantified. These results showed that NCL expressed in lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils in dogs with malignant neoplasia is higher (> 50%) when compared with the control group. We found an increased expression of surface and cytoplasmic NCL in canine malignant neoplasia group, while nuclear NCL is predominantly found in the control group. Overall, this study discloses and identifies for the first time the presence of NCL in canine blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - Augusto Q Pedro
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Tiago Santos
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Daniela Talhada
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Artur Paiva
- Unidade de Gestão Operacional em Citometria, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (CHUC), Portugal; Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, ESTESC-Coimbra Health School, Ciências Biomédicas Laboratoriais, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | | | | | | | - Leonor Delgado
- Pathology Department, INNO Serviços Especializados em Veterinária, Braga, Portugal; Cancer Research Group, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde (IINFACTS), Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde (IUCS), CESPU, Gandra, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Baptista B, Riscado M, Queiroz JA, Pichon C, Sousa F. Non-coding RNAs: Emerging from the discovery to therapeutic applications. Biochem Pharmacol 2021; 189:114469. [PMID: 33577888 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The knowledge about non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is rapidly increasing with new data continuously emerging, regarding their diverse types, applications, and roles. Particular attention has been given to ncRNA with regulatory functions, which may have a critical role both in biological and pathological conditions. As a result of the diversity of ncRNAs and their ubiquitous involvement in several biologic processes, ncRNA started to be considered in the biomedical field, with immense potential to be exploited either as biomarkers or as therapeutic agents in certain pathologies. Indeed, ncRNA-based therapeutics have been proposed in many disorders and some even reached clinical trials. However, to prepare an RNA product suitable for pharmacological applications, certain criteria must be fulfilled, and it has to be guaranteed RNA purity, stability, and bioactivity. So, in this review, the different types of ncRNAs are identified and characterized, by describing their biogenesis, functions, and applications. A perspective on the main challenges and innovative approaches for the future and broad therapeutic application of RNA is also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Baptista
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - M Riscado
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - C Pichon
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire (CBM), UPR 4301 CNRS & University of Orléans Orléans, France
| | - F Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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7
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Valente JFA, Queiroz JA, Sousa F. Dilemma on plasmid DNA purification: binding capacity vs selectivity. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1637:461848. [PMID: 33421679 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Plasmid DNA chromatography is a powerful field in constant development and evolution. The use of this technique is considered mandatory in the production of an efficient and safe formulation to be applied for plasmid-mediated gene therapy. Concerning this, the search for an ideal chromatographic support/ligand combination motivated scientist to pursue a continuous improvement on the plasmid chromatography performance, looking for a progression on the ligands and supports used. The present review explores the different approaches used over time to purify plasmid DNA, ambitioning both high recovery and high purity levels. Overall, it is presented a critical discussion relying on the relevance of the binding capacity versus selectivity of the supports.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F A Valente
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506Covilhã, Portugal; CDRSP-IPLEIRIA - Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Rua de Portugal - Zona Industrial, 2430-028Marinha Grande, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506Covilhã, Portugal
| | - F Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506Covilhã, Portugal.
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8
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Neves MC, Pereira P, Pedro AQ, Martins JC, Trindade T, Queiroz JA, Freire MG, Sousa F. Improved ionic-liquid-functionalized macroporous supports able to purify nucleic acids in one step. Mater Today Bio 2020; 8:100086. [PMID: 33319188 PMCID: PMC7723793 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2020.100086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acids are relevant biopolymers in therapy and diagnosis, for which their purity and biological activity are of crucial relevance. However, these features are difficult to achieve by cost-effective methods. Herein, we report the functionalization of a macroporous chromatographic support functionalized with an ionic liquid (IL) with remarkable performance to purify nucleic acids. An initial screening with distinct IL chemical structures supported in silica was carried out, allowing to identify the IL 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium chloride as the most promising ligand. A chromatographic macroporous matrix able to be used in preparative liquid chromatography was then functionalized and binding/elution studies were performed. The IL 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium chloride acts as a multimodal ligand with a remarkable dynamic binding capacity. This macroporous support allows the (one-step) purification of nucleic acids, namely small RNAs, ribosomal RNA, and genomic DNA, from a bacterial lysate, and can be regenerated and reused without compromising its separation performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Neves
- CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - P Pereira
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - A Q Pedro
- CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - J C Martins
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - T Trindade
- CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - M G Freire
- CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - F Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
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9
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Almeida AM, Costa D, Simões AR, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa Â. Enhancement of a biotechnological platform for the purification and delivery of a human papillomavirus supercoiled plasmid DNA vaccine. N Biotechnol 2020; 59:1-9. [PMID: 32622863 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2020.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
New biotechnological strategies are being explored, aimed at rapid and economic manufacture of large quantities of DNA vaccines with the required purity for therapeutic applications, as well as their correct delivery as biopharmaceuticals to target cells. This report describes the purification of supercoiled (sc) HPV-16 E6/E7 plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccine from a bacterial lysate, using an arginine-based monolith, presenting a spacer arm in its configuration. To enhance the performance of the purification process, monolith modification with the spacer arm can improve accessibility of the arginine ligand. By using a low NaCl concentration at pH 7.0, a condition to eliminate the RNA impurity directly in the flow through was established. The pH increase to 7.5 allowed the elimination of non-functional pDNA isoforms, the sc pDNA being recovered by increasing the ionic strength. As well as a binding capacity of 2.53 mg/mL obtained with a pre-purified sc pDNA sample, the column also purified sc pDNA from high lysate loading, with capacities above 1 mg/mL. Due to the sample displacement phenomena, non-functional pDNA isoforms were eliminated throughout column loading, favoring the degree of purity of final sc pDNA of 93.3%-98.5%. Thereafter, purified sc pDNA was successfully encapsulated into CaCO3-gelatin nano-complexes. Delivery of the pDNA-carriers to THP-1 cells was assessed through pDNA cellular uptake evaluation and correct E6 expression was verified by mRNA and protein detection. A biotechnological platform was established for sc pDNA purification and delivery to dendritic cells, stimulating further in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Almeida
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ana R Simões
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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10
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Carvalho J, Lopes-Nunes J, Campello MPC, Paulo A, Milici J, Meyers C, Mergny JL, Salgado GF, Queiroz JA, Cruz C. Human Papillomavirus G-Rich Regions as Potential Antiviral Drug Targets. Nucleic Acid Ther 2020; 31:68-81. [PMID: 33121376 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2020.0869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein, we report, for the first time, the screening of several ligands in terms of their ability to bind and stabilize G-quadruplexes (G4) found in seven human Papillomavirus (HPV) genomes. Using a variety of biophysical assays, HPV G-quadruplexes were shown to possess a high degree of structural polymorphism upon ligand binding, which may have an impact on transcription, replication, and viral protein production. A sequence found in high-risk HPV16 genotype folds into multiple non-canonical DNA structures; it was converted into a major G4 conformation upon interaction with a well-characterized highly selective G4 ligand, PhenDC3, which may have an impact on the viral infection. Likewise, HPV57 and 58, which fold into multiple G4 structures, were found to form single stable complexes in the presence of two other G4 ligands, C8 and pyridostatin, respectively. In addition, one of the selected compounds, the acridine derivative C8, demonstrated a significant antiviral effect in HPV18-infected organotypic raft cultures. Altogether, these results indicate that targeting HPV G4s may be an alternative route for the development of novel antiviral therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Jéssica Lopes-Nunes
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Maria Paula Cabral Campello
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela LRS, Portugal
| | - António Paulo
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela LRS, Portugal
| | - Janice Milici
- Department Microbiology & Immunology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Craig Meyers
- Department Microbiology & Immunology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jean-Louis Mergny
- ARNA Laboratory, Université de Bordeaux, Inserm U1212, CNRS UMR 5320, IECB, Pessac, France.,Institute of Biophysics of the CAS, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic.,Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France
| | - Gilmar F Salgado
- ARNA Laboratory, Université de Bordeaux, Inserm U1212, CNRS UMR 5320, IECB, Pessac, France
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
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11
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Almeida AM, Eusébio D, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa Â. Minicircle DNA Vaccine Purification and E7 Antigen Expression Assessment. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2197:207-222. [PMID: 32827139 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0872-2_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV ) has been extensively associated with the development of cervical cancer due to the expression of oncoproteins like E7. This protein can interfere with pRB tumor suppressor activity, enabling the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells. DNA vaccines are known as the third-generation vaccines, providing the ability of targeting viral infections such as HPV in a preventive and therapeutic way. Although current strategies make use of plasmid DNA (pDNA) as the vector of choice to be used as a DNA vaccine, minicircle DNA (mcDNA) has been proving its added value as a non-viral DNA vector by demonstrating higher expression efficiency and increased biosafety than the pDNA. However, due to its innovative profile, few methodologies have been explored and implemented for the manufacture of this molecule. This chapter describes the detailed procedures for the production, extraction, and purification of supercoiled E7-mcDNA vaccine, by using size-exclusion chromatography to obtain mcDNA with a purity degree which meets the regulatory agency criteria. Then, the assessment of E7 antigen expression through immunocytochemistry is also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Almeida
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Dalinda Eusébio
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
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12
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Albuquerque T, Faria R, Sousa Â, Neves AR, Queiroz JA, Costa D. Polymer-peptide ternary systems as a tool to improve the properties of plasmid DNA vectors in gene delivery. J Mol Liq 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.113157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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13
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Sousa Â, Faria R, Albuquerque T, Bhatt H, Biswas S, Queiroz JA, Costa D. Design of experiments to select triphenylphosphonium-polyplexes with suitable physicochemical properties for mitochondrial gene therapy. J Mol Liq 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.112488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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14
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Carvalho J, Lopes-Nunes J, Lopes AC, Cabral Campello MP, Paulo A, Queiroz JA, Cruz C. Aptamer-guided acridine derivatives for cervical cancer. Org Biomol Chem 2019; 17:2992-3002. [PMID: 30810582 DOI: 10.1039/c9ob00318e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
DNA aptamers represent a way to target cancer cells at a molecular level and continue to be developed with a view to improve treatment and imaging in cancer medicine. AT11-L0, derived from the DNA sequence AT11, forms a single major parallel G-quadruplex (G4) conformation and exhibits an anti-proliferative activity similar to that of AT11 and AS1411 aptamers. On the other side, acridine orange derivatives represent a valuable class of G4 ligands. Herein, we evaluate AT11-L0 G4 as a supramolecular carrier for the delivery of acridine ligands C3, C5 and C8 to HeLa cancer cells. The CD titrations suggest no changes in the chiroptical signal upon addition of an excess of ligands maintaining the parallel G4 topology and C8 stabilizes the structure for more than 20 °C. All the ligands exhibit high affinity (micromolar range) towards AT11-L0 G4, and the respective complexes against nucleolin (nanomolar range) suggesting that the ligands do not negatively affect the recognition of the nucleolin by AT11-L0 G4. NMR studies showed that AT11-L0 forms a G4 containing four G-tetrad layers. Ligand C8 binds AT11-L0 G4 through π-π stacking of the acridine moiety onto the top-tetrad with the involvement of additional interactions with the ligand's side chain and iodobenzene ring. In vitro, the complexes lowered the ligand's cytotoxicity towards non-malignant cells but have a weak inhibitory effect in HeLa cancer cells, except for the AT11-L0-C5 complex. All complexes are efficiently internalized into nucleolin-positive HeLa cells. Overall, these results suggest that AT11-L0 can act as an aptamer by targeting nucleolin and a delivery system of cytotoxic ligands for cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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15
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Santos T, Pereira P, Queiroz JA, Cruz C, Sousa F. Plasmid production and purification: An integrated experiment-based biochemistry and biotechnology laboratory course. Biochem Mol Biol Educ 2019; 47:638-643. [PMID: 31390150 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This laboratory experiment describes the production and purification of plasmid DNA for undergraduate biochemistry and biotechnology courses. This experiment performed in a one-week period includes the protocols for plasmid pVAX1-LacZ production in Escherichia coli DH5α cells and subsequent purification of supercoiled pVAX1-LacZ. Firstly, the students use a growth medium that favors the replication of the plasmid resulting in a higher plasmid production during exponential growth. Afterwards, alkaline lysis is done to disrupt the bacterial cells and recover pVAX1-LacZ plasmid. Lastly, they perform the purification of pVAX1-LacZ supercoiled isoform by L-histidine chromatography, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis to characterize the separation of supercoiled isoform from contaminants. The proposed experiment provides an opportunity for students to acquire these skills that are routinely used in biochemistry and biotechnology laboratories. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(6):638-643, 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Santos
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
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16
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Valente JFA, Queiroz JA, Sousa F. p53 as the Focus of Gene Therapy: Past, Present and Future. Curr Drug Targets 2019; 19:1801-1817. [PMID: 29336259 DOI: 10.2174/1389450119666180115165447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several gene deviations can be responsible for triggering oncogenic processes. However, mutations in tumour suppressor genes are usually more associated to malignant diseases, with p53 being one of the most affected and studied element. p53 is implicated in a number of known cellular functions, including DNA damage repair, cell cycle arrest in G1/S and G2/M and apoptosis, being an interesting target for cancer treatment. OBJECTIVE Considering these facts, the development of gene therapy approaches focused on p53 expression and regulation seems to be a promising strategy for cancer therapy. RESULTS Several studies have shown that transfection of cancer cells with wild-type p53 expressing plasmids could directly drive cells into apoptosis and/or growth arrest, suggesting that a gene therapy approach for cancer treatment can be based on the re-establishment of the normal p53 expression levels and function. Up until now, several clinical research studies using viral and non-viral vectors delivering p53 genes, isolated or combined with other therapeutic agents, have been accomplished and there are already in the market, therapies based on the use of this gene. CONCLUSION This review summarizes the different methods used to deliver and/or target the p53 as well as the main results of therapeutic effect obtained with the different strategies applied. Finally, the ongoing approaches are described, also focusing on the combinatorial therapeutics to show increased therapeutic potential of combining gene therapy vectors with chemo or radiotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana F A Valente
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilha, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilha, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilha, Portugal
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17
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Neves AR, Sousa A, Faria R, Albuquerque T, Queiroz JA, Costa D. Cancer gene therapy mediated by RALA/plasmid DNA vectors: Nitrogen to phosphate groups ratio (N/P) as a tool for tunable transfection efficiency and apoptosis. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019; 185:110610. [PMID: 31711736 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.110610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Cancer gene therapy based on p53 tumor suppressor gene supplementation emerges as one of the most challenging and promising strategies. The development of a suitable gene delivery system is imperative to ensure the feasibility and viability of cancer gene therapy in a clinical setting. The conception of delivery systems based on cell- penetrating peptides may deeply contribute for the evolution of therapy efficacy. In this context, the present work explores the p53 encoding plasmid DNA (pDNA) condensation ability of RALA peptide to produce a suitable intracellular delivery platform. These carriers, formed at several nitrogen to phosphate groups (N/P) ratio, were characterized in terms of morphology, size, surface charges, loading and complexation capacity and the fine structure has been analyzed by Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Confocal microscopy studies confirmed intracellular localization of nanoparticles, resulting in enhanced sustained pDNA uptake. Moreover, in vitro transfection of HeLa cells mediated by RALA/pDNA vectors allows for gene release and p53 protein expression. From these progresses, apoptosis in cancer cells has been investigated. It was found that N/P ratio strongly tailors gene transfection efficiency and, thus, it can be fine-tuned for desired degree of both protein expression and apoptosis. The great asset of the proposed system relies precisely on the use of N/P ratio as a tailoring parameter that can not only modulate vector´s properties but also the extent of pDNA delivery, protein expression and, consequently, the efficacy of p53 mediated cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Neves
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - A Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - R Faria
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - T Albuquerque
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - D Costa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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18
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Santos T, Pereira P, Campello MPC, Paulo A, Queiroz JA, Cabrita E, Cruz C. RNA G-quadruplex as supramolecular carrier for cancer-selective delivery. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2019; 142:473-479. [PMID: 31325486 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2019.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid aptamers have emerged as an attractive class of carrier molecules due to their ability to bind with high affinity to specific ligands; their high chemical flexibility; as well as tissue penetration capability. RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) sequences have been described as structures with high stability and selectivity towards cancer cells. Recently, precursor microRNAs (pre-miRNAs) have been described as new G4 forming molecules. Surface nucleolin (NCL) is a known target of aptamer G4 AS1411 and is overexpressed on prostate cancer cells when compared with normal cells. We have shown that the sequence 5' GGGAGGGAGGGACGGG 3' found in pre-miR-149 forms a rG4 parallel structure, which can bind NCL. Also, another rG4 sequence with a longer loop was evaluated in terms of G4 formation, stabilization and binding affinity to NCL. Both rG4s sequences were studied as supramolecular carriers for the cancer-selective delivery of acridine ligand C8. The rG4s-C8 complexes showed high affinity (KD = 10-6 M) and stabilization (Tm > 30 °C). The affinity of the rG4s-C8 complexes against NCL was in the low nanomolar range, indicating that C8 did not affect NCL binding. Noteworthy, the short loop rG4-C8 complex showed selective antiproliferative effects in prostate cancer cells when compared with normal prostatic cells. The stability and nuclease resistance of rG4 and rG4-C8 complex were evaluated in biological conditions and revealed the maintenance of G4 structure and complex stability. Furthermore, confocal microscopy studies confirmed the potential of rG4s-C8 complexes in the targeting of prostate cancer cells. Overall, it is here demonstrated that the rG4 found in pre-miR-149 can be used as a cancer-selective delivery carrier of C8 to prostate cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Santos
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida da República, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Maria Paula Cabral Campello
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), Bobadela LRS 2695-066, Portugal
| | - António Paulo
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), Bobadela LRS 2695-066, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Eurico Cabrita
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã 6200-506, Portugal.
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19
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Almeida AM, Eusébio D, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa A. The use of size-exclusion chromatography in the isolation of supercoiled minicircle DNA from Escherichia coli lysate. J Chromatogr A 2019; 1609:460444. [PMID: 31455515 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2019.460444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Minicircle DNA (mcDNA) is the new cutting-edge technology which researchers have been exploring for gene therapy and DNA vaccination. Although it presents enormous advantages in comparison to conventional plasmid DNA regarding bioactivity and safety, its challenging isolation from parental plasmid and miniplasmid has been setting back its launching in biomedical sciences. In this work, it is demonstrated the use of a simple size exclusion chromatographic method for the isolation of supercoiled mcDNA. Sephacryl S-1000 SF matrix was explored under different conditions (flow, peak fractionation volume and sample loading) to achieve the best performance and retrieve a mcDNA sample devoid of other bacterial contaminants or plasmid species resultant from the recombination process. This isolation methodology resulted in 66.7% of mcDNA recovery with 98.1% of purity. In addition, to show the robustness of the method, the potential of using this matrix for the isolation of a larger mcDNA was also evaluated. Upon adjusting the flow or the column volume, the larger mcDNA molecule was also successfully isolated. Overall, a simple and effective strategy has been established for the isolation of supercoiled mcDNA, underlining the potential of size exclusion chromatography in mcDNA separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Almeida
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - D Eusébio
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - F Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - A Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
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20
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Sousa Â, Almeida AM, Faria R, Konate K, Boisguerin P, Queiroz JA, Costa D. Optimization of peptide-plasmid DNA vectors formulation for gene delivery in cancer therapy exploring design of experiments. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019; 183:110417. [PMID: 31408780 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.110417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The field of gene therapy still attracts great interest due to its potential therapeutic effect towards the most deadly diseases, such as cancer. For cancer gene therapy to be feasible and viable in a clinical setting, the design and development of a suitable gene delivery system is imperative. Peptide based vectors, in particular, reveal to be promising for therapeutic gene release. Following this, two different peptides, RALA and WRAP5, have been investigated mainly regarding their ability to form complexes with a p53 encoding plasmid (pDNA) with suitable properties for gene delivery. To address this issue, and after an initial screening study focused on the dependence of pDNA complexation capacity with the nitrogen to phosphate groups (N/P) ratio, a design of experiments (DoE) tool has been employed. For each peptide/pDNA system, parameters such as, the buffer pH and the N/P ratio were considered the DoE inputs and the vector size, zeta potential and pDNA complexation capacity (CC) were monitored as DoE outputs. The main goal was to find the optimal experimental conditions to minimize particle sizes, as well as, to maximize the positive surface charges of the formulated nanosystems and maximize the pDNA CC. Through the DoE method applied, the optimal RALA/pDNA and WRAP5/pDNA formulations were revealed and show interesting features related to peptide structure and pDNA complexation ability. This work illustrates the great utility of experimental design tools in optimizing the formulation of peptide/pDNA vectors in a minimum number of experiments providing relevant knowledge for the development of more suitable and efficient gene delivery systems. The new insights achieved on these carriers clearly instigate deeper research on gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ana M Almeida
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Rúben Faria
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Karidia Konate
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier, CNRS UMR 5237, Université de Montpellier, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Prisca Boisguerin
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier, CNRS UMR 5237, Université de Montpellier, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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21
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Figueiredo J, Lopes-Nunes J, Carvalho J, Antunes F, Ribeiro M, Campello MPC, Paulo A, Paiva A, Salgado GF, Queiroz JA, Mergny JL, Cruz C. AS1411 derivatives as carriers of G-quadruplex ligands for cervical cancer cells. Int J Pharm 2019; 568:118511. [PMID: 31301466 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.118511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acid aptamers can specifically bind to target molecules on the cell membrane that mediate their entrance into the cells. Their small size, high binding affinity, specificity, good biocompatibility, stability and low immunogenicity make them ideal drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. These biopharmaceuticals have potential for the delivery of anticancer compounds to diseased tissues, increasing their effectiveness while mitigating the off-target toxicity towards healthy cells. Herein, we have studied two quadruplex-forming DNA sequences derived from the nucleolin-targeted aptamer AS1411 as supramolecular carriers for the cancer-selective delivery of acridine orange derivatives (C3, C5 and C8) in cervical cancer cells. The devised delivery strategy relied on the non-covalent association of the acridine derivatives and the G-quadruplex (G4) structures. This association is done with a high binding strength, as suggested by the obtained KD values in the 10-6-10-7 M range, leading to the thermal stabilization of the G4 structures, particularly for C8. The stability of the resulting supramolecular conjugates was evaluated in fetal bovine serum, which proved their resistance against serum nucleases up to 48 h. Previous studies showed that the tested acridine orange derivatives were cytotoxic towards cervical cancer cells (HeLa) and non-malignant cells. However, when conjugated to AS1411 derivatives, the cytotoxicity of the free ligands towards non-malignant cells was restrained. Furthermore, conjugated C3 showed an enhanced cytotoxicity against HeLa cancer cells. Confocal microscopy indicated that both G4 sequences appear to colocalize with nucleolin, suggesting their ability to recognize and bind nucleolin on the cell surface. Additionally, the results confirmed the internalization of these delivery systems into HeLa cancer cells and their sustained cell trafficking, although being able to dissociate intracellularly to deliver C8 to the nucleoli. Overall, we showed that AS1411-derived G4s can be used as a potential cancer drug delivery system for cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Figueiredo
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Jéssica Lopes-Nunes
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Francisca Antunes
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Márcia Ribeiro
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Maria Paula Cabral Campello
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066 Bobadela LRS, Portugal
| | - António Paulo
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066 Bobadela LRS, Portugal
| | - Artur Paiva
- Unidade de Gestão Operacional em Citometria, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (CHUC), Portugal; CIMAGO/iCBR/CIBB, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, ESTESC-Coimbra Health School, Ciências Biomédicas Laboratoriais, Portugal
| | - Gilmar F Salgado
- Université de Bordeaux, ARNA Laboratory, Inserm U1212, CNRS UMR 5320, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Jean-Louis Mergny
- Université de Bordeaux, ARNA Laboratory, Inserm U1212, CNRS UMR 5320, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France; Institute of Biophysics of the CAS, v.v.i., Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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22
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Carvalho J, Paiva A, Cabral Campello MP, Paulo A, Mergny JL, Salgado GF, Queiroz JA, Cruz C. Aptamer-based Targeted Delivery of a G-quadruplex Ligand in Cervical Cancer Cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7945. [PMID: 31138870 PMCID: PMC6538641 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44388-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
AS1411 is a G-rich DNA oligonucleotide that functions as an aptamer of the protein nucleolin, found at high levels on the surface of cancer cells but not on the surface of normal cells. Herein, we have studied AS1411 as a supramolecular carrier for the delivery of an acridine-based G-quadruplex ligand, C8, to HeLa cancer cells. Two AS1411 derivatives, LNA-AS1411 and U-AS1411, were also tested, in an attempt to compare AS1411 pharmacological properties. The results showed that AS1411-C8 complexation was made with great binding strength and that it lowered the ligand's cytotoxicity towards non-malignant cells. This effect was suggested to be due to a decreased internalization of the complexed versus free C8 as shown by flow cytometry. The AS1411 derivatives, despite forming a stable complex with C8, lacked the necessary tumour-selective behaviour. The binding of C8 to AS1411 G-quadruplex structure did not negatively affect the recognition of nucleolin by the aptamer. The AS1411-C8 repressed c-MYC expression at the transcriptional level, possibly due to C8 ability to stabilize the c-MYC promoter G-quadruplexes. Overall, this study demonstrates the usefulness of AS1411 as a supramolecular carrier of the G-quadruplex binder C8 and the potential of using its tumour-selective properties for the delivery of ligands for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Artur Paiva
- Unidade de Gestão Operacional em Citometria, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (CHUC), Coimbra, Portugal
- CIMAGO/iCBR/CIBB, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, ESTESC-Coimbra Health School, Ciências Biomédicas Laboratoriais, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria Paula Cabral Campello
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066, Bobadela, LRS, Portugal
| | - António Paulo
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066, Bobadela, LRS, Portugal
| | - Jean-Louis Mergny
- Univ. Bordeaux, ARNA laboratory, INSERM, U1212, CNRS UMR 5320, IECB, F-33600, Pessac, France
- Institute of Biophysics, AS CR, v.v.i. Kralovopolska 135, 612 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Gilmar F Salgado
- Univ. Bordeaux, ARNA laboratory, INSERM, U1212, CNRS UMR 5320, IECB, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal.
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Almeida AM, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa A. Minicircle DNA purification: Performance of chromatographic monoliths bearing lysine and cadaverine ligands. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2019; 1118-1119:7-16. [PMID: 31005775 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2019.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Minicircle DNA (mcDNA) technology is in the vanguard of vectors designed for gene therapy, since the absence of prokaryotic sequences confers to mcDNA higher biosafety in comparison to other DNA vectors. However, the presence of other isoforms and non-recombined parental molecules hampers the isolation of supercoiled (sc) mcDNA with the chromatographic methods already established for plasmid purification. In this work, two monolithic supports were modified with lysine and its decarboxylated derivative, cadaverine, to explore their performance in the sc mcDNA purification. Increasing NaCl gradients and different pH values (from 6 to 9) were tested in both modified monoliths. In general, cadaverine modified support established stronger interactions with mcDNA than lysine modified monolith, at acidic pH. For instance, at pH 6.0 the retention time for RNA and DNA molecules in lysine modified monolith was 11.58 and 14.59, respectively, while for cadaverine modified monolith was 20.32 and 27.12, respectively. The lysine modified monolith was able to successfully isolate sc mcDNA from the lysate sample. However, recovery yield was significantly sacrificed to guarantee high purity levels of sc mcDNA. The cadaverine modified monolith showed better selectivity than the previous monolith, achieving the successful sc mcDNA isolation from the lysate sample. The final sc mcDNA sample, obtained by the column that showed the best performance, was characterized by real-time PCR, presenting 98.4% purity and 78.6% recovery yield. The impurities content, namely genomic DNA, proteins and endotoxins, was found within the criteria established by regulatory agencies. Overall, a simple and practical chromatographic strategy to purify sc mcDNA was for the first time implemented by exploring a modified monolithic column, with no significant reduction on the purity and recovery and without resorting to backbone modification or specific enzymatic digestion. Such features will surely be crucial in the industrial scale-up of this chromatographic strategy since it will not be associated with significant cost-increase.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Almeida
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - F Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - A Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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24
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Costa D, Albuquerque T, Queiroz JA, Valente AJM. A co-delivery platform based on plasmid DNA peptide-surfactant complexes: formation, characterization and release behavior. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019; 178:430-438. [PMID: 30908999 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The development of delivery systems based on cell penetrating peptides represents an incredible asset and may deeply contribute for the evolution of therapies efficacy. In this context, we explore the plasmid DNA (pDNA) condensation ability of TAT peptide to produce a suitable intracellular delivery platform. The nanoparticles were formed at various ratios of nitrogen to phosphate groups (N/P) and the variation of polyplexes properties with this parameter was studied. Beyond the large size exhibited by these carriers, their low pDNA immobilization profile instigates the need for an additional compacting agent. To maximize the performance of this peptide delivery system, a series of alkyl trimethyl ammonium bromide surfactants (CnTAB) were employed to further condense pDNA. In general, not only this strategy promotes the formation of lower sized vectors, but also greatly enhances particle characteristics such as surface charge and pDNA encapsulation. The magnitude of this effect is intimately dependent on surfactant chain length. Furthermore, the known cytotoxicity of cationic surfactants has been dramatically reduced by their incorporation into TAT/pDNA complexes. The release kinetics can be tailored and optimized to promote the controlled/sustained release of pDNA. Following this, the surfactant alkyl chain length and the N/P ratio are important controlling parameters. In addition, doxorubicin and paclitaxel can be efficiently loaded and encapsulated into peptide/pDNA/surfactant carriers. The presented platform reveals a great potential for therapeutic payloads loading and controlled release open advanced and new approaches in the design/formulation of innovative biomedical systems towards clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - Tânia Albuquerque
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Artur J M Valente
- Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal
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25
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Valente JFA, Sousa A, Queiroz JA, Sousa F. DoE to improve supercoiled p53-pDNA purification by O-phospho-l-tyrosine chromatography. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2018; 1105:184-192. [PMID: 30597418 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
P53 is implicated in various cellular functions and several studies have shown that transfection of cancer cells with wild-type p53-expressing plasmids could directly drive cells into growth arrest and/or apoptosis. In the present work, the 6.07 kbp pcDNA3-FLAG-p53 plasmid, which encodes the p53 tumor suppressor, was produced and recovered from a recombinant cell culture of Escherichia coli DH5α. Following plasmid biosynthesis, the O-phospho-l-tyrosine chromatographic matrix was explored to purify the supercoiled p53-encoding plasmid. In order to quickly determine the optimal chromatographic performance and to obtain the required purity degree, maximizing the recovery yield of the supercoiled plasmid DNA, the Composite Central Face design was applied. The model revealed to be statistically significant (p-value < 0.05), with coefficient of determination of 0.9434 for the recovery yield and 0.9581 for purity and the central point was successfully validated. After the chromatographic process optimization by using the design of experiments tool, 49.7% of the supercoiled p53-encoding plasmid was recovered with 98.2% of purity, when a decreasing ammonium sulphate gradient was applied. The dynamic binding capacity of the O-phospho-l-tyrosine agarose column was 0.35 ± 0.02 mg pDNA/mL matrix at 50% of the breakthrough. Finally, the purified sample was analysed to assess the content of endotoxins, proteins and genomic DNA, showing that all these impurity levels were below the recommendations of the regulatory agencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F A Valente
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - A Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - F Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Pedro AQ, Pereira P, Quental MJ, Carvalho AP, Santos SM, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Freire MG. Cholinium-based Good's buffers ionic liquids as remarkable stabilizers and recyclable preservation media for recombinant small RNAs. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 2018; 6:16645-16656. [PMID: 30949418 PMCID: PMC6443033 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b03900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
RNA is a biopolymer of high relevance in the biopharmaceuticals field and in fundamental and applied research; however, the preservation of the RNA stability is still a remarkable challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the enhanced potential of aqueous solutions of self-buffering cholinium-based Good's buffers ionic liquids (GB-ILs), at 20 and 50 % (w/w), as alternative preservation media of recombinant small RNAs. The thermal stability of RNA is highly enhanced by GB-ILs, with an increase of 14 °C in the biopolymer melting temperature - the highest increase observed up to date with ILs. Most GB-ILs investigated improve the stability of RNA at least up to 30-days, both at 25 °C and at 4 °C, without requiring the typical samples freezing. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to better understand the molecular-level mechanisms responsible for the observed RNA improved stability. The number of IL cations surrounding the RNA chain is similar, yet with differences found for the IL anions, which are responsible for the overall charge of the biopolymer first solvation sphere. No cytotoxicity of the studied solutions containing RNA and ILs at 20 % (w/w) was observed onto two distinct human cell lines, reinforcing their potential to act as preservation media when foreseeing biopharmaceutical applications. Finally, RNA was successfully recovered from the ILs aqueous solutions, without changes in its structural integrity, and the ILs successfully recycled and reused.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augusto Q. Pedro
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CICS-UBI – Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Quental
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - André P. Carvalho
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sérgio M. Santos
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS-UBI – Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI – Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
- Corresponding Authors: ; Tel: +351-234-401422; Fax: +351-234-370084; ; Tel: +351-275-329074
| | - Mara G. Freire
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- Corresponding Authors: ; Tel: +351-234-401422; Fax: +351-234-370084; ; Tel: +351-275-329074
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Carvalho J, Alves S, Castro MMCA, Geraldes CFGC, Queiroz JA, Fonseca CP, Cruz C. Development of a bioreactor system for cytotoxic evaluation of pharmacological compounds in living cells using NMR spectroscopy. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2018; 95:70-78. [PMID: 30502390 DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The evaluation of drug's cytotoxicity is a crucial step in the development of new pharmacological compounds. 31P NMR can be a tool for toxicological screening, as it enables the study of drugs' cytotoxicity and their effect on cell energy metabolism in a real-time, in a non- invasive and non-destructive way. This paper details a step-by-step protocol to implement a bioreactor system able to maintain cell viability during NMR acquisitions, at high cell densities and for several hours, enabling toxicological evaluation of pharmacological compounds in living cells. METHOD HeLa cells were immobilized in agarose gel threads and continuously perfused with oxygenated medium inside a 5 mm NMR tube. Signals corresponding to intracellular high-energy phosphorous compounds were continuously monitored by 31P NMR to assess cell energy levels, intracellular pH and intracellular free Mg2+ concentrations ([Mg2+]f) under control and in the presence of two different cytotoxic drugs, calix-NH2 or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). RESULTS The bioreactor system was effective in maintaining cell energy levels as well as intracellular pH and [Mg2+]f along time, with a good 31P NMR signal to noise ratio. Calix-NH2 and 5-FU decreased cell energy levels by 35% and 39%, respectively, with a negligible increase in intracellular [Mg2+]f, and without affecting intracellular pH. DISCUSSION The immobilization and perfusion system here detailed, along with 31P NMR, is useful in toxicological evaluation of new pharmacological compounds, enabling the continuous assessment of drugs' effect on energy levels, intracellular pH and [Mg2+]f in intact cells, for several hours without compromising cell viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Sara Alves
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - M Margarida C A Castro
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Coimbra Chemistry Center - CQC, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carlos F G C Geraldes
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Coimbra Chemistry Center - CQC, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Carla P Fonseca
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, Portugal.
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28
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Costa D, Valente AJM, Queiroz JA, Sousa Â. Finding the ideal polyethylenimine-plasmid DNA system for co-delivery of payloads in cancer therapy. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2018; 170:627-636. [PMID: 29986258 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.06.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Researchers still hold for the development of a safety and advanced delivery system able of efficient therapeutic action. The co-delivery of different payloads is part of this strategy and has already demonstrated to be a valuable tool against the most severe diseases. In the pursuit of an "ideal" drug/gene co-delivery vector for cancer therapy, we present a complete comparison study of different morphology and molecular weight polyethylenimine (PEI)/p53 encoding plasmid DNA (pDNA) polyplexes. Besides pDNA, also methotrexate (MTX) has been loaded into PEI/pDNA nanoparticles. The polyplexes have been characterized in terms of morphology, size, surface charges, loading/encapsulation efficiencies and toxicity. Although the nature of PEI can influence these properties, they deeply vary with the polymer nitrogen to pDNA phosphate (N/P) ratio. The transfection of HeLa cells mediated by PEI/pDNA/MTX vectors leads to both the release of MTX and the p53 protein expression. Modelling of MTX release kinetics brings valuable information concerning drug delivery mechanism. Moreover, the success of transfection is dependent on the nature of PEI and, mainly, on the N/P ratio used in the formulation of polyplexes. This work represents a great contribution for the design and development of innovative PEI based carriers for the most challenging biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - Artur J M Valente
- Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, 3004-535, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal
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29
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Almeida AM, Tomás J, Pereira P, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Sousa Â. HPV-16 targeted DNA vaccine expression: The role of purification. Biotechnol Prog 2018; 34:546-551. [PMID: 29314780 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
DNA vaccines have come to light in the last decades as an alternative method to prevent many infectious diseases, but they can also be used for the treatment of specific diseases, such as cervical cancer caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV). This virus produces E6 and E7 oncoproteins, which alter the cell cycle regulation and can interfere with the DNA repairing system. These features can ultimately lead to the progression of cervical cancer, after cell infection by HPV. Thus, the development of a DNA vaccine targeting both proteins arises as an interesting option in the treatment of this pathology. Nonetheless, before evaluating its therapeutic potential, the purity levels of a biopharmaceutical must meet the regulatory agency specifications. Previously, our research group successfully purified the supercoiled isoform of the recombinant HPV-16 E6/E7 DNA vaccine with virtual 100% purity by affinity chromatography. The present work was designed to evaluate the effect that pDNA sample purity levels may exert in the expression of a target protein. Thus, in vitro studies were performed to assess the vaccine ability to produce the target proteins and to compare the expression efficiency between the pDNA sample obtained by affinity chromatography, which only presents the sc isoform and fulfils the regulatory agency recommendations, and the same DNA vaccine retrieved by a commercial purification kit, which contains different pDNA isoforms. Our achievements suggest that the E6/E7 DNA vaccine purified by affinity chromatography promotes higher E6 and E7 mRNA and protein expression levels than the DNA vaccine purified with the commercial kit. Overall, these results underline the importance that a purification strategy may present in the therapeutic outcome of recombinant DNA vaccines, envisaging their further application as biopharmaceuticals. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:546-551, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Almeida
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Joana Tomás
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
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Carvalho J, Quintela T, Gueddouda NM, Bourdoncle A, Mergny JL, Salgado GF, Queiroz JA, Cruz C. Phenanthroline polyazamacrocycles as G-quadruplex DNA binders. Org Biomol Chem 2018; 16:2776-2786. [DOI: 10.1039/c8ob00247a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Several phenanthroline polyazamacrocycles are proposed as ligands for c-MYC and telomeric G-quadruplex structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI – Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | - Telma Quintela
- CICS-UBI – Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | | | | | | | | | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS-UBI – Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI – Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
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Costa D, Costa C, Caldeira M, Cortes L, Queiroz JA, Cruz C. Targeting of Cellular Organelles by Fluorescent Plasmid DNA Nanoparticles. Biomacromolecules 2017; 18:2928-2936. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.7b00877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diana Costa
- CICS-UBI
− Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Carolina Costa
- CICS-UBI
− Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Margarida Caldeira
- Microscopy
Unit-CNC − Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Luísa Cortes
- Microscopy
Unit-CNC − Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS-UBI
− Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI
− Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
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Carvalho J, Nottelet P, Mergny JL, Queiroz JA, Salgado GF, Cruz C. Study of the interaction between indole-based compounds and biologically relevant G-quadruplexes. Biochimie 2017; 135:186-195. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 01/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Pereira P, Pedro AQ, Queiroz JA, Figueiras AR, Sousa F. New insights for therapeutic recombinant human miRNAs heterologous production: Rhodovolum sulfidophilum vs Escherichia coli. Bioengineered 2017; 8:670-677. [PMID: 28282262 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2017.1284710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference-based technologies have emerged as an attractive and effective therapeutic option with potential application in diverse human diseases. These tools rely on the development of efficient strategies to obtain homogeneous non-coding RNA samples with adequate integrity and purity, thus avoiding non-targeted gene-silencing and related side-effects that impair their application onto pre-clinical practice. These RNAs have been preferentially obtained by in vitro transcription using DNA templates or via chemical synthesis. As an alternative to overcome the limitations presented by these methods, in vivo recombinant production of RNA biomolecules has become the focus in RNA synthesis research. Therefore, using pre-miR-29b as a model, here it is evaluated the time-course profile of Escherichia coli and Rhodovolum sulfidophilum microfactories to produce this microRNA. As the presence of major host contaminants arising from the biosynthesis process may have important implications in the subsequent downstream processing, it is also evaluated the production of genomic DNA and host total proteins. Considering the rapidly growing interest on these innovative biopharmaceuticals, novel, more cost-effective, simple and easily scaled-up technologies are highly desirable. As microRNA recombinant expression fulfills those requirements, it may take the leading edge in the methodologies currently available to obtain microRNAs for clinical or structural studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Pereira
- a CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique , Covilhã , Portugal
| | - Augusto Q Pedro
- a CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique , Covilhã , Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- a CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique , Covilhã , Portugal
| | - Ana R Figueiras
- b Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga Sta. Comba , Coimbra , Portugal.,c REQUIMTE/LAQV, Group of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra , Coimbra , Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- a CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique , Covilhã , Portugal
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Gaspar VM, Cruz C, Queiroz JA, Pichon C, Correia IJ, Sousa F. Highly selective capture of minicircle DNA biopharmaceuticals by a novel zinc-histidine peptide conjugate. Sep Purif Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2016.10.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Abstract
The selective isolation of G-quadruplex (G4) using affinity ligands that bind tightly and selectively is a valuable strategy for discovering new G4 binders for the separation of G4 from duplexes or the discrimination of G4 structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Ferreira
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | - Tiago Santos
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | - Marta C. Corvo
- CENIMAT
- i3N
- Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais
- Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa
- 2829-516 Caparica
| | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde
- Universidade da Beira Interior
- 6200-506 Covilhã
- Portugal
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Pereira P, Queiroz JA, Figueiras A, Sousa F. Current progress on microRNAs-based therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases. Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA 2016; 8. [PMID: 27882692 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs)-based therapy has recently emerged as a promising strategy in the treatments of neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, in this review, the most recent and important challenges and advances on the development of miRNA therapeutics for brain targeting are discussed. In particular, this review highlights current knowledge and progress in the field of manufacturing, recovery, isolation, purification, and analysis of these therapeutic oligonucleotides. Finally, the available miRNA delivery systems are reviewed and an analysis is presented in what concerns to the current challenges that have to be addressed to ensure their specificity and efficacy. Overall, it is intended to provide a perspective on the future of miRNA-based therapeutics, focusing the biotechnological approach to obtain miRNAs. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1409. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1409 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Pereira
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ana Figueiras
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.,REQUIMTE/LAQV, Group of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
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Medeiros-Silva J, Guédin A, Salgado GF, Mergny JL, Queiroz JA, Cabrita EJ, Cruz C. Phenanthroline-bis-oxazole ligands for binding and stabilization of G-quadruplexes. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2016; 1861:1281-1292. [PMID: 27865994 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2016] [Revised: 10/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND G-quadruplexes (G4) are found at important genome regions such as telomere ends and oncogene promoters. One prominent strategy to explore the therapeutic potential of G4 is stabilized it with specific ligands. METHODS We report the synthesis of new phenanthroline, phenyl and quinoline acyclic bisoxazole compounds in order to explore and evaluate the targeting to c-myc and human telomeric repeat 22AG G4 using FRET-melting, CD-melting, NMR, fluorescence titrations and FID assays. RESULTS The design strategy has led to potent compounds (Phen-1 and Phen-2) that discriminate different G4 structures (human telomeric sequences and c-myc promoter) and selectively stabilize G4 over duplex DNA. CD studies show that Phen-2 binds and induces antiparallel topologies in 22AG quadruplex and also binds c-myc promotor, increasing their Tm in about 12°C and 30°C respectively. In contrast, Phen-1 induces parallel topologies in 22AG and c-myc, with a moderate stabilization of 4°C for both sequences. Consistent with a CD melting study, Phen-2 binds strongly (K=106 to 107M-1) to c-myc and 22AG quadruplexes. CONCLUSIONS Phen-1 and Phen-2 discriminated among various quadruplex topologies and exhibited high selectivity for quadruplexes over duplexes. Phen-2 retains antiparallel topologies for quadruplex 22AG and does not induce conformational changes on the parallel c-myc quadruplex although Phen-1 favors the parallel topology. NMR studies also showed that the Phen-2 binds to the c-myc quadruplex via end stacking. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Overall, the results suggest the importance of Phen-2 as a scaffold for the fine-tuning with substituents in order to enhance binding and stabilization to G4 structures. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "G-quadruplex" Guest Editor: Dr. Concetta Giancola and Dr. Daniela Montesarchio.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Medeiros-Silva
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal; UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Aurore Guédin
- INSERM, U1212, CNRS, UMR 5320, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France; Univ. Bordeaux, ARNA laboratory, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Gilmar F Salgado
- INSERM, U1212, CNRS, UMR 5320, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France; Univ. Bordeaux, ARNA laboratory, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Jean-Louis Mergny
- INSERM, U1212, CNRS, UMR 5320, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France; Univ. Bordeaux, ARNA laboratory, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Eurico J Cabrita
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Diamantino T, Pereira P, Queiroz JA, Sousa Â, Sousa F. Minicircle DNA purification using a CIM® DEAE‐1 monolithic support. J Sep Sci 2016; 39:3544-9. [DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201600375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Diamantino
- CICS‐UBI ‐ Health Sciences Research CentreUniversidade da Beira Interior Covilhã Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CICS‐UBI ‐ Health Sciences Research CentreUniversidade da Beira Interior Covilhã Portugal
| | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS‐UBI ‐ Health Sciences Research CentreUniversidade da Beira Interior Covilhã Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS‐UBI ‐ Health Sciences Research CentreUniversidade da Beira Interior Covilhã Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS‐UBI ‐ Health Sciences Research CentreUniversidade da Beira Interior Covilhã Portugal
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Pereira P, Barreira M, Queiroz JA, Veiga F, Sousa F, Figueiras A. Smart micelleplexes as a new therapeutic approach for RNA delivery. Expert Opin Drug Deliv 2016; 14:353-371. [DOI: 10.1080/17425247.2016.1214567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Matos T, Mohamed ET, Queiroz JA, Bülow L. Capto™ Resins for Chromatography of DNA: A Minor Difference in Ligand Composition Greatly Influences the Separation of Guanidyl-Containing Fragments. Chromatographia 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10337-016-3148-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Santos T, Carvalho J, Corvo MC, Cabrita EJ, Queiroz JA, Cruz C. L-tryptophan and dipeptide derivatives for supercoiled plasmid DNA purification. Int J Biol Macromol 2016; 87:385-96. [PMID: 26952704 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2016.02.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Revised: 02/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study focus on the preparation of chromatography supports for affinity-based chromatography of supercoiled plasmid purification. Three l-tryptophan based supports are prepared through immobilization on epoxy-activated Sepharose and characterized by HR-MAS NMR. The SPR is employed for a fast screening of l-tryptophan derivatives, as potential ligands for the biorecognition of supercoiled isoform, as well as, to establish the suitable experimental conditions for the chromatography. The results reveal that the overall affinity is high (KD=10(-9) and 10(-8)M) and the conditions tested show that the use of HEPES 100mM enables the separation and purification of supercoiled at T=10°C. The STD-NMR is performed to accomplish the epitope mapping of the 5'-mononucleotides bound to l-tryptophan derivatives supports. The data shows that the interactions between the three supports and the 5'-mononucleotides are mainly hydrophobic and π-π stacking. The chromatography experiments are performed with l-tryptophan support and plasmids pVAX-LacZ and pPH600. The supercoiled isoform separation is achieved at T=10°C by decreasing the concentration of (NH4)2SO4 from 2.7 to 0M in HEPES for pVAX-LacZ and 2.65M to 0M in HEPES for pPH600. Overall, l-tryptophan derivatives can be a promising strategy to purify supercoiled for pharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Santos
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Josué Carvalho
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Marta C Corvo
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Eurico J Cabrita
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - C Cruz
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Pereira P, Pedro AQ, Tomás J, Maia CJ, Queiroz JA, Figueiras A, Sousa F. Advances in time course extracellular production of human pre-miR-29b from Rhodovulum sulfidophilum. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 100:3723-34. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7350-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 01/12/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Pereira PA, Tomás JF, Queiroz JA, Figueiras AR, Sousa F. Recombinant pre-miR-29b for Alzheimer´s disease therapeutics. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19946. [PMID: 26818210 PMCID: PMC4730146 DOI: 10.1038/srep19946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs are arising as the next generation of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for gene silencing. Studies demonstrated that the miR-29 expression is decreased in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients displaying high levels of human β-secretase (hBACE1). Recent advances toward an effective therapy for AD intend to employ miR-29 to suppress hBACE1 expression and subsequent Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. However, delivery of mature miRNA has demonstrated modest efficacy in vitro; therefore, the preparation of highly pure and biologically active pre-miRNA arises as one of the most important challenges in the development of these therapeutic strategies. Recently, we described a new strategy based arginine-affinity chromatography to specifically purify the recombinant pre-miR-29b. Following this strategy, the purified pre-miR-29b was successfully encapsulated into polyplexes that were further delivered in cytoplasm. It was verified that Chitosan/pre-miR-29b and Polyethylenimine/pre-miR-29b systems efficiently delivered pre-miR-29b to N2a695 cells, thus reducing the hBACE1 protein expression (around 78% and 86%, respectively) and Aβ42 levels (approximately 44% and 47%, respectively). Furthermore, pre-miR-29b downregulates the hBACE1 mRNA expression in 80%. Overall, it was demonstrated that the recombinant pre-miR-29b using polyplexes allowed to decrease the hBACE1 and Aβ42 expression levels, improving the currently available methodologies of miRNA-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia A Pereira
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Joana F Tomás
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
| | - Ana R Figueiras
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal.,CNC - Center of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Largo Marquês de Pombal, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, Covilhã, 6200-506, Portugal
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Pedro AQ, Martins LM, Dias JML, Bonifácio MJ, Queiroz JA, Passarinha LA. An artificial neural network for membrane-bound catechol-O-methyltransferase biosynthesis with Pichia pastoris methanol-induced cultures. Microb Cell Fact 2015; 14:113. [PMID: 26246150 PMCID: PMC4527236 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-015-0304-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Membrane proteins are important drug targets in many human diseases and gathering structural information regarding these proteins encourages the pharmaceutical industry to develop new molecules using structure-based drug design studies. Specifically, membrane-bound catechol-O-methyltransferase (MBCOMT) is an integral membrane protein that catalyzes the methylation of catechol substrates and has been linked to several diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Schizophrenia. Thereby, improvements in the clinical outcome of the therapy to these diseases may come from structure-based drug design where reaching MBCOMT samples in milligram quantities are crucial for acquiring structural information regarding this target protein. Therefore, the main aim of this work was to optimize the temperature, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) concentration and the methanol flow-rate for the biosynthesis of recombinant MBCOMT by Pichia pastoris bioreactor methanol-induced cultures using artificial neural networks (ANN). RESULTS The optimization trials intended to evaluate MBCOMT expression by P. pastoris bioreactor cultures led to the development of a first standard strategy for MBCOMT bioreactor biosynthesis with a batch growth on glycerol until the dissolved oxygen spike, 3 h of glycerol feeding and 12 h of methanol induction. The ANN modeling of the aforementioned fermentation parameters predicted a maximum MBCOMT specific activity of 384.8 nmol/h/mg of protein at 30°C, 2.9 mL/L/H methanol constant flow-rate and with the addition of 6% (v/v) DMSO with almost 90% of healthy cells at the end of the induction phase. These results allowed an improvement of MBCOMT specific activity of 6.4-fold in comparison to that from the small-scale biosynthesis in baffled shake-flasks. CONCLUSIONS The ANN model was able to describe the effects of temperature, DMSO concentration and methanol flow-rate on MBCOMT specific activity, as shown by the good fitness between predicted and observed values. This experimental procedure highlights the potential role of chemical chaperones such as DMSO in improving yields of recombinant membrane proteins with a different topology than G-coupled receptors. Finally, the proposed ANN shows that the manipulation of classic fermentation parameters coupled with the addition of specific molecules can open and reinforce new perspectives in the optimization of P. pastoris bioprocesses for membrane proteins biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augusto Q Pedro
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001, Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - Luís M Martins
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001, Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - João M L Dias
- Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge System Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, Sanger Building, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK.
| | - Maria J Bonifácio
- Departamento de Investigação e Desenvolvimento, Bial, 4745-457, São Mamede do Coronado, Portugal.
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001, Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - Luís A Passarinha
- CICS-UBI, Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001, Covilhã, Portugal.
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Gaspar VM, Baril P, Costa EC, de Melo-Diogo D, Foucher F, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Pichon C, Correia IJ. Bioreducible poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-PLA-PEI-SS triblock copolymer micelles for co-delivery of DNA minicircles and Doxorubicin. J Control Release 2015; 213:175-191. [PMID: 26184050 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2015.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Revised: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The co-delivery of minicircle DNA (mcDNA) and small anti-cancer drugs via stimuli-sensitive nanocarriers is a promising approach for combinatorial cancer therapy. However, the simultaneous loading of drugs and DNA in nanosized delivery systems is remarkably challenging. In this study we describe the synthesis of triblock copolymer micelles based on poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(L-lactide) grafted with bioreducible polyethylenimine (PEOz-PLA-g-PEI-SS) for co-delivery of supercoiled (sc) mcDNA vectors and Doxorubicin (Dox). These amphiphilic carriers take advantage of non-fouling oxazolines to confer biological stability, of PLA to provide a hydrophobic core for drug encapsulation and of bioreducible PEI-SS to provide mcDNA complexation and an on-demand stimuli-responsive release. The obtained results show that mcDNA-loaded micelleplexes penetrate into in vitro tumor spheroid models with specific kinetics and exhibit a higher gene expression when compared to non-bioreducible nanocarriers. Moreover, in vivo bioluminescence imaging showed that gene expression is detected up to 8days following mcDNA-micelles intratumoral administration. Furthermore, drug-gene co-delivery in PEOz-PLA-g-PEI-SS carriers was verified by successful encapsulation of both Dox and mcDNA with high efficacy. Moreover, dual-loaded micelleplexes presented significant uptake and a cytotoxic effect in 2D cultures of cancer cells. The co-delivery of mcDNA-Dox to B16F10-Luciferase tumor bearing mice resulted in a reduction in tumor volume and cancer cells viability. Overall, such findings indicate that bioreducible triblock micelles are efficient for focal delivery in vivo and have potential for future application in combinatorial DNA-drug therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vítor M Gaspar
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Patrick Baril
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Inserm and University of Orléans, 45071 Orléans cedex 02, France
| | - Elisabete C Costa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Duarte de Melo-Diogo
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Frédéric Foucher
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Inserm and University of Orléans, 45071 Orléans cedex 02, France
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Chantal Pichon
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Inserm and University of Orléans, 45071 Orléans cedex 02, France
| | - Ilídio J Correia
- CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Gaspar VM, Moreira AF, Costa EC, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Pichon C, Correia IJ. Gas-generating TPGS-PLGA microspheres loaded with nanoparticles (NIMPS) for co-delivery of minicircle DNA and anti-tumoral drugs. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2015. [PMID: 26209779 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2015.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Drug-DNA combination therapies are receiving an ever growing focus due to their potential for improving cancer treatment. However, such approaches are still limited by the lack of multipurpose delivery systems that encapsulate drugs and condense DNA simultaneously. In this study, we describe the successful formulation of gas-generating pH-responsive D-α-tocopherol PEG succinate-poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (TPGS-PLGA) hollow microspheres loaded with both Doxorubicin (Dox) and minicircle DNA (mcDNA) nanoparticles as a strategy to co-deliver these therapeutics. For this study mcDNA vectors were chosen due to their increased therapeutic efficiency in comparison to standard plasmid DNA. The results demonstrate that TPGS-PLGA microcarriers can encapsulate Dox and chitosan nanoparticles completely condense mcDNA. The loading of mcDNA-nanoparticles into microspheres was confirmed by 3D confocal microscopy and co-localization analysis. The resulting TPGS-PLGA-Dox-mcDNA nanoparticle-in-microsphere hybrid carriers exhibit a well-defined spherical shape and neutral surface charge. Microcarriers incubation in acidic pH produced a gas-mediated Dox release, corroborating the microcarriers stimuli-responsive character. Also, the dual-loaded TPGS-PLGA particles achieved 5.2-fold higher cellular internalization in comparison with non-pegylated microspheres. This increased intracellular concentration resulted in a higher cytotoxic effect. Successful transgene expression was obtained after nanoparticle-mcDNA co-delivery in the microspheres. Overall these findings support the concept of using nanoparticle-microsphere multipart systems to achieve efficient co-delivery of various drug-mcDNA combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vítor M Gaspar
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - André F Moreira
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Elisabete C Costa
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - João A Queiroz
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Chantal Pichon
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Inserm and University of Orléans, 45071 Orléans cedex 02, France
| | - Ilídio J Correia
- CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Mota E, Sousa F, Sousa A, Queiroz JA, Cruz C. Molecular recognition of oligonucleotides and plasmid DNA by l-methionine. J Mol Recognit 2015; 27:588-96. [PMID: 25178854 DOI: 10.1002/jmr.2382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The present study explores the effect of oligonucleotide composition on the mechanism of retention to l-methionine agarose support by chromatography and saturation transfer difference (STD)-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. All chromatographic experiments were performed using 1.5 M (NH4 )2 SO4 . The binding profiles obtained by chromatography show that oligonucleotides with thymine had the highest retention time. In general, the larger homo-oligonucleotides are more retained to the l-methionine agarose support. Moreover, the study with hetero-oligonucleotides confirms that the presence of guanine reduces the retention on the l-methionine chromatographic support. These results are in accord with STD-NMR experiments, which show that the strongest signals were observed for the methyl group of thymine, and no STD signals were observed for the guanosine protons. Finally, the retention behaviour of linear plasmid DNA (pDNA) with different sizes and base composition (2.7-kbp pUC19, 6.05-kbp pVAX1-LacZ, 7.4-kbp pVAX1-LacZgag and 14-kbp pcDNA-based plasmid) was also evaluated by chromatography. The results indicate that the underlying mechanism of retention involves not only hydrophobic interactions but also other elementary interactions responsible for the biorecognition of pDNA molecules by l-methionine ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elia Mota
- CICS-UBI-Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal
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Gomes AP, Mano JF, Queiroz JA, Gouveia IC. Incorporation of antimicrobial peptides on functionalized cotton gauzes for medical applications. Carbohydr Polym 2015; 127:451-61. [PMID: 25965504 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.03.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2014] [Revised: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
A large group of low molecular weight natural compounds that exhibit antimicrobial activity has been isolated from animals and plants during the past two decades. Among them, peptides are the most widespread resulting in a new generation of antimicrobial agents with higher specific activity. In the present study we have developed a new strategy to obtain antimicrobial wound-dressings based on the incorporation of antimicrobial peptides into polyelectrolyte multilayer films built by the alternate deposition of polycation (chitosan) and polyanion (alginic acid sodium salt) over cotton gauzes. Energy dispersive X ray microanalysis technique was used to determine if antimicrobial peptides penetrated within the films. FTIR analysis was performed to assess the chemical linkages, and antimicrobial assays were performed with two strains: Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacterium) and Klebsiella pneumonia (Gram-negative bacterium). Results showed that all antimicrobial peptides used in this work have provided a higher antimicrobial effect (in the range of 4 log-6 log reduction) for both microorganisms, in comparison with the controls, and are non-cytotoxic to normal human dermal fibroblasts at the concentrations tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Gomes
- FibEnTech - Fiber Materials and Environmental Technologies - Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J F Mano
- 3B's Research Group - Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, 4806-909 Taipas, Guimarães, Portugal; Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - J A Queiroz
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - I C Gouveia
- FibEnTech - Fiber Materials and Environmental Technologies - Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal.
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Abstract
Arcobacter genus currently comprises 18 recognized species, among which Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus and Arcobacter skirrowii have been associated with human and animal disease. Although these organisms, with special emphasis A. butzleri, are emerging as clinical pathogens, several aspects of their epidemiology and virulence are only starting to be clarified. In vitro human and animal cell culture assays have been used to show that several Arcobacter species can adhere to and invade eukaryotic cells, induce an immune response and produce toxins that damage host cells. In addition, data from genome sequencing highlighted several potential markers that may be helpful candidates for the study and understanding of these mechanisms; however, more work is necessary to clarify the molecular mechanisms involved in Arcobacter virulence. Arcobacter can be considered a relatively robust organism showing to be able to survive in adverse conditions, as the ones imposed by food processing and storage. Moreover, these bacteria have shown increased antibiotic resistance, along with high multidrug resistance. In this review, we seek to update the state-of-the-art concerning Arcobacter distribution, its interaction with the host, the trends of antibiotic resistance, its ability to survive, and finally the use of natural antimicrobials for control of Arcobacter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Ferreira
- a CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior , Covilhã , Portugal and
| | - João A Queiroz
- a CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior , Covilhã , Portugal and
| | - Mónica Oleastro
- b Department of Infectious Diseases , National Reference Laboratory for Gastrointestinal Infections, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge , Lisbon , Portugal
| | - Fernanda C Domingues
- a CICS-UBI-Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior , Covilhã , Portugal and
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50
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Amorim LFA, Sousa F, Queiroz JA, Cruz C, Sousa Â. Screening ofl-histidine-based ligands to modify monolithic supports and selectively purify the supercoiled plasmid DNA isoform. J Mol Recognit 2015; 28:349-58. [DOI: 10.1002/jmr.2449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2014] [Revised: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lúcia F. A. Amorim
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde; Universidade da Beira Interior; Av. Infante D. Henrique Covilhã 6200-506 Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde; Universidade da Beira Interior; Av. Infante D. Henrique Covilhã 6200-506 Portugal
| | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde; Universidade da Beira Interior; Av. Infante D. Henrique Covilhã 6200-506 Portugal
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde; Universidade da Beira Interior; Av. Infante D. Henrique Covilhã 6200-506 Portugal
| | - Ângela Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde; Universidade da Beira Interior; Av. Infante D. Henrique Covilhã 6200-506 Portugal
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