Peptide-Functionalized Nanoinhibitor Restrains Brain Tumor Growth by Abrogating Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition Factor (MET) Signaling

Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors and are associated with aggressive growth, high morbidity, and mortality. Aberrant mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) activation occurs in approximately 30% of glioma patients and correlates with poor prognosis, elevated invasion, and increased drug resistance. Therefore, MET has emerged as an attractive target for glioma therapy. In this study, we developed a novel nanoinhibitor by conjugating MET-targeting cMBP peptides on the G4 dendrimer. Compared to the binding affinity of the free peptide ( K_D = 3.96 × 10^-7 M), the binding affinity of the nanoinhibitor to MET increased 3 orders of magnitude to 1.32 × 10^-10 M. This nanoinhibitor efficiently reduced the proliferation and invasion of human glioblastoma U87MG cells in vitro by blocking MET signaling with remarkably attenuated levels of phosphorylated MET ( pMET) and its downstream signaling proteins, such as pAKT and pERK1/2. Although no obvious therapeutic effect was observed after treatment with free cBMP peptide, in vivo T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a significant delay in tumor growth after intravenous injection of the nanoinhibitor. The medium survival in mouse models was extended by 59%, which is similar to the effects of PF-04217903, a small molecule MET inhibitor currently in clinical trials. Immunoblotting studies of tumor homogenate verified that the nanoinhibitor restrained glioma growth by blocking MET downstream signaling. pMET and its downstream proteins pAKT and pERK1/2, which are involved in the survival and invasion of cancer cells, decreased in the nanoinhibitor-treated group by 44.2%, 62.2%, and 32.3%, respectively, compared with those in the control group. In summary, we developed a peptide-functionalized MET nanoinhibitor that showed extremely high binding affinity to MET and effectively inhibited glioma growth by blocking MET downstream signaling. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of therapeutic inhibition of glioma growth by blocking MET signaling with a novel nanoinhibitor. Compared to antibodies and chemical inhibitors in clinical trials, the nanoinhibitor blocks MET signaling and provides a new approach for the treatment of glioma with the advantages of high efficiency, affordability, and, most importantly, potentially reduced drug resistance.

Platelet membrane-coated nanoparticle-mediated targeting delivery of Rapamycin blocks atherosclerotic plaque development and stabilizes plaque in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice

Although certain success has been achieved in atherosclerosis treatment, tremendous challenges remain in developing more efficient strategies to treat atherosclerosis. Platelets have inherent affinity to plaques and naturally home to atherosclerotic sites. Rapamycin features potent anti-atherosclerosis effect, but its clinical utility is limited by its low concentration at the atherosclerotic site and severe systemic toxicity. In the present study, we used platelet membrane-coated nanoparticles (PNP) as a targeted drug delivery platform to treat atherosclerosis through mimicking platelets' inherent targeting to plaques. PNP displayed 4.98-fold greater radiant efficiency than control nanoparticles in atherosclerotic arterial trees, indicating its effective homing to atherosclerotic plaques in vivo. In an atherosclerosis model established in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, PNP encapsulating rapamycin significantly attenuated the progression of atherosclerosis and stabilized atherosclerotic plaques. These results demonstrated the perfect efficacy and pro-resolving potential of PNP as a targeted drug delivery platform for atherosclerosis treatment.

Abstract LB-127: From bench to bedside: Exploring OX40 receptor modulation in a phase 1/2a study of the OX40 costimulatory agonist BMS-986178 ± nivolumab (NIVO) or ipilimumab (IPI) in patients with advanced solid tumors

Background: Activation of OX40, a costimulatory protein in the tumor necrosis factor receptor super family, enhances T effector cell activation and inhibits T regulatory (Treg) cell-mediated suppression. Preclinical data showed that combination of an OX40 agonist with checkpoint blockade (anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA-4) enhanced antitumor activity vs checkpoint blockade alone. BMS-986178 is a fully human IgG1 agonist monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to OX40 and was well tolerated ± NIVO (anti-PD-1; Olszanski AJ, et al. J Immunother Cancer 2017;5(suppl2) [abstract O17]). The relationship between receptor modulation and the activity of agonist OX40 agents in the clinic is not clear. Here we present findings on the regulation of OX40 receptor expression and T-cell activation by BMS-986178 ± NIVO or IPI (anti–CTLA-4) from the phase 1/2a study in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT02737475).

Methods: Patients with ≥ 1 prior therapy were treated in this open-label, dose-escalation and -expansion study. During escalation, patients received BMS-986178 monotherapy 20-320 mg IV Q2W, BMS-986178 20-320 mg + NIVO 240 mg IV Q2W, or BMS-986178 20-320 mg + IPI 1 mg/kg IV Q3W. Pharmacokinetics (PK) and systemic pharmacodynamics (PD) were evaluated, including analysis of OX40 receptor occupancy (RO), CD4+ T cell- and Treg-cell surface OX40 expression, soluble OX40 (sOX40) levels, cytokines, and proliferation of effector memory T cells in circulation.

Results: BMS-986178 PK was linear from 20 to 320 mg when administered as monotherapy (n = 20), + NIVO (n = 38), or + IPI (n = 32). Moreover, BMS-986178 ± NIVO or IPI stimulated the production of IFN-γ and increased proliferating (Ki-67+) effector memory T cells. Concomitant downregulation of OX40 expression on the cell surface of CD4+ T cells and Tregs was observed as OX40 RO approached saturation at BMS-986178 doses of ≥ 40 mg. Furthermore, BMS-986178 doses of 20-160 mg ± NIVO or IPI increased sOX40 levels, while BMS-986178 doses of ≥ 160 mg ± NIVO or IPI led to sOX40 plateau.

Conclusions: Clinical PK/PD findings showed efficient BMS-986178 target engagement and confirmed preclinical observations that BMS-986178 can modulate RO and OX40/sOX40 expression. Furthermore, peripheral T-cell activation was observed in patients treated with BMS-986178 ± NIVO or IPI. Coupled with our preclinical observations, these findings highlight a complex dose-response relationship between BMS-986178 receptor saturation, receptor modulation, and induction of soluble receptor. These data support further clinical investigation of a broader dose range and optimal schedules for BMS-986178 ± NIVO or IPI.

Citation Format: Rui Wang, Yan Feng, Ed Hilt, Xiling Yuan, Chan Gao, Xiao Shao, Yongliang Sun, Michael D'silva, Katherine Yang, Becky Penhallow, Goce Bogdanoski, Rajesh Anand, Irene Pak, Danielle Greenawalt, Anke Klippel, Nataly Manjarrez-Orduno, Robert Neely, Michael Quigley, Michael Hedrick, Praveen Aanur, Z Cao. From bench to bedside: Exploring OX40 receptor modulation in a phase 1/2a study of the OX40 costimulatory agonist BMS-986178 ± nivolumab (NIVO) or ipilimumab (IPI) in patients with advanced solid tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-127.

Proapoptotic Cyclic Peptide BC71 Targets Cell-Surface GRP78 and Functions as an Anticancer Therapeutic in Mice

Glucose regulated protein 78 kDa (GRP78) is a recently emerged target for cancer therapy and a biomarker for cancer prognosis. Overexpression of GRP78 is observed in many types of cancers, with the cell-surface GRP78 being preferentially present in cancer cells and cancer blood vessel endothelial cells. Isthmin (ISM) is a secreted high-affinity proapoptotic protein ligand of cell-surface GRP78 that suppresses angiogenesis and tumor growth in mice. The C-terminal AMOP (adhesion-associated domain in MUC4 and other proteins) domain of ISM is critical in mediating its interaction with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In this work, we report novel cyclic peptides harboring the RKD motif in the ISM AMOP domain that function as proapoptotic ligands of cell-surface GRP78. The most potent peptide, BC71, binds to GRP78 and converge to tumor in mice. Intravenous administration of BC71 suppressed xenograft tumor growth in mice as a single agent, with significant reduction in tumor angiogenesis and upsurge in apoptosis. Fluorescent-labeled BC71 accumulates in tumor in mice by targeting cell-surface GRP78. We show that BC71 triggers apoptosis via cell-surface GRP78 and activates caspase-8 and p53 signaling pathways in HUVECs. Using amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDXMS), we identified that BC71 preferentially binds to ATP-bound GRP78 via amino acid residues 244-257 of GRP78. Hence, BC71 serves as a valuable prototype for further development of peptidomimetic anticancer drugs targeting cell-surface GRP78 as well as PET imaging agents for cancer prognosis.

Gradient cross-correlation algorithm for scene-based Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing

Scene-based wavefront sensing currently uses the periodic-correlation algorithm based on fast Fourier transforms. However, when the object scene contains features at the field edges, the performance of the algorithm is poor due to the periodicity of fast Fourier transforms, called wraparound effect. In this paper, we propose an algorithm based on the gradient cross-correlation. Both simulation and experiment results show its dramatic effectiveness against the wraparound effect, and a considerable improvement is obtained in image resolution with closed loop adaptive optics correction.

Universality and correlations in individuals wandering through an online extremist space

The "out of the blue" nature of recent terror attacks and the diversity of apparent motives highlight the importance of understanding the online trajectories that individuals follow prior to developing high levels of extremist support. Here we show that the physics of stochastic walks, with and without temporal correlation, provides a unifying description of these online trajectories. Our unique data set comprising all users of a global social media site reveals universal characteristics in individuals' online lifetimes. Our accompanying theory generates analytical and numerical solutions that describe the characteristics shown by individuals that go on to develop high levels of extremist support and those that do not. Going forward, it is conceivable that a deeper understanding of these temporal and many-body correlations may eventually contribute to the important task of better countering the spread of radical propaganda online.

Nicotine inhibits osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells under cyclic tensile stress through canonical Wnt pathway and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Nicotine, the main psychoactive component of tobacco, affects cell metabolism, proliferation, adhesion and, importantly, the osteogenic differentiation of fibroblasts. Approximately 15% of all orthodontic patients are adults among who one-fifth are smokers. Hence, it is necessary to have insight into the effects of nicotine on the osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs during orthodontic tooth movement. This study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of nicotine on the osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) under the application of cyclic tensile stress.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

hPDLCs were obtained from donor third molars. The hPDLCs were treated with nicotine and/or cyclic tensile stress that was applied with a cell stress plus unit. The effect of nicotine on cell viability was analyzed using the MTT assay. The osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs was detected by alkaline phosphatase staining, Alizarin Red S staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.

RESULTS

In combination with cyclic tensile stress, nicotine prevented the tensile stress-induced increase in alkaline phosphatase activity, formation of mineralization nodules and the upregulation of mRNA and protein expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2, transcription factor Sp7 and collagen type I; however, canonical Wnt pathway was activated. Furthermore, the addition of Dickkopf-related protein 1 and α-bungarotoxin counteracted the negative effect of nicotine and rescued the osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs, respectively.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that nicotine prevents the increased osteogenic potential of hPDLCs induced by cyclic tensile stress by binding to an α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and activating the canonical Wnt pathway.

Multiscale dynamical network mechanisms underlying aging of an online organism from birth to death

We present the continuous-time evolution of an online organism network from birth to death which crosses all organizational and temporal scales, from individual components through to the mesoscopic and entire system scale. These continuous-time data reveal a lifespan driven by punctuated, real-time co-evolution of the structural and functional networks. Aging sees these structural and functional networks gradually diverge in terms of their small-worldness and eventually their connectivity. Dying emerges as an extended process associated with the formation of large but disjoint functional sub-networks together with an increasingly detached core. Our mathematical model quantifies the very different impacts that interventions will have on the overall lifetime, period of initial growth, peak of potency, and duration of old age, depending on when and how they are administered. In addition to their direct relevance to online extremism, our findings may offer insight into aging in other network systems of comparable complexity for which extensive in vivo data is not yet available.

Assessment of serum Golgi protein 73 as a biomarker for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV infection

Transient elastography (TE) is accurate in staging fibrosis noninvasively. However, a reliable serum biomarker with comparable accuracy is also important, especially when TE is unreliable/unavailable. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of serum Golgi protein 73 (GP73) for significant fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV infection. A total of 801 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD; 492 chronic HBV infection and 309 non-HBV liver disease) with liver biopsy performance were enrolled. Healthy controls (n = 180) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients (n = 85) were included for comparisons. Liver biopsy was used as the reference method for fibrosis staging. Serum GP73 level was measured in duplicate in double-blind fashion. Serum GP73 was highest in HCC but also significantly higher in chronic hepatitis B than in healthy controls. The elevation of serum GP73 in non-HCC patients was significantly associated with the presence of significant fibrosis independently of ALT level, liver stiffness (LS) value, inflammation grade and other confounding factors. The diagnostic performance of serum GP73 was accurate in antiviral-naïve HBV patients (area under the receiver operating curve [AUROC], 0.76 95% CI: 0.72-0.81) but not in patients with ongoing antiviral treatment (AUROC, 0.60). The utility of serum GP73 was also confirmed in non-HBV CLD (AUROC, 0.80 95% CI: 0.75-0.85). Serum GP73 was comparable to LS (AUROC, 0.78 95% CI: 0.73-0.82) and significantly better than AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) (AUROC, 0.67 95% CI: 0.62-0.72) and FIB-4 (AUROC, 0.68 95% CI: 0.63-0.73). In conclusion, serum GP73 is an accurate serum marker for significant fibrosis in chronic HBV infection, with higher accuracy than APRI and FIB-4. Serum GP73 is potentially a complementary tool for TE when evaluating the necessity of antiviral treatment, particularly in patients without definite antiviral indication.

Retrospective analysis of 20 cases of refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma

We investigate the clinical characteristics, prognosis and treatment of relapsed and refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. Twenty patients with relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma were treated by chemotherapy or autologous stem cell transplantation in our hospital from April 2006 to August 2012. The retrospective analysis of the records from the 20 patients reflected both 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The overall effectiveness was 80% for the 20 patients. The 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year progression-free survival rate were 73.5% and 62.7%, respectively. Therefore, comprehensive treatment should be actively utilized in the case of invalid second-line regimen for the refractory HL patients.

Acidity-Triggered Ligand-Presenting Nanoparticles To Overcome Sequential Drug Delivery Barriers to Tumors

The success of cancer chemotherapy is impeded by poor drug delivery efficiency due to the existence of a series of pathophysiological barriers in the tumor. In this study, we reported a tumor acidity-triggered ligand-presenting (ATLP) nanoparticle for cancer therapy. The ATLP nanoparticles were composed of an acid-responsive diblock copolymer as a sheddable matrix and an iRGD-modified polymeric prodrug of doxorubicin (iPDOX) as an amphiphilic core. A PEG corona of the polymer matrix protected the iRGD ligand from serum degradation and nonspecific interactions with the normal tissues while circulating in the blood. The ATLP nanoparticles specifically accumulated at the tumor site through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, followed by acid-triggered dissociation of the polymer matrix within the tumoral acidic microenvironment (pH ∼ 6.8) and subsequently exposing the iRGD ligand for facilitating tumor penetration and cellular uptake of the PDOX prodrug. Additionally, the acid-triggered dissociation of the polymer matrix induced a 4.5-fold increase of the fluorescent signal for monitoring nanoparticle activation in vivo. Upon near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation, activation of Ce6-induced significant reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, promoted drug diffusion inside the tumor mass and circumvented the acquired drug resistance by altering the gene expression profile of the tumor cells. The ATLP strategy might provide a novel insight for cancer nanomedicine.

The influence of connective tissue growth factor on rabbit ligament injury repair

Objectives

The injured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is thought to exhibit an impaired healing response, and attempts at surgical repair have not been successful. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is reported to be associated with wound healing, probably through transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1).

Methods

A rabbit ACL injury model was used to study the effect of CTGF on ligament recovery. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed for detection of changes in RNA levels of TGF-β1, type 1 collagen (COL1), type 2 collagen (COL2), SRY-related high mobility group-box gene9 (SOX9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP-13). Expression of related proteins was detected by Western blotting.

Results

The current study showed that CTGF could promote the recovery of an injured anterior cruciate ligament. It can upregulate mRNA and expression of TGF-β1, COL1, COL2, SOX9, and tissue inhibitor of TIMP-1, and downregulate mRNA and expression of MMP-13, suggesting that the curative effect of CTGF on injured rabbit ligaments is through regulation of these cellular factors.

Conclusions

This finding revealed the healing role of CTGF in injured tissues and provides new possibilities of treating injured tissues and wound healing by using CTGF.

Cite this article: X. Sun, W. Liu, G. Cheng, X. Qu, H. Bi, Z. Cao, Q. Yu. The influence of connective tissue growth factor on rabbit ligament injury repair. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:399–404. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.67.BJR.2016-0255.R1.

[Correlation between miR-1178 expression and clinicopathological significance in human pancreatic cancer]

Objective: To test the expression of miR-1178 in pancreatic cancer and study its clinicopathological significance and mechanism. Methods: The expression of miR-1178 in 87 paired paraffin pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma specimens and adjacent non- cancerous pancreatic tissue diagnosed by Pathology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital was detected by hybridization in situ. The relationship between the expression of miR-1178 and clinicopathological characters was analyzed.miR-1178 mimics and inhibitor were used to further detect the close relationship among miR-1178 and cancer invasion. Establish a nude mice subcutaneously transplanted tumor model, 4 weeks after vaccination for tumor volume and weight measurement.Student t-test, rank sum test, and χ(2) test was used respectively to compare the data between two groups. Cox regression was adopted to improve the single factor and multiple factors analysis. Results: The results of hybridization in situ showed the expression of miR-1178 was increased in 72 cases with pancreatic cancer compared to that in paired normal pancreatic tissues (50/72 vs. 11/72, χ(2)=43.26, P<0.05). miR-1178 expression was positively associated with tumor lymph node stage (χ(2)=4.189, P=0.041). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that miR-1178 was an independent adverse prognostic indicator for patients with pancreatic cancer (HR=2.364, 95%CI: 1.114-5.019, P=0.025). Transwell assay indicated the over-expression of miR-1178 increased the number of AsPC-1 cells that penetrated the ECM-coated membrane (177.0±19.8 vs. 119.7±15.9)(χ(2)=8.21, P<0.05). For the in vivo experiment, overexpression of miR-1178 significantly promoted tumor growth, compared with control group (tumor volume: (5 122.4±760.2)mm(3) vs. (1 976.8±601.8)mm(3), t=2.413, P<0.05; tumor weight: (1.55±0.21)g vs. (0.67±0.17)g, t=2.960, P<0.05). Over-expression of miR-1178 down-regulated the expression of Stub1 and elevated the expression of FAK/MMP-9 signal pathway(P<0.05). Conclusions: MiR-1178 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, and is effective for predicting patients' prognosis. MiR-1178 regulate Stub1/FAK/MMP-9 signal pathway and promote the invasion of AsPC-1 cells.