Efficient delivery of p53 and cytochrome c by supramolecular assembly of a dendritic multi-domain delivery system

Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Proteins Promoted by Hybrid Polyoxometalates

Controlling the formation of supramolecular protein assemblies and endowing them with new properties that can lead to novel functional materials is an important but challenging task. In this work, a new hybrid polyoxometalate is designed to induce controlled intermolecular bridging between biotin-binding proteins. Such bridging interactions lead to the formation of supramolecular protein assemblies incorporating metal-oxo clusters that go from several nanometers in diameter up to the micron range. Insights into the self-assembly process and the nature of the resulting biohybrid materials are obtained by a combination of Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), along with fluorescence, UV-vis, and Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The formation of hybrid supramolecular assemblies is determined to be driven by biotin binding to the protein and electrostatic interactions between the anionic metal-oxo cluster and the protein, both of which also influence the stability of the resulting assemblies. As a result, the rate of formation, size, and stability of the supramolecular assemblies can be tuned by controlling the electrostatic interactions between the cluster and the protein (e.g., through varying the ionic strength of the solution), thereby paving the way toward biomaterials with tunable assembly and disassembly properties.

Peptide Bispecifics Inhibiting HIV-1 Infection by an Orthogonal Chemical and Supramolecular Strategy

Viral infections pose a significant threat to human health, and effective antiviral strategies are urgently needed. Antiviral peptides have emerged as a promising class of therapeutic agents due to their unique properties and mechanisms of action. While effective on their own, combining antiviral peptides may allow us to enhance their potency and to prevent viral resistance. Here, we developed an orthogonal chemical strategy to prepare a heterodimeric peptide conjugate assembled on a protein-based nanoplatform. Specifically, we combined the optimized version of two peptides inhibiting HIV-1 by distinct mechanisms. Virus-inhibitory peptide (VIRIP) is a 20 amino acid fragment of α1-antitrypsin that inhibits HIV-1 by targeting the gp41 fusion peptide. Endogenous peptide inhibitor of CXCR4 (EPI-X4) is a 16-residue fragment of human serum albumin that prevents HIV-1 entry by binding to the viral CXCR4 co-receptor. Optimized forms of both peptides are assembled on supramolecular nanoplatforms through the streptavidin-biotin interaction. We show that the construct consisting of the two different peptides (SAv-VIR-102C9-EPI-X4 JM#173-C) shows increased activity against CCR5- and CXCR4-tropic HIV-1 variants. Our results are a proof of concept that peptides with different modes of action can be assembled on nanoplatforms to enhance their antiviral activity.

Protein-Mineral Composite Particles with Logarithmic Dependence of Anticancer Cytotoxicity on Concentration of Montmorillonite Nanoplates with Adsorbed Cytochrome c

Montmorillonite (MM) colloid nanoplates have high adsorption capacity due to their large size/thickness ratio, which allows them to be used as carriers for drug delivery. Upon adsorption of the mitochondrial protein cytochrome c (cytC) onto MM plates, the composite cytC-MM particles acquire anticancer properties because of the ability of cancer cells to phagocytize submicron particles (in contrast to the normal cells). In this way, exogenous cytC can be introduced into tumor cells, thereby triggering apoptosis-an irreversible cascade of biochemical reactions leading to cell death. In the present study, we investigated the physicochemical properties of cytC-MM particles as a function of the cytC concentration in the suspension, namely, the electrophoretic mobility, the mass increment of MM monoplates upon cytC adsorption, the ratio of the adsorbed to the free cytC in the bulk, the protein density on the MM's surface, the number of cytC globules adsorbed on an MM monoplate, the concentration of cytC-MM composite particles in the suspension, and the dependence of cytotoxicity on the cytC-MM particle concentration. For this purpose, we used microelectrophoresis, static and electric light scattering, and a colon cancer cell culture to test the cytotoxic effects of the cytC-MM suspensions. The results show that the cytotoxicity depends linearly on the logarithm of the particle concentration in the cytC-MM suspension reaching 97%.

Recent Advances in Stimuli-Responsive Doxorubicin Delivery Systems for Liver Cancer Therapy

Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most commonly used drugs in liver cancer. Unfortunately, the traditional chemotherapy with DOX presents many limitations, such as a systematic release of DOX, affecting both tumor tissue and healthy tissue, leading to the apparition of many side effects, multidrug resistance (MDR), and poor water solubility. Furthermore, drug delivery systems' responsiveness has been intensively studied according to the influence of different internal and external stimuli on the efficiency of therapeutic drugs. In this review, we discuss both internal stimuli-responsive drug-delivery systems, such as redox, pH and temperature variation, and external stimuli-responsive drug-delivery systems, such as the application of magnetic, photo-thermal, and electrical stimuli, for the controlled release of Doxorubicin in liver cancer therapy, along with the future perspectives of these smart delivery systems in liver cancer therapy.

Montmorillonite colloid plates with adsorbed cytochrome c: in vitro cytotoxic effect on colon cancer cell culture

Background

The apoptosis (a cascade of biochemical reactions leading to suicide of damaged biological cells) is blocked in the cancer cells because of impossibility of cytochrome c (cytC) go out from the mitochondria. However, the apoptosis can be started by introducing of exogenous cytC into cytoplasm using colloid particles as a protein carrier due to ability of the cancer cells to phagocytize extracellular particles with submicron size.

Results

The clay mineral montmorillonite (MM) were used to prepare aqueous suspension of protein/mineral composite particles by electrostatic adsorption of the positively charged cytC globules on the negatively charged MM colloid plates, and then added to colon cancel culture. The results shows out that separately cytC and MM have no effect but the composite cytC-MM particles kill 95% of the cancer cells after 96 h treatment using equine cytC which is 97% structurally identical with the human cytC. To reach this high cytotoxicity we have formulated requirements to: (a) bare colloid particles (electric charge, form and size), (b) conditions for protein adsorption (concentrations, pH, ionic strength), and (c) suspension with the composite particles (positive total charge and optimal concentration). Due to satisfying these requirements we have reached cytotoxicity which is 1/3 higher than the reached by other authors using different artificial particles. The cytotoxicity rapidly increases with concentration of the cytC-MM particles but further it shows tendency to saturation.

Methods

The optimal pH 6.5 and the 10:3 mg/mg cytC/MM concentration ratio at adsorption were found out by employing computer (protein electrostatics) and physicochemical methods (microelectrophoresis and colloid electrooptics) to prepare cytC-MM suspension. The anticancer capability of cytC-MM nanoplates were investigated using cell culture of metastasizing colon cancer.

Conclusion

The in vitro experiments with colon cancer cell culture disclose that cytC-MM composite particles have potential for application in anticancer therapy of superficial neoplasms of the skin and the alimentary system (mouth cavity, esophagus, stomach, jejunum and colon).

Graphic abstract

The Synthesis and Evaluation of Multivalent Glycopeptoids as Inhibitors of the Adhesion of Candida albicans

Multivalency is a strategy commonly used by medicinal carbohydrate chemists to increase the affinity of carbohydrate-based small molecules for their protein targets. Although this approach has been very successful in enhancing binding to isolated carbohydrate-binding proteins, anticipating the multivalent presentations that will improve biological activity in cellular assays remains challenging. In this work we investigate linear molecular scaffolds for the synthesis of a low valency presentation of a divalent galactoside 1, previously identified by us as an inhibitor of the adhesion of opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans to buccal epithelial cells (BECs). Adhesion inhibition assays revealed that multivalent glycoconjugate 3 is more effective at blocking C. albicans adherence to BECs upon initial exposure to epithelial cells. Interestingly, 3 did not seem to have any effect when it was pre-incubated with yeast cells, in contrast to the original lead compound 1, which caused a 25% reduction of adhesion. In competition assays, where yeast cells and BECs were co-incubated, multivalent glycoconjugate 3 inhibited up to 49% C. albicans adherence in a dose-dependent manner. The combined effect of compound 1 towards both yeast cells and BECs allowed it to achieve over 60% inhibition of the adhesion of C. albicans to BECs in competition assays.

Efficient intracellular delivery of p53 protein by engineered protein crystals restores tumor suppressing function in vivo

Direct delivery of proteins into cells holds significant potential for basic research and drug development. However, the poor endosomal escape of conventional delivery strategies remains a challenge, thus limiting the clinical translation of many protein therapeutics. Herein, we report that engineered Cry3Aa protein (Pos3Aa) crystals formed naturally within Bacillus thuringiensis can serve as a vehicle for efficient cytosolic delivery of bioactive proteins. We showed that Pos3Aa-mediated delivery of tumor suppressor p53 protein, a promising therapeutic candidate found to be inactivated in nearly half of human cancers, resulted in the restoration of p53 function in p53-deficient cancer cells, and thereby sensitized them to 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy as demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo models. Our results validate that Pos3Aa crystals can be a robust and effective platform for the cytosolic delivery of effector proteins, and suggest that efficient uptake and endosomal escape could be critical for efficacious p53 protein-based cancer therapy.

Functional protein nanostructures: a chemical toolbox

Nature has evolved an optimal synthetic factory in the form of translational and posttranslational processes by which millions of proteins with defined primary sequences and 3D structures can be built. Nature's toolkit gives rise to protein building blocks, which dictates their spatial arrangement to form functional protein nanostructures that serve a myriad of functions in cells, ranging from biocatalysis, formation of structural networks, and regulation of biochemical processes, to sensing. With the advent of chemical tools for site-selective protein modifications and recombinant engineering, there is a rapid development to develop and apply synthetic methods for creating structurally defined, functional protein nanostructures for a broad range of applications in the fields of catalysis, materials and biomedical sciences. In this review, design principles and structural features for achieving and characterizing functional protein nanostructures by synthetic approaches are summarized. The synthetic customization of protein building blocks, the design and introduction of recognition units and linkers and subsequent assembly into structurally defined protein architectures are discussed herein. Key examples of these supramolecular protein nanostructures, their unique functions and resultant impact for biomedical applications are highlighted.

Brain Delivery of Multifunctional Dendrimer Protein Bioconjugates

Neurological disorders are undoubtedly among the most alarming diseases humans might face. In treatment of neurological disorders, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a challenging obstacle preventing drug penetration into the brain. Advances in dendrimer chemistry for central nervous system (CNS) treatments are presented here. A poly(amido)amine (PAMAM) dendrimer bioconjugate with a streptavidin adapter for the attachment of dendrons or any biotinylated drug is constructed. In vitro studies on porcine or murine models and in vivo mouse studies are performed and reveal the permeation of dendronized streptavidin (DSA) into the CNS. The bioconjugate is taken up mainly by the caveolae pathway and transported across the BBB via transcytosis escaping from lysosomes. After transcytosis DSA are delivered to astrocytes and neurons. Furthermore, DSA offer high biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. In summary, a new strategy for implementing therapeutic PAMAM function as well as drug delivery in neuropathology is presented here.

Phenylboronic acid-modified hollow silica nanoparticles for dual-responsive delivery of doxorubicin for targeted tumor therapy

This work reports a multifunctional nanocarrier based on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) for targeting tumor therapy. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into HMSNs and blocked with cytochrome C conjugated lactobionic acid (CytC-LA) via redox-cleavable disulfide bonds and pH-disassociation boronate ester bonds as intermediate linkers. The CytC-LA was used both as sealing agent and targeting motif. A series of characterizations demonstrated the successful construction of the drug delivery system. The system demonstrated pH and redox dual-responsive drug release behavior in vitro. The DOX loading HMSNs system displayed a good biocompatibility, which could be specifically endocytosed by HepG2 cells and led to high cytotoxicity against tumor cells by inducing cell apoptosis. In vivo data (tumor volume, tumor weight, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling and hematoxylin and eosin staining) proved that the system could deliver DOX to tumor site with high efficiency and inhibit tumor growth with minimal toxic side effect.

A Supramolecular Approach toward Bioinspired PAMAM-Dendronized Fusion Toxins

Nature has provided a highly optimized toolbox in bacterial endotoxins with precise functions dictated by their clear structural division. Inspired by this streamlined design, a supramolecular approach capitalizing on the strong biomolecular (streptavidin (SA))-biotin interactions is reported herein to prepare two multipartite fusion constructs, which involves the generation 2.0 (D2) or generation 3.0 (D3) polyamidoamine-dendronized transporter proteins (dendronized streptavidin (D3SA) and dendronized human serum albumin (D2HSA)) non-covalently fused to the C3bot1 enzyme from Clostridium botulinum, a potent and specific Rho-inhibitor. The fusion constructs, D3SA-C3 and D2HSA-C3, represent the first examples of dendronized protein transporters that are fused to the C3 enzyme, and it is successfully demonstrated that the C3 Rho-inhibitor is delivered into the cytosol of mammalian cells as determined from the characteristic C3-mediated changes in cell morphology and confocal microscopy. The design circumvents the low uptake of the C3 enzyme by eukaryotic cells and holds great promise for reprogramming the properties of toxin enzymes using a supramolecular approach to broaden their therapeutic applications.

Clostridial C3 Toxins Target Monocytes/Macrophages and Modulate Their Functions

The C3 enzymes from Clostridium (C.) botulinum (C3bot) and Clostridium limosum (C3lim) are single chain protein toxins of about 25 kDa that mono-ADP-ribosylate Rho-A, -B, and -C in the cytosol of mammalian cells. We discovered that both C3 proteins are selectively internalized into the cytosol of monocytes and macrophages by an endocytotic mechanism, comparable to bacterial AB-type toxins, while they are not efficiently taken up into the cytosol of other cell types including epithelial cells and fibroblasts. C3-treatment results in disturbed macrophage functions, such as migration and phagocytosis, suggesting a novel function of clostridial C3 toxins as virulence factors, which selectively interfere with these immune cells. Moreover, enzymatic inactive C3 protein serves as a transport system to selectively deliver pharmacologically active molecules into the cytosol of monocytes/macrophages without damaging these cells. This review addresses also the generation of C3-based molecular tools for experimental macrophage pharmacology and cell biology as well as the exploitation of C3 for development of novel therapeutic strategies against monocyte/macrophage-associated diseases.

Protein–polymer therapeutics: a macromolecular perspective

The development of protein–polymer hybrids emerged several decades ago with the vision that their synergistic combination will offer macromolecular hybrids with manifold features to succeed as the next generation therapeutics.

Programming supramolecular biohybrids as precision therapeutics

CONSPECTUS: Chemical programming of macromolecular structures to instill a set of defined chemical properties designed to behave in a sequential and precise manner is a characteristic vision for creating next generation nanomaterials. In this context, biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids provide an attractive platform for the integration of complex chemical design due to their sequence specificity and geometric definition, which allows accurate translation of chemical functionalities to biological activity. Coupled with the advent of amino acid specific modification techniques, "programmable" areas of a protein chain become exclusively available for any synthetic customization. We envision that chemically reprogrammed hybrid proteins will bridge the vital link to overcome the limitations of synthetic and biological materials, providing a unique strategy for tailoring precision therapeutics. In this Account, we present our work toward the chemical design of protein- derived hybrid polymers and their supramolecular responsiveness, while summarizing their impact and the advancement in biomedicine. Proteins, in their native form, represent the central framework of all biological processes and are an unrivaled class of macromolecular drugs with immense specificity. Nonetheless, the route of administration of protein therapeutics is often vastly different from Nature's biosynthesis. Therefore, it is imperative to chemically reprogram these biopolymers to direct their entry and activity toward the designated target. As a consequence of the innate structural regularity of proteins, we show that supramolecular interactions facilitated by stimulus responsive chemistry can be intricately designed as a powerful tool to customize their functions, stability, activity profiles, and transportation capabilities. From another perspective, a protein in its denatured, unfolded form serves as a monodispersed, biodegradable polymer scaffold decorated with functional side chains available for grafting with molecules of interest. Additionally, we are equipped with analytical tools to map the fingerprint of the protein chain, directly elucidating the structure at the molecular level. Contrary to conventional polymers, these biopolymers facilitate a more systematic avenue to investigate engineered macromolecules, with greater detail and accuracy. In this regard, we focus on denaturing serum albumin, an abundant blood protein, and exploit its peptidic array of functionalities to program supramolecular architectures for bioimaging, drug and gene delivery. Ultimately, we seek to assimilate the evolutionary advantage of these protein based biopolymers with the limitless versatility of synthetic chemistry to merge the best of both worlds.

Advances in Anticancer Protein Delivery Using Micro-/ Nanoparticles

Proteins exhibiting anticancer activities, especially those capable of discriminately killing cancer cells, have attracted increasing interest in developing protein-based anticancer therapeutics. This progress report surveys recent advances in delivering anticancer proteins directly to tumor tissue for inducing apoptosis/necrosis or indirectly to antigen presenting cells for provoking immune responses. Protein delivery carriers such as inorganic particles, lipid particles, polymeric particles, DNA/protein based biomacromolecular particles as well as cell based carriers are reviewed with comments on their advantages and limitations. Future challenges and opportunities are also discussed.

A disulfide intercalator toolbox for the site-directed modification of polypeptides

A disulfide intercalator toolbox was developed for site-specific attachment of a broad variety of functional groups to proteins or peptides under mild, physiological conditions. The peptide hormone somatostatin (SST) served as model compound for intercalation into the available disulfide functionalization schemes starting from the intercalator or the reactive SST precursor before or after bioconjugation. A tetrazole-SST derivative was obtained that undergoes photoinduced cycloaddition in mammalian cells, which was monitored by live-cell imaging.

Cytochrome c end-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles as redox-responsive drug delivery vehicles for liver tumor-targeted triplex therapy in vitro and in vivo

To develop carriers for efficient anti-cancer drug delivery with reduced side effects, a biocompatible and redox-responsive nanocontainer based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) for tumor-targeted triplex therapy was reported in this study. The nanocontainer was fabricated by immobilizing cytochrome c (CytC) onto the MSNs as sealing agent via intermediate linkers of disulfide bonds for redox-responsive intracellular drug delivery. AS1411 aptamer was further tailored onto MSNs for cell/tumor targeting. The successful construction of redox- responsive MSNs was confirmed by BET/BJH analysis, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Detailed investigations demonstrated that anticancer drug of doxorubicin (DOX) loaded nanocontainer could be triggered by reductant (e.g. glutathione) within cellular microenvironment and release DOX to induce tumor cell apoptosis in vitro. More importantly, the nanocontainer displayed great potential for tumor targeting and achieved triplex therapy effects on the tumor inhibition in vivo through the loading DOX, gatekeeper of CytC and AS1411 aptamer, which were reflected by the change of tumor size, TUNEL staining and HE staining assays.

A cell-permeable fusion protein based on Clostridium botulinum C2 toxin for delivery of p53 tumorsuppressor into cancer cells

Genetically engineered bacterial protein toxins are attractive systems for delivery of exogenous proteins into the cytosol of mammalian cells. The binary C2 toxin from C. botulinum has emerged as powerful delivery vehicle, which rests on its binding/translocation component C2IIa and the genetically modified adaptor domain C2IN that act in concert to trigger cell uptake. The p53 tumor suppressor protein has a crucial function in suppressing carcinogenesis and is frequently inactivated by diverse mechanisms in human tumor cells. Therefore, we constructed a C2IN-p53 fusion protein, which is internalized into cancer cells by C2IIa. To this end, the C2IN-p53 fusion construct was overexpressed in E. coli with good solubility, purified by heparin affinity chromatography and protein identity was confirmed by immunoblotting. We demonstrated that the fusion protein is capable of binding to the p53 consensus-DNA with high affinity in a p53-specific manner in vitro. Next, the internalization of C2IN-p53 was monitored in HeLa cells by cell fractionation and immunoblot analysis, which revealed a C2IIa-mediated translocation of the fusion protein into the cytosol. The uptake was also shown in A549 and Saos-2 cells with similar efficiency. These findings were further corroborated by confocal immunofluorescence analyses of C2IN-p53/C2IIa-treated HeLa and A549 cells, displaying predominantly cytoplasmic localization of the fusion construct.