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Beauchamp E, Gamma JM, Cromwell CR, Moussa EW, Pain R, Kostiuk MA, Acevedo-Morantes C, Iyer A, Yap M, Vincent KM, Postovit LM, Julien O, Hubbard BP, Mackey JR, Berthiaume LG. Multiomics analysis identifies oxidative phosphorylation as a cancer vulnerability arising from myristoylation inhibition. J Transl Med 2024; 22:431. [PMID: 38715059 PMCID: PMC11075276 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05150-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In humans, two ubiquitously expressed N-myristoyltransferases, NMT1 and NMT2, catalyze myristate transfer to proteins to facilitate membrane targeting and signaling. We investigated the expression of NMTs in numerous cancers and found that NMT2 levels are dysregulated by epigenetic suppression, particularly so in hematologic malignancies. This suggests that pharmacological inhibition of the remaining NMT1 could allow for the selective killing of these cells, sparing normal cells with both NMTs. METHODS AND RESULTS Transcriptomic analysis of 1200 NMT inhibitor (NMTI)-treated cancer cell lines revealed that NMTI sensitivity relates not only to NMT2 loss or NMT1 dependency, but also correlates with a myristoylation inhibition sensitivity signature comprising 54 genes (MISS-54) enriched in hematologic cancers as well as testis, brain, lung, ovary, and colon cancers. Because non-myristoylated proteins are degraded by a glycine-specific N-degron, differential proteomics revealed the major impact of abrogating NMT1 genetically using CRISPR/Cas9 in cancer cells was surprisingly to reduce mitochondrial respiratory complex I proteins rather than cell signaling proteins, some of which were also reduced, albeit to a lesser extent. Cancer cell treatments with the first-in-class NMTI PCLX-001 (zelenirstat), which is undergoing human phase 1/2a trials in advanced lymphoma and solid tumors, recapitulated these effects. The most downregulated myristoylated mitochondrial protein was NDUFAF4, a complex I assembly factor. Knockout of NDUFAF4 or in vitro cell treatment with zelenirstat resulted in loss of complex I, oxidative phosphorylation and respiration, which impacted metabolomes. CONCLUSIONS Targeting of both, oxidative phosphorylation and cell signaling partly explains the lethal effects of zelenirstat in select cancer types. While the prognostic value of the sensitivity score MISS-54 remains to be validated in patients, our findings continue to warrant the clinical development of zelenirstat as cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jay M Gamma
- Department of Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Christopher R Cromwell
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Eman W Moussa
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Rony Pain
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Morris A Kostiuk
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Claudia Acevedo-Morantes
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Aishwarya Iyer
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Megan Yap
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Krista M Vincent
- Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Lynne M Postovit
- Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Olivier Julien
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Basil P Hubbard
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Luc G Berthiaume
- Pacylex Pharmaceuticals Inc., Edmonton, AB, Canada.
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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2
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Tijaro-Bulla S, Osman EA, St Laurent CD, McCord KA, Macauley MS, Gibbs JM. Disrupting Protein Expression with Double-Clicked sgRNA-Cas9 Complexes: A Modular Approach to CRISPR Gene Editing. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:2156-2162. [PMID: 37556411 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas9 is currently the most versatile technique to perform gene editing in living organisms. In this approach, the Cas9 endonuclease is guided toward its DNA target sequence by the guide RNA (gRNA). Chemical synthesis of a functional single gRNA (sgRNA) is nontrivial because of the length of the RNA strand. Recently we demonstrated that a sgRNA can be stitched together from three smaller fragments through a copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, making the process highly modular. Here we further advance this approach by leveraging this modulator platform by incorporating chemically modified nucleotides at both ends of the modular sgRNA to increase resistance against ribonucleases. Modified nucleotides consisted of a 2'-O-Me group and a phosphorothioate backbone in varying number at both the 5'- and 3'-ends of the sgRNA. It was observed that three modified nucleotides at both ends of the sgRNA significantly increased the success of Cas9 in knocking out a gene of interest. Using these chemically stabilized sgRNAs facilitates multigene editing at the protein level, as demonstrated by successful knockout of both Siglec-3 and Siglec-7 using two fluorophores in conjunction with fluorescence-activated cell sorting. These results demonstrate the versatility of this modular platform for assembling sgRNAs from small, chemically modified strands to simultaneously disrupt the gene expression of two proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eiman A Osman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Chris D St Laurent
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Kelli A McCord
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Matthew S Macauley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R7, Canada
| | - Julianne M Gibbs
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
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3
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Park H, Osman EA, Cromwell CR, St Laurent CD, Liu Y, Kitova EN, Klassen JS, Hubbard BP, Macauley MS, Gibbs JM. CRISPR-Click Enables Dual-Gene Editing with Modular Synthetic sgRNAs. Bioconjug Chem 2022; 33:858-868. [PMID: 35436106 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Gene-editing systems such as CRISPR-Cas9 readily enable individual gene phenotypes to be studied through loss of function. However, in certain instances, gene compensation can obfuscate the results of these studies, necessitating the editing of multiple genes to properly identify biological pathways and protein function. Performing multiple genetic modifications in cells remains difficult due to the requirement for multiple rounds of gene editing. While fluorescently labeled guide RNAs (gRNAs) are routinely used in laboratories for targeting CRISPR-Cas9 to disrupt individual loci, technical limitations in single gRNA (sgRNA) synthesis hinder the expansion of this approach to multicolor cell sorting. Here, we describe a modular strategy for synthesizing sgRNAs where each target sequence is conjugated to a unique fluorescent label, which enables fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate cells that incorporate the desired combination of gene-editing constructs. We demonstrate that three short strands of RNA functionalized with strategically placed 5'-azide and 3'-alkyne terminal deoxyribonucleotides can be assembled in a one-step, template-assisted, copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition to generate fully functional, fluorophore-modified sgRNAs. Using these synthetic sgRNAs in combination with FACS, we achieved selective cleavage of two targeted genes, either separately as a single-color experiment or in combination as a dual-color experiment. These data indicate that our strategy for generating double-clicked sgRNA allows for Cas9 activity in cells. By minimizing the size of each RNA fragment to 41 nucleotides or less, this strategy is well suited for custom, scalable synthesis of sgRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hansol Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Eiman A Osman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | | | - Chris D St Laurent
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Yuning Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Elena N Kitova
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - John S Klassen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Basil P Hubbard
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Matthew S Macauley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R7, Canada
| | - Julianne M Gibbs
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
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4
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Kerek EM, Cromwell CR, Hubbard BP. Identification of Drug Resistance Genes Using a Pooled Lentiviral CRISPR/Cas9 Screening Approach. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2381:227-242. [PMID: 34590280 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1740-3_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In addition to advancing the development of gene-editing therapeutics, CRISPR/Cas9 is transforming how functional genetic studies are carried out in the lab. By increasing the ease with which genetic information can be inserted, deleted, or edited in cell and organism models, it facilitates genotype-phenotype analysis. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9 has revolutionized the speed at which new genes underlying a particular phenotype can be identified through its application in genomic screens. Arrayed high-throughput and pooled lentiviral-based CRISPR/Cas9 screens have now been used in a wide variety of contexts, including the identification of essential genes, genes involved in cancer metastasis and tumor growth, and even genes involved in viral response. This technology has also been successfully used to identify drug targets and drug resistance mechanisms. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for performing a genome-wide pooled lentiviral CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screen to identify genetic modulators of a small-molecule drug. While we exemplify how to identify genes involved in resistance to a cytotoxic histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A (TSA), the workflow we present can easily be adapted to different types of selections and other types of exogenous ligands or drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan M Kerek
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Basil P Hubbard
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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