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Kong D, Zhou Y, Wei Y, Wang X, Huang Q, Gao X, Wan H, Liu M, Kang L, Yu G, Yin J, Guan N, Ye H. Exploring plant-derived phytochrome chaperone proteins for light-switchable transcriptional regulation in mammals. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4894. [PMID: 38849338 PMCID: PMC11161646 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49254-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology applications require finely tuned gene expression, often mediated by synthetic transcription factors (sTFs) compatible with the human genome and transcriptional regulation mechanisms. While various DNA-binding and activation domains have been developed for different applications, advanced artificially controllable sTFs with improved regulatory capabilities are required for increasingly sophisticated applications. Here, in mammalian cells and mice, we validate the transactivator function and homo-/heterodimerization activity of the plant-derived phytochrome chaperone proteins, FHY1 and FHL. Our results demonstrate that FHY1/FHL form a photosensing transcriptional regulation complex (PTRC) through interaction with the phytochrome, ΔPhyA, that can toggle between active and inactive states through exposure to red or far-red light, respectively. Exploiting this capability, we develop a light-switchable platform that allows for orthogonal, modular, and tunable control of gene transcription, and incorporate it into a PTRC-controlled CRISPRa system (PTRCdcas) to modulate endogenous gene expression. We then integrate the PTRC with small molecule- or blue light-inducible regulatory modules to construct a variety of highly tunable systems that allow rapid and reversible control of transcriptional regulation in vitro and in vivo. Validation and deployment of these plant-derived phytochrome chaperone proteins in a PTRC platform have produced a versatile, powerful tool for advanced research and biomedical engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deqiang Kong
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Wuhu Hospital, Health Science Center, East China Normal University, Middle Jiuhua Road 263, Wuhu City, China
| | - Yu Wei
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Xinyi Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Qin Huang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Xianyun Gao
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Hang Wan
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Mengyao Liu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Liping Kang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Guiling Yu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Jianli Yin
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Precision Optics, Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University, Chongqing, 401120, China
| | - Ningzi Guan
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China.
| | - Haifeng Ye
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai, 200241, China.
- Wuhu Hospital, Health Science Center, East China Normal University, Middle Jiuhua Road 263, Wuhu City, China.
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2
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Zhou J, Le CQ, Zhang Y, Wells JA. A general approach for selection of epitope-directed binders to proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317307121. [PMID: 38683990 PMCID: PMC11087759 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317307121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Directing antibodies to a particular epitope among many possible on a target protein is a significant challenge. Here, we present a simple and general method for epitope-directed selection (EDS) using a differential phage selection strategy. This involves engineering the protein of interest (POI) with the epitope of interest (EOI) mutated using a systematic bioinformatics algorithm to guide the local design of an EOI decoy variant. Using several alternating rounds of negative selection with the EOI decoy variant followed by positive selection on the wild-type POI, we were able to identify highly specific and potent antibodies to five different EOI antigens that bind and functionally block known sites of proteolysis. Among these, we developed highly specific antibodies that target the proteolytic site on the CUB domain containing protein 1 (CDCP1) to prevent its proteolysis allowing us to study the cellular maturation of this event that triggers malignancy. We generated antibodies that recognize the junction between the pro- and catalytic domains for three different matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), MMP1, MMP3, and MMP9, that selectively block activation of each of these enzymes and impair cell migration. We targeted a proteolytic epitope on the cell surface receptor, EPH Receptor A2 (EphA2), that is known to transform it from a tumor suppressor to an oncoprotein. We believe that the EDS method greatly facilitates the generation of antibodies to specific EOIs on a wide range of proteins and enzymes for broad therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94158
| | - Chau Q. Le
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94158
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94158
| | - James A. Wells
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94158
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA94158
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94158
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3
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Bhatt B, García-Díaz P, Foight GW. Synthetic transcription factor engineering for cell and gene therapy. Trends Biotechnol 2024; 42:449-463. [PMID: 37865540 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic transcription factors (synTFs) that control beneficial transgene expression are an important method to increase the safety and efficacy of cell and gene therapy. Reliance on synTF components from non-human sources has slowed progress in the field because of concerns about immunogenicity and inducer drug properties. Recent advances in human-derived DNA-binding domains (DBDs) and transcriptional activation domains (TADs) paired with novel control modules responsive to clinically approved small molecules have poised the synTF field to overcome these hurdles. Advances include controllers inducible by autonomous signaling inputs and more complex, multi-input synTF circuits. Demonstrations of advanced control strategies with human-derived transcription factor components in clinically relevant vectors and in vivo models will facilitate progression into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhoomi Bhatt
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pablo García-Díaz
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Glenna Wink Foight
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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4
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Shkarina K, Broz P. Selective induction of programmed cell death using synthetic biology tools. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 156:74-92. [PMID: 37598045 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Regulated cell death (RCD) controls the removal of dispensable, infected or malignant cells, and is thus essential for development, homeostasis and immunity of multicellular organisms. Over the last years different forms of RCD have been described (among them apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis and ferroptosis), and the cellular signaling pathways that control their induction and execution have been characterized at the molecular level. It has also become apparent that different forms of RCD differ in their capacity to elicit inflammation or an immune response, and that RCD pathways show a remarkable plasticity. Biochemical and genetic studies revealed that inhibition of a given pathway often results in the activation of back-up cell death mechanisms, highlighting close interconnectivity based on shared signaling components and the assembly of multivalent signaling platforms that can initiate different forms of RCD. Due to this interconnectivity and the pleiotropic effects of 'classical' cell death inducers, it is challenging to study RCD pathways in isolation. This has led to the development of tools based on synthetic biology that allow the targeted induction of RCD using chemogenetic or optogenetic methods. Here we discuss recent advances in the development of such toolset, highlighting their advantages and limitations, and their application for the study of RCD in cells and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kateryna Shkarina
- Institute of Innate Immunity, University Hospital Bonn, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.
| | - Petr Broz
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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5
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Brouns T, Lux V, Van Belle S, Christ F, Veverka V, Debyser Z. The Impact of Lens Epithelium-Derived Growth Factor p75 Dimerization on Its Tethering Function. Cells 2024; 13:227. [PMID: 38334618 PMCID: PMC10854676 DOI: 10.3390/cells13030227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The transcriptional co-activator lens epithelium-derived growth factor/p75 (LEDGF/p75) plays an important role in the biology of the cell and in several human diseases, including MLL-rearranged acute leukemia, autoimmunity, and HIV-1 infection. In both health and disease, LEDGF/p75 functions as a chromatin tether that interacts with proteins such as MLL1 and HIV-1 integrase via its integrase-binding domain (IBD) and with chromatin through its N-terminal PWWP domain. Recently, dimerization of LEDGF/p75 was shown, mediated by a network of electrostatic contacts between amino acids from the IBD and the C-terminal α6-helix. Here, we investigated the functional impact of LEDGF/p75 variants on the dimerization using biochemical and cellular interaction assays. The data demonstrate that the C-terminal α6-helix folds back in cis on the IBD of monomeric LEDGF/p75. We discovered that the presence of DNA stimulates LEDGF/p75 dimerization. LEDGF/p75 dimerization enhances binding to MLL1 but not to HIV-1 integrase, a finding that was observed in vitro and validated in cell culture. Whereas HIV-1 replication was not dependent on LEDGF/p75 dimerization, colony formation of MLLr-dependent human leukemic THP-1 cells was. In conclusion, our data indicate that intricate changes in the quaternary structure of LEDGF/p75 modulate its tethering function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tine Brouns
- Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Flanders, Belgium; (T.B.); (S.V.B.); (F.C.)
| | - Vanda Lux
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 16000 Prague, Czech Republic; (V.L.); (V.V.)
| | - Siska Van Belle
- Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Flanders, Belgium; (T.B.); (S.V.B.); (F.C.)
| | - Frauke Christ
- Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Flanders, Belgium; (T.B.); (S.V.B.); (F.C.)
| | - Václav Veverka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 16000 Prague, Czech Republic; (V.L.); (V.V.)
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 12800 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zeger Debyser
- Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Flanders, Belgium; (T.B.); (S.V.B.); (F.C.)
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6
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Hamilton JR, Chen E, Perez BS, Sandoval Espinoza CR, Kang MH, Trinidad M, Ngo W, Doudna JA. In vivo human T cell engineering with enveloped delivery vehicles. Nat Biotechnol 2024:10.1038/s41587-023-02085-z. [PMID: 38212493 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-02085-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Viruses and virally derived particles have the intrinsic capacity to deliver molecules to cells, but the difficulty of readily altering cell-type selectivity has hindered their use for therapeutic delivery. Here, we show that cell surface marker recognition by antibody fragments displayed on membrane-derived particles encapsulating CRISPR-Cas9 protein and guide RNA can deliver genome editing tools to specific cells. Compared to conventional vectors like adeno-associated virus that rely on evolved capsid tropisms to deliver virally encoded cargo, these Cas9-packaging enveloped delivery vehicles (Cas9-EDVs) leverage predictable antibody-antigen interactions to transiently deliver genome editing machinery selectively to cells of interest. Antibody-targeted Cas9-EDVs preferentially confer genome editing in cognate target cells over bystander cells in mixed populations, both ex vivo and in vivo. By using multiplexed targeting molecules to direct delivery to human T cells, Cas9-EDVs enable the generation of genome-edited chimeric antigen receptor T cells in humanized mice, establishing a programmable delivery modality with the potential for widespread therapeutic utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R Hamilton
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Azalea Therapeutics, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Evelyn Chen
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Azalea Therapeutics, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Barbara S Perez
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Cindy R Sandoval Espinoza
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Min Hyung Kang
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Marena Trinidad
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Wayne Ngo
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Doudna
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.
- Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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7
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Chin SE, Schindler C, Vinall L, Dodd RB, Bamber L, Legg S, Sigurdardottir A, Rees DG, Malcolm TIM, Spratley SJ, Granéli C, Sumner J, Tigue NJ. A simeprevir-inducible molecular switch for the control of cell and gene therapies. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7753. [PMID: 38012128 PMCID: PMC10682029 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43484-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical inducer of dimerization (CID) modules can be used effectively as molecular switches to control biological processes, and thus there is significant interest within the synthetic biology community in identifying novel CID systems. To date, CID modules have been used primarily in engineering cells for in vitro applications. To broaden their utility to the clinical setting, including the potential to control cell and gene therapies, the identification of novel CID modules should consider factors such as the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of the small molecule inducer, and the orthogonality and immunogenicity of the protein components. Here we describe a CID module based on the orally available, approved, small molecule simeprevir and its target, the NS3/4A protease from hepatitis C virus. We demonstrate the utility of this CID module as a molecular switch to control biological processes such as gene expression and apoptosis in vitro, and show that the CID system can be used to rapidly induce apoptosis in tumor cells in a xenograft mouse model, leading to complete tumor regression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey E Chin
- Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Lisa Vinall
- Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Roger B Dodd
- Biologics Engineering, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Lisa Bamber
- Biologics Engineering, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sandrine Legg
- Biologics Engineering, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - D Gareth Rees
- Biologics Engineering, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tim I M Malcolm
- Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Cecilia Granéli
- BioPharmaceuticals R&D Cell Therapy Department, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism (CVRM), BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jonathan Sumner
- Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Natalie J Tigue
- Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
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8
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Shui S, Buckley S, Scheller L, Correia BE. Rational design of small-molecule responsive protein switches. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4774. [PMID: 37656809 PMCID: PMC10510469 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Small-molecule responsive protein switches are powerful tools for controlling cellular processes. These switches are designed to respond rapidly and specifically to their inducer. They have been used in numerous applications, including the regulation of gene expression, post-translational protein modification, and signal transduction. Typically, small-molecule responsive protein switches consist of two proteins that interact with each other in the presence or absence of a small molecule. Recent advances in computational protein design already contributed to the development of protein switches with an expanded range of small-molecule inducers and increasingly sophisticated switch mechanisms. Further progress in the engineering of small-molecule responsive switches is fueled by cutting-edge computational design approaches, which will enable more complex and precise control over cellular processes and advance synthetic biology applications in biotechnology and medicine. Here, we discuss recent milestones and how technological advances are impacting the development of chemical switches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sailan Shui
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI)STI, EPFLLausanneSwitzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Stephen Buckley
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI)STI, EPFLLausanneSwitzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Leo Scheller
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI)STI, EPFLLausanneSwitzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Bruno E. Correia
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI)STI, EPFLLausanneSwitzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)LausanneSwitzerland
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9
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Kretschmer S, Perry N, Zhang Y, Kortemme T. Multi-input Drug-Controlled Switches of Mammalian Gene Expression Based on Engineered Nuclear Hormone Receptors. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1924-1934. [PMID: 37315218 PMCID: PMC10367131 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based switches that respond to different inputs to regulate cellular outputs, such as gene expression, are central to synthetic biology. For increased controllability, multi-input switches that integrate several cooperating and competing signals for the regulation of a shared output are of particular interest. The nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) superfamily offers promising starting points for engineering multi-input-controlled responses to clinically approved drugs. Starting from the VgEcR/RXR pair, we demonstrate that novel (multi)drug regulation can be achieved by exchange of the ecdysone receptor (EcR) ligand binding domain (LBD) for other human NHR-derived LBDs. For responses activated to saturation by an agonist for the first LBD, we show that outputs can be boosted by an agonist targeting the second LBD. In combination with an antagonist, output levels are tunable by up to three simultaneously present small-molecule drugs. Such high-level control validates NHRs as a versatile, engineerable platform for programming multidrug-controlled responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Kretschmer
- Department
of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- California
Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Nicholas Perry
- Department
of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- California
Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- University
of California, Berkeley—University of California, San Francisco
Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department
of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- California
Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Tanja Kortemme
- Department
of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- California
Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- University
of California, Berkeley—University of California, San Francisco
Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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10
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Tague EP, McMahan JB, Tague N, Dunlop MJ, Ngo JT. Controlled Protein Activities with Viral Proteases, Antiviral Peptides, and Antiviral Drugs. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1228-1236. [PMID: 37140437 PMCID: PMC10501127 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Chemical control of protein activity is a powerful tool for scientific study, synthetic biology, and cell therapy; however, for broad use, effective chemical inducer systems must minimally crosstalk with endogenous processes and exhibit desirable drug delivery properties. Accordingly, the drug-controllable proteolytic activity of hepatitis C cis-protease NS3 and its associated antiviral drugs have been used to regulate protein activity and gene modulation. These tools advantageously exploit non-eukaryotic and non-prokaryotic proteins and clinically approved inhibitors. Here, we expand the toolkit by utilizing catalytically inactive NS3 protease as a high affinity binder to genetically encoded, antiviral peptides. Through our approach, we create NS3-peptide complexes that can be displaced by FDA-approved drugs to modulate transcription, cell signaling, and split-protein complementation. With our developed system, we invented a new mechanism to allosterically regulate Cre recombinase. Allosteric Cre regulation with NS3 ligands enables orthogonal recombination tools in eukaryotic cells and functions in divergent organisms to control prokaryotic recombinase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot P Tague
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Jeffrey B McMahan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Nathan Tague
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Mary J Dunlop
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - John T Ngo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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11
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Sun X, Zhou C, Xia S, Chen X. Small molecule-nanobody conjugate induced proximity controls intracellular processes and modulates endogenous unligandable targets. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1635. [PMID: 36964170 PMCID: PMC10039045 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37237-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemically induced proximity (CIP) is a powerful tool to study cellular functions. However with current CIP inducers it is difficult to directly modulate unligandable and endogenous targets, and therapeutic translational potential is also restricted. Herein, we combine CIP and chemical nanobody engineering and create cell-permeable small molecule-nanobody conjugate inducers of proximity (SNACIPs). The SNACIP inducer cRGT carrying a cyclic cell-penetrating peptide rapidly enters live cells and dimerizes eDHFR and GFP-variants. cRGT enables minute-scale, reversible, no-wash and dose-dependent control of cellular processes including signaling cascade, cargo transport and ferroptosis. Small-molecule motifs can also be installed via post-translational modifications. Therefore, latent-type SNACIPs including cRTC are designed that are functionally assembled inside living cells. cRTC contains a nanobody against an intrinsically disordered protein TPX2, a microtubule nucleation factor overexpressed in various cancers. Cancer cell proliferation is inhibited and tumor growth is suppressed in vivo. Hence, SNACIPs are valuable proximity inducers for regulating cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Sun
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Frontier Biotechnologies, The HIT Center for Life Sciences (HCLS), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, 150001, PR China
- School of Life Science and Technology, HIT, Harbin, 150001, PR China
| | - Chengjian Zhou
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Frontier Biotechnologies, The HIT Center for Life Sciences (HCLS), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, 150001, PR China
- School of Life Science and Technology, HIT, Harbin, 150001, PR China
| | - Simin Xia
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Frontier Biotechnologies, The HIT Center for Life Sciences (HCLS), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, 150001, PR China
| | - Xi Chen
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Frontier Biotechnologies, The HIT Center for Life Sciences (HCLS), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, 150001, PR China.
- School of Life Science and Technology, HIT, Harbin, 150001, PR China.
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12
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Tague EP, McMahan JB, Tague N, Dunlop MJ, Ngo JT. Controlled protein activities with viral proteases, antiviral peptides, and antiviral drugs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.27.530290. [PMID: 36909459 PMCID: PMC10002686 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.27.530290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Chemical control of protein activity is a powerful tool for scientific study, synthetic biology, and cell therapy; however, for broad use, effective chemical inducer systems must minimally crosstalk with endogenous processes and exhibit desirable drug delivery properties. Accordingly, the drug-controllable proteolytic activity of hepatitis C cis- protease NS3 and its associated antiviral drugs have been used to regulate protein activity and gene modulation. These tools advantageously exploit non-eukaryotic/prokaryotic proteins and clinically approved inhibitors. Here we expand the toolkit by utilizing catalytically inactive NS3 protease as a high affinity binder to genetically encoded, antiviral peptides. Through our approach, we create NS3-peptide complexes that can be displaced by FDA-approved drugs to modulate transcription, cell signaling, split-protein complementation. With our developed system, we discover a new mechanism to allosterically regulate Cre recombinase. Allosteric Cre regulation with NS3 ligands enables orthogonal recombination tools in eukaryotic cells and functions in divergent organisms to control prokaryotic recombinase activity.
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13
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Nadendla K, Simpson GG, Becher J, Journeaux T, Cabeza-Cabrerizo M, Bernardes GJL. Strategies for Conditional Regulation of Proteins. JACS AU 2023; 3:344-357. [PMID: 36873677 PMCID: PMC9975842 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.2c00654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Design of the next-generation of therapeutics, biosensors, and molecular tools for basic research requires that we bring protein activity under control. Each protein has unique properties, and therefore, it is critical to tailor the current techniques to develop new regulatory methods and regulate new proteins of interest (POIs). This perspective gives an overview of the widely used stimuli and synthetic and natural methods for conditional regulation of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthik Nadendla
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, U.K.
| | - Grant G. Simpson
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, U.K.
| | - Julie Becher
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, U.K.
| | - Toby Journeaux
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, U.K.
| | - Mar Cabeza-Cabrerizo
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, U.K.
| | - Gonçalo J. L. Bernardes
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, U.K.
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
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14
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Kretschmer S, Perry N, Zhang Y, Kortemme T. Multi-input drug-controlled switches of mammalian gene expression based on engineered nuclear hormone receptors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.01.526549. [PMID: 36778233 PMCID: PMC9915577 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.01.526549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based switches that respond to different inputs to regulate cellular outputs, such as gene expression, are central to synthetic biology. For increased controllability, multi-input switches that integrate several cooperating and competing signals for the regulation of a shared output are of particular interest. The nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) superfamily offers promising starting points for engineering multi-input-controlled responses to clinically approved drugs. Starting from the VgEcR/RXR pair, we demonstrate that novel (multi-)drug regulation can be achieved by exchange of the ecdysone receptor (EcR) ligand binding domain (LBD) for other human NHR-derived LBDs. For responses activated to saturation by an agonist for the first LBD, we show that outputs can be boosted by an agonist targeting the second LBD. In combination with an antagonist, output levels are tunable by up to three simultaneously present small-molecule drugs. Such high-level control validates NHRs as a versatile, engineerable platform for programming multi-drug-controlled responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Kretschmer
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA,California Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA,Corresponding author:
| | - Nicholas Perry
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA,California Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA,University of California, Berkeley—University of California, San Francisco Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA,California Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Tanja Kortemme
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA,California Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA,University of California, Berkeley—University of California, San Francisco Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA, USA
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15
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Ma D, Yuan Q, Peng F, Paredes V, Zeng H, Yang Q, Peddi A, Patel A, Liu MS, Sun Z, Gao X. Engineered PROTAC-CID Systems for Mammalian Inducible Gene Regulation. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:1593-1606. [PMID: 36626587 PMCID: PMC10162582 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulation via chemically induced dimerization (CID) is useful for biomedical research. However, the number, type, versatility, and in vivo applications of CID tools remain limited. Here, we demonstrate the development of proteolysis-targeting chimera-based scalable CID (PROTAC-CID) platforms by systematically engineering the available PROTAC systems for inducible gene regulation and gene editing. Further, we show orthogonal PROTAC-CIDs that can fine-tune gene expression at gradient levels or multiplex biological signals with different logic gating operations. Coupling the PROTAC-CID platform with genetic circuits, we achieve digitally inducible expression of DNA recombinases, base- and prime-editors for transient genome manipulation. Finally, we package a compact PROTAC-CID system into adeno-associated viral vectors for inducible and reversible gene activation in vivo. This work provides a versatile molecular toolbox that expands the scope of chemically inducible gene regulation in human cells and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dacheng Ma
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Qichen Yuan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Fei Peng
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Victor Paredes
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Hongzhi Zeng
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Qiaochu Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Advaith Peddi
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Anika Patel
- Department of Computer Sciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Megan S. Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Zheng Sun
- Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Xue Gao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
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16
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Chemically inducible split protein regulators for mammalian cells. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:64-71. [PMID: 36163385 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01136-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Chemically inducible systems represent valuable synthetic biology tools that enable the external control of biological processes. However, their translation to therapeutic applications has been limited because of unfavorable ligand characteristics or the immunogenicity of xenogeneic protein domains. To address these issues, we present a strategy for engineering inducible split protein regulators (INSPIRE) in which ligand-binding proteins of human origin are split into two fragments that reassemble in the presence of a cognate physiological ligand or clinically approved drug. We show that the INSPIRE platform can be used for dynamic, orthogonal and multiplex control of gene expression in mammalian cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate the functionality of a glucocorticoid-responsive INSPIRE platform in vivo and apply it for perturbing an endogenous regulatory network. INSPIRE presents a generalizable approach toward designing small-molecule responsive systems that can be implemented for the construction of new sensors, regulatory networks and therapeutic applications.
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17
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Qian ZG, Huang SC, Xia XX. Synthetic protein condensates for cellular and metabolic engineering. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:1330-1340. [DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01203-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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18
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Integration of CRISPR/Cas9 with artificial intelligence for improved cancer therapeutics. J Transl Med 2022; 20:534. [PMID: 36401282 PMCID: PMC9673220 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03765-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene editing has great potential in treating diseases caused by well-characterized molecular alterations. The introduction of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)–based gene-editing tools has substantially improved the precision and efficiency of gene editing. The CRISPR/Cas9 system offers several advantages over the existing gene-editing approaches, such as its ability to target practically any genomic sequence, enabling the rapid development and deployment of novel CRISPR-mediated knock-out/knock-in methods. CRISPR/Cas9 has been widely used to develop cancer models, validate essential genes as druggable targets, study drug-resistance mechanisms, explore gene non-coding areas, and develop biomarkers. CRISPR gene editing can create more-effective chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells that are durable, cost-effective, and more readily available. However, further research is needed to define the CRISPR/Cas9 system’s pros and cons, establish best practices, and determine social and ethical implications. This review summarizes recent CRISPR/Cas9 developments, particularly in cancer research and immunotherapy, and the potential of CRISPR/Cas9-based screening in developing cancer precision medicine and engineering models for targeted cancer therapy, highlighting the existing challenges and future directions. Lastly, we highlight the role of artificial intelligence in refining the CRISPR system's on-target and off-target effects, a critical factor for the broader application in cancer therapeutics.
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19
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Kretschmer S, Kortemme T. Advances in the Computational Design of Small-Molecule-Controlled Protein-Based Circuits for Synthetic Biology. PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE. INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS 2022; 110:659-674. [PMID: 36531560 PMCID: PMC9754107 DOI: 10.1109/jproc.2022.3157898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology approaches living systems with an engineering perspective and promises to deliver solutions to global challenges in healthcare and sustainability. A critical component is the design of biomolecular circuits with programmable input-output behaviors. Such circuits typically rely on a sensor module that recognizes molecular inputs, which is coupled to a functional output via protein-level circuits or regulating the expression of a target gene. While gene expression outputs can be customized relatively easily by exchanging the target genes, sensing new inputs is a major limitation. There is a limited repertoire of sensors found in nature, and there are often difficulties with interfacing them with engineered circuits. Computational protein design could be a key enabling technology to address these challenges, as it allows for the engineering of modular and tunable sensors that can be tailored to the circuit's application. In this article, we review recent computational approaches to design protein-based sensors for small-molecule inputs with particular focus on those based on the widely used Rosetta software suite. Furthermore, we review mechanisms that have been harnessed to couple ligand inputs to functional outputs. Based on recent literature, we illustrate how the combination of protein design and synthetic biology enables new sensors for diverse applications ranging from biomedicine to metabolic engineering. We conclude with a perspective on how strategies to address frontiers in protein design and cellular circuit design may enable the next generation of sense-response networks, which may increasingly be assembled from de novo components to display diverse and engineerable input-output behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Kretschmer
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA, and affiliated with the California Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | - Tanja Kortemme
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA, and affiliated with the California Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
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20
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Switchable assembly and function of antibody complexes in vivo using a small molecule. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2117402119. [PMID: 35210365 PMCID: PMC8892515 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117402119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The antigen specificity and long serum half-life of monoclonal antibodies have made them a critical part of modern therapeutics. These properties have been coopted in a number of synthetic formats, such as antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies, or Fc-fusion proteins to generate novel biologic drug modalities. Historically, these new therapies have been generated by covalently linking multiple molecular moieties through chemical or genetic methods. This irreversible fusion of different components means that the function of the molecule is static, as determined by the structure. Here, we report the development of a technology for switchable assembly of functional antibody complexes using chemically induced dimerization domains. This approach enables control of the antibody's intended function in vivo by modulating the dose of a small molecule. We demonstrate this switchable assembly across three therapeutically relevant functionalities in vivo, including localization of a radionuclide-conjugated antibody to an antigen-positive tumor, extension of a cytokine's half-life, and activation of bispecific, T cell-engaging antibodies.
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21
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Zhang X, Pan Y, Kang S, Gu L. Combinatorial Approaches for Efficient Design of Photoswitchable Protein-Protein Interactions as In Vivo Actuators. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:844405. [PMID: 35211467 PMCID: PMC8863173 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.844405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Light switchable two-component protein dimerization systems offer versatile manipulation and dissection of cellular events in living systems. Over the past 20 years, the field has been driven by the discovery of photoreceptor-based interaction systems, the engineering of light-actuatable binder proteins, and the development of photoactivatable compounds as dimerization inducers. This perspective is to categorize mechanisms and design approaches of these dimerization systems, compare their advantages and limitations, and bridge them to emerging applications. Our goal is to identify new opportunities in combinatorial protein design that can address current engineering challenges and expand in vivo applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Yuxin Pan
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shoukai Kang
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Liangcai Gu
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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22
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Tang WH, Wang SH, Wang CF, Mou Y, Lin MG, Hsiao CD, Liao YD. The lipid components of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) are essential for the binding and transportation of antimicrobial peptides in human serum. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2576. [PMID: 35173253 PMCID: PMC8850444 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06640-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been developed for the treatment of bacterial infections, but their applications are limited to topical infections since they are sequestered and inhibited in serum. Here we have discovered that the inhibition of AMPs by human serum was mediated through high-density lipoproteins (HDL) which are known to remove cholesterol from peripheral tissues. The susceptibility of AMPs to HDL varied depending on the degree of hydrophobicity of AMPs and their binding affinities to HDL. The phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, of HDL were essential for AMP-binding. The dynamic binding interactions between AMPs and HDL were mediated through the hydrophobic interactions rather than by ionic strength. Interestingly, some AMPs, such as SMAP29, dissociated from the AMP-HDL complex and translocated to bacteria upon contact, while some AMPs, such as LL37, remained in complex with HDL. These results suggest that HDL binds AMPs and facilitates the translocation of them to the bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hung Tang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Shi-Han Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Chiu-Feng Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Yun Mou
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Min-Guan Lin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Chwan-Deng Hsiao
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - You-Di Liao
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
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23
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Dang DT. Molecular Approaches to Protein Dimerization: Opportunities for Supramolecular Chemistry. Front Chem 2022; 10:829312. [PMID: 35211456 PMCID: PMC8861298 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.829312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein dimerization plays a key role in many biological processes. Most cellular events such as enzyme activation, transcriptional cofactor recruitment, signal transduction, and even pathogenic pathways are significantly regulated via protein-protein interactions. Understanding and controlling the molecular mechanisms that regulate protein dimerization is crucial for biomedical applications. The limitations of engineered protein dimerization provide an opportunity for molecular chemistry to induce dimerization of protein in biological events. In this review, molecular control over dimerization of protein and activation in this respect are discussed. The well known molecule glue-based approaches to induced protein dimerization provide powerful tools to modulate the functionality of dimerized proteins and are shortly highlighted. Subsequently metal ion, nucleic acid and host-guest chemistry are brought forward as novel approaches for orthogonal control over dimerization of protein. The specific focus of the review will be on host-guest systems as novel, robust and versatile supramolecular approaches to modulate the dimerization of proteins, using functional proteins as model systems.
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24
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Shui S, Gainza P, Scheller L, Yang C, Kurumida Y, Rosset S, Georgeon S, Di Roberto RB, Castellanos-Rueda R, Reddy ST, Correia BE. A rational blueprint for the design of chemically-controlled protein switches. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5754. [PMID: 34599176 PMCID: PMC8486872 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25735-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Small-molecule responsive protein switches are crucial components to control synthetic cellular activities. However, the repertoire of small-molecule protein switches is insufficient for many applications, including those in the translational spaces, where properties such as safety, immunogenicity, drug half-life, and drug side-effects are critical. Here, we present a computational protein design strategy to repurpose drug-inhibited protein-protein interactions as OFF- and ON-switches. The designed binders and drug-receptors form chemically-disruptable heterodimers (CDH) which dissociate in the presence of small molecules. To design ON-switches, we converted the CDHs into a multi-domain architecture which we refer to as activation by inhibitor release switches (AIR) that incorporate a rationally designed drug-insensitive receptor protein. CDHs and AIRs showed excellent performance as drug responsive switches to control combinations of synthetic circuits in mammalian cells. This approach effectively expands the chemical space and logic responses in living cells and provides a blueprint to develop new ON- and OFF-switches. Small-molecule responsive protein switches are crucial components to control synthetic cellular activities. Here, we present a computational protein design strategy to repurpose drug-inhibited protein-protein interactions into OFF- and ON-switches active in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sailan Shui
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI) - STI - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Pablo Gainza
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI) - STI - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Leo Scheller
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI) - STI - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Che Yang
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI) - STI - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Yoichi Kurumida
- Department of Life Science, School and Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Stéphane Rosset
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI) - STI - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Sandrine Georgeon
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI) - STI - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Raphaël B Di Roberto
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Sai T Reddy
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Bruno E Correia
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering (LPDI) - STI - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland.
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25
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Targeted delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 and transgenes enables complex immune cell engineering. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109207. [PMID: 34077734 PMCID: PMC8236216 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
As genome engineering advances cell-based therapies, a versatile approach to introducing both CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) and therapeutic transgenes into specific cells would be transformative. Autologous T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) manufactured by viral transduction are approved to treat multiple blood cancers, but additional genetic modifications to alter cell programs will likely be required to treat solid tumors and for allogeneic cellular therapies. We have developed a one-step strategy using engineered lentiviral particles to introduce Cas9 RNPs and a CAR transgene into primary human T cells without electroporation. Furthermore, programming particle tropism allows us to target a specific cell type within a mixed cell population. As a proof-of-concept, we show that HIV-1 envelope targeted particles to edit CD4+ cells while sparing co-cultured CD8+ cells. This adaptable approach to immune cell engineering ex vivo provides a strategy applicable to the genetic modification of targeted somatic cells in vivo.
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26
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Caulier B, Enserink JM, Wälchli S. Pharmacologic Control of CAR T Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094320. [PMID: 33919245 PMCID: PMC8122276 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy is a promising modality for the treatment of advanced cancers that are otherwise incurable. During the last decade, different centers worldwide have tested the anti-CD19 CAR T cells and shown clinical benefits in the treatment of B cell tumors. However, despite these encouraging results, CAR treatment has also been found to lead to serious side effects and capricious response profiles in patients. In addition, the CD19 CAR success has been difficult to reproduce for other types of malignancy. The appearance of resistant tumor variants, the lack of antigen specificity, and the occurrence of severe adverse effects due to over-stimulation of the therapeutic cells have been identified as the major impediments. This has motivated a growing interest in developing strategies to overcome these hurdles through CAR control. Among them, the combination of small molecules and approved drugs with CAR T cells has been investigated. These have been exploited to induce a synergistic anti-cancer effect but also to control the presence of the CAR T cells or tune the therapeutic activity. In the present review, we discuss opportunistic and rational approaches involving drugs featuring anti-cancer efficacy and CAR-adjustable effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Caulier
- Translational Research Unit, Section for Cellular Therapy, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway;
- Center for Cancer Cell Reprogramming (CanCell), Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0379 Oslo, Norway;
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Montebello, 0379 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jorrit M. Enserink
- Center for Cancer Cell Reprogramming (CanCell), Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0379 Oslo, Norway;
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Montebello, 0379 Oslo, Norway
- Section for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, 0379 Oslo, Norway
| | - Sébastien Wälchli
- Translational Research Unit, Section for Cellular Therapy, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway;
- Correspondence:
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Muller YD, Nguyen DP, Ferreira LMR, Ho P, Raffin C, Valencia RVB, Congrave-Wilson Z, Roth TL, Eyquem J, Van Gool F, Marson A, Perez L, Wells JA, Bluestone JA, Tang Q. The CD28-Transmembrane Domain Mediates Chimeric Antigen Receptor Heterodimerization With CD28. Front Immunol 2021; 12:639818. [PMID: 33833759 PMCID: PMC8021955 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.639818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CD19-CAR)-engineered T cells are approved therapeutics for malignancies. The impact of the hinge domain (HD) and the transmembrane domain (TMD) between the extracellular antigen-targeting CARs and the intracellular signaling modalities of CARs has not been systemically studied. In this study, a series of 19-CARs differing only by their HD (CD8, CD28, or IgG4) and TMD (CD8 or CD28) was generated. CARs containing a CD28-TMD, but not a CD8-TMD, formed heterodimers with the endogenous CD28 in human T cells, as shown by co-immunoprecipitation and CAR-dependent proliferation of anti-CD28 stimulation. This dimerization was dependent on polar amino acids in the CD28-TMD and was more efficient with CARs containing CD28 or CD8 HD than IgG4-HD. The CD28-CAR heterodimers did not respond to CD80 and CD86 stimulation but had a significantly reduced CD28 cell-surface expression. These data unveiled a fundamental difference between CD28-TMD and CD8-TMD and indicated that CD28-TMD can modulate CAR T-cell activities by engaging endogenous partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick D Muller
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Medicine, Service Immunologie et Allergie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Duy P Nguyen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Leonardo M R Ferreira
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Patrick Ho
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Caroline Raffin
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | - Zion Congrave-Wilson
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Theodore L Roth
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Justin Eyquem
- Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Frederic Van Gool
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Alexander Marson
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Laurent Perez
- Department of Medicine, Service Immunologie et Allergie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - James A Wells
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Jeffrey A Bluestone
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Qizhi Tang
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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28
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Tang WH, Wang CF, Liao YD. Fetal bovine serum albumin inhibits antimicrobial peptide activity and binds drug only in complex with α1-antitrypsin. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1267. [PMID: 33446738 PMCID: PMC7809101 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80540-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been developed for the treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant microbes, but their applications are primarily limited to topical infections because in circulation they are bound and inhibited by serum proteins. Here we have found that some AMPs, such as TP4 from fish tilapia, and drugs, such as antipyretic ibuprofen, were bound by bovine serum albumin only in complex with α1-antitrypsin which is linked by disulfide bond. They existed in dimeric complex (2 albumin -2 α1-antitrypsin) in the bovine serum only at fetal stage, but not after birth. The hydrophobic residues of TP4 were responsible for its binding to the complex. Since bovine serum is a major supplement in most cell culture media, therefore the existence and depletion of active albumin/α1-antitrypsin complex are very important for the assay and production of biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hung Tang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Chiu-Feng Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - You-Di Liao
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
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29
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Casey GR, Zhou X, Lesiak L, Xu B, Fang Y, Becker DF, Stains CI. An Evolutionary Strategy for Identification of Higher Order, Green Fluorescent Host-Guest Pairs Compatible with Living Systems. Chemistry 2020; 26:16721-16726. [PMID: 32725914 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202002423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Engineered miniprotein host-small-molecule guest pairs could be utilized to design new processes within cells as well as investigate fundamental aspects of cell signaling mechanisms. However, the development of host-guest pairs capable of functioning in living systems has proven challenging. Moreover, few examples of host-guest pairs with stoichiometries other than 2:1 exist, significantly hindering the ability to study the influence of oligomerization state on signaling fidelity. Herein, we present an approach to identify host-guest systems for relatively small green fluorescent guests by incorporation into cyclic peptides. The optimal host-guest pair produced a 10-fold increase in green fluorescence signal upon binding. Biophysical characterization clearly demonstrated higher order supramolecular assembly, which could be visualized on the surface of living yeast cells using a turn-on fluorescence readout. This work further defines evolutionary design principles to afford host-guest pairs with stoichiometries other than 2:1 and enables the identification of spectrally orthogonal host-guest pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett R Casey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Physics, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, 63701, USA
| | - Xinqi Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
| | - Lauren Lesiak
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
| | - Bi Xu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
| | - Yuan Fang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Donald F Becker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
| | - Cliff I Stains
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA.,Nebraska Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA.,Cancer Genes and Molecular Regulation Program, Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.,University of Virginia Cancer Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
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30
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Doshi A, Sadeghi F, Varadarajan N, Cirino PC. Small-molecule inducible transcriptional control in mammalian cells. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2020; 40:1131-1150. [PMID: 32862714 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2020.1808583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Tools for tuning transcription in mammalian cells have broad applications, from basic biological discovery to human gene therapy. While precise control over target gene transcription via dosing with small molecules (drugs) is highly sought, the design of such inducible systems that meets required performance metrics poses a great challenge in mammalian cell synthetic biology. Important characteristics include tight and tunable gene expression with a low background, minimal drug toxicity, and orthogonality. Here, we review small-molecule-inducible transcriptional control devices that have demonstrated success in mammalian cells and mouse models. Most of these systems employ natural or designed ligand-binding protein domains to directly or indirectly communicate with transcription machinery at a target sequence, via carefully constructed fusions. Example fusions include those to transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), DNA-targeting proteins (e.g. dCas systems) fused to transactivating domains, and recombinases. Similar to the architecture of Type I nuclear receptors, many of the systems are designed such that the transcriptional controller is excluded from the nucleus in the absence of an inducer. Techniques that use ligand-induced proteolysis and antibody-based chemically induced dimerizers are also described. Collectively, these transcriptional control devices take advantage of a variety of recently developed molecular biology tools and cell biology insights and represent both proof of concept (e.g. targeting reporter gene expression) and disease-targeting studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarti Doshi
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fatemeh Sadeghi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Navin Varadarajan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Patrick C Cirino
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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31
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Design and Applications of Bifunctional Small Molecules in Biology. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1869:140534. [PMID: 32871274 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2020.140534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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32
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Salzer B, Schueller CM, Zajc CU, Peters T, Schoeber MA, Kovacic B, Buri MC, Lobner E, Dushek O, Huppa JB, Obinger C, Putz EM, Holter W, Traxlmayr MW, Lehner M. Engineering AvidCARs for combinatorial antigen recognition and reversible control of CAR function. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4166. [PMID: 32820173 PMCID: PMC7441178 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17970-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T cells) have shown impressive clinical efficacy in the treatment of B cell malignancies. However, the development of CAR-T cell therapies for solid tumors is hampered by the lack of truly tumor-specific antigens and poor control over T cell activity. Here we present an avidity-controlled CAR (AvidCAR) platform with inducible and logic control functions. The key is the combination of (i) an improved CAR design which enables controlled CAR dimerization and (ii) a significant reduction of antigen-binding affinities to introduce dependence on bivalent interaction, i.e. avidity. The potential and versatility of the AvidCAR platform is exemplified by designing ON-switch CARs, which can be regulated with a clinically applied drug, and AND-gate CARs specifically recognizing combinations of two antigens. Thus, we expect that AvidCARs will be a highly valuable platform for the development of controllable CAR therapies with improved tumor specificity.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- B-Lymphocytes/immunology
- B-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Cells, Cultured
- Cytokines/immunology
- Cytokines/metabolism
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/immunology
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Lymphocyte Activation/immunology
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, SCID
- Neoplasms/immunology
- Neoplasms/pathology
- Neoplasms/therapy
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Salzer
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Charlotte U Zajc
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Timo Peters
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael A Schoeber
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Boris Kovacic
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michelle C Buri
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Lobner
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Omer Dushek
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Johannes B Huppa
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Obinger
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva M Putz
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Holter
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Pediatrics, St. Anna Kinderspital, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael W Traxlmayr
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Manfred Lehner
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090, Vienna, Austria.
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Pediatrics, St. Anna Kinderspital, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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33
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Ding W, Zhang Y, Shi S. Development and Application of CRISPR/Cas in Microbial Biotechnology. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:711. [PMID: 32695770 PMCID: PMC7338305 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated (Cas) system has been rapidly developed as versatile genomic engineering tools with high efficiency, accuracy and flexibility, and has revolutionized traditional methods for applications in microbial biotechnology. Here, key points of building reliable CRISPR/Cas system for genome engineering are discussed, including the Cas protein, the guide RNA and the donor DNA. Following an overview of various CRISPR/Cas tools for genome engineering, including gene activation, gene interference, orthogonal CRISPR systems and precise single base editing, we highlighted the application of CRISPR/Cas toolbox for multiplexed engineering and high throughput screening. We then summarize recent applications of CRISPR/Cas systems in metabolic engineering toward production of chemicals and natural compounds, and end with perspectives of future advancements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Ding
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, College of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Shuobo Shi
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
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34
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A conformation-specific ON-switch for controlling CAR T cells with an orally available drug. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:14926-14935. [PMID: 32554495 PMCID: PMC7334647 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911154117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular ON-switches in which a chemical compound induces protein-protein interactions can allow cellular function to be controlled with small molecules. ON-switches based on clinically applicable compounds and human proteins would greatly facilitate their therapeutic use. Here, we developed an ON-switch system in which the human retinol binding protein 4 (hRBP4) of the lipocalin family interacts with engineered hRBP4 binders in a small molecule-dependent manner. Two different protein scaffolds were engineered to bind to hRBP4 when loaded with the orally available small molecule A1120. The crystal structure of an assembled ON-switch shows that the engineered binder specifically recognizes the conformational changes induced by A1120 in two loop regions of hRBP4. We demonstrate that this conformation-specific ON-switch is highly dependent on the presence of A1120, as demonstrated by an ∼500-fold increase in affinity upon addition of the small molecule drug. Furthermore, the ON-switch successfully regulated the activity of primary human CAR T cells in vitro. We anticipate that lipocalin-based ON-switches have the potential to be broadly applied for the safe pharmacological control of cellular therapeutics.
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35
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Local delivery of bone morphogenetic protein-2 from near infrared-responsive hydrogels for bone tissue regeneration. Biomaterials 2020; 241:119909. [PMID: 32135355 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.119909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Achievement of spatiotemporal control of growth factors production remains a main goal in tissue engineering. In the present work, we combined inducible transgene expression and near infrared (NIR)-responsive hydrogels technologies to develop a therapeutic platform for bone regeneration. A heat-activated and dimerizer-dependent transgene expression system was incorporated into mesenchymal stem cells to conditionally control the production of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2). Genetically engineered cells were entrapped in hydrogels based on fibrin and plasmonic gold nanoparticles that transduced incident energy of an NIR laser into heat. In the presence of dimerizer, photoinduced mild hyperthermia induced the release of bioactive BMP-2 from NIR-responsive cell constructs. A critical size bone defect, created in calvaria of immunocompetent mice, was filled with NIR-responsive hydrogels entrapping cells that expressed BMP-2 under the control of the heat-activated and dimerizer-dependent gene circuit. In animals that were treated with dimerizer, NIR irradiation of implants induced BMP-2 production in the bone lesion. Induction of NIR-responsive cell constructs conditionally expressing BMP-2 in bone defects resulted in the formation of new mineralized tissue, thus indicating the therapeutic potential of the technological platform.
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36
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Gomez-Castillo L, Watanabe K, Jiang H, Kang S, Gu L. Creating Highly Specific Chemically Induced Protein Dimerization Systems by Stepwise Phage Selection of a Combinatorial Single-Domain Antibody Library. J Vis Exp 2020. [PMID: 32009651 DOI: 10.3791/60738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein dimerization events that occur only in the presence of a small-molecule ligand enable the development of small-molecule biosensors for the dissection and manipulation of biological pathways. Currently, only a limited number of chemically induced dimerization (CID) systems exist and engineering new ones with desired sensitivity and selectivity for specific small-molecule ligands remains a challenge in the field of protein engineering. We here describe a high throughput screening method, combinatorial binders-enabled selection of CID (COMBINES-CID), for the de novo engineering of CID systems applicable to a large variety of ligands. This method uses the two-step selection of a phage-displayed combinatorial nanobody library to obtain 1) "anchor binders" that first bind to a ligand of interest and then 2) "dimerization binders" that only bind to anchor binder-ligand complexes. To select anchor binders, a combinatorial library of over 109 complementarity-determining region (CDR)-randomized nanobodies is screened with a biotinylated ligand and hits are validated with the unlabeled ligand by bio-layer interferometry (BLI). To obtain dimerization binders, the nanobody library is screened with anchor binder-ligand complexes as targets for positive screening and the unbound anchor binders for negative screening. COMBINES-CID is broadly applicable to select CID binders with other immunoglobulin, non-immunoglobulin, or computationally designed scaffolds to create biosensors for in vitro and in vivo detection of drugs, metabolites, signaling molecules, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Gomez-Castillo
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington
| | - Kurumi Watanabe
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington
| | - Huayi Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington
| | - Shoukai Kang
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington
| | - Liangcai Gu
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington;
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37
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38
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Chang HJ, Bonnet J. Synthetic receptors to understand and control cellular functions. Methods Enzymol 2020; 633:143-167. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2019.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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39
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Foight GW, Wang Z, Wei CT, Jr Greisen P, Warner KM, Cunningham-Bryant D, Park K, Brunette TJ, Sheffler W, Baker D, Maly DJ. Multi-input chemical control of protein dimerization for programming graded cellular responses. Nat Biotechnol 2019; 37:1209-1216. [PMID: 31501561 PMCID: PMC6776690 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-019-0242-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Chemical and optogenetic methods for post-translationally controlling protein function have enabled modulation and engineering of cellular functions. However, most of these methods only confer single-input, single-output control. To increase the diversity of post-translational behaviors that can be programmed, we built a system based on a single protein receiver that can integrate multiple drug inputs, including approved therapeutics. Our system translates drug inputs into diverse outputs using a suite of engineered reader proteins to provide variable dimerization states of the receiver protein. We show that our single receiver protein architecture can be used to program a variety of cellular responses, including graded and proportional dual-output control of transcription and mammalian cell signaling. We apply our tools to titrate the competing activities of the Rac and Rho GTPases to control cell morphology. Our versatile tool set will enable researchers to post-translationally program mammalian cellular processes and to engineer cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenna Wink Foight
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zhizhi Wang
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Cindy T Wei
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Per Jr Greisen
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Global Research, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Katrina M Warner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Keunwan Park
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Systems Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Gangneung, Republic of Korea
| | - T J Brunette
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - William Sheffler
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David Baker
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dustin J Maly
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Chakravarti D, Caraballo LD, Weinberg BH, Wong WW. Inducible Gene Switches with Memory in Human T Cells for Cellular Immunotherapy. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1744-1754. [PMID: 31268301 PMCID: PMC6703182 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
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Cell-based therapies that employ
engineered T cells—including
those modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)—to
target cancer cells have demonstrated promising responses in clinical
trials. However, engineered T cell responses must be regulated to
prevent severe side effects such as cytokine storms and off-target
responses. Here we present a class of recombinase-based gene circuits
that will enable inducible, one-time state switching in adoptive T
cell therapy using an FDA-approved drug, creating a generalizable
platform that can be used to control when and how strongly a gene
is expressed. These circuits exhibit memory such that induced T cells
will maintain any changes made even when the drug inducer is removed.
This memory feature avoids prolonged drug inducer exposure, thus reducing
the complexity and potential side effect associated with the drug
inducer. We have utilized these circuits to control the expression
of an anti-Her2-CAR, demonstrating the ability of these circuits to
regulate CAR expression and T cell activity. We envision this platform
can be extended to regulate other genes involved in T cell behavior
for applications in various adoptive T cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deboki Chakravarti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Leidy D. Caraballo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Benjamin H. Weinberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Wilson W. Wong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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Kang S, Davidsen K, Gomez-Castillo L, Jiang H, Fu X, Li Z, Liang Y, Jahn M, Moussa M, DiMaio F, Gu L. COMBINES-CID: An Efficient Method for De Novo Engineering of Highly Specific Chemically Induced Protein Dimerization Systems. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:10948-10952. [PMID: 31260282 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b03522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Chemically induced dimerization (CID) systems, in which two proteins dimerize only in the presence of a small molecule ligand, offer versatile tools for small molecule sensing and actuation. However, only a handful of CID systems exist and creating one with the desired sensitivity and specificity for any given ligand is an unsolved problem. Here, we developed a combinatorial binders-enabled selection of CID (COMBINES-CID) method broadly applicable to different ligands. We demonstrated a proof-of-principle by generating nanobody-based heterodimerization systems induced by cannabidiol with high ligand selectivity. We applied the CID system to a sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-like assay of cannabidiol in body fluids with a detection limit of ∼0.25 ng/mL. COMBINES-CID provides an efficient, cost-effective solution for expanding the biosensor toolkit for small molecule detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoukai Kang
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Kristian Davidsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Luis Gomez-Castillo
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Huayi Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Xiaonan Fu
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Zengpeng Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Yu Liang
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Molly Jahn
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Mahmoud Moussa
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Frank DiMaio
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
| | - Liangcai Gu
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design , University of Washington , Seattle , Washington 98195 , United States
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42
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Xu X, Qi LS. A CRISPR–dCas Toolbox for Genetic Engineering and Synthetic Biology. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:34-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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43
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Cermakova K, Hodges HC. Next-Generation Drugs and Probes for Chromatin Biology: From Targeted Protein Degradation to Phase Separation. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23081958. [PMID: 30082609 PMCID: PMC6102721 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23081958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin regulation is a critical aspect of nuclear function. Recent advances have provided detailed information about dynamic three-dimensional organization of chromatin and its regulatory factors. Mechanisms crucial for normal nuclear function and epigenetic control include compartmentalization of biochemical reactions by liquid-phase separated condensates and signal-dependent regulation of protein stability. Synthetic control of these phenomena by small molecules provides deep insight into essential activities such as histone modification, BAF (SWI/SNF) and PBAF remodeling, Polycomb repression, enhancer looping by cohesin and CTCF, as well as many other processes that contribute to transcription. As a result, a complete understanding of the spatiotemporal mechanisms that underlie chromatin regulation increasingly requires the use of fast-acting drugs and chemical probes. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of next-generation chemical biology tools to interrogate the chromatin regulatory landscape, including selective PROTAC E3 ubiquitin ligase degraders, degrons, fluorescent ligands, dimerizers, inhibitors, and other drugs. These small molecules provide important insights into the mechanisms that govern gene regulation, DNA repair, development, and diseases like cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Cermakova
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Precision Environmental Health, and Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - H Courtney Hodges
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Precision Environmental Health, and Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
- Center for Cancer Epigenetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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44
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Zhao W, Nguyen H, Zeng G, Gao D, Yan H, Liang FS. A chemically induced proximity system engineered from the plant auxin signaling pathway. Chem Sci 2018; 9:5822-5827. [PMID: 30079194 PMCID: PMC6050582 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc02353k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Methods based on chemically induced proximity (CIP) serve as powerful tools to control cellular processes in a temporally specific manner. To expand the repertoire of CIP systems available for studies of cellular processes, we engineered the plant auxin signaling pathway to create a new indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) based CIP method. Auxin-induced protein degradation that occurs in the natural pathway was eliminated in the system. The new IAA based method is both readily inducible and reversible, and used to control the production of therapeutic proteins that induced the apoptosis of cancer cells. The approach is also orthogonal to existing CIP systems and used to construct a biological Boolean logic gate controlling gene expression system. We believe that the new CIP method will be applicable to the artificial control and dissection of complex cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiye Zhao
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , University of New Mexico , 300 Terrace Street NE , Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131 , USA .
| | - Huong Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , University of New Mexico , 300 Terrace Street NE , Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131 , USA .
| | - Guihua Zeng
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , University of New Mexico , 300 Terrace Street NE , Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131 , USA .
| | - Dan Gao
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , University of New Mexico , 300 Terrace Street NE , Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131 , USA .
| | - Hao Yan
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , University of New Mexico , 300 Terrace Street NE , Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131 , USA .
| | - Fu-Sen Liang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , University of New Mexico , 300 Terrace Street NE , Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131 , USA .
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