1
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Das A, Gupta S, Shaw P, Sinha S. Synthesis of Self Permeable Antisense PMO Using C5-Guanidino-Functionalized Pyrimidines at the 5'-End Enables Sox2 Downregulation in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:1256-1271. [PMID: 38324380 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00924] [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] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Delivery of macromolecular drugs inside cells has been a huge challenge in the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics for the past few decades. Earliest natural inspirations included the arginine rich stretch of cell permeable HIV-TAT peptide, which led to the design of several molecular transporters with varying numbers of rigid or flexible guanidinium units with different tethering groups. These transporters have been shown to efficiently deliver phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotides, which have a neutral backbone and cannot form lipoplexes. In this report, PMO based delivery agents having 3 or 4 guanidinium groups at the C5 position of the nucleobases of cytosine and uracil have been explored, which can be assimilated within the desired stretch of the antisense oligonucleotide. Guanidinium units have been connected by varying the flexibility with either a saturated (propyl) or an unsaturated (propargyl) spacer, which showed different serum dependency along with varied cytoplasmic distribution. The effect of cholesterol conjugation in the delivery agent as well as at the 5'-end of full length PMO in cellular delivery has also been studied. Finally, the efficacy of the delivery has been studied by the PMO mediated downregulation of the stemness marker Sox2 in the triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB 231. These results have validated the use of this class of delivery agents, which permit at a stretch PMO synthesis where the modified bases can also participate in Watson-Crick-Franklin base pairing for enhanced mRNA binding and protein downregulation and could solve the delivery problem of PMO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnab Das
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Shalini Gupta
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Pallab Shaw
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Surajit Sinha
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
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2
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Lessl AL, Pöhmerer J, Lin Y, Wilk U, Höhn M, Hörterer E, Wagner E, Lächelt U. mCherry on Top: A Positive Read-Out Cellular Platform for Screening DMD Exon Skipping Xenopeptide-PMO Conjugates. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:2263-2274. [PMID: 37991502 PMCID: PMC10739591 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00408] [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] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) are a special type of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that can be used as therapeutic modulators of pre-mRNA splicing. Application of nucleic-acid-based therapeutics generally requires suitable delivery systems to enable efficient transport to intended tissues and intracellular targets. To identify potent formulations of PMOs, we established a new in vitro-in vivo screening platform based on mdx exon 23 skipping. Here, a new in vitro positive read-out system (mCherry-DMDEx23) is presented that is sensitive toward the PMO(Ex23) sequence mediating DMD exon 23 skipping and, in this model, functional mCherry expression. After establishment of the reporter system in HeLa cells, a set of amphiphilic, ionizable xenopeptides (XPs) was screened in order to identify potent carriers for PMO delivery. The identified best-performing PMO formulation with high splice-switching activity at nanomolar concentrations in vitro was then translated to in vivo trials, where exon 23 skipping in different organs of healthy BALB/c mice was confirmed. The predesigned in vitro-in vivo workflow enables evaluation of PMO(Ex23) carriers without change of the PMO sequence and formulation composition. Furthermore, the identified PMO-XP conjugate formulation was found to induce highly potent exon skipping in vitro and redistributed PMO activity in different organs in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lina Lessl
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Jana Pöhmerer
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Yi Lin
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Wilk
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Miriam Höhn
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Elisa Hörterer
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center
for NanoScience (CeNS), LMU Munich, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Lächelt
- Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU
Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center
for NanoScience (CeNS), LMU Munich, 80799 Munich, Germany
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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3
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Haque US, Yokota T. Enhancing Antisense Oligonucleotide-Based Therapeutic Delivery with DG9, a Versatile Cell-Penetrating Peptide. Cells 2023; 12:2395. [PMID: 37830609 PMCID: PMC10572411 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192395] [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: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotide-based (ASO) therapeutics have emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of human disorders. Charge-neutral PMOs have promising biological and pharmacological properties for antisense applications. Despite their great potential, the efficient delivery of these therapeutic agents to target cells remains a major obstacle to their widespread use. Cellular uptake of naked PMO is poor. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) appear as a possibility to increase the cellular uptake and intracellular delivery of oligonucleotide-based drugs. Among these, the DG9 peptide has been identified as a versatile CPP with remarkable potential for enhancing the delivery of ASO-based therapeutics due to its unique structural features. Notably, in the context of phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs), DG9 has shown promise in enhancing delivery while maintaining a favorable toxicity profile. A few studies have highlighted the potential of DG9-conjugated PMOs in DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) and SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), displaying significant exon skipping/inclusion and functional improvements in animal models. The article provides an overview of a detailed understanding of the challenges that ASOs face prior to reaching their targets and continued advances in methods to improve their delivery to target sites and cellular uptake, focusing on DG9, which aims to harness ASOs' full potential in precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umme Sabrina Haque
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research & Muscular Dystrophy Canada HM Toupin Neurological Science Research, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
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4
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Tsylents U, Siekierska I, Trylska J. Peptide nucleic acid conjugates and their antimicrobial applications-a mini-review. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2023; 52:533-544. [PMID: 37610696 PMCID: PMC10618302 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-023-01673-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a nucleic acid mimic with high specificity and binding affinity to natural DNA or RNA, as well as resistance to enzymatic degradation. PNA sequences can be designed to selectively silence gene expression, which makes PNA a promising tool for antimicrobial applications. However, the poor membrane permeability of PNA remains the main limiting factor for its applications in cells. To overcome this obstacle, PNA conjugates with different molecules have been developed. This mini-review focuses on covalently linked conjugates of PNA with cell-penetrating peptides, aminosugars, aminoglycoside antibiotics, and non-peptidic molecules that were tested, primarily as PNA carriers, in antibacterial and antiviral applications. The chemistries of the conjugation and the applied linkers are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uladzislava Tsylents
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Izabela Siekierska
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Trylska
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.
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5
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Kawamoto Y, Wu Y, Takahashi Y, Takakura Y. Development of nucleic acid medicines based on chemical technology. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 199:114872. [PMID: 37244354 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.114872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Oligonucleotide-based therapeutics have attracted attention as an emerging modality that includes the modulation of genes and their binding proteins related to diseases, allowing us to take action on previously undruggable targets. Since the late 2010s, the number of oligonucleotide medicines approved for clinical uses has dramatically increased. Various chemistry-based technologies have been developed to improve the therapeutic properties of oligonucleotides, such as chemical modification, conjugation, and nanoparticle formation, which can increase nuclease resistance, enhance affinity and selectivity to target sites, suppress off-target effects, and improve pharmacokinetic properties. Similar strategies employing modified nucleobases and lipid nanoparticles have been used for developing coronavirus disease 2019 mRNA vaccines. In this review, we provide an overview of the development of chemistry-based technologies aimed at using nucleic acids for developing therapeutics over the past several decades, with a specific emphasis on the structural design and functionality of chemical modification strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Kawamoto
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
| | - You Wu
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yuki Takahashi
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Takakura
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
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6
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Das U, Kundu J, Shaw P, Bose C, Ghosh A, Gupta S, Sarkar S, Bhadra J, Sinha S. Self-transfecting GMO-PMO chimera targeting Nanog enable gene silencing in vitro and suppresses tumor growth in 4T1 allografts in mouse. MOLECULAR THERAPY - NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 32:203-228. [PMID: 37078062 PMCID: PMC10106836 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotide (PMO)-based antisense reagents cannot enter cells without the help of a delivery technique, which limits their clinical applications. To overcome this problem, self-transfecting guanidinium-linked morpholino (GMO)-PMO or PMO-GMO chimeras have been explored as antisense agents. GMO facilitates cellular internalization and participates in Watson-Crick base pairing. Targeting NANOG in MCF7 cells resulted in decline of the whole epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness pathway, evident through its phenotypic manifestations, all of which were promulgated in combination with Taxol due to downregulation of MDR1 and ABCG2. GMO-PMO-mediated knockdown of no tail gene resulted in desired phenotypes in zebrafish even upon delivery after 16-cell stages. In BALB/c mice, 4T1 allografts were found to regress via intra-tumoral administration of NANOG GMO-PMO antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), which was associated with occurrence of necrotic regions. GMO-PMO-mediated tumor regression restored histopathological damage in liver, kidney, and spleen caused by 4T1 mammary carcinoma. Serum parameters of systemic toxicity indicated that GMO-PMO chimeras are safe. To the best of our knowledge, self-transfecting antisense reagent is the first report since the discovery of guanidinium-linked DNA (DNG), which could be useful as a combination cancer therapy and, in principle, can render inhibition of any target gene without using any delivery vehicle.
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7
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Aslesh T, Erkut E, Ren J, Lim KRQ, Woo S, Hatlevig S, Moulton HM, Gosgnach S, Greer J, Maruyama R, Yokota T. DG9-conjugated morpholino rescues phenotype in SMA mice by reaching the CNS via a subcutaneous administration. JCI Insight 2023; 8:160516. [PMID: 36719755 PMCID: PMC10077475 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.160516] [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: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated (AO-mediated) therapy is a promising strategy to treat several neurological diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). However, limited delivery to the CNS with AOs administered intravenously or subcutaneously is a major challenge. Here, we demonstrate a single subcutaneous administration of cell-penetrating peptide DG9 conjugated to an AO called phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) reached the CNS and significantly prolonged the median survival compared with unconjugated PMO and R6G-PMO in a severe SMA mouse model. Treated mice exhibited substantially higher expression of full-length survival of motor neuron 2 in both the CNS and systemic tissues compared with nontreated and unmodified AO-treated mice. The treatment ameliorated the atrophic musculature and improved breathing function accompanied by improved muscle strength and innervation at the neuromuscular junction with no signs of apparent toxicity. We also demonstrated DG9-conjugated PMO localized in nuclei in the spinal cord and brain after subcutaneous injections. Our data identify DG9 peptide conjugation as a powerful way to improve the efficacy of AO-mediated splice modulation. Finally, DG9-PMO is a promising therapeutic option to treat SMA and other neurological diseases, overcoming the necessity for intrathecal injections and treating body-wide tissues without apparent toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jun Ren
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | - Susan Hatlevig
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Hong M Moulton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Simon Gosgnach
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - John Greer
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.,Department of Medical Genetics, and
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8
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Pokrovsky MV, Korokin MV, Krayushkina AM, Zhunusov NS, Lapin KN, Soldatova MO, Kuzmin EA, Gudyrev OS, Kochkarova IS, Deikin AV. CONVENTIONAL APPROACHES TO THE THERAPY OF HEREDITARY MYOPATHIES. PHARMACY & PHARMACOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.19163/2307-9266-2022-10-5-416-431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the work was to analyze the available therapeutic options for the conventional therapy of hereditary myopathies.Materials and methods. When searching for the material for writing a review article, such abstract databases as PubMed and Google Scholar were used. The search was carried out on the publications during the period from 1980 to September 2022. The following words and their combinations were selected as parameters for the literature selection: “myopathy”, “Duchenne”, “myodystrophy”, “metabolic”, “mitochondrial”, “congenital”, “symptoms”, “replacement”, “recombinant”, “corticosteroids”, “vitamins”, “tirasemtiv”, “therapy”, “treatment”, “evidence”, “clinical trials”, “patients”, “dichloracetate”.Results. Congenital myopathies are a heterogeneous group of pathologies that are caused by atrophy and degeneration of muscle fibers due to mutations in genes. Based on a number of clinical and pathogenetic features, hereditary myopathies are divided into: 1) congenital myopathies; 2) muscular dystrophy; 3) mitochondrial and 4) metabolic myopathies. At the same time, treatment approaches vary significantly depending on the type of myopathy and can be based on 1) substitution of the mutant protein; 2) an increase in its expression; 3) stimulation of the internal compensatory pathways expression; 4) restoration of the compounds balance associated with the mutant protein function (for enzymes); 5) impact on the mitochondrial function (with metabolic and mitochondrial myopathies); 6) reduction of inflammation and fibrosis (with muscular dystrophies); as well as 7) an increase in muscle mass and strength. The current review presents current data on each of the listed approaches, as well as specific pharmacological agents with a description of their action mechanisms.Conclusion. Currently, the following pharmacological groups are used or undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of various myopathies types: inotropic, anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic drugs, antimyostatin therapy and the drugs that promote translation through stop codons (applicable for nonsense mutations). In addition, metabolic drugs, metabolic enzyme cofactors, mitochondrial biogenesis stimulators, and antioxidants can be used to treat myopathies. Finally, the recombinant drugs alglucosidase and avalglucosidase have been clinically approved for the replacement therapy of metabolic myopathies (Pompe’s disease).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - K. N. Lapin
- V.A. Negovsky Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Federal Scientific and Clinical Center for Resuscitation and Rehabilitology
| | | | - E. A. Kuzmin
- Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)
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9
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Takada H, Tsuchiya K, Demizu Y. Helix-Stabilized Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Delivery of Antisense Morpholino Oligomers: Relationships among Helicity, Cellular Uptake, and Antisense Activity. Bioconjug Chem 2022; 33:1311-1318. [PMID: 35737901 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The secondary structures of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) influence their properties including their cell-membrane permeability, tolerability to proteases, and intracellular distribution. Herein, we developed helix-stabilized arginine-rich peptides containing α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids and their conjugates with antisense phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs), to investigate the relationships among the helicity of the peptides, cellular uptake, and antisense activity of the peptide-conjugated PMOs. We demonstrated that helical CPPs can efficiently deliver the conjugated PMO into cells compared with nonhelical CPPs and that their antisense activities are synergistically enhanced in the presence of an endosomolytic reagent or an endosomal escape domain peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Takada
- Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan.,Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa 236-0027, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tsuchiya
- Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan.,Graduate School of Pharmacy, Showa University, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
| | - Yosuke Demizu
- Division of Organic Chemistry, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan.,Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa 236-0027, Japan.,Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
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10
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Gupta A, Gupta S, Das U, Sinha S. Guanidinium-Functionalized Flexible Azaproline Transporter for Efficient Intracellular Delivery of Proapoptotic Peptide and PDL1 Antisense Morpholino Oligo in Human Carcinoma Cells In Vitro. Bioconjug Chem 2022; 33:907-917. [PMID: 35486710 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are structurally diverse sophisticated tools endowed with high arginine content, amphipathicity, and well-adopted suitable secondary structures. Despite its capability of breaching the lipid barriers, CPP has major limitations such as in vivo metabolic instability, poor bioavailability, and reduced endosomal escape tendency, which are yet to be improved. In this context, we first have introduced a new class of cellular transporter having a guanidinium-functionalized δ-azaproline (δ-azp)-containing peptide where the δ-azp structurally resembles the "proline" amino acid having an additional "N" at the δ-position. This non-natural peptidic backbone was found to impart proteolytic stability, as reported earlier by our group. Herein, we report the synthesis of a flexible azaproline-tetraguanidinium transporter named FAT along with a revised scalable methodology for δ-azp compared to our previously reported procedure. FAT shows a random-coil-like structure as determined by CD spectroscopy, and is hence structurally different from the polyproline PPII helix. Direct translocation is predicted to be the possible mode of the cellular entrance of FAT into CHO cells when the "Bodipy" fluorophore is covalently attached as the cargo. Simultaneously, two other macromolecular therapeutics, e.g., proapoptotic domain peptide (PAD, a 14-mer peptide) and programmed death ligand 1 (PDL1) morpholino (a 25-mer antisense oligo), were successfully conjugated with FAT and delivered into human carcinoma cells, and their efficacy was analyzed by MTT assay and western blot technique, respectively. Having obtained promising results in internalizing different types of cargos, FAT could be envisaged as a potential drug delivery agent as an alternative to natural CPPs for future application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Gupta
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Shalini Gupta
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Ujjal Das
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Surajit Sinha
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
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11
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Development of DG9 peptide-conjugated single- and multi-exon skipping therapies for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2112546119. [PMID: 35193974 PMCID: PMC8892351 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2112546119] [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] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal disorder of progressive body-wide muscle weakness, considered the most common muscular dystrophy worldwide. Most patients have out-of-frame deletions in the DMD gene, leading to dystrophin absence in muscle. There is no cure for DMD, but exon skipping is emerging as a potential therapy that uses antisense oligonucleotides to convert out-of-frame to in-frame mutations, enabling the production of truncated, partially functional dystrophin. Currently approved exon skipping therapies, however, have limited applicability and efficacy. Here, we developed a more economical approach to skip DMD exons 45 to 55 (a strategy that could treat nearly half of all DMD patients) and identified DG9 peptide conjugation as a powerful way to improve exon skipping efficiencies in vivo. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is primarily caused by out-of-frame deletions in the dystrophin gene. Exon skipping using phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) converts out-of-frame to in-frame mutations, producing partially functional dystrophin. Four single-exon skipping PMOs are approved for DMD but treat only 8 to 14% of patients each, and some exhibit poor efficacy. Alternatively, exons 45 to 55 skipping could treat 40 to 47% of all patients and is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Here, we report the development of peptide-conjugated PMOs for exons 45 to 55 skipping. Experiments with immortalized patient myotubes revealed that exons 45 to 55 could be skipped by targeting as few as five exons. We also found that conjugating DG9, a cell-penetrating peptide, to PMOs improved single-exon 51 skipping, dystrophin restoration, and muscle function in hDMDdel52;mdx mice. Local administration of a minimized exons 45 to 55–skipping DG9-PMO mixture restored dystrophin production. This study provides proof of concept toward the development of a more economical and effective exons 45 to 55–skipping DMD therapy.
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12
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Sheikh O, Yokota T. Pharmacology and toxicology of eteplirsen and SRP-5051 for DMD exon 51 skipping: an update. Arch Toxicol 2021; 96:1-9. [PMID: 34797383 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-021-03184-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) afflicts 1 in 5000 newborn males, leading to progressive muscle weakening and the loss of ambulation between the ages of 8 and 12. Typically, DMD patients pass away from heart failure or respiratory failure. Currently, there is no cure, though exon-skipping therapy including eteplirsen (brand name Exondys 51), a synthetic antisense oligonucleotide designed to skip exon 51 of the dystrophin gene, is considered especially promising. Applicable to approximately 14% of DMD patients, a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) antisense oligonucleotide eteplirsen received accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016. Throughout clinical trials, eteplirsen has been well tolerated by patients with no serious drug-related adverse events. The most common events observed are balance disorder, vomiting, and skin rash. Despite its safety and promise of functional benefits, eteplirsen remains controversial due to its low production of dystrophin. In addition, unmodified PMOs have limited efficacy in the heart. To address these concerns of efficacy, eteplirsen has been conjugated to a proprietary cell-penetrating peptide; the conjugate is called SRP-5051. Compared to eteplirsen, SRP-5051 aims to better prompt exon-skipping and dystrophin production but may have greater toxicity concerns. This paper reviews and discusses the available information on the efficacy, safety, and tolerability data of eteplirsen and SRP-5051 from preclinical and clinical trials. Issues faced by eteplirsen and SRP-5051, including efficacy and safety, are identified. Lastly, the current state of eteplirsen and exon-skipping therapy in general as a strategy for the treatment of DMD are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Sheikh
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, T6G 2R3, Canada.
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13
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Lu-Nguyen N, Malerba A, Herath S, Dickson G, Popplewell L. Systemic antisense therapeutics inhibiting DUX4 expression ameliorates FSHD-like pathology in an FSHD mouse model. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:1398-1412. [PMID: 33987655 PMCID: PMC8283208 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant expression of the double homeobox 4 (DUX4) gene in skeletal muscle causes muscle deterioration and weakness in Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Since the presence of a permissive pLAM1 polyadenylation signal is essential for stabilization of DUX4 mRNA and translation of DUX4 protein, disrupting the function of this structure can prevent expression of DUX4. We and others have shown promising results using antisense approaches to reduce DUX4 expression in vitro and in vivo following local intramuscular administration. Here we demonstrate that further development of the antisense chemistries enhances in vitro antisense efficacy. The optimal chemistry was conjugated to a cell-penetrating moiety and was systemically administered into the tamoxifen-inducible Cre-driver FLExDUX4 double-transgenic mouse model of FSHD. After four weekly treatments, mRNA quantities of DUX4 and target genes were reduced by 50% that led to 12% amelioration in muscle atrophy, 52% improvement in in situ muscle strength, 17% reduction in muscle fibrosis and prevention of shift in the myofiber type profile. Systemic DUX4 inhibition also significantly improved the locomotor activity and reduced the fatigue level by 22%. Our data demonstrate that the optimized antisense approach has potential of being further developed as a therapeutic strategy for FSHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc Lu-Nguyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Alberto Malerba
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Shan Herath
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - George Dickson
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Linda Popplewell
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
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14
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Borbolla-Jiménez FV, Del Prado-Audelo ML, Cisneros B, Caballero-Florán IH, Leyva-Gómez G, Magaña JJ. New Perspectives of Gene Therapy on Polyglutamine Spinocerebellar Ataxias: From Molecular Targets to Novel Nanovectors. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1018. [PMID: 34371710 PMCID: PMC8309146 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13071018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Seven of the most frequent spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are caused by a pathological expansion of a cytosine, adenine and guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeat located in exonic regions of unrelated genes, which in turn leads to the synthesis of polyglutamine (polyQ) proteins. PolyQ proteins are prone to aggregate and form intracellular inclusions, which alter diverse cellular pathways, including transcriptional regulation, protein clearance, calcium homeostasis and apoptosis, ultimately leading to neurodegeneration. At present, treatment for SCAs is limited to symptomatic intervention, and there is no therapeutic approach to prevent or reverse disease progression. This review provides a compilation of the experimental advances obtained in cell-based and animal models toward the development of gene therapy strategies against polyQ SCAs, providing a discussion of their potential application in clinical trials. In the second part, we describe the promising potential of nanotechnology developments to treat polyQ SCA diseases. We describe, in detail, how the design of nanoparticle (NP) systems with different physicochemical and functionalization characteristics has been approached, in order to determine their ability to evade the immune system response and to enhance brain delivery of molecular tools. In the final part of this review, the imminent application of NP-based strategies in clinical trials for the treatment of polyQ SCA diseases is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola V. Borbolla-Jiménez
- Laboratorio de Medicina Genómica, Departamento de Genética, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Ciudad de México 14389, Mexico;
- Programa de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - María Luisa Del Prado-Audelo
- Departamento de Bioingeniería, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Ciudad de México, Ciudad de México 14380, Mexico;
| | - Bulmaro Cisneros
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico;
| | - Isaac H. Caballero-Florán
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico;
- Departamento de Farmacia, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Leyva-Gómez
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico;
| | - Jonathan J. Magaña
- Laboratorio de Medicina Genómica, Departamento de Genética, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Ciudad de México 14389, Mexico;
- Departamento de Bioingeniería, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Ciudad de México, Ciudad de México 14380, Mexico;
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15
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Kundu J, Banerjee P, Bose C, Das U, Ghosh U, Sinha S. Internal Oligoguanidinium Transporter: Mercury-Free Scalable Synthesis, Improvement of Cellular Localization, Endosomal Escape, Mitochondrial Localization, and Conjugation with Antisense Morpholino for NANOG Inhibition to Induce Chemosensitization of Taxol in MCF-7 Cells. Bioconjug Chem 2020; 31:2367-2382. [PMID: 32986398 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
A nontoxic delivery vehicle is essential for the therapeutic applications of antisense phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotides (PMOs). Though guanidinium-rich or arginine-rich cellular transporter conjugated Vivo-PMO or PPMO has been developed for in vivo application, however, either their toxicity or stability has become an issue. Previously, we reported nonpeptidic internal guanidinium transporter (IGT) mediated delivery of PMO for gene silencing and got encouraging results. In this paper, we report the synthesis of IGT using a Hg-free method for scale up and N-terminal modification of IGT with a suitable hydrophobic or lipophilic group to improve the cell permeability, endosomal escape, and mitochondrial localization and to reduce toxicity in the MTT assay. For the delivery of PMO, IGT-PMO conjugate was synthesized to target NANOG in cells, a transcription factor required for cancer stem cell proliferation and embryonic development and is involved in many cancers. Our data shows IGT-PMO-facilitated NANOG inhibition, and thereby the prevention of EpCAM-N-Cadherin-Vimentin axis mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, unlike taxol, NANOG inhibition influences the expression of stemness factor c-Myc, Hh-Gli signaling proteins, other cancer related factors, and their respective phenotypes in cancer cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to illustrate that the IGT-PMO-mediated NANOG inhibition increases the therapeutic potential of taxol and induces G0-G1 arrest in cancer cells to prevent cancer progression. However, it warrants further investigation in other cancer cells and preclinical platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayanta Kundu
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Priyanjalee Banerjee
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Chandra Bose
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Ujjal Das
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Ujjwal Ghosh
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Surajit Sinha
- School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
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16
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Sun C, Shen L, Zhang Z, Xie X. Therapeutic Strategies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: An Update. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11080837. [PMID: 32717791 PMCID: PMC7463903 DOI: 10.3390/genes11080837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular disorders encompass a heterogeneous group of conditions that impair the function of muscles, motor neurons, peripheral nerves, and neuromuscular junctions. Being the most common and most severe type of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), is caused by mutations in the X-linked dystrophin gene. Loss of dystrophin protein leads to recurrent myofiber damage, chronic inflammation, progressive fibrosis, and dysfunction of muscle stem cells. Over the last few years, there has been considerable development of diagnosis and therapeutics for DMD, but current treatments do not cure the disease. Here, we review the current status of DMD pathogenesis and therapy, focusing on mutational spectrum, diagnosis tools, clinical trials, and therapeutic approaches including dystrophin restoration, gene therapy, and myogenic cell transplantation. Furthermore, we present the clinical potential of advanced strategies combining gene editing, cell-based therapy with tissue engineering for the treatment of muscular dystrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengmei Sun
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, China; (C.S.); (L.S.); (Z.Z.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Luoan Shen
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, China; (C.S.); (L.S.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Zheng Zhang
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, China; (C.S.); (L.S.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Xin Xie
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, China; (C.S.); (L.S.); (Z.Z.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-0571-87572326
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17
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Grages SM, Bell M, Berlau DJ. New and emerging pharmacotherapy for duchenne muscular dystrophy: a focus on synthetic therapeutics. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2020; 21:841-851. [DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2020.1732350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon M. Grages
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Regis University School of Pharmacy, Denver, Colorado
| | - Michael Bell
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Regis University School of Pharmacy, Denver, Colorado
| | - Daniel J. Berlau
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Regis University School of Pharmacy, Denver, Colorado
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18
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Barkowsky G, Lemster AL, Pappesch R, Jacob A, Krüger S, Schröder A, Kreikemeyer B, Patenge N. Influence of Different Cell-Penetrating Peptides on the Antimicrobial Efficiency of PNAs in Streptococcus pyogenes. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2019; 18:444-454. [PMID: 31655262 PMCID: PMC6831891 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes is an exclusively human pathogen causing a wide range of clinical manifestations from mild superficial infections to severe, life-threatening, invasive diseases. S. pyogenes is consistently susceptible toward penicillin, but therapeutic failure of penicillin treatment has been reported frequently. At the same time, streptococcal resistance to alternative antibiotics, e.g., macrolides, is common. To reduce the application of antibiotics for treatment of S. pyogenes infections, it is mandatory to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Antisense peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are synthetic DNA derivatives widely applied for hybridization-based microbial diagnostics. They have a high potential as therapeutic agents, because PNA antisense targeting of essential genes was shown to reduce growth of several pathogenic bacterial species. Spontaneous cellular uptake of PNAs is restricted in eukaryotes and in bacteria. To overcome this problem, PNAs can be coupled to cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) that support PNA translocation over the cell membrane. In bacteria, the efficiency of CPP-mediated PNA uptake is species specific. Previously, HIV-1 transactivator of transcription (HIV-1 TAT) peptide-coupled anti-gyrA PNA was shown to inhibit growth of S. pyogenes. Here, we investigate the effect of 18 CPP-coupled anti-gyrA PNAs on S. pyogenes growth and virulence. HIV-1 TAT, oligolysine (K8), and (RXR)4XB peptide-coupled anti-gyrA PNAs efficiently abolished bacterial growth in vitro. Consistently, treatment with these three CPP-PNAs increased survival of larvae in a Galleria mellonella infection model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Barkowsky
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Lemster
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Roberto Pappesch
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Anette Jacob
- Peps4LS GmbH, INF 583, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Functional Genome Analysis, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Selina Krüger
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Anne Schröder
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Bernd Kreikemeyer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Nadja Patenge
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany.
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19
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Fadzen CM, Holden RL, Wolfe JM, Choo ZN, Schissel CK, Yao M, Hanson GJ, Pentelute BL. Chimeras of Cell-Penetrating Peptides Demonstrate Synergistic Improvement in Antisense Efficacy. Biochemistry 2019; 58:3980-3989. [PMID: 31450889 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotides (PMOs) make up a promising class of therapeutics for genetic disease. PMOs designed for "exon skipping" must be internalized into cells, reach the nucleus, and act on pre-mRNA to mediate their effects. One tactic for improving PMO delivery and exon skipping is to covalently conjugate PMOs to cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). Here, we report the synthesis of PMOs conjugated to CPP chimeras, constructed by combining multiple CPPs into one sequence. The chimeric CPPs synergistically improve PMO activity up to 70-fold compared to that of the PMO alone and beyond the expected effects of each component peptide. By investigating the design space of CPP chimeras, we demonstrate that all components must be covalently attached, that the order of the two sequences matters, and that peptide identity can tune activity. We identified one chimera (pVEC-Bpep) to investigate in more detail and found that it engages mechanisms of endocytosis different from those of its parent peptides. We also examined the extent to which the beneficial effect comes from improved cellular uptake as opposed to the downstream steps required for exon skipping. Given the complexity of intracellular delivery, we anticipate this work will lead researchers to consider combining molecules with different physicochemical properties to aid in the delivery of biologic cargoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin M Fadzen
- Department of Chemistry , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | - Rebecca L Holden
- Department of Chemistry , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | - Justin M Wolfe
- Department of Chemistry , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | - Zi-Ning Choo
- Department of Chemistry , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | - Carly K Schissel
- Department of Chemistry , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | - Monica Yao
- Research Chemistry , Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
| | - Gunnar J Hanson
- Research Chemistry , Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
| | - Bradley L Pentelute
- Department of Chemistry , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States.,Koch Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology , and Center for Environmental Health Sciences , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
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20
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Feiner-Gracia N, Olea RA, Fitzner R, El Boujnouni N, van Asbeck AH, Brock R, Albertazzi L. Super-resolution Imaging of Structure, Molecular Composition, and Stability of Single Oligonucleotide Polyplexes. NANO LETTERS 2019; 19:2784-2792. [PMID: 31001985 PMCID: PMC6509642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b04407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The successful application of gene therapy relies on the development of safe and efficient delivery vectors. Cationic polymers such as cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can condense genetic material into nanoscale particles, called polyplexes, and induce cellular uptake. With respect to this point, several aspects of the nanoscale structure of polyplexes have remained elusive because of the difficulty in visualizing the molecular arrangement of the two components with nanometer resolution. This limitation has hampered the rational design of polyplexes based on direct structural information. Here, we used super-resolution imaging to study the structure and molecular composition of individual CPP-mRNA polyplexes with nanometer accuracy. We use two-color direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) to unveil the impact of peptide stoichiometry on polyplex structure and composition and to assess their destabilization in blood serum. Our method provides information about the size and composition of individual polyplexes, allowing the study of such properties on a single polyplex basis. Furthermore, the differences in stoichiometry readily explain the differences in cellular uptake behavior. Thus, quantitative dSTORM of polyplexes is complementary to the currently used characterization techniques for understanding the determinants of polyplex activity in vitro and inside cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Feiner-Gracia
- Nanoscopy
for Nanomedicine Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia
(IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science
and Technology (BIST), Carrer Baldiri
Reixac 15-21, 08024 Barcelona, Spain
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems
(ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - R. Alis Olea
- Nanoscopy
for Nanomedicine Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia
(IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science
and Technology (BIST), Carrer Baldiri
Reixac 15-21, 08024 Barcelona, Spain
- Department
of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Fitzner
- Department
of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven
University of Technology, Post Office
Box 513, 5600 MD Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Najoua El Boujnouni
- Department
of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander H. van Asbeck
- Department
of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Roland Brock
- Department
of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenzo Albertazzi
- Nanoscopy
for Nanomedicine Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia
(IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science
and Technology (BIST), Carrer Baldiri
Reixac 15-21, 08024 Barcelona, Spain
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems
(ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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21
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Kim J, Clark K, Barton C, Tanguay R, Moulton H. A Novel Zebrafish Model for Assessing In Vivo Delivery of Morpholino Oligomers. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1828:293-306. [PMID: 30171549 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8651-4_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Morpholino oligomers have great therapeutic potential for treatment of a broad range of human diseases, including viral, bacterial, age-related, and genetic diseases, but they suffer from poor systemic delivery into cells. Although various approaches have been undertaken to address the delivery problem, it remains as the major barrier of morpholinos to be used as effective therapeutics. This slow development is in part due to the cost of materials and the animal models used for screening the efficacy and safety of those delivery approaches. The need to have an inexpensive vertebrate model for assessing in vivo delivery of morpholinos is evident. Therefore, we have produced a novel transgenic zebrafish model containing a dual reporter cassette for determination of in vivo delivery, bio-distribution, and safety of a morpholino. The levels of morpholino delivered to the cells in various tissues can be determined by changes in reporter gene expressions caused by morpholino-induced exon skipping. This chapter provides a description of the reagents, equipment, and procedure for successful retro-orbital injection of a peptide-conjugated morpholino into the blood stream of the adult zebrafish to cause targeted exon skipping in the heart of the zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Karl Clark
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Carrie Barton
- The Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Robert Tanguay
- The Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Hong Moulton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
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22
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Shimizu-Motohashi Y, Komaki H, Motohashi N, Takeda S, Yokota T, Aoki Y. Restoring Dystrophin Expression in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Current Status of Therapeutic Approaches. J Pers Med 2019; 9:jpm9010001. [PMID: 30621068 PMCID: PMC6462907 DOI: 10.3390/jpm9010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness, is caused by the absence or a decreased amount of the muscle cytoskeletal protein dystrophin. Currently, several therapeutic approaches to cure DMD are being investigated, which can be categorized into two groups: therapies that aim to restore dystrophin expression, and those that aim to compensate for the lack of dystrophin. Therapies that restore dystrophin expression include read-through therapy, exon skipping, vector-mediated gene therapy, and cell therapy. Of these approaches, the most advanced are the read-through and exon skipping therapies. In 2014, ataluren, a drug that can promote ribosomal read-through of mRNA containing a premature stop codon, was conditionally approved in Europe. In 2016, eteplirsen, a morpholino-based chemical capable of skipping exon 51 in premature mRNA, received conditional approval in the USA. Clinical trials on vector-mediated gene therapy carrying micro- and mini- dystrophin are underway. More innovative therapeutic approaches include CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing and stem cell-based cell therapies. Here we review the current status of therapeutic approaches for DMD, focusing on therapeutic approaches that can restore dystrophin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Shimizu-Motohashi
- Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan.
- Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
| | - Hirofumi Komaki
- Translational Medical Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
| | - Norio Motohashi
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
| | - Shin'ichi Takeda
- Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta. 831 Medical Sciences Building, 8613-114 St., Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada.
| | - Yoshitsugu Aoki
- Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
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23
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Wolfe J, Fadzen CM, Choo ZN, Holden RL, Yao M, Hanson GJ, Pentelute BL. Machine Learning To Predict Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Antisense Delivery. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2018; 4:512-520. [PMID: 29721534 PMCID: PMC5920612 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.8b00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can facilitate the intracellular delivery of large therapeutically relevant molecules, including proteins and oligonucleotides. Although hundreds of CPP sequences are described in the literature, predicting efficacious sequences remains difficult. Here, we focus specifically on predicting CPPs for the delivery of phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotides (PMOs), a compelling type of antisense therapeutic that has recently been FDA approved for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Using literature CPP sequences, 64 covalent PMO-CPP conjugates were synthesized and evaluated in a fluorescence-based reporter assay for PMO activity. Significant discrepancies were observed between the sequences that performed well in this assay and the sequences that performed well when conjugated to only a small-molecule fluorophore. As a result, we envisioned that our PMO-CPP library would be a useful training set for a computational model to predict CPPs for PMO delivery. We used the PMO activity data to fit a random decision forest classifier to predict whether or not covalent attachment of a given peptide would enhance PMO activity at least 3-fold. To validate the model experimentally, seven novel sequences were generated, synthesized, and tested in the fluorescence reporter assay. All computationally predicted positive sequences were positive in the assay, and one sequence performed better than 80% of the tested literature CPPs. These results demonstrate the power of machine learning algorithms to identify peptide sequences with particular functions and illustrate the importance of tailoring a CPP sequence to the cargo of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin
M. Wolfe
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Colin M. Fadzen
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Zi-Ning Choo
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Rebecca L. Holden
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Monica Yao
- Research
Chemistry, Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Gunnar J. Hanson
- Research
Chemistry, Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Bradley L. Pentelute
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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24
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Daly SM, Sturge CR, Greenberg DE. Inhibition of Bacterial Growth by Peptide-Conjugated Morpholino Oligomers. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1565:115-122. [PMID: 28364238 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6817-6_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Morpholino oligomers (MOs) are antisense molecules designed for sequence-specific binding of target mRNA. In bacteria, inhibition is hypothesized to occur by preventing translation initiation. Cell-penetrating peptides may be conjugated to the 5'- or 3'-termini of an MO to enhance cellular entry and therefore inhibition. Here we describe the three standard microbiological assays to assess in vitro antibacterial MO efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth M Daly
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Carolyn R Sturge
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - David E Greenberg
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
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25
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Zhao Y, Chen R, Wang Y, Yang Y. α-Pinene Inhibits Human Prostate Cancer Growth in a Mouse Xenograft Model. Chemotherapy 2017; 63:1-7. [PMID: 29069647 DOI: 10.1159/000479863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND α-Pinene is one of the most widely found terpenoids in nature. Substantial evidence shows that α-pinene has cancer prevention properties. In this study, the PC-3 cell line was used to establish subcutaneous xenograft tumors in nude mice. METHODS Cytotoxicity was measured with the MTT assay, and apoptosis and cell cycle analyses were conducted using flow cytometry in vitro. The PC-3 cell line was used to establish subcutaneous xenograft tumors in nude mice. RESULTS We found that treatment with α-pinene significantly inhibited human prostate cancer cell growth and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the cell line-based model. Furthermore, tumor progression was inhibited more in mice treated with α-pinene than in control mice. We detected less Ki67 and proliferation cell nuclear antigen in paraffin sections from xenograft tumor specimens taken from α-pinene-treated mice than in those from the control group. Meanwhile, α-pinene treatment induced apoptosis in xenograft tumors as determined by the TUNEL assay. CONCLUSIONS These data strongly suggest that α-pinene inhibits prostate cancer growth in a xenograft model and may be an effective therapeutic agent for prostate cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqi Zhao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, PR China
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26
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Nandi B, Khatra H, Khan PP, Bhadra J, Pattanayak S, Sinha S. Cationic Cytosine Morpholino-Based Transporters: Synthesis and Regulation of Intracellular Localization. ChemistrySelect 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201700238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bappaditya Nandi
- Department of Organic Chemistry; Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science; Jadavpur Kolkata 700032 India
| | - Harleen Khatra
- Department of Organic Chemistry; Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science; Jadavpur Kolkata 700032 India
| | - Pragya Paramita Khan
- Department of Organic Chemistry; Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science; Jadavpur Kolkata 700032 India
| | - Jhuma Bhadra
- Department of Organic Chemistry; Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science; Jadavpur Kolkata 700032 India
| | - Sankha Pattanayak
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology; Stanford University; Stanford, California, CA 94305-5174
| | - Surajit Sinha
- Department of Organic Chemistry; Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science; Jadavpur Kolkata 700032 India
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27
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Patel RR, Sundin GW, Yang CH, Wang J, Huntley RB, Yuan X, Zeng Q. Exploration of Using Antisense Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA)-cell Penetrating Peptide (CPP) as a Novel Bactericide against Fire Blight Pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:687. [PMID: 28469617 PMCID: PMC5395615 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Erwinia amylovora is a Gram-negative bacterial plant pathogen in the family Enterobacteriaceae and is the causal agent of fire blight, a devastating disease of apple and pear. Fire blight is traditionally managed by the application of the antibiotic streptomycin during bloom, but this strategy has been challenged by the development and spread of streptomycin resistance. Thus, there is an urgent need for effective, specific, and sustainable control alternatives for fire blight. Antisense antimicrobials are oligomers of nucleic acid homologs with antisense sequence of essential genes in bacteria. The binding of these molecules to the mRNA of essential genes can result in translational repression and antimicrobial effect. Here, we explored the possibility of developing antisense antimicrobials against E. amylovora and using these compounds in fire blight control. We determined that a 10-nucleotide oligomer of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) targeting the start codon region of an essential gene acpP is able to cause complete growth inhibition of E. amylovora. We found that conjugation of cell penetrating peptide (CPP) to PNA is essential for the antimicrobial effect, with CPP1 [(KFF)3K] being the most effective against E. amylovora. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of anti-acpP-CPP1 (2.5 μM) is comparable to the MIC of streptomycin (2 μM). Examination of the antimicrobial mechanisms demonstrated that anti-acpP-CPP1 caused dose-dependent reduction of acpP mRNA in E. amylovora upon treatment and resulted in cell death (bactericidal effect). Anti-acpP-CPP1 (100 μM) is able to effectively limit the pathogen growth on stigmas of apple flowers, although less effective than streptomycin. Finally, unlike streptomycin that does not display any specificity in inhibiting pathogen growth, anti-acpP-CPP1 has more specific antimicrobial effect against E. amylovora. In summary, we demonstrated that PNA-CPP can cause an effective, specific antimicrobial effect against E. amylovora and may provide the basis for a novel approach for fire blight control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi R. Patel
- Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New HavenCT, USA
| | - George W. Sundin
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East LansingMI, USA
| | - Ching-Hong Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, MilwaukeeWI, USA
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East LansingMI, USA
| | - Regan B. Huntley
- Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New HavenCT, USA
| | - Xiaochen Yuan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, MilwaukeeWI, USA
| | - Quan Zeng
- Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New HavenCT, USA
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28
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Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Peptide-Conjugated Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomers. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 61:AAC.01938-16. [PMID: 28137807 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01938-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a highly virulent, multidrug-resistant pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients and is particularly devastating in patients with cystic fibrosis. Increasing antibiotic resistance coupled with decreasing numbers of antibiotics in the developmental pipeline demands novel antibacterial approaches. Here, we tested peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMOs), which inhibit translation of complementary mRNA from specific, essential genes in P. aeruginosa PPMOs targeted to acpP, lpxC, and rpsJ, inhibited P. aeruginosa growth in many clinical strains and activity of PPMOs could be enhanced 2- to 8-fold by the addition of polymyxin B nonapeptide at subinhibitory concentrations. The PPMO targeting acpP was also effective at preventing P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm formation and at reducing existing biofilms. Importantly, treatment with various combinations of a PPMO and a traditional antibiotic demonstrated synergistic growth inhibition, the most effective of which was the PPMO targeting rpsJ with tobramycin. Furthermore, treatment of P. aeruginosa PA103-infected mice with PPMOs targeting acpP, lpxC, or rpsJ significantly reduced the bacterial burden in the lungs at 24 h by almost 3 logs. Altogether, this study demonstrates that PPMOs targeting the essential genes acpP, lpxC, or rpsJ in P. aeruginosa are highly effective at inhibiting growth in vitro and in vivo These data suggest that PPMOs alone or in combination with antibiotics represent a novel approach to addressing the problems associated with rapidly increasing antibiotic resistance in P. aeruginosa.
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29
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Wei Y, Zhang L, Fu Y, Xu X. Rapid delivery of paclitaxel with an organic solvent-free system based on a novel cell penetrating peptide for suppression of tumor growth. J Mater Chem B 2017; 5:7768-7774. [DOI: 10.1039/c7tb01259d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
PTX is rapidly translocated into HeLa cells with the help of R7. The intracellular PTX concentration of R7/PTX complex group is 3 fold that of the free PTX group. This delivery system does not contain any organic solvent. The tumor growth is significantly suppressed by a tail vein injection of the R7/PTX complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuping Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing
- P. R. China
| | - Liang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing
- P. R. China
| | - Yankai Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing
- P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing
| | - Xia Xu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan
- P. R. China
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30
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Gooding M, Malhotra M, Evans JC, Darcy R, O'Driscoll CM. Oligonucleotide conjugates - Candidates for gene silencing therapeutics. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2016; 107:321-40. [PMID: 27521696 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2016.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 07/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The potential therapeutic and diagnostic applications of oligonucleotides (ONs) have attracted great attention in recent years. The capability of ONs to selectively inhibit target genes through antisense and RNA interference mechanisms, without causing un-intended sideeffects has led them to be investigated for various biomedical applications, especially for the treatment of viral diseases and cancer. In recent years, many researchers have focused on enhancing the stability and target specificity of ONs by encapsulating/complexing them with polymers or lipid chains to formulate nanoparticles/nanocomplexes/micelles. Also, chemical modification of nucleic acids has emerged as an alternative to impart stability to ONs against nucleases and other degrading enzymes and proteins found in blood. In addition to chemically modifying the nucleic acids directly, another strategy that has emerged, involves conjugating polymers/peptide/aptamers/antibodies/proteins, preferably to the sense strand (3'end) of siRNAs. Conjugation to the siRNA not only enhances the stability and targeting specificity of the siRNA, but also allows for the development of self-administering siRNA formulations, with a much smaller size than what is usually observed for nanoparticle (∼200nm). This review concentrates mainly on approaches and studies involving ON-conjugates for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Gooding
- Pharmacodelivery Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Meenakshi Malhotra
- Pharmacodelivery Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - James C Evans
- Pharmacodelivery Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Raphael Darcy
- Pharmacodelivery Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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31
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Vij M, Natarajan P, Yadav AK, Patil KM, Pandey T, Gupta N, Santhiya D, Kumar VA, Fernandes M, Ganguli M. Efficient Cellular Entry of (r-x-r)-Type Carbamate–Plasmid DNA Complexes and Its Implication for Noninvasive Topical DNA Delivery to Skin. Mol Pharm 2016; 13:1779-90. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Manika Vij
- Department
of Structural Biology, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, South
Campus, Mathura Road, New Delhi, India 110020
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, India 110001
| | - Poornemaa Natarajan
- Department
of Structural Biology, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, South
Campus, Mathura Road, New Delhi, India 110020
| | - Amit K. Yadav
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411008
| | - Kiran M. Patil
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411008
| | - Tanuja Pandey
- Department
of Structural Biology, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, South
Campus, Mathura Road, New Delhi, India 110020
| | - Nidhi Gupta
- Delhi Technological University, Shahbad Daulatpur, Main Bawana Road, New Delhi, India 110042
| | - Deenan Santhiya
- Delhi Technological University, Shahbad Daulatpur, Main Bawana Road, New Delhi, India 110042
| | | | | | - Munia Ganguli
- Department
of Structural Biology, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, South
Campus, Mathura Road, New Delhi, India 110020
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, India 110001
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32
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Behera B, Mukherjee D, Agarwal T, Das J, Ghosh SK, Maiti TK. Cell penetrating peptides from agglutinin protein of Abrus precatorius facilitate the uptake of Imatinib mesylate. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2016; 140:169-175. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2015.12.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 12/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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33
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Bhadra J, Pattanayak S, Sinha S. Synthesis of Morpholino Monomers, Chlorophosphoramidate Monomers, and Solid-Phase Synthesis of Short Morpholino Oligomers. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 62:4.65.1-4.65.26. [PMID: 26380905 DOI: 10.1002/0471142700.nc0465s62] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) are a highly capable class of synthetic antisense oligonucleotides that are used to study gene functions in in vitro and in vivo models. This unit describes the synthesis of exocyclic-amine-protected 7'-hydroxy and 7'-chlorophosphoramidate-activated morpholino monomers of A, T, G, and C, together with their incorporation into short PMO oligomers by solid-phase synthesis. Starting from ribonucleosides, the exocyclic-amine-protected 7'-hydroxy monomers are prepared following a modified Summerton protocol, which consists of a periodate cleavage/Schiff base formation/reduction cycle. The exocyclic amine protections are installed at a later stage (except G) to avoid the use of costly exocyclic-amine-protected counterparts that give control over protecting group manipulation. The 7'-hydroxy monomers with N-Trit/N-MMTr are then converted to the 7'-chlorophosphoramidate morpholino monomers in one step employing a combination of lithium bromide and DBU. These chlorophosphoramidate monomers are finally assembled by solid-support synthesis to obtain the short PMO oligomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhuma Bhadra
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata, India.,These authors contributed equally
| | - Sankha Pattanayak
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata, India.,These authors contributed equally
| | - Surajit Sinha
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata, India
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34
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Lehto T, Wagner E. Sequence-defined polymers for the delivery of oligonucleotides. Nanomedicine (Lond) 2015; 9:2843-59. [PMID: 25535686 DOI: 10.2217/nnm.14.166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Short synthetic oligonucleotides (ONs) are a group of therapeutic molecules with enormous clinical potential owing to their high specificity and ability to target the expression of virtually any single or group of genes. Clinical translation of ONs is hampered by the inadequate bioavailability in the target cells due to the substantial extracellular and intracellular barriers exposed to these molecules. Different cationic polymers have been successfully deployed for the delivery of ONs. However, heterogeneous nature of these classical polymers is not suitable for clinical applications and hence vectors with completely defined structure are required. In this review, we discuss recent advances with sequence-defined polymers and their application for the delivery of short ONs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taavi Lehto
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy and Center for Nanoscience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
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35
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Ezzat K, Aoki Y, Koo T, McClorey G, Benner L, Coenen-Stass A, O'Donovan L, Lehto T, Garcia-Guerra A, Nordin J, Saleh AF, Behlke M, Morris J, Goyenvalle A, Dugovic B, Leumann C, Gordon S, Gait MJ, El-Andaloussi S, Wood MJA. Self-Assembly into Nanoparticles Is Essential for Receptor Mediated Uptake of Therapeutic Antisense Oligonucleotides. NANO LETTERS 2015; 15:4364-73. [PMID: 26042553 PMCID: PMC6415796 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b00490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have the potential to revolutionize medicine due to their ability to manipulate gene function for therapeutic purposes. ASOs are chemically modified and/or incorporated within nanoparticles to enhance their stability and cellular uptake, however, a major challenge is the poor understanding of their uptake mechanisms, which would facilitate improved ASO designs with enhanced activity and reduced toxicity. Here, we study the uptake mechanism of three therapeutically relevant ASOs (peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino (PPMO), 2'Omethyl phosphorothioate (2'OMe), and phosphorothioated tricyclo DNA (tcDNA) that have been optimized to induce exon skipping in models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We show that PPMO and tcDNA have high propensity to spontaneously self-assemble into nanoparticles. PPMO forms micelles of defined size and their net charge (zeta potential) is dependent on the medium and concentration. In biomimetic conditions and at low concentrations, PPMO obtains net negative charge and its uptake is mediated by class A scavenger receptor subtypes (SCARAs) as shown by competitive inhibition and RNAi silencing experiments in vitro. In vivo, the activity of PPMO was significantly decreased in SCARA1 knockout mice compared to wild-type animals. Additionally, we show that SCARA1 is involved in the uptake of tcDNA and 2'OMe as shown by competitive inhibition and colocalization experiments. Surface plasmon resonance binding analysis to SCARA1 demonstrated that PPMO and tcDNA have higher binding profiles to the receptor compared to 2'OMe. These results demonstrate receptor-mediated uptake for a range of therapeutic ASO chemistries, a mechanism that is dependent on their self-assembly into nanoparticles.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Cell Line
- Exons
- Genetic Therapy
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Micelles
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/genetics
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/therapy
- Nanoparticles/chemistry
- Oligonucleotides, Antisense/chemistry
- Oligonucleotides, Antisense/genetics
- Oligonucleotides, Antisense/pharmacokinetics
- Oligonucleotides, Antisense/therapeutic use
- Scavenger Receptors, Class A/genetics
- Scavenger Receptors, Class A/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Kariem Ezzat
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Yoshitsugu Aoki
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
- ●Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Taeyoung Koo
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
- ‡Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Seoul 151-747, South Korea
- §Functional Genomics, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-338, South Korea
| | - Graham McClorey
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Leif Benner
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Coenen-Stass
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Liz O'Donovan
- ∥Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Taavi Lehto
- ⊥Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - Antonio Garcia-Guerra
- #Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, OX13PU, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Joel Nordin
- ⊥Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - Amer F Saleh
- ∥Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Behlke
- ∇Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), Coralville, Iowa 55241, United States
| | - John Morris
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Aurelie Goyenvalle
- ○Université de Versailles Saint Quentin, Montigny le Bretonneux 78180, France
| | - Branislav Dugovic
- ◆Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christian Leumann
- ◆Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Siamon Gordon
- ¶Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, OX1 3RE, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Gait
- ∥Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Samir El-Andaloussi
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
- ⊥Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - Matthew J A Wood
- †Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, OX13QX, Oxford, United Kingdom
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36
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Boisguérin P, Deshayes S, Gait MJ, O'Donovan L, Godfrey C, Betts CA, Wood MJA, Lebleu B. Delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides with cell penetrating peptides. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2015; 87:52-67. [PMID: 25747758 PMCID: PMC7102600 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2015.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Revised: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Oligonucleotide-based drugs have received considerable attention for their capacity to modulate gene expression very specifically and as a consequence they have found applications in the treatment of many human acquired or genetic diseases. Clinical translation has been often hampered by poor biodistribution, however. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) appear as a possibility to increase the cellular delivery of non-permeant biomolecules such as nucleic acids. This review focuses on CPP-delivery of several classes of oligonucleotides (ONs), namely antisense oligonucleotides, splice switching oligonucleotides (SSOs) and siRNAs. Two main strategies have been used to transport ONs with CPPs: covalent conjugation (which is more appropriate for charge-neutral ON analogues) and non-covalent complexation (which has been used for siRNA delivery essentially). Chemical synthesis, mechanisms of cellular internalization and various applications will be reviewed. A comprehensive coverage of the enormous amount of published data was not possible. Instead, emphasis has been put on strategies that have proven to be effective in animal models of important human diseases and on examples taken from the authors' own expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prisca Boisguérin
- Centre de Recherche de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, UMR 5237 CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France.
| | - Sébastien Deshayes
- Centre de Recherche de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, UMR 5237 CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Michael J Gait
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Liz O'Donovan
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Caroline Godfrey
- University of Oxford, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Corinne A Betts
- University of Oxford, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Matthew J A Wood
- University of Oxford, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Bernard Lebleu
- UMR 5235 CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugene Bataillon, Montpellier 34095, France
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37
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Wilton SD, Veedu RN, Fletcher S. The emperor's new dystrophin: finding sense in the noise. Trends Mol Med 2015; 21:417-26. [PMID: 26051381 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2015.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Revised: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Targeted dystrophin exon removal is a promising therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); however, dystrophin expression in some reports is not supported by the associated data. As in the account of 'The Emperor's New Clothes', the validity of such claims must be questioned, with critical re-evaluation of available data. Is it appropriate to report clinical benefit and induction of dystrophin as dose dependent when the baseline is unclear? The inability to induce meaningful levels of dystrophin does not mean that dystrophin expression as an end point is irrelevant, nor that induced exon skipping as a strategy is flawed, but demands that drug safety and efficacy, and study parameters be addressed, rather than questioning the strategy or the validity of dystrophin as a biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Wilton
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6009, Australia; West Australian Neuroscience Research Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6009, Australia.
| | - R N Veedu
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6009, Australia; West Australian Neuroscience Research Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6009, Australia
| | - S Fletcher
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6009, Australia; West Australian Neuroscience Research Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6009, Australia
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38
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van Westering TLE, Betts CA, Wood MJA. Current understanding of molecular pathology and treatment of cardiomyopathy in duchenne muscular dystrophy. Molecules 2015; 20:8823-55. [PMID: 25988613 PMCID: PMC6272314 DOI: 10.3390/molecules20058823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic muscle disorder caused by mutations in the Dmd gene resulting in the loss of the protein dystrophin. Patients do not only experience skeletal muscle degeneration, but also develop severe cardiomyopathy by their second decade, one of the main causes of death. The absence of dystrophin in the heart renders cardiomyocytes more sensitive to stretch-induced damage. Moreover, it pathologically alters intracellular calcium (Ca2+) concentration, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) localization and mitochondrial function and leads to inflammation and necrosis, all contributing to the development of cardiomyopathy. Current therapies only treat symptoms and therefore the need for targeting the genetic defect is immense. Several preclinical therapies are undergoing development, including utrophin up-regulation, stop codon read-through therapy, viral gene therapy, cell-based therapy and exon skipping. Some of these therapies are undergoing clinical trials, but these have predominantly focused on skeletal muscle correction. However, improving skeletal muscle function without addressing cardiac aspects of the disease may aggravate cardiomyopathy and therefore it is essential that preclinical and clinical focus include improving heart function. This review consolidates what is known regarding molecular pathology of the DMD heart, specifically focusing on intracellular Ca2+, nNOS and mitochondrial dysregulation. It briefly discusses the current treatment options and then elaborates on the preclinical therapeutic approaches currently under development to restore dystrophin thereby improving pathology, with a focus on the heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tirsa L E van Westering
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Corinne A Betts
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QX, UK.
| | - Matthew J A Wood
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QX, UK.
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Nancy MM, Nora RM, Rebeca MC. Peptidic tools applied to redirect alternative splicing events. Peptides 2015; 67:1-11. [PMID: 25748022 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Revised: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Peptides are versatile and attractive biomolecules that can be applied to modulate genetic mechanisms like alternative splicing. In this process, a single transcript yields different mature RNAs leading to the production of protein isoforms with diverse or even antagonistic functions. During splicing events, errors can be caused either by mutations present in the genome or by defects or imbalances in regulatory protein factors. In any case, defects in alternative splicing have been related to several genetic diseases including muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer's disease and cancer from almost every origin. One of the most effective approaches to redirect alternative splicing events has been to attach cell-penetrating peptides to oligonucleotides that can modulate a single splicing event and restore correct gene expression. Here, we summarize how natural existing and bioengineered peptides have been applied over the last few years to regulate alternative splicing and genetic expression. Under different genetic and cellular backgrounds, peptides have been shown to function as potent vehicles for splice correction, and their therapeutic benefits have reached clinical trials and patenting stages, emphasizing the use of regulatory peptides as an exciting therapeutic tool for the treatment of different genetic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martínez-Montiel Nancy
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular Microbiana, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico
| | - Rosas-Murrieta Nora
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico
| | - Martínez-Contreras Rebeca
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular Microbiana, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico.
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40
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Capobianco ML, Marchesi E, Perrone D, Navacchia ML. Labeling deoxyadenosine for the preparation of functional conjugated oligonucleotides. Bioconjug Chem 2014; 24:1398-407. [PMID: 23883134 DOI: 10.1021/bc400243q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Herein we present a versatile synthetic method for the 8-thioalkylation of (deoxy)adenosine with a short carbon linker having on the other side a variety of molecules (psoralen, acridine) and functional groups (alkyne). After conventional protections, the modified adenosine can be phosphytylated and inserted into an oligonucleotide without affecting the standard protocols for supported oligonucleotide synthesis. The hybridization properties of a generic oligonucleotide containing the above conjugated moieties toward both DNA and RNA are evaluated both in the case of a perfectly complementary strand and in the case of a single mismatch. This methodology is suitable for the preparation of several types of derivatives and—through the alkynyl moiety—provides fast access to click-chemistry transformations.
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41
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Zeller S, Choi CS, Uchil PD, Ban HS, Siefert A, Fahmy TM, Mothes W, Lee SK, Kumar P. Attachment of cell-binding ligands to arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides enables cytosolic translocation of complexed siRNA. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 22:50-62. [PMID: 25544044 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2014.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Revised: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), such as nona-arginine (9R), poorly translocate siRNA into cells. Our studies demonstrate that attaching 9R to ligands that bind cell surface receptors quantitatively increases siRNA uptake and importantly, allows functional delivery of complexed siRNA. The mechanism involved accumulation of ligand-9R:siRNA microparticles on the cell membrane, which induced transient membrane inversion at the site of ligand-9R binding and rapid siRNA translocation into the cytoplasm. siRNA release also occurred late after endocytosis when the ligand was attached to the L isoform of 9R, but not the protease-resistant 9DR, prolonging mRNA knockdown. This critically depended on endosomal proteolytic activity, implying that partial CPP degradation is required for endosome-to-cytosol translocation. The data demonstrate that ligand attachment renders simple polycationic CPPs effective for siRNA delivery by restoring their intrinsic property of translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skye Zeller
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Chang Seon Choi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Bioengineering and Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, South Korea
| | - Pradeep D Uchil
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Hong-Seok Ban
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Bioengineering and Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, South Korea
| | - Alyssa Siefert
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Tarek M Fahmy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Walther Mothes
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sang-Kyung Lee
- Department of Bioengineering and Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, South Korea.
| | - Priti Kumar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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42
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Cordier C, Boutimah F, Bourdeloux M, Dupuy F, Met E, Alberti P, Loll F, Chassaing G, Burlina F, Saison-Behmoaras TE. Delivery of antisense peptide nucleic acids to cells by conjugation with small arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptide (R/W)9. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104999. [PMID: 25127364 PMCID: PMC4134252 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are very attractive antisense and antigene agents, but these molecules are not passively taken into cells. Here, using a functional cell assay and fluorescent-based methods, we investigated cell uptake and antisense activity of a tridecamer PNA that targets the HIV-1 polypurine tract sequence delivered using the arginine-rich (R/W)9 peptide (RRWWRRWRR). At micromolar concentrations, without use of any transfection agents, almost 80% inhibition of the target gene expression was obtained with the conjugate in the presence of the endosomolytic agent chloroquine. We show that chloroquine not only induced escape from endosomes but also enhanced the cellular uptake of the conjugate. Mechanistic studies revealed that (R/W)9-PNA conjugates were internalized via pinocytosis. Replacement of arginines with lysines reduced the uptake of the conjugate by six-fold, resulting in the abolition of intracellular target inhibition. Our results show that the arginines play a crucial role in the conjugate uptake and antisense activity. To determine whether specificity of the interactions of arginines with cell surface proteoglycans result in the internalization, we used flow cytometry to examine uptake of arginine- and lysine-rich conjugates in wild-type CHO-K1 and proteoglycan-deficient A745 cells. The uptake of both conjugates was decreased by four fold in CHO-745 cells; therefore proteoglycans promote internalization of cationic peptides, irrespective of the chemical nature of their positive charges. Our results show that arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides, especially (R/W)9, are a promising tool for PNA internalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Cordier
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
| | - Fatima Boutimah
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Bourdeloux
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
| | - Florian Dupuy
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
| | - Elisabeth Met
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
| | - Patrizia Alberti
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
| | - François Loll
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
| | - Gérard Chassaing
- UPMC-Univ Paris 06, Laboratoire des BioMolécules, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7203, Paris, France
- ENS, UMR 7203, Département de Chimie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Fabienne Burlina
- UPMC-Univ Paris 06, Laboratoire des BioMolécules, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7203, Paris, France
- ENS, UMR 7203, Département de Chimie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Tula Ester Saison-Behmoaras
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Paris, France
- INSERM, U1154, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 7196, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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43
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Reissmann S. Cell penetration: scope and limitations by the application of cell-penetrating peptides. J Pept Sci 2014; 20:760-84. [DOI: 10.1002/psc.2672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Revised: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Siegmund Reissmann
- Friedrich Schiller University, Biological and Pharmaceutical Faculty; Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics; Dornburger Strasse 25 07743 Jena Germany
- Jena Bioscience GmbH; Loebstedter Strasse 80 07749 Jena Germany
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44
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Gao X, Zhao J, Han G, Zhang Y, Dong X, Cao L, Wang Q, Moulton HM, Yin H. Effective dystrophin restoration by a novel muscle-homing peptide-morpholino conjugate in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice. Mol Ther 2014; 22:1333-1341. [PMID: 24732757 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2014.63] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotide (AO)-mediated splice correction therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy has shown huge promise from recent phase 2b clinical trials, however high doses and costs are required and targeted delivery can lower both of these. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility of targeted delivery of AOs by conjugating a chimeric peptide, consisting of a muscle-specific peptide and a cell-penetrating peptide, to AOs in mdx mice. Although increased uptake in muscle was observed, the majority of peptide-AO conjugate was found in the liver. To search for more effective muscle-homing peptides, we carried out in vitro biopanning in myoblasts and identified a novel 12-mer peptide (M12) showing preferential binding to skeletal muscle compared to the liver. When conjugated to phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers, ~25% of normal level of dystrophin expression was achieved in body-wide skeletal muscles in mdx mice with significant recovery in grip strength, whereas <2% in corresponding tissues treated with either muscle-specific peptide-phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer or unmodified phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer under identical conditions. Our data provide evidences for the first time that a muscle-homing peptide alone can enhance AO delivery to muscle without appreciable toxicity at 75 mg/kg, suggesting M12-phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer can be an alternative option to current AOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianjun Gao
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jingwen Zhao
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Gang Han
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yajie Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xue Dong
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Limin Cao
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Qingsong Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Hong M Moulton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - HaiFang Yin
- Department of Cell Biology, Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
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45
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Pattanayak S, Khatra H, Saha S, Sinha S. A cationic morpholino antisense oligomer conjugate: synthesis, cellular uptake and inhibition of Gli1 in the hedgehog signalling pathway. RSC Adv 2014. [DOI: 10.1039/c3ra45257c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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46
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Paul S, Pattanayak S, Sinha S. Synthesis and cell transfection properties of cationic uracil-morpholino tetramer. Tetrahedron Lett 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2013.12.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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47
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Lehto T, Castillo Alvarez A, Gauck S, Gait MJ, Coursindel T, Wood MJA, Lebleu B, Boisguerin P. Cellular trafficking determines the exon skipping activity of Pip6a-PMO in mdx skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 42:3207-17. [PMID: 24366877 PMCID: PMC3950666 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt1220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptide-mediated delivery of phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) has shown great promise for exon-skipping therapy of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Pip6a-PMO, a recently developed conjugate, is particularly efficient in a murine DMD model, although mechanisms responsible for its increased biological activity have not been studied. Here, we evaluate the cellular trafficking and the biological activity of Pip6a-PMO in skeletal muscle cells and primary cardiomyocytes. Our results indicate that Pip6a-PMO is taken up in the skeletal muscle cells by an energy- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis. Interestingly, its cellular distribution is different in undifferentiated and differentiated skeletal muscle cells (vesicular versus nuclear). Likewise, Pip6a-PMO mainly accumulates in cytoplasmic vesicles in primary cardiomyocytes, in which clathrin-mediated endocytosis seems to be the pre-dominant uptake pathway. These differences in cellular trafficking correspond well with the exon-skipping data, with higher activity in myotubes than in myoblasts or cardiomyocytes. These differences in cellular trafficking thus provide a possible mechanistic explanation for the variations in exon-skipping activity and restoration of dystrophin protein in heart muscle compared with skeletal muscle tissues in DMD models. Overall, Pip6a-PMO appears as the most efficient conjugate to date (low nanomolar EC50), even if limitations remain from endosomal escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taavi Lehto
- UMR 5235 CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugene Bataillon, Montpellier 34095, France, Centre de Recherche de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, UMR 5237 CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France, Universität Potsdam, Institut für Biochemie und Biologie, Maulbeerallee 2, 14469 Potsdam, Germany, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QX, UK
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48
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Geller BL, Marshall-Batty K, Schnell FJ, McKnight MM, Iversen PL, Greenberg DE. Gene-silencing antisense oligomers inhibit acinetobacter growth in vitro and in vivo. J Infect Dis 2013; 208:1553-60. [PMID: 24130069 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jit460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMOs) are synthetic DNA/RNA analogues that silence expression of specific genes. We studied whether PPMOs targeted to essential genes in Acinetobacter lwoffii and Acinetobacter baumannii are active in vitro and in vivo. METHODS PPMOs were evaluated in vitro using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and viability assays, and in vivo using murine pulmonary infection models with intranasal PPMO treatment. RESULTS MICs of PPMOs ranged from 0.1 to 64 µM (approximately 0.6-38 µg/mL). The most effective PPMO tested was (RXR)4-AcpP, which is targeted to acpP. (RXR)4-AcpP reduced viability of A. lwoffii and A. baumannii by >10(3) colony-forming units/mL at 5-8 times MIC. Mice treated with ≥0.25 mg/kg of (RXR)4-AcpP survived longer and had less inflammation and bacterial lung burden than mice treated with a scrambled-sequence PPMO or phosphate-buffered saline. Treatment could be delayed after infection and still increase survival. CONCLUSIONS PPMOs targeted to essential genes of A. lwoffii and A. baumannii were bactericidal and had MICs in a clinically relevant range. (RXR)4-AcpP increased survival of mice infected with A. lwoffii or A. baumannii, even when initial treatment was delayed after infection. PPMOs could be a viable therapeutic approach in dealing with multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter species.
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49
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Yin H, Boisguerin P, Moulton HM, Betts C, Seow Y, Boutilier J, Wang Q, Walsh A, Lebleu B, Wood MJ. Context Dependent Effects of Chimeric Peptide Morpholino Conjugates Contribute to Dystrophin Exon-skipping Efficiency. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2013; 2:e124. [PMID: 24064708 PMCID: PMC4028018 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2013.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We have recently reported that cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and novel chimeric peptides containing CPP (referred as B peptide) and muscle-targeting peptide (referred as MSP) motifs significantly improve the systemic exon-skipping activity of morpholino phosphorodiamidate oligomers (PMOs) in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice. In the present study, the general mechanistic significance of the chimeric peptide configuration on the activity and tissue uptake of peptide conjugated PMOs in vivo was investigated. Four additional chimeric peptide-PMO conjugates including newly identified peptide 9 (B-9-PMO and 9-B-PMO) and control peptide 3 (B-3-PMO and 3-B-PMO) were tested in mdx mice. Immunohistochemical staining, RT-PCR and western blot results indicated that B-9-PMO induced significantly higher level of exon skipping and dystrophin restoration than its counterpart (9-B-PMO), further corroborating the notion that the activity of chimeric peptide-PMO conjugates is dependent on relative position of the tissue-targeting peptide motif within the chimeric peptide with respect to PMOs. Subsequent mechanistic studies showed that enhanced cellular uptake of B-MSP-PMO into muscle cells leads to increased exon-skipping activity in comparison with MSP-B-PMO. Surprisingly, further evidence showed that the uptake of chimeric peptide-PMO conjugates of both orientations (B-MSP-PMO and MSP-B-PMO) was ATP- and temperature-dependent and also partially mediated by heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG), indicating that endocytosis is likely the main uptake pathway for both chimeric peptide-PMO conjugates. Collectively, our data demonstrate that peptide orientation in chimeric peptides is an important parameter that determines cellular uptake and activity when conjugated directly to oligonucleotides. These observations provide insight into the design of improved cell targeting compounds for future therapeutics studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haifang Yin
- 1] Research Centre of Basic Medical Science, Tianjin Medical University, Qixiangtai Road, Heping District, Tianjin, China [2] Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
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50
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Dirin M, Winkler J. Influence of diverse chemical modifications on the ADME characteristics and toxicology of antisense oligonucleotides. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2013; 13:875-88. [DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2013.774366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Dirin
- University of Vienna, Department of Medicinal Chemistry,
Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes Winkler
- University of Vienna, Department of Medicinal Chemistry,
Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria ;
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