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Doherty C, Wilbanks B, Khatua S, Maher LJ. Aptamers in neuro-oncology: An emerging therapeutic modality. Neuro Oncol 2024; 26:38-54. [PMID: 37619244 PMCID: PMC10768989 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in the understanding of brain tumor pathophysiology, challenges associated with tumor location and characteristics have prevented significant improvement in neuro-oncology therapies. Aptamers are short, single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides that fold into sequence-specific, 3-dimensional shapes that, like protein antibodies, interact with targeted ligands with high affinity and specificity. Aptamer technology has recently been applied to neuro-oncology as a potential approach to innovative therapy. Preclinical research has demonstrated the ability of aptamers to overcome some obstacles that have traditionally rendered neuro-oncology therapies ineffective. Potential aptamer advantages include their small size, ability in some cases to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, inherent lack of immunogenicity, and applicability for discovering novel biomarkers. Herein, we review recent reports of aptamer applications in neuro-oncology including aptamers found by cell- and in vivo- Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment approaches, aptamer-targeted therapeutic delivery modalities, and aptamers in diagnostics and imaging. We further identify crucial future directions for the field that will be important to advance aptamer-based drugs or tools to clinical application in neuro-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Doherty
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brandon Wilbanks
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Track, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Soumen Khatua
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Section of Neuro-Oncology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Louis James Maher
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Saatci O, Sahin O. TACC3: a multi-functional protein promoting cancer cell survival and aggressiveness. Cell Cycle 2023; 22:2637-2655. [PMID: 38197196 PMCID: PMC10936615 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2024.2302243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
TACC3 is the most oncogenic member of the transforming acidic coiled-coil domain-containing protein (TACC) family. It is one of the major recruitment factors of distinct multi-protein complexes. TACC3 is localized to spindles, centrosomes, and nucleus, and regulates key oncogenic processes, including cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness. Recently, TACC3 inhibition has been identified as a vulnerability in highly aggressive cancers, such as cancers with centrosome amplification (CA). TACC3 has spatiotemporal functions throughout the cell cycle; therefore, targeting TACC3 causes cell death in mitosis and interphase in cancer cells with CA. In the clinics, TACC3 is highly expressed and associated with worse survival in multiple cancers. Furthermore, TACC3 is a part of one of the most common fusions of FGFR, FGFR3-TACC3 and is important for the oncogenicity of the fusion. A detailed understanding of the regulation of TACC3 expression, its key partners, and molecular functions in cancer cells is vital for uncovering the most vulnerable tumors and maximizing the therapeutic potential of targeting this highly oncogenic protein. In this review, we summarize the established and emerging interactors and spatiotemporal functions of TACC3 in cancer cells, discuss the potential of TACC3 as a biomarker in cancer, and therapeutic potential of its inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozge Saatci
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Ozgur Sahin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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Avgoulas DI, Tasioulis KS, Papi RM, Pantazaki AA. Therapeutic and Diagnostic Potential of Exosomes as Drug Delivery Systems in Brain Cancer. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15051439. [PMID: 37242681 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is designated as one of the principal causes of mortality universally. Among different types of cancer, brain cancer remains the most challenging one due to its aggressiveness, the ineffective permeation ability of drugs through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and drug resistance. To overcome the aforementioned issues in fighting brain cancer, there is an imperative need for designing novel therapeutic approaches. Exosomes have been proposed as prospective "Trojan horse" nanocarriers of anticancer theranostics owing to their biocompatibility, increased stability, permeability, negligible immunogenicity, prolonged circulation time, and high loading capacity. This review provides a comprehensive discussion on the biological properties, physicochemical characteristics, isolation methods, biogenesis and internalization of exosomes, while it emphasizes their therapeutic and diagnostic potential as drug vehicle systems in brain cancer, highlighting recent advances in the research field. A comparison of the biological activity and therapeutic effectiveness of several exosome-encapsulated cargo including drugs and biomacromolecules underlines their great supremacy over the non-exosomal encapsulated cargo in the delivery, accumulation, and biological potency. Various studies on cell lines and animals give prominence to exosome-based nanoparticles (NPs) as a promising and alternative approach in the management of brain cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios I Avgoulas
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Konstantinos S Tasioulis
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Rigini M Papi
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Anastasia A Pantazaki
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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FGFR3-TACCs3 Fusions and Their Clinical Relevance in Human Glioblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158675. [PMID: 35955806 PMCID: PMC9369421 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic fusion genes have emerged as successful targets in several malignancies, such as chronic myeloid leukemia and lung cancer. Fusion of the fibroblast growth receptor 3 and the transforming acidic coiled coil containing protein—FGFR3-TACC3 fusion—is prevalent in 3–4% of human glioblastoma. The fusion protein leads to the constitutively activated kinase signaling of FGFR3 and thereby promotes cell proliferation and tumor progression. The subgroup of FGFR3-TACC3 fusion-positive glioblastomas presents with recurrent clinical and histomolecular characteristics, defining a distinctive subtype of IDH-wildtype glioblastoma. This review aims to provide an overview of the available literature on FGFR3-TACC3 fusions in glioblastoma and possible implications for actual clinical practice.
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Teng XQ, Qu J, Li GH, Zhuang HH, Qu Q. Small Interfering RNA for Gliomas Treatment: Overcoming Hurdles in Delivery. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:824299. [PMID: 35874843 PMCID: PMC9304887 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.824299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gliomas are central nervous system tumors originating from glial cells, whose incidence and mortality rise in coming years. The current treatment of gliomas is surgery combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, developing therapeutic resistance is one of the significant challenges. Recent research suggested that small interfering RNA (siRNA) has excellent potential as a therapeutic to silence genes that are significantly involved in the manipulation of gliomas’ malignant phenotypes, including proliferation, invasion, metastasis, therapy resistance, and immune escape. However, it is challenging to deliver the naked siRNA to the action site in the cells of target tissues. Therefore, it is urgent to develop delivery strategies to transport siRNA to achieve the optimal silencing effect of the target gene. However, there is no systematic discussion about siRNAs’ clinical potential and delivery strategies in gliomas. This review mainly discusses siRNAs’ delivery strategies, especially nanotechnology-based delivery systems, as a potential glioma therapy. Moreover, we envisage the future orientation and challenges in translating these findings into clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Qi Teng
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jian Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Guo-Hua Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hai-Hui Zhuang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qiang Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- *Correspondence: Qiang Qu,
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Application of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Targeted Delivery to the Brain: Potential and Challenges of the Extracellular Vesicle-Based Approach for Brain Tumor Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011187. [PMID: 34681842 PMCID: PMC8538190 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Treating brain tumors presents enormous challenges, and there are still poor prognoses in both adults and children. Application of novel targets and potential drugs is hindered by the function of the blood-brain barrier, which significantly restricts therapeutic access to the tumor. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can cross biological barriers, migrate to sites of injuries to exert many healing effects, and be engineered to incorporate different types of cargo, making them an ideal vehicle to transport anti-tumor agents to the central nervous system. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) produced by MSCs (MSC-EVs) have valuable innate properties from parent cells, and are being exploited as cell-free treatments for many neurological diseases. Compared to using MSCs, targeted delivery via MSC-EVs has a better pharmacokinetic profile, yet avoids many critical issues of cell-based systems. As the field of MSC therapeutic applications is quickly expanding, this article aims to give an overall picture for one direction of EV-based targeting of brain tumors, with updates on available techniques, outcomes of experimental models, and critical challenges of this concept.
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