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Liu Q, Cai S, Ye J, Xie Q, Liu R, Qiu L, Lin J. Preclinical evaluation of 68 Ga-labeled peptide CK2 for PET imaging of NRP-1 expression in vivo. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2024; 51:1826-1840. [PMID: 38319321 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-024-06632-x] [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: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is a multifunctional protein involved in a variety of biological processes such as angiogenesis, tumorigenesis and immunomodulation. It was usually overexpressed in many cancer cell lines and correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer. Positron emission tomography (PET) is an advanced imaging technique for detecting the function and metabolism of tumor-associated molecules in real time, dynamically, quantitatively and noninvasively. To improve the level of early diagnosis and evaluate the prognosis of breast cancer, an NRP-1 targeting peptide-based tracer [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 was designed to sensitively and specifically detect the NRP-1 expression in vivo via PET imaging. METHODS In silico modeling and microscale thermophoresis (MST) assay were carried out to design the NRP-1 targeting peptide NOTA-PEG4-CK2, and it was further radiolabeled with 68 Ga to prepare the tracer [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2. The radiochemical yield (RCY), radiochemical purity (RCP), molar activity (Am), lipid-water partition coefficient (Log P) and stability of [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 were assessed. The targeting specificity of the tracer for NRP-1 was investigated by in vitro cellular uptake assay and in vivo PET imaging as well as blocking studies. The sensitivity of the tracer in monitoring the dynamic changes of NRP-1 expression induced by chemical drug was also investigated in vitro and in vivo. Ex vivo biodistribution, autoradiography, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were also performed to study the specificity of [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 for NRP-1. RESULTS [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 was designed and synthesized with high RCY (> 98%), high stability (RCP > 95%) and high affinity to NRP-1 (KD = 25.39 ± 1.65 nM). In vitro cellular uptake assay showed that the tracer [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 can specifically bind to NRP-1 positive cancer cells MDA-MB-231 (1.04 ± 0.04% at 2 h) rather than NRP-1 negative cancer cells NCI-H1299 (0.43 ± 0.05%). In vivo PET imaging showed the maximum tumor uptake of [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 in MDA-MB-231 xenografts (4.16 ± 0.67%ID/mL) was significantly higher than that in NCI-H1299 xenografts (1.03 ± 0.19%ID/mL) at 10 min post injection, and the former exhibited higher tumor-to-muscle uptake ratio (5.22 ± 0.18) than the latter (1.07 ± 0.27) at 60 min post injection. MDA-MB-231 xenografts pretreated with nonradioactive precursor NOTA-PEG4-CK2 showed little tumor uptake of [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 (1.67 ± 0.38%ID/mL at 10 min post injection). Both cellular uptake assay and PET imaging revealed that NRP-1 expression in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 could be effectively suppressed by SB-203580 treatment and can be sensitively detected by [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2. Ex vivo analysis also proved the high specificity and sensitivity of [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 for NRP-1 expression in MDA-MB-231 xenografts. CONCLUSION A promising NRP-1 targeting PET tracer [68 Ga]Ga-NOTA-PEG4-CK2 was successfully prepared. It showed remarkable specificity and sensitivity in monitoring the dynamic changes of NRP-1 expression. Hence, it could provide valuable information for early diagnosis of NRP-1 relevant cancers and evaluating the prognosis of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingzhu Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, China
| | - Shuyue Cai
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, China
| | - Jiacong Ye
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Quan Xie
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, China
| | - Rongbin Liu
- Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
| | - Ling Qiu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, China.
| | - Jianguo Lin
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, China.
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Huang Z, Xu E, Ma X, Wang Y, Zhu J, Zhu K, Hu J, Zhang C. Low NT5DC2 expression predicts favorable prognosis and suppresses soft tissue sarcoma progression via ECM-receptor interaction pathway. Transl Oncol 2024; 44:101937. [PMID: 38547613 PMCID: PMC10990738 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.101937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soft tissue sarcoma, a malignant tumor arising from mesenchymal tissues with poor prognosis. 5'-Nucleotidase Domain Containing 2 (NT5DC2) is a novel oncogene, and the precise involvement of NT5DC2 in soft tissue sarcoma were still undefined. Hence, our study aims to investigate NT5DC2 functions in soft tissue sarcoma progression. METHODS The tumor immune single-cell hub 2 (TISCH2) website, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pan-cancer or sarcoma and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO, GSE21122) databases were applied to visualize the NT5DC2 status in the sarcoma databases. The NT5DC2 protein expression in sarcoma tissues in our hospital was detected by using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and analyzed the associations between NT5DC2 expression and clinicopathological parameters. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, wound healing, transwell, flow cytometry and xenograft model were used to elucidate the effects of NT5DC2 downregulated by lentivirus in sarcoma cell. RESULTS The TISCH2 website detection found that NT5DC2 expression is enriched in malignant cells in sarcoma single-cell database. Furthermore, the TCGA-sarcoma database indicated that NT5DC2 expression correlates with metastasis, positive margin status, prognosis, and diagnostic value. Additionally, IHC staining showed that 40 % of soft tissue sarcoma patients present high expression of NT5DC2, and NT5DC2 upregulation is closely associated with poor prognosis. Functional verification analysis further revealed that downregulating NT5DC2 expression can suppress sarcoma progression through the ECM-receptor interaction pathway. CONCLUSION Low expression of NT5DC2 predicts a favorable prognosis in soft tissue sarcoma, and downregulated NT5DC2 expression can suppress sarcoma cell progression through the ECM-receptor interaction pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Huang
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Enjie Xu
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiaolong Ma
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yongjie Wang
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jiazhuang Zhu
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Kunpeng Zhu
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jianping Hu
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chunlin Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedic, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
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Li T, Luo N, Fu J, Du J, Liu Z, Tan Q, Zheng M, He J, Cheng J, Li D, Fu J. Natural Product Cordycepin (CD) Inhibition for NRP1/CD304 Expression and Possibly SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility Prevention on Cancers. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2953. [PMID: 38138098 PMCID: PMC10745444 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
NRP1/CD304 is a typical membrane-bound co-receptor for the vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), semaphorin family members, and viral SARS-CoV-2. Cordycepin (CD) is a natural product or active gradient from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) from Cordyceps militaris Link and Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.). However, NRP1 expression regulation via CD in cancers and the potential roles and mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection are not clear. In this study, online databases were analyzed, Western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR were used for NRP1 expression change via CD, molecular docking was used for NRP/CD interaction, and a syncytial formation assay was used for CD inhibition using a pseudovirus SARS-CoV-2 entry. As a result, we revealed that CD inhibits NRP1 expressed in cancer cells and prevents viral syncytial formation in 293T-hACE2 cells, implying the therapeutic potential for both anti-cancer and anti-viruses, including anti-SARS-CoV-2. We further found significant associations between NRP1 expressions and the tumor-immune response in immune lymphocytes, chemokines, receptors, immunostimulators, immune inhibitors, and major histocompatibility complexes in most cancer types, implying NRP1's roles in both anti-cancer and anti-SARS-CoV-2 entry likely via immunotherapy. Importantly, CD also downregulated the expression of NRP1 from lymphocytes in mice and downregulated the expression of A2AR from the lung cancer cell line H1975 when treated with CD, implying the NRP1 mechanism probably through immuno-response pathways. Thus, CD may be a therapeutic component for anti-cancer and anti-viral diseases, including COVID-19, by targeting NRP1 at least.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Li
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Na Luo
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Jiewen Fu
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Jiaman Du
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
| | - Zhiying Liu
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
| | - Qi Tan
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
| | - Meiling Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
| | - Jiayue He
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
| | - Jingliang Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
| | - Dabing Li
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Junjiang Fu
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; (T.L.); (N.L.); (J.F.); (J.D.); (Z.L.); (Q.T.); (M.Z.); (J.H.); (J.C.)
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