A cyclic peptide-based PROTAC induces intracellular degradation of palmitoyltransferase and potently decreases PD-L1 expression in human cervical cancer cells

Introduction

Our previous research has found that degradation of palmitoyltransferase in tumor cells using a linear peptide PROTAC leads to a significant decrease in PD-L1 expression in tumors. However, this degradation is not a sustained and efficient process. Therefore, we designed a cyclic peptide PROTAC to achieve this efficient anti-PD-L1 effect.

Methods

We designed and synthesized an improvement in linear peptide PROTAC targeting palmitoyltransferase DHHC3, and used disulfide bonds to stabilize the continuous N- and C-termini of the peptides to maintain their structure. Cellular and molecular biology techniques were used to test the effect of this cyclic peptide on PD-L1.

Results

In human cervical cancer cells, our cyclic peptide PROTAC can significantly downregulate palmitoyl transferase DHHC3 and PD-L1 expressions. This targeted degradation effect is enhanced with increasing doses and treatment duration, with a DC50 value much lower than that of linear peptides. Additionally, flow cytometry analysis of fluorescence intensity shows an increase in the amount of cyclic peptide entering the cell membrane with prolonged treatment time and higher concentrations. The Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) method used in this study indicates effective binding between our novel cyclic peptide and DHHC3 protein, leading to a change in the thermal stability of the latter. The degradation of PD-L1 can be effectively blocked by the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Results from clone formation experiments illustrate that our cyclic peptide can enhance the proliferative inhibition effect of cisplatin on the C33A cell line. Furthermore, in the T cell-C33A co-culture system, cyclic peptides target the degradation of PD-L1, thereby blocking the interaction between PD-L1 and PD-1, and promoting the secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-α in the co-culture system supernatant.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that a disulfide-bridged cyclic peptide PROTAC targeting palmitoyltransferase can provide a stable and improved anti-PD-L1 activity in human tumor cells.

Thermo-debonding mechanisms in dentin bonding systems using finite element analysis

The finite element method (FEM) has been extensively used in evaluating the interfacial status of biomaterials. We used FEM to explore the microscopic debonding mechanism of the dentin/hybrid layer/resin adhesive interface. The stress status of the local material was used as an index to judge whether the adhesive interface would develop a debonding mechanism. To generate the local stress concentration, the thermal boundary condition was applied to the model which has the phenomenon of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch. The thermal boundary condition was used to emulute a previous study conducted with a laser thermoacoustic technique (LTAT). The materials, Scotchbond MP, Optibond, and Tenure bonding systems, used in the previous experiment were also tested in this study. The results show that interfacial debonding in the finite element model occurred through the hybrid layer for both the Scotchbond MP and Tenure systems, as well as within the adhesive layer itself for the Optibond system. These findings are compatible with observations by SEM obtained by LTAT. Another transformed model was created to test the "elastic cavity wall" concept. The result also confirms the importance of the elastic cavity wall concept. These compatible results between FEM and LTAT indicate that FEM can be a very useful supplement to thermoacoustic testing.

Effect of temperature and flux concentration on soldering of base metal

The present study used the acoustic emission (AE) technique to evaluate interactions among soldering temperature, flux treatment, and the resultant ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine fracture surfaces of the solder joints. Specimens were cast from removable partial denture alloy and then placed in a jig with a gap distance of 1.0 mm. A high-frequency soldering machine with an optical pyrometer was used for soldering at 1150 degrees C and 1200 degrees C, respectively. The flux concentrations were 67% and 75%. The soldered specimens were subjected to tensile test at a crosshead speed of 0.05 mm/min. During testing, acoustic emissions in the frequency range of 100--1200 kHz were collected, filtered, recorded, and processed by a sensing device. The results were analysed by ANOVA and Tukey LSD test. UTS at different temperatures showed no significant difference according to either mechanical or acoustic results. But in the 1200 degrees C group, the UTSs and AE counts showed significant differences (P<0.05) at both flux concentrations. SEM showed that the 1200C group had better dendritic crystal structure than did the 1150 degrees C group. In the 1200 degrees C group specimens with 67% flux had fewer flux inclusion bodies and dendritic crystals than did specimens with 75% flux. The 75% flux subgroup produced high-amplitude (60--70 dB) acoustic signals within the elastic deformation zone, while the 67% flux subgroup produced similar signals within the plastic deformation zone, either beyond the 0.2% yield point or before fracture.

Influence of silanization and filler fraction on aged dental composites

The effect of silanization and filler fraction on the mechanical properties of aged dental composites was investigated. Experimental composites (75/25 Bis-GMA/TEGDMA resin reinforced with 0, 12.6, 30.0, and 56.5 vol% 8 microm silanized/unsilanized BaSiO6) were fabricated into 4.7 mm diameter x 2.2 mm thick discs and 3.5 mm diameter x 7.3 mm thick discs for diametral tensile and compressive tests, respectively. The effect of immersion in 75% ethanol at 37 degrees C for 0-30 days on the diametral tensile strength (DTS) and compressive strength (CS) of the samples was evaluated and analysed by ANOVA and Tukey LSD test. The fracture interface between filler and resin matrix was then examined by scanning electron microscope. Results and subsequent statistical evidence from DTS (18.6+/-7.6 MPa, silanized versus 11.7+/-2.6 MPa, unsilanized) and CS (85.1+/-29.7 MPa, silanized versus 56.0+/-11.3 MPa, unsilanized) strongly implies that silanization may greatly enhance the mechanical properties of the resin composites. Furthermore, it also shows that both DTS and CS increased proportionally as the filler fraction of the composites increased. However, in the unsilanized groups, DTS decreased (up to 40%) as the filler fraction increased, and CS showed no relevance to the filler fraction at all. As for the influence of aging, it was found that both DTS and CS showed a significant decrease after immersion in 75% ethanol, and silanization heavily correlated with the filler fraction of aged-resin composites. Microscopic examination of the fractured samples showed that failure primarily occurred within the resin matrix per se for silanized composites and adjacent to the filler particles for unsilanized composites. All the evidence points to the conclusion that mechanical properties of aged-resin composites can be greatly influenced by silanization and the filler fraction.

Acoustic emissions generated in aged dental composites using a laser thermoacoustic technique

The heating up of dental composites by laser will produce acoustic emissions (AEs) that may be related to fracture mechanisms in the composites. It has been proved that the mechanical properties of dental composites are affected by storage in food simulating liquids, i.e. 75% ethanol, which has a solubility parameter approximating to that of bisphenol glycidyl dimethacrylate (BisGMA) resin. A new method was innovated to evaluate the laser-induced AEs in dental composites aged by 75% ethanol solution. Model systems (50/50 BisGMA/TEGDMA resin filled with 0% and 75 wt.% 5-10 microm silanized BaSiO6) as well as three commercial composites (Marathon One, Z100 and Herculite XRV) were used in this study. Nine samples acting as the control group were tested to establish the correlation of AEs to laser power. The effect of ageing by immersion in 75% ethanol on AEs and diametral tensile strength (DTS) was then evaluated. A quasi-continuous wave CO2 laser was used to heat up the composites. AEs of frequency 100-200 kHz were collected, filtered, recorded and processed using a 4610 Smart Acoustic Monitor. Burst patterns, which formally were assumed to be correlated to fracture mechanisms, were also identified from the data obtained at laser power > or = 5 W for commercial composites and > or = 4 W for model systems. Higher laser powers cause the AE to increase for all composites except unfilled model resin. AEs as a function of power for all aged systems were flat (< 100 events) below 4 W. Emissions then rose sharply to > 1000 events at 7.1 W. Statistically significant differences were found between the AEs obtained at 5 W (commercial composites) and those at 4.3 W (model systems) for material systems and storage times. Marathon One was less affected by the laser and an abrupt change in AE was found between days 0 and 7 of storage for all commercial composites. The AE value from the unfilled model resin was found to be significantly different from that of the model composites. However, they showed an increase in AEs with length of storage time, which was inversely associated with the decreased tendency of their immersed DTS values. Laser-induced AEs may be a valuable adjunct to conventional mechanical testing.

Fluoride ion diffusion from a glass-ionomer cement

The aims of this study were to observe the release of fluoride ions (F-) from GC-Fuji Lining-LC(R) glass-ionomer cement, to assess the diffusion process, and to measure fluoride diffusivity (D) in the set cement. Specimens of various dimensions and shapes, ranging from discs to cylindrical rods, were fabricated for both open and embedded modes of testing. In the open mode studies, specimens with different surface to volume ratios were selected and immersed in 37 degrees C distilled water. In the embedded mode studies, only one diametral surface of the rod-shaped specimens of different lengths and diameters was exposed. F- concentration was measured using a fluoride electrode. The storage solution was analysed at predetermined intervals hourly, daily, and weekly (up to 10 weeks). Immediately after each sampling, the old storage solution was discarded and replaced with new distilled water. F- release from the set cements was detectable (0.4-3.8 ppm, varied with sample geometry), even after a 10-week sampling interval. F- release was greater in ground set cements (0.37 ppm/mg powder) than in control samples of unmixed powder (0.01 ppm/mg powder) immersed for 1 h. Two mechanisms for F- release were proposed. One was short-term and involved rapid dissolution from the cement surface. The other was more gradual and resulted in the sustained diffusion of ions through the bulk cement, which can be modelled by applying a mathematical technique known as separation of variables to Fick's Second Law of Diffusion. The mean D of F- in embedded set cements of glass-ionomer was (1.4+/-0.5)x10-11 cm2/s, with higher apparent D observed in open mode samples [(7.6+/-1.4)x10-11 cm2/s].

Finite element analysis of thermo-debonding mechanism in dental composites

Finite element method (FEM) has been extensively used for evaluating interfacial status inside biomaterials. This study using FEM was designed to evaluate the thermal stress behavior of a filler-matrix interface. The results were then compared to those of a previous study obtained by a laser thermoacoustic technique (LTAT). The experimental systems (75/25 Bis-GMA/TEGDMA resin reinforced with 0, 25, 50, and 75 wt% 8-microm silanized/unsilanized BaSiO6) as used in the previous study were modeled in this study. The established finite element models were based on coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) Mismatch Phenomenon. The mechanical properties of the silane coupling agent, such as elastic modulus and thermal expansion coefficient used in the silanized model, were assumed to have optimal heat flux transfer. A third (imaginary) material was proposed to block the transfer of thermal stress between the filler and matrix in the unsilanized model. The thermal load simulation was based on steady-state thermal analysis. The results showed that: (1) The strain energy and interfacial shearing stress calculated from FEM validate the results from the previous LTAT study. (2) Comparing the stress distribution of silanized and unsilanized FEM models, the acoustic signals in LTAT study are mainly derived from debonding of the filler-matrix interface of silanized specimens, and from the matrix area of unsilanized specimens. Based on results to date, we conclude that the finite element method may be a powerful tool for exploring thermoacoustic mechanisms of dental composites.

Degradation of repaired denture base materials in simulated oral fluid

This in vitro study evaluates the degradation of repaired denture bases upon immersion in a simulated oral fluid. Denture base materials (Luciton 199), after being repaired by Repair Material and Triad, using three different joint surface designs (butt, round and 45 degrees bevel), were immersed onto 99.5 vol.% ethanol/water solution (with similar solubility parameter) for various amounts of time (0-72 h). The flexural loads of the six combination of groups were measured by the three-point bending tests using a universal testing machine. Acoustic emission (AE) during sample fracturing were processed using the MISTRA 2001 system. The fracture pattern and surface details of the interface were examined with a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Data were analysed using three-way ANOVA and Tukey LSD tests. SEM micrographs of the fracture interface were used to differentiate the fracture mode. The flexural loads (2.72 +/- 0.51 Kgf) of the round joint specimens were significantly higher (P< 0.05) than those (butt: 1.66 +/- 0.38 Kgf, 45 degrees bevel: 1.93 +/- 0.41 Kgf) of the other two designs. This corresponds to the microscopic examination in which more cohesive failure mode was found for the round joint group after storage. The flexural loads (2.54 +/- 0.39 Kgf) of the specimens repaired with Triad were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those (1.59 +/- 0.40 Kgf) of specimens repaired with Repair Material. Significant progressive reduction of the flexural load and/or AE signals of the specimens was noted in proportion to the length of time of the immersion in the simulated oral fluid. Mechanical strength of a denture base repaired with a round joint design and light-cured material is significantly higher after immersion in simulated oral fluid.