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Williams JS, Higgins AT, Stott KJ, Thomas C, Farrell L, Bonnet CS, Peneva S, Derrick AV, Hay T, Wang T, Morgan C, Dwyer S, D'Ambrogio J, Hogan C, Smalley MJ, Parry L, Dyson P. Enhanced bacterial cancer therapy delivering therapeutic RNA interference of c-Myc. Cell Biosci 2024; 14:38. [PMID: 38521952 PMCID: PMC10961001 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-024-01206-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacterial cancer therapy was first trialled in patients at the end of the nineteenth century. More recently, tumour-targeting bacteria have been harnessed to deliver plasmid-expressed therapeutic interfering RNA to a range of solid tumours. A major limitation to clinical translation of this is the short-term nature of RNA interference in vivo due to plasmid instability. To overcome this, we sought to develop tumour-targeting attenuated bacteria that stably express shRNA by virtue of integration of an expression cassette within the bacterial chromosome and demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS The attenuated tumour targeting Salmonella typhimurium SL7207 strain was modified to carry chromosomally integrated shRNA expression cassettes at the xylA locus. The colorectal cancer cell lines SW480, HCT116 and breast cancer cell line MCF7 were used to demonstrate the ability of these modified strains to perform intracellular infection and deliver effective RNA and protein knockdown of the target gene c-Myc. In vivo therapeutic efficacy was demonstrated using the Lgr5creERT2Apcflx/flx and BlgCreBrca2flx/flp53flx/flx orthotopic immunocompetent mouse models of colorectal and breast cancer, respectively. In vitro co-cultures of breast and colorectal cancer cell lines with modified SL7207 demonstrated a significant 50-95% (P < 0.01) reduction in RNA and protein expression with SL7207/c-Myc targeted strains. In vivo, following establishment of tumour tissue, a single intra-peritoneal administration of 1 × 106 CFU of SL7207/c-Myc was sufficient to permit tumour colonisation and significantly extend survival with no overt toxicity in control animals. CONCLUSIONS In summary we have demonstrated that tumour tropic bacteria can be modified to safely deliver therapeutic levels of gene knockdown. This technology has the potential to specifically target primary and secondary solid tumours with personalised therapeutic payloads, providing new multi-cancer detection and treatment options with minimal off-target effects. Further understanding of the tropism mechanisms and impact on host immunity and microbiome is required to progress to clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S Williams
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Adam T Higgins
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Katie J Stott
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Carly Thomas
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Lydia Farrell
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Cleo S Bonnet
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Severina Peneva
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Anna V Derrick
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Trevor Hay
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Tianqi Wang
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Claire Morgan
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Sarah Dwyer
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Joshua D'Ambrogio
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Catherine Hogan
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Matthew J Smalley
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Lee Parry
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.
| | - Paul Dyson
- Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK.
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Crawford N, Stott KJ, Sessler T, McCann C, McDaid W, Lees A, Latimer C, Fox JP, Munck JM, Smyth T, Shah A, Martins V, Lawler M, Dunne PD, Kerr EM, McDade SS, Coyle VM, Longley DB. Clinical Positioning of the IAP Antagonist Tolinapant (ASTX660) in Colorectal Cancer. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:1627-1639. [PMID: 34389694 PMCID: PMC7611622 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-1050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) are intracellular proteins, with important roles in regulating cell death, inflammation, and immunity. Here, we examined the clinical and therapeutic relevance of IAPs in colorectal cancer. We found that elevated expression of cIAP1 and cIAP2 (but not XIAP) significantly correlated with poor prognosis in patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) stage III colorectal cancer treated with 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy, suggesting their involvement in promoting chemoresistance. A novel IAP antagonist tolinapant (ASTX660) potently and rapidly downregulated cIAP1 in colorectal cancer models, demonstrating its robust on-target efficacy. In cells co-cultured with TNFα to mimic an inflammatory tumor microenvironment, tolinapant induced caspase-8-dependent apoptosis in colorectal cancer cell line models; however, the extent of apoptosis was limited because of inhibition by the caspase-8 paralogs FLIP and, unexpectedly, caspase-10. Importantly, tolinapant-induced apoptosis was augmented by FOLFOX in human colorectal cancer and murine organoid models in vitro and in vivo, due (at least in part) to FOLFOX-induced downregulation of class I histone deacetylases (HDAC), leading to acetylation of the FLIP-binding partner Ku70 and downregulation of FLIP. Moreover, the effects of FOLFOX could be phenocopied using the clinically relevant class I HDAC inhibitor, entinostat, which also induced acetylation of Ku70 and FLIP downregulation. Further analyses revealed that caspase-8 knockout RIPK3-positive colorectal cancer models were sensitive to tolinapant-induced necroptosis, an effect that could be exploited in caspase-8-proficient models using the clinically relevant caspase inhibitor emricasan. Our study provides evidence for immediate clinical exploration of tolinapant in combination with FOLFOX in poor prognosis MSS colorectal cancer with elevated cIAP1/2 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nyree Crawford
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Katie J Stott
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Tamas Sessler
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher McCann
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - William McDaid
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Lees
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Cheryl Latimer
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer P Fox
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Tomoko Smyth
- Astex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alpesh Shah
- Astex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Mark Lawler
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Philip D Dunne
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Emma M Kerr
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Simon S McDade
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Vicky M Coyle
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel B Longley
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
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Johnston MC, Nicoll JA, Redmond KM, Smyth P, Greene MK, McDaid WJ, Chan DKW, Crawford N, Stott KJ, Fox JP, Straubinger NL, Roche S, Clynes M, Straubinger RM, Longley DB, Scott CJ. DR5-targeted, chemotherapeutic drug-loaded nanoparticles induce apoptosis and tumor regression in pancreatic cancer in vivo models. J Control Release 2020; 324:610-619. [PMID: 32504778 PMCID: PMC7429293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.05.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is usually advanced and drug resistant at diagnosis. A potential therapeutic approach outlined here uses nanoparticle (NP)-based drug carriers, which have unique properties that enhance intra-tumor drug exposure and reduce systemic toxicity of encapsulated drugs. Here we report that patients whose pancreatic cancers express elevated levels of Death Receptor 5 (DR5) and its downstream regulators/effectors FLIP, Caspase-8, and FADD had particularly poor prognoses. To take advantage of elevated expression of this pathway, we designed drug-loaded NPs with a surface-conjugated αDR5 antibody (AMG 655). Binding and clustering of the DR5 is a prerequisite for efficient apoptosis initiation, and the αDR5-NPs were indeed found to activate apoptosis in multiple pancreatic cancer models, whereas the free antibody did not. The extent of apoptosis induced by αDR5-NPs was enhanced by down-regulating FLIP, a key modulator of death receptor-mediated activation of caspase-8. Moreover, the DNA topoisomerase-1 inhibitor camptothecin (CPT) down-regulated FLIP in pancreatic cancer models and enhanced apoptosis induced by αDR5-NPs. CPT-loaded αDR5-NPs significantly increased apoptosis and decreased cell viability in vitro in a caspase-8- and FADD-dependent manner consistent with their expected mechanism-of-action. Importantly, CPT-loaded αDR5-NPs markedly reduced tumor growth rates in vivo in established pancreatic tumor models, inducing regressions in one model. These proof-of-concept studies indicate that αDR5-NPs loaded with agents that downregulate or inhibit FLIP are promising candidate agents for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Johnston
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Julie A Nicoll
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Kelly M Redmond
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Peter Smyth
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Michelle K Greene
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - William J McDaid
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Darren K W Chan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, United States of America
| | - N Crawford
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Katie J Stott
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Jennifer P Fox
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland
| | - Ninfa L Straubinger
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, United States of America
| | - Sandra Roche
- National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Martin Clynes
- National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Robert M Straubinger
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, United States of America; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, United States of America; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, United States of America
| | - Daniel B Longley
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland.
| | - Christopher J Scott
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland.
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