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Hu J, Shen X, Kheirabadi M, Streeter MD, Qian Z, Mootha VV, Corey DR. Targeting the Expanded TCF4/Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy CUG Repeat with Morpholino Peptide Conjugates. ACS Omega 2023; 8:42797-42802. [PMID: 38024683 PMCID: PMC10652360 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c05634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy (FECD) is a major cause of vision loss. Corneal transplantation is the only effective curative treatment, but this surgery has limitations. A pharmacological intervention would complement surgery and be beneficial for many patients. FECD is caused by an expanded CUG repeat within intron 2 of the TCF4 RNA. Agents that recognize the expanded repeat can reverse the splicing defects associated with the disease. Successful drug development will require diverse strategies for optimizing the efficacy of anti-CUG oligomers. In this study, we evaluate anti-CUG morpholinos conjugated to cyclic cell penetrating peptides. The morpholino domain of the conjugate is complementary to the repeat, while the peptide has been optimized for import across cell membranes. We show that morpholino conjugates can enter corneal endothelial cells and block the CUG RNA foci associated with the disease. These experiments support morpholino peptide conjugates as an approach for developing anti-CUG therapies for FECD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Hu
- Department
of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, UT Southwestern
Medical Center, 6001 Forest Park Road, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Xiulong Shen
- Entrada
Therapeutics Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02210, United States
| | | | | | - Ziqing Qian
- Entrada
Therapeutics Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02210, United States
| | - V. Vinod Mootha
- Department
of Ophthalmology, UT Southwestern Medical
Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
- McDermott
Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - David R. Corey
- Department
of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, UT Southwestern
Medical Center, 6001 Forest Park Road, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
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Li X, Kheirabadi M, Dougherty PG, Kamer KJ, Shen X, Estrella NL, Peddigari S, Pathak A, Blake SL, Sizensky E, Genio CD, Gaur AB, Dhanabal M, Girgenrath M, Sethuraman N, Qian Z. The endosomal escape vehicle platform enhances delivery of oligonucleotides in preclinical models of neuromuscular disorders. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2023; 33:273-285. [PMID: 37538053 PMCID: PMC10393622 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.06.022] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Biological therapeutic agents are highly targeted and potent but limited in their ability to reach intracellular targets. These limitations often necessitate high therapeutic doses and can be associated with less-than-optimal therapeutic activity. One promising solution for therapeutic agent delivery is use of cell-penetrating peptides. Canonical cell-penetrating peptides, however, are limited by low efficiencies of cellular uptake and endosomal escape, minimal proteolytic stability, and toxicity. To overcome these limitations, we designed a family of proprietary cyclic cell-penetrating peptides that form the core of our endosomal escape vehicle technology capable of delivering therapeutic agent-conjugated cargo intracellularly. We demonstrated the therapeutic potential of this endosomal escape vehicle platform in preclinical models of muscular dystrophy with distinct disease etiology. An endosomal escape vehicle-conjugated, splice-modulating oligonucleotide restored dystrophin protein expression in striated muscles in the mdx mouse, a model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, another endosomal escape vehicle-conjugated, sterically blocking oligonucleotide led to knockdown of aberrant transcript expression levels in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy patient-derived skeletal muscle cells. These findings suggest a significant therapeutic potential of our endosomal escape vehicle conjugated oligonucleotides for targeted upregulation and downregulation of gene expression in neuromuscular diseases, with possible broader application of this platform for delivery of intracellular biological agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Mahboubeh Kheirabadi
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Patrick G. Dougherty
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Kimberli J. Kamer
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Xiulong Shen
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Nelsa L. Estrella
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Suresh Peddigari
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Anushree Pathak
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Sara L. Blake
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Emmanuelle Sizensky
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Carmen del Genio
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
| | - Arti B. Gaur
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
| | - Mohanraj Dhanabal
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Mahasweta Girgenrath
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Natarajan Sethuraman
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Ziqing Qian
- Entrada Therapeutics, One Design Center Place, Suite 17-500, Boston, MA 02210, USA
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Kheirabadi M, Nabipour A, Dehghani H, Behnam-Rasuli M. Ultrastructure of ovarian germ cells in the ostrich (Struthio camelus) embryo. BJVM 2019. [DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.2086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, the ultrastructural development of germ cells in the ostrich embryo was analysed. The nuclear organisation and morphological characteristics of cytoplasm in the developing germ cells, on embryonic days 20, 26, and 36 and the day of hatching (5 samples from each stage) was analysed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Germ cells located in the cortex of left ovaries were identified by their large size and centrally located nucleus, with a conspicuous nucleolus. In these cells, the cytoplasm contained an abundance of mitochondria and free ribosomes. The structure of Balbiani body, a villous-like elevation in wide intercellular space and desmosome junction between two adjacent germ cells was also studied. The germ cells during embryonic development showed structural differences in both the nucleus and cytoplasm.
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Kheirabadi M, Creech GS, Qiao JX, Nirschl DS, Leahy DK, Boy KM, Carter PH, Eastgate MD. Leveraging a "Catch-Release" Logic Gate Process for the Synthesis and Nonchromatographic Purification of Thioether- or Amine-Bridged Macrocyclic Peptides. J Org Chem 2018. [PMID: 29537839 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.7b03124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Macrocyclic peptides containing N-alkylated amino acids have emerged as a promising therapeutic modality, capable of modulating protein-protein interactions and an intracellular delivery of hydrophilic payloads. While multichannel automated solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) is a practical approach for peptide synthesis, the requirement for slow and inefficient chromatographic purification of the product peptides is a significant limitation to exploring these novel compounds. Herein, we invent a "catch-release" strategy for the nonchromatographic purification of macrocyclic peptides. A traceless catch process is enabled by the invention of a dual-functionalized N-terminal acetate analogue, which serves as a handle for capture onto a purification resin and as a leaving group for macrocyclization. Displacement by a C-terminal nucleophilic side chain thus releases the desired macrocycle from the purification resin. By design, this catch/release process is a logic test for the presence of the key components required for cyclization, thus removing impurities which lack the required functionality, such as common classes of peptide impurities, including hydrolysis fragments and truncated sequences. The method was shown to be highly effective with three libraries of macrocyclic peptides, containing macrocycles of 5-20 amino acids, with either thioether- or amine-based macrocyclic linkages; in this latter class, the reported method represents an enabling technology. In all cases, the catch-release protocol afforded significant enrichment of the target peptides purity, in many cases completely obviating the need for chromatography. Importantly, we have adapted this process for automation on a standard multichannel peptide synthesizer, achieving an efficient and completely integrated synthesis and purification platform for the preparation of these important molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahboubeh Kheirabadi
- Chemical and Synthetic Development , Bristol-Myers Squibb , One Squibb Drive , New Brunswick , New Jersey 08903 , United States
| | - Gardner S Creech
- Chemical and Synthetic Development , Bristol-Myers Squibb , One Squibb Drive , New Brunswick , New Jersey 08903 , United States
| | - Jennifer X Qiao
- Discovery Chemistry , Bristol-Myers Squibb , Princeton , New Jersey 08543 , United States
| | - David S Nirschl
- Discovery Chemistry , Bristol-Myers Squibb , Princeton , New Jersey 08543 , United States
| | - David K Leahy
- Chemical and Synthetic Development , Bristol-Myers Squibb , One Squibb Drive , New Brunswick , New Jersey 08903 , United States
| | - Kenneth M Boy
- Discovery Chemistry , Bristol-Myers Squibb , Wallingford , Connecticut 06492 , United States
| | - Percy H Carter
- Discovery Chemistry , Bristol-Myers Squibb , Princeton , New Jersey 08543 , United States
| | - Martin D Eastgate
- Chemical and Synthetic Development , Bristol-Myers Squibb , One Squibb Drive , New Brunswick , New Jersey 08903 , United States
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Kheirabadi M, Çelebi-Ölçüm N, Parker MFL, Zhao Q, Kiss G, Houk KN, Schafmeister CE. Spiroligozymes for Transesterifications: Design and Relationship of Structure to Activity. J Am Chem Soc 2012; 134:18345-53. [DOI: 10.1021/ja3069648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mahboubeh Kheirabadi
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 North 13th Street, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Nihan Çelebi-Ölçüm
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Matthew F. L. Parker
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 North 13th Street, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Qingquan Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 North 13th Street, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Gert Kiss
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - K. N. Houk
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Christian E. Schafmeister
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 North 13th Street, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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Mohammadi H, Mohammadi N, Kheirabadi M. Elucidation of polymer wear resistance via nanoscale healing and fracture of sintered polystyrene particles. J Appl Polym Sci 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/app.38480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Abstract
Derivatives of 4-hydroxyproline with a series of hydrophobic groups in well-defined orientations have been tested as catalysts for the aldol reactions. All of the modified proline catalysts carry out the intermolecular aldol reaction in water and provide high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity. Modified prolines with aromatic groups syn to the carboxylic acid are better catalysts than those with small hydrophobic groups (1a is 43.5 times faster than 1f). Quantum mechanical calculations provide transition structures, TS-1a(water) and TS-1f(water), that support the hypothesis that a stabilizing hydrophobic interaction occurs with 1a.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingquan Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 N. 13 Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Yu-hong Lam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569
| | - Mahboubeh Kheirabadi
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 N. 13 Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Chongsong Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 N. 13 Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - K. N. Houk
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569
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Zohuriaan-Mehr MJ, Kabiri K, Kheirabadi M. Extraordinary swelling behavior of poly(AMPS) organogel in solvent/DMSO binary mixed media. J Appl Polym Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/app.31912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Pourjavadi A, Kheirabadi M, Zohuriaan-Mehr MJ, Kabiri K. Antipolyelectrolyte superabsorbing nanocomposites: Synthesis and properties. J Appl Polym Sci 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/app.30940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Azizi E, Montazeri M, Farzami B, Akbari A, Zarea A, Kheirabadi M, Taghavi-Manesh A. Analysis of toxin of Buthotus S. Scorpion in IRAN. Toxicol Lett 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s0378-4274(98)80296-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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