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Monti A, Scognamiglio PL, Ruvo M, Vitagliano L, Doti N. The Characterization of Multifaceted PREP1 Peptides Provides Insights into Correlations between Spectroscopic and Structural Properties of Amyloid-like Assemblies. Chemistry 2024:e202400846. [PMID: 38682403 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400846] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The widespread ability of proteins and peptides to self-assemble by forming cross-β structure is one of the most significant discoveries in structural biology. Intriguingly, the cross-β association of proteins/peptides may generate intricate supramolecular architectures with uncommon spectroscopic properties. We have recently characterized self-assembled peptides extracted from the PREP1 protein that are endowed with interesting structural/spectroscopic properties. We here demonstrate that the green fluorescence emission of the peptide PREP1[117-132] (λem ~ 520 nm), can be induced by excitation with UV radiation. The associated unusually large Stokes shift (Δλ ~ 150 nm) represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence of an internal resonance energy transfer in amyloid-like structures, where the blue emission of some assemblies becomes the excitation radiation for others. Moreover, the characterization of PREP1[117-132] variants provides insights into the sequence/structure and structure/spectroscopic properties relationships. Our data suggests that the green fluorescence is plausibly associated with antiparallel β-sheet states of the peptide whereas parallel β-sheet assemblies are only endowed with blue fluorescence. Notably, the different PREP1[117-132] variants also form assemblies characterized by distinct morphologies. Indeed, the parent peptide and single mutants form compact but structured aggregates whereas most of the double mutants exhibit elongated and highly extended fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Monti
- National Research Council, Institute of Biostructure e Bioimaging (IBB), ITALY
| | | | - Menotti Ruvo
- National Research Council, Institute of Biostructure e Bioimaging (IBB), ITALY
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- National Research Council, Institute of Biostructure e Bioimaging (IBB), ITALY
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini Unita Operativa di Supporto di Napoli Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, IBB, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, ITALY
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2
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Sandomenico A, Selis F, Sivaccumar JP, Olimpieri P, Iaccarino E, Cicatiello V, Cantile M, Sanna R, Leonardi A, De Falco S, Ruvo M. Recombinant humanized Fab fragments targeting the CFC domain of human Cripto-1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 694:149417. [PMID: 38150919 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.149417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
In the era of immunotherapy, the targeting of disease-specific biomarkers goes hand in hand with the development of highly selective antibody-based reagents having optimal pharmacological/toxicological profiles. One interesting and debated biomaker for several types of cancers is the onco-fetal protein Cripto-1 that is selectively expressed in many solid tumours and has been actively investigated as potential theranostic target. Starting from previously described anti-CFC/Cripto-1 murine monoclonal antibodies, we have moved forward to prepare the humanized recombinant Fabs which have been engineered so as to bear an MTGase site useful for a one-step site-specific labelling. The purified and bioconjugated molecules have been extensively characterized and tested on Cripto-1-positive cancer cells through in vitro binding assays. These recombinant Fab fragments recognize the target antigen in its native form on intact cells suggesting that they can be further developed as reagents for detecting Cripto-1 in theranostic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy.
| | | | - Jwala P Sivaccumar
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Valeria Cicatiello
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics Adriano Buzzati-Traverso, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | | | | | - Antonio Leonardi
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Italy
| | - Sandro De Falco
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics Adriano Buzzati-Traverso, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy.
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3
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Doti N, Ruvo M. Synthetic Peptides and Peptidomimetics: From Basic Science to Biomedical Applications-Second Edition. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1083. [PMID: 38256156 PMCID: PMC10816548 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25021083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptides are increasingly emerging as a drug class for a wide range of human diseases due to their intrinsic properties, such as excellent recognition abilities and biocompatibility [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy;
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Cusano AM, Quero G, Vaiano P, Cicatiello P, Principe M, Micco A, Ruvo M, Consales M, Cusano A. Metasurface-assisted Lab-on-fiber optrode for highly sensitive detection of vitamin D. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 242:115717. [PMID: 37801838 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115717] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
The increasing demand for vitamin D status assessment has highlighted the need for rapid, sensitive, and user-friendly methods for its detection in biological samples potentially integrated in Point-of-Care (PoC) diagnostic devices. Detection of the major circulating form of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-25(OH)D3, is particularly challenging due to the laborious procedures for sample preparation and its low molecular weight (∼400 Da), which requires highly sensitive detection methods. In this study, we developed a novel label-free Lab-on-Fiber biosensing platform for highly sensitive detection of 25(OH)D3 based on the integration of plasmonic metasurfaces (MSs) on the tip of a single-mode optical fiber (OF). A dedicated pipeline was carefully designed and developed to optimize the bio-functionalization of the plasmonic sensor tip to specifically detect the target biomolecule. The resulting MS-assisted Lab-on-fiber platform enables direct and highly sensitive detection of 25(OH)D3 in clinically relevant ranges (4-160 ng/mL), both in buffer solution and complex matrix, with limits of detection (LOD) of 1.40 ng/mL in saline buffer and 0.85 ng/mL in complex matrix. Overall, these results demonstrate that our platform can successfully and specifically detect small molecules in label-free configuration, with performances comparable to those of conventional methods used in clinical practice. The high degree of miniaturization combined with its high sensitivity makes our platform an exceptional building block for realizing valid diagnostic alternatives for label-free detection of clinically relevant analytes, which can be transformed into new low-cost, fast, simple, and ready-to-use PoC diagnostic devices with improved processability and performance compared to current methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Cusano
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT) scrl, I-82100, Benevento, Italy
| | - G Quero
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, I-82100, Benevento, Italy; Bioscience and Territory Department, University of Molise, I-86090, Pesche, Italy
| | - P Vaiano
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, I-82100, Benevento, Italy
| | - P Cicatiello
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, I-82100, Benevento, Italy; Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, I-80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - M Principe
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, I-82100, Benevento, Italy
| | - A Micco
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT) scrl, I-82100, Benevento, Italy
| | - M Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, I-80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - M Consales
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT) scrl, I-82100, Benevento, Italy; Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, I-82100, Benevento, Italy.
| | - A Cusano
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT) scrl, I-82100, Benevento, Italy; Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, I-82100, Benevento, Italy.
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Sivaccumar JP, Iaccarino E, Oliver A, Cantile M, Olimpieri P, Leonardi A, Ruvo M, Sandomenico A. Production in Bacteria and Characterization of Engineered Humanized Fab Fragment against the Nodal Protein. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1130. [PMID: 37631045 PMCID: PMC10459755 DOI: 10.3390/ph16081130] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug development in recent years is increasingly focused on developing personalized treatments based on blocking molecules selective for therapeutic targets specifically present in individual patients. In this perspective, the specificity of therapeutic targets and blocking agents plays a crucial role. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and their surrogates are increasingly used in this context thanks to their ability to bind therapeutic targets and to inhibit their activity or to transport bioactive molecules into the compartments in which the targets are expressed. Small antibody-like molecules, such as Fabs, are often used in certain clinical settings where small size and better tissue penetration are required. In the wake of this research trend, we developed a murine mAb (3D1) neutralizing the activity of Nodal, an oncofetal protein that is attracting an ever-increasing interest as a selective therapeutic target for several cancer types. Here, we report the preparation of a recombinant Fab of 3D1 that has been humanized through a computational approach starting from the sequence of the murine antibody. The Fab has been expressed in bacterial cells (1 mg/L bacterial culture), biochemically characterized in terms of stability and binding properties by circular dichroism and bio-layer interferometry techniques and tested in vitro on Nodal-positive cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jwala P. Sivaccumar
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy (E.I.)
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy (E.I.)
| | - Angela Oliver
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy (E.I.)
- Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | | | | | - Antonio Leonardi
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples “Federico II”, via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy (E.I.)
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy (E.I.)
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Caputo TM, Cusano AM, Principe S, Cicatiello P, Celetti G, Aliberti A, Micco A, Ruvo M, Tagliamonte M, Ragone C, Minopoli M, Carriero MV, Buonaguro L, Cusano A. Sorafenib-Loaded PLGA Carriers for Enhanced Drug Delivery and Cellular Uptake in Liver Cancer Cells. Int J Nanomedicine 2023; 18:4121-4142. [PMID: 37525693 PMCID: PMC10387258 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s415968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Currently, conventional treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not selective enough for tumor tissue and lead to multidrug resistance and drug toxicity. Although sorafenib (SOR) is the standard first-line systemic therapy approved for the clinical treatment of HCC, its poor aqueous solubility and rapid clearance result in low absorption efficiency and severely limit its use for local treatment. Methods Herein, we present the synthesis of biodegradable polymeric Poly (D, L-Lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) particles loaded with SOR (PS) by emulsion-solvent evaporation process. The particles are carefully characterized focusing on particle size, surface charge, morphology, drug loading content, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro stability, drug release behaviour and tested on HepG2 cells. Additionally, PLGA particles have been coupled on side emitting optical fibers (seOF) integrated in a microfluidic device for light-triggered local release. Results PS have a size of 248 nm, tunable surface charge and a uniform and spherical shape without aggregation. PS shows encapsulation efficiency of 89.7% and the highest drug loading (8.9%) between the SOR-loaded PLGA formulations. Treating HepG2 cells with PS containing SOR at 7.5 µM their viability is dampened to 40%, 30% and 17% after 48, 129 and 168 hours of incubation, respectively. Conclusion The high PS stability, their sustained release profile and the rapid cellular uptake corroborate the enhanced cytotoxicity effect on HepG2. With the prospect of developing biomedical tools to control the spatial and temporal release of drugs, we successfully demonstrated the potentiality of seOF for light-triggered local release of the carriers. Our prototypical system paves the way to new devices integrating microfluidics, optical fibers, and advanced carriers capable to deliver minimally invasive locoregional cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Mariastella Caputo
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Palazzo Dell’ Aquila Bosco Lucarelli, Benevento, Italy
| | - Angela Maria Cusano
- CeRICTscrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology, Palazzo Ex Poste, Benevento, Italy
| | - Sofia Principe
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Palazzo Dell’ Aquila Bosco Lucarelli, Benevento, Italy
| | - Paola Cicatiello
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Palazzo Dell’ Aquila Bosco Lucarelli, Benevento, Italy
| | - Giorgia Celetti
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Palazzo Dell’ Aquila Bosco Lucarelli, Benevento, Italy
| | - Anna Aliberti
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Palazzo Dell’ Aquila Bosco Lucarelli, Benevento, Italy
| | - Alberto Micco
- CeRICTscrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology, Palazzo Ex Poste, Benevento, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Michele Minopoli
- Neoplastic Progression Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Vincenza Carriero
- Neoplastic Progression Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Cusano
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Palazzo Dell’ Aquila Bosco Lucarelli, Benevento, Italy
- CeRICTscrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology, Palazzo Ex Poste, Benevento, Italy
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7
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Sandomenico A, Ruggiero A, Iaccarino E, Oliver A, Squeglia F, Moreira M, Esposito L, Ruvo M, Berisio R. Unveiling CD59-Antibody Interactions to Design Paratope-Mimicking Peptides for Complement Modulation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108561. [PMID: 37239905 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108561] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
CD59 is an abundant immuno-regulatory human protein that protects cells from damage by inhibiting the complement system. CD59 inhibits the assembly of the Membrane Attack Complex (MAC), the bactericidal pore-forming toxin of the innate immune system. In addition, several pathogenic viruses, including HIV-1, escape complement-mediated virolysis by incorporating this complement inhibitor in their own viral envelope. This makes human pathogenic viruses, such as HIV-1, not neutralised by the complement in human fluids. CD59 is also overexpressed in several cancer cells to resist the complement attack. Consistent with its importance as a therapeutical target, CD59-targeting antibodies have been proven to be successful in hindering HIV-1 growth and counteracting the effect of complement inhibition by specific cancer cells. In this work, we make use of bioinformatics and computational tools to identify CD59 interactions with blocking antibodies and to describe molecular details of the paratope-epitope interface. Based on this information, we design and produce paratope-mimicking bicyclic peptides able to target CD59. Our results set the basis for the development of antibody-mimicking small molecules targeting CD59 with potential therapeutic interest as complement activators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessia Ruggiero
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Angela Oliver
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Flavia Squeglia
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Miguel Moreira
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luciana Esposito
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Rita Berisio
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), I-80131 Napoli, Italy
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Balasco N, Diaferia C, Rosa E, Monti A, Ruvo M, Doti N, Vitagliano L. A Comprehensive Analysis of the Intrinsic Visible Fluorescence Emitted by Peptide/Protein Amyloid-like Assemblies. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098372. [PMID: 37176084 PMCID: PMC10178990 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid aggregation is a widespread process that involves proteins and peptides with different molecular complexity and amino acid composition. The structural motif (cross-β) underlying this supramolecular organization generates aggregates endowed with special mechanical and spectroscopic properties with huge implications in biomedical and technological fields, including emerging precision medicine. The puzzling ability of these assemblies to emit intrinsic and label-free fluorescence in regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as visible and even infrared, usually considered to be forbidden in the polypeptide chain, has attracted interest for its many implications in both basic and applied science. Despite the interest in this phenomenon, the physical basis of its origin is still poorly understood. To gain a global view of the available information on this phenomenon, we here provide an exhaustive survey of the current literature in which original data on this fluorescence have been reported. The emitting systems have been classified in terms of their molecular complexity, amino acid composition, and physical state. Information about the wavelength of the radiation used for the excitation as well as the emission range/peak has also been retrieved. The data collected here provide a picture of the complexity of this multifaceted phenomenon that could be helpful for future studies aimed at defining its structural and electronic basis and/or stimulating new applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Balasco
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council (CNR), Department of Chemistry, University of Rome Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Diaferia
- Department of Pharmacy and CIRPeB, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides "Carlo Pedone", University of Naples "Federico II", Via Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Rosa
- Department of Pharmacy and CIRPeB, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides "Carlo Pedone", University of Naples "Federico II", Via Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Monti A, Vitagliano L, Caporale A, Ruvo M, Doti N. Targeting Protein-Protein Interfaces with Peptides: The Contribution of Chemical Combinatorial Peptide Library Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24097842. [PMID: 37175549 PMCID: PMC10178479 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097842] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interfaces play fundamental roles in the molecular mechanisms underlying pathophysiological pathways and are important targets for the design of compounds of therapeutic interest. However, the identification of binding sites on protein surfaces and the development of modulators of protein-protein interactions still represent a major challenge due to their highly dynamic and extensive interfacial areas. Over the years, multiple strategies including structural, computational, and combinatorial approaches have been developed to characterize PPI and to date, several successful examples of small molecules, antibodies, peptides, and aptamers able to modulate these interfaces have been determined. Notably, peptides are a particularly useful tool for inhibiting PPIs due to their exquisite potency, specificity, and selectivity. Here, after an overview of PPIs and of the commonly used approaches to identify and characterize them, we describe and evaluate the impact of chemical peptide libraries in medicinal chemistry with a special focus on the results achieved through recent applications of this methodology. Finally, we also discuss the role that this methodology can have in the framework of the opportunities, and challenges that the application of new predictive approaches based on artificial intelligence is generating in structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Crystallography (IC), National Research Council (CNR), Strada Statale 14 km 163.5, Basovizza, 34149 Triese, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
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10
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Monti A, Ronca R, Campiani G, Ruvo M, Doti N. Expression, Purification, Structural and Functional Characterization of Recombinant Human Parvulin 17. Mol Biotechnol 2023; 65:337-349. [PMID: 35467256 PMCID: PMC9935730 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-022-00493-1] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Parvulins, peptidyl-prolyl isomerase enzymes (PPIase), catalyze the cis-trans isomerization of prolyl bonds in polypeptides, contributing to folding and function regulation of many proteins. Among Parvulins, Par17, exclusively expressed in hominids, is the least examined in terms of structure, catalytic function and cellular activity. Setting the conditions for the preparation of recombinant active Par17 may therefore significantly foster future studies. Here, we comparatively evaluated the impact of several parameters, including host strains, culture media, isopropyl ß-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside concentration, post-induction incubation time and temperature, on the overexpression of Par17 in E. coli cells. A similar approach was also comparatively adopted for the preparation of the recombinant full-length Pin1 protein, the most representative Parvulin, and the catalytic domains of both enzymes. Proteins were efficiently expressed and purified to homogeneity and were subjected to a structural characterization by Size Exclusion Chromatography and Circular Dichroism. Moreover, a single-step homogeneous protease-based fluorimetric assay, potentially scalable in HTS format, has been developed for determining the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity of recombinant Parvulins. Results obtained show that proteins are folded and active. These new data mark an important milestone for progressing the investigation of Parvulins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Monti
- Instituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Raffaele Ronca
- Instituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Campiani
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia, Via Aldo Moro, 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Instituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Instituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy.
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Pacifico R, Del Gaudio N, Bove G, Altucci L, Siragusa L, Cruciani G, Ruvo M, Bellavita R, Grieco P, Adamo MFA. Discovery of a new class of triazole based inhibitors of acetyl transferase KAT2A. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2022; 37:1987-1994. [PMID: 35880250 PMCID: PMC9331200 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2097447] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We have recently developed a new synthetic methodology that provided both N-aryl-5-hydroxytriazoles and N-pyridine-4-alkyl triazoles. A selection of these products was carried through virtual screening towards targets that are contemporary and validated for drug discovery and development. This study determined a number of potential structure target dyads of which N-pyridinium-4-carboxylic-5-alkyl triazole displayed the highest score specificity towards KAT2A. Binding affinity tests of abovementioned triazole and related analogs towards KAT2A confirmed the predictions of the in-silico assay. Finally, we have run in vitro inhibition assays of selected triazoles towards KAT2A; the ensemble of binding and inhibition assays delivered pyridyl-triazoles carboxylates as the prototype of a new class of inhibitors of KAT2A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Pacifico
- Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology (CSCB), Department of Chemistry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Nunzio Del Gaudio
- Department of precision medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Guglielmo Bove
- Department of precision medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Lucia Altucci
- Department of precision medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Gabriele Cruciani
- Laboratory for Chemometrics and Molecular Modeling, Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Bellavita
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples 'Federico II', Naples, Italy
| | - Paolo Grieco
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples 'Federico II', Naples, Italy
| | - Mauro F A Adamo
- Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology (CSCB), Department of Chemistry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
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12
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Ucci S, Spaziani S, Quero G, Vaiano P, Principe M, Micco A, Sandomenico A, Ruvo M, Consales M, Cusano A. Advanced Lab-on-Fiber Optrodes Assisted by Oriented Antibody Immobilization Strategy. Biosensors (Basel) 2022; 12:1040. [PMID: 36421158 PMCID: PMC9688615 DOI: 10.3390/bios12111040] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Lab-on-fiber (LoF) optrodes offer several advantages over conventional techniques for point-of-care platforms aimed at real-time and label-free detection of clinically relevant biomarkers. Moreover, the easy integration of LoF platforms in medical needles, catheters, and nano endoscopes offer unique potentials for in vivo biopsies and tumor microenvironment assessment. The main barrier to translating the vision close to reality is the need to further lower the final limit of detection of developed optrodes. For immune-biosensing purposes, the assay sensitivity significantly relies on the capability to correctly immobilize the capture antibody in terms of uniform coverage and correct orientation of the bioreceptor, especially when very low detection limits are requested as in the case of cancer diagnostics. Here, we investigated the possibility to improve the immobilization strategies through the use of hinge carbohydrates by involving homemade antibodies that demonstrated a significantly improved recognition of the antigen with ultra-low detection limits. In order to create an effective pipeline for the improvement of biofunctionalization protocols to be used in connection with LoF platforms, we first optimized the protocol using a microfluidic surface plasmon resonance (mSPR) device and then transferred the optimized strategy onto LoF platforms selected for the final validation. Here, we selected two different LoF platforms: a biolayer interferometry (BLI)-based device (commercially available) and a homemade advanced LoF biosensor based on optical fiber meta-tips (OFMTs). As a clinically relevant scenario, here we focused our attention on a promising serological biomarker, Cripto-1, for its ability to promote tumorigenesis in breast and liver cancer. Currently, Cripto-1 detection relies on laborious and time-consuming immunoassays. The reported results demonstrated that the proposed approach based on oriented antibody immobilization was able to significantly improve Cripto-1 detection with a 10-fold enhancement versus the random approach. More interestingly, by using the oriented antibody immobilization strategy, the OFMTs-based platform was able to reveal Cripto-1 at a concentration of 0.05 nM, exhibiting detection capabilities much higher (by a factor of 250) than those provided by the commercial LoF platform based on BLI and similar to the ones shown by the commercial and well-established bench-top mSPR Biacore 8K system. Therefore, our work opened new avenues into the development of high-sensitivity LoF biosensors for the detection of clinically relevant biomarkers in the sub-ng/mL range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarassunta Ucci
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council of Italy, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Sara Spaziani
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, c.so Garibaldi 107, 82100 Benevento, Italy
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT Scrl), 82100 Benevento, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Quero
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, c.so Garibaldi 107, 82100 Benevento, Italy
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT Scrl), 82100 Benevento, Italy
| | - Patrizio Vaiano
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, c.so Garibaldi 107, 82100 Benevento, Italy
| | - Maria Principe
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, c.so Garibaldi 107, 82100 Benevento, Italy
| | - Alberto Micco
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT Scrl), 82100 Benevento, Italy
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council of Italy, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council of Italy, Via P. Castellino, 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Consales
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, c.so Garibaldi 107, 82100 Benevento, Italy
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT Scrl), 82100 Benevento, Italy
| | - Andrea Cusano
- Optoelectronics Group, Engineering Department, University of Sannio, c.so Garibaldi 107, 82100 Benevento, Italy
- Centro Regionale Information Communication Technology (CeRICT Scrl), 82100 Benevento, Italy
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13
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Sandomenico A, Gogliettino M, Iaccarino E, Fusco C, Caporale A, Ruvo M, Palmieri G, Cocca E. Oxidized Substrates of APEH as a Tool to Study the Endoprotease Activity of the Enzyme. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:ijms23010443. [PMID: 35008880 PMCID: PMC8745263 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
APEH is a ubiquitous and cytosolic serine protease belonging to the prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) family, playing a critical role in the processes of degradation of proteins through both exo- and endopeptidase events. Endopeptidase activity has been associated with protein oxidation; however, the actual mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. We show that a synthetic fragment of GDF11 spanning the region 48–64 acquires sensitivity to the endopeptidase activity of APEH only when the methionines are transformed into the corresponding sulphoxide derivatives. The data suggest that the presence of sulphoxide-modified methionines is an important prerequisite for the substrates to be processed by APEH and that the residue is crucial for switching the enzyme activity from exo- to endoprotease. The cleavage occurs on residues placed on the C-terminal side of Met(O), with an efficiency depending on the methionine adjacent residues, which thereby may play a crucial role in driving and modulating APEH endoprotease activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (CNR-IBB), 80134 Napoli, Italy; (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.C.)
| | - Marta Gogliettino
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council (CNR-IBBR), 80131 Napoli, Italy; (M.G.); (C.F.); (E.C.)
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (CNR-IBB), 80134 Napoli, Italy; (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.C.)
| | - Carmela Fusco
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council (CNR-IBBR), 80131 Napoli, Italy; (M.G.); (C.F.); (E.C.)
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (CNR-IBB), 80134 Napoli, Italy; (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.C.)
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (CNR-IBB), 80134 Napoli, Italy; (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.C.)
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (G.P.)
| | - Gianna Palmieri
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council (CNR-IBBR), 80131 Napoli, Italy; (M.G.); (C.F.); (E.C.)
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (G.P.)
| | - Ennio Cocca
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council (CNR-IBBR), 80131 Napoli, Italy; (M.G.); (C.F.); (E.C.)
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Cimmino I, Prisco F, Orso S, Agognon AL, Liguoro P, De Biase D, Doti N, Ruvo M, Paciello O, Beguinot F, Formisano P, Oriente F. Interleukin 6 reduces vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis via Prep1 and is associated with aging. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21989. [PMID: 34679197 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100943r] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Aging exacerbates neointimal formation by reducing apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and induces inflammation within vascular wall. Prep1 is a homeodomain transcription factor which stimulates the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in aortic endothelial cell models and plays a primary role in the regulation of apoptosis. In this study, we have investigated the role of Prep1 in aorta of Prep1 hypomorphic heterozygous mice (Prep1i/+ ) and in VSMCs, and its correlation with aging. Histological analysis from Prep1i/+ aortas revealed a 25% reduction in medial smooth muscle cell density compared to WT animals. This result paralleled higher apoptosis, caspase 3, caspase 9 and p53 levels in Prep1i/+ mice and lower Bcl-xL. Prep1 overexpression in VSMCs decreased apoptosis by 25% and caspase 3 and caspase 9 expression by 40% and 37%. In parallel, Bcl-xL inhibition by BH3I-1 and p53 induction by etoposide reverted the antiapoptotic effect of Prep1. Experiments performed in aorta from 18 months old WT mice showed a significant increase in Prep1, p16INK4 , p21Waf1 and interleukin 6 (IL-6) compared to youngest animals. Similar results have been observed in H2 O2 -induced senescent VSMCs. Interestingly, the synthetic Prep1 inhibitory peptide Prep1 (54-72) reduced the antiapoptotic effects mediated by IL-6, particularly in senescent VSMCs. These results indicate that IL-6-Prep1 signaling reduces apoptosis, by modulating Bcl-xL and p53 both in murine aorta and in VSMCs. In addition, age-dependent increase in IL-6 and Prep1 in senescent VSMCs and in old mice may be involved in the aging-related vascular dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Cimmino
- Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples and URT "Genomic of Diabetes" of Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Prisco
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Sonia Orso
- Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples and URT "Genomic of Diabetes" of Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Ayewa L Agognon
- Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples and URT "Genomic of Diabetes" of Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Pasquale Liguoro
- Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples and URT "Genomic of Diabetes" of Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Davide De Biase
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council and Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council and Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Orlando Paciello
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Beguinot
- Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples and URT "Genomic of Diabetes" of Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Pietro Formisano
- Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples and URT "Genomic of Diabetes" of Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Oriente
- Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples and URT "Genomic of Diabetes" of Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), Naples, Italy
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15
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Tagliamonte M, Mauriello A, Cavalluzzo B, Ragone C, Manolio C, Luciano A, Barbieri A, Palma G, Scognamiglio G, Di Mauro A, Di Bonito M, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Vitagliano L, Caporale A, Ruvo M, Buonaguro L. MHC-Optimized Peptide Scaffold for Improved Antigen Presentation and Anti-Tumor Response. Front Immunol 2021; 12:769799. [PMID: 34745146 PMCID: PMC8564487 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.769799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor Associated Antigens (TAAs) may suffer from an immunological tolerance due to expression on normal cells. In order to potentiate their immunogenicity, heteroclitic peptides (htcPep) were designed according to prediction algorithms. In particular, specific modifications were introduced in peptide residues facing to TCR. Moreover, a MHC-optimized scaffold was designed for improved antigen presentation to TCR by H-2Db allele. The efficacy of such htcPep was assessed in C57BL/6 mice injected with syngeneic melanoma B16F10 or lung TC1 tumor cell lines, in combination with metronomic chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The immunogenicity of htcPep was significantly stronger than the corresponding wt peptide and the modification involving both MHC and TCR binding residues scored the strongest. In particular, the H-2Db-specific scaffold significantly potentiated the peptides' immunogenicity and control of tumor growth was comparable to wt peptide in a therapeutic setting. Overall, we demonstrated that modified TAAs show higher immunogenicity compared to wt peptide. In particular, the MHC-optimized scaffold can present different antigen sequences to TCR, retaining the conformational characteristics of the corresponding wt. Cross-reacting CD8+ T cells are elicited and efficiently kill tumor cells presenting the wild-type antigen. This novel approach can be of high clinical relevance in cancer vaccine development.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigen Presentation/drug effects
- Antigen Presentation/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/administration & dosage
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Cancer Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Cancer Vaccines/immunology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Combined Modality Therapy
- Female
- Histocompatibility Antigens/immunology
- Humans
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology
- Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism
- Neoplasms, Experimental/prevention & control
- Peptides/immunology
- Peptides/metabolism
- Protein Binding
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Treatment Outcome
- Tumor Burden/drug effects
- Tumor Burden/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Subunit/immunology
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Luciano
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Barbieri
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Palma
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giosuè Scognamiglio
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Annabella Di Mauro
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Maurizio Di Bonito
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
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Smaldone G, Caruso D, Sandomenico A, Iaccarino E, Focà A, Ruggiero A, Ruvo M, Vitagliano L. Members of the GADD45 Protein Family Show Distinct Propensities to form Toxic Amyloid-Like Aggregates in Physiological Conditions. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:10700. [PMID: 34639041 PMCID: PMC8509203 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The three members (GADD45α, GADD45β, and GADD45γ) of the growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible 45 (GADD45) protein family are involved in a myriad of diversified cellular functions. With the aim of unravelling analogies and differences, we performed comparative biochemical and biophysical analyses on the three proteins. The characterization and quantification of their binding to the MKK7 kinase, a validated functional partner of GADD45β, indicate that GADD45α and GADD45γ are strong interactors of the kinase. Despite their remarkable sequence similarity, the three proteins present rather distinct biophysical properties. Indeed, while GADD45β and GADD45γ are marginally stable at physiological temperatures, GADD45α presents the Tm value expected for a protein isolated from a mesophilic organism. Surprisingly, GADD45α and GADD45β, when heated, form high-molecular weight species that exhibit features (ThT binding and intrinsic label-free UV/visible fluorescence) proper of amyloid-like aggregates. Cell viability studies demonstrate that they are endowed with a remarkable toxicity against SHSY-5Y and HepG2 cells. The very uncommon property of GADD45β to form cytotoxic species in near-physiological conditions represents a puzzling finding with potential functional implications. Finally, the low stability and/or the propensity to form toxic species of GADD45 proteins constitute important features that should be considered in interpreting their many functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniela Caruso
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, C.N.R., Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (D.C.); (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, C.N.R., Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (D.C.); (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, C.N.R., Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (D.C.); (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | - Annalia Focà
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, C.N.R., Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (D.C.); (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | - Alessia Ruggiero
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, C.N.R., Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (D.C.); (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, C.N.R., Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (D.C.); (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, C.N.R., Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (D.C.); (A.S.); (E.I.); (A.F.); (A.R.)
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17
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Caputo T, Cusano AM, Ruvo M, Aliberti A, Cusano A. Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles as a Carrier for On-Demand Sorafenib Delivery. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2021; 23:1214-1225. [PMID: 34445947 DOI: 10.2174/1389201022666210826152311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug delivery systems based on Human Serum Albumin (HSA) have been widely investigated due to their capability to interact with several molecules together with their nontoxicity, non-immunogenicity and biocompatibility. Sorafenib (SOR) is a kinase inhibitor used as the first-line treatment in hepatic cancer. However, because of its several intrinsic drawbacks (low solubility and bioavailability), there is a growing need for discovering new carriers able to overcome the current limitations. OBJECTIVE To study HSA particles loaded with SOR as a thermal responsive drug delivery system. METHOD A detailed spectroscopy analysis of the HSA and SOR interaction in solution was carried out in order to characterize the temperature dependence of the complex. Based on this study, the synthesis of HSA particles loaded with SOR was optimized. Particles were characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering, Atomic Force Microscopy and by spectrofluorometer. Encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release were quantified by RP-HPLC. RESULTS HSA particles were monodispersed in size (≈ 200 nm); encapsulation efficiency ranged from 25% to 58%. Drug release studies that were performed at 37 °C and 50 °C showed that HS5 particles achieved a drug release of 0.430 µM in 72 hours at 50 °C in PBS buffer, accomplishing a 4.6-fold overall SOR release enhancement following a temperature increase from 37 °C to 50 °C. CONCLUSION The system herein presented has the potential to exert a therapeutic action (in the nM range) triggering a sustained temperature-controllable release of relevant drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Caputo
- CeRICT scrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology, Benevento. Italy
| | - Angela Maria Cusano
- CeRICT scrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology, Benevento. Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, I-80134, Napoli. Italy
| | - Anna Aliberti
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, I-82100, Benevento. Italy
| | - Andrea Cusano
- CeRICT scrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology, Benevento. Italy
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18
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Russo L, Mascanzoni F, Farina B, Dolga AM, Monti A, Caporale A, Culmsee C, Fattorusso R, Ruvo M, Doti N. Design, Optimization, and Structural Characterization of an Apoptosis-Inducing Factor Peptide Targeting Human Cyclophilin A to Inhibit Apoptosis Inducing Factor-Mediated Cell Death. J Med Chem 2021; 64:11445-11459. [PMID: 34338510 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Blocking the interaction between the apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and cyclophilin A (CypA) by the AIF fragment AIF(370-394) is protective against glutamate-induced neuronal cell death and brain injury in mice. Starting from AIF(370-394), we report the generation of the disulfide-bridged and shorter variant AIF(381-389) and its structural characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in the free and CypA-bound state. AIF(381-389) in both the free and bound states assumes a β-hairpin conformation similar to that of the fragment in the AIF protein and shows a highly reduced conformational flexibility. This peptide displays a similar in vitro affinity for CypA, an improved antiapoptotic activity in cells and an enhanced proteolytic stability compared to the parent peptide. The NMR-based 3D model of the AIF(381-389)/CypA complex provides a better understanding of the binding hot spots on both the peptide and the protein and can be exploited to design AIF/CypA inhibitors with improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Russo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Fabiola Mascanzoni
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Biancamaria Farina
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Amalia Mihaela Dolga
- Institute of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.,Faculty of Science and Engineering, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy (GRIP), Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), Department of Molecular Pharmacology, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Carsten Culmsee
- Institute of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Roberto Fattorusso
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
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19
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Chelko SP, Keceli G, Carpi A, Doti N, Agrimi J, Asimaki A, Beti CB, Miyamoto M, Amat-Codina N, Bedja D, Wei AC, Murray B, Tichnell C, Kwon C, Calkins H, James CA, O'Rourke B, Halushka MK, Melloni E, Saffitz JE, Judge DP, Ruvo M, Kitsis RN, Andersen P, Di Lisa F, Paolocci N. Exercise triggers CAPN1-mediated AIF truncation, inducing myocyte cell death in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:13/581/eabf0891. [PMID: 33597260 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abf0891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Myocyte death occurs in many inherited and acquired cardiomyopathies, including arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), a genetic heart disease plagued by the prevalence of sudden cardiac death. Individuals with ACM and harboring pathogenic desmosomal variants, such as desmoglein-2 (DSG2), often show myocyte necrosis with progression to exercise-associated heart failure. Here, we showed that homozygous Dsg2 mutant mice (Dsg2 mut/mut), a model of ACM, die prematurely during swimming and display myocardial dysfunction and necrosis. We detected calcium (Ca2+) overload in Dsg2 mut/mut hearts, which induced calpain-1 (CAPN1) activation, association of CAPN1 with mitochondria, and CAPN1-induced cleavage of mitochondrial-bound apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). Cleaved AIF translocated to the myocyte nucleus triggering large-scale DNA fragmentation and cell death, an effect potentiated by mitochondrial-driven AIF oxidation. Posttranslational oxidation of AIF cysteine residues was due, in part, to a depleted mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 redox system. Hearts from exercised Dsg2 mut/mut mice were depleted of calpastatin (CAST), an endogenous CAPN1 inhibitor, and overexpressing CAST in myocytes protected against Ca2+ overload-induced necrosis. When cardiomyocytes differentiated from Dsg2 mut/mut embryonic stem cells (ES-CMs) were challenged with β-adrenergic stimulation, CAPN1 inhibition attenuated CAPN1-induced AIF truncation. In addition, pretreatment of Dsg2 mut/mut ES-CMs with an AIF-mimetic peptide, mirroring the cyclophilin-A (PPIA) binding site of AIF, blocked PPIA-mediated AIF-nuclear translocation, and reduced both apoptosis and necrosis. Thus, preventing CAPN1-induced AIF-truncation or barring binding of AIF to the nuclear chaperone, PPIA, may avert myocyte death and, ultimately, disease progression to heart failure in ACM and likely other forms of cardiomyopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P Chelko
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA. .,Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Gizem Keceli
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Andrea Carpi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova 35122, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Naples 80134, Italy
| | - Jacopo Agrimi
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Angeliki Asimaki
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St. George's, University of London, London WC1E 6BS, UK
| | - Carlos Bueno Beti
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St. George's, University of London, London WC1E 6BS, UK
| | - Matthew Miyamoto
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Nuria Amat-Codina
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Djahida Bedja
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - An-Chi Wei
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Brittney Murray
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Crystal Tichnell
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Chulan Kwon
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Hugh Calkins
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Cynthia A James
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Brian O'Rourke
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Marc K Halushka
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Edon Melloni
- Department of Medicine, University of Genova, Genova 16126, Italy
| | - Jeffrey E Saffitz
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 20115, USA
| | - Daniel P Judge
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Naples 80134, Italy
| | - Richard N Kitsis
- Departments of Medicine and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Peter Andersen
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Fabio Di Lisa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova 35122, Italy
| | - Nazareno Paolocci
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova 35122, Italy
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20
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Ragone C, Manolio C, Cavalluzzo B, Mauriello A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Castiglione F, Vitagliano L, Iaccarino E, Ruvo M, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Identification and validation of viral antigens sharing sequence and structural homology with tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002694. [PMID: 34049932 PMCID: PMC8166618 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The host’s immune system develops in equilibrium with both cellular self-antigens and non-self-antigens derived from microorganisms which enter the body during lifetime. In addition, during the years, a tumor may arise presenting to the immune system an additional pool of non-self-antigens, namely tumor antigens (tumor-associated antigens, TAAs; tumor-specific antigens, TSAs). Methods In the present study, we looked for homology between published TAAs and non-self-viral-derived epitopes. Bioinformatics analyses and ex vivo immunological validations have been performed. Results Surprisingly, several of such homologies have been found. Moreover, structural similarities between paired TAAs and viral peptides as well as comparable patterns of contact with HLA and T cell receptor (TCR) α and β chains have been observed. Therefore, the two classes of non-self-antigens (viral antigens and tumor antigens) may converge, eliciting cross-reacting CD8+ T cell responses which possibly drive the fate of cancer development and progression. Conclusions An established antiviral T cell memory may turn out to be an anticancer T cell memory, able to control the growth of a cancer developed during the lifetime if the expressed TAA is similar to the viral epitope. This may ultimately represent a relevant selective advantage for patients with cancer and may lead to a novel preventive anticancer vaccine strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Ragone
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Esperimental Oncology - Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Esperimental Oncology - Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute for Biostructures and Bioimages, CNR, Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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21
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Monti A, Bruckmann C, Blasi F, Ruvo M, Vitagliano L, Doti N. Amyloid-like Prep1 peptides exhibit reversible blue-green-red fluorescence in vitro and in living cells. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:3720-3723. [PMID: 33729264 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc01145f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
PREP1-based peptides form amyloid-like aggregates endowed with an intrinsic blue-green-red fluorescence with an unusual sharp maximum at 520 nm upon excitation with visible light under physiological conditions. The peptide PREP1[117-132], whose sequence does not contain aromatic residues, presents a pH-dependent and reversible fluorescence, in line with its structural transition from β-sheet rich aggregates to α-helix structures. These findings further demonstrate that the non-canonical fluorescence exhibited by amyloids is an articulated phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, Naples 80134, Italy.
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22
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Sivaccumar JP, Leonardi A, Iaccarino E, Corvino G, Sanguigno L, Chambery A, Russo R, Valletta M, Latino D, Capasso D, Doti N, Ruvo M, Sandomenico A. Development of a New Highly Selective Monoclonal Antibody against Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma (PRAME) and Identification of the Target Epitope by Bio-Layer Interferometry. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22063166. [PMID: 33804612 PMCID: PMC8003813 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against cancer biomarkers are key reagents in diagnosis and therapy. One such relevant biomarker is a preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) that is selectively expressed in many tumors. Knowing mAb’s epitope is of utmost importance for understanding the potential activity and therapeutic prospective of the reagents. Methods: We generated a mAb against PRAME immunizing mice with PRAME fragment 161–415; the affinity of the antibody for the protein was evaluated by ELISA and SPR, and its ability to detect the protein in cells was probed by cytofluorimetry and Western blotting experiments. The antibody epitope was identified immobilizing the mAb on bio-layer interferometry (BLI) sensor chip, capturing protein fragments obtained following trypsin digestion and performing mass spectrometry analyses. Results: A mAb against PRAME with an affinity of 35 pM was obtained and characterized. Its epitope on PRAME was localized on residues 202–212, taking advantage of the low volumes and lack of fluidics underlying the BLI settings. Conclusions: The new anti-PRAME mAb recognizes the folded protein on the surface of cell membranes suggesting that the antibody’s epitope is well exposed. BLI sensor chips can be used to identify antibody epitopes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/chemistry
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology
- Antibody Specificity
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/chemistry
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/immunology
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/pharmacology
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Drug Development
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Epitopes/chemistry
- Epitopes/immunology
- Flow Cytometry
- Humans
- Interferometry
- Kinetics
- Melanoma
- Mice
- Molecular Targeted Therapy
- Protein Binding/immunology
- Recombinant Proteins
- Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonio Leonardi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80142 Napoli, Italy; (A.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (J.P.S.); (E.I.); (G.C.); (D.L.); (N.D.)
| | - Giusy Corvino
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (J.P.S.); (E.I.); (G.C.); (D.L.); (N.D.)
| | - Luca Sanguigno
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80142 Napoli, Italy; (A.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Angela Chambery
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche (DISTABIF), Università L. Vanvitelli, 80100 Caserta, Italy; (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.V.)
| | - Rosita Russo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche (DISTABIF), Università L. Vanvitelli, 80100 Caserta, Italy; (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.V.)
| | - Mariangela Valletta
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche (DISTABIF), Università L. Vanvitelli, 80100 Caserta, Italy; (A.C.); (R.R.); (M.V.)
| | - Debora Latino
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (J.P.S.); (E.I.); (G.C.); (D.L.); (N.D.)
| | - Domenica Capasso
- Centro di Servizio di Ateneo per le Scienze e Tecnologie per la Vita (CESTEV), Università di Napoli Federico II, 80145 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (J.P.S.); (E.I.); (G.C.); (D.L.); (N.D.)
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (J.P.S.); (E.I.); (G.C.); (D.L.); (N.D.)
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (A.S.)
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (J.P.S.); (E.I.); (G.C.); (D.L.); (N.D.)
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (A.S.)
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23
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Cavalluzzo B, Ragone C, Mauriello A, Petrizzo A, Manolio C, Caporale A, Vitagliano L, Ruvo M, Buonaguro L, Tagliamonte M. Identification and characterization of heteroclitic peptides in TCR-binding positions with improved HLA-binding efficacy. J Transl Med 2021; 19:89. [PMID: 33637105 PMCID: PMC7913412 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-021-02757-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The antigenicity as well as the immunogenicity of tumor associated antigens (TAAs) may need to be potentiated in order to break the immunological tolerance. To this aim, heteroclitic peptides were designed introducing specific substitutions in the residue at position 4 (p4) binding to TCR. The effect of such modifications also on the affinity to the major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) molecule was assessed. The Trp2 antigen, specific for the mouse melanoma B16F10 cells, as well as the HPV-E7 antigen, specific for the TC1 tumor cell lines, were used as models. Affinity of such heteroclitic peptides to HLA was predicted by bioinformatics tools and the most promising ones were validated by structural conformational and HLA binding analyses. Overall, we demonstrated that TAAs modified at the TCR-binding p4 residue are predicted to have higher affinity to MHC-I molecules. Experimental evaluation confirms the stronger binding, suggesting that this strategy may be very effective for designing new vaccines with improved antigenic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fond. G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fond. G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fond. G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Annacarmen Petrizzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fond. G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fond. G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Naples, Italy.,Istituto Di Cristallografia-CNR, c/o area Science Park S.S. 14 Km 163.5 Basovizza, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fond. G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fond. G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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24
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Sivaccumar J, Sandomenico A, Vitagliano L, Ruvo M. Monoclonal Antibodies: A Prospective and Retrospective View. Curr Med Chem 2021; 28:435-471. [PMID: 32072887 DOI: 10.2174/0929867327666200219142231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) represent one of the most important classes of biotherapeutic agents. They are used to cure many diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, angiogenesis-related diseases and, more recently also haemophilia. They can be highly varied in terms of format, source, and specificity to improve efficacy and to obtain more targeted applications. This can be achieved by leaving substantially unchanged the basic structural components for paratope clustering. OBJECTIVES The objective was to trace the most relevant findings that have deserved prestigious awards over the years, to report the most important clinical applications and to emphasize their latest emerging therapeutic trends. RESULTS We report the most relevant milestones and new technologies adopted for antibody development. Recent efforts in generating new engineered antibody-based formats are briefly reviewed. The most important antibody-based molecules that are (or are going to be) used for pharmacological practice have been collected in useful tables. CONCLUSION The topics here discussed prove the undisputed role of mAbs as innovative biopharmaceuticals molecules and as vital components of targeted pharmacological therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jwala Sivaccumar
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
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25
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Valletta M, Russo R, Baglivo I, Russo V, Ragucci S, Sandomenico A, Iaccarino E, Ruvo M, De Feis I, Angelini C, Iachettini S, Biroccio A, Pedone PV, Chambery A. Exploring the Interaction between the SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Complex and the Zinc Finger Factor CTCF. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E8950. [PMID: 33255744 PMCID: PMC7728349 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21238950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) modulates pleiotropic functions mostly related to gene expression regulation. The role of CTCF in large scale genome organization is also well established. A unifying model to explain relationships among many CTCF-mediated activities involves direct or indirect interactions with numerous protein cofactors recruited to specific binding sites. The co-association of CTCF with other architectural proteins such as cohesin, chromodomain helicases, and BRG1, further supports the interplay between master regulators of mammalian genome folding. Here, we report a comprehensive LC-MS/MS mapping of the components of the switch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex co-associated with CTCF including subunits belonging to the core, signature, and ATPase modules. We further show that the localization patterns of representative SWI/SNF members significantly overlap with CTCF sites on transcriptionally active chromatin regions. Moreover, we provide evidence of a direct binding of the BRK-BRG1 domain to the zinc finger motifs 4-8 of CTCF, thus, suggesting that these domains mediate the interaction of CTCF with the SWI/SNF complex. These findings provide an updated view of the cooperative nature between CTCF and the SWI/SNF ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes, an important step for understanding how these architectural proteins collaborate to shape the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Valletta
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.V.); (R.R.); (I.B.); (V.R.); (S.R.)
| | - Rosita Russo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.V.); (R.R.); (I.B.); (V.R.); (S.R.)
| | - Ilaria Baglivo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.V.); (R.R.); (I.B.); (V.R.); (S.R.)
| | - Veronica Russo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.V.); (R.R.); (I.B.); (V.R.); (S.R.)
| | - Sara Ragucci
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.V.); (R.R.); (I.B.); (V.R.); (S.R.)
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini IBB, National Research Council, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (A.S.); (E.I.); (M.R.)
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini IBB, National Research Council, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (A.S.); (E.I.); (M.R.)
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini IBB, National Research Council, 80134 Napoli, Italy; (A.S.); (E.I.); (M.R.)
| | - Italia De Feis
- Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo IAC ‘M. Picone’, National Research Council, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (I.D.F.); (C.A.)
| | - Claudia Angelini
- Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo IAC ‘M. Picone’, National Research Council, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (I.D.F.); (C.A.)
| | - Sara Iachettini
- Oncogenomic and Epigenetic Unit, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Roma, Italy; (S.I.); (A.B.)
| | - Annamaria Biroccio
- Oncogenomic and Epigenetic Unit, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Roma, Italy; (S.I.); (A.B.)
| | - Paolo Vincenzo Pedone
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.V.); (R.R.); (I.B.); (V.R.); (S.R.)
| | - Angela Chambery
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.V.); (R.R.); (I.B.); (V.R.); (S.R.)
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Caputo TM, Aliberti A, Cusano AM, Ruvo M, Cutolo A, Cusano A. Stimuli‐responsive hybrid microgels for controlled drug delivery: Sorafenib as a model drug. J Appl Polym Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/app.50147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tania Mariastella Caputo
- CeRICT scrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology Benevento Italy
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering University of Sannio Benevento Italy
| | - Anna Aliberti
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering University of Sannio Benevento Italy
| | - Angela Maria Cusano
- CeRICT scrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology Benevento Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging National Research Council Naples Italy
| | - Antonello Cutolo
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology University of Naples Federico II Naples Italy
| | - Andrea Cusano
- CeRICT scrl Regional Center Information Communication Technology Benevento Italy
- Optoelectronics Group, Department of Engineering University of Sannio Benevento Italy
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Bruckmann C, Tamburri S, De Lorenzi V, Doti N, Monti A, Mathiasen L, Cattaneo A, Ruvo M, Bachi A, Blasi F. Mapping the native interaction surfaces of PREP1 with PBX1 by cross-linking mass-spectrometry and mutagenesis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16809. [PMID: 33033354 PMCID: PMC7545097 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74032-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Both onco-suppressor PREP1 and the oncogene MEIS1 bind to PBX1. This interaction stabilizes the two proteins and allows their translocation into the nucleus and thus their transcriptional activity. Here, we have combined cross-linking mass-spectrometry and systematic mutagenesis to detail the binding geometry of the PBX1-PREP1 (and PBX1-MEIS1) complexes, under native in vivo conditions. The data confirm the existence of two distinct interaction sites within the PBC domain of PBX1 and unravel differences among the highly similar binding sites of MEIS1 and PREP1. The HR2 domain has a fundamental role in binding the PBC-B domain of PBX1 in both PREP1 and MEIS1. The HR1 domain of MEIS1, however, seem to play a less stringent role in PBX1 interaction with respect to that of PREP1. This difference is also reflected by the different binding affinity of the two proteins to PBX1. Although partial, this analysis provides for the first time some ideas on the tertiary structure of the complexes not available before. Moreover, the extensive mutagenic analysis of PREP1 identifies the role of individual hydrophobic HR1 and HR2 residues, both in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bruckmann
- IFOM (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy.
| | - Simone Tamburri
- IFOM (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina De Lorenzi
- IFOM (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Lisa Mathiasen
- IFOM (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy
| | - Angela Cattaneo
- IFOM (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy
- Cogentech S.R.L. Benefit Corporation IT, Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Bachi
- IFOM (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Blasi
- IFOM (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139, Milan, Italy.
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Daraghma H, Untiveros G, Raskind A, Iaccarino E, Sandomenico A, Ruvo M, Arnouk H, Ciancio MJ, Cuevas-Nunez M, Strizzi L. The role of Nodal and Cripto-1 in human oral squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Dis 2020; 27:1137-1147. [PMID: 32916013 DOI: 10.1111/odi.13640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common epithelial malignancy of the oral cavity. Nodal and Cripto-1 (CR-1) are important developmental morphogens expressed in several adult cancers and are associated with disease progression. Whether Nodal and CR-1 are simultaneously expressed in the same tumor and how this affects cancer biology are unclear. We investigate the expression and potential role of both Nodal and CR-1 in human OSCC. Immunohistochemistry results show that Nodal and CR-1 are both expressed in the same human OSCC sample and that intensity of Nodal staining is correlated with advanced-stage disease. However, this was not observed with CR-1 staining. Western blot analysis of lysates from two human OSCC line experiments shows expression of CR-1 and Nodal, and their respective signaling molecules, Src and ERK1/2. Treatment of SCC25 and SCC15 cells with both Nodal and CR-1 inhibitors simultaneously resulted in reduced cell viability and reduced levels of P-Src and P-ERK1/2. Further investigation showed that the combination treatment with both Nodal and CR-1 inhibitors was capable of reducing invasiveness of SCC25 cells. Our results show a possible role for Nodal/CR-1 function during progression of human OSCC and that targeting both proteins simultaneously may have therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Daraghma
- Department of Pathology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Program, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - Gustavo Untiveros
- Department of Pathology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - Aleksandr Raskind
- Department of Pathology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Hilal Arnouk
- Department of Pathology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - Mae J Ciancio
- Biomedical Sciences Program, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - Maria Cuevas-Nunez
- College of Dental Medicine Illinois, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - Luigi Strizzi
- Department of Pathology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Selis F, Sandomenico A, Cantile M, Sanna R, Calvanese L, Falcigno L, Dell'Omo P, Esperti A, De Falco S, Focà A, Caporale A, Iaccarino E, Truppo E, Scaramuzza S, Tonon G, Ruvo M. Generation and testing of engineered multimeric Fabs of trastuzumab. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 164:4516-4531. [PMID: 32941911 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant antibodies fragments in several new formats are routinely investigated and used in diagnostic and therapeutic applications as anti-cancers molecules. New antibody formats are generated to compensate the need for multispecificity and site-specific introduction of fluorescent dyes, cytotoxic payloads or for generating semisynthetic multimeric molecules. Fabs of trastuzumab bearing transglutaminase (MTG) reactive sites were generated by periplasmic expression in E. coli and purified. Multimeric Fabs were generated by either disulfide bridge formation or by using MTG-sensitive peptide linkers. Binding to receptor was assessed by ELISA and SPR methods. Internalization and growth inhibition assays were performed on BT-474 and SKBR3 Her2+ cells. Fabs were successfully produced and dimerized or trimerized using MTG and suitably designed peptide linkers. Site-specific derivatizations with fluorophores were similarly achieved. The monomeric, dimeric and trimeric variants bind the receptor with affinities similar or superior to the full antibody. Fab and Fab2 are rapidly internalized in Her2+ cells and exhibit growth inhibition abilities similar to the full antibody. Altogether, the data show that the recombinant Fabs can be produced in E. coli and converted into multimeric variants by MTG-based bioconjugation. Similar approaches are extendable to the introduction of cytotoxic payloads for the generation of novel Antibody Drug Conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Luisa Calvanese
- Dipartimento di Farmacia and CIRPeB, Università di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Lucia Falcigno
- Dipartimento di Farmacia and CIRPeB, Università di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | | | | | - Sandro De Falco
- Istituto di Genetica e Biofisica - CNR, Napoli, Italy; Anbition srl, Napoli, Italy
| | - Annalia Focà
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini - CNR, Napoli, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini - CNR, Napoli, Italy; Anbition srl, Napoli, Italy.
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Sandomenico A, Sivaccumar JP, Ruvo M. Evolution of Escherichia coli Expression System in Producing Antibody Recombinant Fragments. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176324. [PMID: 32878291 PMCID: PMC7504322 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibodies and antibody-derived molecules are continuously developed as both therapeutic agents and key reagents for advanced diagnostic investigations. Their application in these fields has indeed greatly expanded the demand of these molecules and the need for their production in high yield and purity. While full-length antibodies require mammalian expression systems due to the occurrence of functionally and structurally important glycosylations, most antibody fragments and antibody-like molecules are non-glycosylated and can be more conveniently prepared in E. coli-based expression platforms. We propose here an updated survey of the most effective and appropriate methods of preparation of antibody fragments that exploit E. coli as an expression background and review the pros and cons of the different platforms available today. Around 250 references accompany and complete the review together with some lists of the most important new antibody-like molecules that are on the market or are being developed as new biotherapeutics or diagnostic agents.
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Monti A, Sturlese M, Caporale A, Roger JDA, Mascanzoni F, Ruvo M, Doti N. Design, synthesis, structural analysis and biochemical studies of stapled AIF(370-394) analogues as ligand of CypA. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2020; 1864:129717. [PMID: 32861757 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The neuronal apoptotic process requires the nuclear translocation of Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF) in complex with Cyclophilin A (CypA) with consequent chromatin condensation and DNA degradation events. Targeting CypA by delivering an AIF-blocking peptide (AIF(370-394)) provides a significant neuroprotection, demonstrating the biological relevance of the AIF/CypA complex. To date pharmaceutical compounds targeting this complex are missing. METHODS We designed and synthesized a set of mono and bicyclic AIF(370-394) analogs containing both disulfide and 1,2,3-triazole bridges, in the attempt to both stabilize the peptide conformation and improve its binding affinity to CypA. Peptide structures in solution and in complex with CypA have been studied by circular dichroism (CD), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and molecular modeling. The ability of stapled peptides to interact with CypA was evaluated by using Epic Corning label free technique and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry experiments. RESULTS We identified a stapled peptide analogue of AIF(370-394) with a ten-fold improved affinity for CypA. Molecular modeling studies reveal that the new peptide acquires β-turn/β-fold structures and shares with the parent molecule the same binding region on CypA. CONCLUSIONS Data obtained provide invaluable assistance in designing new ligand of CypA for therapeutic approaches in neurodegenerative diseases. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Due to the crucial role of AIF/CypA complex formation in neurodegeneration, identification of selective inhibitors is of high importance for targeted therapies. We describe new bicyclic peptide inhibitors with improved affinity for CypA, investigating the kinetic, thermodynamic and structural effects of conformational constraints on the protein-ligand interaction, and their utility for drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Monti
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR; Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy; DISTABIF, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, CE, Italy
| | - Mattia Sturlese
- Molecular Modeling Section, Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova, via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR; Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Jessica De Almeida Roger
- Molecular Modeling Section, Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova, via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Fabiola Mascanzoni
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR; Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR; Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR; Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy.
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Cusano AM, Aliberti A, Cusano A, Ruvo M. Detection of small DNA fragments by biolayer interferometry. Anal Biochem 2020; 607:113898. [PMID: 32777266 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2020.113898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Small molecular weight species such as miRNAs and other nucleic acid fragments are gaining an increased interest as biomarkers for relevant diseases. Also, cheap and rapid assays for their routine detection are becoming an urgent need. We have investigated the usability and convenience of a price affordable, label free and fast technique for their detection on a laboratory scale small device based on Bio-Layer Interferometry. Using a model DNA fragment (7 kDa), we have found that the technique is effectively fast and sensitive enough for the detection of nucleic acid fragments having a MW below the stated molecular size detection limit (10 kDa). The test molecule has been detected in solution at 100 nM in a direct capture experiment and up to about 10 nM following an improved approach where an enhancing probe is used to increase the apparent molecular dimensions of the analyte. The technique, following further optimizations, can be applied for the routine, cheap and fast analysis of small nucleic acid fragments that have a relevance in diagnosis and in therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Aliberti
- Cerict Scarl, Italy; Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università Del Sannio, Italy
| | - Andrea Cusano
- Cerict Scarl, Italy; Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università Del Sannio, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Italy.
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Doti N, Monti A, Bruckmann C, Calvanese L, Smaldone G, Caporale A, Falcigno L, D'Auria G, Blasi F, Ruvo M, Vitagliano L. Identification and characterization of cytotoxic amyloid-like regions in human Pbx-regulating protein-1. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 163:618-629. [PMID: 32634512 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The ability of many proteins to fold into well-defined structures has been traditionally considered a prerequisite for fulfilling their functions. Protein folding is also regarded as a valuable loophole to escape uncontrolled and harmful aggregations. Here we show that the PBX-regulating protein-1 (PREP1), an important homeodomain transcription factor involved in cell growth and differentiation during embryogenesis, is endowed with an uncommon thermostability. Indeed, circular dichroism analyses indicate that it retains most of its secondary structure at very high temperatures. These findings have important implications for PREP1 functions since it is a stabilizing factor of its partner PBX1. Predictive analyses suggest that the observed PREP1 thermostability could be related to the presence of aggregation-prone regions. Interestingly, synthetic peptides corresponding to these regions exhibit a remarkable propensity to form toxic β-rich amyloid-like aggregates in physiological conditions. On this basis, we suggest that PREP1 stability is an effective way to prevent or limit the formation of harmful aggregates. Notably, one of these PREP1 fragments (residues 117-132) is able to reversibly switch from α-helical to β-rich states depending on the environmental conditions. The chameleon conformational behavior of this peptide makes it an ideal system to study this intriguing and widespread structural transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy; Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Chiara Bruckmann
- IFOM, Foundation FIRC (Italian Foundation for Cancer Research), Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Calvanese
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Lucia Falcigno
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy; Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Gabriella D'Auria
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy; Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Blasi
- IFOM, Foundation FIRC (Italian Foundation for Cancer Research), Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy.
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB)-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy.
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Sandomenico A, Caporale A, Doti N, Cross S, Cruciani G, Chambery A, De Falco S, Ruvo M. Synthetic Peptide Libraries: From Random Mixtures to In Vivo Testing. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:997-1016. [PMID: 30009695 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180716110833] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Combinatorially generated molecular repertoires have been largely used to identify novel bioactive compounds. Ever more sophisticated technological solutions have been proposed to simplify and speed up such process, expanding the chemical diversity space and increasing the prospect to select new molecular entities with specific and potent activities against targets of therapeutic relevance. In this context, random mixtures of oligomeric peptides were originally used and since 25 years they represent a continuous source of bioactive molecules with potencies ranging from the sub-nM to microM concentration. Synthetic peptide libraries are still employed as starting "synthetic broths" of structurally and chemically diversified molecular fragments from which lead compounds can be extracted and further modified. Thousands of studies have been reported describing the application of combinatorial mixtures of synthetic peptides with different complexity and engrafted on diverse structural scaffolds for the identification of new compounds which have been further developed and also tested in in vivo models of relevant diseases. We briefly review some of the most used methodologies for library preparation and screening and the most recent case studies appeared in the literature where compounds have reached at least in vivo testing in animal or similar models. Recent technological advancements in biotechnology, engineering and computer science have suggested new options to facilitate the discovery of new bioactive peptides. In this instance, we anticipate here a new approach for the design of simple but focused tripeptide libraries against druggable cavities of therapeutic targets and its complementation with existing approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Sandomenico
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini del CNR and CIRPeB, Universita Federico II di Napoli, via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini del CNR and CIRPeB, Universita Federico II di Napoli, via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini del CNR and CIRPeB, Universita Federico II di Napoli, via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Simon Cross
- Molecular Discovery Ltd, Unit 501 Centennial Park, Centennial Avenue Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3FG, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriele Cruciani
- Molecular Discovery Ltd, Unit 501 Centennial Park, Centennial Avenue Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3FG, United Kingdom.,Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Angela Chambery
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Sandro De Falco
- Istituto di Genetica e Biofisica del CNR, via Pietro Castellino, 111, 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini del CNR and CIRPeB, Universita Federico II di Napoli, via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
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Doti N, Caporale A, Monti A, Sandomenico A, Selis F, Ruvo M. A recent update on the use of microbial transglutaminase for the generation of biotherapeutics. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 36:53. [PMID: 32172335 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-020-02829-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The recent scientific progresses on the use of enzyme-mediated reactions in organic, non-aqueous and aqueous media have significantly supported the growing demand of new biotechnological and/or pharmacological products. Today, a plethora of microbial enzymes, used as biocatalysts, are available. Among these, microbial transglutaminases (MTGs) are broadly used for their ability to catalyse the formation of an isopeptide bond between the γ-amide group of glutamines and the ε-amino group of lysine. Due to their promiscuity towards primary amine-containing substrates and the more stringent specificity for glutamine-containing peptide sequences, several combined approaches can be tailored for different settings, making MTGs very attractive catalysts for generating protein-protein and protein small molecule's conjugates. The present review offers a recent update on the modifications attainable by MTG-catalysed bioreactions as reported between 2014 and 2019. In particular, we present a detailed and comparative overview on the MTG-based methods for proteins and antibodies engineering, with a particular outlook on the synthesis of homogeneous antibody-drug conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Doti
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, CNR (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Naples, Italy.
| | - A Caporale
- Institute of Crystallography, CNR (IC-CNR), c/o Area Science Park s.s. 14 Km 163.5, Basovizza, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, CNR (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Naples, Italy.,Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (DiSTABIF), University L. Vanvitelli, Via Vivaldi, 43, 80100, Caserta, Italy
| | - A Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, CNR (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Fabio Selis
- BioVIIIx R&D, Via B. Brin, 59C, 80142, Naples, Italy
| | - M Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, CNR (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Naples, Italy.
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Nawaz MI, Rezzola S, Tobia C, Coltrini D, Belleri M, Mitola S, Corsini M, Sandomenico A, Caporale A, Ruvo M, Presta M. D-Peptide analogues of Boc-Phe-Leu-Phe-Leu-Phe-COOH induce neovascularization via endothelial N-formyl peptide receptor 3. Angiogenesis 2020; 23:357-369. [PMID: 32152757 DOI: 10.1007/s10456-020-09714-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
N-formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are G protein-coupled receptors involved in the recruitment and activation of immune cells in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Three FPRs have been identified in humans (FPR1-FPR3), characterized by different ligand properties, biological function and cellular distribution. Recent findings from our laboratory have shown that the peptide BOC-FLFLF (L-BOC2), related to the FPR antagonist BOC2, acts as an angiogenesis inhibitor by binding to various angiogenic growth factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor-A165 (VEGF). Here we show that the all-D-enantiomer of L-BOC2 (D-BOC2) is devoid of any VEGF antagonist activity. At variance, D-BOC2, as well as the D-FLFLF and succinimidyl (Succ)-D-FLFLF (D-Succ-F3) D-peptide variants, is endowed with a pro-angiogenic potential. In particular, the D-peptide D-Succ-F3 exerts a pro-angiogenic activity in a variety of in vitro assays on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and in ex vivo and in vivo assays in chick and zebrafish embryos and adult mice. This activity is related to the capacity of D-Succ-F3 to bind FRP3 expressed by HUVECs. Indeed, the effects exerted by D-Succ-F3 on HUVECs are fully suppressed by the G protein-coupled receptor inhibitor pertussis toxin, the FPR2/FPR3 antagonist WRW4 and by an anti-FPR3 antibody. A similar inhibition was observed following WRW4-induced FPR3 desensitization in HUVECs. Finally, D-Succ-F3 prevented the binding of the anti-FPR3 antibody to the cell surface of HUVECs. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that the angiogenic activity of D-Succ-F3 is due to the engagement and activation of FPR3 expressed by endothelial cells, thus shedding a new light on the biological function of this chemoattractant receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd I Nawaz
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Department of Ophthalmology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Sara Rezzola
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Chiara Tobia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Daniela Coltrini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Mirella Belleri
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Stefania Mitola
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Michela Corsini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Caporale
- Istituto Di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Napoli, Italy
- Istituto Di Cristallografia, CNR, Trieste, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto Di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, Napoli, Italy
- AnBition srl, Napoli, Italy
| | - Marco Presta
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
- Italian Consortium for Biotechnology (CIB), Unit of Brescia, Trieste, Italy.
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Tarallo V, Iaccarino E, Cicatiello V, Sanna R, Ruvo M, De Falco S. Oral Delivery of a Tetrameric Tripeptide Inhibitor of VEGFR1 Suppresses Pathological Choroid Neovascularization. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21020410. [PMID: 31936463 PMCID: PMC7014271 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21020410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of blindness in advanced countries. Repeated intravitreal delivery of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents has represented an important advancement for the therapy of wet AMD with significative results in terms of blindness prevention and partial vision restore. Nonetheless, some patients are not responsive or do not attain significant visual improvement, intravitreal injection may cause serious complications and important side effects have been reported for the prolonged block of VEGF-A. In order to evaluate new anti-angiogenic strategies, we focused our attention on VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1) developing a specific VEGFR-1 antagonist, a tetrameric tripeptide named inhibitor of VEGFR 1 (iVR1). We have evaluated its anti-angiogenic activity in the preclinical model of AMD, the laser-induced choroid neovascularization (CNV). iVR1 is able to potently inhibit CNV when delivered by intravitreal injection. Surprisingly, it is able to significantly reduce CNV also when delivered by gavage. Our data show that the specific block of VEGFR1 in vivo represents a valid alternative to the block of VEGF-A and that the inhibition of the pathological neovascularization at ocular level is also possible by systemic delivery of compounds not targeting VEGF-A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Tarallo
- Istituto di Genetica e Biofisica ‘Adriano Buzzati-Traverso’—CNR, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Cicatiello
- Istituto di Genetica e Biofisica ‘Adriano Buzzati-Traverso’—CNR, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini—CNR, 80134 Napoli, Italy
- ANBITION s.r.l., Department of R&D, 80128 Napoli, Italy
| | - Sandro De Falco
- Istituto di Genetica e Biofisica ‘Adriano Buzzati-Traverso’—CNR, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- ANBITION s.r.l., Department of R&D, 80128 Napoli, Italy
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +39-081-6132-354
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Canassa-DeLeo T, Campo VL, Rodrigues LC, Marchiori MF, Fuzo C, Brigido MM, Sandomenico A, Ruvo M, Maranhão AQ, Dias-Baruffi M. Multifaceted antibodies development against synthetic α-dystroglycan mucin glycopeptide as promising tools for dystroglycanopathies diagnostic. Glycoconj J 2019; 37:77-93. [PMID: 31823246 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-019-09893-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Dystroglycanopathies are diseases characterized by progressive muscular degeneration and impairment of patient's quality of life. They are associated with altered glycosylation of the dystrophin-glycoprotein (DGC) complex components, such as α-dystroglycan (α-DG), fundamental in the structural and functional stability of the muscle fiber. The diagnosis of dystroglycanopathies is currently based on the observation of clinical manifestations, muscle biopsies and enzymatic measures, and the available monoclonal antibodies are not specific for the dystrophic hypoglycosylated muscle condition. Thus, modified α-DG mucins have been considered potential targets for the development of new diagnostic strategies toward these diseases. In this context, this work describes the synthesis of the hypoglycosylated α-DG mimetic glycopeptide NHAc-Gly-Pro-Thr-Val-Thr[αMan]-Ile-Arg-Gly-BSA (1) as a potential tool for the development of novel antibodies applicable to dystroglycanopathies diagnosis. Glycopeptide 1 was used for the development of polyclonal antibodies and recombinant monoclonal antibodies by Phage Display technology. Accordingly, polyclonal antibodies were reactive to glycopeptide 1, which enables the application of anti-glycopeptide 1 antibodies in immune reactive assays targeting hypoglycosylated α-DG. Regarding monoclonal antibodies, for the first time variable heavy (VH) and variable light (VL) immunoglobulin domains were selected by Phage Display, identified by NGS and described by in silico analysis. The best-characterized VH and VL domains were cloned, expressed in E. coli Shuffle T7 cells, and used to construct a single chain fragment variable that recognized the Glycopeptide 1 (GpαDG1 scFv). Molecular modelling of glycopeptide 1 and GpαDG1 scFv suggested that their interaction occurs through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic contacts involving amino acids from scFv (I51, Y33, S229, Y235, and P233) and R8 and α-mannose from Glycopeptide 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thais Canassa-DeLeo
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Café S/N, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Leiria Campo
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Café S/N, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil.,Centro Universitário Barão de Mauá, Rua Ramos de Azevedo 423, Jardim Paulista, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, 14090-180, SP, Brazil
| | - Lílian Cataldi Rodrigues
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Café S/N, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Fiori Marchiori
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Café S/N, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Carlos Fuzo
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Café S/N, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Macedo Brigido
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, CEP 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, CNR, via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Queiroz Maranhão
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, CEP 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Dias-Baruffi
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Café S/N, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil.
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Miceli M, Cutignano A, Conte M, Ummarino R, Romanelli A, Ruvo M, Leone M, Mercurio FA, Doti N, Manzo E, Romano G, Altucci L, Ianora A. Monoacylglycerides from the Diatom Skeletonema marinoi Induce Selective Cell Death in Cancer Cells. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17110625. [PMID: 31683792 PMCID: PMC6891494 DOI: 10.3390/md17110625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Microalgae are an excellent source of valuable compounds for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical applications. These photosynthesizing microorganisms are amenable for large-scale production, thus overcoming the bottleneck of biomass supply for chemical and activity characterization of bioactive compounds. This characteristic has recently also prompted the screening of microalgae for potential pharmaceutical applications. Here, we show that monoacylglycerides (MAGs) purified from the marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi have selective cytotoxic activity against the haematological cancer cell line U-937 and colon cancer cell line HCT-116 compared to normal MePR-2B cells. LC-MS analysis of the raw extract revealed that in their natural form, MAGs occur as 2-monoacyl derivatives and include mainly C16 and C20 analogues, but they are converted into the corresponding 1-isomers during purification processes. Pure compounds along with the synthetic 1-monoarachidonoylglycerol tested on HCT-116 and U-937 tumor cell lines induced cell death via apoptosis. The mechanism of action was investigated, and we show that it involves the induction of apoptosis through caspase 3/7 activation. These findings pave the way for the possible use of these molecules as potential anticancer agents or as precursors for the generation of new and more potent and selective compounds against tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Miceli
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c.ar.l., 80145 Naples, Italy.
| | - Adele Cutignano
- CNR-Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli, 80078 Naples, Italy.
| | - Mariarosaria Conte
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Via L. De Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, Italy.
| | - Raffaella Ummarino
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy.
- Marine Biotechnology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Romanelli
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, via Venezian 21, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy.
| | - Marilisa Leone
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy.
| | - Flavia Anna Mercurio
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy.
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB-CNR), Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy.
| | - Emiliano Manzo
- CNR-Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli, 80078 Naples, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Romano
- Marine Biotechnology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy.
| | - Lucia Altucci
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Via L. De Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, Italy.
| | - Adrianna Ianora
- Marine Biotechnology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy.
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Cimmino I, Margheri F, Prisco F, Perruolo G, D'Esposito V, Laurenzana A, Fibbi G, Paciello O, Doti N, Ruvo M, Miele C, Beguinot F, Formisano P, Oriente F. Prep1 regulates angiogenesis through a PGC-1α-mediated mechanism. FASEB J 2019; 33:13893-13904. [PMID: 31618597 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201901230rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Angiogenesis depends on a delicate balance between the different transcription factors, and their control should be considered necessary for preventing or treating diseases. Pre-B-cell leukemia transcription factor regulating protein 1 (Prep1) is a homeodomain transcription factor that plays a primary role in organogenesis and metabolism. Observations performed in a Prep1 hypomorphic mouse model, expressing 3-5% of the protein, show an increase of embryonic lethality due, in part, to defects in angiogenesis. In this study, we provide evidence that overexpression of Prep1 in mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAECs) stimulates migration, proliferation, and tube formation. These effects are paralleled by an increase of several proangiogenic factors and by a decrease of the antiangiogenic gene neurogenic locus notch homolog protein 1 (Notch1). Prep1-mediated angiogenesis involves the activation of the p160 Myb-binding protein (p160)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) pathway. Indeed, Prep1 overexpression increases its binding with p160 and induces a 4-fold increase of p160 and 70% reduction of PGC-1α compared with control cells. Incubation of MAECs with a synthetic Prep1(54-72) peptide, mimicking the Prep1 region involved in the interaction with p160, reverts the proangiogenic effects mediated by Prep1. In addition, Prep1 levels increase by 3.2-fold during the fibroblast growth factor β (bFGF)-mediated endothelial colony-forming cells' activation, whereas Prep1(54-72) peptide reduces the capability of these cells to generate tubular-like structures in response to bFGF, suggesting a possible role of Prep1 both in angiogenesis from preexisting vessels and in postnatal vasculogenesis. Finally, Prep1 hypomorphic heterozygous mice, expressing low levels of Prep1, show attenuated placental angiogenesis and vessel formation within Matrigel plugs. All of these observations indicate that Prep1, complexing with p160, decreases PGC-1α and stimulates angiogenesis.-Cimmino, I., Margheri, F., Prisco, F., Perruolo, G., D'Esposito, V., Laurenzana, A., Fibbi, G., Paciello, O., Doti, N., Ruvo, M., Miele, C., Beguinot, F., Formisano, P., Oriente, F. Prep1 regulates angiogenesis through a PGC-1α-mediated mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Cimmino
- Department of Translational Medicine, Research Unit (URT) Genomic of Diabetes, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Margheri
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences Mario Serio, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Prisco
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Perruolo
- Department of Translational Medicine, Research Unit (URT) Genomic of Diabetes, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Vittoria D'Esposito
- Department of Translational Medicine, Research Unit (URT) Genomic of Diabetes, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Laurenzana
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences Mario Serio, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Gabriella Fibbi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences Mario Serio, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Orlando Paciello
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council-Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides, Naples, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council-Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia Miele
- Department of Translational Medicine, Research Unit (URT) Genomic of Diabetes, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Beguinot
- Department of Translational Medicine, Research Unit (URT) Genomic of Diabetes, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Pietro Formisano
- Department of Translational Medicine, Research Unit (URT) Genomic of Diabetes, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Oriente
- Department of Translational Medicine, Research Unit (URT) Genomic of Diabetes, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, National Council of Research (CNR), University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Sandomenico A, Ruvo M. Targeting Nodal and Cripto-1: Perspectives Inside Dual Potential Theranostic Cancer Biomarkers. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:1994-2050. [PMID: 30207211 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180912104707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elucidating the mechanisms of recurrence of embryonic signaling pathways in tumorigenesis has led to the discovery of onco-fetal players which have physiological roles during normal development but result aberrantly re-activated in tumors. In this context, Nodal and Cripto-1 are recognized as onco-developmental factors, which are absent in normal tissues but are overexpressed in several solid tumors where they can serve as theranostic agents. OBJECTIVE To collect, review and discuss the most relevant papers related to the involvement of Nodal and Cripto-1 in the development, progression, recurrence and metastasis of several tumors where they are over-expressed, with a particular attention to their occurrence on the surface of the corresponding sub-populations of cancer stem cells (CSC). RESULTS We have gathered, rationalized and discussed the most interesting findings extracted from some 370 papers related to the involvement of Cripto-1 and Nodal in all tumor types where they have been detected. Data demonstrate the clear connection between Nodal and Cripto-1 presence and their multiple oncogenic activities across different tumors. We have also reviewed and highlighted the potential of targeting Nodal, Cripto-1 and the complexes that they form on the surface of tumor cells, especially of CSC, as an innovative approach to detect and suppress tumors with molecules that block one or more mechanisms that they regulate. CONCLUSION Overall, Nodal and Cripto-1 represent two innovative and effective biomarkers for developing potential theranostic anti-tumor agents that target normal as well as CSC subpopulations and overcome both pharmacological resistance and tumor relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Sandomenico
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IBB-CNR), via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IBB-CNR), via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
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Caporale A, Monti A, Selis F, Sandomenico A, Tonon G, Ruvo M, Doti N. A comparative analysis of catalytic activity and stability of microbial transglutaminase in controlled denaturing conditions. J Biotechnol 2019; 302:48-57. [PMID: 31229602 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2019.06.299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Microbial transglutaminases (MTGs) catalyzes the formation of Gln-Lys isopeptide bonds and are widely used for the cross-linking of proteins and peptides in food and in biotechnological applications for bioconjugation reactions. In view of its practical utility, a comparative study of the catalytic activity and stability of the enzyme in a wide range of denaturing conditions has been performed through Circular Dichroism (CD), fluorescence and activity assays performed with model substrates. In agreement with previous results, we show that MTG has a significant structural and functional tolerance to pH changes, whereas the enzyme stability and activity decrease in presence of increasing amounts of denaturing agents, such as urea and guanidinium chloride (GdnHCl). Noteworthy, the activity of MTG in denaturing conditions differs markedly from that in pseudo-physiological settings, shifting unexpectedly toward higher substrate specificity. Also, the use of controlled amounts of denaturing agents (1.0-1.5 M urea) largely improves yields and purity of the final products of 10-15% and 25-30%, respectively. These findings widen the range of applicability of the MTG-mediated biocatalysis for industrial and biotechnological purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandra Monti
- IBB-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy; Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi n. 43 - 81100 Caserta, Caserta, Italy
| | - Fabio Selis
- BIOVIIIx, via Brin, 59, 80142, Napoli, Italy
| | | | | | - Menotti Ruvo
- IBB-CNR, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy.
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Tornatore L, Capece D, D'Andrea D, Begalli F, Verzella D, Bennett J, Acton G, Campbell EA, Kelly J, Tarbit M, Adams N, Bannoo S, Leonardi A, Sandomenico A, Raimondo D, Ruvo M, Chambery A, Oblak M, Al-Obaidi MJ, Kaczmarski RS, Gabriel I, Oakervee HE, Kaiser MF, Wechalekar A, Benjamin R, Apperley JF, Auner HW, Franzoso G. Clinical proof of concept for a safe and effective NF-κB-targeting strategy in multiple myeloma. Br J Haematol 2019; 185:588-592. [PMID: 30255568 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.15569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tornatore
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daria Capece
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel D'Andrea
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Federica Begalli
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniela Verzella
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jason Bennett
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Gary Acton
- Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Selina Bannoo
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Antonio Leonardi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Domenico Raimondo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- IBB-CNR and CIRPeB, "Federico II" University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Chambery
- DiSTABiF, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Metod Oblak
- West Middlesex University Hospital, Isleworth, Greater London, UK
| | - Magda J Al-Obaidi
- Haematology Department, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK
| | | | - Ian Gabriel
- Haematology Department, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK
| | | | - Martin F Kaiser
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | | | - Reuben Benjamin
- Department of Haematology, King's College Hospital, London, UK
| | | | - Holger W Auner
- Centre for Haematology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Cancer Cell Protein Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Guido Franzoso
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Tornatore L, Capece D, D'Andrea D, Begalli F, Verzella D, Bennett J, Acton G, Campbell EA, Kelly J, Tarbit M, Adams N, Bannoo S, Leonardi A, Sandomenico A, Raimondo D, Ruvo M, Chambery A, Oblak M, Al-Obaidi MJ, Kaczmarski RS, Gabriel I, Oakervee HE, Kaiser MF, Wechalekar A, Benjamin R, Apperley JF, Auner HW, Franzoso G. Preclinical toxicology and safety pharmacology of the first-in-class GADD45β/MKK7 inhibitor and clinical candidate, DTP3. Toxicol Rep 2019; 6:369-379. [PMID: 31080744 PMCID: PMC6502747 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant NF-κB activity drives oncogenesis and cell survival in multiple myeloma (MM) and many other cancers. However, despite an aggressive effort by the pharmaceutical industry over the past 30 years, no specific IκBα kinase (IKK)β/NF-κB inhibitor has been clinically approved, due to the multiple dose-limiting toxicities of conventional NF-κB-targeting drugs. To overcome this barrier to therapeutic NF-κB inhibition, we developed the first-in-class growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible (GADD45)β/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK)7 inhibitor, DTP3, which targets an essential, cancer-selective cell-survival module downstream of the NF-κB pathway. As a result, DTP3 specifically kills MM cells, ex vivo and in vivo, ablating MM xenografts in mice, with no apparent adverse effects, nor evident toxicity to healthy cells. Here, we report the results from the preclinical regulatory pharmacodynamic (PD), safety pharmacology, pharmacokinetic (PK), and toxicology programmes of DTP3, leading to the approval for clinical trials in oncology. These results demonstrate that DTP3 combines on-target-selective pharmacology, therapeutic anticancer efficacy, favourable drug-like properties, long plasma half-life and good bioavailability, with no target-organs of toxicity and no adverse effects preclusive of its clinical development in oncology, upon daily repeat-dose administration in both rodent and non-rodent species. Our study underscores the clinical potential of DTP3 as a conceptually novel candidate therapeutic selectively blocking NF-κB survival signalling in MM and potentially other NF-κB-driven cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tornatore
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daria Capece
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel D'Andrea
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Federica Begalli
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniela Verzella
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jason Bennett
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Gary Acton
- Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Selina Bannoo
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Antonio Leonardi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Domenico Raimondo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- IBB-CNR and CIRPeB, "Federico II" University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Chambery
- DiSTABiF, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Metod Oblak
- West Middlesex University Hospital, Isleworth, Greater London, UK
| | | | | | - Ian Gabriel
- Haematology Department, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK
| | | | - Martin F. Kaiser
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | | | - Reuben Benjamin
- Department of Haematology, King's College Hospital, London, UK
| | | | - Holger W. Auner
- Centre for Haematology, Imperial College, London, UK
- Cancer Cell Protein Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Guido Franzoso
- CCSI, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Focà G, Iaccarino E, Focà A, Sanguigno L, Untiveros G, Cuevas-Nunez M, Strizzi L, Leonardi A, Ruvo M, Sandomenico A. Development of conformational antibodies targeting Cripto-1 with neutralizing effects in vitro. Biochimie 2019; 158:246-256. [PMID: 30703478 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2019.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Human Cripto-1 (Cripto-1), the founding member of the EGF-CFC superfamily, is a key regulator of many processes during embryonic development and oncogenesis. Cripto-1 is barely present or even absent in normal adult tissues while it is aberrantly re-expressed in various tumors. Blockade of the CFC domain-mediated Cripto-1 functions is acknowledged as a promising therapeutic intervention point to inhibit the tumorigenic activity of the protein. In this work, we report the generation and characterization of murine monoclonal antibodies raised against the synthetic folded CFC [112-150] domain of the human protein. Through subtractive ELISA assays clones were screened for the ability to specifically recognize "hot spot" residues on the CFC domain, which are crucial for the interaction with Activin Type I receptor (ALK4) and GRP78. On selected antibodies, SPR and epitope mapping studies have confirmed their specificity and have revealed that recognition occurs only on a conformational epitope. Furthermore, FACS analyses have confirmed the ability of 1B4 antibody to recognize the membrane-anchored and soluble native Cripto-1 protein in a panel of human cancer cells. Finally, we have evaluated its functional effects through in vitro cellular signaling assays and cell cycle analysis. These findings suggest that the selected anti-CFC mAbs have the potential to neutralize the protein oncogenic activity and may be used as theranostic molecules suitable as tumor homing agents for Cripto-1-overexpressing cancer cells and tissues and to overcome drug-resistance in routine cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppina Focà
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Iaccarino
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Annalia Focà
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Sanguigno
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Gustavo Untiveros
- Midwestern University, Colleges of Graduate Studies, Dwners Grove, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maria Cuevas-Nunez
- Midwestern University, Colleges of Graduate Studies, Dwners Grove, Chicago, IL, USA; College of Dental Medicine, Dwners Grove, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Luigi Strizzi
- Midwestern University, Colleges of Graduate Studies, Dwners Grove, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Antonio Leonardi
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy.
| | - Annamaria Sandomenico
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy.
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46
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Caporale A, Bolzati C, Incisivo GM, Salvarese N, Grieco P, Ruvo M. Improved synthesis on solid phase of dithiocarbamic cRGD-derivative and 99m Tc-radiolabelling. J Pept Sci 2019; 25:e3140. [PMID: 30680876 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In the field of angiogenesis, small cyclic pentapeptides containing the RGD motif are playing a relevant role for their high affinity and specificity for integrin receptors and for the possibility to act at both therapeutic and diagnostic level by inhibiting pathological angiogenesis and by serving as shuttles to deliver imaging-probe including SPECT/PET radionuclides to specific tissues. In the last decade, several new protocols were reported in literature for the direct synthesis of cyclic RDG either in solution or by SPPS. Here, we have elaborated and tested some alternative approaches using different resins and different protective groups. The introduction of the dithiocarbamate function, useful to complex radio-metals suitable for nuclear medicine applications, has also been considered and achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Caporale
- IBB-CNR, Naples, 80134, Italy.,Univ. di Napoli "Federico II", CIRPeB, Naples, 80134, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Paolo Grieco
- Univ. di Napoli "Federico II", CIRPeB, Naples, 80134, Italy.,Dept. Pharmacy, Univ. di Napoli "Federico II", Naples, 80131, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- IBB-CNR, Naples, 80134, Italy.,Univ. di Napoli "Federico II", CIRPeB, Naples, 80134, Italy
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Caporale A, Martin AD, Capasso D, Focà G, Sandomenico A, D'Andrea LD, Grieco P, Ruvo M, Doti N. Short
PlGF
‐derived peptides bind
VEGFR
‐1 and
VEGFR
‐2 in vitro and on the surface of endothelial cells. J Pept Sci 2019; 25:e3146. [DOI: 10.1002/psc.3146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Caporale
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini—CNR and CIRPEB Naples Italy
| | - Aaron D. Martin
- SensiQ Technologies, Inc. 800 Research Pkwy Oklahoma City OK 73104 USA
| | - Dominga Capasso
- Dipartimento di FarmaciaUniversità degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II” Naples Italy
| | - Giuseppina Focà
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini—CNR and CIRPEB Naples Italy
| | | | | | - Paolo Grieco
- Dipartimento di FarmaciaUniversità degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II” Naples Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini—CNR and CIRPEB Naples Italy
| | - Nuzianna Doti
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini—CNR and CIRPEB Naples Italy
- Dipartimento di FarmaciaUniversità degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II” Naples Italy
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Mercurio L, Morelli M, Scarponi C, Eisenmesser EZ, Doti N, Pagnanelli G, Gubinelli E, Mazzanti C, Cavani A, Ruvo M, Dinarello CA, Albanesi C, Madonna S. IL-38 has an anti-inflammatory action in psoriasis and its expression correlates with disease severity and therapeutic response to anti-IL-17A treatment. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:1104. [PMID: 30377293 PMCID: PMC6207563 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-018-1143-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
IL-36 cytokines, a subgroup of IL-1 family, comprise IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ agonists, abundantly expressed in psoriatic skin, and IL-36RA and IL-38 antagonists. In psoriatic skin, IL-36 cytokines interfere with keratinocyte cornification programs and induce the release of antimicrobial peptides and chemokines active on neutrophils and Th17 lymphocytes. To date, the role of IL-38 antagonist in psoriasis remains to be defined. Here, we demonstrate that skin and circulating IL-38 levels are reduced in psoriatic patients and in other skin diseases characterized by neutrophilic infiltrate. In psoriasis, the balance of IL-36γ agonist/IL-38 antagonist serum levels is in favor of agonists and is closely associated with disease severity. Interestingly, IL-38 is upregulated by anti-IL-17A biological treatment and positively correlates with the therapeutic efficacy of secukinumab in psoriatic patients. The downregulation of IL-38 expression is strictly related to keratinocyte de-differentiation triggered by the inflammatory cytokines IL-36γ, IL-17, and IL-22. Finally, we demonstrate that administration of recombinant full-length IL-38 counteracts in vitro the biological processes induced by IL-36γ in human keratinocytes and endothelial cells and attenuates in vivo the severity of the psoriasiform phenotype induced by IMQ in mice. Such effects are achieved by restoring the physiological programs of keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, and reducing the immune cell infiltrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Mercurio
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology and Integrated Research Center for PSOriasis (CRI-PSO), Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, ROME, Italy
| | - Martina Morelli
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology and Integrated Research Center for PSOriasis (CRI-PSO), Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, ROME, Italy
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, P.zza Stefani, 1, Verona, 37126, Italy
| | - Claudia Scarponi
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology and Integrated Research Center for PSOriasis (CRI-PSO), Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, ROME, Italy
| | - Elan Z Eisenmesser
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Campus, Aurora, 80045, CO, USA
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR and CIRPEB, Via Mezzocannone, 16, Naples, 80134, Italy
| | - Gianluca Pagnanelli
- 1st Division of Dermatology and CRI-PSO, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, Rome, 00167, Italy
| | - Emanuela Gubinelli
- CRI-PSO Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, Rome, 00167, Italy
| | - Cinzia Mazzanti
- 1st Division of Dermatology and CRI-PSO, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, Rome, 00167, Italy
| | - Andrea Cavani
- INMP/NIHMP, via di S.Gallicano, 25, Rome, 00153, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-CNR and CIRPEB, Via Mezzocannone, 16, Naples, 80134, Italy
| | - Charles A Dinarello
- Department of Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 HP, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, Anschutz Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Cristina Albanesi
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology and Integrated Research Center for PSOriasis (CRI-PSO), Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, ROME, Italy
| | - Stefania Madonna
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology and Integrated Research Center for PSOriasis (CRI-PSO), Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, via Monti di Creta, 104, ROME, Italy.
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49
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Affiliation(s)
- Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioengineering, University of Naples, Napoli, Italy
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50
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Rega C, Russo R, Focà A, Sandomenico A, Iaccarino E, Raimondo D, Milanetti E, Tornatore L, Franzoso G, Pedone PV, Ruvo M, Chambery A. Probing the interaction interface of the GADD45β/MKK7 and MKK7/DTP3 complexes by chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 114:114-123. [PMID: 29572137 PMCID: PMC5981002 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.03.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
GADD45β is selectively and constitutively expressed in Multiple Myeloma cells, and this expression correlates with an unfavourable clinical outcome. GADD45β physically interacts with the JNK kinase, MKK7, inhibiting its activity to enable the survival of cancer cells. DTP3 is a small peptide inhibitor of the GADD45β/MKK7 complex and is able to restore MKK7/JNK activation, thereby promoting selective cell death of GADD45β-overexpressing cancer cells. Enzymatic MS foot-printing and diazirine-based chemical cross-linking MS (CX-MS) strategies were applied to study the interactions between GADD45β and MKK7 kinase domain (MKK7_KD) and between DTP3 and MKK7_KD. Our data show that the binding between GADD45β and MKK7 largely occurs between GADD45β loop 2 (region 103-117) and the kinase enzymatic pocket. We also show that DTP3 interferes with this GADD45β/MKK7 interaction by contacting the MKK7 peptides, 113-136 and 259-274. Accordingly, an MKK7_KD Δ(101-136) variant lacking Trp135 did not produce a fluorescence quenching effect upon the binding of DTP3. The assessment of the interaction between GADD45β and MKK7 and the elucidation of the recognition surfaces between DTP3 and MKK7 significantly advance the understanding of the mechanism underlying the inhibition of the GADD45β/MKK7 interaction by DTP3 and pave the way to the design of small-molecule DTP3 analogues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Rega
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Rosita Russo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Domenico Raimondo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Roma, Italy
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Tornatore
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Cell Signalling and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Guido Franzoso
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Cell Signalling and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Paolo Vincenzo Pedone
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | | | - Angela Chambery
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100 Caserta, Italy.
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