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Mungra N, Biteghe FAN, Malindi Z, Huysamen AM, Karaan M, Hardcastle NS, Bunjun R, Chetty S, Naran K, Lang D, Richter W, Hunter R, Barth S. CSPG4 as a target for the specific killing of triple-negative breast cancer cells by a recombinant SNAP-tag-based antibody-auristatin F drug conjugate. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:12203-12225. [PMID: 37432459 PMCID: PMC10465649 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05031-3] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is phenotypic of breast tumors lacking expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PgR), and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). The paucity of well-defined molecular targets in TNBC, coupled with the increasing burden of breast cancer-related mortality, emphasizes the need to develop targeted diagnostics and therapeutics. While antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as revolutionary tools in the selective delivery of drugs to malignant cells, their widespread clinical use has been hampered by traditional strategies which often give rise to heterogeneous mixtures of ADC products. METHODS Utilizing SNAP-tag technology as a cutting-edge site-specific conjugation method, a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4)-targeting ADC was engineered, encompassing a single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) conjugated to auristatin F (AURIF) via a click chemistry strategy. RESULTS After showcasing the self-labeling potential of the SNAP-tag component, surface binding and internalization of the fluorescently labeled product were demonstrated on CSPG4-positive TNBC cell lines through confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The cell-killing ability of the novel AURIF-based recombinant ADC was illustrated by the induction of a 50% reduction in cell viability at nanomolar to micromolar concentrations on target cell lines. CONCLUSION This research underscores the applicability of SNAP-tag in the unambiguous generation of homogeneous and pharmaceutically relevant immunoconjugates that could potentially be instrumental in the management of a daunting disease like TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neelakshi Mungra
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
- Centre for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Washington, 98101 USA
| | - Fleury A. N. Biteghe
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Zaria Malindi
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, 2028 South Africa
| | - Allan M. Huysamen
- Department of Chemistry, PD Hahn Building, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
| | - Maryam Karaan
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
| | - Natasha S. Hardcastle
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
| | - Rubina Bunjun
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
| | - Shivan Chetty
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2000 South Africa
| | - Krupa Naran
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
| | - Dirk Lang
- Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
| | | | - Roger Hunter
- Department of Chemistry, PD Hahn Building, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
| | - Stefan Barth
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, South African Research Chair in Cancer Biotechnology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700 South Africa
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