Novel Aptamers for the Reactivation of Latent HIV

INTRODUCTION

A "Shock and Kill" strategy has been proposed to eradicate the HIV latent viral reservoir. Effective Latency Reversal Agents (LRA) are a key requirement for this strategy. The search for LRAs with a novel mechanism of action is ongoing. This is the first study to propose aptamers for the reactivation of HIV.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to identify an aptamer that potentially reactivates HIV via the NF-κβ pathway, specifically by binding to IkB and releasing NF-κβ.

METHODS

Aptamer selection was performed at Aptus Biotech (www.aptusbiotech.es), using ikB human recombinant protein with His tag bound to Ni-NTA agarose resin using the SELEX procedure. Activation of NF-κβ was measured by SEAP Assay. HIV reactivation was measured in JLat cells using a BD FACS-Canto™ II flow cytometer. All flow cytometry data were analyzed using Kaluza analyzing software.

RESULTS

Clones that had equivalent or greater activation than the positive control in the SEAP assay were regarded as potential reactivators of the NF-κβ pathway and were sequenced. The three ikb clones namely R6-1F, R6-2F, and R6-3F were found to potentially activate the NF-κβ pathway. Toxicity was determined by exposing lymphocytes to serial dilutions of the aptamers; the highest concentration of the aptamers that did not decrease viability by > 20% was used for the reactivation experiments. The three novel aptamers R6-1F, R6-2F, and R6-3F resulted in 4,07%, 6,72% and 3,42% HIV reactivation, respectively, while the untreated control showed minimal (<0.18%) fluorescence detection.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated the reactivation of latent HIV by aptamers that act via the NF-κβ pathway. Although the effect was modest and unlikely to be of clinical benefit, future studies are warranted to explore ways of enhancing reactivation.

Proteomics identify nuclear export as a targetable pathway in neuroblastoma: Comment on "XPO1 inhibition with selinexor synergizes with proteasome inhibition in neuroblastoma by targeting nuclear export of IκB"

Neuroblastoma (NBL) is an embryonal malignancy of childhood with poor outcomes for patient with high-risk disease. Multimodal treatment approaches have improved outcomes but at the cost of significant toxicity, and there is no durable therapeutic approach for relapsed disease. As NBL has no singular oncogenic driver, targeted therapeutic options have been limited. Galinski et al report the results of a proteomic screen of neuroblastomas and identify the nuclear export protein XPO1 as a protein that is preferentially expressed and located in neuroblast nuclei. XPO1 overexpression is associated with nuclear export of IκB and increased NF-κB activity, both of which can be abrogated in NBL cell lines with the XPO1 inhibitor Selinexor with or without the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. This work highlights new strategies for therapeutic target identification and the novel identification of nuclear export as a targetable oncogenic pathway across malignancies.

XPO1 inhibition with selinexor synergizes with proteasome inhibition in neuroblastoma by targeting nuclear export of IkB

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XPO1 is overabundant in high-risk neuroblastoma and correlates with poor survival.

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Neuroblastoma cells are sensitive to XPO1 inhibition with selinexor.

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Use of selinexor results in nuclear retention of IkB, diminishing NF-kB activity.

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Selinexor and bortezomib act synergistically through promotion of apoptosis.

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Synergy is mediated in part, through IkB regulation of NF-kB activity.

Across many cancer types in adults, upregulation of the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic transport protein Exportin-1 (XPO1) correlates with poor outcome and responsiveness to selinexor, an FDA-approved XPO1 inhibitor. Similar data are emerging in childhood cancers, for which selinexor is being evaluated in early phase clinical studies. Using proteomic profiling of primary tumor material from patients with high-risk neuroblastoma, as well as gene expression profiling from independent cohorts, we have demonstrated that XPO1 overexpression correlates with poor patient prognosis. Neuroblastoma cell lines are also sensitive to selinexor in the low nanomolar range. Based on these findings and knowledge that bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, blocks degradation of XPO1 cargo proteins, we hypothesized that combination treatment with selinexor and bortezomib would synergistically inhibit neuroblastoma cellular proliferation. We observed that selinexor promoted nuclear retention of IkB and that bortezomib augmented the ability of selinexor to induce cell-cycle arrest and cell death by apoptosis. This synergy was abrogated through siRNA knockdown of IkB. The synergistic effect of combining selinexor and bortezomib in vitro provides rationale for further investigation of this combination treatment for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.

LPS-Induced Inflammation Abolishes the Effect of DYRK1A on IkB Stability in the Brain of Mice

Down syndrome is characterized by premature aging and dementia with neurological features that mimic those found in Alzheimer's disease. This pathology in Down syndrome could be related to inflammation, which plays a role in other neurodegenerative diseases. We previously found a link between the NFkB pathway, long considered a prototypical proinflammatory signaling pathway, and the dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A). DYRK1A is associated with early onset of Alzheimer's disease in Down syndrome patients. Here, we sought to determine the role of DYRK1A on regulation of the NFkB pathway in the mouse brain. We found that over-expression of Dyrk1A (on a C57BL/6J background) stabilizes IκBα protein levels by inhibition of calpain activity and increases cytoplasmic p65 sequestration in the mouse brain. In contrast, Dyrk1A-deficient mice (on a CD1 background) have decreased IκBα protein levels with an increased calpain activity and decreased cytoplasmic p65 sequestration in the brain. Taken together, our results demonstrate a role of DYRK1A in regulation of the NFkB pathway. However, decreased IκBα and DYRK1A protein levels associated with an increased calpain activity were found in the brains of mice over-expressing Dyrk1A after lipopolysaccharide treatment. Although inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide treatment has a positive effect on calpastatin and a negative effect on DYRK1A protein level, a positive effect on microglial activation is maintained in the brains of mice over-expressing Dyrk1A.

Zinc ions as effectors of environmental oxidative lung injury

The redox-inert transition metal Zn is a micronutrient that plays essential roles in protein structure, catalysis, and regulation of function. Inhalational exposure to ZnO or to soluble Zn salts in occupational and environmental settings leads to adverse health effects, the severity of which appears dependent on the flux of Zn(2+) presented to the airway and alveolar cells. The cellular toxicity of exogenous Zn(2+) exposure is characterized by cellular responses that include mitochondrial dysfunction, elevated production of reactive oxygen species, and loss of signaling quiescence leading to cell death and increased expression of adaptive and inflammatory genes. Central to the molecular effects of Zn(2+) are its interactions with cysteinyl thiols, which alters their functionality by modulating their reactivity and participation in redox reactions. Ongoing studies aimed at elucidating the molecular toxicology of Zn(2+) in the lung are contributing valuable information about its role in redox biology and cellular homeostasis in normal and pathophysiology.