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Varache M, Rizzo S, Sayers EJ, Newbury L, Mason A, Liao CT, Chiron E, Bourdiec N, Jones A, Fraser DJ, Taylor PR, Jones AT, Thomas DW, Ferguson EL. Dextrin conjugation to colistin inhibits its toxicity, cellular uptake and acute kidney injury in vivo. RSC Pharm 2024; 1:68-79. [PMID: 38646595 PMCID: PMC11024668 DOI: 10.1039/d3pm00014a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
The acute kidney injury (AKI) and dose-limiting nephrotoxicity, which occurs in 20-60% of patients following systemic administration of colistin, represents a challenge in the effective treatment of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infections. To reduce clinical toxicity of colistin and improve targeting to infected/inflamed tissues, we previously developed dextrin-colistin conjugates, whereby colistin is designed to be released by amylase-triggered degradation of dextrin in infected and inflamed tissues, after passive targeting by the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Whilst it was evident in vitro that polymer conjugation can reduce toxicity and prolong plasma half-life, without significant reduction in antimicrobial activity of colistin, it was unclear how dextrin conjugation would alter cellular uptake and localisation of colistin in renal tubular cells in vivo. We discovered that dextrin conjugation effectively reduced colistin's toxicity towards human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) in vitro, which was mirrored by significantly less cellular uptake of Oregon Green (OG)-labelled dextrin-colistin conjugate, when compared to colistin. Using live-cell confocal imaging, we revealed localisation of both, free and dextrin-bound colistin in endolysosome compartments of HK-2 and NRK-52E cells. Using a murine AKI model, we demonstrated dextrin-colistin conjugation dramatically diminishes both proximal tubular injury and renal accumulation of colistin. These findings reveal new insight into the mechanism by which dextrin conjugation can overcome colistin's renal toxicity and show the potential of polymer conjugation to improve the side effect profile of nephrotoxic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Varache
- Advanced Therapies Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Heath Park Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
| | - Siân Rizzo
- Advanced Therapies Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Heath Park Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
| | - Edward J Sayers
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University CF10 3NB UK
| | - Lucy Newbury
- Wales Kidney Research Unit, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Cardiff CF14 4XN UK
| | - Anna Mason
- Wales Kidney Research Unit, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Cardiff CF14 4XN UK
| | - Chia-Te Liao
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University Cardiff CF14 4XN UK
| | - Emilie Chiron
- Advanced Therapies Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Heath Park Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
| | - Nathan Bourdiec
- Advanced Therapies Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Heath Park Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
| | - Adam Jones
- Advanced Therapies Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Heath Park Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
- Cellular Pathology Department, University Dental Hospital, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
| | - Donald J Fraser
- Wales Kidney Research Unit, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Cardiff CF14 4XN UK
| | - Philip R Taylor
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University Cardiff CF14 4XN UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff Hadyn Ellis Building Maindy Road Cardiff CF24 4HQ UK
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University CF10 3NB UK
| | - David W Thomas
- Advanced Therapies Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Heath Park Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University Cardiff CF14 4XN UK
| | - Elaine L Ferguson
- Advanced Therapies Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University Heath Park Cardiff CF14 4XY UK
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2
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Autti S, Bettsworth FC, Grigoras K, Gunnarsson D, Haley RP, Jones AT, Pashkin YA, Prance JR, Prunnila M, Thompson MD, Zmeev DE. Thermal Transport in Nanoelectronic Devices Cooled by On-Chip Magnetic Refrigeration. Phys Rev Lett 2023; 131:077001. [PMID: 37656858 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.077001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
On-chip demagnetization refrigeration has recently emerged as a powerful tool for reaching microkelvin electron temperatures in nanoscale structures. The relative importance of cooling on-chip and off-chip components and the thermal subsystem dynamics are yet to be analyzed. We study a Coulomb blockade thermometer with on-chip copper refrigerant both experimentally and numerically, showing that dynamics in this device are captured by a first-principles model. Our work shows how to simulate thermal dynamics in devices down to microkelvin temperatures, and outlines a recipe for a low-investment platform for quantum technologies and fundamental nanoscience in this novel temperature range.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Autti
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - F C Bettsworth
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - K Grigoras
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
| | - D Gunnarsson
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
| | - R P Haley
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - A T Jones
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - Yu A Pashkin
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - J R Prance
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - M Prunnila
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
| | - M D Thompson
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - D E Zmeev
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
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3
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Birch D, Sayers EJ, Christensen MV, Jones AT, Franzyk H, Nielsen HM. Stereoisomer-Dependent Membrane Association and Capacity for Insulin Delivery Facilitated by Penetratin. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1672. [PMID: 37376119 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15061672] [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: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), such as penetratin, are often investigated as drug delivery vectors and incorporating d-amino acids, rather than the natural l-forms, to enhance proteolytic stability could improve their delivery efficiency. The present study aimed to compare membrane association, cellular uptake, and delivery capacity for all-l and all-d enantiomers of penetratin (PEN) by using different cell models and cargos. The enantiomers displayed widely different distribution patterns in the examined cell models, and in Caco-2 cells, quenchable membrane binding was evident for d-PEN in addition to vesicular intracellular localization for both enantiomers. The uptake of insulin in Caco-2 cells was equally mediated by the two enantiomers, and while l-PEN did not increase the transepithelial permeation of any of the investigated cargo peptides, d-PEN increased the transepithelial delivery of vancomycin five-fold and approximately four-fold for insulin at an extracellular apical pH of 6.5. Overall, while d-PEN was associated with the plasma membrane to a larger extent and was superior in mediating the transepithelial delivery of hydrophilic peptide cargoes compared to l-PEN across Caco-2 epithelium, no enhanced delivery of the hydrophobic cyclosporin was observed, and intracellular insulin uptake was induced to a similar degree by the two enantiomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ditlev Birch
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Biobarriers in Drug Delivery (BioDelivery), Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Edward J Sayers
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Malene V Christensen
- Cancer and Infectious Diseases, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Henrik Franzyk
- Cancer and Infectious Diseases, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hanne M Nielsen
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Biobarriers in Drug Delivery (BioDelivery), Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Lambourne OA, Bell S, Wilhelm LP, Yarbrough EB, Holly GG, Russell OM, Alghamdi AM, Fdel AM, Varricchio C, Lane EL, Ganley IG, Jones AT, Goldberg MS, Mehellou Y. PINK1-Dependent Mitophagy Inhibits Elevated Ubiquitin Phosphorylation Caused by Mitochondrial Damage. J Med Chem 2023. [PMID: 37248632 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00555] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Ubiquitin phosphorylation by the mitochondrial protein kinase PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), upon mitochondrial depolarization, is an important intermediate step in the recycling of damaged mitochondria via mitophagy. As mutations in PINK1 can cause early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD), there has been a growing interest in small-molecule activators of PINK1-mediated mitophagy as potential PD treatments. Herein, we show that N6-substituted adenosines, such as N6-(2-furanylmethyl)adenosine (known as kinetin riboside) and N6-benzyladenosine, activate PINK1 in HeLa cells and induce PINK1-dependent mitophagy in primary mouse fibroblasts. Interestingly, pre-treatment of HeLa cells and astrocytes with these compounds inhibited elevated ubiquitin phosphorylation that is induced by established mitochondrial depolarizing agents, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl-hydrazine and niclosamide. Together, this highlights N6-substituted adenosines as progenitor PINK1 activators that could potentially be developed, in the future, as treatments for aged and sporadic PD patients who have elevated phosphorylated ubiquitin levels in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia A Lambourne
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, U.K
| | - Shane Bell
- Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Newcastle University, Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K
| | - Léa P Wilhelm
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, U.K
| | - Erika B Yarbrough
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Neurology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Gabriel G Holly
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Neurology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Oliver M Russell
- Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Newcastle University, Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K
| | - Arwa M Alghamdi
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, U.K
| | - Azeza M Fdel
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, U.K
| | - Carmine Varricchio
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, U.K
| | - Emma L Lane
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, U.K
| | - Ian G Ganley
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, U.K
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, U.K
| | - Matthew S Goldberg
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Neurology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Youcef Mehellou
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, U.K
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5
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Daniele R, Brazzale C, Arpac B, Tognetti F, Pesce C, Malfanti A, Sayers E, Mastrotto F, Jones AT, Salmaso S, Caliceti P. Influence of Folate-Targeted Gold Nanoparticles on Subcellular Localization and Distribution into Lysosomes. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15030864. [PMID: 36986724 PMCID: PMC10053352 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15030864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell interaction, mechanism of cell entry and intracellular fate of surface decorated nanoparticles are known to be affected by the surface density of targeting agents. However, the correlation between nanoparticles multivalency and kinetics of the cell uptake process and disposition of intracellular compartments is complicated and dependent on a number of physicochemical and biological parameters, including the ligand, nanoparticle composition and colloidal properties, features of targeted cells, etc. Here, we have carried out an in-depth investigation on the impact of increasing folic acid density on the kinetic uptake process and endocytic route of folate (FA)-targeted fluorescently labelled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). A set of AuNPs (15 nm mean size) produced by the Turkevich method was decorated with 0–100 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH molecules/particle, and the surface was saturated with about 500 rhodamine-PEG2kDa-SH fluorescent probes. In vitro studies carried out using folate receptor overexpressing KB cells (KBFR-high) showed that the cell internalization progressively increased with the ligand surface density, reaching a plateau at 50:1 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH/particle ratio. Pulse-chase experiments showed that higher FA density (50 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH molecules/particle) induces more efficient particle internalization and trafficking to lysosomes, reaching the maximum concentration in lysosomes at 2 h, than the lower FA density of 10 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH molecules/particle. Pharmacological inhibition of endocytic pathways and TEM analysis showed that particles with high folate density are internalized predominantly by a clathrin-independent process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Daniele
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Brazzale
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Busra Arpac
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Francesco Tognetti
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Cristiano Pesce
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Alessio Malfanti
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Edward Sayers
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Ave, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Francesca Mastrotto
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Arwyn T. Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Ave, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Stefano Salmaso
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0498271602
| | - Paolo Caliceti
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
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Griffiths G, Gruenberg J, Marsh M, Wohlmann J, Jones AT, Parton RG. Nanoparticle entry into cells; the cell biology weak link. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 188:114403. [PMID: 35777667 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [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: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Nanoparticles (NP) are attractive options for the therapeutic delivery of active pharmaceutical drugs, proteins and nucleic acids into cells, tissues and organs. Research into the development and application of NP most often starts with a diverse group of scientists, including chemists, bioengineers and material and pharmaceutical scientists, who design, fabricate and characterize NP in vitro (Stage 1). The next step (Stage 2) generally investigates cell toxicity as well as the processes by which NP bind, are internalized and deliver their cargo to appropriate model tissue culture cells. Subsequently, in Stage 3, selected NP are tested in animal systems, mostly mouse. Whereas the chemistry-based development and analysis in Stage 1 is increasingly sophisticated, the investigations in Stage 2 are not what could be regarded as 'state-of-the-art' for the cell biology field and the quality of research into NP interactions with cells is often sub-standard. In this review we describe our current understanding of the mechanisms by which particles gain entry into mammalian cells via endocytosis. We summarize the most important areas for concern, highlight some of the most common mis-conceptions, and identify areas where NP scientists could engage with trained cell biologists. Our survey of the different mechanisms of uptake into cells makes us suspect that claims for roles for caveolae, as well as macropinocytosis, in NP uptake into cells have been exaggerated, whereas phagocytosis has been under-appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gareth Griffiths
- Department Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, PO Box 1041, 0316 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Jean Gruenberg
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Geneva, 30 quai E. Ansermet, 1211-Geneva-4, Switzerland
| | - Mark Marsh
- Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jens Wohlmann
- Department Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, PO Box 1041, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, Cardiff, Wales CF103NB, UK
| | - Robert G Parton
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, Qld 4072, Australia
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7
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Aikman B, Bonsignore R, Woods B, Doellerer D, Scotti R, Schmidt C, Heidecker AA, Pöthig A, Sayers EJ, Jones AT, Casini A. Highly-fluorescent BODIPY-functionalised metallacages as drug delivery systems: synthesis, characterisation and cellular accumulation studies. Dalton Trans 2022; 51:7476-7490. [PMID: 35470841 DOI: 10.1039/d2dt00337f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
With the aim of designing new metallosupramolecular architectures for drug delivery, research has focused on porous 3-dimensional (3D)-metallacages able to encapsulate cytotoxic agents protecting them from metabolism while targeting them to cancer sites. Here, two self-assembled [Pd2L4]4+ cages (CG1 and CG2) featuring 3,5-bis(3-ethynylpyridine)phenyl ligands (L) exo-functionalised with dipyrromethene (BODIPY) groups have been synthesised and characterised by different methods, including NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. 1H NMR spectroscopy studies shows that the cages are able to encapsulate the anticancer drug cisplatin in their hydrophobic cavity, as evidenced by electrostatic potential (ESP) analysis based on XRD studies. The stability of the cages in an aqueous environment, and in the presence of the intracellular reducing agent glutathione, has been confirmed by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The luminescence properties of the cages enabled the investigation of their cellular uptake and intracellular localisation in human cancer cells by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In melanoma A375 cells, cage CG1 is taken up via active transport and endocytic trafficking studies show little evidence of transport through the early endosome while the cages accumulated in melanosomes rather than lysosomes. The antiproliferative activity of the lead cage was investigated in A375 together with two breast cancer cell lines, SK-BR-3 and MCF7. While the cage per se is non-cytotoxic, very different antiproliferative effects with respect to free cisplatin were evidenced for the [(cisplatin)2⊂CG1·BF4] complex in the various cell lines, which correlate with its different intracellular localisation profiles. The obtained preliminary results provide a new hypothesis on how the subcellular localisation of the cage affects the cisplatin intracellular release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brech Aikman
- Chair of Medicinal and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching b. München, Germany.
| | - Riccardo Bonsignore
- Chair of Medicinal and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching b. München, Germany. .,Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Ben Woods
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology and Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Daniel Doellerer
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Riccardo Scotti
- Chair of Medicinal and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching b. München, Germany.
| | - Claudia Schmidt
- Chair of Medicinal and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching b. München, Germany.
| | - Alexandra A Heidecker
- Catalysis Research Center & Department of Chemistry, Chair of Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer Str. 1, D-85748 Garching b. München, Germany
| | - Alexander Pöthig
- Catalysis Research Center & Department of Chemistry, Chair of Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer Str. 1, D-85748 Garching b. München, Germany
| | - Edward J Sayers
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3NB Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3NB Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Angela Casini
- Chair of Medicinal and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching b. München, Germany. .,Munich Data Science Institute, Technical University of Munich, D-85748 Garching b. München, Germany
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8
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Lawson CR, Jones AT, Kockelmann W, Horney SJ, Kirichek O. Neutron imaging of an operational dilution refrigerator. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1130. [PMID: 35064155 PMCID: PMC8783010 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05025-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The invention of the 3He/4He dilution refrigerator opened a new chapter in experimental ultra-low temperature physics. Dilution refrigerators became essential for providing ultra-low temperature environments for nuclear demagnetisation experiments, superconducting-qubit quantum processors and highly sensitive bolometers used in fundamental physics experiments. Development of dilution refrigeration technology requires thorough understanding of the quantum mechanical processes that take place in liquid helium at ultra-low temperatures. For decades the quantum fluids research community provided valuable information to engineers and designers involved in the development of advanced dilution refrigerators. However, the lack of methods that allow the measurement of physical parameters of liquid helium during the operation of a dilution refrigerator was hindering development of the technology. Here we show direct imaging of an operational dilution refrigerator using neutron radiography. This allows direct observation of the dilution process in 3He/4He mixtures and opens an opportunity for direct measurement of the 3He concentration. We observe the refrigerator behaviour in different regimes, such as continuous circulation and single shot, and show that our method allows investigation of various failure modes. Our results demonstrate that neutron imaging applied to the study of dilution refrigeration processes can provide essential information for developers of ultra-low temperature systems. We expect that neutron imaging will become instrumental in the research and development of advanced dilution refrigerators.
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Affiliation(s)
- C R Lawson
- ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, Oxfordshire, UK.
| | - A T Jones
- ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - W Kockelmann
- ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - S J Horney
- ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - O Kirichek
- ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, Oxfordshire, UK
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9
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Gurney L, Robson SC, Sweeney M, Jones AT, Taggart MJ. Strategies for Peptide-Mediated Cargo Delivery to Human Smooth Muscle Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2383:459-471. [PMID: 34766307 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1752-6_29] [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] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Diseases involving dysfunction of smooth muscle cells present a major health and socioeconomic burden, and have remained stubbornly resistant to standard therapeutic strategies. Examples include many cardiovascular diseases and spontaneous preterm birth, a complication affecting up to 11% of all pregnancies worldwide. This fuels the continued search for new drug delivery strategies to treat these conditions. The use of cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) for this purpose remains a promising, if as yet unrealized, avenue to explore. In part, this may relate to a paucity of studies investigating the application of CPPs as drug delivery vectors to human smooth muscle cells and tissues. We have sought to address this knowledge gap by reporting methods for examining the uptake of different CPP-cargo vectors to human uterine and vascular smooth muscle cells. In particular, we report here (a) that four different CPP-fluorophore conjugates, spanning masses of 1309-3435 Da, and net charges of +2 to +7, can be delivered to human isolated uterine smooth muscle cells without inducing cell toxicity; (b) that the cargo delivered by such CPPs can be fluorescent moieties and/or biologically active peptides; (c) that CPP delivery in a short time frame to native smooth muscle cells in human tissues ex vivo can be achieved. Further exploration of CPPs as tools to facilitate targeted drug delivery to native human smooth muscle tissues will assist in improving our understanding of scientific mechanisms underlying major diseases involving smooth muscle dysfunction as well as facilitating therapeutic investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Gurney
- Fetal Medicine Department, Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephen C Robson
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Michèle Sweeney
- School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Michael J Taggart
- Biosciences Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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10
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Padalino G, El-Sakkary N, Liu LJ, Liu C, Harte DSG, Barnes RE, Sayers E, Forde-Thomas J, Whiteland H, Bassetto M, Ferla S, Johnson G, Jones AT, Caffrey CR, Chalmers I, Brancale A, Hoffmann KF. Anti-schistosomal activities of quinoxaline-containing compounds: From hit identification to lead optimisation. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 226:113823. [PMID: 34536671 PMCID: PMC8626775 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113823] [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] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected disease of poverty that is caused by infection with blood fluke species contained within the genus Schistosoma. For the last 40 years, control of schistosomiasis in endemic regions has predominantly been facilitated by administration of a single drug, praziquantel. Due to limitations in this mono-chemotherapeutic approach for sustaining schistosomiasis control into the future, alternative anti-schistosomal compounds are increasingly being sought by the drug discovery community. Herein, we describe a multi-pronged, integrated strategy that led to the identification and further exploration of the quinoxaline core as a promising anti-schistosomal scaffold. Firstly, phenotypic screening of commercially available small molecules resulted in the identification of a moderately active hit compound against Schistosoma mansoni (1, EC50 = 4.59 μM on schistosomula). Secondary exploration of the chemical space around compound 1 led to the identification of a quinoxaline-core containing, non-genotoxic lead (compound 22). Compound 22 demonstrated substantially improved activities on both intra-mammalian (EC50 = 0.44 μM, 0.20 μM and 84.7 nM, on schistosomula, juvenile and adult worms, respectively) and intra-molluscan (sporocyst) S. mansoni lifecycle stages. Further medicinal chemistry optimisation of compound 22, resulting in the generation of 20 additional analogues, improved our understanding of the structure-activity relationship and resulted in considerable improvements in both anti-schistosome potency and selectivity (e.g. compound 30; EC50 = 2.59 nM on adult worms; selectivity index compared to the HepG2 cell line = 348). Some derivatives of compound 22 (e.g. 31 and 33) also demonstrated significant activity against the two other medically important species, Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma japonicum. Further optimisation of this class of anti-schistosomal is ongoing and could lead to the development of an urgently needed alternative to praziquantel for assisting in schistosomiasis elimination strategies. Lead compound 22 was identified with EC50 of 0.44 µM and 84.7 nM for schistosomula and adult worms. 20 analogues of the lead compound 22 were synthesised. Compounds 25, 30 and 32 showed the best selectivity profile. Compounds 31 and 33 are the most active on three medically important schistosome species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilda Padalino
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, United Kingdom
| | - Nelly El-Sakkary
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases (CDIPD), Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Lawrence J Liu
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases (CDIPD), Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Chenxi Liu
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases (CDIPD), Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Danielle S G Harte
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel E Barnes
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Edward Sayers
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Josephine Forde-Thomas
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Whiteland
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, United Kingdom
| | - Marcella Bassetto
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Salvatore Ferla
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - George Johnson
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases (CDIPD), Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Iain Chalmers
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Brancale
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Karl F Hoffmann
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, United Kingdom.
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11
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Mills EM, Barlow VL, Jones AT, Tsai YH. Development of mammalian cell logic gates controlled by unnatural amino acids. Cell Rep Methods 2021; 1:100073. [PMID: 35474893 PMCID: PMC9017196 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2021.100073] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian cell logic gates hold great potential for wide-ranging applications. However, most of those currently available are controlled by drug(-like) molecules with inherent biological activities. To construct truly orthogonal circuits and artificial regulatory pathways, biologically inert molecules are ideal molecular switches. Here, we applied genetic code expansion and engineered logic gates controlled by two biologically inert unnatural amino acids. Genetic code expansion relies on orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs for co-translational and site-specific unnatural amino acid incorporation conventionally in response to an amber (UAG) codon. By screening 11 quadruplet-decoding pyrrolysyl tRNA variants from the literature, we found that all variants decoding CUAG or AGGA tested here are functional in mammalian cells. Using a quadruplet-decoding orthogonal pair together with an amber-decoding pair, we constructed logic gates that can be successfully controlled by two different unnatural amino acids, expanding the scope of genetic code expansion and mammalian cell logic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. Mills
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Victoria L. Barlow
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Arwyn T. Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518132, China
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12
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Van Gerwen OT, Craig-Kuhn MC, Jones AT, Schroeder JA, Deaver J, Buekens P, Kissinger PJ, Muzny CA. Trichomoniasis and adverse birth outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG 2021; 128:1907-1915. [PMID: 34036690 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.16774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trichomoniasis commonly affects women of childbearing age and has been linked to several adverse birth outcomes. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the association between trichomoniasis in pregnant women and adverse birth outcomes, including preterm delivery, prelabour rupture of membranes and low birthweight. SEARCH STRATEGY MEDLINE, EMBASE and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched in December 2020 without time or language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA Original research studies were included if they assessed at least one of the specified adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women with laboratory-diagnosed trichomoniasis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Estimates from included articles were either extracted or calculated and then pooled to produce a combined estimate of the association of trichomoniasis with each adverse birth outcome using the random effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic and Cochran's Q test. MAIN RESULTS Literature search produced 1658 publications after removal of duplicates (n = 770), with five additional publications identified by hand search. After screening titles and abstracts for relevance, full text of 84 studies was reviewed and 19 met inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. Significant associations were found between trichomoniasis and preterm delivery (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.08-1.50), prelabour rupture of membranes (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.53-2.29) and low birthweight (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.15-3.91). CONCLUSIONS Trichomoniasis in pregnant women is associated with preterm delivery, prelabour rupture of membranes and low birthweight. Rigorous studies are needed to determine the impact of universal trichomoniasis screening and treatment during pregnancy on reducing perinatal morbidity. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT This systematic review and meta-analysis found that in the setting of pregnancy, trichomoniasis is significantly associated with multiple adverse birth outcomes, including preterm delivery, low birthweight, and prelabour rupture of membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- O T Van Gerwen
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - M C Craig-Kuhn
- Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - A T Jones
- Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.,Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - J A Schroeder
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - J Deaver
- Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - P Buekens
- Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - P J Kissinger
- Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - C A Muzny
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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13
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Nödling AR, Mills EM, Li X, Cardella D, Sayers EJ, Wu SH, Jones AT, Luk LYP, Tsai YH. Cyanine dye mediated mitochondrial targeting enhances the anti-cancer activity of small-molecule cargoes. Chem Commun (Camb) 2020; 56:4672-4675. [PMID: 32211623 DOI: 10.1039/c9cc07931a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Organelle-specific delivery systems are of significant clinical interest. We demonstrate the use of common cyanine dyes Cy3 and Cy5 as vectors for targeting and delivering cargoes to mitochondria in cancer cells. Specifically, conjugation to the dyes can increase cytotoxicity by up to 1000-fold.
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14
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Giannakopoulou N, Williams JB, Moody PR, Sayers EJ, Magnusson JP, Pope I, Payne L, Alexander C, Jones AT, Langbein W, Watson P, Borri P. Four-wave-mixing microscopy reveals non-colocalisation between gold nanoparticles and fluorophore conjugates inside cells. Nanoscale 2020; 12:4622-4635. [PMID: 32044908 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr08512b] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles have been researched for many biomedical applications in diagnostics, theranostics, and as drug delivery systems. When conjugated to fluorophores, their interaction with biological cells can be studied in situ and real time using fluorescence microscopy. However, an important question that has remained elusive to answer is whether the fluorophore is a faithful reporter of the nanoparticle location. Here, our recently developed four-wave-mixing optical microscopy is applied to image individual gold nanoparticles and in turn investigate their co-localisation with fluorophores inside cells. Nanoparticles from 10 nm to 40 nm diameter were conjugated to fluorescently-labeled transferrin, for internalisation via clathrin-mediated endocytosis, or to non-targeting fluorescently-labelled antibodies. Human (HeLa) and murine (3T3-L1) cells were imaged at different time points after incubation with these conjugates. Our technique identified that, in most cases, fluorescence originated from unbound fluorophores rather than from fluorophores attached to nanoparticles. Fluorescence detection was also severely limited by photobleaching, quenching and autofluorescence background. Notably, correlative extinction/fluorescence microscopy of individual particles on a glass surface indicated that commercial constructs contain large amounts of unbound fluorophores. These findings highlight the potential problems of data interpretation when reliance is solely placed on the detection of fluorescence within the cell, and are of significant importance in the context of correlative light electron microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naya Giannakopoulou
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK.
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15
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Chawner JMA, Jones AT, Noble MT, Pickett GR, Tsepelin V, Zmeev DE. LEGO® Block Structures as a Sub-Kelvin Thermal Insulator. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19642. [PMID: 31873080 PMCID: PMC6927980 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55616-7] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We report measurements of the thermal conductance of a structure made from commercial Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) modules, known as LEGO® blocks, in the temperature range from 70 mK to 1.8 K. A power law for the sample's thermal conductivity κ = (8.7 ± 0.3) × 10-5 T 1.75±0.02 WK-1 m-1 was determined. We conclude that this ABS/void compound material provides better thermal isolation than well-known bulk insulator materials in the explored temperature range, whilst maintaining solid support. LEGO blocks represent a cheap and superlative alternative to materials such as Macor or Vespel. In our setup, <400 nW of power can heat an experimental area of 5 cm2 to over 1 K, without any significant change to the base temperature of the dilution refrigerator. This work suggests that custom-built modular materials with even better thermal performance could be readily and cheaply produced by 3D printing.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M A Chawner
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - A T Jones
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - M T Noble
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - G R Pickett
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - V Tsepelin
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - D E Zmeev
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, United Kingdom.
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16
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Sayers EJ, Peel SE, Schantz A, England RM, Beano M, Bates SM, Desai AS, Puri S, Ashford MB, Jones AT. Endocytic Profiling of Cancer Cell Models Reveals Critical Factors Influencing LNP-Mediated mRNA Delivery and Protein Expression. Mol Ther 2019; 27:1950-1962. [PMID: 31427168 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2019.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [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: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles have great potential for delivering nucleic-acid-based therapeutics, but low efficiency limits their broad clinical translation. Differences in transfection capacity between in vitro models used for nanoparticle pre-clinical testing are poorly understood. To address this, using a clinically relevant lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivering mRNA, we highlight specific endosomal characteristics in in vitro tumor models that impact protein expression. A 30-cell line LNP-mRNA transfection screen identified three cell lines having low, medium, and high transfection that correlated with protein expression when they were analyzed in tumor models. Endocytic profiling of these cell lines identified major differences in endolysosomal morphology, localization, endocytic uptake, trafficking, recycling, and endolysosomal pH, identified using a novel pH probe. High-transfecting cells showed rapid LNP uptake and trafficking through an organized endocytic pathway to lysosomes or rapid exocytosis. Low-transfecting cells demonstrated slower endosomal LNP trafficking to lysosomes and defective endocytic organization and acidification. Our data establish that efficient LNP-mRNA transfection relies on an early and narrow endosomal escape window prior to lysosomal sequestration and/or exocytosis. Endocytic profiling should form an important pre-clinical evaluation step for nucleic acid delivery systems to inform model selection and guide delivery-system design for improved clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Sayers
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales
| | - Samantha E Peel
- Discovery Biology, Discovery Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna Schantz
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Richard M England
- Early Chemical Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, UK
| | - Maya Beano
- Pathology, Drug Safety and Metabolism, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stephanie M Bates
- Pathology, Drug Safety and Metabolism, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Arpan S Desai
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sanyogitta Puri
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marianne B Ashford
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales.
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17
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Woods B, Döllerer D, Aikman B, Wenzel MN, Sayers EJ, Kühn FE, Jones AT, Casini A. Highly luminescent metallacages featuring bispyridyl ligands functionalised with BODIPY for imaging in cancer cells. J Inorg Biochem 2019; 199:110781. [PMID: 31357067 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.110781] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Recently, 3-dimensional supramolecular coordination complexes of the metallacage type have been shown to hold promise as drug delivery systems for different cytotoxic agents, including the anticancer drug cisplatin. However, so far only limited information is available on their uptake and sub-cellular localisation in cancer cells. With the aim of understanding the fate of metallacages in cells by fluorescence microscopy, three fluorescent Pd2L4 metallacages were designed and synthesised by self-assembly of two types of bispyridyl ligands (L), exo-functionalised with boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties, with Pd(II) ions. The cages show high quantum yields and are moderately stable in the presence of physiologically relevant concentration of glutathione. Furthermore, the cages are able to encapsulate the anticancer drug cisplatin, as demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy. Preliminary cytotoxicity studies in a small panel of human cancer cells showed that the metallacages are scarcely toxic in vitro. The marked fluorescence due to BODIPY allowed us to visualise the cages' uptake and sub-cellular localisation inside melanoma cells using fluorescence microscopy, highlighting uptake via active transport mechanisms and accumulation in cytoplasmic vesicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Woods
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, CF10 3AT Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Döllerer
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, CF10 3AT Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom; Molecular Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85747 Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Brech Aikman
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, CF10 3AT Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Margot N Wenzel
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, CF10 3AT Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Edward J Sayers
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3NB Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Fritz E Kühn
- Molecular Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85747 Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3NB Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Angela Casini
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, CF10 3AT Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
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18
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Wahlich J, Desai A, Greco F, Hill K, Jones AT, Mrsny RJ, Pasut G, Perrie Y, Seib FP, Seymour LW, Uchegbu IF. Nanomedicines for the Delivery of Biologics. Pharmaceutics 2019; 11:E210. [PMID: 31058802 PMCID: PMC6572454 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics11050210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [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: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A special symposium of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Nanomedicines Focus Group reviewed the current status of the use of nanomedicines for the delivery of biologics drugs. This meeting was particularly timely with the recent approval of the first siRNA-containing product Onpattro™ (patisiran), which is formulated as a lipid nanoparticle for intravenous infusion, and the increasing interest in the use of nanomedicines for the oral delivery of biologics. The challenges in delivering such molecules were discussed with specific emphasis on the delivery both across and into cells. The latest developments in Molecular Envelope Technology® (Nanomerics Ltd, London, UK), liposomal drug delivery (both from an academic and industrial perspective), opportunities offered by the endocytic pathway, delivery using genetically engineered viral vectors (PsiOxus Technologies Ltd, Abingdon, UK), Transint™ technology (Applied Molecular Transport Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA), which has the potential to deliver a wide range of macromolecules, and AstraZeneca's initiatives in mRNA delivery were covered with a focus on their uses in difficult to treat diseases, including cancers. Preclinical data were presented for each of the technologies and where sufficiently advanced, plans for clinical studies as well as early clinical data. The meeting covered the work in progress in this exciting area and highlighted some key technologies to look out for in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Wahlich
- The Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4 Heydon Road, Great Chishill, Royston SG8 8SR, UK.
| | - Arpan Desai
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Granta Park, Cambridge CB21 6GH, UK.
| | - Francesca Greco
- Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK.
| | - Kathryn Hill
- Global Product Development, Pharmaceutical Technology and Development, Operations, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield SK10 2NA, UK.
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK.
| | - Randall J Mrsny
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
| | - Gianfranco Pasut
- Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences Department, University of Padova, F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Yvonne Perrie
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, UK.
| | - F Philipp Seib
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, UK.
| | - Leonard W Seymour
- Department of Oncology, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.
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19
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Patel SG, Sayers EJ, He L, Narayan R, Williams TL, Mills EM, Allemann RK, Luk LYP, Jones AT, Tsai YH. Cell-penetrating peptide sequence and modification dependent uptake and subcellular distribution of green florescent protein in different cell lines. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6298. [PMID: 31000738 PMCID: PMC6472342 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42456-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.4] [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: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein therapy holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases. To act on intracellular targets, therapeutic proteins must cross the plasma membrane. This has previously been achieved by covalent attachment to a variety of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). However, there is limited information on the relative performance of CPPs in delivering proteins to cells, specifically the cytosol and other intracellular locations. Here we use green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a model cargo to compare delivery capacity of five CPP sequences (Penetratin, R8, TAT, Transportan, Xentry) and cyclic derivatives in different human cell lines (HeLa, HEK, 10T1/2, HepG2) representing different tissues. Confocal microscopy analysis indicates that most fusion proteins when incubated with cells at 10 µM localise to endosomes. Quantification of cellular uptake by flow cytometry reveals that uptake depends on both cell type (10T1/2 > HepG2 > HeLa > HEK), and CPP sequence (Transportan > R8 > Penetratin≈TAT > Xentry). CPP sequence cyclisation or addition of a HA-sequence increased cellular uptake, but fluorescence was still contained in vesicles with no evidence of endosomal escape. Our results provide a guide to select CPP for endosomal/lysosomal delivery and a basis for developing more efficient CPPs in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay G Patel
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Edward J Sayers
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Lin He
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, UK
| | - Rohan Narayan
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, UK
| | | | - Emily M Mills
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | | | - Louis Y P Luk
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, UK.
| | - Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK.
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20
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Gurney LRI, Taggart J, Tong WC, Jones AT, Robson SC, Taggart MJ. Inhibition of Inflammatory Changes in Human Myometrial Cells by Cell Penetrating Peptide and Small Molecule Inhibitors of NFκB. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2966. [PMID: 30619324 PMCID: PMC6307458 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Complications arising from Preterm Birth are the leading causes of neonatal death globally. Current therapeutic strategies to prevent Preterm Birth are yet to demonstrate success in terms of reducing this neonatal disease burden. Upregulation of intracellular inflammatory pathways in uterine cells, including those involving nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB), have been causally linked to both human term and preterm labor, but the barrier presented by the cell membrane presents an obstacle to interventions aimed at dampening these inflammatory responses. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are novel vectors that can traverse cell membranes without the need for recognition by cell surface receptors and offer the ability to deliver therapeutic cargo internal to cell membranes. Using a human uterine cell culture inflammatory model, this study aimed to test the effectiveness of CPP-cargo delivery to inhibit inflammatory responses, comparing this effect with a small molecule inhibitor (Sc514) that has a similar intracellular target of action within the NFκB pathway (the IKK complex). The CPP Penetratin, conjugated to rhodamine, was able to enter uterine cells within a 60 min timeframe as assessed by live confocal microscopy, this phenomena was not observed with the use of a rhodamine-conjugated inert control peptide (GC(GS)4). Penetratin CPP conjugated to an IKK-inhibitory peptide (Pen-NBD) demonstrated ability to inhibit both the IL1β-induced expression of the inflammatory protein COX2 and dampen the expression of a bespoke array of inflammatory genes. Truncation of the CPP vector rendered the CPP-cargo conjugate much less effective, demonstrating the importance of careful vector selection. The small molecule inhibitor Sc514 also demonstrated ability to inhibit COX2 protein responses and a broad down-regulatory effect on uterine cell inflammatory gene expression. These results support the further exploration of either CPP-based or small molecular treatment strategies to dampen gestational cell inflammatory responses in the context of preterm birth. The work underlines both the importance of careful selection of CPP vector-cargo combinations and basic testing over a broad time and concentration range to ensure effective responses. Further work should demonstrate the effectiveness of CPP-linked cargos to dampen alternative pathways of inflammation linked to Preterm Birth such as MAP Kinase or AP1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo R. I. Gurney
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Julie Taggart
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Wing-Chiu Tong
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Arwyn T. Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen C. Robson
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Taggart
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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21
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Osborne DM, Sandau US, Jones AT, Vander Velden JW, Weingarten AM, Etesami N, Huo Y, Shen HY, Boison D. Developmental role of adenosine kinase for the expression of sex-dependent neuropsychiatric behavior. Neuropharmacology 2018; 141:89-97. [PMID: 30145320 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in social memory, cognition, and aberrant responses to stimulants are common among persons affected by schizophrenia and other conditions with a presumed developmental etiology. We previously found that expression changes in the adenosine metabolizing enzyme adenosine kinase (ADK) in the adult brain are associated with deficits in various cognitive domains. To distinguish between developmental and adult functions of ADK, we used two transgenic mouse lines with widespread disruption of ADK expression in the adult brain, but differences in the onset of ADK deletion. Specifically, we compared Nestin-Cre+/-:ADK-floxfl/fl (ADKΔBrain) mice with global loss of ADK in the whole brain, beginning in mid-gestation and persisting for life, with Gfa2-Cre+/-:ADK-floxfl/fl (ADKΔAstro) mice that have normal ADK expression throughout development, but lose astrocyte-specific ADK-expression in young adulthood. Because ADK-expression in adulthood is generally confined to astrocytes, adult ADKΔAstro mice show a similar expression profile of ADK in key areas of the brain related to neuropsychiatric behavior, compared to adult ADKΔBrain mice. We sought to determine a neurodevelopmental role of ADK on the expression of psychiatric behaviors in adult male and female mice. Adult ADKΔBrain mice showed significant deficits in social memory in males, significant contextual learning impairments in both sexes, and a hyper-responsiveness to amphetamine in males. In contrast, ADKΔAstro mice showed normal social memory and contextual learning but hypo-responsiveness to amphetamine in males. Our results demonstrate a key developmental role of ADK in mediating behaviors in adulthood related to neuropsychiatric disease and support the greater prevalence of these disorders among males.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Osborne
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA.
| | - U S Sandau
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - A T Jones
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - J W Vander Velden
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - A M Weingarten
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - N Etesami
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Y Huo
- Vascular Biology Center, Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - H Y Shen
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - D Boison
- Robert Stone Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, OR, USA
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22
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He L, Sayers EJ, Watson P, Jones AT. Contrasting roles for actin in the cellular uptake of cell penetrating peptide conjugates. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7318. [PMID: 29743505 PMCID: PMC5943252 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25600-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The increased need for macromolecular therapeutics, such as peptides, proteins and nucleotides, to reach intracellular targets necessitates more effective delivery vectors and a higher level of understanding of their mechanism of action. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) can transport a range of macromolecules into cells, either through direct plasma membrane translocation or endocytosis. All known endocytic pathways involve cell-cortex remodelling, a process shown to be regulated by reorganisation of the actin cytoskeleton. Here using flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and a variety of actin inhibitors we identify how actin disorganisation in different cell types differentially influences the cellular entry of three probes: the CPP octaarginine - Alexa488 conjugate (R8-Alexa488), octaarginine conjugated Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP-R8), and the fluid phase probe dextran. Disrupting actin organisation in A431 skin epithelial cells dramatically increases the uptake of EGFP-R8 and dextran, and contrasts strongly to inhibitory effects observed with transferrin and R8 attached to the fluorophore Alexa488. This demonstrates that uptake of the same CPP can occur via different endocytic processes depending on the conjugated fluorescent entity. Overall this study highlights how cargo influences cell uptake of this peptide and that the actin cytoskeleton may act as a gateway or barrier to endocytosis of drug delivery vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- L He
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Redwood Building, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3NB, UK
| | - E J Sayers
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Redwood Building, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3NB, UK
| | - P Watson
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AX, UK.
| | - A T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Redwood Building, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3NB, UK.
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23
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Sayers EJ, Magnusson JP, Moody PR, Mastrotto F, Conte C, Brazzale C, Borri P, Caliceti P, Watson P, Mantovani G, Aylott J, Salmaso S, Jones AT, Alexander C. Switching of Macromolecular Ligand Display by Thermoresponsive Polymers Mediates Endocytosis of Multiconjugate Nanoparticles. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:1030-1046. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edward J. Sayers
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Ave, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Johannes P. Magnusson
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG72RD, United Kingdom
| | - Paul R. Moody
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Ave, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Mastrotto
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG72RD, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Claudia Conte
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG72RD, United Kingdom
| | - Chiara Brazzale
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Paola Borri
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo Caliceti
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Peter Watson
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, United Kingdom
| | - Giuseppe Mantovani
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG72RD, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Aylott
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG72RD, United Kingdom
| | - Stefano Salmaso
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Arwyn T. Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Ave, Cardiff CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Cameron Alexander
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG72RD, United Kingdom
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24
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Roberts-Dalton HD, Cocks A, Falcon-Perez JM, Sayers EJ, Webber JP, Watson P, Clayton A, Jones AT. Fluorescence labelling of extracellular vesicles using a novel thiol-based strategy for quantitative analysis of cellular delivery and intracellular traffic. Nanoscale 2017; 9:13693-13706. [PMID: 28880029 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr04128d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles, including exosomes, are naturally derived nanovesicles generated in and released by numerous cell types. As extracellular entities they have the capacity to interact with neighbouring cells and distant tissues and affect physiological processes as well as being implicated in numerous diseases including tumorigenesis and neurodegeneration. They are also under intense investigation as delivery vectors for biotherapeutics. The ways in which EVs interact with recipient cells to influence cell physiology and deliver a macromolecular payload are at the early stages of exploration. A significant challenge within these studies is the ability to label EVs directly or indirectly with fluorescent probes to allow visualization without compromising functionality. Here, we present a thiol-based fluorescence labelling method allowing comprehensive analysis of the cellular uptake of prostate cancer derived EVs in live cells using confocal microscopy. Labelling of the EVs in this way did not influence their size and had no effect on their ability to induce differentiation of lung fibroblasts to myofibroblasts. For endocytosis analyses, depletion of key endocytic proteins and the use of chemical inhibitors (Dynasore, EIPA, Rottlerin and IPA-3) indicated that fluid-phase endocytosis and/or macropinocytosis was involved in EV internalisation. Over a period of six hours EVs were observed to increasingly co-localise with lysosomes, indicating a possible termination point following internalisation. Overall this method provides new opportunities for analysing the cellular dynamics of EVs as biological entities affecting cell and whole body physiology as well as investigating their potential as drug delivery vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- H D Roberts-Dalton
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, UK.
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25
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Kjos I, Borg Distefano M, Sætre F, Repnik U, Holland P, Jones AT, Engedal N, Simonsen A, Bakke O, Progida C. Rab7b modulates autophagic flux by interacting with Atg4B. EMBO Rep 2017; 18:1727-1739. [PMID: 28835545 PMCID: PMC5623852 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201744069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Autophagy (macroautophagy) is a highly conserved eukaryotic degradation pathway in which cytosolic components and organelles are sequestered by specialized autophagic membranes and degraded through the lysosomal system. The autophagic pathway maintains basal cellular homeostasis and helps cells adapt during stress; thus, defects in autophagy can cause detrimental effects. It is therefore crucial that autophagy is properly regulated. In this study, we show that the cysteine protease Atg4B, a key enzyme in autophagy that cleaves LC3, is an interactor of the small GTPase Rab7b. Indeed, Atg4B interacts and co‐localizes with Rab7b on vesicles. Depletion of Rab7b increases autophagic flux as indicated by the increased size of autophagic structures as well as the magnitude of macroautophagic sequestration and degradation. Importantly, we demonstrate that Rab7b regulates LC3 processing by modulating Atg4B activity. Taken together, our findings reveal Rab7b as a novel negative regulator of autophagy through its interaction with Atg4B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Kjos
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marita Borg Distefano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Frank Sætre
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Urska Repnik
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Petter Holland
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
| | - Nikolai Engedal
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne Simonsen
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oddmund Bakke
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway .,Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Cinzia Progida
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway .,Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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26
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Brazzale C, Mastrotto F, Moody P, Watson PD, Balasso A, Malfanti A, Mantovani G, Caliceti P, Alexander C, Jones AT, Salmaso S. Control of targeting ligand display by pH-responsive polymers on gold nanoparticles mediates selective entry into cancer cells. Nanoscale 2017; 9:11137-11147. [PMID: 28745764 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr02595e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Selective targeting of cells for intracellular delivery of therapeutics represents a major challenge for pharmaceutical intervention in disease. Here we show pH-triggered receptor-mediated endocytosis of nanoparticles via surface ligand exposure. Gold nanoparticles were decorated with two polymers: a 2 kDa PEG with a terminal folate targeting ligand, and a di-block copolymer including a pH-responsive and a hydrophilic block. At the normal serum pH of 7.4, the pH-responsive block (apparent pKa of 7.1) displayed a hydrophilic extended conformation, shielding the PEG-folate ligands, which inhibited cellular uptake of the nanoparticles. Under pH conditions resembling those of the extracellular matrix around solid tumours (pH 6.5), protonation of the pH-responsive polymer triggered a coil-to-globule polymer chain contraction, exposing folate residues on the PEG chains. In line with this, endocytosis of folate-decorated polymer-coated gold nanoparticles in cancer cells overexpressing folate receptor was significantly increased at pH 6.5, compared with pH 7.4. Thus, the tumour acidic environment and high folate receptor expression were effectively exploited to activate cell binding and endocytosis of these nanoparticles. These data provide proof-of-concept for strategies enabling extracellular pH stimuli to selectively enhance cellular uptake of drug delivery vectors and their associated therapeutic cargo.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Brazzale
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy.
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27
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Ziedan NI, Hamdy R, Cavaliere A, Kourti M, Prencipe F, Brancale A, Jones AT, Westwell AD. Virtual screening, SAR, and discovery of 5-(indole-3-yl)-2-[(2-nitrophenyl)amino] [1,3,4]-oxadiazole as a novel Bcl-2 inhibitor. Chem Biol Drug Des 2017; 90:147-155. [PMID: 28067996 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 09/03/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
A new series of oxadiazoles were designed to act as inhibitors of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. Virtual screening led to the discovery of new hits that interact with Bcl-2 at the BH3 binding pocket. Further study of the structure-activity relationship of the most active compound of the first series, compound 1, led to the discovery of a novel oxadiazole analogue, compound 16j, that was a more potent small-molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2. 16j had good in vitro inhibitory activity with submicromolar IC50 values in a metastatic human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) and a human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa). The antitumour effect of 16j is concomitant with its ability to bind to Bcl-2 protein as shown by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IC50 = 4.27 μm). Compound 16j has a great potential to develop into highly active anticancer agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noha I Ziedan
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Rania Hamdy
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | | | - Malamati Kourti
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.,Cardiff China Medical Research Collaborative, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Filippo Prencipe
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Andrea Brancale
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Andrew D Westwell
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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28
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Hamdy R, Ziedan NI, Ali S, Bordoni C, El-Sadek M, Lashin E, Brancale A, Jones AT, Westwell AD. Synthesis and evaluation of 5-(1H-indol-3-yl)-N-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-amines as Bcl-2 inhibitory anticancer agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2016; 27:1037-1040. [PMID: 28087272 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.12.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [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: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A series of 5-(1H-indol-3-yl)-N-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-amines 8a-j has been designed, synthesized and tested in vitro as potential pro-apoptotic Bcl-2-inhibitory anticancer agents based on our previous lead compound 8a. Synthesis of the target compounds was readily accomplished through a cyclisation reaction between indole-3-carboxylic acid hydrazide (5) and substituted isothiocyanates 6a-j, followed by oxidative cyclodesulfurization of the corresponding thiosemicarbazide 7a-j using 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin. Active compounds of the series 8a-j were found to have sub-micromolar IC50 values selectively in Bcl-2 expressing human cancer cell lines; notably the 2-nitrophenyl analogue 8a was found to exhibit potent activity, and compounds 8a and 8e possessed comparable Bcl-2 binding affinity (ELISA assay) to the established natural product-based Bcl-2 inhibitor, gossypol. Molecular modeling studies helped to further rationalise anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 binding, and identified compounds 8a and 8e as candidates for further development as Bcl-2 inhibitory anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rania Hamdy
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales, UK; Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Egypt
| | - Noha I Ziedan
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales, UK; Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Egypt
| | - Samia Ali
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales, UK; National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Cinzia Bordoni
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales, UK
| | | | | | - Andrea Brancale
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales, UK
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales, UK
| | - Andrew D Westwell
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales, UK.
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29
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Wymant JM, Hiscox S, Westwell AD, Urbé S, Clague MJ, Jones AT. The Role of BCA2 in the Endocytic Trafficking of EGFR and Significance as a Prognostic Biomarker in Cancer. J Cancer 2016; 7:2388-2407. [PMID: 27994678 PMCID: PMC5166551 DOI: 10.7150/jca.15055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast Cancer Associated gene 2 (BCA2) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is over-expressed in >50% of primary breast cancers, and has been shown to increase in vitro cell proliferation and invasion. The protein has been linked to alterations in EGFR degradation; however there is some dispute as to its role and influence on the biology of this receptor. Our work aimed to ascertain the role of BCA2 in EGFR endocytosis and down-regulation and to examine its links with breast cancer outcome. Data generated with the online expression analysis tool KM-Plotter showed that high BCA2 levels are associated with poor prognosis in ovarian, gastric and breast cancer, particularly HER2 over-expressing breast cancers. Experimentally, we demonstrate that over-expression of BCA2 induced a reduction in total EGFR levels. BCA2 over-expressing cells stimulated with EGF exhibited reduced lysosomal degradation of both this ligand and its receptor. Signalling downstream of EGFR in BCA2 over-expressing cells was characterized by a lower magnitude but increased duration. Our findings support a role for BCA2 in receptor endocytosis. Consistent with this we show that BCA2 over-expression reduces the level of vesicle-associated Rab7, a regulator of late endocytosis and documented interaction partner of BCA2. Levels of transferrin receptor and the uptake of transferrin were unaltered by over-expression of BCA2 indicating that trafficking changes may be limited to late endocytic sorting events. This report offers a thorough exploration of BCA2 biology and suggests a context-dependent role for the protein in the endocytic regulation of EGFR and as a prognostic biomarker in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Wymant
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, U.K
| | - Stephen Hiscox
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, U.K
| | - Andrew D Westwell
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, U.K
| | - Sylvie Urbé
- Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 3BX, England, U.K
| | - Michael J Clague
- Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 3BX, England, U.K
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, U.K
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30
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Ovenden JR, Leigh GM, Blower DC, Jones AT, Moore A, Bustamante C, Buckworth RC, Bennett MB, Dudgeon CL. Can estimates of genetic effective population size contribute to fisheries stock assessments? J Fish Biol 2016; 89:2505-2518. [PMID: 27730623 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable exploitation of fisheries populations is challenging to achieve when the size of the population prior to exploitation and the actual numbers removed over time and across fishing zones are not clearly known. Quantitative fisheries' modeling is able to address this problem, but accurate and reliable model outcomes depend on high quality input data. Much of this information is obtained through the operation of the fishery under consideration, but while this seems appropriate, biases may occur. For example, poorly quantified changes in fishing methods that increase catch rates can erroneously suggest that the overall population size is increasing. Hence, the incorporation of estimates of abundance derived from independent data sources is preferable. We review and evaluate a fisheries-independent method of indexing population size; inferring adult abundance from estimates of the genetic effective size of a population (Ne ). Recent studies of elasmobranch species have shown correspondence between Ne and ecologically determined estimates of the population size (N). Simulation studies have flagged the possibility that the range of Ne /N ratios across species may be more restricted than previously thought, and also show that declines in Ne track declines in the abundance of model fisheries species. These key developments bring this new technology closer to implementation in fisheries science, particularly for data-poor fisheries or species of conservation interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Ovenden
- Molecular Fisheries Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - G M Leigh
- Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - D C Blower
- Molecular Fisheries Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - A T Jones
- Molecular Fisheries Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - A Moore
- Fisheries, Forestry & Land, Australian Bureau of Agricultural & Resource Economics and Sciences, Department of Agriculture & Water Resources, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - C Bustamante
- Molecular Fisheries Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Shark & Ray Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - R C Buckworth
- Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Oceans & Atmosphere, CSIRO, Berrimah, NT, 0820, Australia
| | - M B Bennett
- Shark & Ray Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - C L Dudgeon
- Molecular Fisheries Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Shark & Ray Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
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Kandil S, Wymant JM, Kariuki BM, Jones AT, McGuigan C, Westwell AD. Novel cis-selective and non-epimerisable C3 hydroxy azapodophyllotoxins targeting microtubules in cancer cells. Eur J Med Chem 2015; 110:311-25. [PMID: 26854430 PMCID: PMC4762250 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [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: 10/14/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Podophyllotoxin (PT) and its clinically used analogues are known to be powerful antitumour agents. These compounds contain a trans fused strained γ-lactone system, a feature that correlates to the process of epimerisation, whereby the trans γ-lactone system of ring D opens and converts to the more thermodynamically stable cis epimer. Since these cis epimers are known to be either less active or lacking antitumour activity, epimerisation is an undesirable feature from a chemotherapeutic point of view. To circumvent this problem, considerable efforts have been reported, amongst which is the synthesis of azapodophyllotoxins where the stereocentres at C2 and C3 are removed in order to preclude epimerisation. Herein we report the identification of a novel C3 hydroxy, cis-selective γ-lactone configuration of ring C in the azapodophyllotoxin scaffold, through an efficient stereoselective multicomponent reaction (MCR) involving fluorinated and non-fluorinated aldehydes. This configuration releases the highly strained trans γ-lactone system in podophyllotoxin analogues into the more thermodynamically stable cis γ-lactone motif and yet retains significantly potent activity. These compounds were evaluated against the human cancer lines MCF-7 and 22Rv1 in vitro. Fourteen out of the seventeen tested compounds exhibited sub-micromolar activity with IC50 values in the range of 0.11-0.91 μM, which is comparable and in some cases better than the activity profile of etoposide in this assay. Interestingly, we obtained strong evidence from spectroscopic and X-ray data analyses that the previously reported structure of similar analogues is not accurate. Molecular modelling performed using the podophyllotoxin binding site on β tubulin revealed a novel binding mode of these analogues. Furthermore, sub-cellular study of our compounds using immunolabelling and confocal microscopy analyses showed strong microtubule disruptive activity, particularly in dividing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Kandil
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer M Wymant
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Benson M Kariuki
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher McGuigan
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew D Westwell
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, United Kingdom.
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32
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Moody PR, Sayers EJ, Magnusson JP, Alexander C, Borri P, Watson P, Jones AT. Receptor Crosslinking: A General Method to Trigger Internalization and Lysosomal Targeting of Therapeutic Receptor:Ligand Complexes. Mol Ther 2015; 23:1888-98. [PMID: 26412588 PMCID: PMC4700114 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2015.178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [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: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A major unmet clinical need is a universal method for subcellular targeting of bioactive molecules to lysosomes. Delivery to this organelle enables either degradation of oncogenic receptors that are overexpressed in cancers, or release of prodrugs from antibody–drug conjugates. Here, we describe a general method that uses receptor crosslinking to trigger endocytosis and subsequently redirect trafficking of receptor:cargo complexes from their expected route, to lysosomes. By incubation of plasma membrane receptors with biotinylated cargo and subsequent addition of streptavidin to crosslink receptor:cargo–biotin complexes, we achieved rapid and selective lysosomal targeting of transferrin, an anti-MHC class I antibody, and the clinically approved anti-Her2 antibody trastuzumab. These three protein ligands each target a receptor with a distinct cellular function and intracellular trafficking profile. Importantly, we confirmed that crosslinking of trastuzumab increased lysosomal degradation of its cognate oncogenic receptor Her2 in breast cancer cell lines SKBR3 and BT474. These data suggest that crosslinking could be exploited for a wide range of target receptors, for navigating therapeutics through the endolysosomal pathway, for significant therapeutic benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Moody
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Edward J Sayers
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | | | | | - Paola Borri
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Peter Watson
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
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33
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Lemmer Y, Kalombo L, Pietersen RD, Jones AT, Semete-Makokotlela B, Van Wyngaardt S, Ramalapa B, Stoltz AC, Baker B, Verschoor JA, Swai HS, de Chastellier C. Mycolic acids, a promising mycobacterial ligand for targeting of nanoencapsulated drugs in tuberculosis. J Control Release 2015; 211:94-104. [PMID: 26055640 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2015.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 03/05/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The appearance of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) poses a great challenge to the development of novel treatment programmes to combat tuberculosis. Since innovative nanotechnologies might alleviate the limitations of current therapies, we have designed a new nanoformulation for use as an anti-TB drug delivery system. It consists of incorporating mycobacterial cell wall mycolic acids (MA) as targeting ligands into a drug-encapsulating Poly dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid polymer (PLGA), via a double emulsion solvent evaporation technique. Bone marrow-derived mouse macrophages, either uninfected or infected with different mycobacterial strains (Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium bovis BCG or Mtb), were exposed to encapsulated isoniazid-PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) using MA as a targeting ligand. The fate of the NPs was monitored by electron microscopy. Our study showed that i) the inclusion of MA in the nanoformulations resulted in their expression on the outer surface and a significant increase in phagocytic uptake of the NPs; ii) nanoparticle-containing phagosomes were rapidly processed into phagolysosomes, whether MA had been included or not; and iii) nanoparticle-containing phagolysosomes did not fuse with non-matured mycobacterium-containing phagosomes, but fusion events with mycobacterium-containing phagolysosomes were clearly observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolandy Lemmer
- Polymers and Composites, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Lonji Kalombo
- Polymers and Composites, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Ray-Dean Pietersen
- DST-CBTBR Department Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Arwyn T Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
| | | | | | - Bathabile Ramalapa
- Polymers and Composites, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Anton C Stoltz
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Bienyameen Baker
- DST-CBTBR Department Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jan A Verschoor
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Hulda S Swai
- Polymers and Composites, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Chantal de Chastellier
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML), Aix Marseille University, UM 2, INSERM UMR 1104, CNRS UMR 7280, 163 avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
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Cilibrasi V, Tsang K, Morelli M, Solfa F, Wiggins HL, Jones AT, Westwell AD. Synthesis of substituted carbamo(dithioperoxo)thioates as potential BCA2-inhibitory anticancer agents. Tetrahedron Lett 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2015.03.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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35
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Pereira P, Pedrosa SS, Wymant JM, Sayers E, Correia A, Vilanova M, Jones AT, Gama FM. siRNA Inhibition of Endocytic Pathways to Characterize the Cellular Uptake Mechanisms of Folate-Functionalized Glycol Chitosan Nanogels. Mol Pharm 2015; 12:1970-9. [DOI: 10.1021/mp500785t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Pereira
- Institute
for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre of Biological Engineering,
Campus de Gualtar, University of Minho, Braga 4710-05, Portugal
| | - Sílvia S. Pedrosa
- Institute
for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre of Biological Engineering,
Campus de Gualtar, University of Minho, Braga 4710-05, Portugal
| | - Jennifer M. Wymant
- Cardiff
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales
| | - Edward Sayers
- Cardiff
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales
| | - Alexandra Correia
- Institute of Molecular
and Cell Biology, Rua Campo Alegre, Porto 4099-003, Portugal
| | - Manuel Vilanova
- Institute of Molecular
and Cell Biology, Rua Campo Alegre, Porto 4099-003, Portugal
- Abel
Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge
Viterbo Ferreira No. 228, Porto 4050-313, Portugal
| | - Arwyn T. Jones
- Cardiff
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, Cardiff CF10 3NB, Wales
| | - Francisco M. Gama
- Institute
for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre of Biological Engineering,
Campus de Gualtar, University of Minho, Braga 4710-05, Portugal
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36
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Bahnsen JS, Franzyk H, Sayers EJ, Jones AT, Nielsen HM. Cell-Penetrating Antimicrobial Peptides – Prospectives for Targeting Intracellular Infections. Pharm Res 2015; 32:1546-56. [DOI: 10.1007/s11095-014-1550-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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37
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Mart RJ, Errington RJ, Watkins CL, Chappell SC, Wiltshire M, Jones AT, Smith PJ, Allemann RK. BH3 helix-derived biophotonic nanoswitches regulate cytochrome c release in permeabilised cells. Mol Biosyst 2014; 9:2597-603. [PMID: 23942570 DOI: 10.1039/c3mb70246d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic physical interactions between proteins underpin all key cellular processes and are a highly attractive area for the development of research tools and medicines. Protein-protein interactions frequently involve α-helical structures, but peptides matching the sequences of these structures usually do not fold correctly in isolation. Therefore, much research has focused on the creation of small peptides that adopt stable α-helical structures even in the absence of their intended protein targets. We show that short peptides alkylated with azobenzene crosslinkers can be used to photo-stimulate mitochondrial membrane depolarization and cytochrome c release in permeabilised cells, the initial events of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Mart
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
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38
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Kothayer H, Elshanawani AA, Abu Kull ME, El-Sabbagh OI, Shekhar MP, Brancale A, Jones AT, Westwell AD. Design, synthesis and in vitro anticancer evaluation of 4,6-diamino-1,3,5-triazine-2-carbohydrazides and -carboxamides. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2013; 23:6886-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.09.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Revised: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Cleal K, He L, Watson PD, Jones AT. Endocytosis, intracellular traffic and fate of cell penetrating peptide based conjugates and nanoparticles. Curr Pharm Des 2013; 19:2878-94. [PMID: 23140451 DOI: 10.2174/13816128113199990297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Accepted: 11/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The insides of cells can be viewed as a treasure trove of targets for therapeutic intervention of diseases or as deposits for contrasting agents. Increasingly the molecules that need to be delivered to the inside of cells for these purposes are macromolecular and membrane impermeable. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have proven abilities to deliver a range of macromolecular cargo into cells thus raising their profile as potential delivery vectors for wide-ranging applications. There is evidence to suggest that CPPs first enter cells through endocytosis and that cytosolic delivery is mediated across endolysosomal membranes. Their capacity to do this, over direct plasma membrane translocation, is likely to depend on the nature and size of the cargo. Cells use a range of endocytic routes to facilitate entry from well characterised pathways regulated by clathrin to more recently discovered and less characterised pathways regulated by clathrin independent mechanisms. These are likely to determine the intracellular fate of cell delivery vectors including those based on cell penetrating peptides. Thus gaining accurate knowledge of their endocytic uptake and traffic is an important characterisation criteria for progress in this field. This review describes the different endocytic pathways that have been identified in mammalian cells and specific reports that have studied the uptake mechanisms and endocytic traffic of cell penetrating peptides and their associated cargo. These cargoes range from short peptides to an increasing library of nanoparticles such as quantum dots, liposomes and polymeric dendrimers. The studies highlight the effectiveness of cell penetrating peptides for delivering these entities into a diverse array of cell types using different endocytic pathways. This is shown using microscopy based colocalisation analysis with the few specific endocytic probes available, and chemical inhibitors of endocytosis that suffer from lack of specificity. Overall, more specific probes, inhibitors and novel technologies are required for accurate characterisation of cellular dynamics of cell penetrating peptide conjugates thus allowing them to reach their full potential as vectors for therapeutics and other payloads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kez Cleal
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
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40
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Hamdy R, Ziedan N, Ali S, El-Sadek M, Lashin E, Brancale A, Jones AT, Westwell AD. Synthesis and evaluation of 3-(benzylthio)-5-(1H-indol-3-yl)-1,2,4-triazol-4-amines as Bcl-2 inhibitory anticancer agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2013; 23:2391-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Revised: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Abstract
In order to engineer safer nanomaterials, there is a need to understand, systematically evaluate, and develop constructs with appropriate cellular uptake and intracellular fates. The overall goal of this project is to determine the uptake patterns of silica nanoparticle geometries in model cells, in order to aid in the identification of the role of geometry on cellular uptake and transport. In our experiments we observed a significant difference in the viability of two phenotypes of primary macrophages; immortalized macrophages exhibited similar patterns. However, both primary and immortalized epithelial cells did not exhibit toxicity profiles. Interestingly uptake of these geometries in all cell lines exhibited very different time-dependent patterns. A screening of a series of chemical inhibitors of endocytosis was performed to isolate the uptake mechanisms of the different particles. The results show that all geometries exhibit very different uptake profiles and that this may be due to the orientation of the nanoparticles when they interact with the cell surface. Additionally, evidence suggests that these uptake patterns initialize different downstream cellular pathways, dependent on cell type and phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Herd
- Utah Center for Nanomedicine, Nano Institute of Utah, University of Utah, USA 36 S. Wasatch Dr, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, USA
- Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Saarland University, Campus, Building A4_1, D-66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Nicole Daum
- Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Saarland University, Campus, Building A4_1, D-66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Arwyn T. Jones
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales, CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
| | - Hanno Huwer
- Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart Center Voelklingen, Germany
| | - Hamidreza Ghandehari
- Utah Center for Nanomedicine, Nano Institute of Utah, University of Utah, USA 36 S. Wasatch Dr, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah, USA
- Corresponding co-authors: Hamidreza Ghandehari, PhD, , Claus Michael Lehr, PhD,
| | - Claus-Michael Lehr
- Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Saarland University, Campus, Building A4_1, D-66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
- Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Saarland University, Campus, Building A4_1, D-66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
- Corresponding co-authors: Hamidreza Ghandehari, PhD, , Claus Michael Lehr, PhD,
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42
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Jones AT, Sayers EJ. Cell entry of cell penetrating peptides: tales of tails wagging dogs. J Control Release 2012; 161:582-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2012.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 04/02/2012] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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43
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Bailey D, Carpenter EP, Coker A, Coker S, Read J, Jones AT, Erskine P, Aguilar CF, Badasso M, Toldo L, Rippmann F, Sanz-Aparicio J, Albert A, Blundell TL, Roberts NB, Wood SP, Cooper JB. An analysis of subdomain orientation, conformational change and disorder in relation to crystal packing of aspartic proteinases. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 2012; 68:541-52. [PMID: 22525752 DOI: 10.1107/s0907444912004817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2011] [Accepted: 02/04/2012] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The analysis reported here describes detailed structural studies of endothiapepsin (the aspartic proteinase from Endothia parasitica), with and without bound inhibitors, and human pepsin 3b. Comparison of multiple crystal structures of members of the aspartic proteinase family has revealed small but significant differences in domain orientation in different crystal forms. In this paper, it is shown that these differences in domain orientation do not necessarily correlate with the presence or absence of bound inhibitors, but appear to stem at least partly from crystal contacts mediated by sulfate ions. However, since the same inherent flexibility of the structure is observed for other enzymes in this family such as human pepsin, the native structure of which is also reported here, the observed domain movements may well have implications for the mechanism of catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Bailey
- Incisive Media, 32-34 Broadwick Street, London W1A 2HG, England
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44
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Al Soraj M, He L, Peynshaert K, Cousaert J, Vercauteren D, Braeckmans K, De Smedt SC, Jones AT. siRNA and pharmacological inhibition of endocytic pathways to characterize the differential role of macropinocytosis and the actin cytoskeleton on cellular uptake of dextran and cationic cell penetrating peptides octaarginine (R8) and HIV-Tat. J Control Release 2012; 161:132-41. [PMID: 22465675 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2012.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [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: 12/15/2011] [Revised: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 03/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been extensively studied as vectors for cellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecules. It is widely accepted that they can enter cells directly across the plasma membrane but also gain access through endocytic pathways that are yet to be fully defined. Here we developed siRNA methods in epithelial cell lines, HeLa and A431, to inhibit endocytic pathways regulated by clathrin heavy chain, flotillin-1, caveolin-1, dynamin-2 and Pak-1. In each case, functional uptake assays were developed to characterize the requirement for these proteins, and the pathways they regulate, in the internalisation of defined endocytic probes and also the CPPs octaarginine and HIV-Tat. Peptide uptake was only inhibited in A431 cells depleted of the macropinocytosis regulator Pak-1, but experimental variables including choice of cell line, pharmacological inhibitor, macropinocytic probe and serum starvation significantly influence our ability to assess and assign this pathway as an important route for CPP uptake. Actin disruption with Cytochalasin D inhibited peptide entry in both cell lines but the effects of this agent on dextran uptake was cell line dependent, reducing uptake in HeLa cells and increasing uptake in A431 cells. This was further supported in experiments inducing actin stabilisation by Jasplakinolide, emphasising that the actin cytoskeleton can both promote and hinder endocytosis. Overall the data identify important aspects regarding the comparative mechanisms of CPP uptake and macropinocytosis, and accentuate the significant methodological challenges of studying this pathway as an endocytic portal and an entry route for drug delivery vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Al Soraj
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Redwood Building, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3NB, United Kingdom
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Vercauteren D, Deschout H, Remaut K, Engbersen JFJ, Jones AT, Demeester J, De Smedt SC, Braeckmans K. Dynamic colocalization microscopy to characterize intracellular trafficking of nanomedicines. ACS Nano 2011; 5:7874-84. [PMID: 21923168 DOI: 10.1021/nn2020858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
To gain a better understanding of intracellular processing of nanomedicines, we employed quantitative live-cell fluorescence colocalization microscopy to study endosomal trafficking of polyplexes in retinal pigment epithelium cells. A new, dynamic colocalization algorithm was developed, based on particle tracking and trajectory correlation, allowing for spatiotemporal characterization of internalized polyplexes in comparison with endosomal compartments labeled with EGFP constructs. This revealed early trafficking of the polyplexes specifically to Rab5- and flotillin-2-positive vesicles and subsequent delivery to Rab7 and LAMP1-labeled late endolysosomes where the major fraction of the polyplexes remains entrapped for days, suggesting the functional loss of these nanomedicines. Colocalization of polyplexes with the autophagy marker LC3 suggests for the first time that the process of xenophagy could play an important role in the persistent endosomal entrapment of nanomedicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dries Vercauteren
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Harelbekestraat 72, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Watkins CL, Sayers EJ, Allender C, Barrow D, Fegan C, Brennan P, Jones AT. Co-operative membrane disruption between cell-penetrating peptide and cargo: implications for the therapeutic use of the Bcl-2 converter peptide D-NuBCP-9-r8. Mol Ther 2011; 19:2124-32. [PMID: 21934653 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2011.175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Delivering apoptosis inducing peptides to cells is an emerging area in cancer and molecular therapeutics. Here, we have identified an alternative mechanism of action for the proapoptotic chimeric peptide D-NuBCP-9-r8. Integral to D-NuBCP-9-r8 is the Nur-77-derived D-isoform sequence fsrslhsll that targets Bcl-2, and the cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) octaarginine (r8) that is required for intracellular delivery. We find that the N-terminal phenylalanine of fsrslhsll acts in synergy with the cell-penetrating moiety to enhance peptide uptake at low nontoxic levels and cause rapid membrane blebbing and cell necrosis at higher (IC(50)) concentrations. These effects were not observed when a single phenylalanine-alanine mutation was introduced at the N-terminus of D-NuBCP-9-r8. Using primary samples from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients and cancer cell lines, we show that NuBCP-9-r8 induced toxicity, via membrane disruption, is independent of Bcl-2 expression. Overall, this study demonstrates a new mechanism of action for this peptide and cautions its use as a highly specific entity for targeting Bcl-2. For delivery of therapeutic peptides the work emphasizes that key amino acids in cargo, located several residues away from the cell-penetrating sequence, can significantly influence their cellular uptake and mode of action.
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Fricke T, Mart RJ, Watkins CL, Wiltshire M, Errington RJ, Smith PJ, Jones AT, Allemann RK. Chemical Synthesis of Cell-Permeable Apoptotic Peptides from in Vivo Produced Proteins. Bioconjug Chem 2011; 22:1763-7. [DOI: 10.1021/bc200338u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Fricke
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Robert J. Mart
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine L. Watkins
- School of Medicine,
- Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3XF, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Arwyn T. Jones
- Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3XF, United Kingdom
| | - Rudolf K. Allemann
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdom
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Vercauteren D, Piest M, van der Aa LJ, Al Soraj M, Jones AT, Engbersen JF, De Smedt SC, Braeckmans K. Flotillin-dependent endocytosis and a phagocytosis-like mechanism for cellular internalization of disulfide-based poly(amido amine)/DNA polyplexes. Biomaterials 2011; 32:3072-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.12.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2010] [Accepted: 12/27/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Davies R, Lowings M, Jones AT, Langrish CJ. Central line change in potential catheter-related bloodstream infection: target for intervention to reduce harm. Crit Care 2011. [PMCID: PMC3066904 DOI: 10.1186/cc9650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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