Structure-Guided Synthesis and Evaluation of Small-Molecule Inhibitors Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions of BRCA1 tBRCT Domain.

The tandem BRCT domains (tBRCT) of BRCA1 engage phosphoserine-containing motifs in target proteins to propagate intracellular signals initiated by DNA damage, thereby controlling cell cycle arrest and DNA repair. Recently, we identified Bractoppin, the first small-molecule inhibitor of the BRCA1 tBRCT domain, which selectively interrupts BRCA1-mediated cellular responses evoked by DNA damage. Here, we combine structure-guided chemical elaboration, protein mutagenesis and cellular assays to define the structural features responsible for Bractoppin's activity. Bractoppin fails to bind mutant forms of BRCA1 tBRCT bearing K1702A, a key residue mediating phosphopeptide recognition, or F1662R or L1701K that adjoin the pSer-recognition site. However, the M1775R mutation, which engages the Phe residue in the consensus phosphopeptide motif pSer-X-X-Phe, does not affect Bractoppin binding, confirming a binding mode distinct from the substrate phosphopeptide binding. We explored these structural features through structure-guided chemical elaboration and characterized structure-activity relationships (SARs) in biochemical assays. Two analogues, CCBT2088 and CCBT2103 were effective in abrogating BRCA1 foci formation and inhibiting G2 arrest induced by irradiation of cells. Collectively, our findings reveal structural features underlying the activity of a novel inhibitor of phosphopeptide recognition by the BRCA1 tBRCT domain, providing fresh insights to guide the development of inhibitors that target protein-protein interactions.

Infectivity of adeno-associated virus serotypes in mouse testis.

BACKGROUND: Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are emerging as favoured transgene delivery vectors for both research applications and gene therapy. In this context, a thorough investigation of the potential of various AAV serotypes to transduce specific cell types is valuable. Here, we rigorously tested the infectivity of a number of AAV serotypes in murine testis by direct testicular injection. RESULTS: We report the tropism of serotypes AAV2, 5, 8, 9 and AAVrh10 in mouse testis. We reveal unique infectivity of AAV2 and AAV9, which preferentially target intertubular testosterone-producing Leydig cells. Remarkably, AAV2 TM, a mutant for capsid designed to increase transduction, displayed a dramatic alteration in tropism; it infiltrated seminiferous tubules unlike wildtype AAV2 and transduced Sertoli cells. However, none of the AAVs tested infected spermatogonial cells. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of direct testicular injection, none of the tested AAVs appeared to infect sperm progenitors as assayed by reporter expression. This lends support to the current view that AAVs are safe gene-therapy vehicles. However, testing the presence of rAAV genomic DNA in germ cells is necessary to assess the risk of individual serotypes.

Targeting Phosphopeptide Recognition by the Human BRCA1 Tandem BRCT Domain to Interrupt BRCA1-Dependent Signaling.

Intracellular signals triggered by DNA breakage flow through proteins containing BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminal) domains. This family, comprising 23 conserved phosphopeptide-binding modules in man, is inaccessible to small-molecule chemical inhibitors. Here, we develop Bractoppin, a drug-like inhibitor of phosphopeptide recognition by the human BRCA1 tandem (t)BRCT domain, which selectively inhibits substrate binding with nanomolar potency in vitro. Structure-activity exploration suggests that Bractoppin engages BRCA1 tBRCT residues recognizing pSer in the consensus motif, pSer-Pro-Thr-Phe, plus an abutting hydrophobic pocket that is distinct in structurally related BRCT domains, conferring selectivity. In cells, Bractoppin inhibits substrate recognition detected by Förster resonance energy transfer, and diminishes BRCA1 recruitment to DNA breaks, in turn suppressing damage-induced G2 arrest and assembly of the recombinase, RAD51. But damage-induced MDC1 recruitment, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) generation, and TOPBP1 recruitment remain unaffected. Thus, an inhibitor of phosphopeptide recognition selectively interrupts BRCA1 tBRCT-dependent signals evoked by DNA damage.

Upregulated, 7q21-22 amplicon candidate gene SHFM1 confers oncogenic advantage by suppressing p53 function in gastric cancer.

Chromosomal aberrations are hallmarks of cancers and the locus of frequent genomic amplifications often harbors key cancer driver genes. Many genomic amplicons remain larger with hundreds of genes and the key drivers remain to be identified by an amplification-wide systematic analysis. The 7q21.12-q22.3 genomic amplification is frequent in gastric cancers which occur in ~10% of the patients and multiple cell lines. This 7q21.12-q22.3 amplicon has not yet been completely analyzed towards identifying the driver genes and their functional contribution in oncogenesis. The amplitude and prevalence indicate the important role conferred by this amplicon in gastric cancers. Among the 159 genes of this amplicon, 12 genes are found over-expressed in primary gastric tumors and cell lines. Many of the over-expressed genes show negative association with p53 transcriptional activity. RNAi based functional screening of the genes reveal, SHFM1 as key gastric cancer driver gene. SHFM1 confers cell cycle progression and resistance to p53 stabilizing drugs in gastric cancer cells. SHFM1 also activates Src, MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. This is the first integrative genomic investigation of 7q21.12-q22.3 amplicon revealing the potential oncogenic candidacy of 12 genes. The oncogenic contribution of SHFM1, mediated by the p53 suppressive feature has been demonstrated in gastric cancer cells.

Transcriptional coexpression network reveals the involvement of varying stem cell features with different dysregulations in different gastric cancer subtypes.

Despite the advancements in the cancer therapeutics, gastric cancer ranks as the second most common cancers with high global mortality rate. Integrative functional genomic investigation is a powerful approach to understand the major dysregulations and to identify the potential targets toward the development of targeted therapeutics for various cancers. Intestinal and diffuse type gastric tumors remain the major subtypes and the molecular determinants and drivers of these distinct subtypes remain unidentified. In this investigation, by exploring the network of gene coexpression association in gastric tumors, mRNA expressions of 20,318 genes across 200 gastric tumors were categorized into 21 modules. The genes and the hub genes of the modules show gastric cancer subtype specific expression. The expression patterns of the modules were correlated with intestinal and diffuse subtypes as well as with the differentiation status of gastric tumors. Among these, G1 module has been identified as a major driving force of diffuse type gastric tumors with the features of (i) enriched mesenchymal, mesenchymal stem cell like, and mesenchymal derived multiple lineages, (ii) elevated OCT1 mediated transcription, (iii) involvement of Notch activation, and (iv) reduced polycomb mediated epigenetic repression. G13 module has been identified as key factor in intestinal type gastric tumors and found to have the characteristic features of (i) involvement of embryonic stem cell like properties, (ii) Wnt, MYC and E2F mediated transcription programs, and (iii) involvement of polycomb mediated repression. Thus the differential transcription programs, differential epigenetic regulation and varying stem cell features involved in two major subtypes of gastric cancer were delineated by exploring the gene coexpression network. The identified subtype specific dysregulations could be optimally employed in developing subtype specific therapeutic targeting strategies for gastric cancer.

Stratification and delineation of gastric cancer signaling by in vitro transcription factor activity profiling and integrative genomics.

Integrative functional genomic approaches are helpful in delineating the complex dysregulations in cancers. In the present study, in vitro activity profiling of 45 signaling pathway driven transcription factors in eight gastric cancer cell lines and direct comparison with genome-wide profiles of gastric tumors were performed and the integration resulted in the identification of three categories of factors/pathways: i) highly activated signaling pathways that stem from mutations are the critical oncogenic drivers, ii) constitutively activated stress responsive pathways which are activated not due to genetic alterations, and iii) consistently down-regulated nuclear receptor responsive factors. This functional profiling helps in discriminating therapeutic targets and signaling interactions.

Breast tumors with elevated expression of 1q candidate genes confer poor clinical outcome and sensitivity to Ras/PI3K inhibition.

Genomic aberrations are common in cancers and the long arm of chromosome 1 is known for its frequent amplifications in breast cancer. However, the key candidate genes of 1q, and their contribution in breast cancer pathogenesis remain unexplored. We have analyzed the gene expression profiles of 1635 breast tumor samples using meta-analysis based approach and identified clinically significant candidates from chromosome 1q. Seven candidate genes including exonuclease 1 (EXO1) are consistently over expressed in breast tumors, specifically in high grade and aggressive breast tumors with poor clinical outcome. We derived a EXO1 co-expression module from the mRNA profiles of breast tumors which comprises 1q candidate genes and their co-expressed genes. By integrative functional genomics investigation, we identified the involvement of EGFR, RAS, PI3K / AKT, MYC, E2F signaling in the regulation of these selected 1q genes in breast tumors and breast cancer cell lines. Expression of EXO1 module was found as indicative of elevated cell proliferation, genomic instability, activated RAS/AKT/MYC/E2F1 signaling pathways and loss of p53 activity in breast tumors. mRNA-drug connectivity analysis indicates inhibition of RAS/PI3K as a possible targeted therapeutic approach for the patients with activated EXO1 module in breast tumors. Thus, we identified seven 1q candidate genes strongly associated with the poor survival of breast cancer patients and identified the possibility of targeting them with EGFR/RAS/PI3K inhibitors.

Polyethylene glycol-modified gelatin/polylactic acid nanoparticles for enhanced photodynamic efficacy of a hypocrellin derivative in vitro.

The present study focused on the development of a novel biodegradable nanoparticle system based on polyethyleneglycol-modified gelatin (PEG-GEL) and polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers for improving the photodynamic efficacy of cyclohexane-1,2-diamino hypocrellin B (CHA2HB), a potent photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) agent. The CHA2HB-loaded PEG-GEL/PLA nanoparticles showed near-spherical morphology with an average size of 190 nm at a PLA to PEG-GEL ratio of 1:3. The drug loading was sufficient enough to produce potentially toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) needed for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Slow and controlled drug release was observed in normal conditions, whereas enzyme assistance resulted in a relatively fast release due to partial disintegration of CHA2HB-loaded PEG-GEL/PLA nanoparticles. In vitro experiments indicated that CHA2HB-loaded PEG-GEL-PLA nanoparticles are efficiently taken up by cancer cells such as human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), human gastric sarcoma (AGS) and mice specific Dalton's lymphoma (DLA) in a time dependent manner. Further, CHA2HB-loaded PEG-GEL/PLA nanoparticles evoked superior phototoxicity compared to free-CHA2HB towards all the three cell lines investigated. Interestingly, PDT effectiveness was different for the different cell type studied. CHA2HB-loaded PEG-GEL/PLA nanoparticles induced both apoptotic and necrotic cell death as a result of photoirradiation. Thus, our data suggest that PEG-GEL/PLA nanoparticles are highly effective in delivery and phototoxic enhancement of CHA2HB against model cancer cells in vitro.