Modulation and targeting of calcium channels with ligand-drug conjugates for cancer therapy

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Quaternization of Vinyl/Alkynyl Pyridine enables ultrafast cysteine‐selective protein modification and charge modulation

Publication . Matos, Maria J.; Navo, Claudio D.; Hakala, Tuuli; Ferhati, Xhenti; Guerreiro, Ana; Hartmann, David; Bernardim, Barbara; Saar, Kadi L.; Compañón, Ismael; Corzana, Francisco; Knowles, Tuomas P. J.; Jiménez‐Osés, Gonzalo; Bernardes, Gonçalo J. L.

Quaternized vinyl- and alkynyl-pyridine reagents were shown to react in an ultrafast and selective manner with several cysteine-tagged proteins at near-stoichiometric quantities. We have demonstrated that this method can effectively create a homogenous antibody-drug conjugate that features a precise drug-to-antibody ratio of 2, which was stable in human plasma and retained its specificity towards Her2+ cells. Finally, the developed warhead introduces a +1 charge to the overall net charge of the protein, which enabled us to show that the electrophoretic mobility of the protein may be tuned through the simple attachment of a quaternized vinyl pyridinium reagent at the cysteine residues. We anticipate the generalized use of quaternized vinyl- and alkynyl-pyridine reagents not only for bioconjugation, but also as warheads for covalent inhibition and as tools to profile cysteine reactivity.

2019Journal article

Open access

Evaluation of linker length effects on a BET bromodomain probe

Publication . Traquete, Rui; Henderson, Elizabeth; Picaud, Sarah; Cal, Pedro M.S.D.; Sieglitz, Florian; Rodrigues, Tiago; Oliveira, Rudi; Filippakopoulos, Panagis; Bernardes, Gonçalo J. L.

Fueled by the therapeutic potential of the epigenetic machinery, BET bromodomains have seen high interest as drug targets. Herein, we introduce different linkers to a BET bromodomain benzodiazepine ligand (I-BET762) to gauge its implications in the development of hybrid drugs, imaging probes and small molecule drug conjugates. Biophysical studies confirmed minimal disruption to binding of the BRD4 cavity by the synthesized entities, which includes imaging probes. Target engagement was confirmed in a cellular context, but poor membrane diffusion was found despite efficient localization in the nuclei after membrane disruption. Our study highlights challenges and opportunities for the successful design of benzodiazepine-derived drug-delivery systems.

2019Journal article

Restricted access

Structure-based design of potent tumor-associated antigens: modulation of peptide presentation by single-atom O/S or O/SE substitutions at the glycosidic linkage

Publication . Compañón, Ismael; Guerreiro, Ana; Mangini, Vincenzo; Castro-López, Jorge; Escudero-Casao, Margarita; Avenoza, Alberto; Busto, Jesús H.; Castillón, Sergio; Jiménez-Barbero, Jesús; Asensio, Juan L.; Jiménez-Osés, Gonzalo; Boutureira, Omar; Peregrina, Jesús M.; Hurtado-Guerrero, Ramón; Fiammengo, Roberto; Bernardes, Gonçalo J. L.; Corzana, Francisco

GalNAc-glycopeptides derived from mucin MUC1 are an important class of tumor-associated antigens. α- O-glycosylation forces the peptide to adopt an extended conformation in solution, which is far from the structure observed in complexes with a model anti-MUC1 antibody. Herein, we propose a new strategy for designing potent antigen mimics based on modulating peptide/carbohydrate interactions by means of O → S/Se replacement at the glycosidic linkage. These minimal chemical modifications bring about two key structural changes to the glycopeptide. They increase the carbohydrate-peptide distance and change the orientation and dynamics of the glycosidic linkage. As a result, the peptide acquires a preorganized and optimal structure suited for antibody binding. Accordingly, these new glycopeptides display improved binding toward a representative anti-MUC1 antibody relative to the native antigens. To prove the potential of these glycopeptides as tumor-associated MUC1 antigen mimics, the derivative bearing the S-glycosidic linkage was conjugated to gold nanoparticles and tested as an immunogenic formulation in mice without any adjuvant, which resulted in a significant humoral immune response. Importantly, the mice antisera recognize cancer cells in biopsies of breast cancer patients with high selectivity. This finding demonstrates that the antibodies elicited against the mimetic antigen indeed recognize the naturally occurring antigen in its physiological context. Clinically, the exploitation of tumor-associated antigen mimics may contribute to the development of cancer vaccines and to the improvement of cancer diagnosis based on anti-MUC1 antibodies. The methodology presented here is of general interest for applications because it may be extended to modulate the affinity of biologically relevant glycopeptides toward their receptors.

2019Journal article

Restricted access

Brain-sparing sympathofacilitators mitigate obesity without adverse cardiovascular effects

Publication . Mahú, Inês; Barateiro, Andreia; Rial-Pensado, Eva; Martinéz-Sánchez, Noelia; Vaz, Sandra H.; Cal, Pedro M.S.D.; Jenkins, Benjamin; Rodrigues, Tiago M.; Cordeiro, Carlos; Costa, Miguel F.; Mendes, Raquel; Seixas, Elsa; Pereira, Mafalda M.A.; Kubasova, Nadiya; Gres, Vitka; Morris, Imogen; Temporão, Carolina; Olivares, Marta; Sanz, Yolanda; Koulman, Albert; Corzana, Francisco; Sebastião, Ana M; López, Miguel; Bernardes, Gonçalo J. L.; Domingos, Ana I.

Anti-obesity drugs in the amphetamine (AMPH) class act in the brain to reduce appetite and increase locomotion. They are also characterized by adverse cardiovascular effects with origin that, despite absence of any in vivo evidence, is attributed to a direct sympathomimetic action in the heart. Here, we show that the cardiac side effects of AMPH originate from the brain and can be circumvented by PEGylation (PEGyAMPH) to exclude its central action. PEGyAMPH does not enter the brain and facilitates SNS activity via theβ2-adrenoceptor, protecting mice against obesity by increasing lipolysis and thermogenesis, coupled to higher heat dissipation, which acts as an energy sink to increase energy expenditure without altering food intake or locomotor activity. Thus, we provide proof-of-principle for a novel class of exclusively peripheral anti-obesity sympathofacilitators that are devoid of any cardiovascular and brain-related side effects.

2020Journal article

Open access

Structural insights into TRPV2 activation by small molecules

Publication . Pumroy, Ruth A.; Protopopova, Anna D.; Fricke, Tabea C.; Lange, Iris U.; Haug, Ferdinand M.; Nguyen, Phuong T.; Gallo, Pamela N.; Sousa, Bárbara B.; Bernardes, Gonçalo J. L.; Yarov-Yarovoy, Vladimir; Leffler, Andreas; Moiseenkova-Bell, Vera Y.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) is involved in many critical physiological and pathophysiological processes, making it a promising drug target. Here we present cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of rat TRPV2 in lipid nanodiscs activated by 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) and propose a TRPV2-specific 2-ABP binding site at the interface of S5 of one monomer and the S4-S5 linker of the adjacent monomer. In silico docking and electrophysiological studies confirm the key role of His521 and Arg539 in 2-APB activation of TRPV2. Additionally, electrophysiological experiments show that the combination of 2-APB and cannabidiol has a synergetic effect on TRPV2 activation, and cryo-EM structures demonstrate that both drugs were able to bind simultaneously. Together, our cryo-EM structures represent multiple functional states of the channel, providing a native picture of TRPV2 activation by small molecules and a structural framework for the development of TRPV2-specific activators.

2022Journal article

Open access