Achieving efficient in vivo delivery of siRNA to the appropriate target cell would be a major advance in the use of RNAi in gene function studies and as a therapeutic modality. Hepatocytes, the key ...parenchymal cells of the liver, are a particularly attractive target cell type for siRNA delivery given their central role in several infectious and metabolic disorders. We have developed a vehicle for the delivery of siRNA to hepatocytes both in vitro and in vivo, which we have named siRNA Dynamic PolyConjugates. Key features of the Dynamic PolyConjugate technology include a membrane-active polymer, the ability to reversibly mask the activity of this polymer until it reaches the acidic environment of endosomes, and the ability to target this modified polymer and its siRNA cargo specifically to hepatocytes in vivo after simple, low-pressure i.v. injection. Using this delivery technology, we demonstrate effective knockdown of two endogenous genes in mouse liver: apolipoprotein B (apoB) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (ppara). Knockdown of apoB resulted in clear phenotypic changes that included a significant reduction in serum cholesterol and increased fat accumulation in the liver, consistent with the known functions of apoB. Knockdown of ppara also resulted in a phenotype consistent with its known function, although with less penetrance than observed in apoB knockdown mice. Analyses of serum liver enzyme and cytokine levels in treated mice indicated that the siRNA Dynamic PolyConjugate was nontoxic and well tolerated.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Targeted therapy against VEGF and mTOR pathways has been established as the standard-of-care for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); however, these treatments frequently fail and most ...patients become refractory requiring subsequent alternative therapeutic options. Therefore, development of innovative and effective treatments is imperative. About 80%-90% of ccRCC tumors express an inactive mutant form of the von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that promotes target protein degradation. Strong genetic and experimental evidence supports the correlate that pVHL functional loss leads to the accumulation of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF2α) and that an overabundance of HIF2α functions as a tumorigenic driver of ccRCC. In this report, we describe an RNAi therapeutic for HIF2α that utilizes a targeting ligand that selectively binds to integrins αvβ3 and αvβ5 frequently overexpressed in ccRCC. We demonstrate that functional delivery of a HIF2α-specific RNAi trigger resulted in HIF2α gene silencing and subsequent tumor growth inhibition and degeneration in an established orthotopic ccRCC xenograft model.
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Protease-triggered siRNA delivery vehicles Rozema, David B; Blokhin, Andrei V; Wakefield, Darren H ...
Journal of controlled release,
07/2015, Volume:
209
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The safe and efficacious delivery of membrane impermeable therapeutics requires cytoplasmic access without the toxicity of nonspecific cytoplasmic membrane lysis. We have developed a mechanism for ...control of cytoplasmic release which utilizes endogenous proteases as a trigger and results in functional delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA). The delivery approach is based on reversible inhibition of membrane disruptive polymers with protease-sensitive substrates. Proteolytic hydrolysis upon endocytosis restores the membrane destabilizing activity of the polymers thereby allowing cytoplasmic access of the co-delivered siRNA. Protease-sensitive polymer masking reagents derived from polyethylene glycol (PEG), which inhibit membrane interactions, and N-acetylgalactosamine, which targets asialoglycoprotein receptors on hepatocytes, were synthesized and used to formulate masked polymer-siRNA delivery vehicles. The size, charge and stability of the vehicles enable functional delivery of siRNA after subcutaneous administration and, with modification of the targeting ligand, have the potential for extrahepatic targeting.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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•N-terminal fragment of the HIV enhancer prostatic acid phosphatase peptide PAP(248-286) was synthesized and characterized.•Spatial structure of the peptide in water and in complex ...with sodium dodecyl sulfate was revealed.•Complex formation was confirmed by 1H NMR spectra.
Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is an enzyme that facilitates infection of cells by HIV. Its peptide fragment PAP(248-286) forms amyloid fibrils known as SEVI, which enhance attachment of the virus by viral adhesion to the host cell prior to receptor-specific binding via reducing the electrostatic repulsion between the membranes of the virus and the target cell. The secondary structure of PAP(248-286) in aqueous and SDS solutions can be divided into an N-terminal disordered region, an α-helical central part and an α/310-helical C-terminal region (Nanga et al., 2009). In this work, we used NMR spectroscopy to study the spatial structure of the isolated N-terminal fragment of PAP(248-286), PAP(248-261) (GIHKQKEKSRLQGG), in aqueous and SDS micelle solutions. Formation of a PAP(248-261)-SDS complex was confirmed by chemical shift alterations in the 1H NMR spectra of the peptide, as well as by the signs and values of Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE). In addition, the PAP(248-261) peptide does not form any specified secondary structure in either aqueous or SDS solutions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) assembles into amyloid fibrils that facilitate infection by HIV. Its peptide fragments PAP(248–286) and PAP(85–120) also enhance attachment of the virus by viral ...adhesion to the host cell prior to receptor-specific binding via reducing the electrostatic repulsion between the membranes of the virus and the target cell. The secondary structure of monomeric PAP(248–286) in a biomembrane-mimicking environment can be separated into an N-terminal unordered region, an α-helical central domain, and an α/3
10
-helical C-terminal section (Nanga et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131:17972–17979,
2009
). In this work, we used two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) spectroscopy techniques to study spatial structures of isolated central PAP(262–270) and C-terminal PAP(274–284) fragments of PAP(248–286) in SDS micelle solutions. NMR studies revealed the formation of complexes of both peptides with SDS micelles, with attraction to the micelle membranes occurring mainly through nonpolar and uncharged residues of the peptides. We demonstrate that, when interacting with SDS micelles, PAP(262–270) and PAP(274–284) form α-helical and 3
10
-helical secondary structures, respectively, similar to that found previously for the 39-residue PAP(248–286).
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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Thermodynamics of Ethyl Decanoate Zaitsau, Dzmitry H; Paulechka, Yauheni U; Blokhin, Andrey V ...
Journal of chemical and engineering data,
11/2009, Volume:
54, Issue:
11
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The heat capacity of ethyl decanoate in the interval of (5 to 370) K was measured in an adiabatic calorimeter. The triple-point temperature T fus = (253.60 ± 0.02) K and the enthalpy of fusion Δcr ...liq H m ° = (32.29 ± 0.04) kJ·mol−1 were determined. The vapor pressure over liquid ethyl decanoate in the interval of (294 to 323) K was measured by the Knudsen method. The calorimetric enthalpy of vaporization Δliq g H m °(304.8 K) = (69.9 ± 0.7) kJ·mol−1 was determined in an MID-200 Calvet-type microcalorimeter. The standard enthalpy of formation for liquid ethyl decanoate at 298.15 K Δf H m °(liq) = (−682.7 ± 2.4) kJ·mol−1 was determined in a static bomb combustion calorimeter. From these data, the standard enthalpy of formation for gaseous ethyl decanoate was evaluated to be Δf H m °(g) = (−612.2 ± 2.4) kJ·mol−1. The formation enthalpy was also calculated using quantum chemical methods via homodesmic reactions at different theory levels. The results are in excellent agreement with the experimental value.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) hybrid imaging can be used to gain insights into a synthetic siRNA delivery system targeted to the liver. Either siRNA or the delivery ...vehicle was labeled with 64Cu via 1, 4, 7, 10- tetraazacyclododecane- 1, 4, 7, 10- tetraacetic acid (DOTA) chelation. This study confirmed that the siRNA delivery system was successfully targeted to the liver. Incorporation of the siRNA into the delivery system protected the siRNA from renal filtration long enough so that the siRNA could be delivered to the liver. PET/CT imaging was important for confirming biodistribution and for determining differences in the distribution of labeled siRNA, siRNA incorporated into the delivery system, and the delivery system without siRNA.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
GDP inhibits paclitaxel-induced tubulin assembly without GTP when the tubulin bears GDP in the exchangeable site (E-site). Initially, we thought inhibition was mediated through the E-site, since ...small amounts of GTP or Mg
2+, which favors GTP binding to the E-site, reduced inhibition by GDP. We thought trace GTP released from the nonexchangeable site (N-site) by tubulin denaturation was required for polymer nucleation, but microtubule length was unaffected by GDP. Further, enhancing polymer nucleation reduced inhibition by GDP. Other mechanisms involving the E-site were eliminated experimentally. Upon finding that ATP weakly inhibited paclitaxel-induced assembly, we concluded that another ligand binding site was responsible for these inhibitory effects, and we found that GDP was not binding at the taxoid, colchicine, or vinca sites. There may therefore be a lower affinity site on tubulin to which GDP can bind distinct from the E- and N-sites, possibly on α-tubulin, based on molecular modeling studies.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Fibrinopeptide B (GluFib) is one of the factors of thrombosis. Normal blood protein soluble, fibrinogen (fibrinopeptide A and fibrinopeptide B), is transformed into the insoluble, fibrin, which in ...the form of filaments adheres to the vessel wall at the site of injury, forming a grid. However, the spatial structure of this peptide has not been established till now. In this article, GluFib peptide is investigated together with dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles which were used for mimicking the environment of peptide in blood vessels. The spatial structure was obtained by applying 1D and 2D 1H–1H NMR spectroscopy (TOCSY, NOESY). It was shown that the fibrinopeptide B does not have a secondary structure but we can distinguish the fragment Gly 9 – Arg 14 with a good convergence (the backbone RMSD for the Gly9 – Arg14 is 0.18 ± 0.08 Å).
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•Fibrinopeptide B (GluFib) was synthesized and characterized.•Spatial structure of the peptide in water and in complex with dodecylphosphocholine was revealed.•Complex formation was confirmed by 1H NMR spectra.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Many of estrogen's effects on vascular reactivity are mediated through interaction with estrogen receptors (1, 2, 3). Although two sub-types exist (estrogen receptor -α and β),estrogen receptor-α has ...been identified in both the smooth muscle and in endothelial cells of pial arterial segments using fluorescent staining combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy (4). Furthermore, ER-α is located in the nuclei and in the cytoplasm of rat basilar arteries (5). The receptors are abundant and fluoresce brightly, but clear visualization of discrete groups of receptors is difficult likely due to the numbers located in many cell layers of pial vessel segments. Additionally, many reports using immunohistochemical techniques paired with confocal microscopy poorly detail the requirements critical for reproduction of experiments (6). Our purpose for this article is to describe a simple technique to optimize the staining and visualization of ER-α using cross-sectional slices of pial arterioles obtain from female rat brains. We first perfuse rats with Evans blue dye to easily identify surface pial arteries which we isolate under a dissecting microscope. Use of a cryostat to slice 8 μm cross sections of the arteries allows us to obtain thin vessel sections so that different vessel planes are more clearly visualized. Cutting across the vessel rather than use of a small vessel segment has the advantage of easier viewing of the endothelial and smooth muscle layers. In addition, use of a digital immunofluorescent microscope with extended depth software produces clear images of ten to twelve different vessel planes and is less costly than use of a confocal laser scanning microscope.
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