Theranostics 2021; 11(14):6833-6846. doi:10.7150/thno.59020 This issue Cite
Research Paper
1. Department of Talent Highland, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
2. Ophthalmology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
3. National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biodiagnosis and Biotherapy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China.
4. School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
5. School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an 710061, China.
6. Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China.
7. Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, 45267 OH, USA.
8. School of Basic Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 20433, China.
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
As alternatives to small-molecular proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC), peptide-based molecular glues (MG) are a broad range of dual-functional ligands that simultaneously bind with targetable proteins and E3 ligases by mimicking proteinprotein interaction (PPI) partners.
Methods: Herein, we design a peptide-derived MG to target a tumor-driving protein, MDMX, for degradation, and nanoengineered it into a supramolecular gold(I)-thiol-peptide complex (Nano-MP) to implement the proteolysis recalcitrance, cellular internalization, and glutathione-triggered release. To optimize the tumor targeting, a pH-responsive macromolecule termed polyacryl sulfydryl imidazole (PSI) was synthesized to coat Nano-MP.
Results: As expected, Nano-MP@PSI induced the MDMX degradation by ubiquitination and subsequently restored the anti-cancer function of p53 and p73. Nano-MP@PSI revealed potent anti-cancer activities in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model of retinoblastoma by intraocular injection and a patient-derived xenograft model of malignant pancreatic cancer by systemic injection, while maintaining a favorable safety profile and showing a highly favorable clearable profile of excretion from the living body.
Conclusion: Collectively, this work not only provided a clinically viable paradigm for the treatment of a wide variety of tumors by multiple administration types, but, more importantly, it bridged the chasm between peptides and PROTACs, and likely reinvigorated the development of peptide-derived proteolysis-targeting chimeras for a great variety of diseases.
Keywords: Protein targeted degradation, Peptide, p53, Anti-cancer therapy, Supermolecule