- Browse by Subject
Browsing by Subject "DNA damage response"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 13
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item A New Drug Discovery Platform: Application to DNA Polymerase Eta and Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 1(MDPI, 2023-11-23) Das, Debanu; Duncton, Matthew A. J.; Georgiadis, Taxiarchis M.; Pellicena, Patricia; Clark, Jennifer; Sobol, Robert W.; Georgiadis, Millie M.; King-Underwood, John; Jobes, David V.; Chang, Caleb; Gao, Yang; Deacon, Ashley M.; Wilson, David M., III; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of MedicineThe ability to quickly discover reliable hits from screening and rapidly convert them into lead compounds, which can be verified in functional assays, is central to drug discovery. The expedited validation of novel targets and the identification of modulators to advance to preclinical studies can significantly increase drug development success. Our SaXPyTM (“SAR by X-ray Poses Quickly”) platform, which is applicable to any X-ray crystallography-enabled drug target, couples the established methods of protein X-ray crystallography and fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) with advanced computational and medicinal chemistry to deliver small molecule modulators or targeted protein degradation ligands in a short timeframe. Our approach, especially for elusive or “undruggable” targets, allows for (i) hit generation; (ii) the mapping of protein–ligand interactions; (iii) the assessment of target ligandability; (iv) the discovery of novel and potential allosteric binding sites; and (v) hit-to-lead execution. These advances inform chemical tractability and downstream biology and generate novel intellectual property. We describe here the application of SaXPy in the discovery and development of DNA damage response inhibitors against DNA polymerase eta (Pol η or POLH) and apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1 or APEX1). Notably, our SaXPy platform allowed us to solve the first crystal structures of these proteins bound to small molecules and to discover novel binding sites for each target.Item Chronic high fat feeding restricts islet mRNA translation initiation independently of ER stress via DNA damage and p53 activation(Springer Nature, 2017-06-19) Hatanaka, Masayuki; Anderson-Baucum, Emily; Lakhter, Alexander; Kono, Tatsuyoshi; Maier, Bernhard; Tersey, Sarah A.; Tanizawa, Yukio; Evans-Molina, Carmella; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Sims, Emily K.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineUnder conditions of high fat diet (HFD) consumption, glucose dyshomeostasis develops when β-cells are unable to adapt to peripheral insulin demands. Few studies have interrogated the molecular mechanisms of β-cell dysfunction at the level of mRNA translation under such conditions. We sought to address this issue through polyribosome profile analysis of islets from mice fed 16-weeks of 42% HFD. HFD-islet analysis revealed clear trends toward global reductions in mRNA translation with a significant reduction in the polyribosome/monoribosome ratio for Pdx1 mRNA. Transcriptional and translational analyses revealed endoplasmic reticulum stress was not the etiology of our findings. HFD-islets demonstrated evidence of oxidative stress and DNA damage, as well as activation of p53. Experiments in MIN-6 β-cells revealed that treatment with doxorubicin to directly induce DNA damage mimicked our observed effects in islets. Islets from animals treated with pioglitazone concurrently with HFD demonstrated a reversal of effects observed from HFD alone. Finally, HFD-islets demonstrated reduced expression of multiple ribosome biogenesis genes and the key translation initiation factor eIF4E. We propose a heretofore unappreciated effect of chronic HFD on β-cells, wherein continued DNA damage owing to persistent oxidative stress results in p53 activation and a resultant inhibition of mRNA translation.Item DNA repair in lung cancer: potential not yet reached(Future Medicine, 2016-04) Mamdani, Hirva; Jalal, Shadia I.; Medicine, School of MedicineItem Evaluation of topotecan and 10-hydroxycamptothecin on Toxoplasma gondii: Implications on baseline DNA damage and repair efficiency(Elsevier, 2023) Cristaldi, Constanza; Saldarriaga Cartagena, Ana M.; Ganuza, Agustina; Sullivan, William J., Jr.; Angel, Sergio O.; Vanagas, Laura; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of MedicineToxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite in the phylum Apicomplexa that causes toxoplasmosis in humans and animals worldwide. Despite its prevalence, there is currently no effective vaccine or treatment for chronic infection. Although there are therapies against the acute stage, prolonged use is toxic and poorly tolerated. This study aims to explore the potential of repurposing topotecan and 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) as drugs producing double strand breaks (DSBs) in T. gondii. DSBs are mainly repaired by Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) and Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ). Two T. gondii strains, RHΔHXGPRT and RHΔKU80, were used to compare the drug's effects on parasites. RHΔHXGPRT parasites may use both HRR and NHEJ pathways but RHΔKU80 lacks the KU80 protein needed for NHEJ, leaving only the HRR pathway. Here we demonstrate that topotecan and HCPT, both topoisomerase I venoms, affected parasite replication in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, variations in fluorescence intensity measurements for the H2A.X phosphorylation mark (γH2A.X), an indicator of DNA damage, were observed in intracellular parasites under drug treatment conditions. Interestingly, intracellular replicative parasites without drug treatment show a strong positive staining for γH2A.X, suggesting inherent DNA damage. Extracellular (non-replicating) parasites did not exhibit γH2A.X staining, indicating that the basal level of DNA damage is likely to be associated with replicative stress. A high rate of DNA replication stress possibly prompted the evolution of an efficient repair machinery in the parasite, making it an attractive target. Our findings show that topoisomerase 1 venoms are effective antiparasitics blocking T. gondii replication.Item Impact of Age and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 on DNA Damage Responses in UV-Irradiated Human Skin(MDPI, 2017-02-26) Kemp, Michael G.; Spandau, Dan F.; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Dermatology, School of MedicineThe growing incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) necessitates a thorough understanding of its primary risk factors, which include exposure to ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths of sunlight and age. Whereas UV radiation (UVR) has long been known to generate photoproducts in genomic DNA that promote genetic mutations that drive skin carcinogenesis, the mechanism by which age contributes to disease pathogenesis is less understood and has not been sufficiently studied. In this review, we highlight studies that have considered age as a variable in examining DNA damage responses in UV-irradiated skin and then discuss emerging evidence that the reduced production of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) by senescent fibroblasts in the dermis of geriatric skin creates an environment that negatively impacts how epidermal keratinocytes respond to UVR-induced DNA damage. In particular, recent data suggest that two principle components of the cellular response to DNA damage, including nucleotide excision repair and DNA damage checkpoint signaling, are both partially defective in keratinocytes with inactive IGF-1 receptors. Overcoming these tumor-promoting conditions in aged skin may therefore provide a way to lower aging-associated skin cancer risk, and thus we will consider how dermal wounding and related clinical interventions may work to rejuvenate the skin, re-activate IGF-1 signaling, and prevent the initiation of NMSC.Item In Vivo Targeting Replication Protein A for Cancer Therapy(Frontiers Media, 2022-02-18) VanderVere-Carozza, Pamela S.; Gavande, Navnath S.; Jalal, Shadia I.; Pollok, Karen E.; Ekinci, Elmira; Heyza, Joshua; Patrick, Steve M.; Masters, Andi; Turchi, John J.; Pawelczak, Katherine S.; Medicine, School of MedicineReplication protein A (RPA) plays essential roles in DNA replication, repair, recombination, and the DNA damage response (DDR). Retrospective analysis of lung cancer patient data demonstrates high RPA expression as a negative prognostic biomarker for overall survival in smoking-related lung cancers. Similarly, relative expression of RPA is a predictive marker for response to chemotherapy. These observations are consistent with the increase in RPA expression serving as an adaptive mechanism that allows tolerance of the genotoxic stress resulting from carcinogen exposure. We have developed second-generation RPA inhibitors (RPAis) that block the RPA-DNA interaction and optimized formulation for in vivo analyses. Data demonstrate that unlike first-generation RPAis, second-generation molecules show increased cellular permeability and induce cell death via apoptosis. Second-generation RPAis elicit single-agent in vitro anticancer activity across a broad spectrum of cancers, and the cellular response suggests existence of a threshold before chemical RPA exhaustion induces cell death. Chemical RPA inhibition potentiates the anticancer activity of a series of DDR inhibitors and traditional DNA-damaging cancer therapeutics. Consistent with chemical RPA exhaustion, we demonstrate that the effects of RPAi on replication fork dynamics are similar to other known DDR inhibitors. An optimized formulation of RPAi NERx 329 was developed that resulted in single-agent anticancer activity in two non-small cell lung cancer models. These data demonstrate a unique mechanism of action of RPAis eliciting a state of chemical RPA exhaustion and suggest they will provide an effective therapeutic option for difficult-to-treat lung cancers.Item Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Receptor Signaling Is Required for Optimal ATR-CHK1 Kinase Signaling in Ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated Human Keratinocytes(American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2017-01-27) Kemp, Michael G.; Spandau, Dan F.; Simman, Richard; Travers, Jeffrey B.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of MedicineUVB wavelengths of light induce the formation of photoproducts in DNA that are potentially mutagenic if not properly removed by the nucleotide excision repair machinery. As an additional mechanism to minimize the risk of mutagenesis, UVB-irradiated cells also activate a checkpoint signaling cascade mediated by the ATM and Rad3-related (ATR) and checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) kinases to transiently suppress DNA synthesis and cell cycle progression. Given that keratinocytes in geriatric skin display reduced activation of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and alterations in DNA repair rate, apoptosis, and senescence following UVB exposure, here we used cultured human keratinocytes in vitro and skin explants ex vivo to examine how IGF-1R activation status affects ATR-CHK1 kinase signaling and the inhibition of DNA replication following UVB irradiation. We find that disruption of IGF-1R signaling with small-molecule inhibitors or IGF-1 withdrawal partially abrogates both the phosphorylation and activation of CHK1 by ATR and the accompanying inhibition of chromosomal DNA synthesis in UVB-irradiated keratinocytes. A critical protein factor that mediates both ATR-CHK1 signaling and nucleotide excision repair is replication protein A, and we find that its accumulation on UVB-damaged chromatin is partially attenuated in cells with an inactive IGF-1R. These results indicate that mutagenesis and skin carcinogenesis in IGF-1-deficient geriatric skin may be caused by defects in multiple cellular responses to UVB-induced DNA damage, including through a failure to properly suppress DNA synthesis on UVB-damaged DNA templates.Item OB-Folds and Genome Maintenance: Targeting Protein–DNA Interactions for Cancer Therapy(MDPI, 2021-07-03) Par, Sui; Vaides, Sofia; VanderVere-Carozza, Pamela S.; Pawelczak, Katherine S.; Stewart, Jason; Turchi, John J.; Medicine, School of MedicineGenome stability and maintenance pathways along with their requisite proteins are critical for the accurate duplication of genetic material, mutation avoidance, and suppression of human diseases including cancer. Many of these proteins participate in these pathways by binding directly to DNA, and a subset employ oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding folds (OB-fold) to facilitate the protein-DNA interactions. OB-fold motifs allow for sequence independent binding to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and can serve to position specific proteins at specific DNA structures and then, via protein-protein interaction motifs, assemble the machinery to catalyze the replication, repair, or recombination of DNA. This review provides an overview of the OB-fold structural organization of some of the most relevant OB-fold containing proteins for oncology and drug discovery. We discuss their individual roles in DNA metabolism, progress toward drugging these motifs and their utility as potential cancer therapeutics. While protein-DNA interactions were initially thought to be undruggable, recent reports of success with molecules targeting OB-fold containing proteins suggest otherwise. The potential for the development of agents targeting OB-folds is in its infancy, but if successful, would expand the opportunities to impinge on genome stability and maintenance pathways for more effective cancer treatment.Item Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) overexpression enhances ionizing radiation-induced cancer formation in mice(American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2017-10-20) Li, Zhiguo; Liu, Jinghui; Li, Jie; Kong, Yifan; Sandusky, George; Rao, Xi; Liu, Yunlong; Wan, Jun; Liu, Xiaoqi; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of MedicinePolo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a serine/threonine protein kinase normally expressed in mitosis, is frequently up-regulated in multiple types of human tumors regardless of the cell cycle stage. However, the causal relationship between Plk1 up-regulation and tumorigenesis is incompletely investigated. To this end, using a conditional expression system, here we generated Plk1 transgenic mouse lines to examine the role of Plk1 in tumorigenesis. Plk1 overexpression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts prepared from the transgenic mice led to aberrant mitosis followed by aneuploidy and apoptosis. Surprisingly, Plk1 overexpression had no apparent phenotypes in the mice. Given that no malignant tumor formation was observed even after a long period of Plk1 overexpression, we reasoned that additional factors are required for tumorigenesis in Plk1-overexpressing mice. Because Plk1 can directly participate in the regulation of the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway, we challenged Plk1-overexpressing mice with ionizing radiation (IR) and found that Plk1-overexpressing mice are much more sensitive to IR than their wild-type littermates. Analysis of tumor development in the Plk1-overexpressing mice indicated a marked decrease in the time required for tumor emergence after IR. At the molecular level, Plk1 overexpression led to reduced phosphorylation of the serine/threonine kinases ATM and Chk2 and of histone H2AX after IR treatment both in vivo and in vitro Furthermore, RNA-Seq analysis suggested that Plk1 elevation decreases the expression of several DDR genes. We conclude that Plk1 overexpression may contribute to tumor formation by both inducing chromosomal instability and suppressing the DDR pathway.Item Recent Advances in the Development of Non-PIKKs Targeting Small Molecule Inhibitors of DNA Double-Strand Break Repair(Frontiers Media, 2022-04-06) Kelm, Jeremy M.; Samarbakhsh, Amirreza; Pillai, Athira; VanderVere-Carozza, Pamela S.; Aruri, Hariprasad; Pandey, Deepti S.; Pawelczak, Katherine S.; Turchi, John J.; Gavande, Navnath S.; Medicine, School of MedicineThe vast majority of cancer patients receive DNA-damaging drugs or ionizing radiation (IR) during their course of treatment, yet the efficacy of these therapies is tempered by DNA repair and DNA damage response (DDR) pathways. Aberrations in DNA repair and the DDR are observed in many cancer subtypes and can promote de novo carcinogenesis, genomic instability, and ensuing resistance to current cancer therapy. Additionally, stalled or collapsed DNA replication forks present a unique challenge to the double-strand DNA break (DSB) repair system. Of the various inducible DNA lesions, DSBs are the most lethal and thus desirable in the setting of cancer treatment. In mammalian cells, DSBs are typically repaired by the error prone non-homologous end joining pathway (NHEJ) or the high-fidelity homology directed repair (HDR) pathway. Targeting DSB repair pathways using small molecular inhibitors offers a promising mechanism to synergize DNA-damaging drugs and IR while selective inhibition of the NHEJ pathway can induce synthetic lethality in HDR-deficient cancer subtypes. Selective inhibitors of the NHEJ pathway and alternative DSB-repair pathways may also see future use in precision genome editing to direct repair of resulting DSBs created by the HDR pathway. In this review, we highlight the recent advances in the development of inhibitors of the non-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related kinases (non-PIKKs) members of the NHEJ, HDR and minor backup SSA and alt-NHEJ DSB-repair pathways. The inhibitors described within this review target the non-PIKKs mediators of DSB repair including Ku70/80, Artemis, DNA Ligase IV, XRCC4, MRN complex, RPA, RAD51, RAD52, ERCC1-XPF, helicases, and DNA polymerase θ. While the DDR PIKKs remain intensely pursued as therapeutic targets, small molecule inhibition of non-PIKKs represents an emerging opportunity in drug discovery that offers considerable potential to impact cancer treatment.