Sorcin promotes migration in cancer and regulates the EGF-dependent EGFR signaling pathways.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the main tumor drivers and is an important therapeutic target for many cancers. Calcium is important in EGFR signaling pathways. Sorcin is one of the most important calcium sensor proteins, overexpressed in many tumors, that promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, malignant progression and resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. The present work elucidates a functional mechanism that links calcium homeostasis to EGFR signaling in cancer. Sorcin and EGFR expression are significantly correlated and associated with reduced overall survival in cancer patients. Mechanistically, Sorcin directly binds EGFR protein in a calcium-dependent fashion and regulates calcium (dys)homeostasis linked to EGF-dependent EGFR signaling. Moreover, Sorcin controls EGFR proteostasis and signaling and increases its phosphorylation, leading to increased EGF-dependent migration and invasion. Of note, silencing of Sorcin cooperates with EGFR inhibitors in the regulation of migration, highlighting calcium signaling pathway as an exploitable target to enhance the effectiveness of EGFR-targeting therapies.

Investigation of the Entry Pathway and Molecular Nature of σ1 Receptor Ligands.

The σ1 receptor (σ1-R) is an enigmatic endoplasmic reticulum resident transmembrane protein implicated in a variety of central nervous system disorders and whose agonists have neuroprotective activity. In spite of σ1-R's physio-pathological and pharmacological importance, two of the most important features required to fully understand σ1-R function, namely the receptor endogenous ligand(s) and the molecular mechanism of ligand access to the binding site, have not yet been unequivocally determined. In this work, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to help clarify the potential route of access of ligand(s) to the σ1-R binding site, on which discordant results had been reported in the literature. Further, we combined computational and experimental procedures (i.e., virtual screening (VS), electron density map fitting and fluorescence titration experiments) to provide indications about the nature of σ1-R endogenous ligand(s). Our MD simulations on human σ1-R suggested that ligands access the binding site through a cavity that opens on the protein surface in contact with the membrane, in agreement with previous experimental studies on σ1-R from Xenopus laevis. Additionally, steroids were found to be among the preferred σ1-R ligands predicted by VS, and 16,17-didehydroprogesterone was shown by fluorescence titration to bind human σ1-R, with significantly higher affinity than the prototypic σ1-R ligand pridopidine in the same essay. These results support the hypothesis that steroids are among the most important physiological σ1-R ligands.

Inhibition of Leishmania infantum Trypanothione Reductase by New Aminopropanone Derivatives Interacting with the NADPH Binding Site.

BACKGROUND: As a result of the paucity of treatment, Leishmaniasis continues to provoke about 60,000 deaths every year worldwide. New molecules are needed, and drug discovery research is oriented toward targeting proteins crucial for parasite survival. Among them, trypanothione reductase (TR) is of remarkable interest owing to its vital role in Leishmania species protozoan parasite life. Our previously identified compound 1 is a novel chemotype endowed with a unique mode of TR inhibition thanks to its binding to a formerly unknown but druggable site at the entrance of the NADPH binding cavity, absent in human glutathione reductase (hGR). METHODS: We designed and synthesized new 3-amino-1-arylpropan-1-one derivatives structurally related to compound 1 and evaluated their potential inhibition activity on TR from Leishmania infantum (LiTR). Cluster docking was performed to assess the binding poses of the compounds. RESULTS: The newly synthesized compounds were screened at a concentration of 100 µM in in vitro assays and all of them proved to be active with residual activity percentages lower than 75%. CONCLUSIONS: Compounds 2a and 2b were the most potent inhibitors found, suggesting that an additional aromatic ring might be promising for enzymatic inhibition. Further structure-activity relationships are needed to optimize our compounds activity.

ERp57 chaperon protein protects neuronal cells from Aß-induced toxicity.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder whose main pathological hallmark is the accumulation of Amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) in the form of senile plaques. Aß can cause neurodegeneration and disrupt cognitive functions by several mechanisms, including oxidative stress. ERp57 is a protein disulfide isomerase involved in the cellular stress response and known to be present in the cerebrospinal fluid of normal individuals as a complex with Aß peptides, suggesting that it may be a carrier protein which prevents aggregation of Aß. Although several studies show ERp57 involvement in neurodegenerative diseases, no clear mechanism of action has been identified thus far. In this work, we gain insights into the interaction of Aß with ERp57, with a special focus on the contribution of ERp57 to the defense system of the cell. Here, we show that recombinant ERp57 directly interacts with the Aß25-35 fragment in vitro with high affinity via two in silico-predicted main sites of interaction. Furthermore, we used human neuroblastoma cells to show that short-term Aß25-35 treatment induces ERp57 decrease in intracellular protein levels, different intracellular localization, and ERp57 secretion in the cultured medium. Finally, we demonstrate that recombinant ERp57 counteracts the toxic effects of Aß25-35 and restores cellular viability, by preventing Aß25-35 aggregation. Overall, the present study shows that extracellular ERp57 can exert a protective effect from Aß toxicity and highlights it as a possible therapeutic tool in the treatment of AD.

Taxanes in cancer treatment: Activity, chemoresistance and its overcoming.

Since 1984, when paclitaxel was approved by the FDA for the treatment of advanced ovarian carcinoma, taxanes have been widely used as microtubule-targeting antitumor agents. However, their historic classification as antimitotics does not describe all their functions. Indeed, taxanes act in a complex manner, altering multiple cellular oncogenic processes including mitosis, angiogenesis, apoptosis, inflammatory response, and ROS production. On the one hand, identification of the diverse effects of taxanes on oncogenic signaling pathways provides opportunities to apply these cytotoxic drugs in a more rational manner. On the other hand, this may facilitate the development of novel treatment modalities to surmount anticancer drug resistance. In the latter respect, chemoresistance remains a major impediment which limits the efficacy of antitumor chemotherapy. Taxanes have shown impact on key molecular mechanisms including disruption of mitotic spindle, mitosis slippage and inhibition of angiogenesis. Furthermore, there is an emerging contribution of cellular processes including autophagy, oxidative stress, epigenetic alterations and microRNAs deregulation to the acquisition of taxane resistance. Hence, these two lines of findings are currently promoting a more rational and efficacious taxane application as well as development of novel molecular strategies to enhance the efficacy of taxane-based cancer treatment while overcoming drug resistance. This review provides a general and comprehensive picture on the use of taxanes in cancer treatment. In particular, we describe the history of application of taxanes in anticancer therapeutics, the synthesis of the different drugs belonging to this class of cytotoxic compounds, their features and the differences between them. We further dissect the molecular mechanisms of action of taxanes and the molecular basis underlying the onset of taxane resistance. We further delineate the possible modalities to overcome chemoresistance to taxanes, such as increasing drug solubility, delivery and pharmacokinetics, overcoming microtubule alterations or mitotic slippage, inhibiting drug efflux pumps or drug metabolism, targeting redox metabolism, immune response, and other cellular functions.

Exogenous peptides are able to penetrate human cell and mitochondrial membranes, stabilize mitochondrial tRNA structures, and rescue severe mitochondrial defects.

Mutations in mitochondrial transfer RNA (mt-tRNA) genes are responsible for a wide range of syndromes, for which no effective treatment is available. We previously reported that transfection of the nucleotide sequence encoding for the 16-residue ß32_33 peptide from mitochondrial leucyl-tRNA synthetase ameliorates the cell phenotype caused by the mitochondrial tRNA mutations. In this work, we demonstrated that both the ß32_33 peptide linked with the known (L)-Phe-(D)-Arg-(L)-Phe-(L)-Lys (FrFK) mitochondrial penetrating sequence and, strikingly, the ß32_33 peptide per se, are able to penetrate both the plasma and mitochondrial membranes and exert the rescuing activity when exogenously administered to cells bearing the mutations m.3243A > G and m.8344A > G. These mutations are responsible for the most common and severe mt-tRNA-related diseases. In addition, we dissected the molecular determinants of constructs activity by showing that both the order of amino acids along the sequence and presence of positive charges are essential determinants of the peptide activity in cells and mt-tRNA structures stabilization in vitro. In view of future in vivo studies, this information may be required to design of ß32_33 peptide-mimetic derivatives. The ß32_33 and FrFK-ß32_33 peptides are, therefore, promising molecules for the development of therapeutic agents against diseases caused by the mt-tRNA point mutations.

Known Drugs Identified by Structure-Based Virtual Screening Are Able to Bind Sigma-1 Receptor and Increase Growth of Huntington Disease Patient-Derived Cells.

Huntington disease (HD) is a devastating and presently untreatable neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressively disabling motor and mental manifestations. The sigma-1 receptor (σ1R) is a protein expressed in the central nervous system, whose 3D structure has been recently determined by X-ray crystallography and whose agonists have been shown to have neuroprotective activity in neurodegenerative diseases. To identify therapeutic agents against HD, we have implemented a drug repositioning strategy consisting of: (i) Prediction of the ability of the FDA-approved drugs publicly available through the ZINC database to interact with σ1R by virtual screening, followed by computational docking and visual examination of the 20 highest scoring drugs; and (ii) Assessment of the ability of the six drugs selected by computational analyses to directly bind purified σ1R in vitro by Surface Plasmon Resonance and improve the growth of fibroblasts obtained from HD patients, which is significantly impaired with respect to control cells. All six of the selected drugs proved able to directly bind purified σ1R in vitro and improve the growth of HD cells from both or one HD patient. These results support the validity of the drug repositioning procedure implemented herein for the identification of new therapeutic tools against HD.

Structure-guided approach to identify a novel class of anti-leishmaniasis diaryl sulfide compounds targeting the trypanothione metabolism.

Leishmania protozoans are the causative agent of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease consisting of three major clinical forms: visceral leishmaniasis (VL), cutaneous leishmaniasis, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. VL is caused by Leishmania donovani in East Africa and the Indian subcontinent and by Leishmania infantum in Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, and causes an estimated 60,000 deaths per year. Trypanothione reductase (TR) is considered to be one of the best targets to find new drugs against leishmaniasis. This enzyme is fundamental for parasite survival in the human host since it reduces trypanothione, a molecule used by the tryparedoxin/tryparedoxin peroxidase system of Leishmania to neutralize the hydrogen peroxide produced by host macrophages during infection. Recently, we solved the X-ray structure of TR in complex with the diaryl sulfide compound RDS 777 (6-(sec-butoxy)-2-((3-chlorophenyl)thio)pyrimidin-4-amine), which impairs the parasite defense against the reactive oxygen species by inhibiting TR with high efficiency. The compound binds to the catalytic site and engages in hydrogen bonds the residues more involved in the catalysis, namely Glu466', Cys57 and Cys52, thereby inhibiting the trypanothione binding. On the basis of the RDS 777-TR complex, we synthesized structurally related diaryl sulfide analogs as TR inhibitors able to compete for trypanothione binding to the enzyme and to kill the promastigote in the micromolar range. One of the most active among these compounds (RDS 562) was able to reduce the trypanothione concentration in cell of about 33% via TR inhibition. RDS 562 inhibits selectively Leishmania TR, while it does not inhibit the human homolog glutathione reductase.

Targeting Trypanothione Reductase, a Key Enzyme in the Redox Trypanosomatid Metabolism, to Develop New Drugs against Leishmaniasis and Trypanosomiases.

The protozoans Leishmania and Trypanosoma, belonging to the same Trypanosomatidae family, are the causative agents of Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis. Overall, these infections affect millions of people worldwide, posing a serious health issue as well as socio-economical concern. Current treatments are inadequate, mainly due to poor efficacy, toxicity, and emerging resistance; therefore, there is an urgent need for new drugs.

Small Molecule Inhibitors of KDM5 Histone Demethylases Increase the Radiosensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells Overexpressing JARID1B.

Background: KDM5 enzymes are H3K4 specific histone demethylases involved in transcriptional regulation and DNA repair. These proteins are overexpressed in different kinds of cancer, including breast, prostate and bladder carcinomas, with positive effects on cancer proliferation and chemoresistance. For these reasons, these enzymes are potential therapeutic targets. Methods: In the present study, we analyzed the effects of three different inhibitors of KDM5 enzymes in MCF-7 breast cancer cells over-expressing one of them, namely KDM5B/JARID1B. In particular we tested H3K4 demethylation (western blot); radio-sensitivity (cytoxicity and clonogenic assays) and damage accumulation (COMET assay and kinetics of H2AX phosphorylation). Results: we show that all three compounds with completely different chemical structures can selectively inhibit KDM5 enzymes and are capable of increasing sensitivity of breast cancer cells to ionizing radiation and radiation-induced damage. Conclusions: These findings confirm the involvement of H3K4 specific demethylases in the response to DNA damage, show a requirement of the catalytic function and suggest new strategies for the therapeutic use of their inhibitors.

Short peptides from leucyl-tRNA synthetase rescue disease-causing mitochondrial tRNA point mutations.

Mutations in mitochondrial (mt) genes coding for mt-tRNAs are responsible for a range of syndromes, for which no effective treatment is available. We recently showed that the carboxy-terminal domain (Cterm) of human mt-leucyl tRNA synthetase rescues the pathologic phenotype associated either with the m.3243A>G mutation in mt-tRNA(Leu(UUR)) or with mutations in the mt-tRNA(Ile), both of which are aminoacylated by Class I mt-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (mt-aaRSs). Here we show, by using the human transmitochondrial cybrid model, that the Cterm is also able to improve the phenotype caused by the m.8344A>G mutation in mt-tRNA(Lys), aminoacylated by a Class II aaRS. Importantly, we demonstrate that the same rescuing ability is retained by two Cterm-derived short peptides, ß30_31 and ß32_33, which are effective towards both the m.8344A>G and the m.3243A>G mutations. Furthermore, we provide in vitro evidence that these peptides bind with high affinity wild-type and mutant human mt-tRNA(Leu(UUR)) and mt-tRNA(Lys), and stabilize mutant mt-tRNA(Leu(UUR)). In conclusion, we demonstrate that small Cterm-derived peptides can be effective tools to rescue cellular defects caused by mutations in a wide range of mt-tRNAs.

Toward a Drug Against All Kinetoplastids: From LeishBox to Specific and Potent Trypanothione Reductase Inhibitors.

Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and sleeping sickness affect millions of people worldwide and lead to the death of about 50 000 humans per year. These diseases are caused by the kinetoplastids Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Trypanosoma brucei, respectively. These parasites share many general features, including gene conservation, high amino acid identity among proteins, the presence of subcellular structures as glycosomes and the kinetoplastid, and genome architecture, that may make drug development family specific, rather than species-specific, i.e., on the basis of the inhibition of a common, conserved parasite target. However, no optimal molecular targets or broad-spectrum drugs have been identified to date to cure these diseases. Here, the LeishBox from GlaxoSmithKline high-throughput screening, a 192-molecule set of best antileishmanial compounds, based on 1.8 million compounds, was used to identify specific inhibitors of a validated Leishmania target, trypanothione reductase (TR), while analyzing in parallel the homologous human enzyme glutathione reductase (GR). We identified three specific highly potent TR inhibitors and performed docking on the TR solved structure, thereby elucidating the putative molecular basis of TR inhibition. Since TRs from kinetoplastids are well conserved, and these compounds inhibit the growth of Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Trypanosoma brucei, the identification of a common validated target may lead to the development of potent antikinetoplastid drugs.

Not only P-glycoprotein: Amplification of the ABCB1-containing chromosome region 7q21 confers multidrug resistance upon cancer cells by coordinated overexpression of an assortment of resistance-related proteins.

The development of drug resistance continues to be a dominant hindrance toward curative cancer treatment. Overexpression of a wide-spectrum of ATP-dependent efflux pumps, and in particular of ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein or MDR1) is a well-known resistance mechanism for a plethora of cancer chemotherapeutics including for example taxenes, anthracyclines, Vinca alkaloids, and epipodopyllotoxins, demonstrated by a large array of published papers, both in tumor cell lines and in a variety of tumors, including various solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Upon repeated or even single dose treatment of cultured tumor cells or tumors in vivo with anti-tumor agents such as paclitaxel and doxorubicin, increased ABCB1 copy number has been demonstrated, resulting from chromosomal amplification events at 7q11.2-21 locus, leading to marked P-glycoprotein overexpression, and multidrug resistance (MDR). Clearly however, additional mechanisms such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and epigenetic modifications have shown a role in the overexpression of ABCB1 and of other MDR efflux pumps. However, notwithstanding the design of 4 generations of ABCB1 inhibitors and the wealth of information on the biochemistry and substrate specificity of ABC transporters, translation of this vast knowledge from the bench to the bedside has proven to be unexpectedly difficult. Many studies show that upon repeated treatment schedules of cell cultures or tumors with taxenes and anthracyclines as well as other chemotherapeutic drugs, amplification, and/or overexpression of a series of genes genomically surrounding the ABCB1 locus, is observed. Consequently, altered levels of other proteins may contribute to the establishment of the MDR phenotype, and lead to poor clinical outcome. Thus, the genes contained in this ABCB1 amplicon including ABCB4, SRI, DBF4, TMEM243, and RUNDC3B are overexpressed in many cancers, and especially in MDR tumors, while TP53TG1 and DMTF1 are bona fide tumor suppressors. This review describes the role of these genes in cancer and especially in the acquisition of MDR, elucidates possible connections in transcriptional regulation (co-amplification/repression) of genes belonging to the same ABCB1 amplicon region, and delineates their novel emerging contributions to tumor biology and possible strategies to overcome cancer MDR.

Glucose transportation in the brain and its impairment in Huntington disease: one more shade of the energetic metabolism failure?

Huntington's disease (HD) or Huntington's chorea is the most common inherited, dominantly transmitted, neurodegenerative disorder. It is caused by increased CAG repeats number in the gene coding for huntingtin (Htt) and characterized by motor, behaviour and psychiatric symptoms, ultimately leading to death. HD patients also exhibit alterations in glucose and energetic metabolism, which result in pronounced weight loss despite sustained calorie intake. Glucose metabolism decreases in the striatum of all the subjects with mutated Htt, but affects symptom presentation only when it drops below a specific threshold. Recent evidence points at defects in glucose uptake by the brain, and especially by neurons, as a relevant component of central glucose hypometabolism in HD patients. Here we review the main features of glucose metabolism and transport in the brain in physiological conditions and how these processes are impaired in HD, and discuss the potential ability of strategies aimed at increasing intracellular energy levels to counteract neurological and motor degeneration in HD patients.

Inhibition of Leishmania infantum trypanothione reductase by diaryl sulfide derivatives.

The study presented here aimed at identifying a new class of compounds acting against Leishmania parasites, the causative agent of Leishmaniasis. For this purpose, the thioether derivatives of our in-house library have been evaluated in whole-cell screening assays in order to determine their in vitro activity against Leishmania protozoan. Among them, promising results have been achieved with compound RDS 777 (6-(sec-butoxy)-2-((3-chlorophenyl)thio)pyrimidin-4-amine) (IC50 = 29.43 µM), which is able to impair the mechanism of the parasite defence against the reactive oxygen species by inhibiting the trypanothione reductase (TR) with high efficiency (Ki 0.25 ± 0.18 µM). The X-ray structure of L. infantum TR in complex with RDS 777 disclosed the mechanism of action of this compound that binds to the catalytic site and engages in hydrogen bonds the residues more involved in the catalysis, namely Glu466', Cys57 and Cys52, thereby inhibiting the trypanothione binding and avoiding its reduction.

GOLPH3 is essential for contractile ring formation and Rab11 localization to the cleavage site during cytokinesis in Drosophila melanogaster.

The highly conserved Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) protein has been described as a Phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate [PI(4)P] effector at the Golgi. GOLPH3 is also known as a potent oncogene, commonly amplified in several human tumors. However, the molecular pathways through which the oncoprotein GOLPH3 acts in malignant transformation are largely unknown. GOLPH3 has never been involved in cytokinesis. Here, we characterize the Drosophila melanogaster homologue of human GOLPH3 during cell division. We show that GOLPH3 accumulates at the cleavage furrow and is required for successful cytokinesis in Drosophila spermatocytes and larval neuroblasts. In premeiotic spermatocytes GOLPH3 protein is required for maintaining the organization of Golgi stacks. In dividing spermatocytes GOLPH3 is essential for both contractile ring and central spindle formation during cytokinesis. Wild type function of GOLPH3 enables maintenance of centralspindlin and Rho1 at cell equator and stabilization of Myosin II and Septin rings. We demonstrate that the molecular mechanism underlying GOLPH3 function in cytokinesis is strictly dependent on the ability of this protein to interact with PI(4)P. Mutations that abolish PI(4)P binding impair recruitment of GOLPH3 to both the Golgi and the cleavage furrow. Moreover telophase cells from mutants with defective GOLPH3-PI(4)P interaction fail to accumulate PI(4)P-and Rab11-associated secretory organelles at the cleavage site. Finally, we show that GOLPH3 protein interacts with components of both cytokinesis and membrane trafficking machineries in Drosophila cells. Based on these results we propose that GOLPH3 acts as a key molecule to coordinate phosphoinositide signaling with actomyosin dynamics and vesicle trafficking during cytokinesis. Because cytokinesis failures have been associated with premalignant disease and cancer, our studies suggest novel insight into molecular circuits involving the oncogene GOLPH3 in cytokinesis.

Leishmania infantum trypanothione reductase is a promiscuous enzyme carrying an NADPH:O2 oxidoreductase activity shared by glutathione reductase.

BACKGROUND: Leishmania infantum is a protozoan of the trypanosomatid family causing visceral leishmaniasis. Leishmania parasites are transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies to the human host and are phagocyted by macrophages. The parasites synthesize N1-N8-bis(glutationyl)-spermidine (trypanothione, TS2), which furnishes electrons to the tryparedoxin-tryparedoxin peroxidase couple to reduce the reactive oxygen species produced by macrophages. Trypanothione is kept reduced by trypanothione reductase (TR), a FAD-containing enzyme essential for parasite survival. METHODS: The enzymatic activity has been studied by stopped-flow, absorption spectroscopy, and amperometric measurements. RESULTS: The study reported here demonstrates that the steady-state parameters change as a function of the order of substrates addition to the TR-containing solution. In particular, when the reaction is carried out by adding NADPH to a solution containing the enzyme and trypanothione, the KM for NADPH decreases six times compared to the value obtained by adding TS2 as last reagent to start the reaction (1.9 vs. 12µM). More importantly, we demonstrate that TR is able to catalyze the oxidation of NADPH also in the absence of trypanothione. Thus, TR catalyzes the reduction of O2 to water through the sequential formation of C(4a)-(hydro)peroxyflavin and sulfenic acid intermediates. This NADPH:O2 oxidoreductase activity is shared by Saccharomyces cerevisiae glutathione reductase (GR). CONCLUSIONS: TR and GR, in the absence of their physiological substrates, may catalyze the electron transfer reaction from NADPH to molecular oxygen to yield water. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: TR and GR are promiscuous enzymes.

Green tea catechins can bind and modify ERp57/PDIA3 activity.

BACKGROUND: Green tea is a rich source of polyphenols, mainly catechins (flavanols), which significantly contribute to the beneficial health effects of green tea in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. In this study the effects of four green tea catechins on protein ERp57, also known as protein disulfide isomerase isoform A3 (PDIA3), have been investigated in an in vitro model. METHODS: The interaction of catechins with ERp57 was explored by fluorescence quenching and surface plasmon resonance techniques and their effect on ERp57 activities was investigated. RESULTS: A higher affinity was observed for galloylated cathechins, which bind close to the thioredoxin-like redox-sensitive active sites of the protein, with a preference for the oxidized form. The effects of these catechins on ERp57 properties were also investigated and a moderate inhibition of the reductase activity of ERp57 was observed as well as a strong inhibition of ERp57 DNA binding activity. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the high affinity of galloylated catechins for ERp57 and their capability to inhibit ERp57 binding to other macromolecular ligands, some effects of catechins interaction with this protein on eukaryotic cells may be expected. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides information to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological activities of catechins and to design new polyphenol-based ERp57-specific inhibitors.

Sorcin, a calcium binding protein involved in the multidrug resistance mechanisms in cancer cells.

Sorcin is a penta-EF hand calcium binding protein, which participates in the regulation of calcium homeostasis in cells. Sorcin regulates calcium channels and exchangers located at the plasma membrane and at the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR), and allows high levels of calcium in the ER to be maintained, preventing ER stress and possibly, the unfolded protein response. Sorcin is highly expressed in the heart and in the brain, and overexpressed in many cancer cells. Sorcin gene is in the same amplicon as other genes involved in the resistance to chemotherapeutics in cancer cells (multi-drug resistance, MDR) such as ABCB4 and ABCB1; its overexpression results in increased drug resistance to a number of chemotherapeutic agents, and inhibition of sorcin expression by sorcin-targeting RNA interference leads to reversal of drug resistance. Sorcin is increasingly considered a useful marker of MDR and may represent a therapeutic target for reversing tumor multidrug resistance.

Nose-to-brain selective drug delivery to glioma via ferritin-based nanovectors reduces tumor growth and improves survival rate.

Gliomas are among the most fatal tumors, and the available therapeutic options are very limited. Additionally, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents most drugs from entering the brain. We designed and produced a ferritin-based stimuli-sensitive nanocarrier with high biocompatibility and water solubility. It can incorporate high amounts of the potent topoisomerase 1 inhibitor Genz-644282. Here, we show that this nanocarrier, named The-0504, can cross the BBB and specifically deliver the payload to gliomas that express high amounts of the ferritin/transferrin receptor TfR1 (CD71). Intranasal or intravenous administration of The-0504 both reduce tumor growth and improve the survival rate of glioma-bearing mice. However, nose-to-brain administration is a simpler and less invasive route that may spare most of the healthy tissues compared to intravenous injections. For this reason, the data reported here could pave the way towards a new, safe, and direct ferritin-based drug delivery method for brain diseases, especially brain tumors.