Biocatalytic Nucleobase Diversification of 4'-Thionucleosides and Application of Derived 5-Ethynyl-4'-thiouridine for RNA Synthesis Detection.

Nucleoside and nucleotide analogues have proven to be transformative in the treatment of viral infections and cancer. One branch of structural modification to deliver new nucleoside analogue classes explores replacement of canonical ribose oxygen with a sulfur atom. Whilst biological activity of such analogues has been shown in some cases, widespread exploration of this compound class is hitherto hampered by the lack of a straightforward and universal nucleobase diversification strategy. Herein, we present a synergistic platform enabling both biocatalytic nucleobase diversification from 4'-thiouridine in a one-pot process, and chemical functionalization to access new entities. This methodology delivers entry across pyrimidine and purine 4'-thionucleosides, paving a way for wider synthetic and biological exploration. We exemplify our approach by enzymatic synthesis of 5-iodo-4'-thiouridine on multi-milligram scale and from here switch to complete chemical synthesis of a novel nucleoside analogue probe, 5-ethynyl-4'-thiouridine. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of this probe to monitor RNA synthesis in proliferating HeLa cells, validating its capability as a new metabolic RNA labelling tool.

Development of a highly stable, active small interfering RNA with broad activity against SARS-CoV viruses.

Treatment options for COVID-19 remain limited. Here, we report the optimization of an siRNA targeting the highly conserved leader region of SARS-CoV-2. The siRNA was rendered nuclease resistant by the introduction of modified nucleotides without loss of activity. Importantly, the siRNA also retained its inhibitory activity against the emerged omicron sublineage variant BA.2, which occurred after the siRNA was designed and is resistant to other antiviral agents such as antibodies. In addition, we show that a second highly active siRNA designed against the viral 5'-UTR can be applied as a rescue molecule, to minimize the spread of escape mutations. We therefore consider our siRNA-based molecules to be promising broadly active candidates for the treatment of current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Replication by a Small Interfering RNA Targeting the Leader Sequence.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected almost 200 million people worldwide and led to approximately 4 million deaths as of August 2021. Despite successful vaccine development, treatment options are limited. A promising strategy to specifically target viral infections is to suppress viral replication through RNA interference (RNAi). Hence, we designed eight small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting the highly conserved 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of SARS-CoV-2. The most promising candidate identified in initial reporter assays, termed siCoV6, targets the leader sequence of the virus, which is present in the genomic as well as in all subgenomic RNAs. In assays with infectious SARS-CoV-2, it reduced replication by two orders of magnitude and prevented the development of a cytopathic effect. Moreover, it retained its activity against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant and has perfect homology against all sequences of the delta variant that were analyzed by bioinformatic means. Interestingly, the siRNA was even highly active in virus replication assays with the SARS-CoV-1 family member. This work thus identified a very potent siRNA with a broad activity against various SARS-CoV viruses that represents a promising candidate for the development of new treatment options.

Bioprinted Cancer Model of Neuroblastoma in a Renal Microenvironment as an Efficiently Applicable Drug Testing Platform.

Development of new anticancer drugs with currently available animal models is hampered by the fact that human cancer cells are embedded in an animal-derived environment. Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid malignancy of childhood. Major obstacles include managing chemotherapy-resistant relapses and resistance to induction therapy, leading to early death in very-high-risk patients. Here, we present a three-dimensional (3D) model for neuroblastoma composed of IMR-32 cells with amplified genes of the myelocytomatosis viral related oncogene MYCN and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) in a renal environment of exclusively human origin, made of human embryonic kidney 293 cells and primary human kidney fibroblasts. The model was produced with two pneumatic extrusion printheads using a commercially available bioprinter. Two drugs were exemplarily tested in this model: While the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat selectively killed the cancer cells by apoptosis induction but did not affect renal cells in the therapeutically effective concentration range, the peptidyl nucleoside antibiotic blasticidin induced cell death in both cell types. Importantly, differences in sensitivity between two-dimensional (2D) and 3D cultures were cell-type specific, making the therapeutic window broader in the bioprinted model and demonstrating the value of studying anticancer drugs in human 3D models. Altogether, this cancer model allows testing cytotoxicity and tumor selectivity of new anticancer drugs, and the open scaffold design enables the free exchange of tumor and microenvironment by any cell type.

RNA interference-mediated silencing of Kv7.2 in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons abolishes the anti-nociceptive effect of a selective channel opener.

INTRODUCTION: Development of agonistic analgesic drugs requires proof of selectivity in vivo attainable by selective antagonists or several knockdown strategies. The Kv7.2 potassium channel encoded by the KCNQ2 gene regulates neuronal excitability and its activation inhibits nociceptive transmission. Although it is a potentially attractive target for analgesics, no clinically approved Kv7.2 agonists are currently available and selectivity of drug candidates is hard to demonstrate in vivo due to the expenditure to generate KCNQ2 knockout animals and the lack of Kv7.2 selective antagonists. The present study describes the set-up of an RNA interference-based model that allows studying the selectivity of Kv7.2 openers. METHODS: Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors were used to deliver the expression cassette for a short hairpin RNA targeting KCNQ2. Heat nociception was tested in rats after intrathecal AAV treatment. RESULTS: Surprisingly, screening of AAV serotypes revealed serotype 7, which has rarely been explored, to be best suited for transduction of dorsal root ganglia neurons following intrathecal injection. Knockdown of the target gene was confirmed by qRT-PCR and the anti-nociceptive effect of a Kv7.2 agonist was found to be completely abolished by the treatment. DISCUSSION: We consider this approach not only to be suitable to study the selectivity of novel analgesic drugs targeting Kv7.2, but rather to serve as a general fast and simple method to generate functional and phenotypic knockdown animals during drug discovery for central and peripheral pain targets.

Efficient Biocatalytic Synthesis of Dihalogenated Purine Nucleoside Analogues Applying Thermodynamic Calculations.

The enzymatic synthesis of nucleoside analogues has been shown to be a sustainable and efficient alternative to chemical synthesis routes. In this study, dihalogenated nucleoside analogues were produced by thermostable nucleoside phosphorylases in transglycosylation reactions using uridine or thymidine as sugar donors. Prior to the enzymatic process, ideal maximum product yields were calculated after the determination of equilibrium constants through monitoring the equilibrium conversion in analytical-scale reactions. Equilibrium constants for dihalogenated nucleosides were comparable to known purine nucleosides, ranging between 0.071 and 0.081. To achieve 90% product yield in the enzymatic process, an approximately five-fold excess of sugar donor was needed. Nucleoside analogues were purified by semi-preparative HPLC, and yields of purified product were approximately 50% for all target compounds. To evaluate the impact of halogen atoms in positions 2 and 6 on the antiproliferative activity in leukemic cell lines, the cytotoxic potential of dihalogenated nucleoside analogues was studied in the leukemic cell line HL-60. Interestingly, the inhibition of HL-60 cells with dihalogenated nucleoside analogues was substantially lower than with monohalogenated cladribine, which is known to show high antiproliferative activity. Taken together, we demonstrate that thermodynamic calculations and small-scale experiments can be used to produce nucleoside analogues with high yields and purity on larger scales. The procedure can be used for the generation of new libraries of nucleoside analogues for screening experiments or to replace the chemical synthesis routes of marketed nucleoside drugs by enzymatic processes.

Alternatively spliced variants of the 5'-UTR of the ARPC2 mRNA regulate translation by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) harboring a guanine-quadruplex motif.

The 5'-UTR of the actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 2 (ARPC2) mRNA exists in two variants. Using a bicistronic reporter construct, the present study demonstrates that the longer variant of the 5'-UTR harbours an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) which is lacking in the shorter one. Multiple control assays confirmed that only this variant promotes cap-independent translation. Furthermore, it includes a guanine-rich region that is capable of forming a guanine-quadruplex (G-quadruplex) structure which was found to contribute to the IRES activity. To investigate the cellular function of the IRES element, we determined the expression level of ARPC2 at various cell densities. At high cell density, the relative ARPC2 protein level increases, supporting the presumed function of IRES elements in driving the expression of certain genes under stressful conditions that compromise cap-dependent translation. Based on chemical probing experiments and computer-based predictions, we propose a structural model of the IRES element, which includes the G-quadruplex motif exposed from the central stem-loop element. Taken together, our study describes the functional relevance of two alternative 5'-UTR splice variants of the ARPC2 mRNA, one of which contains an IRES element with a G-quadruplex as a central motif, promoting translation under stressful cellular conditions.

Generation of a 3D Liver Model Comprising Human Extracellular Matrix in an Alginate/Gelatin-Based Bioink by Extrusion Bioprinting for Infection and Transduction Studies.

Bioprinting is a novel technology that may help to overcome limitations associated with two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures and animal experiments, as it allows the production of three-dimensional (3D) tissue models composed of human cells. The present study describes the optimization of a bioink composed of alginate, gelatin and human extracellular matrix (hECM) to print human HepaRG liver cells with a pneumatic extrusion printer. The resulting tissue model was tested for its suitability for the study of transduction by an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector and infection with human adenovirus 5 (hAdV5). We found supplementation of the basic alginate/gelatin bioink with 0.5 and 1 mg/mL hECM provides desirable properties for the printing process, the stability of the printed constructs, and the viability and metabolic functions of the printed HepaRG cells. The tissue models were efficiently transduced by AAV vectors of serotype 6, which successfully silenced an endogenous target (cyclophilin B) by means of RNA interference. Furthermore, the printed 3D model supported efficient adenoviral replication making it suitable to study virus biology and develop new antiviral compounds. We consider the approach described here paradigmatic for the development of 3D tissue models for studies including viral vectors and infectious viruses.

RNA interference-based functional knockdown of the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv7.2 in dorsal root ganglion neurons after in vitro and in vivo gene transfer by adeno-associated virus vectors.

Activation of the neuronal potassium channel Kv7.2 encoded by the KCNQ2 gene has recently been shown to be an attractive mechanism to inhibit nociceptive transmission. However, potent, selective, and clinically proven activators of Kv7.2/Kv7.3 currents with analgesic properties are still lacking. An important prerequisite for the development of new drugs is a model to test the selectivity of novel agonists by abrogating Kv7.2/Kv7.3 function. Since constitutive knockout mice are not viable, we developed a model based on RNA interference-mediated silencing of KCNQ2. By delivery of a KCNQ2-specific short hairpin RNA with adeno-associated virus vectors, we completely abolished the activity of the specific Kv7.2/Kv7.3-opener ICA-27243 in rat sensory neurons. Results obtained in the silencing experiments were consistent between freshly prepared and cryopreserved dorsal root ganglion neurons, as well as in dorsal root ganglion neurons dissociated and cultured after in vivo administration of the silencing vector by intrathecal injections into rats. Interestingly, the tested associated virus serotypes substantially differed with respect to their transduction capability in cultured neuronal cell lines and primary dorsal root ganglion neurons and the in vivo transfer of transgenes by intrathecal injection of associated virus vectors. However, our study provides the proof-of-concept that RNA interference-mediated silencing of KCNQ2 is a suitable approach to create an ex vivo model for testing the specificity of novel Kv7.2/Kv7.3 agonists.

Study of Viral Vectors in a Three-dimensional Liver Model Repopulated with the Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line HepG2.

This protocol describes the generation of a three-dimensional (3D) ex vivo liver model and its application to the study and development of viral vector systems. The model is obtained by repopulating the extracellular matrix of a decellularized rat liver with a human hepatocyte cell line. The model permits studies in a vascularized 3D cell system, replacing potentially harmful experiments with living animals. Another advantage is the humanized nature of the model, which is closer to human physiology than animal models. In this study, we demonstrate the transduction of this liver model with a viral vector derived from adeno-associated viruses (AAV vector). The perfusion circuit that supplies the 3D liver model with media provides an easy means to apply the vector. The system permits monitoring of the major metabolic parameters of the liver. For final analysis, tissue samples can be taken to determine the extent of recellularization by histological techniques. Distribution of the virus vector and expression of the delivered transgene can be analyzed by quantitative PCR (qPCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Numerous applications of the vector model in basic research and in the development of gene therapeutic applications can be envisioned, including the development of novel antiviral therapeutics, cancer research, and the study of viral vectors and their potential side effects.

Use of a three-dimensional humanized liver model for the study of viral gene vectors.

Reconstituted three-dimensional (3D) liver models obtained by engrafting hepatic cells into an extracellular matrix (ECM) are valuable tools to study tissue regeneration, drug action and toxicology ex vivo. The aim of the present study was to establish a system for the functional investigation of a viral vector in a 3D liver model composed of human HepG2 cells on a rat ECM. An adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector expressing the Emerald green fluorescent protein (EmGFP) and a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) directed against human cyclophilin b (hCycB) was injected into the portal vein of 3D liver models. Application of the vector did not exert toxic effects, as shown by analysis of metabolic parameters. Six days after transduction, fluorescence microscopy analysis of EmGFP production revealed widespread distribution of the AAV vectors. After optimization of the recellularization and transduction conditions, averages of 55 and 90 internalized vector genomes per cell in two replicates of the liver model were achieved, as determined by quantitative PCR analysis. Functionality of the AAV vector was confirmed by efficient shRNA-mediated knockdown of hCycB by 70-90%. Our study provides a proof-of-concept that a recellularized biological ECM provides a valuable model to study viral vectors ex vivo.

A novel method for the quantification of adeno-associated virus vectors for RNA interference applications using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and purified genomic adeno-associated virus DNA as a standard.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors are promising tools in gene therapy, but accurate quantification of the vector dose remains a critical issue for their successful application. We therefore aimed at the precise determination of the titer of self-complementary AAV (scAAV) vectors to improve the reliability of RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown approaches. Vector titers were initially determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using four primer sets targeting different regions within the AAV vector genome (VG) and either coiled or linearized plasmid standards. Despite very low variability between replicates in each assay, these quantification experiments revealed up to 20-fold variation in vector titers. Therefore, we developed a novel approach for the reproducible determination of titers of scAAV vectors based on the use of purified genomic vector DNA as a standard (scAAVStd). Consistent results were obtained in qPCR assays using the four primer sets mentioned above. RNAi-mediated silencing of human cyclophilin B (hCycB) by short hairpin RNA-expressing scAAV vectors was investigated in HeLa cells using two independent vector preparations. We found that the required vector titers for efficient knockdown differed by a factor of 3.5 between both preparations. Hence, we also investigated the number of internalized scAAV vectors, termed transduction units (TUs). TUs were determined by qPCR applying the scAAVStd. Very similar values for 80% hCycB knockdown were obtained for the two AAV vector preparations. Thus, only the determination of TUs, rather than vector concentration, allows for reproducible results in functional analyses using AAV vectors.