Targeted Shiga toxin-drug conjugates prepared via Cu-free click chemistry.

International audienceThe main drawback of the anticancer chemotherapy consists in the lack of drug selectivity causing severe side effects. The targeted drug delivery appears to be a very promising strategy for controlling the biodistribution of the cytotoxic agent only on malignant tissues by linking it to tumor-targeting moiety. Here we exploit the natural characteristics of Shiga toxin B sub-unit (STxB) as targeting carrier on Gb3-positive cancer cells. Two cytotoxic conjugates STxB-doxorubicin (STxB-Doxo) and STxB-monomethyl auristatin F (STxB-MMAF) were synthesised using copper-free 'click' chemistry. Both conjugates were obtained in very high yield and demonstrated strong tumor inhibition activity in a nanomolar range on Gb3-positive cells

Absolute Quantification of Drug Vector Delivery to the Cytosol

International audienceMacromolecular drugs inefficiently cross membranes to reach their cytosolic targets. They require drug delivery vectors to facilitate their translocation across the plasma membrane or escape from endosomes. Optimization of these vectors has however been hindered by the difficulty to accurately measure cytosolic arrival. We have developed an exceptionally sensitive and robust assay for the relative or absolute quantification of this step. The assay is based on benzylguanine and biotin modifications on a drug delivery vector of interest, which allow, respectively, for selective covalent capture in the cytosol with a SNAP-tag fusion protein and for quantification at picomolar sensitivity. The assay was validated by determining the absolute numbers of cytosolic molecules for two drug delivery vectors: the B-subunit of Shiga toxin and the cell-penetrating peptide TAT. We expect this assay to favor delivery vector optimization and the understanding of the enigmatic translocation process

A new delivery system for auristatin in STxB-drug conjugate therapy

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Inhibition of retrograde transport protects mice from lethal ricin challenge.

International audienceBacterial Shiga-like toxins are virulence factors that constitute a significant public health threat worldwide, and the plant toxin ricin is a potential bioterror weapon. To gain access to their cytosolic target, ribosomal RNA, these toxins follow the retrograde transport route from the plasma membrane to the endoplasmic reticulum, via endosomes and the Golgi apparatus. Here, we used high-throughput screening to identify small molecule inhibitors that protect cells from ricin and Shiga-like toxins. We identified two compounds that selectively block retrograde toxin trafficking at the early endosome-TGN interface, without affecting compartment morphology, endogenous retrograde cargos, or other trafficking steps, demonstrating an unexpected degree of selectivity and lack of toxicity. In mice, one compound clearly protects from lethal nasal exposure to ricin. Our work discovers the first small molecule that shows efficacy against ricin in animal experiments and identifies the retrograde route as a potential therapeutic target

Aberrant DNA repair reveals a vulnerability in histone H3.3-mutant brain tumors

International audiencePediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) are devastating and incurable brain tumors with recurrent mutations in histone H3.3. These mutations promote oncogenesis by dysregulating gene expression through alterations of histone modifications. We identify aberrant DNA repair as an independent mechanism, which fosters genome instability in H3.3 mutant pHGG, and opens new therapeutic options. The two most frequent H3.3 mutations in pHGG, K27M and G34R, drive aberrant repair of replication-associated damage by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Aberrant NHEJ is mediated by the DNA repair enzyme polynucleotide kinase 3′-phosphatase (PNKP), which shows increased association with mutant H3.3 at damaged replication forks. PNKP sustains the proliferation of cells bearing H3.3 mutations, thus conferring a molecular vulnerability, specific to mutant cells, with potential for therapeutic targeting