Radionuclide-peptide nucleic acid in diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
Xiaobing Tian
Publications and source records attributed to Xiaobing Tian.
Downregulation of gene expression with negatively charged peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) in zebrafish embryos.
We found that negatively charged, highly soluble PNA analogs with alternating phosphonates (HypNA-pPNAs) are effective and specific antisense agents in zebrafish embryos, showing comparable potency and greater specificity against chordin, ntl and uroD. In addition, we successfully phenocopied a dharma mutant that had not been found susceptible to MO knockdown. Both MO and HypNA-pPNAs against a tumor suppressor gene induced comparable upregulation of p53, illustrating similar effects on transcription profiles. HypNA-pPNAs are therefore a valuable alternative for reverse genetic studies, enabling the targeting of previously inaccessible genes in zebrafish or validating newly identified orthologs, and perhaps for reverse genetic studies in other organisms.
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External imaging of CCND1 cancer gene activity in experimental human breast cancer xenografts with 99mTc-peptide-peptide nucleic acid-peptide chimeras.
UNLABELLED: Detection of a new or recurrent breast cancer lesion relies on physical examination and imaging studies, primarily mammography, followed by histopathologic evaluation of biopsy tissue for morphologic confirmation. Approximately 66%-85% of detected lesions are not malignant. Therefore, biopsies are unnecessary for at least two thirds of patients. Human estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells typically display an elevated level of cyclin D1 protein because of the overexpression of CCND1 messenger RNA (mRNA) and an elevated level of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) receptor (IGF1R) because of the overexpression of IGF1R mRNA. We hypothesized that scintigraphic detection of CCND1 peptide nucleic acid (PNA) hybridization probes with a (99m)Tc-chelating peptide on the N terminus and an IGF1 peptide loop on the C terminus could detect CCND1 mRNA in human MCF7 breast cancer xenografts in nude mice from outside the body. METHODS: We prepared the CCND1 probes as well as mismatched controls by solid-phase synthesis. We used fluorescence microscopy to detect the cellular uptake of fluoresceinyl probes and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect the hybridization of probes to mRNA. We imaged (99m)Tc-probes in MCF7 xenografts scintigraphically and measured distribution by scintillation counting of dissected tissues. RESULTS: IGF1R-overexpressing MCF7 cells internalized the fluorescein-chelator-CCND1 PNA-IGF1 peptide but not the mismatched control peptide. The chelator-CCND1 PNA-IGF1 peptide but not the control peptide lowered the level of cyclin D1 protein in IGF1R-overexpressing MCF7 xenografts in nude mice after intratumoral injection. IGF1R-overexpressing MCF7 xenografts in nude mice were visualized at 4, 12, and 24 h after tail vein administration of the (99m)Tc-CCND1 antisense probe but not the control probe. (99m)Tc-chimeras were distributed normally in the kidneys, liver, tumors, and other tissues. CONCLUSION: Cancer gene activity can be detected from outside the body by probing with radionuclide-chelator-PNA-peptide chimeras.
Animals↗
Targeted gene knockdown in zebrafish using negatively charged peptide nucleic acid mimics.
Negatively charged homo-oligomers of alternating trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline/phosphonate polyamides with DNA bases (HypNA-pPNA) display excellent hybridization properties toward DNA and RNA, while preserving the mismatch discrimination, nuclease resistance, and protease resistance of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). Similar properties are associated with morpholino phosphorodiamidate (MO) DNA mimics, which have been used in the model vertebrate zebrafish (Danio rerio) for genome-wide, sequence-based, reverse genetic screens during embryonic development. We evaluated mixed sequence HypNA-pPNAs as an alternative to MOs, and found that even a single central DNA mismatch lowered the HypNA-pPNA melting temperature by 16 degrees C. We then observed that the melting temperatures of HypNA-pPNA 18-mers hybridized to RNA 25-mers were comparable to the melting temperatures of MO 25-mers, and that two HypNA-pPNA mismatches lowered the melting temperature with RNA by 18 degrees C. In zebrafish embryos we observed that HypNA-pPNA 18-mers displayed comparable potency to MO 25-mers as knockdown agents against chordin, notail, and uroD, with greater mismatch stringency. Finally we observed that a specific HypNA-pPNA 18-mer elicited the dharma (bozozok)(-/-) phenotype in zebrafish embryos, which MO 25-mers do not. HypNA-pPNAs designed to inhibit translation of specific zebrafish RNA targets thus demonstrated stringent hybridization properties, relative to DNA and MO oligomers, and present a valuable alternative for reverse genetic studies, enabling the targeting of previously inaccessible genes.
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Imaging oncogene expression.
In 2003, approximately 39,800 women in the US will die from breast cancer. Mammography and physical examination miss up to 40% of early breast cancers. Moreover, if an abnormality is found, an invasive diagnostic procedure must still be performed to determine if the breast contains atypia or cancer, even though approximately 85% of abnormalities are benign. Scintigraphic imaging of gene expression in vivo by noninvasive means could direct physicians to appropriate targets for intervention at the onset of disease and thereby significantly impact patient management. Until now, no method has been available to image specific overexpressed oncogene mRNAs in vivo by scintigraphic imaging. We hypothesize that gamma-emitting Tc-99m-PNA-peptides can be taken up by human ER+ and ER- breast cancer xenografts, hybridize to complementary mRNA targets in those cells, and concentrate sufficiently in tumor tissue to allow noninvasive imaging of oncogene overexpression. To prepare the probes, peptide analogs of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) were extended from a solid support by Fmoc coupling. Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) dodecamers antisense to CCND1 and MYC mRNAs were then extended from the N-terminus of IGF1, followed by a chelator peptide, using Fmoc coupling for all residues. The cysteine thiols were cyclized on the solid support, either before or after PNA extension. This simplified synthetic approach allows preparation of a variety of multipeptide disulfide-bridged PNA chimeras. A chelating peptide-PNA chimera antisense to MYC mRNA was then labeled efficiently with Tc-99m, yielding a single product. Tissue distribution studies of antisense and mismatch chimeras at 4 h and 24 h after administration displayed modest accumulation in the liver and kidneys, with appreciable levels in tumors. This result enables testing of Tc-99m-peptide-PNA probes to image gene expression in tumors.
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Continuous solid-phase synthesis and disulfide cyclization of peptide-PNA-peptide chimeras.
Chelator peptides were extended from the N-terminus of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) dodecamers, which in turn were extended from the N-termini of disulfide-bridged peptide ligand analogues, using Fmoc coupling for all residues. The cysteine thiols were cyclized on a solid support, either before or after PNA extension. This simplified synthetic approach might allow preparation of a variety of multipeptide disulfide-bridged PNA chimeras. [structure: see text]
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Noninvasive molecular imaging of MYC mRNA expression in human breast cancer xenografts with a [99mTc]peptide-peptide nucleic acid-peptide chimera.
Human estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells typically display elevated levels of Myc protein due to overexpression of MYC mRNA, and elevated insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) due to overexpression of IGF1R mRNA. We hypothesized that scintigraphic detection of MYC peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes with an IGF1 peptide loop on the C-terminus, and a [99mTc]chelator peptide on the N-terminus, could measure levels of MYC mRNA noninvasively in human IGF1R-overexpressing MCF7 breast cancer xenografts in nude mice. We prepared the chelator-MYC PNA-IGF1 peptide, as well as a 4-nt mismatch PNA control, by solid-phase synthesis. We imaged MCF7 xenografts scintigraphically and measured the distribution of [99mTc]probes by scintillation counting of dissected tissues. MCF7 xenografts in nude mice were visualized at 4 and 24 h after tail vein administration of the [99mTc]PNA probe specific for MYC mRNA, but not with the mismatch control. The [99mTc]probes distributed normally to the kidneys, livers, tumors, and other tissues. Molecular imaging of oncogene mRNAs in solid tumors with radiolabel-PNA-peptide chimeras might provide additional genetic characterization of preinvasive and invasive breast cancers.
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