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In this work for the first time we demonstrate the possibility of ribonuclease barnase delivery to HER2-positive human cancer cells in a liposomal form. The principle of loading liposomes with ribonuclease is based on the electrostatic interaction of the protein with the inner surface of the liposomes. The specificity of liposomes to the HER2-receptor is determined by the presence of the anti-HER2-address module DARPin on the outer membrane of the liposome. It was shown that cytotoxicity specific for HER2-positive cells is determined precisely by the presence of an address HER2-specific module on the surface of liposomes, and the severity of the cytotoxic effect correlates with the level of expression of the HER2 receptor on the cell membrane.

Today, it has become apparent that innovative treatment methods, including those involving simultaneous diagnosis and therapy, are particularly in demand in modern cancer medicine. The development of nanomedicine offers new ways of increasing the therapeutic index and minimizing side effects. The development of photoactivatable dyes that are effectively absorbed in the first transparency window of biological tissues (700900 nm) and are capable of fluorescence and heat generation has led to the emergence of phototheranostics, an approach that combines the bioimaging of deep tumors and metastases and their photothermal treatment. The creation of near-infrared (NIR) light-activated agents for sensitive fluorescence bioimaging and phototherapy is a priority in phototheranostics, because the excitation of drugs and/or diagnostic substances in the near-infrared region exhibits advantages such as deep penetration into tissues and a weak baseline level of autofluorescence. In this review, we focus on NIR-excited dyes and discuss prospects for their application in photothermal therapy and the diagnosis of cancer. Particular attention is focused on the consideration of new multifunctional nanoplatforms for phototheranostics which allow one to achieve a synergistic effect in combinatorial photothermal, photodynamic, and/or chemotherapy, with simultaneous fluorescence, acoustic, and/or magnetic resonance imaging.

Nanomedicine has revolutionized the available treatment options during the last decade, but poor selectivity of targeted drug delivery and release is still poses a challenge. In this study, doxorubicin (DOX) and magnetite nanoparticles were encapsulated by freezing-induced loading, coated with polymeric shell bearing two bi-layers of polyarginine/dextran sulphate and finally modified with HER2-specific DARPin proteins. We demonstrated that the enhanced cellular uptake of these nanocarriers predominantly occurs by SKOV-3 (HER2+) cells, in comparison to CHO (HER2-) cells, together with the controlled DOX release using low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU). In addition, a good ability of DARPin+ capsules to accumulate in the tumor and the possibility of combination therapy with LIFU were demonstrated. A relatively high sensitivity of the obtained nanocarriers to LIFU and their preferential interactions with mitochondria in cancer cells make these carriers promising candidates for cancer treatment, including novel approaches to overcome drug resistance.

For precise ligation of a targeting and cytotoxic moiety, the use of Barnase-Barstar pair as a molecular glue is proposed for the first time. Targeting was mediated through the use of a scaffold protein DARPin_9–29 specific for the human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2) antigen that is highly expressed on some types of cancer and Barnase*Barstar native bacterial proteins interacted with each other with Kd 10−14 M. The approach proposed consists of prelabeling a target tumor with hybrid protein DARPin-Barnase prior to administration of cytotoxic component-loaded liposomes that have Barstar covalently attached to their surface. Based on in vivo bioimaging we have proven that DARPin-based Barnase*Barstar-mediated pretargeting possesses precise tumor-targeting capability as well as antitumor activity leading to apparent tumor-growth inhibition of primary tumors and distant metastases in experimental animals. The results obtained indicate that the new system combining DARPin and Barnase*Barstar can be useful both for the drug development and for monitoring the response to treatment in vivo in preclinical studies.

Cancer cells frequently overexpress specific surface receptors providing tumor growth and survival which can be used for precise therapy. Targeting cancer cell receptors with protein toxins is an attractive approach widely used in contemporary experimental oncology and preclinical studies. Methods of targeted delivery of toxins to cancer cells, different drug carriers based on nanosized materials (liposomes, nanoparticles, polymers), the most promising designed light-activated toxins, as well as mechanisms of the cytotoxic action of the main natural toxins used in modern experimental oncology, are discussed in this review. The prospects of the combined therapy of tumors based on multimodal nanostructures are also discussed.

When combined with immunotherapy, image-guided targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents is a promising direction for combination cancer theranostics, but this approach has so far produced only limited success due to a lack of molecular targets on the cell surface and low therapeutic index of conventional chemotherapy drugs. Here, we demonstrate a synergistic strategy of combination immuno/chemotherapy in conditions of dual regioselective targeting, implying vectoring of two distinct binding sites of a single oncomarker (here, HER2) with theranostic compounds having a different mechanism of action. We use: (i) PLGA nanoformulation, loaded with an imaging diagnostic fluorescent dye (Nile Red) and a chemotherapeutic drug (doxorubicin), and functionalized with affibody ZHER2:342 (8 kDa); (ii) bifunctional genetically engineered DARP-LoPE (42 kDa) immunotoxin comprising of a low-immunogenic modification of therapeutic Pseudomonas exotoxin A (LoPE) and a scaffold targeting protein, DARPin9.29 (14 kDa). According to the proposed strategy, the first chemotherapeutic nanoagent is targeted by the affibody to subdomain III and IV of HER2 with 60-fold specificity compared with nontargeted particles, while the second immunotoxin is effectively targeted by DARPin molecule to subdomain I of HER2. We demonstrate that this dual targeting strategy can enhance anticancer therapy of HER2-positive cells with a very strong synergy, which made possible 1000-fold decrease of effective drug concentration in vitro and a significant enhancement of HER2 cancer therapy compared to monotherapy in vivo. Moreover, this therapeutic combination prevented the appearance of secondary tumor nodes. Thus, the suggested synergistic strategy utilizing dual targeting of the same oncomarker could give rise to efficient methods for aggressive tumors treatment.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically approved, minimally invasive method for tumor destruction in the presence of a photosensitizer (PS), oxygen, and a light source. The main obstacle for the PDT treatment of deep tumors is the problem of the excitation light delivery inside the body without reduction of light intensity. An internal light source based on a bioluminescence system NanoLuc-furimazine can be considered as an alternative to an external light source. This system can be successfully used to excite a protein photosensitizer miniSOG and induce its phototoxicity in cancer cells as a result of bioluminescent resonance energy transfer. In this paper, the effectiveness of bioluminescent resonance energy transfer in the NanoLuc-miniSOG-furimazine system in living cells was studied. The efficiency of the energy transfer in this system was found to be independent of the furimazine concentration, while intracellular localization of the NanoLuc-miniSOG hybrid protein was found to be a crucial factor.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinical, minimally invasive method for destroying cancer cells in the presence of a photosensitizer, oxygen, and a light source. The main obstacle for the PDT treatment of deep tumors is a strong reduction of the excitation light intensity as a result of its refraction, reflection, and absorption by biological tissues. Internal light sources based on bioluminescence resonance energy transfer can be a solution of this problem. Here we show that luciferase NanoLuc being expressed as a fusion protein with phototoxic flavoprotein miniSOG in cancer cells in the presence of furimazine (highly specific NanoLuc substrate) induces a photodynamic effect of miniSOG comparable with its LED-excited (Light Emitting Diode) phototoxicity. Luminescence systems based on furimazine and hybrid protein NanoLuc-miniSOG targeted to mitochondria or cellular membranes possess the similar energy transfer efficiencies and similar BRET-induced cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, though the mechanisms of BRET-induced cell death are different. As the main components of the proposed system for BRET-mediated PDT are genetically encoded (luciferase and phototoxic protein), this system can potentially be delivered to any site in the organism and thus may be considered as a promising approach for simultaneous delivery of light source and photosensitizer in deep-lying tumors and metastasis anywhere in the body.

ErbB2/HER2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor belonging to the family of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs); it is overexpressed in 25–30% of human breast cancer cases and has a number of structural and functional differences from other receptors of this family. Typically, the activation of tyrosine kinase receptors, i.e., formation of their homo- or heterodimers, and the subsequent signal transmission into the cell occurs when the ligand is bound to them. After dimers are formed, the internalization of a complex takes place, which plays a key role in the regulation of receptor activity. Unlike other receptors of the family, ErbB2 does not have natural ligands, but is the preferred partner for the formation of heterodimers with other members of the ErbB family. ErbB2 is also resistant to internalization and degradation. Thus, staying for a long time at the cell membrane after activation, ErbB2 continues to transmit regulatory signals to the cell nucleus. Although mechanisms ensuring the ErbB2 resistance to downregulation are not fully understood, a significant pool of experimental data suggests that such key points as interaction with Hsp90 chaperon, the ability to suppress the formation of clathrin pits, the ability to quickly return to the membrane from early endosomes, and interaction with the calcium pump PMCA2, allow ErbB2 receptor to avoid internalization.

The bioluminescent platform based on a genetically engineered luciferase NanoLuc and its synthetic substrate furimazine is widely used in modern molecular biology for optical imaging and therapy of deep tissue tumors. Taking into account the perspectives of using this system in molecular biology research, a detailed study of the toxicity of furimazine in vitro and in vivo is of great interest. In this work, the cytotoxicity of furimazine in vitro was studied using four different cell lines. Systemic toxicity of furimazine in vivo was investigated under conditions of prolonged administration of the substrate in animals. It has been found that seven-day intravenous injection of the substrate in animals causes hydropic dystrophy of liver and necrosis of hepatocytes. Splitting of the dose into several injections reduces hepatotoxicity of furimazine.

Barnase is an extracellular ribonuclease secreted by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens that was originally studied as a small stable enzyme with robust folding. The identification of barnase intracellular inhibitor barstar led to the discovery of an incredibly strong protein-protein interaction. Together, barnase and barstar provide a fully genetically encoded toxin-antitoxin pair having an extremely low dissociation constant. Moreover, compared to other dimerization systems, the barnase-barstar module provides the exact one-to-one ratio of the complex components and possesses high stability of each component in a complex and high solubility in aqueous solutions without self-aggregation. The unique properties of barnase and barstar allow the application of this pair for the engineering of different variants of targeted anticancer compounds and cytotoxic supramolecular complexes. Using barnase in suicide gene therapy has also found its niche in anticancer therapy. The application of barnase and barstar in contemporary experimental cancer therapy is reflected in the review.

Simple Summary Breast cancer is one of the main causes of cancer-related death in women all around the world. The disease becomes largely incurable and lethal after metastasis to distant organs. High level of HER2, a tyrosine kinase receptor, is associated with more aggressive clinical behavior and poor prognosis for breast cancer patients. In this paper, we developed a novel nano-biomaterial for selective photothermal therapy of HER2-positive breast cancers. We demonstrate that bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated mini gold nanorods (GNRs) chemically conjugated with a HER2-specific designed ankyrin repeat protein, DARPin_9-29, selectively accumulate in HER2-positive xenograft tumors in mice and lead to a strong reduction in the tumor size when being illuminated with near-infrared light. Abstract Near-infrared phototherapy has great therapeutic potential for cancer treatment. However, for efficient application, in vivo photothermal agents should demonstrate excellent stability in blood and targeted delivery to pathological tissue. Here, we demonstrated that stable bovine serum albumin-coated gold mini nanorods conjugated to a HER2-specific designed ankyrin repeat protein, DARPin_9-29, selectively accumulate in HER2-positive xenograft tumors in mice and lead to a strong reduction in the tumor size when being illuminated with near-infrared light. The results pave the way for the development of novel DARPin-based targeted photothermal therapy of cancer.

We have generated and characterized HER2-specific targeted toxin based on the low-immunogenic variant of Pseudomonas exotoxin A (LoPE), in which most of the human immunodominant B-cell epitopes have been inactivated. Nonimmunoglobulin DARPin-based HER2-specific protein was used as a targeting module for toxin delivery to the cellular target. Using confocal microscopy, it has been found that both domains in this hybrid toxin retained their functionality, i.e., the specific interaction with HER2 receptor, as well as the internalization and effective transport to ER typical of the wild-type Pseudomonas exotoxin A. The HER2-dependent cytotoxic effect correlated with receptor expression level at the cell surface, as shown in vitro using cell lines with different levels of HER2 expression. Due to the very high selective cytotoxicity against HER2-positive human tumor cells, as well as expected low immunogenicity, we believe that this new targeted toxin may be promising for future in vivo studies as a therapeutic agent for HER2-positive tumors.

We report here a combined anti-cancer therapy directed toward HER2 and EpCAM, common tumor-associated antigens of breast cancer cells. The combined therapeutic effect is achieved owing to two highly toxic proteins &ndash, a low immunogenic variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A and ribonuclease Barnase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The delivery of toxins to cancer cells was carried out by targeting designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins). We have shown that both target agents efficiently accumulate in the tumor. Simultaneous treatment of breast carcinoma-bearing mice with anti-EpCAM fusion toxin based on LoPE and HER2-specific liposomes loaded with Barnase leads to concurrent elimination of primary tumor and metastases. Monotherapy with anti-HER2- or anti-EpCAM-toxins did not produce a comparable effect on metastases. The proposed approach can be considered as a promising strategy for significant improvement of cancer therapy.

It is proposed to use the bioluminescent resonance energy transfer to solve the problem of creating the internal light sources in photodynamic therapy of cancer. Energy donor in the developed system is the oxidized form of the luciferase NanoLuc substrate furimamide, and acceptor is the phototoxic fluorescent protein miniSOG. It is shown that, in the proposed system, the photoinduced cytotoxicity of flavoprotein miniSOG in vitro depends on the intracellular localization, and the cytotoxic effect is 48% for the cytoplasmic localization of the fusion protein, 65% for the mitochondrial localization, and 69% for the membrane localization. The obtained data indicate that, for maximization of the photodynamic effect in vivo, it is appropriate to use the NanoLuc-miniSOG fusion protein in the membrane localization.

A novel 47-residue plant defensin was purified from germinated seeds of the lentil Lens culinaris by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, chromatography, and RP-HPLC. The molecular mass (5440.41 Da) and complete amino acid sequence (KTCENLSDSFKGPCIPDGNCNKHCKEKEHLLSGRCRDDFRCWCTRNC) 1 of defensin, termed Lc-def, were determined. Lc-def has eight cysteines forming four disulfide bonds. The total RNA was isolated from lentil germinated seeds, RT-PCR and subsequent cloning were performed, and cDNA was sequenced. A 74-residue predefensin contains a putative signal peptide (27 amino acid) and a mature protein. Lc-def shows high sequence homology with legumes defensins, exhibits an activity against Aspergillus niger , but does not inhibit proteolytic enzymes.

In the present work, we studied the state of chromosomal nucleolar organizing regions (NOR) in hybrid cells obtained by fusion of cells of embryonal carcinoma of a murine line PCC4aza1 and of cells of adult mouse spleen at cultivation of hybrids under different conditions. The obtained results have shown that long-term cultivation of hybrid cells in a selective medium containing HAT (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine) promotes preservation of nucleolar organizing chromosomes (NO chromosomes), whereas in nonselective medium predominant elimination of NO chromosomes was revealed. Under nonselective conditions, an increased number of active, i.e., Ag-positive, NORs was observed as compared to under selective conditions. These observations directly show that reprogramming of parent cell genomes in hybrids includes changes in the state of NO chromosomes. The number of active NORs depends on the conditions of cultivation of hybrid cells and can change in two main ways, i.e., by the elimination of NO chromosomes (under nonselective conditions) or by the inactivation of some NORs with maintenance of NO chromosomes (under selective conditions).

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play an important role in the innate defense mechanisms in humans and animals. We have isolated and studied a set of antimicrobial peptides from leukocytes of the Russian sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedtii belonging to a subclass of chondrosteans, an ancient group of bony fish. Structural analysis of the isolated peptides, designated as acipensins (Ac), revealed in leukocytes of the Russian sturgeon six novel peptides with molecular masses of 5336.2 Da, 3803.0 Da, 5173.0 Da, 4777.5 Da, 5449.4 Da, and 2740.2 Da, designated as Ac1–Ac6, respectively. Complete primary structures of all the isolated peptides were determined, and the biological activities of three major components – Ac1, Ac2, and Ac6 – were examined. The peptides Ac1, Ac2, Ac3, Ac4, and Ac5 were found to be the N-terminal acetylated fragments 1–0, 1–5, 1–9, 1–4, and 1–1 of the histone H2A, respectively, while Ac6 was shown to be the 62–5 fragment of the histone H2A. The peptides Ac1 and Ac2 displayed potent antimicrobial activity towards Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (Escherichia coli ML35p, Listeria monocytogenes EGD, MRSA ATCC 33591) and the fungus Candida albicans 820, while Ac6 proved effective only against Gram-negative bacteria. The efficacy of Ac 1 and Ac2 towards the fungus and MRSA was reduced upon an increase in the ionic strength of the solution. Ac1, Ac2, and Ac6, at concentrations close to their minimum inhibitory concentrations, enhanced the permeability of the E.coli ML35p outer membrane to the chromogenic marker, but they did not affect appreciably the permeability of the bacterial inner membrane in comparison with a potent pore-forming peptide, protegrin 1. Ac1, Ac2, and Ac6 revealed no hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes at concentrations of 1 to 40 μM and had no cytotoxic effect (1 to 20 μM) on K-562 and U-937 cells in vitro. Our findings suggest that histone-derived peptides serve as important anti-infective host defense molecules.

Антимикробные пептиды (АМП) являются важнейшими компонентами системы врожденного иммунитета человека и животных. Охарактеризован ряд АМП, выделенных нами из лейкоцитов русского осетра Acipenser gueldenstaedtii - представителя подкласса хрящевых ганоидов, формирующих наиболее древнюю группу костных рыб. Структурный анализ пептидов, названных аципенсинами (Ac), показал, что лейкоциты осетра содержат шесть пептидов с молекулярными массами 5336.2, 3803.0, 5173.0, 4777.5 и 5449.4 и 2740.2 Да, обозначенных Ac1-Ac6 соответственно. Нами определены полные первичные структуры всех выделенных пептидов и исследована биологическая активность трех главных компонентов - Ас1, Ас2 и Ac6. Установлено, что Ас1, Ас2, Ас3, Ас4 и Ас5 представляют собой N-концевые ацетилированные фрагменты 1-50, 1-35, 1-49, 1-44 и 1-51 гистона Н2А соответственно, а Ас6 является фрагментом 62-85 гистона Н2А. Выделенные из лейкоцитов пептиды Ас1 и Ас2 обладают высокой антимикробной активностью в отношении грамотрицательных и грамположительных бактерий ( Escherichia coli ML-35p, Listeria monocytogenes EGD, MRSA ATCC 33591), а также гриба Candida albicans 820. Ас6 активен только в отношении грамотрицательной бактерии. Активность Ac1 и Ас2 в отношении гриба и MRSA снижалась при повышении ионной силы раствора. В концентрациях, близких к минимальным ингибирующим, Ас1, Ас2 и Ас6 увеличивали проницаемость наружной мембраны E. coli ML-35p для хромогенного маркера, но их влияние на проницаемость цитоплазматической мембраны бактерии не было существенным по сравнению с действием мембраноактивного пептида протегрина 1. Все три аципенсина не проявляли гемолитической активности в отношении эритроцитов человека в диапазоне концентраций от 1 до 40 мкМ и не оказывали цитотоксических эффектов на клетки К-562 и U-937 (1-20 мкМ) in vitro . Обнаружение в лейкоцитах осетра антимикробных пептидов, производных гистона Н2А, свидетельствует в пользу предположения о биологически значимой роли гистонов и их фрагментов в обеспечении противоинфекционной защиты.

In the present work we examined the status of nucleolus organizing regions of mitotic chromosomes (NOR) in hybrid cells obtained by fusion of the mouse teratocarcinoma cells PCC4aza1 and adult mouse spleenocytes upon cultivation of hybrid cells under different conditions. We have shown that extended cultivation of hybrid cells in medium supplemented with HAT (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine) promotes the maintenance of NO-chromosomes, whereas under nonselective conditions elimination of NO-chromosome occurs. In nonselective medium the number of active, i. e. Ag-positive, NORs has been augmented comparatively to that observed under selective conditions. This observation directly indicates that reprogramming of the parental cell genomes in hybrid cells includes changes in the status of chromosomal NORs. The number of active NORs depends on conditions of hybrid cells culturing and may be changed by either of the two major ways--by elimination of NO-chromosomes (under nonselective conditions) or by inactivation of some NORs, when the general number of NO-chromosomes remains unaltered (under selective conditions).

In this study, we investigated the possibility of phototoxic flavoprotein miniSOG (photosensitizer) excitation in cancer cells by bioluminescence occurring when luciferase NanoLuc oxidizes its substrate, furimazine. We have shown that the phototoxic flavoprotein miniSOG expressed in eukaryotic cells in fusion with NanoLuc luciferase is activated in the presence of its substrate, furimazine. Upon such condition, miniSOG possesses photoinduced cytotoxicity and causes a 48% cell death level in a stably transfected cell line.