Cancer cells demonstrate elevated expression levels of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), contributing to tumor cell survival, disease progression, chemo-resistance, and poor prognosis. Smac/DIABLO is a mitochondrial protein that promotes apoptosis by neutralizing members of the IAP family. Herein, we describe the preparation and in vitro validation of a synthetic mimic of Smac/DIABLO, based on fluorescent polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated silica-core nanoparticles (NPs) carrying a Smac/DIABLO-derived pro-apoptotic peptide and a tumor-homing integrin peptide ligand. At low μM concentration, the NPs showed significant toxicity towards A549, U373, and HeLa cancer cells and modest toxicity towards other integrin-expressing cells, correlated with integrin-mediated cell uptake and consequent highly increased levels of apoptotic activity, without perturbing cells not expressing the α5 integrin subunit.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nano10061211 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Center for Complexity and Biosystems, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Collective migration of cancer cells is often interpreted using concepts derived from the physics of active matter, but the experimental evidence is mostly restricted to observations made in vitro. Here, we study collective invasion of metastatic cancer cells injected into the mouse deep dermis using intravital multiphoton microscopy combined with a skin window technique and three-dimensional quantitative image analysis. We observe a multicellular but low-cohesive migration mode characterized by rotational patterns which self-organize into antiparallel persistent tracks with orientational nematic order.
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January 2025
Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
Malignant gliomas are heterogeneous tumors, mostly incurable, arising in the central nervous system (CNS) driven by genetic, epigenetic, and metabolic aberrations. Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1/2) enzymes are predominantly found in low-grade gliomas and secondary high-grade gliomas, with IDH1 mutations being more prevalent. Mutant-IDH1/2 confers a gain-of-function activity that favors the conversion of a-ketoglutarate (α-KG) to the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), resulting in an aberrant hypermethylation phenotype.
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January 2025
Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, Utrecht 3584 CT, The Netherlands.
Matrigel/BME, a basement membrane-like preparation, supports long-term growth of epithelial 3D organoids from adult stem cells [T. Sato , , 262-265 (2009); T. Sato , , 1762-1772 (2011)].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.
The widespread application of genome editing to treat and cure disease requires the delivery of genome editors into the nucleus of target cells. Enveloped delivery vehicles (EDVs) are engineered virally derived particles capable of packaging and delivering CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs). However, the presence of lentiviral genome encapsulation and replication proteins in EDVs has obscured the underlying delivery mechanism and precluded particle optimization.
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January 2025
Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Biopharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Recurrent missense mutations in the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) have been identified across various human cancers. Among these mutations, the active S310F mutation in the HER2 extracellular domain stands out as not only oncogenic but also confers resistance to pertuzumab, an antibody drug widely used in clinical cancer therapy, by impeding its binding. In this study, we have successfully employed computational-aided rational design to undertake directed evolution of pertuzumab, resulting in the creation of an evolved pertuzumab variant named Ptz-SA.
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