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Full-Text Articles in Cell Biology

Amphiphilic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Natural And Unnatural Amino Acids As Drug Delivery Agents, David Salehi, Saghar Mozaffari, Khalid Zoghebi, Sandeep Lohan, Dindyal Mandal, Rakesh Tiwari, Keykavous Parang Mar 2022

Amphiphilic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Natural And Unnatural Amino Acids As Drug Delivery Agents, David Salehi, Saghar Mozaffari, Khalid Zoghebi, Sandeep Lohan, Dindyal Mandal, Rakesh Tiwari, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A series of cyclic peptides, [(DipR)(WR)4], [(DipR)2(WR)3], [(DipR)3(WR)2], [(DipR)4(WR)], and [DipR]5, and their linear counterparts containing arginine (R) as positively charged residues and tryptophan (W) or diphenylalanine (Dip) as hydrophobic residues, were synthesized and evaluated for their molecular transporter efficiency. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the synthesized peptides was determined in human epithelial ovary adenocarcinoma cells (SK-OV-3), human lymphoblast peripheral blood cells (CCRF-CEM), human embryonic epithelial kidney healthy cells (HEK-293), human epithelial mammary gland adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB-468), pig epithelial kidney normal cells (LLC-PK1), and human epithelial …


Keratin 1 As A Cell-Surface Receptor In Cancer, Oluseye Ogunnigbagbe, Christopher G. Bunick, Kamaljit Kaur Dec 2021

Keratin 1 As A Cell-Surface Receptor In Cancer, Oluseye Ogunnigbagbe, Christopher G. Bunick, Kamaljit Kaur

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Keratins are fibrous proteins that take part in several important cellular functions, including the formation of intermediate filaments. In addition, keratins serve as epithelial cell markers, which has made their role in cancer progression, diagnosis, and treatment an important focus of research. Keratin 1 (K1) is a type II keratin whose structure is comprised of a coiled-coil central domain flanked by flexible, glycine-rich loops in the N- and C-termini. While the structure of cytoplasmic K1 is established, the structure of cell-surface K1 is not known. Several transformed cells, such as cancerous cells and cells that have undergone oxidative stress, display …


Design And Application Of Hybrid Cyclic-Linear Peptide-Doxorubicin Conjugates As A Strategy To Overcome Doxorubicin Resistance And Toxicity, Saghar Mozaffari, David Salehi, Parvin Mahdipoor, Richard Beuttler, Rakesh Tiwari, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Keykavous Parang Sep 2021

Design And Application Of Hybrid Cyclic-Linear Peptide-Doxorubicin Conjugates As A Strategy To Overcome Doxorubicin Resistance And Toxicity, Saghar Mozaffari, David Salehi, Parvin Mahdipoor, Richard Beuttler, Rakesh Tiwari, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Doxorubicin (Dox) is used for breast cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma treatment as an effective chemotherapeutic agent. However, Dox use is restricted due to inherent and acquired resistance and an 8-fold increase in the risk of potentially fatal cardiotoxicity. Hybrid cyclic-linear peptide [R5K]W7A and linear peptide R5KW7A were conjugated with Dox through a glutarate linker to afford [R5K]W7A-Dox and R5KW7A-Dox conjugates to generate Dox derivatives. Alternatively, [R5K]W7C was conjugated with Dox via a disulfide linker to generate [R5K]W7C–S–S-Dox conjugate, where S–S is a disulfide bond. Comparative antiproliferative assays between conjugates [R5K]W7A-Dox, [R5K]W7C–S–S-Dox, linear R5KW7A-Dox, the corresponding physical mixtures of the peptides, …


Human Oncoprotein 5mp Suppresses General And Repeat-Associated Non-Aug Translation Via Eif3 By A Common Mechanism, Chingakham Ranjit Singh, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Chelsea Moore, Naoki Tani, Rahul Jaiswal, Ye Zou, Eric Aube, Sarah Gillaspie, Mackenzie Thornton, Ariana Cecil, Madelyn Hilgers, Azuma Takasu, Izumi Asano, Masayo Asano, Carlos R. Escalante, Akira Nakamura, Peter K. Todd, Katsura Asano Jul 2021

Human Oncoprotein 5mp Suppresses General And Repeat-Associated Non-Aug Translation Via Eif3 By A Common Mechanism, Chingakham Ranjit Singh, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Chelsea Moore, Naoki Tani, Rahul Jaiswal, Ye Zou, Eric Aube, Sarah Gillaspie, Mackenzie Thornton, Ariana Cecil, Madelyn Hilgers, Azuma Takasu, Izumi Asano, Masayo Asano, Carlos R. Escalante, Akira Nakamura, Peter K. Todd, Katsura Asano

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

eIF5-mimic protein (5MP) is a translational regulatory protein that binds the small ribosomal subunit and modulates its activity. 5MP is proposed to reprogram non-AUG translation rates for oncogenes in cancer, but its role in controlling non-AUG initiated synthesis of deleterious repeat-peptide products, such as FMRpolyG observed in fragile-X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), is unknown. Here, we show that 5MP can suppress both general and repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation by a common mechanism in a manner dependent on its interaction with eIF3. Essentially, 5MP displaces eIF5 through the eIF3c subunit within the preinitiation complex (PIC), thereby increasing the accuracy of initiation. …


Comparative Molecular Transporter Properties Of Cyclic Peptides Containing Tryptophan And Arginine Residues Formed Through Disulfide Cyclization, Eman H. M. Mohammed, Dindyal Mandal, Saghar Mozaffari, Magdy Abdel-Hamied Zahran, Amany Mostafa Osman, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari, Keykavous Parang Jun 2020

Comparative Molecular Transporter Properties Of Cyclic Peptides Containing Tryptophan And Arginine Residues Formed Through Disulfide Cyclization, Eman H. M. Mohammed, Dindyal Mandal, Saghar Mozaffari, Magdy Abdel-Hamied Zahran, Amany Mostafa Osman, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

We have previously reported cyclic cell-penetrating peptides [WR]5 and [WR]4 as molecular transporters. To optimize further the utility of our developed peptides for targeted therapy in cancer cells using the redox condition, we designed a new generation of peptides and evaluated their cytotoxicity as well as uptake behavior against different cancer cell lines. Thus, cyclic [C(WR)xC] and linear counterparts (C(WR)xC), where x = 4–5, were synthesized using Fmoc/tBu solid-phase peptide synthesis, purified, and characterized. The compounds did not show any significant cytotoxicity (at 25 µM) against ovarian (SK-OV-3), leukemia (CCRF-CEM), gastric adenocarcinoma (CRL-1739), breast …


Hnrnpa2 Mediated Acetylation Reduces Telomere Length In Response To Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Manti Guha, Satish Srinivasan, F. Bradley Johnson, Gordon Ruthel, Kip Guja, Miguel Garcia-Diaz, Brett A. Kaufman, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Jikang Fang, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Jeelan Basha, Tapas Kundu, Narayan G. Avadhani Nov 2018

Hnrnpa2 Mediated Acetylation Reduces Telomere Length In Response To Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Manti Guha, Satish Srinivasan, F. Bradley Johnson, Gordon Ruthel, Kip Guja, Miguel Garcia-Diaz, Brett A. Kaufman, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Jikang Fang, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Jeelan Basha, Tapas Kundu, Narayan G. Avadhani

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Telomeres protect against chromosomal damage. Accelerated telomere loss has been associated with premature aging syndromes such as Werner’s syndrome and Dyskeratosis Congenita, while, progressive telomere loss activates a DNA damage response leading to chromosomal instability, typically observed in cancer cells and senescent cells. Therefore, identifying mechanisms of telomere length maintenance is critical for understanding human pathologies. In this paper we demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a causal role in telomere shortening. Furthermore, hnRNPA2, a mitochondrial stress responsive lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) acetylates telomere histone H4at lysine 8 of (H4K8) and this acetylation is associated with telomere attrition. Cells containing dysfunctional mitochondria …


Modulation Of Hypoxia-Induced Chemoresistance To Polymeric Micellar Cisplatin: The Effect Of Ligand Modification Of Micellar Carrier Versus Inhibition Of The Mediators Of Drug Resistance, Hoda Soleymani Abyaneh, Amir Hassan Soleimani, Mohammad Reza Vakili, Rania Soudy, Kamaljit Kaur, Francesco Cuda, Ali Tavassoli, Afsaneh Lavasanifar Oct 2018

Modulation Of Hypoxia-Induced Chemoresistance To Polymeric Micellar Cisplatin: The Effect Of Ligand Modification Of Micellar Carrier Versus Inhibition Of The Mediators Of Drug Resistance, Hoda Soleymani Abyaneh, Amir Hassan Soleimani, Mohammad Reza Vakili, Rania Soudy, Kamaljit Kaur, Francesco Cuda, Ali Tavassoli, Afsaneh Lavasanifar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Hypoxia can induce chemoresistance, which is a significant clinical obstacle in cancer therapy. Here, we assessed development of hypoxia-induced chemoresistance (HICR) against free versus polymeric cisplatin micelles in a triple negative breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231. We then explored two strategies for the modulation of HICR against cisplatin micelles: a) the development of actively targeted micelles; and b) combination therapy with modulators of HICR in MDA-MB-231 cells. Actively targeted cisplatin micelles were prepared through surface modification of acetal-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(-carboxyl-"-caprolactone) (acetal-PEO-PCCL) micelles with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting peptide, GE11 (YHWYGYTPQNVI). Our results showed that hypoxia induced resistance against free and …


Astromimetics: The Dawn Of A New Era For (Bio)Materials Science?, Vuk Uskoković, Victoria M. Wu Aug 2018

Astromimetics: The Dawn Of A New Era For (Bio)Materials Science?, Vuk Uskoković, Victoria M. Wu

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Composite, multifunctional fine particles are likely to be at the frontier of materials science in the foreseeable future. Here we present a submicron composite particle that mimics the stratified structure of the Earth by having a zero-valent iron core, a silicate/silicide mantle, and a thin carbonaceous crust resembling the biosphere and its biotic deposits. Particles were formulated in a stable colloidal form and made to interact with various types of healthy and cancer cells in vitro. A selective anticancer activity was observed, promising from the point of view of the intended use of the particles for tumor targeting across the …


“Do We Know Jack” About Jak? A Closer Look At Jak/Stat Signaling Pathway, Emira Bousoik, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi Jul 2018

“Do We Know Jack” About Jak? A Closer Look At Jak/Stat Signaling Pathway, Emira Bousoik, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Janus tyrosine kinase (JAK) family of proteins have been identified as crucial proteins in signal transduction initiated by a wide range of membrane receptors. Among the proteins in this family JAK2 has been associated with important downstream proteins, including signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs), which in turn regulate the expression of a variety of proteins involved in induction or prevention of apoptosis. Therefore, the JAK/STAT signaling axis plays a major role in the proliferation and survival of different cancer cells, and may even be involved in resistance mechanisms against molecularly targeted drugs. Despite extensive research focused on the …


Hnrnpa2 Is A Novel Histone Acetyltransferase That Mediates Mitochondrial Stress-Induced Nuclear Gene Expression, Manti Guha, Satish Srinivasan, Kip Guja, Edison Mejia, Miguel Garcia-Diaz, F. Brad Johnson, Gordon Ruthel, Brett A. Kaufman, Eric F. Rappaport, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Ji-Kang Fang, Andres J. Klein-Szanto, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Jeelan Basha, Tapas Kundu, Narayan G. Avadhani Dec 2016

Hnrnpa2 Is A Novel Histone Acetyltransferase That Mediates Mitochondrial Stress-Induced Nuclear Gene Expression, Manti Guha, Satish Srinivasan, Kip Guja, Edison Mejia, Miguel Garcia-Diaz, F. Brad Johnson, Gordon Ruthel, Brett A. Kaufman, Eric F. Rappaport, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Ji-Kang Fang, Andres J. Klein-Szanto, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Jeelan Basha, Tapas Kundu, Narayan G. Avadhani

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Reduced mitochondrial DNA copy number, mitochondrial DNA mutations or disruption of electron transfer chain complexes induce mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde signaling, which induces global change in nuclear gene expression ultimately contributing to various human pathologies including cancer. Recent studies suggest that these mitochondrial changes cause transcriptional reprogramming of nuclear genes although the mechanism of this cross talk remains unclear. Here, we provide evidence that mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde signaling regulates chromatin acetylation and alters nuclear gene expression through the heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A2 (hnRNAP2). These processes are reversed when mitochondrial DNA content is restored to near normal cell levels. We show that the mitochondrial stress-induced …


Selective Anticancer Activity Of Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan-Poly(D,L)-Lactide-Co-Glycolide Particles Loaded With An Androstane-Based Cancer Inhibitor, Nenad Ignjatović, Katarina M. Penov-Gaši, Victoria M. Wu, Jovana J. Ajduković, Vesna V. Kojić, Dana Vasiljević-Radović, Maja Kuzmanović, Vuk Uskoković, Dragab Uskoković Sep 2016

Selective Anticancer Activity Of Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan-Poly(D,L)-Lactide-Co-Glycolide Particles Loaded With An Androstane-Based Cancer Inhibitor, Nenad Ignjatović, Katarina M. Penov-Gaši, Victoria M. Wu, Jovana J. Ajduković, Vesna V. Kojić, Dana Vasiljević-Radović, Maja Kuzmanović, Vuk Uskoković, Dragab Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

In an earlier study we demonstrated that hydroxyapatite nanoparticles coated with chitosan-poly(d,l)-lactide-co-glycolide (HAp/Ch-PLGA) target lungs following their intravenous injection into mice. In this study we utilize an emulsification process and freeze drying to load the composite HAp/Ch-PLGA particles with 17β-hydroxy-17α-picolyl-androst-5-en-3β-yl-acetate (A), a chemotherapeutic derivative of androstane and a novel compound with a selective anticancer activity against lung cancer cells. 1H NMR and 13C NMR techniques confirmed the intact structure of the derivative A following its entrapment within HAp/Ch-PLGA particles. The thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses coupled with mass spectrometry were used to assess the …


Targeting Cell Cycle Proteins In Breast Cancer Cells With Sirna By Using Lipid-Substituted Polyethylenimines, Manoj Parmar, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Parvin Mahdipoor, Cezary Kucharski, Robert Maranchuk, Judith C. Hugh, Hasan Uludag Jan 2015

Targeting Cell Cycle Proteins In Breast Cancer Cells With Sirna By Using Lipid-Substituted Polyethylenimines, Manoj Parmar, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Parvin Mahdipoor, Cezary Kucharski, Robert Maranchuk, Judith C. Hugh, Hasan Uludag

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The cell cycle proteins are key regulators of cell cycle progression whose de-regulation is one of the causes of breast cancer. RNA interference (RNAi) is an endogenous mechanism to regulate gene expression and it could serve as the basis of regulating aberrant proteins including cell cycle proteins. Since the delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a main barrier for implementation of RNAi therapy, we explored the potential of a non-viral delivery system, 2.0 kDa polyethylenimines substituted with linoleic acid and caprylic acid, for this purpose. Using a library of siRNAs against cell cycle proteins, we identified cell division cycle …


Effective Non-Viral Delivery Of Sirna To Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells With Lipid-Substituted Polyethylenimines, Breanne Landry Jan 2012

Effective Non-Viral Delivery Of Sirna To Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells With Lipid-Substituted Polyethylenimines, Breanne Landry

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a promising approach for AML treatment as the siRNA molecule can be designed to specifically target proteins that contribute to aberrant cell proliferation in this disease. However, a clinical-relevant means of delivering siRNA molecules must be developed, as the cellular delivery of siRNA is problematic. Here, we report amphiphilic carriers combining a cationic polymer (2 kDa polyethyleneimine, PEI2) with lipophilic moieties to facilitate intracellular delivery of siRNA to AML cell lines. Complete binding of siRNA by the designed carriers was achieved at a polymer:siRNA ratio of ~0.5 and led to siRNA/polymer complexes of …