Minimizing Mitogenic Potency of Insulin Analogues Through Modification of a Disulfide Bond
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ong S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9271792 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Epidemiological and laboratory studies raise the possibility of a link between clinically prescribed insulin analogues and increased cancer risk. Accordingly, there is a regulatory mandate for cancer-related pre-clinical safety evaluation during insulin analogue development, but currently, there is no standardized framework for such in vitro evaluation. We tested human insulin; the super-mitogenic insulin, X10 and insulin-like growth factor I, in four cancer cell lines with a range of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR)/IR (insulin receptor) ratios (HCT 116, HT-29, COLO 205 and MCF7) and related these to IGF-IR and IR expression in 17 human adenocarcinomas. All cell types were IR-A isoform dominant. We determined IGF-IR/IR signalling pathway endpoints in dose- and time-varying experiments, and performed mitogenic dose-response equivalent assays to derive EC50 values, and correlated these with IGF-IR/IR ratios. We superimposed relative EC50 values onto data from the literature in a meta-analysis. The IGF-IR/IR ratios varied from <1 to 12 in the selected cell lines; similar pattern ranges were observed in human adenocarcinomas. The three ligands demonstrated differential IR/IGF-IR and Akt phosphorylation, which correlated with cell-specific IGF-IR/IR ratios. Mitogenic profiles of X10 mimicked those for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and correlated with IGF-IR/IR ratios. The meta-analysis, adding data from five additional studies, supported the hypothesis that ligand mitogenic potency, relative to human insulin, increases with increasing cell-specific IGF-IR/IR ratio. This study established a framework for the in vitro evaluation of cancer-relevant bioassays for comparisons of insulin analogues, and specifically consolidated earlier studies that determination of the cell-specific IGF-IR/IR ratio is crucial for the interpretation of ranking relative biological activities.
| S-EPMC4552242 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionInsulin analogues are designed to have improved pharmacokinetic parameters compared to regular human insulin. This provides a sustained control of blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. All novel insulin analogues are tested for their mitogenic side effects, however these assays do not take into account the molecular mode of action of different insulin analogues. Insulin analogues can bind the insulin receptor and the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor with different affinities and consequently will activate different downstream signaling pathways.MethodsHere we used a panel of MCF7 human breast cancer cell lines that selectively express either one of the isoforms of the INSR or the IGF1R. We applied a transcriptomics approach to assess the differential transcriptional programs activated in these cells by either insulin, IGF1 or X10 treatment.ResultsBased on the differentially expressed genes between insulin versus IGF1 and X10 treatment, we retrieved a mitogenic classifier gene set. Validation by RT-qPCR confirmed the robustness of this gene set. The translational potential of these mitogenic classifier genes was examined in primary human mammary cells and in mammary gland tissue of mice in an in vivo model. The predictive power of the classifier genes was evaluated by testing all commercial insulin analogues in the in vitro model and defined X10 and glargine as the most potent mitogenic insulin analogues.ConclusionsWe propose that these mitogenic classifier genes can be used to test the mitogenic potential of novel insulin analogues as well as other alternative molecules with an anticipated affinity for the IGF1R.
| S-EPMC4506606 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although insulin was first purified and used therapeutically almost a century ago, there is still a need to improve therapeutic efficacy and patient convenience. A key challenge is the requirement for refrigeration to avoid inactivation of insulin by aggregation/fibrillation. Here, in an effort to mitigate this problem, we introduced a 4th disulfide bond between a C-terminal extended insulin A chain and residues near the C-terminus of the B chain. Insulin activity was retained by an analog with an additional disulfide bond between residues A22 and B22, while other linkages tested resulted in much reduced potency. Furthermore, the A22-B22 analog maintains the native insulin tertiary structure as demonstrated by X-ray crystal structure determination. We further demonstrate that this four-disulfide analog has similar in vivo potency in mice compared to native insulin and demonstrates higher aggregation stability. In conclusion, we have discovered a novel four-disulfide insulin analog with high aggregation stability and potency.
| S-EPMC7012051 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The resistant-nodulation-division (RND) superfamily member tripartite AcrA-AcrB-TolC efflux pump is a major contributor to the multidrug resistance in Escherichia coli. AcrB is the inner membrane protein of the efflux complex and is responsible for the recognition and binding of compounds before their transportation out of the cell. Understanding the dynamics of AcrB during functional rotation in the process of drug efflux is the focus of this study. For this purpose, we introduced six inter-subunit disulfide bonds into the periplasmic domain of AcrB using site-directed mutagenesis to study the importance of the relative flexibility at the inter-subunit interface. Western blot analysis revealed the formation of disulfide bond-linked AcrB oligomers, which were reduced into monomers under reducing conditions. The impact of mutation and formation of disulfide bond on efflux were evaluated via comparison of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an acrB knockout strain expressing different mutants. The double Cys mutants tested led to equal or higher susceptibility to AcrB substrates compared to their corresponding single mutants. To determine if the reduction of activity in a double mutant is due to restriction on conformational changes by the disulfide bond formation, ethidium bromide accumulation assays were conducted utilizing dithiothreitol (DTT) as the reducing agent. In two cases, the activities of the double Cys mutants were partially restored by DTT reduction, confirming the importance of relative movement in the respective location for function. These findings provide new insights into the dynamics of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump in E. coli.
| S-EPMC7469415 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Insulin is a key hormone controlling glucose homeostasis. All known vertebrate insulin analogs have a classical structure with three 100% conserved disulfide bonds that are essential for structural stability and thus the function of insulin. It might be hypothesized that an additional disulfide bond may enhance insulin structural stability which would be highly desirable in a pharmaceutical use. To address this hypothesis, we designed insulin with an additional interchain disulfide bond in positions A10/B4 based on Cα-Cα distances, solvent exposure, and side-chain orientation in human insulin (HI) structure. This insulin analog had increased affinity for the insulin receptor and apparently augmented glucodynamic potency in a normal rat model compared with HI. Addition of the disulfide bond also resulted in a 34.6°C increase in melting temperature and prevented insulin fibril formation under high physical stress even though the C-terminus of the B-chain thought to be directly involved in fibril formation was not modified. Importantly, this analog was capable of forming hexamer upon Zn addition as typical for wild-type insulin and its crystal structure showed only minor deviations from the classical insulin structure. Furthermore, the additional disulfide bond prevented this insulin analog from adopting the R-state conformation and thus showing that the R-state conformation is not a prerequisite for binding to insulin receptor as previously suggested. In summary, this is the first example of an insulin analog featuring a fourth disulfide bond with increased structural stability and retained function.
| S-EPMC3595460 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The structural transitions required for insulin to activate its receptor and initiate regulation of glucose homeostasis are only partly understood. Here, using ring-closing metathesis, we substitute the A6-A11 disulfide bond of insulin with a rigid, non-reducible dicarba linkage, yielding two distinct stereo-isomers (cis and trans). Remarkably, only the cis isomer displays full insulin potency, rapidly lowering blood glucose in mice (even under insulin-resistant conditions). It also posseses reduced mitogenic activity in vitro. Further biophysical, crystallographic and molecular-dynamics analyses reveal that the A6-A11 bond configuration directly affects the conformational flexibility of insulin A-chain N-terminal helix, dictating insulin's ability to engage its receptor. We reveal that in native insulin, contraction of the Cα-Cα distance of the flexible A6-A11 cystine allows the A-chain N-terminal helix to unwind to a conformation that allows receptor engagement. This motion is also permitted in the cis isomer, with its shorter Cα-Cα distance, but prevented in the extended trans analogue. These findings thus illuminate for the first time the allosteric role of the A6-A11 bond in mediating the transition of the hormone to an active conformation, significantly advancing our understanding of insulin action and opening up new avenues for the design of improved therapeutic analogues.
| S-EPMC5722942 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cell fate and organismal lifespan are controlled by a complex signaling network whose dysfunction can cause a variety of aging-related diseases. An important protection against these failures is cellular apoptosis, which can be induced by p66(Shc) in response to cellular stress. The precise mechanisms of p66(Shc) action and regulation and the function of the p66(Shc)-specific N terminus remain to be identified. Here, we show that the p66(Shc) N terminus forms a redox module responsible for apoptosis initiation, and that this module can be activated through reversible tetramerization by forming two disulfide bonds. Glutathione and thioredoxins can reduce and inactivate p66(Shc), resulting in a thiol-based redox sensor system that initiates apoptosis once cellular protection systems cannot cope anymore with cellular stress.
| S-EPMC2311372 | biostudies-literature
Project description:YVH1 was one of the first eukaryotic dual specificity phosphatases cloned, and orthologues poses a unique C-terminal zinc-coordinating domain in addition to a cysteine-based phosphatase domain. Our recent results revealed that human YVH1 (hYVH1) protects cells from oxidative stress. This function requires phosphatase activity and the zinc binding domain. This current study provides evidence that the thiol-rich zinc-coordinating domain may act as a redox sensor to impede the active site cysteine from inactivating oxidation. Furthermore, using differential thiol labeling and mass spectrometry, it was determined that hYVH1 forms intramolecular disulfide bonds at the catalytic cleft as well as within the zinc binding domain to avoid irreversible inactivation during severe oxidative stress. Importantly, zinc ejection is readily reversible and required for hYVH1 activity upon returning to favorable conditions. This inimitable mechanism provides a means for hYVH1 to remain functionally responsive for protecting cells during oxidative stimuli.
| S-EPMC2755693 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The protein secretory pathway must maintain homoeostasis while producing a wide assortment of proteins in different conditions. It is also used extensively to produce many useful proteins in biotechnology. As such, secretory pathway dysfunction can be highly detrimental to the cell, resulting in the molecular basis for many human diseases, and can drastically inhibit product titers in biochemical production. Because the secretory pathway is a highly-integrated, multi-organelle system, dysfunction can happen at many levels and dissecting the root cause can be challenging. To better understand some of these dysfunctions, we measured multiple systems-level states of the cell (physiology, transcriptome, metabolism) while secreting a small protein (insulin precursor) or a large protein (α-amylase). This was carried out in the presence and absence of HAC1, a key transcription factor in maintaining secretory homeostasis. Clear trends in cellular stress were apparent across multiple data resulting from our perturbations. In particular, processes involving (1) degradation of protein / recycling amino acids, (2) overall transcription/translation repression, and (3) oxidative stress. Apparent runaway oxidative radical production was explained by a thermodynamic model that we put forward for disulfide formation in the endoplasmic reticulum. This model predicts that balancing the relative rates of protein folding and disulfide bond formation are key to easing oxidative stress. These predictions have direct implications in how to engineer a broad range of recombinant proteins for secretion and provide potential hypotheses for the root causes of several secretory-associated diseases.
2011-12-01 | GSE27062 | GEO
Project description:The protein secretory pathway must maintain homoeostasis while producing a wide assortment of proteins in different conditions. It is also used extensively to produce many useful proteins in biotechnology. As such, secretory pathway dysfunction can be highly detrimental to the cell, resulting in the molecular basis for many human diseases, and can drastically inhibit product titers in biochemical production. Because the secretory pathway is a highly-integrated, multi-organelle system, dysfunction can happen at many levels and dissecting the root cause can be challenging. To better understand some of these dysfunctions, we measured multiple systems-level states of the cell (physiology, transcriptome, metabolism) while secreting a small protein (insulin precursor) or a large protein (?-amylase). This was carried out in the presence and absence of HAC1, a key transcription factor in maintaining secretory homeostasis. Clear trends in cellular stress were apparent across multiple data resulting from our perturbations. In particular, processes involving (1) degradation of protein / recycling amino acids, (2) overall transcription/translation repression, and (3) oxidative stress. Apparent runaway oxidative radical production was explained by a thermodynamic model that we put forward for disulfide formation in the endoplasmic reticulum. This model predicts that balancing the relative rates of protein folding and disulfide bond formation are key to easing oxidative stress. These predictions have direct implications in how to engineer a broad range of recombinant proteins for secretion and provide potential hypotheses for the root causes of several secretory-associated diseases. Yeast strains were constructed that produce and secrete (a) IP or (b) ?-amylase and were compared to yeast strains containing (c) an empty vector in both wild-type and HAC1 deletion backgrounds. These strains are named WN (WT with empty vector), WI (WT secreting IP), WA (WT secreting ?-amylase), dN (?hac1 with empty vector), dI (?hac1 secreting IP), and dA (?hac1 secreting ?-amylase). Strains were characterized in batch fermentation and samples were taken in mid-exponential phase. Triplicate fermentations were carried out for each strain.
2011-12-01 | E-GEOD-27062 | biostudies-arrayexpress