The neuropilin-plexin receptor complex regulates tumor cell migration and proliferation and thus is an interesting therapeutic target. High expression of neuropilin-1 is indeed associated with a bad prognosis in glioma patients. Q-RTPCR and tissue-array analyses showed here that Plexin-A1 is highly expressed in glioblastoma and that the highest level of expression correlates with the worse survival of patients. We next identified a developmental and tumor-associated pro-angiogenic role of Plexin-A1. Hence, by using molecular simulations and a two-hybrid like assay in parallel with biochemical and cellular assays we developed a specific Plexin-A1 peptidic antagonist disrupting transmembrane domain-mediated oligomerization of the receptor and subsequent signaling and functional activity. We found that this peptide exhibits anti-tumor activity in vivo on different human glioblastoma models including glioma cancer stem cells. Thus, screening Plexin-A1 expression and targeting Plexin-A1 in glioblastoma patients exhibit diagnostic and therapeutic value.
Breast cancer is still a deadly disease despite major achievements in targeted therapies designed to block ligands or ligand-binding subunits of major tyrosine kinase receptors. Relapse is significant and metastases deleterious, which demands novel strategies for fighting this disease. Here, we report a proof-of-concept experiment demonstrating that small peptides interfering with the transmembrane domain of the tyrosine kinase epidermal growth factor receptor ErbB2 exhibit anticancer properties when used at micromolar dosages in a genetically engineered mouse model of breast cancer. Different assays demonstrate the specificity of the ErbB2-targeting peptide, which induces long-term reduction of ErbB2 phosphorylation and Akt signaling consistent with reduced tumor cell proliferation and increased survival. Microcomputed tomography analysis established the antimetastatic activity of the peptide and its impact on primary tumor growth. This reveals the interior of the cell membrane as an unexplored dimension for drug design.
The transmembrane domains (TMD) in membrane receptors play a key role in cell signaling. As previously shown by us a peptide targeting the TMD of neuropilin-1 (MTP-NRP1), blocks cell proliferation, cell migration and angiogenesis in vitro, and decreases glioblastoma growth in vivo. We now explored the clinical potential of MTP-NRP1 on breast cancer models and demonstrate that MTP-NRP1 blocks proliferation of several breast cancer lines including the MDA-MB-231, a triple negative human breast cancer cell line. In models with long term in vivo administration of the peptide, MTP-NRP1 not only reduced tumor volume but also decreased number and size of breast cancer metastases. Strikingly, treating mice before tumors developed protected from metastasis establishment/formation. Overall, our results report that targeting the TMD of NRP1 in breast cancer is a potent new strategy to fight against breast cancer and related metastasis.
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