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Carboxylesterases (CEs) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the detoxification of ester-containing xenobiotics. This hydrolysis reaction results in the formation of the corresponding carboxylic acid and alcohol. Due to their highly plastic active site, CEs can hydrolyze structurally very distinct and complex molecules. Because ester groups significantly increase the water solubility of compounds, they are frequently used in the pharmaceutical industry to make relatively insoluble compounds more bioavailable. By default, this results in CEs playing a major role in the distribution and metabolism of these esterified drugs. However, this can be exploited to selectively improve compound hydrolysis, and using specific in vivo targeting techniques can be employed to generate enhanced drug activity. Here, we seek to detail the human CEs involved in esterified molecule hydrolysis, compare and contrast these with CEs present in small mammals and describe novel methods to improve drug therapy by specific delivery of CEs to cells in vivo. Finally, we will discuss the development of such approaches for their potential application towards malignant disease.

PURPOSE: The anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been demonstrated to be a valid clinical target in diseases such as anaplastic large cell lymphoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Recent studies have indicated that ALK is overexpressed in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and hence we hypothesized that this kinase may be a suitable candidate for therapeutic intervention in this tumor. METHODS: We evaluated the expression of ALK in a panel of pediatric RMS cell lines and patient-derived xenografts (PDX), and sensitivity to ALK inhibitors was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Essentially all RMS lines were sensitive to crizotinib, NVP-TAE684 or LDK-378 in vitro, and molecular analyses demonstrated inhibition of RMS cell proliferation following siRNA-mediated reduction of ALK expression. However, in vivo PDX studies using ALK kinase inhibitors demonstrated no antitumor activity when used as single agents or when combined with standard of care therapy (vincristine, actinomycin D and cyclophosphamide). More alarmingly however, crizotinib actually accelerated the growth of these tumors in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: While ALK appears to be a relevant target in RMS in vitro, targeting this kinase in vivo yields no therapeutic efficacy, warranting extreme caution when considering the use of these agents in pediatric RMS patients.

SummaryRhabdomyosarcoma is a soft-tissue sarcoma with molecular and cellular features of developing skeletal muscle. Rhabdomyosarcoma has two major histologic subtypes, embryonal and alveolar, each with distinct clinical, molecular, and genetic features. Genomic analysis shows that embryonal tumors have more structural and copy number variations than alveolar tumors. Mutations in the RAS/NF1 pathway are significantly associated with intermediate- and high-risk embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas (ERMS). In contrast, alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas (ARMS) have fewer genetic lesions overall and no known recurrently mutated cancer consensus genes. To identify therapeutics for ERMS, we developed and characterized orthotopic xenografts of tumors that were sequenced in our study. High-throughput screening of primary cultures derived from those xenografts identified oxidative stress as a pathway of therapeutic relevance for ERMS.

Carboxylesterases (CEs) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics. In humans, substrates for these enzymes are far-ranging, and include the street drug heroin and the anticancer agent irinotecan. Hence, their ability to bind and metabolize substrates is of broad interest to biomedical science. In this study, we focused our attention on dynamic motions of a CE from B. subtilis (pnbCE), with emphasis on the question of what individual domains of the enzyme might contribute to its catalytic activity. We used a 10 ns all-atom molecular dynamics simulation, normal mode calculations, and enzyme kinetics to understand catalytic consequences of structural changes within this enzyme. Our results shed light on how molecular motions are coupled with catalysis. During molecular dynamics, we observed a distinct C-C bond rotation between two conformations of Glu310. Such a bond rotation would alternately facilitate and impede protonation of the active site His399 and act as a mechanism by which the enzyme alternates between its active and inactive conformation. Our normal mode results demonstrate that the distinct low-frequency motions of two loops in pnbCE, coil_5 and coil_21, are important in substrate conversion and seal the active site. Mutant CEs lacking these external loops show significantly reduced rates of substrate conversion, suggesting this sealing motion prevents escape of substrate. Overall, the results of our studies give new insight into the structure-function relationship of CEs and have implications for the entire family of α/β fold family of hydrolases, of which this CE is a member.

Organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents are potent toxins that inhibit cholinesterases and produce a rapid and lethal cholinergic crisis. Development of protein-based therapeutics is being pursued with the goal of preventing nerve agent toxicity and protecting against the long-term side effects of these agents. The drug-metabolizing enzyme human carboxylesterase 1 (hCE1) is a candidate protein-based therapeutic because of its similarity in structure and function to the cholinesterase targets of nerve agent poisoning. However, the ability of wild-type hCE1 to process the G-type nerve agents sarin and cyclosarin has not been determined. We report the crystal structure of hCE1 in complex with the nerve agent cyclosarin. We further use stereoselective nerve agent analogs to establish that hCE1 exhibits a 1700- and 2900-fold preference for the P R enantiomers of analogs of soman and cyclosarin, respectively, and a 5-fold preference for the P S isomer of a sarin analog. Finally, we show that for enzyme inhibited by racemic mixtures of bona fide nerve agents, hCE1 spontaneously reactivates in the presence of sarin but not soman or cyclosarin. The addition of the neutral oxime 2,3-butanedione monoxime increases the rate of reactivation of hCE1 from sarin inhibition by more than 60-fold but has no effect on reactivation with the other agents examined. Taken together, these data demonstrate that hCE1 is only reactivated after inhibition with the more toxic P S isomer of sarin. These results provide important insights toward the long-term goal of designing novel forms of hCE1 to act as protein-based therapeutics for nerve agent detoxification.

Background: Carboxylesterases (CEs) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the hydrolysis of numerous clinically useful drugs. As ester moieties are frequently included in molecules to improve their water solubility and bioavailability, de facto they become substrates for CEs. Objective: In this review, we describe the properties of human CEs with regard to their ability to activate anticancer prodrugs and demonstrate how structure-based design can be used to modulate substrate specificity and to increase efficiency of hydrolysis. Methods: A specific example using CPT-11 and a human liver CE is discussed. However, these techniques can be applied to other enzymes and their associated prodrugs. Results: Structure-guided mutagenesis of CEs can be employed to alter substrate specificity and generate novel enzymes that are efficacious at anticancer prodrug activation.

We have synthesized and assessed the ability of symmetrical fluorobenzoins and fluorobenzils to inhibit mammalian carboxylesterases (CE). The majority of the latter were excellent inhibitors of CEs however unexpectedly, the fluorobenzoins were very good enzyme inhibitors. Positive correlations were seen with the charge on the hydroxyl carbon atom, the carbonyl oxygen, and the Hammett constants for the derived K(i) values with the fluorobenzoins.

Neural stem cells and progenitor cells migrate selectively to tumor loci in vivo. We exploited the tumor-tropic properties of HB1.F3.C1 cells, an immortalized cell line derived from human fetal telencephalon, to deliver the cDNA encoding a secreted form of rabbit carboxylesterase (rCE) to disseminated neuroblastoma tumors in mice. This enzyme activates the prodrug CPT-11 more efficiently than do human enzymes. Mice bearing multiple tumors were treated with rCE-expressing HB1.F3.C1 cells and schedules of administration of CPT-11 that produced levels of active drug (SN-38) tolerated by patients. Both HB1.F3.C1 cells and CPT-11 were given i.v. None of the untreated mice and 30% of mice that received only CPT-11 survived long term. In contrast, 90% of mice treated with rCE-expressing HB1.F3.C1 cells and 15 mg/kg CPT-11 survived for 1 year without detectable tumors. Plasma carboxylesterase activity and SN-38 levels in mice receiving both rCE-expressing HB1.F3.C1 cells (HB1.F3.C1/AdCMVrCE) and CPT-11 were comparable with those in mice receiving CPT-11 only. These data support the hypothesis that the antitumor effect of the described neural stem/progenitor cell–directed enzyme prodrug therapy (NDEPT) is mediated by production of high concentrations of active drug selectively at tumor sites, thereby maximizing the antitumor effect of CPT-11. NDEPT approaches merit further investigation as effective, targeted therapy for metastatic tumors. We propose that the described approach may have greatest use for eradicating minimum residual disease. [Cancer Res 2007;67(1):22–5]

Carboxylesterases (CE) are members of the esterase family of enzymes, and as their name suggests, they are responsible for the hydrolysis of carboxylesters into the corresponding alcohol and carboxylic acid. To date, no endogenous CE substrates have been identified and as such, these proteins are thought to act as a mechanism to detoxify ester-containing xenobiotics. As a consequence, they are expressed in tissues that might be exposed to such agents (lung and gut epithelia, liver, kidney, etc.). CEs demonstrate very broad substrate specificities and can hydrolyze compounds as diverse as cocaine, oseltamivir (Tamiflu), permethrin and irinotecan. In addition, these enzymes are irreversibly inhibited by organophosphates such as Sarin and Tabun. In this overview, we will compare and contrast the two human enzymes that have been characterized, and evaluate the biology of the interaction of these proteins with organophosphates (principally nerve agents).

Carboxylesterases are ubiquitous proteins responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics. However, these enzymes also activate prodrugs, such as the anticancer agents capecitabine and CPT-11. As a consequence, overexpression of carboxylesterases within tumor cells sensitizes these cells to CPT-11. We have recently identified two classes of carboxylesterase inhibitors based on either a benzil (diphenylethane-1,2-dione) or a benzene sulfonamide scaffold and showed that these compounds inhibit carboxylesterases with Kis in the low nanomolar range. Because both classes of inhibitors show reversible enzyme inhibition, conventional in vitro biochemical assays would not accurately reflect the in situ levels of carboxylesterase activity or inhibition. Therefore, we have developed a novel assay for the determination of intracellular carboxylesterase activity using 4-methylumbelliferone as a substrate. These studies show that benzil and a dimethylbenzil analogue efficiently enter cells and inhibit human intestinal carboxylesterase and rabbit liver carboxylesterase intracellularly. This inhibition results in reduced cytotoxicity to CPT-11 due to the lack of carboxylesterase-mediated conversion of the prodrug to SN-38. These results suggest that intracellular modulation of carboxylesterase activity with benzil or its analogues may be applied to minimize the toxicity of normal cells to CPT-11. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(9):2281–8]

Benzil has been identified as a potent selective inhibitor of carboxylesterases (CEs). Essential components of the molecule required for inhibitory activity include the dione moiety and the benzene rings, and substitution within the rings affords increased selectivity toward CEs from different species. Replacement of the benzene rings with heterocyclic substituents increased the K(i) values for the compounds toward three mammalian CEs when using o-nitrophenyl acetate as a substrate. Logarithmic plots of the K(i) values versus the empirical resonance energy, the heat of union of formation energy, or the aromatic stabilization energy determined from molecular orbital calculations for the ring structures yielded linear relationships that allowed prediction of the efficacy of the diones toward CE inhibition. Using these data, we predicted that 2,2'-naphthil would be an excellent inhibitor of mammalian CEs. This was demonstrated to be correct with a K(i) value of 1 nM being observed for a rabbit liver CE. In addition, molecular simulations of the movement of the ring structures around the dione dihedral indicated that the ability of the compounds to inhibit CEs was due, in part, to rotational constraints enforced by the dione moiety. Overall, these studies identify subdomains within the aromatic ethane-1,2-diones, that are responsible for CE inhibition.

Carboxylesterases (CE) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the metabolism of xenobiotics. Because the structural and amino acid homology among esterases of different classes, the identification of selective inhibitors of these proteins has proved problematic. Using Telik's target-related affinity profiling (TRAP) technology, we have identified a class of compounds based on benzil (1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-dione) that are potent CE inhibitors, with K(i) values in the low nanomolar range. Benzil and 30 analogues demonstrated selective inhibition of CEs, with no inhibitory activity toward human acetylcholinesterase or butyrylcholinesterase. Analysis of structurally related compounds indicated that the ethane-1,2-dione moiety was essential for enzyme inhibition and that potency was dependent on the presence of, and substitution within, the benzene ring. 3D-QSAR analyses of these benzil analogues for three different mammalian CEs demonstrated excellent correlations of observed versus predicted K(i) (r(2)0.91), with cross-validation coefficients (q(2)) of 0.9. Overall, these results suggest that selective inhibitors of CEs with potential for use in clinical applications can be designed.

We have exploited the ability of wild-type (wt) p53 to repress gene expression and produce tumor-selective cytotoxicity using viral-directed enzyme prodrug therapy. Vectors containing either the cytomegalovirus or Rous sarcoma virus promoter regulating transcription of a rabbit liver carboxylesterase (CE) have been constructed. Upon transfection of these plasmids into cells expressing either wt or mutant p53, differential expression of the CE has been observed, resulting in sensitization of the cells expressing the latter protein to the anticancer prodrug irinotecan, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino] carb- onyloxycamptothecin (CPT-11). Transduction of isogenic cell lines with adenovirus containing CE under control of the Rous sarcoma virus promoter confirmed the decreased sensitization of cells expressing wtp53 to CPT-11. These studies indicate that the inactivation of wtp53 by mutant p53 in human tumor cells may be sufficient enough to generate a therapeutic window for enhanced cytotoxicity with CPT-11.

7-Ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxycamptothecin [CPT-11 (irinotecan)] is a water-soluble camptothecin-derived prodrug that is activated by esterases to yield the potent topoisomerase I poison SN-38. We identified a rabbit liver carboxylesterase (CE) that was very efficient at CPT-11 metabolism; however, a human homolog that was more than 81% identical to this protein activated the drug poorly. Recently, two other human CEs have been isolated that are efficient in the conversion of CPT-11 to SN-38, yet both demonstrate little homology to the rabbit protein. To understand this phenomenon, we have characterized a series of esterases from human and rabbit, including several chimeric proteins, for their ability to metabolize CPT-11. Computer predictive modeling indicated that the ability of each enzyme to activate CPT-11 was dependent on the size of the entrance to the active site. Kinetic studies with a series of nitrophenyl and naphthyl esters confirmed these predictions, indicating that activation of CPT-11 by a CE is constrained by size-limited access of the drug to the active site catalytic amino acid residues.

Butyrylcholinesterases (BuChEs; acylcholine acylhydrolase; EC 3.1.1.8) have been demonstrated to convert the anticancer agent CPT-11 (irinotecan, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxycamptothecin) into its active metabolite SN-38 (7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin). In addition, significant differences in the extent of drug metabolism have been observed with BuChEs derived from different species. In an attempt to understand these differences, we have isolated the cDNA encoding a horse BuChE. Based upon the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of a purified horse BuChE, we designed degenerate primers to amplify the coding sequence from horse liver cDNA. Following polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of the cDNA ends, we generated an 1850-bp DNA fragment, containing an 1806-bp open reading frame. The cDNA encodes a protein of 602 amino acid residues, including a 28-amino-acid NH2-terminal signal peptide. Furthermore, the DNA sequence and the deduced amino acid sequence revealed extensive homology to butyrylcholinesterase genes from several other species. In vitro transcription-translation of the cDNA produced a 66-kDa protein, identical to the size of native horse serum BuChE following removal of carbohydrate residues with endoglycosidase F. Additionally, transient expression of the cDNA in Cos-7 cells yielded extracts that exhibited cholinesterase activity and demonstrated a Km value for butyrylthiocholine of 106+/-9 nM. This extract converted the anticancer drug CPT-11 into SN-38, demonstrating that this drug can be activated by enzymes other than carboxylesterases.

Simple repetitive DNA sequences in the eukaryotic genome frequently alter in length. In wild-type strains, we find that transcription through a repetitive poly GT tract destabilizes the tract four- to ninefold. In mismatch repair-deficient yeast strains, simple repeats are very unstable. High levels of transcription in such strains destabilize repetitive tracts an additional two- to threefold.

There was an error in the sixth author's name. The correct name is Steven M. Lewis. The corrected author contributions are: "Conceived and designed the experiments: ACH RAC MRR. Performed the experiments: ACH TCO RAC MW JSE SML CCE LT CLC SAK. Analyzed the data: ACH RAC JRC SLM PMP DMC MRR. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: ACH TCO RAC MW JSE SML CCE LT CLC SAK. Wrote the paper: ACH TCO RAC MW JSE SML CCE LT CLC SAK JRC SLM PMP DMC MRR."

CPT-11 is a potent antitumor agent that is activated by carboxylesterases (CE) and intracellular expression of CEs that can activate the drug results in increased cytotoxicity to the drug. As activation of CPT-11 (irinotecan-7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxycamptothecin) by human CEs is relatively inefficient, we have developed enzyme/prodrug therapy approaches based on the CE/CPT-11 combination using a rabbit liver CE (rCE). However, the in vivo application of this technology may be hampered by the development of an immune response to rCE. Therefore, we have developed a mutant human CE (hCE1m6), based on the human liver CE hCE1, that can activate CPT-11 approximately 70-fold more efficiently than the wild-type protein and can be expressed at high levels in mammalian cells. Indeed, adenoviral-mediated delivery of hCE1m6 with human tumor cells resulted in up to a 670-fold reduction in the IC(50) value for CPT-11, as compared to cells transduced with vector control virus. Furthermore, xenograft studies with human tumors expressing hCE1m6 confirm the ability of this enzyme to activate CPT-11 in vivo and induce antitumor activity. We propose that this enzyme should likely be less immunogenic than rCE and would be suitable for the in vivo application of CE/CPT-11 enzyme/prodrug therapy.

Carboxylesterases (CE) are ubiquitous enzymes thought to be responsible for the metabolism and detoxification of xenobiotics. Numerous clinically used drugs including Demerol, lidocaine, capecitabine, and CPT-11 are hydrolyzed by these enzymes. Hence, the identification and application of selective CE inhibitors may prove useful in modulating the metabolism of esterified drugs in vivo. Having recently identified benzil (diphenylethane-1,2-dione) as a potent selective inhibitor of CEs, we sought to evaluate the inhibitory activity of related 1,2-diones toward these enzymes. Biochemical assays and kinetic studies demonstrated that isatins (indole-2,3-diones), containing hydrophobic groups attached at a variety of positions within these molecules, could act as potent, specific CE inhibitors. Interestingly, the inhibitory potency of the isatin compounds was related to their hydrophobicity, such that compounds with clogP values of1.25 were ineffective at enzyme inhibition. Conversely, analogs demonstrating clogP values5 routinely yielded Ki values in the nM range. Furthermore, excellent 3D QSAR correlates were obtained for two human CEs, hCE1 and hiCE. While the isatin analogues were generally less effective at CE inhibition than the benzils, the former may represent valid lead compounds for the development of inhibitors for use in modulating drug metabolism in vivo.

The goal of cancer gene therapy is the selective and efficient eradication of tumor cells without significant systemic toxicity. Although several different gene therapy approaches have been developed and tested both in preclinical and clinical trials, none of these methods are suitable for the safe and efficient treatment of cancer. Recent advances in tumor cell biology have accelerated the identification of novel proteins as targets for gene transfer strategies. However, the development of vectors and delivery systems for specific and efficient gene therapy has not kept pace with these discoveries. Below, we describe the most widely used gene therapy approaches and discuss the caveats of using these techniques in the clinic.

CPT-11 is a prodrug that is converted in vivo to the topoisomerase I poison SN-38 by carboxylesterases (CEs). Among the CEs studied thus far, a rabbit liver CE (rCE) converts CPT-11 to SN-38 most efficiently. Despite extensive sequence homology, however, the human homologues of this protein, hCE1 and hiCE, metabolize CPT-11 with significantly lower efficiencies. To understand these differences in drug metabolism, we wanted to generate mutations at individual amino acid residues to assess the effects of these mutations on CPT-11 conversion. We identified a Bacillus subtilis protein (pnb CE) that could be used as a model for the mammalian CEs. We demonstrated that pnb CE, when expressed in Escherichia coli, metabolizes both the small esterase substrate o-NPA and the bulky prodrug CPT-11. Furthermore, we found that the pnb CE and rCE crystal structures show an only 2.4 A rmsd variation over 400 residues of the alpha-carbon trace. Using the pnb CE model, we demonstrated that the "side-door" residues, S218 and L362, and the corresponding residues in rCE, L252 and L424, were important in CPT-11 metabolism. Furthermore, we found that at position 218 or 252 the size of the residue, and at position 362 or 424 the hydrophobicity and charge of the residue, were the predominant factors in influencing drug activation. The most significant change in CPT-11 metabolism was observed with the L424R variant rCE that converted 10-fold less CPT-11 than the wild-type protein. As a result, COS-7 cells expressing this mutant were 3-fold less sensitive to CPT-11 than COS-7 cells expressing the wild-type protein.

The recently introduced camptothecin-derived chemotherapeutic agents have demonstrated remarkable promise in cancer therapy and as such have been approved for use in humans for the treatment of ovarian, lung, and colon cancer. CPT-11 is a prodrug that is activated by esterases to yield the potent topoisomerase I inhibitor, SN-38. Considerable success has been achieved in the treatment of both naive and drug-resistant colon cancer with CPT-11. However, mechanisms of resistance to this agent have not been explored in detail. The role of the ATP-dependent drug transporter ABCG2 in CPT-11 cytotoxicity is unclear because some ABCG2 mutants confer camptothecin resistance, whereas others do not. Because CPT-11 is activated by carboxylesterases (CEs), we assessed the relative contribution of each protein in mediating CPT-11 toxicity by both drug accumulation and cell growth-inhibition assays. Our results indicate that the expression of ABCG2 protects cells from CPT-11 toxicity, even in the presence of high levels of a rabbit liver carboxylesterase (rCE), which can efficiently activate the drug. However, this can be partially overcome by the ABCG2 inhibitor reserpine. These studies indicate that overexpression of ABCG2 in vivo would probably overcome any increased drug activation that might be achieved by gene delivery or antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy methods using rCE.

Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase, a member of the insulin receptor family, with a tightly controlled expression pattern. Deregulated ALK expression has been linked to the development of several types of cancers. Typically, chromosomal translocations involving ALK generate constitutively expressed chimeric oncoproteins, such as NPM-ALK in anaplastic large cell lymphoma and EML4-ALK in non-small cell lung carcinoma. However, activating mutations in ALK, and increased copy number that result in aberrant gene expression, have also been observed in neuroblastoma and colorectal cancers. Based on the above observations, several small molecule ALK inhibitors have been developed and are in clinical trials for a variety of tumors expressing this kinase. This has resulted in the use of crizotinib for the treatment of EML4-ALK + lung cancers. Recently several large scale immunohistochemistry and genome sequencing studies of pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) revealed aberrant ALK expression. It was found that ALK mRNA expression was significantly different in alveolar (ARMS) and embryonic RMS (ERMS), the two major histological subtypes in children. Thus, ALK expression might play a role in tumorigenesis for this disease, and this kinase may represent a valid therapeutic target for the treatment of RMS. To answer this question we analyzed ALK expression in a large panel of RMS cell lines, and pediatric tumor samples by quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. We also compared the sensitivity of these cells to a series of ALK inhibitors. Our results indicate that the majority of ARMS cell lines demonstrated significantly higher ALK mRNA expression as compared to ERMS, and to normal human myoblast control cells. This was confirmed by western analysis. Growth inhibition assays confirmed that all RMS lines were more sensitive to crizotinib and LDK-378 than control lines, consistent with the hypothesis that ALK is a driver of cell growth in these tumors. Based on our in vitro analysis, we suggest that ALK inhibition may represent an effective therapeutic modality for the treatment of ALK+ RMS. Preclinical studies to confirm or disprove this hypothesis are currently underway. Supported by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and by the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities Citation Format: Monika Wierdl, Lyudmila Tsurkan, Viktor Tollemar, Lying Chi, Elizabeth Stewart, Michael A. Dyer, Philip M. Potter. ALK as a valid therapeutic target for the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3109. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3109

One of the most common microsatellites in eukaryotes consists of tandem arrays [usually 15-50 base pairs (bp) in length] of the dinucleotide GT. We examined the rates of instability for poly GT tracts of 15, 33, 51, 99 and 105 bp in wild-type and mismatch repair-deficient strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Rates of instability increased more than two orders of magnitude as tracts increased in size from 15 to 99 bp in both wild-type and msh2 strains. The types of alterations observed in long and short tracts in wild-type strains were different in two ways. First, tracts ≥51 bp had significantly more large deletions than tracts ≤33 bp. Second, for the 99- and 105-bp tracts, almost all events involving single repeats were additions; for the smaller tracts, both additions and deletions of single repeats were common.

Organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents are potent suicide inhibitors of the essential neurotransmitter-regulating enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Due to their acute toxicity, there is significant interest in developing effective countermeasures to OP poisoning. Here we impart nerve agent hydrolysis activity into the human drug metabolism enzyme carboxylesterase 1. Using crystal structures of the target enzyme in complex with nerve agent as a guide, a pair of histidine and glutamic acid residues were designed proximal to the enzyme's native catalytic triad. The resultant variant protein demonstrated significantly increased rates of reactivation following exposure to sarin, soman, and cyclosarin. Importantly, the addition of these residues did not alter the high affinity binding of nerve agents to this protein. Thus, using two amino acid substitutions, a novel enzyme was created that efficiently converted a group of hemisubstrates, compounds that can start but not complete a reaction cycle, into bona fide substrates. Such approaches may lead to novel countermeasures for nerve agent poisoning.

Carboxylesterase (CEs) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics. CEs can metabolize and hydrolyze a variety of esterified drugs, including the anticancer agent CPT-11. The specificity of CEs for a particular substrate or inhibitor depends on the enzyme's molecular structure and the dynamics of conformational substructures when a substrate is bound. We have used computational techniques to understand differences in substrate selectivity of CEs. First, we used 10ns molecular dynamics simulations (MD) to identify the loop region of high fluctuation in a CE from B. subtilis - pnbCE. Then we used normal mode analysis to find the lowest frequency mode which represented the largest global motion of pnbCE. Both computational methods were able to identify these two flexible loop regions. Our hypothesis is that the molecular dynamics of this loop region is correlated with substrate conversion efficiency for selected CEs. These experiments provide the first data toward testing this hypothesis.

Carboxylesterases (CEs) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics. CEs can metabolize and hydrolyze a variety of esterified drugs, including the anticancer agent CPT-11. The specificity of CEs for a particular substrate or inhibitor depends on the enzyme's molecular structure and the dynamics of conformational substructures when a substrate is bound. We have used a series of biophysical techniques to understand differences in substrate selectivity of CEs. First, we used molecular dynamics simulations (MD) and normal mode analysis (NMA) to identify the loop region of high fluctuation in a CE from B. subtilis. Second, we calculated the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) from both MD and NMA trajectory data. Then we used these RMSD data along with its secondary structure to make correlations with enzyme activity. Meanwhile, we generated a series of mutations at specific amino acid residues that are located near this flexible loop region in order to restrict its mobility. Then we measured enzyme activity of these mutant CEs and compared them with the wild type. Our hypothesis is that the molecular dynamics of this enzyme is correlated with substrate conversion efficiency for selected CEs. These experiments provide the first data toward testing this hypothesis.These studies were supported by NSF grant EPS-0556308 and ALSAC.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as in other eukaryotes, some regions of the genome have a much higher rate of meiotic recombination than others. We show below that the binding of the RAP1 protein to a site upstream of the HIS4 gene is necessary for a high rate of meiotic (but not mitotic) recombination at this locus. A mutation in the RAP1 binding site at HIS4 results in a decrease in recombination; overproduction of RAP1 causes an increase in recombination at HIS4 above wild-type levels.

CPT-11 is a water-soluble camptothecin analogue that has shown remarkable antitumor activity against a variety of tumors in xenograft models and in clinical trials. It is currently approved for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancers, and is likely to be approved for use against a variety of other solid tumors. CPT-11 is a prodrug that is metabolized in vivo by carboxylesterases (CEs) to generate the potent topoisomeraseI inhibitor, SN-38. Among the highly homologous mammalian CEs, a rabbit liver carboxylesterase (rCE) is the most efficient at CPT-11 activation. The human intestinal CE (hiCE), and the human liver CE (hCE1), however, are 5-fold, and 1000-fold less efficient at drug conversion, respectively. As a result, in humans, less than 5% of the administered CPT-11 is converted to SN-38. Furthermore, CPT-11 dose escalation is limited by severe delayed diarrhea due in part to CPT-11 conversion in the small intestine. Thus, development of an enzyme-prodrug therapy approach that would allow selective drug activation at the tumor site, without the need for CPT-11 dose escalation, could increase the clinical efficacy of this drug. For such an approach, development of a human CE that can activate CPT-11 with high efficiency is required. This CE will likely be less immunogenic than rCE in humans, and may allow development of protocols for improved enzyme-prodrug therapy approaches with CPT-11.