Chambers, J. W. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

Synthesizing unmodified, supercoiled circular DNA molecules in vitro

Supercoiled (Sc) circular DNA, such as plasmids, has shown therapeutic potential since the 1990s, but is limited by bacterial modifications, unnecessary DNA sequences, and contaminations that may trigger harmful responses. To overcome these challenges, we have developed two novel scalable biochemical methods to synthesize unmodified Sc circular DNA. Linear DNA with two loxP sites in the same orientation is generated via PCR or rolling circle amplification. Cre recombinase then converts this linear DNA into relaxed circular DNA. After T5 exonuclease removes unwanted linear DNA, topoisomerases are employed to generate Sc circular DNA. We have synthesized EGFP-FL, a 2,002 bp mini-circular DNA carrying essential EGFP expression elements. EGFP-FL transfected human HeLa and mouse C2C12 cells with much higher efficiency than E. coli-derived plasmids. These new biochemical methods can produce unmodified Sc circular DNA, in length from 196 base pairs to several kilobases and in quantities from micrograms to milligrams, providing a promising platform for diverse applications.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Physiological JNK3 Concentrations Are Higher in Motor-related and Disease-implicated Brain Regions of C57BL6/J Mice

The c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) is a stress-responsive protein kinase primarily expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). JNK3 exhibits nuanced neurological activities, such as roles in behavior, circadian rhythms, and neurotransmission, but JNK3 is also implicated in cell death and neurodegeneration. Despite the critical role of JNK3 in neurophysiology and pathology, its localization in the brain is not fully understood due to a paucity of tools to distinguish JNK3 from other isoforms. While previous functional and histological studies suggest locales for JNK3 in the CNS, a comprehensive and higher resolution of JNK3 distribution and abundance remained elusive. Here, we sought to define the anatomical and cellular distribution of JNK3 in adult mouse brains. Data reveal the highest levels of JNK3 and pJNK3 were found in the cortex and the hippocampus. JNK3 possessed neuron-type selectivity as JNK3 was present in GABAergic, cholinergic, and dopaminergic neurons, but was not detectable in VGLUT-1-positive glutamatergic neurons and astrocytes in vivo. Intriguingly, higher JNK3 signals were found in motor neurons and relevant nuclei in the cortex, basal ganglia, brainstem, and spinal cord. While JNK3 was primarily observed in the cytosol of neurons in the cortex and the hippocampus, JNK3 appeared commonly within the nucleus in the brainstem. These distinctions suggest the potential for significant differences between JNK3 actions in distinct brain regions and cell types. Our results provide a significant improvement over previous reports of JNK3 spatial organization in the adult CNS and support continued investigation of JNK3s role in neurophysiology and pathophysiology.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 and topoisomerase I activities as predictive indicators for Glioblastoma susceptibility to genotoxic agents

BackgroundGlioblastoma (GBM) patients have an estimated survival of [~]15 months with treatment, and the standard of care only modestly enhances patient survival. Identifying biomarkers representing vulnerabilities may allow for selection of efficacious chemotherapy options to address personalized variations in GBM tumors. Irinotecan, currently in clinical trials for GBM, targets topoisomerase I (TOP1) by forming a ternary DNA-TOP1 cleavage complex (TOP1cc) inducing apoptosis. Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1) is a crucial repair enzyme that may reduce the effectiveness of irinotecan.\n\nMethodsWe treated GBM cell lines with increasing concentrations of irinotecan and compared the IC50 values. TOP1 and TDP1 protein levels from each cell type as well as GBM patient tumors were determined by Western blot analysis, while activity levels were ascertained by specific enzymatic assays. Cellular TDP1 was elevated by ectopic expression of wild-type or mutant TDP1.\n\nResultsAfter comparing cellular susceptibility to TDP1 and TOP1 concentrations and activities, we found that the TDP1/TOP1 activity ratio had the strongest correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient R = 0.92) with IC50 values following irinotecan treatment. Increasing the TDP1/TOP1 activity ratio by ectopic expression of wild-type TDP1 increased in irinotecan IC50, while expression of the TDP1 catalytic-null mutant did not alter the susceptibility to irinotecan.\n\nConclusionsTDP1/TOP1 activity ratio may be a new predictive indicator for GBM vulnerability to irinotecan, allowing for selection of individual patients for irinotecan treatment based on risk-benefit. Moreover, TDP1 inhibitors may be a novel combination treatment with irinotecan to improve GBM patient responsiveness to genotoxic chemotherapies.\n\nKey PointsO_LITDP1/TOP1 activity ratio correlates with irinotecan sensitivity in GBM cell lines.\nC_LIO_LITDP1 and TOP1 protein levels are not reliable predictors for irinotecan activity.\nC_LIO_LITDP1 inhibition is a plausible approach to improve irinotecan effectiveness in GBM.\nC_LI\n\nImportance of the StudyThe current standard of care (surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy) for GBM patients modestly enhances survival beyond [~]15 months. Thus, there is a great need for effective therapies and biomarkers that address personalized variations in GBM tumors to improve treatment outcome. Topoisomerase I (TOP1) is the target of irinotecan. The repair enzyme tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1) is known to excise irinotecan-induced TOP1-DNA cleavage complexes (TOP1ccs). Consequently, this study examines the relationship between TOP1 and TDP1 expression and activities in GBM cells and their correlation with irinotecan sensitivity. The results reveal that the TDP1/TOP1 activity ratio predicts irinotecan vulnerability in GBM cell lines. TDP1/TOP1 activity ratio was found to vary among GBM patient tumors. This potential predictive indicator may permit selection of patients responsive to irinotecan based on the capacity to repair TOP1cc. Moreover, inhibitors of TDP1 may represent a promising approach to enhance irinotecan efficacy in GBM patients.

cancer biology↗