Bioengineering novel chimeric microRNA-34a for prodrug cancer therapy: high-yield expression and purification, and structural and functional characterization

WP Wang, PY Ho, QX Chen, B Addepalli… - … of Pharmacology and …, 2015 - ASPET
WP Wang, PY Ho, QX Chen, B Addepalli, PA Limbach, MM Li, WJ Wu, JL Jilek, JX Qiu…
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2015ASPET
Development of anticancer treatments based on microRNA (miRNA/miR) such as miR-34a
replacement therapy is limited to the use of synthetic RNAs with artificial modifications.
Herein, we present a new approach to a high-yield and large-scale biosynthesis, in
Escherichia coli using transfer RNA (tRNA) scaffold, of chimeric miR-34a agent, which may
act as a prodrug for anticancer therapy. The recombinant tRNA fusion pre–miR-34a
(tRNA/mir-34a) was quickly purified to a high degree of homogeneity (> 98%) using anion …
Development of anticancer treatments based on microRNA (miRNA/miR) such as miR-34a replacement therapy is limited to the use of synthetic RNAs with artificial modifications. Herein, we present a new approach to a high-yield and large-scale biosynthesis, in Escherichia coli using transfer RNA (tRNA) scaffold, of chimeric miR-34a agent, which may act as a prodrug for anticancer therapy. The recombinant tRNA fusion pre–miR-34a (tRNA/mir-34a) was quickly purified to a high degree of homogeneity (>98%) using anion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography, whose primary sequence and post-transcriptional modifications were directly characterized by mass spectrometric analyses. Chimeric tRNA/mir-34a showed a favorable cellular stability while it was degradable by several ribonucleases. Deep sequencing and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction studies revealed that tRNA-carried pre–miR-34a was precisely processed to mature miR-34a within human carcinoma cells, and the same tRNA fragments were produced from tRNA/mir-34a and the control tRNA scaffold (tRNA/MSA). Consequently, tRNA/mir-34a inhibited the proliferation of various types of human carcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner and to a much greater degree than the control tRNA/MSA, which was mechanistically attributable to the reduction of miR-34a target genes. Furthermore, tRNA/mir-34a significantly suppressed the growth of human non–small-cell lung cancer A549 and hepatocarcinoma HepG2 xenograft tumors in mice, compared with the same dose of tRNA/MSA. In addition, recombinant tRNA/mir-34a had no or minimal effect on blood chemistry and interleukin-6 level in mouse models, suggesting that recombinant RNAs were well tolerated. These findings provoke a conversation on producing biologic miRNAs to perform miRNA actions, and point toward a new direction in developing miRNA-based therapies.
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