The present invention relates to compositions and methods for augmenting activity of oncolytic viruses. In particular, oncolytic virus activity is augmented by sensitizing cancer or tumour cells through modulation of the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress response pathway.
Despite major advances in the understanding of cancer over the last 50 years, it remains one of the most important health challenges worldwide. Innovative approaches are needed to complement current drug based therapeutic strategies, and oncolytic viruses represent one such promising tool in the fight against cancer.
Oncolytic viruses preferentially infect and lyse cancer cells. They have been shown to act: (i) by directly destroying tumour cells via their inherent cytolytic activity, and (ii) through modification to function as vectors for delivering genes expressing anticancer proteins to a tumour site.
One example of an oncolytic virus having cytolytic activity is ONYX-015. ONYX-015 is the commercial name of an adenovirus mutant (dll 520) that is replication-restricted in normal cells having a wild-type p53 gene. ONYX-015 has been shown to replicate and kill tumour cells lacking a functional p53.
When used as a vector, therapeutic or cytotoxic genes can be delivered by the oncolytic virus to a tumour site where the products of these genes either directly or indirectly inhibit tumour growth. A number of different genes have been used for such applications, including human cytokine genes, tumour suppressor genes, bacterial or viral prodrug-activating enzyme encoding genes (suicide genes) and genes which make the tumour mass more susceptible to radiation and chemotherapy.
A variety of different virus strains have been studied, including naturally occurring or genetically modified versions of adenovirus, herpes simplex virus (“HSV”), reovirus, poxvirus (e.g. vaccinia virus and Myxoma virus), vesicular stomatitis virus (“VSV”), poliovirus, Newcastle disease virus (“NDV”), and measles. However, such viruses often lack sufficient potency as monotherapies to be completely clinically effective anticancer agents.
In an effort to improve clinical efficacy, candidate viruses have been genetically engineered to express therapeutic transgenes, and have been combined with other common oncolytic therapies. While such studies are ongoing with encouraging success, there continues to be a need for ways to enhance potency and efficacy, and generally make oncolytic viruses more effective cancer therapeutics.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved compositions and methods for augmenting activity of oncolytic viruses.
The invention relates to a method of reducing viability of a tumor cell in a subject, comprising the steps of: (i) introducing into a tumor cell in the subject an agent effective to modulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and sensitize the tumour cell to cytolytic activity of an oncolytic virus in the subject; and (ii) contacting the tumor cell with an oncolytic virus in an amount effective to reduce viability of the sensitized tumour cell, wherein viability of the tumor cell is reduced by the oncolytic virus. In a preferred embodiment, the oncolytic virus lyses or kills the sensitized tumour cell.
In a further embodiment, the invention relates to a method of modulating sensitivity of cancer cells to infection by an oncolytic virus, comprising introducing into a cancer cell an agent effective to modulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and sensitize the cancer cell to cytolytic activity of the oncolytic virus, wherein the cancer cells are sensitized to infection by the oncolytic virus.
According to the methods described herein, the agent may be effective to enhance, diminish or inhibit the ER stress response in said subject. In one preferred embodiment, the agent is effective to inhibit the ER stress response in said subject. In a further embodiment, the agent may be a siRNA specific to ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61. Alternately, the agent may be a molecule effective to modulate ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61 signaling, for instance a molecule effective to block or enhance ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61 signaling. It is also contemplated that the agent may be a modified oncolytic virus wherein the modification renders the oncolytic virus effective to modulate ER stress response and sensitize the tumour cell to cytolytic activity.
It is further envisioned that the tumour cells or cancer cells described herein may be any tumour or cancer cell that is susceptible to oncolytic virus infection and modulation of the ER stress response. Without wishing to be limiting in any way, such cancer and tumour cells may be colon cancer cells, lung cancer cells, liver cancer cells, prostate cancer cells, bladder cancer cells, neck and mouth cancer cells, breast cancer cells, glioblastoma cells, lymphoma cells, carcinoma cells, renal cell cancer cells, pancreatic cancer cells, ovarian cancer cells and any other such cancer or tumour cells known in the art.
In further embodiments, the oncolytic virus may be any oncolytic virus, such as but without wishing to be limiting, a native or modified herpes virus, Adenovirus, Adeno-associated virus, influenza virus, reovirus, rhabdovirus, Newcastle virus, vaccinia virus, poliovirus, measles virus, mumps virus, sindbis virus (SIN) or sendai virus (SV). In preferred embodiments the oncolytic virus may be a native or modified rhabdovirus, for example a native or modified vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) or Maraba virus. By ‘modified’, it is meant that the virus is a mutant virus modified with a function-improving mutation to make the virus a more effective cancer or tumour cell lysing agent.
The invention further relates to a method of identifying a tumour cell sensitizing agent effective for sensitizing tumour cells to infection by an oncolytic virus. The method comprises: (i) providing a test molecule with putative endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response modulating activity, (ii) adding the test molecule to a sample of said tumor cells, (iii) contacting the tumor cells with the oncolytic virus, and (iv) comparing cytolytic activity of the oncolytic virus in the sample of tumour cells with the test molecule to activity of the oncolytic virus in a sample of tumour cells without the test molecule, wherein increased cytolytic activity of the oncolytic virus in the sample of tumour cells with the test molecule indicates the presence of a tumour cell sensitizing agent.
The test molecule described above may be any molecule suspected of having ER stress response modulating activity. Such molecules may be a small molecule, a protein, a nucleic acid, an antibody, or any other non-limiting example of a putative test molecule.
The invention further provides compounds effective to modulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and sensitize a tumour cell to cytolytic activity of an oncolytic virus in a subject. Such compounds may be effective to inhibit the ER stress response in the subject. For instance, the compound may be a siRNA specific to ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61, or a molecule effective to modulate ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61 signaling. In another embodiment, the compounds may augment the ER stress response in the tumour to improve oncolytic therapy.
In an embodiment, the compound is effective to block or enhance ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61 signaling. In a further embodiment, the compound is a protein, a small molecule, a nucleic acid, or an antibody.
The above-described compounds may also be formulated into a composition, for instance a pharmaceutical composition including a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient.
Also contemplated by the present invention is a modified oncolytic virus, wherein the modification renders the oncolytic virus effective to modulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and sensitize a tumour cell to cytolytic activity of the oncolytic virus in a subject. The modified oncolytic virus may be effective to inhibit the ER stress response in the subject. In another embodiment, the modified oncolytic virus may augment the ER stress response in the tumour to improve oncolytic therapy.
In an embodiment, the oncolytic virus may be modified to include a nucleotide specific to ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61 or a nucleotide encoding a molecule effective to modulate ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61 signaling. In a further embodiment, the modified oncolytic virus may be effective to block or enhance ERN, ATF6, Derlin1, Derlin2 or SEC61 signaling. In a further embodiment, the molecule may be a protein or an antibody.
The above-described modified oncolytic virus may also be formulated into a composition, for instance a pharmaceutical composition including a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient.
The invention also relates to a method of sensitizing a tumor to cytolytic activity of an oncolytic virus, said method comprising inducing in a subject a mild stress to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
In a non-limiting embodiment, inducing the mild stress may comprise genetically disrupting an ER stress response gene, for instance a ER stress response gene such as IRE1/ERN, DERLIN, and ATF6. In another non-limiting embodiment, inducing the mild stress may comprise chemically inhibiting IRE1/ERN1. For instance, compound 2 (described herein) is administered to the subject to chemically inhibit IRE1/ERN1. In a further non-limiting embodiment, inducing the mild stress may comprise chemically inhibiting cyclophilins which blocks the function of chaperones in the ER. Without wishing to be limiting, Cyclosporin A can be administered to chemically inhibiting the cyclophilins. In another non-limiting embodiment, inducing the mild stress may comprise chemically inhibiting protein glycosylation and producing more unfolded proteins in the ER. For instance, but without wishing to be limiting, Tunicamycin can be administered to chemically inhibit protein glycosylation.
It is also to be understood that the above-described compound can be effective to induce an ER stress and render tumour cells susceptible to a virus infection. In addition, yet without wishing to be limiting, the compound can be effective to initiate caspase 2 mediated cell death in response to a virus infection, and render tumour cells susceptible to a virus infection.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the compound may be one of the following
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:
Disclosed herein are improved compositions and methods for augmenting activity of oncolytic viruses, which are obtained through the manipulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. As will be described in greater detail in the following, modulators of the ER stress response pathway can sensitize tumour or cancer cells to the cytolytic activity of an oncolytic virus.
A wide range of viruses are contemplated as oncolytic viruses in the present invention, such as but not limited to herpes viruses, Adenovirus, Adeno-associated virus, influenza virus, reovirus, rhabdoviruses such as vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and Maraba virus, Newcastle virus, vaccinia virus, poliovirus, measles virus, mumps virus, sindbis virus (SIN) and sendai virus (SV).
Oncolytic viruses may additionally or alternatively be targeted to specific tissues or tumor tissues. This can be achieved for example through transcriptional targeting of viral genes (e.g. WO 96/39841) or through modification of viral proteins that are involved in the cellular binding and uptake mechanisms during the infection process (e.g. WO 2004033639 or WO 2003068809).
Increased levels of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of all eukaryotes trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR). Several cellular pathways are involved in mitigating this stress. The ER stress pathway is responsible for dealing with unfolded protein load within the endoplasmic reticulum (reviewed in Kincaid et al., 2007, Antioxid Redox Signal, 9(12):2373-87).
Yeast have a single response to dealing with unfolded proteins through a protein kinase called IRE1. This protein kinase is activated in response to accumulated unfolded proteins within the ER and through its endoribonuclease activity, catalyses the noncanonical splicing of xbp1 mRNA to code for a functional transcription factor upregulating the expression of genes required to ameliorate the stress.
Mammalian cells also make use of the archetypal IRE1 signalling cascade in response to ER stress, but have evolved another parallel response through the ATF6 transcription factor. In unstressed cells, ATF6 resides in a transmembrane protein spanning the ER membrane. Following a stimulation of unfolded proteins in the lumen of the ER, a key at six trends locates that Golgi apparatus whereupon it is cleaved by a resident peptidase forming a soluble transcription factor responsible for the up-regulation of a subset of stress response genes. In addition to this pathway mammalian cells also possess a translational attenuation response. When unfolded proteins accumulate in the lumen of the ER, a protein kinase called PERK phosphorylates elF2alpha in the cytoplasm and attenuates global translation. This response serves to decrease ER load by stemming the influx of proteins into the ER by blocking protein production. A final response to ER stress is the selective translocation of terminally unfolded proteins from the ER into the cytoplasm for proteosome-mediated degradation. This response is termed the ER-associated Degradation (ERAD) response.
Mounting evidence demonstrates that during the etiology of a tumour, cancer cells undergo sustained and/or transient ER stress. Mutations give rise to protein species with suboptimal folding, and hypoxia impedes proper folding of proteins within the ER. Several components of the ER stress response pathway are upregulated in a variety of cancers (Shuda et al., 2003, J. Hepatol. 2003, 38(5):605-14). Manipulating ER stress sensitizes cancer cells to hypoxia (Bi et al., 2005, EMBO J., 24:3470-81) and to chemotherapeutics (Nawrocki et al., 2005, Cancer Res. 65:11658-66).
Viruses induce ER stress, for example: HCV (Joyce et al., 2009, PLoS Pathog., 5(2):e1000291), SARS (Ye et al., 2008, Biochim Biophys Acta.,1780:1383-7), West Nile (Medigeshi et al., 2007, J. Virol., 81:10849-60), Hepatitis B (Li et al., 2007, Virus Res., 124:44-9), Hantavirus, Japanese Encephalitis virus (Su et al., 2002, J. Virol., 76:4162-71), RSV (Bitko et al., 2001, J. Cell Biochem., 80:441-54), influenza (Watowich et al., 1991, J. Virol., 65:3590-7), Herpes (Lee 2008), and dengue fever virus (Umareddy et al., 2007, Virol J., 4:91). Some viruses have the ability to manipulate the cell's response to ER stress: (Bechill et al., 2008, J. Virol.; 82:4492-501; Isler et al., 2005, J. Virol., 79:6890-9; Tardif et al., 2004, J. Biol Chem., 279:17158-64).
Replicating virus based therapeutics, or oncolytic viruses, are a rapidly emerging and promising treatment modality for a wide range of cancers. In pre-clinical studies, oncolytic viruses have produced remarkable results in a variety of experimental animal models including human xenografts in nude mice and syngeneic animal tumours (see Hawkins et al., 2002, Lancet Oncol. 3:17-26; and VähäKoskela 2007 for review). Successfully tested oncolytic viruses include: vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) (Stojdl et al., 2003, Cancer Cell., 4:263-75; Lun et al., 2006, J. Natl. Cancer Inst., 98:1546-57), adenovirus (AdV) (Ries et al., 2002, Br. J. Cancer, 86:5-11), reovirus (Coffey et al., 1998, Science, 282:1332-4), Newcastle disease virus (NDV) (Lorene et al., 1994, J. Natl. Cancer Inst., 86:1228-33; and Schirrmacher et al., 2001, Int. J. Oncol., 18:945-52), herpes simplex virus (HSV) (Todo et al., 1999, Hum. Gene Ther., 10:2741-55) and vaccinia virus (McCart et al., 2001, Cancer Res., 61:8751-7). Several of these viruses have been, and are continuing to be tested in human clinical trials; again with encouraging results. For example, in a phase I trial, using a genetically modified herpes virus (HSV G207), patients with malignant gliomas were injected intratumourally and some antitumour efficacy was seen by both radiographic and neuropathologic criteria (Markert et al., 2000, Gene Ther.,7:867-74). Onyx-015, an E1B-55kDa gene-deleted adenovirus has completed two phase II human trials directed at squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (Nemunaitis et al., 2001, J. Clin. Oncol., 19:289-98; Lamont et al., 2000, Ann. Surg. Oncol., 2000, 7:588-92). In these studies virus was delivered by a series of intra-tumour injections either in combination with chemotherapy agents (Lamont et al., 2000, Ann. Surg. Oncol., 2000, 7:588-92) or as a single agent (Nemunaitis et al., 2001, J. Clin. Oncol., 19:289-98). Onyx-015 was found to be safe and showed some antitumour activity with 10-30% of patients showing complete responses at injection sites and 30-60% of patients having stabilized disease. In a more recent phase I trial, an engineered form of vaccinia virus demonstrated an excellent safety profile as well as promising efficacy data in 14 patients (Park et al., 2008, Lancet Oncol., 9:533-42). There have been in excess of some 25 clinical trials (mostly phase I) that demonstrate the safety of these virus therapies. Results from more phase 2 and 3 trials are awaited to evaluate the efficacy of these oncolytic viruses.
The Rhabdoviridae viral family is divided into 6 genera, in which the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is one of them. Rhabdoviridae are membrane-enveloped viruses that are widely distributed in nature where they infect vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. Viral particles contain a helical, nucleocapsid core composed of genomic RNA and protein. Rhabdoviridae have single, negative-strand RNA genomes of 11-12,000 nucleotides. Further information on the Rhabdoviridae family of viruses can be found in Rose and Whitt, 2001, Chapter 38, Rhabdoviridae: The viruses and their replication, in Fields Virology, 4.sup.th edition, pp. 1221-1244, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The inventors have previously shown that VSV has oncolytic properties (Stojdl et al., 2000, Nat. Med., 6:821-5) and have since shown that the VSV M protein antagonizes the innate immune system by blocking nuclear cytoplasmic transport of host mRNA. In doing so, the transcriptional cascade responsible for perpetuating the interferon mediated antiviral program is severed and no IFN is produced from these infected cells (Stojdl et al., 2003, Cancer Cell., 4:263-75). VSV strains with M protein mutations lose their capacity to block the IFN response and were shown to be extremely attenuated in normal cells, yet retain their ability to kill tumour cells (Stojdl et al., 2000, supra; Stojdl et al, 2003, supra). In a variety of subcutaneous, metastatic lung and intraperitoneal mouse models of cancer, systemic injection of the engineered VSV mutants was shown to effectively cure mice of local and disseminated tumours (Stojdl et al., 2000, supra; Stojdl et al. 2003 supra).
Oncolytic virus strains from the rhabdovirus family are described in WO 2009/016433, which is herein incorporated by reference.
The recent advent of RNAi technology has made it possible to use forward genetics techniques to study the function of mammalian genes (Berns et al., 2004, Nature, 428:431-7; Krishnan et al., 2008, Nature, 455:242-5). This technology is particularly useful for studying host virus interactions as many of the host systems relevant to virus infection are unique to higher order organisms (e.g. interferon signaling).
The present inventors have utilized a genome wide RNAi screen to identify host genes, which when neutralized, sensitize cells to a subsequent oncolytic virus infection resulting in increased cell death (
Table 1 lists components of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway that, when removed from the cell or deactivated according to an embodiment of the invention, makes the cell more susceptible to killing by a subsequent infection with an oncolytic virus, for example rhabdovirus-based oncolytic viruses. This is demonstrated by in vitro cytotoxicity assays across a panel of cancer cells using a panel of oncolytic agents as shown in
Without wishing to be bound by theory, the enhanced tumour killing capacity is proposed to improve oncolytic virus efficacy by increasing tumour cell death following infection by an oncolytic virus and thereby debulking the tumour more rapidly and requiring less oncolytic virus at the tumour site to achieve similar efficacy.
Tumours are variably and intermittently hypoxic. This is because the vasculature that feeds tumours is often poorly structured. Hypoxia induces ER stress in a number of ways (reviewed in Wouters 2008, supra). It has been proposed that blocking UPR mechanisms would sensitize hypoxic tumour cells to death due to their dependence on these rescue pathways. However, some portions of tumours (often the rims) are not hypoxic as they are fed oxygen from the surrounding healthy stroma, or are adjacent to properly functioning vasculature. These areas of tumours that are not themselves hypoxic would not be affected by ER stress response blocking agents. However, an oncolyic virus infection of these non-hypoxic tumour cells would kill these cells efficiently in combination with ER stress response blockade. Since only tumour cells will be infected by the oncolytic virus, we refer to this as “targeted ER stress”. This combination of oncolytic virus and ER stress response blockade would result in a more complete tumour cell ablation and lessen the chance of re-growth of the tumour; a common problem with current chemotherapy.
Alternatively, it has been shown that oncolytic therapy can induce vascular shutdown and catastrophic hypoxia within tumour cores (Breitbach et al., 2007, Mol. Ther., 15:1686-93). Combination therapy of oncolytic virus with ER stress response blockade would be promoted by the hypoxia induced by the oncolytic virus, even in distant cells not directly infected by the virus. This would again limit the probability that a tumour cell would escape treatment and thereby improve patient outcomes.
Chemical signals (chemokines/cytokines) from the infected cell are released to warn neighboring cells of an imminent virus infection. For example, interferon beta is released from infected cells and induces a paracrine and autocrine signaling cascade that results in a potent antiviral response. Some tumour cells are capable of responding to these chemical signals and mount a defense against an incoming oncolytic virus. It has been demonstrated that interferon type I receptor is downregulated during ER stress. Without wishing to be bound by theory, we propose that inducing an ER stress following oncolytic virus infection will decrease the ability of the infected cell to secrete chemokines/cytokines and as well as the receptors that are required to sense these chemical signals. Further inhibiting of the ER stress response, through combination therapy with a drug or by engineering the oncolytic virus to block this response, should additionally attenuate the chemokine/cytokine mediated antiviral defenses of the infected cell and the surrounding tumour cells. Since the normal healthy cells are themselves resistant to the oncolytic agents, they would not be significantly affected by this mechanism. Therefore, ER stress modulation of innate immunity would specifically sensitize tumour cells to oncolytic virus infection.
A genome wide RNAi screen was conducted to find host genes that could modulate the ability of an oncolytic virus to kill tumour cells. Maraba virus was selected as a representative oncolytic virus from the Rhabdoviridae family. In the following experiments human cancer cells were sensitized to Maraba virus infection by interfering with host cell mRNA expression using siRNA technology. Two cell lines: (1) OVCAR 8 human ovarian carcinoma cells; and (2) U373 human glioblastoma cells, were studied as representative unrelated malignancies in an effort to identify genes that were common to many cancers, and not necessarily specific to one indication. Genes were identified that, when inhibited or augmented, gave rise to improvements in oncolytic activity.
“Hits” from the screens were analyzed for their known functions and it was determined that several of these genes were components of the host ER stress response pathways. Specifically, IRE1 and ATF6alpha and ATF6beta were identified as components of the UPR. IRE1 is known to activate the transcription factor XBP1 through a non-canonical mRNA splicing mechanism in the cytoplasm. Interestingly, the transcriptional co-activator NFYC known to bind and cooperate with both ATF6 and XBP1 was also identified as a “hit”. In addition, components of the ER activated Degradation (ERAD) pathway were identified in the primary screen. AMFR and DERL are known to form a complex and are responsible for tagging and removing terminally unfolded protein from the ER for proteosomal degradation.
These results strongly indicated that modulating ER stress responses through multiple pathways all sensitized cells to Maraba virus infection induced cell death.
Genome-wide Screening Procedure: Cells were reverse transfected in 384 well format using 10 nM of Dharmacon siGenome SmartPool human set (Invitrogen USA). For OVCAR 8 human ovarian carcinoma cells 2500 cells/well were transfected using RNAiMax (Invitrogen, USA) (0.05 ul/well) in a total volume of 40 ul of DMEM containing 10% FBS. Alternatively U373 human glioblastoma cells were similarly reverse transfected using Oligofectamine (0.05 ul/well) at a density of 625 cell/well. Plates were incubated for 72 hours to allow for siRNA mediated mRNA down modulation at which time plates were either mock infected or infected with recombinant wild type Maraba virus at an MOI of 0.05. To assay for cell death, plates were incubated for a further 48 hours and then resazurin was added to a concentration of bug/ml. After 4 hours, absorbance readings at 605 nm and 575 nm were taken to monitor reduction of resazurin to resorufin as a measure of cell viability (O'Brien et al., 2000, Eur J Biochem., 267:5421-6). All screens were performed in duplicate.
Data Analysis: Viability scores for each well were normalized using negative controls (irrelevant siRNA transfection) on a per plate basis. Duplicate screens were averaged on a per well basis. The mean standard deviation for all negative control wells was calculated and used to represent the variability in the assay. Experimental wells which deviated from the mean of all experimental wells by a value equal to 2 standard deviations of the negative controls from their mean were scored as “meaningful”. The mock-infected version of the screen (siRNA alone) was used to remove false positive “hits”. Data was normalized as above. Experimental wells which deviated from the mean of all experimental wells by a value equal to 1 standard deviation of the negative controls from their mean were scored as “meaningful”. Gene targets were designated as “hits” if they were only meaningful in the virus infected (and not in the virus uninfected) screens.
Validation experiments: Several experiments were performed to validate the “hits” identified in the primary siRNA screen. Firstly, we wanted to determine if Maraba virus infection could induce a UPR response. By definition, the “hits” derived from the screen were dependent on virus infection. Therefore, we predicted that the virus must be inducing an ER stress which was not present during the siRNA alone control arm of the screen. There are three arms to the UPR response: (1) ATF6 (2) IRE1 and (3) PERK. Each is known to sense unfolded protein load within the ER by a BIP dependent mechanism. We infected U373 and OVCAR8 cells with Maraba virus and assayed the kinetics of the 3 arms of the UPR response (
Cell culture: For immunoblot and RT-PCR experiments, U373 (2×105) and OVCAR8 (5×105) cells were seeded in 35 mm plates and grown overnight in complete DMEM. The following morning, tunicamycin (5 μg/mL) and Maraba virus (MOI 5) were diluted in fresh DMEM and added to the cells. Cell pellets were collected at the indicated timepoints post-treatment, washed twice in cold PBS with complete protease inhibitors (Roche) and stored at −80° C. until lysis. For viability experiments, 5×103 cells were seeded in 96-well plates and grown overnight in complete DMEM. The following morning, siRNA knock-down was performed using RNAimax reagent (Invitrogen) and chemical duplexes specific to human IRE1α (ERN1) or β (ERN2) or a non-targeting (NT) control (Qiagen). After 72 hours, log-dilutions of Maraba virus were added (in triplicate), and 48-72 hours later cell viability was analyzed using the alamar blue method.
Immunoblotting: Total cell lysis buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl; 150 mM NaCl; 1% Triton X-100; 1% SDS) was added to cell pellets, and the lysates were “sheared” using a p100 pipette tip. Total cell lysates were prepared in SDS sample buffer, and 5-50 ug of total protein was separated by SDS-PAGE on 10% Bis-Tris gels and transferred to PVDF membranes. Membranes were probed with primary antibodies diluted in 5% skim milk powder (SMP) overnight at 4° C., followed by horse radish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies diluted in 5% SMP for 1 h at room temperature. Membranes were then treated with ECL reagent, exposed to X-ray film and developed (Kodak X-OMAT 2000A). Primary antibodies used were: ATF-6α (Santa Cruz), p-EIF2α (Cell Signaling), Bip/Grp78 (Cell Signaling), XBP(s) (Biolegend), GAPDH (Advanced Immunochemicals), Maraba viral proteins (anti-VSV).
RT-PCR: Cell pellets were lysed, and RNA extracted using a Qiagen RNAeasy Mini kit. RNA purity and concentration were determined spectrophometrically, and RT-PCR was performed using standard procedures with oligo-dT primers and the following XBP-specific primers:
The PCR product was separated on a 2% Nusieve/1% Agarose gel and visualized under UV.
To search for host factors that modulate rhabdovirus-mediated oncolysis, a synthetic lethal RNAi screen of the human genome was performed across three tumour-derived cell lines (
UPR and ERAD components were particularly interesting as sensitizers because ER stress has been reported to be a defining feature of the tumour cell state and components of these pathways are already being pursued as cancer specific targets for stand-alone cancer treatment12,13. We thus performed secondary validation for several members of these pathways, using siRNA with targeting sequences distinct from those employed in the primary screens. Depletion of IRE1α, ATF6α or Derlin-1 significantly sensitized U373 glioblastoma-derived cells to virus-mediated killing across a range of multiplicity of infections (MOI;
To evaluate therapeutic index, we silenced IRE1α in a small panel of primary human cell lines (GM38 skin fibroblasts, normal human astrocytes (NHA) and Wi38 lung fibroblasts) prior to rhabdovirus infection. In contrast to the pronounced sensitization observed in U373 glioblastoma cells, UPR inhibition did not alter Maraba virus-mediated killing of the normal cell lines (
Maraba virus infection caused noticeable ER stress characterized by the activation of the upstream UPR sensors IRE1α (measured by XBP1 mRNA splicing (FIG. 7A)), ATF6α (measured by its cleavage (
To test this idea directly, we synthesized a number of compounds that had been reported to inhibit IRE1α16, along with some novel variants of the original structure. We first tested these compounds for their ability to inhibit XBP1 splicing by IRE1α and found that several were effective in the micromolar range (representative subset depicted in
We examined whether inhibiting the ER stress response induces an unfolded protein load prior to viral infection (i.e. “ER preload”). Because there are presently no direct measures of ER protein load per se, we measured activation of the UPR as an indirect readout. Here, IRE1α silencing led to a tumour cell-specific increase in the ER stress-responsive proteins BiP and Mcl-1, as well as a transient induction of the ER stress sensor PERK (as measured by P-EIF2α;
We wished to identify the mechanism of how ER preload might synergize with a subsequent virus infection to promote tumour cell death. We noted that UPR inhibition had no bearing on viral protein expression (
We sought to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacologic ER stress response blockade combined with oncolytic virus therapy in animal models of cancer. To begin, we undertook maximum tolerable dose (MTD) and pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of Compound 2 in CD-1 nude mice. These experiments showed that a single dose of up to 1000 mg/Kg of Compound 2 was tolerated, had a half-life of >6 hours, and had properties consistent with efficient bio-distribution to the extravascular tissues (
As with many cancers, ovarian carcinoma is difficult to treat clinically due to development of resistance to current therapies20. Thus, to validate our combination therapy approach, we chose a chemoresistant, orthotopic OVCAR-4 xenograft model21 that is also refractory to oncolytic virus therapy. OVCAR-4 cells stably expressing firefly luciferase were injected intraperitoneally (IP) into CD-1 nude mice. We monitored tumour growth using in vivo optical imaging, and initiated treatment during the growth phase. To induce ER preconditioning, we treated animals with Compound 2 for three days prior to the first virus injection. Consistent with our findings in cell culture, combination therapy dramatically reduced tumour burden in animal models, an effect that was sustained for >30 days with negligible tumour re-growth (
As a complement to these experiments in human xenografts, we sought to test this treatment regiment in an immune competent rodent tumour model. In vitro testing determined that the EMT6 breast cancer line, which is particularly resistant to stand-alone rhabdovirus therapy, was significantly sensitized to oncolytic virus killing when pre-treated with Compound 2 (
Cell culturing: Human 293T (American Type Tissue Collection (ATCC)), Monkey Vero (ATCC), murine EMT6 (ATCC), human GM38 (National Institute of General Medical Sciences Mutant Cell Repository, Camden, N.J.), human Wi38 primary fibroblast (ATCC) and cell lines from the NCI 60 cell panel (obtained from the Developmental Therapeutics Program, National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, Md.)) were propagated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (Hyclone, Logan, Utah) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (Cansera, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada) using standard tissue culture procedures. Normal human astrocytes were propagated in astrocyte media (Sciencecell Research Laboratories) and cultured using standard procedures.
Virus production: Vero cells were plated in 15 cm format, grown to confluence (−2.5×107) and infected with Maraba-WT, Maraba-DM or VSV-WT viruses at MOI 0.1. After 18 h, the virus- containing cell culture media was collected and centrifuged at ˜18,600×g for 1.5 h. The virus pellet was carefully washed and re-suspended in PBS (10 mL), and gently over-layed onto a 20% sucrose solution (1 mL). After ultracentrifugation for 1.5 h (26,900 rpm), the pellet was re-suspended in 15% glucose, aliquoted and stored at −80 deg C.
RNAi screening: An arrayed library of siRNA pools (Dharmacon, Thermo Fisher, USA) was used to target ˜18,500 human genes in OVCAR-8 (ovarian carcinoma), U373 (glioblastoma) or NCI-H226 (non-small cell lung carcinoma) cells. Tumour cells were seeded in 384 well plates (OVCAR-8=1250 cells/well, U373=625 cells/well, NCI-H226=625 cells/well) and allowed to grow for 24 h. Each plate had additional control wells with a non-targeting control siRNA (Dharmacon non-targeting Pool #2) to measure the effect of siRNA transfection on infection, and siRNA targeting PLK-I (Dharmacon) was used to monitor knockdown efficiency. Quadruplicate plate sets were reverse transfected with siRNA (10 nM) using RNAimax (Invitrogen, USA) and incubated for 72 h. From these, duplicate sets of plates were either mock infected or infected with wild type Maraba virus (MOI: OVCAR-8=0.1, U373=0.5, NCI-H226=0.1). Infections were incubated for 48 h (OVCAR-8) or 72 h (U373 and NCI-H226) after which resazurin dye (20 μg/mL) was added to each well, incubated for 6 h and assayed for absorbance (573 nm) to score cell viability.
Data Analysis: Cell viability data from the screens was normalized on a per plate basis using the Median Absolute Deviation (MAD) method (1). Briefly, for each well on the plate, an absolute deviation from the plate median (WAD) was calculated using the formula:
WAD=(well value−plate median excluding controls)
A MAD was calculated for each plate using the formula:
Plate MAD=1.4826* median (WAD)
A MAD score for each gene target (gMAD Score) was calculated as follows:
gMAD Score=average of 2 euplicates (WAD/Plate MAD)
A composite gMAD score for each gene target was derived by subtracting the gMAD scores from the mock-infected screens from infected screens, for each cell line. Gene targets scoring less than −1.85 were considered synthetic lethal hits. Hit lists were derived for each cell line and then compared using VENNY (2) to obtain a final list of hits identified in at least 2 out of the 3 cell lines screened (1008 hits; Table 2). Bioinformatics analysis of the composite hit list was performed using a combination of PANTHER (3), DAVID (4), Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (Ingenuity Systems, USA), and manually curated to identify signaling pathways enriched with hits and to annotate hits for gene function and sub-cellular localization.
RNAi reagents for secondary screening: For all RNAi experiments, the following mRNA sequences were targeted with chemically-synthesized duplexes: IRE1α, 5′-cag cac gga cgt caa gtt tga-3′ (Qiagen) (SEQ ID NO: 3); ATF6α, 5′-cag caa cca att atc agt tta-3′ (Qiagen) (SEQ ID NO: 4); Derlin-1, 5′-tcc cgg cga tca cgc gct att ggt t-3′ (Invitrogen) (SEQ ID NO: 5); Caspase 2 (Dharmacon Smart Pool); Non-targeting (NT) #1, 5′-gca cca tgc ctt tga gct t-3′ (Invitrogen) (SEQ ID NO: 6); NT #2 (Dharmacon NT pool #1). For experiments in
In vitro cytotoxicity assays with RNAi: Cells were seeded onto 96 well plates to a confluence of ˜50%. The following day, siRNA transfections were performed, and 72 h later the cells were infected at log 10 dilutions with wild type Maraba virus (except for
Lentiviral production and rescue experiments: Total RNA was extracted from C2C12 myoblasts using RNeasy technology (Qiagen), and reverse transcribed using random hexamers and Superscript II (Invitrogen). The following primers were used to PCR amplify mouse ATF6α from this cDNA library: Forward, 5′-ggt acc gcg ggc gcg cca tgg agt cgc ctt tta ctc cgg-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 9); Reverse, 5′-ctt gga tcc gcg gcc tac tgc aac gac tca ggg atg-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 10). PCR amplicons were cloned into a pLEX lentiviral vector (Open Bioststems) using the In-Fusion Advantage PCR cloning kit (Clontech). Lentivirus particles were produced by reverse transfecting pDY-ATF6α, pCMV 8.74, and pMD2-G vectors (Fugene-6 transfection reagent, Roche) into 293-T cells. After 72 h, the virus-containing media was removed, passed through a 0.45 μM filter, aliquoted, and frozen at −80 deg C. For rescue experiments, U373 cells were seeded in 6-well format to ˜30% confluence. The following day, lentiviral-containing media was diluted 1:1 with complete media and polybrene was added to a final concentration of 6 μg/mL. Diluted media was added to cells, and plates were spun at 400×g for 1 hour. The following day, siRNA transfections were performed and 72 h later Maraba-WT virus was used to infect the cells. A Resazurin sodium salt cytotoxicity assay was performed 48 h post-infection.
Immunoblotting: Cells were lysed (50 mM Tris-HCl; 150 mM NaCl; 1% Triton X-100; 1% SDS) and protein quantified using the Lowry assay (Bio-Rad). Total cell lysates were prepared in SDS sample buffer, and 5-50 μg of total protein was separated by SDS-PAGE on Bis- Tris gels (ranging from 8-15%) and transferred to nitrocellulose or PVDF membranes. Membranes were probed with primary antibodies diluted in 5% skim milk powder (SMP) or 5% Bovine Serum Albumen (BSA) overnight at 4 deg C., followed by horse radish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies diluted in 5% SMP for 1 h at room temperature. The following primary antibodies were used: rabbit mAb anti-IRE1α (Cell Signaling 14C10); rabbit anti-ATF-6α (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, H-280); rabbit anti-Derlin-1 (Sigma); mouse anti-GAPDH (R&D Systems); rabbit anti-XBP1 (BioLegend, Poly6195); rabbit anti-BIP (Cell signaling); rabbit anti-phospho-EIF2α (Cell signaling); rabbit anti-VSV; rabbit anti-Mcl-1 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, S-19); goat anti-human IFN cup α/β R1 (R&D Systems); rat anti-Caspase-2 (Chemicon, 11B4); rabbit anti-Caspase-3 (Cell Signaling, Asp175); rabbit anti-Caspase-9 (Cell Signaling, human-specific); rabbit anti-PARP (Cell Signaling). Finally, proteins were visualized using SuperSignal West Pico Chemiluminescent Substrate System (Pierce Biotechnology).
Interferon production assay: An indirect “interferon production bioassay” was used to estimate the degree to which our cell lines could produce interferon. The indicated lines were infected with Maraba-Δ51 (MOI 3) to trigger an innate immune response and induce interferon (IFN) production. Eighteen hours later, the interferon-containing media was collected and acid neutralized with 0.25N HCl overnight at 4° C. (to destroy virus particles without affecting interferon cytokines), after which time 0.25 NaOH was added to adjust the pH to 7. In parallel, Vero cells were plated to ˜90% confluence in 96 well format, and the following day incubated with the neutralized media for 24 h prior to infection with Maraba-WT. Interferon secreted from the interrogated cell lines post-Maraba-Δ51 infections would protect the Vero cells from Maraba virus infection, to a degree dependent upon the quantity of interferon produced. After 48 h, survival was quantified using a crystal violet assay (Sigma Aldrich). Briefly, cells were incubated with 1% crystal violet solution, washed, dried, re-suspended in 1% SDS and read at a wavelength of 595 nm.
Interferon responsiveness assay: An indirect “interferon responsive bioassay” was used to estimate the degree to which our cell lines could respond to interferon. PC-3 cells were infected with Maraba-Δ51 (MOI 3) for 18 h to produce interferon, after which time the media was collected and acid neutralized, as described above. The following day, the interferon-containing media was added to the indicated cell lines. Twenty-four hours later, Maraba-WT virus was added at a range of MOIs, and cell viability assays were performed after 48 h of infection. Interferon responsiveness was proportional to the amount of protection conferred by media treatment prior to virus infection.
RT-PCR for XBP1 slicing: Total RNA was extracted from cells using a standard RNeasy spin column kit, as described by the manufacturer (Qiagen). RNA was reverse transcribed to cDNA using Superscript II RT (Invitrogen) following the manufacturer's guidelines. Standard PCR was performed using the following primers: XBP1-F: 5′-cct tgt agt tga gaa cca gg-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 11); XBP1-R; 5′-ggg get tgg tat ata tgt gg-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 12). The PCR products were run out on a 3% agarose gel and visualized with UV imager.
Phase-contrast and fluorescent microscopy: All microscopy was done using a standard dissecting microscope (Nikon SMZ1500). Images were captured using a digital camera (Nikon DXM1200F), and analyzed using computerized software (Nikon ACT software).
Single-step growth curves: U373 cells were seeded into 6-well format at ˜50% confluence, and siRNA transfections were performed the following day. After 72 h, the cells were infected with wild-type Maraba at a multiplicity of infection of 5 pfu/cell for 1 hour. Cells were then washed with PBS and incubated at 37° C. Aliquots (100 μl) were taken at 0, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h time points and titred on Vero cells using a standard plaque assay.
Plaque assays: Vero cells were plated at a density of 5e5 cells per/well of a 6 well dish. The next day, 100 μof serial viral dilutions were prepared and added for 1 hour to Vero cells. After viral adsorption, 2 ml of agarose overlay was added (1:1 1% agarose: 2×DMEM and 20% FCS). Plaques were counted the following day.
Small molecule synthesis: Compounds were synthesized through slight modifications of the methods described in W02008154484. A representative example is given for the synthesis of Compound 2.
Synthesis of Compound 2: A solution of 5.0 g (21.6 mmol) of 5-bromo-2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, 1.81 mL (1.91 g, 23.8 mmol) of methoxymethyl chloride and 7.53 mL (5.59 g) of diisopropylethylamine (43.28 mmol) of diisopropylethylamine was stirred at ambient temperature in 90 mL of dichloromethane for 3 days. The mixture was concentrated and purified by silica gel chromatography eluting with a gradient of hexanes/ethyl acetate to supply 5.37 g of 5-bromo-3-methoxy-2-(methoxymethoxy)benzaldehyde. A portion of this material (1.0 g, 3.64 mmol) was combined with (3-carbamoylphenyl)boronic acid (0.731 g, 3.64 mmol), potassium phosphate (0.655 g, 6.18 mmol), Pd2(dba)3 (33.3 mg, 0.0364 mmol), tricyclohexylphosphine (24.5 mg, 0.0872 mmol), 1,4-dioxane (12.0 mL), and water (6.0 mL) in a microwave vessel and heated in a microwave apparatus for 30 min at 85 deg C. After cooling, the crude reaction mixture was filtered through a pad of Celite, absorbed on to silica gel and purified by silica gel chromatography eluting with 100% ethyl acetate. Fractions showing product were combined and concentrated to give 1.10 g of pure 3′-formyl-5′-methoxy-4′-(methoxymethoxy)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-carboxamide. The completion of the synthesis of compound 2 was carried out by dissolving this material in 20 mL tetrahydrofuran and adding 20 mL of 1 N aq. HCl. The mixture was stirred at room temperature under positive nitrogen pressure for 16 h. A yellow precipitate was collected by suction filtration to give, after air drying, the crude product. Trituration using methanol provided 0.59 g of 3′-formyl-4′-hydroxy-5′-methoxy-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-carboxamide (Compound 2). Analytical data (proton NMR and low resolution electrospray mass spectrometry) was consistent with pure desired product.
Small molecule screening: U373 cells were plated in 6-well format to a confluence of ˜75%. The following day, candidate small molecules were dissolved in DMSO and added directly to the cell culture media at a range of concentrations. After 2 h, tunicamycin (5 μg/mL) was added, and total RNA was collected 4 h later. RNA extraction and RT-PCR for XBP1 splicing were performed as described above.
In vitro cytotoxicity assays with small molecules: Cells were seeded onto 96 well plates to a confluence of ˜50%. The following day, siRNA transfections were performed, or small-molecule IRE1α inhibition was initiated. For the small-molecules, DMSO was used as a vehicle with a [drug]=20-50 μM. Drug treatment occurred for either 4 h (“acute” treatment), or was re-applied at 24 h and left for 48 h total (“chronic” treatment). Following knockdown or chemical inhibition, the cells were infected at log dilutions with the indicated rhabdoviruses. After 48-72 h of infection (depending on the cell line), Resazurin sodium salt was added to a final concentration of 20 μg/ml. After a 6 h incubation the absorbance was read at a wavelength of 573 nm.
Maximum tolerable dose (MTD) and pharmacokinetic (PK) studies in mice: For MTD studies, groups of three CD-1 nude mice (6-8 weeks old) were given a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of Compound 2 (in log 2 increments, diluted in 10% Tween-80) ranging from −50-1000 mg/Kg. The animals were monitored twice daily for signs of distress, including weight loss, morbidity, and respiratory distress. For PK studies, groups of three CD-1 nude mice (6-8 weeks old) were given a single IP injection of Compound 2 (250 mg/Kg), and blood was taken from the saphenous vein at the indicated timepoints. The blood was centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 10 min, and plasma collected and frozen (−80 deg C.). Plasma samples were analyzed for Compound 2 using LC-MS. To 10 μL plasma, 20 μL acetonitrile was added, vortexed briefly and centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 10 min. The clear supernatant was transferred in to a vial for LC-MS analysis. Chromatographic separations were carried out on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 (2.1×50 mm, 1.7 pm) column using ACQUITY UPLC system. The mobile phase was 0.1% formic acid in water (solvent A) and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (solvent B). A gradient starting at 95% solvent A going to 5% in 4.5 min, holding for 0.5 min, going back to 95% in 0.5 min and equilibrating the column for 1 min was employed. A Waters Xevo QTof MS equipped with an atmospheric pressure ionization source was used for MS analysis. MassLynx 4.1 was used for data analysis. WinNonlin was used to obtain the pharmacokinetic parameters.
Ovarian xenograft model: Human ovarian carcinoma-derived OVCAR-4 cells, adapted for bioluminescent imaging, were injected into 6-8 week old athymic CD-1 nude mice (IP injection, 5×106 cells per mouse). Untreated animals develop measurable abdominal tumours (assessed by IVIS imaging) by 4-7 days, become icteric by 3-4 months and must be euthanized shortly thereafter due to systemic disease as characterized by enlarged cancerous liver and spleen, pale kidneys, and cancerous lymph nodes on the abdominal mesentery. For efficacy experiments, Compound 2 (250 mg/kg; or vehicle (10% Tween-80)) was administered twice daily (IP injections), beginning on day 14 and ending on day 19. Maraba-DM (1×105 pfu per cell) or PBS was injected IV (tail vein) on day 16, 17, 19, 23, 25, 27. Animals were monitored daily for weight loss, morbidity, hind leg paralysis and respiratory distress. Tumour images were captured twice weekly with a Xenogen 200 IVIS system (Caliper LS, USA), and total luminescent flux was analyzed on computerized software (Xenogen).
EMT6 syngeneic breast cancer models: Murine EMT6 breast cancer-derived cells (1×105 per mouse) were adapted for bioluminescent imaging and injected into the fat pad of the right lower breast in 6-8 week old Balb/c mice. Mice developed palpable tumours by 5-7 days, which grew rapidly. At 7 days post-tumour implants, mice were treated with Compound 2 (250 mg/kg, IP) or vehicle, twice daily, for six days. Maraba-DM (1×107 pfu per cell) or PBS was injected IV (tail vein) on day 10, 11, 13, 16, and 17. Animals were monitored daily for piloerection, weight loss, morbidity, hind leg paralysis and respiratory distress. Tumour images were captured twice weekly using a Xenogen 200 IVIS system (Caliper LS, USA), and total luminescent flux was analyzed on computerized software (Xenogen). Mice were euthanized when the total flux exceeded 1×107, which corresponded to a tumour burden of ˜500 mm3 and occurred between 14-17 days in untreated animals.
Statistical analyses: For all statistical analyses except survival curves, one- and two-way ANOVAs were performed followed by a Bonferroni multiple comparison's post-hoc test to derive P values (GraphPad Prism). For survival curves, Mantel-Cox Log rank analysis was used to compare plots (GraphPad Prism).
One or more currently preferred embodiments have been described by way of example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61161297 | Mar 2009 | US |