Aiming to identify highly effective and selective G-quadruplex ligands as anticancer candidates, five natural compounds were investigated here, i.e., the alkaloids Canadine, D-Glaucine and Dicentrine, as well as the flavonoids Deguelin and Millettone, selected as analogs of compounds previously identified as promising G-quadruplex-targeting ligands. A preliminary screening with the G-quadruplex on the Controlled Pore Glass assay proved that, among the investigated compounds, Dicentrine is the most effective ligand of telomeric and oncogenic G-quadruplexes, also showing good G-quadruplex vs. duplex selectivity. In-depth studies in solution demonstrated the ability of Dicentrine to thermally stabilize telomeric and oncogenic G-quadruplexes without affecting the control duplex. Interestingly, it showed higher affinity for the investigated G-quadruplex structures over the control duplex (Kb~106 vs. 105 M−1), with some preference for the telomeric over the oncogenic G-quadruplex model. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that Dicentrine preferentially binds the G-quadruplex groove or the outer G-tetrad for the telomeric and oncogenic G-quadruplexes, respectively. Finally, biological assays proved that Dicentrine is highly effective in promoting potent and selective anticancer activity by inducing cell cycle arrest through apoptosis, preferentially targeting G-quadruplex structures localized at telomeres. Taken together, these data validate Dicentrine as a putative anticancer candidate drug selectively targeting cancer-related G-quadruplex structures.

Selective targeting of cancer-related G-quadruplex structures by the natural compound dicentrine / Platella, Chiara; Ghirga, Francesca; Musumeci, Domenica; Quaglio, Deborah; Zizza, Pasquale; Iachettini, Sara; D’Angelo, Carmen; Biroccio, Annamaria; Botta, Bruno; Mori, Mattia; Montesarchio, Daniela. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. - ISSN 1422-0067. - (2023). [10.3390/ijms24044070]

Selective targeting of cancer-related G-quadruplex structures by the natural compound dicentrine

Francesca Ghirga
;
Deborah Quaglio;Pasquale Zizza;Sara Iachettini;Bruno Botta;Mattia Mori;
2023

Abstract

Aiming to identify highly effective and selective G-quadruplex ligands as anticancer candidates, five natural compounds were investigated here, i.e., the alkaloids Canadine, D-Glaucine and Dicentrine, as well as the flavonoids Deguelin and Millettone, selected as analogs of compounds previously identified as promising G-quadruplex-targeting ligands. A preliminary screening with the G-quadruplex on the Controlled Pore Glass assay proved that, among the investigated compounds, Dicentrine is the most effective ligand of telomeric and oncogenic G-quadruplexes, also showing good G-quadruplex vs. duplex selectivity. In-depth studies in solution demonstrated the ability of Dicentrine to thermally stabilize telomeric and oncogenic G-quadruplexes without affecting the control duplex. Interestingly, it showed higher affinity for the investigated G-quadruplex structures over the control duplex (Kb~106 vs. 105 M−1), with some preference for the telomeric over the oncogenic G-quadruplex model. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that Dicentrine preferentially binds the G-quadruplex groove or the outer G-tetrad for the telomeric and oncogenic G-quadruplexes, respectively. Finally, biological assays proved that Dicentrine is highly effective in promoting potent and selective anticancer activity by inducing cell cycle arrest through apoptosis, preferentially targeting G-quadruplex structures localized at telomeres. Taken together, these data validate Dicentrine as a putative anticancer candidate drug selectively targeting cancer-related G-quadruplex structures.
2023
Dicentrine; G-quadruplex; natural compounds; telomeres; oncogenes
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Selective targeting of cancer-related G-quadruplex structures by the natural compound dicentrine / Platella, Chiara; Ghirga, Francesca; Musumeci, Domenica; Quaglio, Deborah; Zizza, Pasquale; Iachettini, Sara; D’Angelo, Carmen; Biroccio, Annamaria; Botta, Bruno; Mori, Mattia; Montesarchio, Daniela. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. - ISSN 1422-0067. - (2023). [10.3390/ijms24044070]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1687440
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