Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3), a common oncogenic mediator, is constitutively activated in many types of human cancers and plays a critical role in tumor growth and cancer immune evasion. The focus of this dissertation is the delivery of STAT3 inhibitor cucurbitacins to tumors using polymeric nano-carriers for the inhibition of tumor growth and modulation of tumor-induced immunosuppression. The anticancer and immunomodulatory activity of STAT3 inhibitor JSI-124 (cucurbitacin I) was studied in mice carrying B16 tumor. The results showed that JSI-124 + CpG or 7-acyl lipid A combination therapy modulated immunosuppression in tumor environment and generated superior anti-tumor effects compared to monotherapy. In further studies, a sensitive and reproducible liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) method was developed and validated for quantitative analysis of STAT3 inhibitor cucurbitacins in vitro and in biological samples. Moreover, nano-delivery systems based on poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL) micelles and its analogues containing physically encapsulated cucurbitacin and poly(D,L -lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) containing chemically conjugated JSI-124 for the delivery of STAT3 inhibitor to tumor and dendritic cells (DCs) were developed and characterized. Polymeric micelles of different PCL based core structure were able to significantly increase the water solubility of STAT3 inhibitor cucurbitacins, and slow the rate of drug release by a diffusion dependent mechanism. The chemical structure of the micellar core was found to control the release rate of cucurbitacin from the micelles. PLGA NPs containing conjugated JSI-124, on the other hand, demonstrated a degradation dependent drug release profile over a 1-month period. Both nanoparticulate formulations exhibited potent anticancer and STAT3 inhibitory activity against B16 cancer. Moreover PLGA-JSI-124 NPs suppressed STAT3 activation in immunosuppressed p-STAT3highDCs and significantly improved their function in stimulating T cell proliferation in vitro. These findings show that JSI-124 esters of PLGA NPs can potentially provide a useful platform for JSI-124 delivery to tumor and its targeted delivery to DCs. The results of this research not only proved the principle of STAT3 inhibition in tumors as an efficient intervention for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of TLR ligand-based cancer immunotherapy, but led to development of nano-delivery systems with potential application in cancer chemo-and immunotherapy. / Pharmaceutical Sciences

No description available.

La présente étude avait pour but d'identifier de nouvelles stratégies pour la présentation sélective d'enzymes à la surface de nanoparticules virales dans le but d’une application potentielle dans la technologie des biocapteurs ou des puces à protéines. Les potyvirus ont été choisis comme nanosupports modèles. Les Potyvirus, le genre le plus large de la famille des Potyviridae, la seconde plus grande famille de virus de plante, sont responsables de très graves pertes dans les cultures. Ils forment des capsides flexibles en forme de bâtonnet entourant une seule molécule d'ARN positif simple brin. Les événements moléculaires conduisant à la sélection et à l'encapsidation spécifiques de l'ARN potyviral sont inconnus. Afin de mieux exploiter le potentiel de ces virus comme nanosupports, la première étape de ce travail a porté sur l’étude, in vivo, du processus d'encapsidation de l'ARN de particules de potyvirus. Des études précédentes ont montré que la protéine d'enveloppe (CP) du virus de la pomme de terre A (PVA) interfère avec la traduction de l'ARN viral lorsqu'elle est fournie en excès en trans suggérant que cela pourrait se produire pour initier l’encapsidation de l’ARN viral. Dans cette étude, nous avons montré que cette inhibition est médiée par des interactions CP-CP co-traductionnelles se produisant entre deux populations de CP, produites en trans et en cis et permettant très probablement le recrutement spécifique de l'ARN potyviral pour son encapsidation. En accord avec les études d'assemblage in vitro publiées précédemment nous proposons un mécanisme selon lequel l’encapsidation de l'ARN viral est initiée par des interactions CP-CP co-traductionnelles. Dans la deuxième partie de ce travail, différentes approches ont été testées afin d’organiser des enzymes sur les plateformes virales dans le but d’optimiser la canalisation des intermédiaires réactionnels. Parmi les trois stratégies testées seule celle utilisant un peptide qui se liant aux anticorps, le peptide z33 de la protéine A de Staphylococcus aureus a été couronnée de succès. Une couverture de 87 % des sites sur les particules de potyvirus avec l'enzyme a été obtenue. Cette stratégie a été utilisée pour piéger deux enzymes, la 4-coumarate: coenzyme A ligase (4Cl2) et stilbène synthase (STS), catalysant des étapes consécutives dans la voie de synthèse de resvératrol à partir de lysats cellulaires solubles d’E. coli clarifiés, à la surface de particules de potyvirus immobilisées sur les parois d'un tube en polypropylène. Cette stratégie rassemble les approches ascendante et descendante pour construire des nanomatériaux à base de virus et offre un moyen efficace et économique pour co-immobiliser et purifier des enzymes / The present study intended to identify new strategies for the selective presentation of biocatalysts on the surface of viral nanoparticles with potential application in biosensor technology or protein chips. Potyviruses were chosen as model nanoscaffolds for biocatalysts. Potyviruses are the largest genus in the family Potyviridae and cause significant plant damage. They form flexible rod-shaped capsids surrounding a single stranded positive sense RNA molecule. The molecular events leading to the specific selection and encapsidation of potyviral RNA are unknown. To better exploit the potential of these viruses as nanocarriers, the first step in this study was to look into their in vivo RNA encapsidation process. Earlier studies showed that Potato virus A (PVA) coat protein (CP) interferes with viral RNA translation when provided in excess in trans and it was suggested this could occur to initiate viral RNA encapsidation. In this follow up study, we used the agroinfiltration approach for the transient expression of full length, truncated or mutated viral RNAs with wild type CP (CPwt) and showed that this inhibition is mediated by co-translational CPCP interactions occurring between two CP populations, produced in trans and in cis. Because CP inhibited translation of the entire viral genome and virus particles were formed later than during normal infection, it was assumed that the CP acted during this inhibition process to specifically recruit viral RNA for encapsidation. In line with previously published in vitro assembly studies, we propose a mechanism through which viral RNA encapsidation is initiated through co-translational CP-CP interactions. The second part of this work entailed the investigation of novel approaches for organizing biocatalysts on virus platforms. The aim was to control the display of enzymes on virus surfaces while maximizing channelling of reaction intermediates. Three strategies were tested but only one involving an antibody binding peptide, the z33 peptide from Staphylococcus aureus was successful. An 87 % occupancy of accessible sites on the potyvirus particles by the enzyme was achieved. The same strategy was used to graft potyvirus particles with two enzymes: 4- coumarate:coenzyme A ligase (4CL2) and stilbene synthase (STS), catalysing consecutive steps in resveratrol synthetic pathway or a protein chimera, generated by the genetic fusion of both enzymes. This was achieved by trapping either the monoenzymes or the protein chimera from clarified soluble E. coli cell lysates on to the surface of potyvirus particles preimmobilized in a polypropylene tube. Resveratrol was synthesized from both mono-enzymes and the protein chimera in solution and on potyvirus particles. This strategy brings together a bottom-up and top down approach for designing virus based nano-materials and offers a cost effective and efficient way to co-immobilize and purify enzymes.