Myeloid cell-specific topoisomerase 1 inhibition using DNA origami mitigates neuroinflammation.

Zhu K, Wang Y, Sarlus H, Geng K, Nutma E, Sun J, Kung SY, Bay C, Han J, Min JH, Benito-Cuesta I, Lund H, Amor S, Wang J, Zhang XM, Kutter C, Guerreiro-Cacais AO, Högberg B, Harris RA

EMBO Rep. 23 (7) e54499 [2022-07-05; online 2022-05-20]

Targeting myeloid cells, especially microglia, for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), is underappreciated. Our in silico drug screening reveals topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) inhibitors as promising drug candidates for microglial modulation. We show that TOP1 is highly expressed in neuroinflammatory conditions, and TOP1 inhibition using camptothecin (CPT) and its FDA-approved analog topotecan (TPT) reduces inflammatory responses in microglia/macrophages and ameliorates neuroinflammation in vivo. Transcriptomic analyses of sorted microglia from LPS-challenged mice reveal an altered transcriptional phenotype following TPT treatment. To target myeloid cells, we design a nanosystem using β-glucan-coated DNA origami (MyloGami) loaded with TPT (TopoGami). MyloGami shows enhanced specificity to myeloid cells while preventing the degradation of the DNA origami scaffold. Myeloid-specific TOP1 inhibition using TopoGami significantly suppresses the inflammatory response in microglia and mitigates MS-like disease progression. Our findings suggest that TOP1 inhibition in myeloid cells represents a therapeutic strategy for neuroinflammatory diseases and that the myeloid-specific nanosystems we designed may also benefit the treatment of other diseases with dysfunctional myeloid cells.

Claudia Kutter

SciLifeLab Fellow

PubMed 35593064

DOI 10.15252/embr.202154499

Crossref 10.15252/embr.202154499

pmc: PMC9253741


Publications 9.5.0