| 1. |
- Ekerljung, Lina, et al.
(författare)
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Dimeric HER2-specific affibody molecules inhibit proliferation of the SKBR-3 breast cancer cell line
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 377:2, s. 489-494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- HER2-specific affibody molecules in different formats have previously been shown to be useful tumor targeting agents for radionuclide-based imaging and therapy applications, but their biological effect on tumor cells is not well known. In this study, two dimeric ((ZHER2:4)2 and (ZHER2:342)2) and one monomeric (ZHER2:342) HER2-specific affibody molecules are investigated with respect to biological activity. Both (ZHER2:4)2 and (ZHER2:342)2 were found to decrease the growth rate of SKBR-3 cells to the same extent as the antibody trastuzumab. When the substances were removed, the cells treated with the dimeric affibody molecules continued to be growth suppressed while the cells treated with trastuzumab immediately resumed normal proliferation. The effects of ZHER2:342 were minor on both proliferation and cell signaling. The dimeric (ZHER2:4)2 and (ZHER2:342)2 both reduced growth of SKBR-3 cells and may prove therapeutically useful either by themselves or as carriers of radionuclides or other cytotoxic agents.
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| 2. |
- Ekerljung, Lina, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of HER2-binding affibody molecules on intracellular signaling pathways
- 2006
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Ingår i: Tumor Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1010-4283 .- 1423-0380. ; 27:4, s. 201-210
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: HER2, which is overexpressed in 25-30% of human breast cancers, is a tyrosine kinase receptor critical for the signal transduction network that regulates proliferation, migration and apoptosis of cells. METHOD: We report the effects of two novel HER2-binding affibody molecules (Affibody), (ZHER2:4)2 and ZHER2:342, on intracellular signal transduction pathways (Erk1/2, Akt and PLCgamma1) using quantitative immunoblotting techniques and their biological effects in cell culture. The clinically approved antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) was used as reference substance. RESULTS: Our data showed that, although all substances target HER2, the effects on the receptor and signaling molecules differed. For example, HER2 phosphorylation was induced by trastuzumab and (ZHER2:4)2 but inhibited by ZHER2:342. The effects these substances had on signal transduction correlated to some degree with changes in growth and migration, e.g. (ZHER2:4)2 stimulated phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and PLCgamma1, as well as growth and migration, while ZHER2:342 did not. ZHER2:342 even inhibited phosphorylation of PLCgamma1 and migration. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that ZHER2:342 is a promising small agent (7 kDa) that may be used as an alternative, or complement, to trastuzumab. If radiolabelled, it can hopefully also be used for HER2 imaging and radionuclide therapy.
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| 3. |
- Ekerljung, Lina, 1980-
(författare)
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EGFR- and HER2-Binding Affibody Molecules : Cellular studies of monomeric, dimeric and bispecific ligands
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Abnormal expression and signaling of the ErbB receptors is associated with the development and progression of several forms of cancer. In this thesis, new ErbB-targeting affibody molecules are evaluated regarding their cellular effects in vitro. Since ligand binding to an ErbB receptor might have an impact on the cell it is important to be aware of these effects as they may have consequences for the continued growth of the tumor when used in vivo. The affibody molecules are intended for tumor targeting with the prospect of clinical use in imaging or therapy. Three types of affibody molecules were studied, HER2-binding, EGFR-binding and bispecific binders that target both EGFR and HER2. The HER2-targeting (ZHER2:342)2 showed promising characteristics. It sensitized SKBR-3 cells to irradiation and decreased cell growth to the same extent as the clinically approved antibody Herceptin. The monomeric version, ZHER2:342, did not induce any large effects on intracellular signaling or biological outcome. This makes (ZHER2:342)2 interesting for therapy purposes, while ZHER2:342 may be better suited for imaging. The bispecific affibody molecules were all able to simultaneously bind to both EGFR and HER2, but none of the six constructs resulted in any large effects on cellular outcome. Interestingly, all three monovalent binders are more functional when positioned at the N-terminal part of the construct and the (S4G)3 linker renders higher affinity of the bispecific binders compared to (G4S)3. Tumors that co-express several ErbB receptors are often more aggressive and associated with a worse prognosis, suggesting that the total ErbB expression pattern might be more informative than the expression level of one receptor regarding cancer prognosis and prediction of response to targeted therapies. Bispecific ligands could thus be used as imaging agents with prognostic value. Another aspect of dual targeting is the possibility of increased tumor specificity since tumors are more likely than healthy tissue to express high amounts of two receptors.
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| 4. |
- Ekerljung, Lina, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Generation and Evaluation of Bispecific Affibody Molecules for Simultaneous Targeting of EGFR and HER2
- 2012
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Ingår i: Bioconjugate chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1043-1802 .- 1520-4812. ; 23:9, s. 1802-1811
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Co-expression of several ErbB receptors has been found in many cancers and has been linked with increased aggressiveness of tumors and a worse patient prognosis. This makes the simultaneous targeting of two surface receptors by using bispecific constructs an increasingly appreciated strategy. Here we have generated six such bispecific targeting proteins, which each comprising two monomeric affibody molecules with specific binding to either of the two human epidermal growth factor receptors, EGFR and HER2, respectively. The bispecific constructs were designed with (i) alternative positioning (N- or C-terminal) of the different affibody molecules, (ii) two alternative peptide linkers (Gly4Ser)3 or (Ser4Gly)3, and (iii) affibody molecules with different affinity (nanomolar or picomolar) for HER2. Using both Biacore technology and cell binding assays it was demonstrated that all six constructs could bind simultaneously to both their target proteins. N-terminal positioning of the monomeric affibody molecules was favorable to promote the binding to respective target. Interestingly, bispecific constructs containing the novel (Ser4Gly)3 linker displayed a higher affinity in cell binding, as compared to constructs containing the more conventional linker, (Gly4Ser)3. It could further be concluded that bispecific constructs (but not the monomeric affibody molecules) induced dimerization and phosphorylation of EGFR in SKBR3 cells, which express fairly high levels of both receptors. It was also investigated whether the bispecific binding would influence cell growth or sensitize cells for ionizing radiation, but no such effects were observed.
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| 5. |
- Ekerljung, Lina, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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The HER2-binding Affibody Molecule (ZHER2:342)2 Increases Radiosensitivity in SKBR-3 cells
- 2012
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7:11, s. e49579-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have previously shown that the HER2-specific affibody molecule (ZHER2:342)2 inhibits proliferation of SKBR-3 cells. Here, we continue to investigate its biological effects in vitro by studying receptor dimerization and clonogenic survival following irradiation. We found that (ZHER2:342)2 sensitizes the HER2-overexpressing cell line SKBR-3 to ionizing radiation. The survival after exposure to (ZHER2:342)2 and 8 Gy (S8Gy 0.006) was decreased by a factor of 4 compared to the untreated (S8Gy 0.023). The low HER2-expressing cell line MCF-7 was more radiosensitive than SKBR-3 but did not respond to (ZHER2:342)2. Treatment by (ZHER2:342)2 strongly increased the levels of dimerized and phosphorylated HER2 already after 5 minutes of stimulation. The monomeric ZHER2:342 does not seem to be able to induce receptor phosphorylation and dimerization or sensitize cells to irradiation.
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| 6. |
- Friedman, Mikaela, et al.
(författare)
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Engineering and characterization of a bispecific HER2 x EGFR-binding affibody molecule
- 2009
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Ingår i: Biotechnology and applied biochemistry. - 0885-4513 .- 1470-8744. ; 54, s. 121-131
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- HER2 (human epidermal-growth-factor receptor-2; ErbB2) and EGFR (epidermal-growth-factor receptor) are overexpressed in various forms of cancer, and the co-expression of both HER2 and EGFR has been reported in a number of studies. The simultaneous targeting of HER2 and EGFR has been discussed as a strategy with which to potentially increase efficiency and selectivity in molecular imaging and therapy of certain cancers. In an effort to generate a molecule capable of bispecifically targeting HER2 and EGFR, a gene fragment encoding a bivalent HER2-binding affibody molecule was genetically fused in-frame with a bivalent EGFR-binding affibody molecule via a (G(4)S)(3) [(Gly(4)-Ser)(3)]-encoding gene fragment. The encoded 30 kDa affibody construct (Z(HER2))(2)-(G(4)S)(3)-(Z(EGFR))(2), with potential for bs (bispecific) binding to HER2 and EGFR, was expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized in terms of its binding capabilities. The retained ability to bind HER2 and EGFR separately was demonstrated using both biosensor technology and flow-cytometric analysis, the latter using HER2- and EGFR-overexpressing cells. Furthermore, simultaneous binding to HER2 and EGFR was demonstrated in: (i) a sandwich format employing real-time biospecific interaction analysis where the bs affibody molecule bound immobilized EGFR and soluble HER2; (ii) immunofluorescence microscopy, where the bs affibody molecule bound EGFR-overexpressing cells and soluble HER2; and (iii) a cell-cell interaction analysis where the bs affibody molecule bound HER2-overexpressing SKBR-3 cells and EGFR-overexpressing A-431 cells. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported bs affinity protein with potential ability for the simultaneous targeting of HER2 and EGFR. The potential future use of this and similar constructs, capable of bs targeting of receptors to increase the efficacy and selectivity in imaging and therapy, is discussed.
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| 7. |
- Hedman, Linnea, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Electronic cigarette use in relation to changes in smoking status and respiratory symptoms
- 2024
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Ingår i: Tobacco Induced Diseases. - : European Publishing. - 1617-9625. ; 22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: How e-cigarette use relates to changes in smoking status and respiratory symptoms in the population remains controversial. The aim was to study the association between e-cigarette use and, changes in smoking status and changes in respiratory symptoms.METHODS: A prospective, population-based study of random samples of the population (age 16–69 years) was performed within The Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) study and West Sweden Asthma Study (WSAS). A validated postal questionnaire containing identical questions was used in OLIN and WSAS at baseline in 2006–2008 and at follow-up in 2016. In total, 17325 participated on both occasions. Questions about respiratory symptoms and tobacco smoking were included in both surveys, while e-cigarette use was added in 2016.RESULTS: In 2016, 1.6% used e-cigarettes, and it was significantly more common in persistent tobacco smokers (10.6%), than in those who quit smoking (2.1%), started smoking (7.8%), or had relapsed into tobacco smoking at follow-up (6.4%) (p<0.001). Among current smokers at baseline, tobacco smoking cessation was less common in e-cigarette users than e-cigarette non-users (14.2% vs 47.6%, p<0.001) and there was no association with a reduction in the number of tobacco cigarettes smoked per day. Those who were persistent smokers reported increasing respiratory symptoms. In contrast, the symptoms decreased among those who quit tobacco smoking, but there was no significant difference in respiratory symptoms between quitters with and without e-cigarette use.CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarette use was associated with persistent tobacco smoking and reporting respiratory symptoms. We found no association between e-cigarette use and tobacco smoking cessation, reduction of number of tobacco cigarettes smoked per day or reduction of respiratory symptoms.
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| 8. |
- Nordberg, Erika, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of an EGFR-binding affibody molecule on intracellular signaling pathways
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Oncology. - : Spandidos Publications. - 1019-6439 .- 1791-2423. ; 36:4, s. 967-972
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Effects on intracellular signaling were studied in cells treated with the affibody molecule (Z(EGFR:955))(2) that targets the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR). EGFR is over-expressed in many types of cancers and plays a fundamental role in cell signaling and it is of interest to find targeting agents capable of blocking the receptor. The clinically approved antibody cetuximab (Erbitux (R)) and the natural ligand EGF were included as reference molecules. Two EGFR-rich cell lines, A-431 and U-343, were exposed to the three targeting agents and lysed. The cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with the receptors, or directly separated by SDS-Pace. Autophosphorylation of the receptors and phosphorylation of the downstream signaling proteins Erk and Akt, were evaluated by Western blotting. Although the three different agents compete for the same binding site on EGFR, they influenced the signaling differently. The affibody molecule did not induce autophosphorylation of EGFR or my other receptor in the EGFR-family but, in spite of this, induced phosphorylation of Erk in both cell lines and Akt in the A-431 cells. Thus, the results suggest that the signaling pattern induced by (Z(EGFR:955))(2) is only partly similar to that induced by cetuximab. This makes the affibody molecule a potentially interesting alternative to cetuximab for EGFR-targeted therapy since it might give different therapy-related effects on tumor cells and different side effects on normal tissues.
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| 9. |
- Rönnebjerg, Lina, et al.
(författare)
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Health-psychologic features and health-related quality of life in persons with severe asthma
- 2021
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Ingår i: European Respiratory Journal. - : European Respiratory Society. - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 58:Suppl 65
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Little is known about health-psychologic features and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in persons with severe asthma. Hence, the aim was to explore these features among persons with severe asthma.Methods: In the population-based West Sweden Asthma Study, 68 persons with severe asthma completed questionnaires on HRQoL (SF-8), asthma control (ACT), general self-efficacy (GSE), beliefs about medications (BMQ), anxiety and depression (HADS). Severe asthma was based on GINA treatment steps 4/5. Sub-groups were compared with the Mann-Whitney U test and associations were explored using the Spearman’s r.Results: Women with severe asthma reported worse mental HRQoL and indicated more symptoms of anxiety on HADS compared to men with severe asthma. Persons with severe asthma and ACT<20 reported worse physical HRQoL and perceived their medication as more necessary than those with severe asthma and ACT≥20. Among persons with severe asthma, physical HRQoL was associated with ACT-score (r=.613, p>.001). Mental HRQoL was associated with symptoms of anxiety (r=-.670, p>.001), depression (r=-.499, p>.001), self-efficacy (r=.344, p=.004) and concerns of asthma medication side effects (r=-.340, p=.006) within the same group.Conclusions: Health-psychologic features and HRQoL were different between sub groups of severe asthma. Use of questionnaires in asthma management in healthcare might be helpful to identify these sub-groups and provide improved and preventive care.
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| 10. |
- Rönnebjerg, Lina, et al.
(författare)
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Health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, beliefs of medication, and self-efficacy in individuals with severe asthma–a population-based study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Asthma. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0277-0903 .- 1532-4303. ; 61:2, s. 148-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Individuals with severe asthma often report poor Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and more research is essential to increase understanding of how they may be helped to improve HRQoL. The main aim of the current paper is to evaluate HRQoL, and possible factors influencing HRQoL, in individuals with severe asthma. The aim is also to explore associations among anxiety, depression, beliefs of medication, self-efficacy, and HRQoL among individuals with severe and other asthma as well as those with no asthma. Methods: Participants with severe asthma (n = 59), other asthma (n = 526), and no asthma (n = 902) were recruited from West Sweden Asthma Study, a population-based study, which includes both questionnaire surveys and clinical examinations. Results: Individuals with severe asthma had worse physical HRQoL (measured with SF-8) than those with other and no asthma (median 48.4, 51.9, and 54.3, respectively). They also had worse mental HRQoL (median 46.7) and reported higher anxiety and depression scores (measured using HADS, median 5.0 and 3.5, respectively) compared to no asthma (median 4.0 and 2.0, respectively). HRQoL was particularly affected among women with severe asthma. Individuals with severe asthma believed that their asthma medication was more necessary than those with other asthma, but they reported more concern for the medication. Asthma control and packyears predicted physical HRQoL and anxiety predicted mental HRQoL among individuals with severe asthma. Conclusions: Efforts to improve asthma control and to reduce anxiety may improve HRQoL in individuals with severe asthma. Especially, women with severe asthma seem to need support to improve their HRQoL. Reducing concerns with asthma medication is most likely essential as high concerns may lead to poor adherence, which in turn may negatively affect asthma control and HRQoL.
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