0000000001314856
AUTHOR
Sébastien Britton
showing 5 related works from this author
Dual targeting of higher-order DNA structures by azacryptands induces DNA junction-mediated DNA damage in cancer cells
2021
Abstract DNA is intrinsically dynamic and folds transiently into alternative higher-order structures such as G-quadruplexes (G4s) and three-way DNA junctions (TWJs). G4s and TWJs can be stabilised by small molecules (ligands) that have high chemotherapeutic potential, either as standalone DNA damaging agents or combined in synthetic lethality strategies. While previous approaches have claimed to use ligands that specifically target either G4s or TWJs, we report here on a new approach in which ligands targeting both TWJs and G4s in vitro demonstrate cellular effects distinct from that of G4 ligands, and attributable to TWJ targeting. The DNA binding modes of these new, dual TWJ-/G4-ligands w…
Identification of Three-Way DNA Junction Ligands through Screening of Chemical Libraries and Validation by Complementary in Vitro Assays
2019
International audience; The human genome is replete with repetitive DNA sequences that can fold into thermodynamically stable secondary structures such as hairpins and quadruplexes. Cellular enzymes exist to cope with these structures whose stable accumulation would result in DNA damage through interference with DNA transactions such as transcription and replication. Therefore, the chemical stabilization of secondary DNA structures offers an attractive way to foster DNA transaction-associated damages to trigger cell death in proliferating cancer cells. While much emphasis has been recently given to DNA quadruplexes, we focused here on three-way DNA junctions (TWJ) and report on a strategy t…
DNA folds threaten genetic stability and can be leveraged for chemotherapy
2020
International audience; Damaging DNA is a current and efficient strategy to fight against cancer cell proliferation. Numerous mechanisms exist to counteract DNA damage, collectively referred to as the DNA damage response (DDR) and which are commonly dysregulated in cancer cells. Precise knowledge of these mechanisms is necessary to optimise chemotherapeutic DNA targeting. New research on DDR has uncovered a series of promising therapeutic targets, proteins and nucleic acids, with application notably via an approach referred to as combination therapy or combinatorial synthetic lethality. In this review, we summarise the cornerstone discoveries which gave way to the DNA being considered as an…
DNA Junction Ligands Trigger DNA Damage and Are Synthetic Lethal with DNA Repair Inhibitors in Cancer Cells.
2019
International audience; Translocation of DNA and RNA polymerases along their duplex substrates results in DNA supercoiling. This torsional stress promotes the formation of plectonemic structures, including three-way DNA junction (TWJ), which can block DNA transactions and lead to DNA damage. While cells have evolved multiple mechanisms to prevent the accumulation of such structures, stabilizing TWJ through ad hoc ligands offer an opportunity to trigger DNA damage in cells with high level of transcription and replication, such as cancer cells. Here, we develop a series of azacryptand-based TWJ ligands, we thoroughly characterize their TWJ-interacting properties in vitro and demonstrate their…
CCDC 1952718: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
2020
Related Article: Katerina Duskova, Pauline Lejault, Élie Benchimol, Régis Guillot, Sébastien Britton, Anton Granzhan, David Monchaud|2019|J.Am.Chem.Soc.|142|424|doi:10.1021/jacs.9b11150