CD70-Targeted Micelles Enhance HIF2α siRNA Delivery and Inhibit Oncogenic Functions in Patient-Derived Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma Cells

The majority of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are characterized by mutations in the Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene, which leads to the stabilization and accumulation of the HIF2α transcription factor that upregulates key oncogenic pathways that promote glucose metabolism, cell cycle progression, angiogenesis, and cell migration. Although FDA-approved HIF2α inhibitors for treating VHL disease-related ccRCC are available, these therapies are associated with significant toxicities such as anemia and hypoxia. To improve ccRCC-specific drug delivery, peptide amphiphile micelles (PAMs) were synthesized incorporating peptides targeted to the CD70 marker expressed by ccRCs and anti-HIF2α siRNA, and the ability of HIF2α-CD27 PAMs to modulate HIF2α and its downstream targets was evaluated in human ccRCC patient-derived cells. Cell cultures were derived from eight human ccRCC tumors and the baseline mRNA expression of HIF2A and CD70, as well as the HIF2α target genes SLC2A1, CCND1, VEGFA, CXCR4, and CXCL12 were first determined. As expected, each gene was overexpressed by at least 63% of all samples compared to normal kidney proximal tubule cells. Upon incubation with HIF2α-CD27 PAMs, a 50% increase in ccRCC-binding was observed upon incorporation of a CD70-targeting peptide into the PAMs, and gel shift assays demonstrated the rapid release of siRNA (>80% in 1 h) under intracellular glutathione concentrations, which contributed to ~70% gene knockdown of HIF2α and its downstream genes. Further studies demonstrated that knockdown of the HIF2α target genes SLC2A1, CCND1, VEGFA, CXCR4, and CXCL12 led to inhibition of their oncogenic functions of glucose transport, cell proliferation, angiogenic factor release, and cell migration by 50–80%. Herein, the development of a nanotherapeutic strategy for ccRCC-specific siRNA delivery and its potential to interfere with key oncogenic pathways is presented.