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Eraña H, Sampedro-Torres-Quevedo C, Charco JM, Díaz-Domínguez CM, Peccati F, San-Juan-Ansoleaga M, Vidal E, Gonçalves-Anjo N, Pérez-Castro MA, González-Miranda E, Piñeiro P, Fernández-Veiga L, Galarza-Ahumada J, Fernández-Muñoz E, Perez de Nanclares G, Telling G, Geijo M, Jiménez-Osés G, Castilla J. A Protein Misfolding Shaking Amplification-based method for the spontaneous generation of hundreds of bona fide prions. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2112. [PMID: 38459071 PMCID: PMC10923866 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46360-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding of the endogenous prion protein (PrPC) into a pathogenic form (PrPSc). This process, despite being the central event underlying these disorders, remains largely unknown at a molecular level, precluding the prediction of new potential outbreaks or interspecies transmission incidents. In this work, we present a method to generate bona fide recombinant prions de novo, allowing a comprehensive analysis of protein misfolding across a wide range of prion proteins from mammalian species. We study more than 380 different prion proteins from mammals and classify them according to their spontaneous misfolding propensity and their conformational variability. This study aims to address fundamental questions in the prion research field such as defining infectivity determinants, interspecies transmission barriers or the structural influence of specific amino acids and provide invaluable information for future diagnosis and therapy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasier Eraña
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
- ATLAS Molecular Pharma S. L, Derio, Spain
| | | | - Jorge M Charco
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
- ATLAS Molecular Pharma S. L, Derio, Spain
| | - Carlos M Díaz-Domínguez
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francesca Peccati
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Maitena San-Juan-Ansoleaga
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Enric Vidal
- IRTA. Programa de Sanitat Animal. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA). Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
- Unitat mixta d'Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA). Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Nuno Gonçalves-Anjo
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Miguel A Pérez-Castro
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Ezequiel González-Miranda
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Patricia Piñeiro
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Leire Fernández-Veiga
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Josu Galarza-Ahumada
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Eva Fernández-Muñoz
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Guiomar Perez de Nanclares
- Molecular (Epi)Genetics Laboratory, Bioaraba Health Research Institute, Araba University Hospital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Glenn Telling
- Prion Research Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Mariví Geijo
- Animal Health Department, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development. Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Jiménez-Osés
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, Madrid, Spain.
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
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2
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Sampson T. Microbial amyloids in neurodegenerative amyloid diseases. FEBS J 2023:10.1111/febs.17023. [PMID: 38041542 PMCID: PMC11144261 DOI: 10.1111/febs.17023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Human-disease associated amyloidogenic proteins are not unique in their ability to form amyloid fibrillar structures. Numerous microbes produce amyloidogenic proteins that have distinct functions for their physiology in their amyloid form, rather than solely detrimental. Emerging data indicate associations between various microbial organisms, including those which produce functional amyloids, with neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we review some of the evidence suggesting that microbial amyloids impact amyloid disease in host organisms. Experimental data are building a foundation for continued lines of enquiry and suggest that that direct or indirect interactions between microbial and host amyloids may be a contributor to amyloid pathologies. Inhibiting microbial amyloids or their interactions with the host may therefore represent a tangible target to limit various amyloid pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Sampson
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
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3
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Zajkowski T, Lee MD, Sharma S, Vallota-Eastman A, Kuska M, Malczewska M, Rothschild LJ. Conserved functions of prion candidates suggest a primeval role of protein self-templating. Proteins 2023; 91:1298-1315. [PMID: 37519023 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid-based prions have simple structures, a wide phylogenetic distribution, and a plethora of functions in contemporary organisms, suggesting they may be an ancient phenomenon. However, this hypothesis has yet to be addressed with a systematic, computational, and experimental approach. Here we present a framework to help guide future experimental verification of candidate prions with conserved functions to understand their role in the early stages of evolution and potentially in the origins of life. We identified candidate prions in all high-quality proteomes available in UniProt computationally, assessed their phylogenomic distributions, and analyzed candidate-prion functional annotations. Of the 27 980 560 proteins scanned, 228 561 were identified as candidate prions (~0.82%). Among these candidates, there were 84 Gene Ontology (GO) terms conserved across the three domains of life. We found that candidate prions with a possible role in adaptation were particularly well-represented within this group. We discuss unifying features of candidate prions to elucidate the primeval roles of prions and their associated functions. Candidate prions annotated as transcription factors, DNA binding, and kinases are particularly well suited to generating diverse responses to changes in their environment and could allow for adaptation and population expansion into more diverse environments. We hypothesized that a relationship between these functions and candidate prions could be evolutionarily ancient, even if individual prion domains themselves are not evolutionarily conserved. Candidate prions annotated with these universally occurring functions potentially represent the oldest extant prions on Earth and are therefore excellent experimental targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Zajkowski
- Universities Space Research Association at NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michael D Lee
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- KBR, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
| | - Siddhant Sharma
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alec Vallota-Eastman
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Mikołaj Kuska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Malczewska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lynn J Rothschild
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
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4
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Cembran A, Fernandez-Funez P. Intrinsic determinants of prion protein neurotoxicity in Drosophila: from sequence to (dys)function. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1231079. [PMID: 37645703 PMCID: PMC10461008 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1231079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal brain disorders characterized by deposition of insoluble isoforms of the prion protein (PrP). The normal and pathogenic structures of PrP are relatively well known after decades of studies. Yet our current understanding of the intrinsic determinants regulating PrP misfolding are largely missing. A 3D subdomain of PrP comprising the β2-α2 loop and helix 3 contains high sequence and structural variability among animals and has been proposed as a key domain regulating PrP misfolding. We combined in vivo work in Drosophila with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, which provide additional insight to assess the impact of candidate substitutions in PrP from conformational dynamics. MD simulations revealed that in human PrP WT the β2-α2 loop explores multiple β-turn conformations, whereas the Y225A (rabbit PrP-like) substitution strongly favors a 310-turn conformation, a short right-handed helix. This shift in conformational diversity correlates with lower neurotoxicity in flies. We have identified additional conformational features and candidate amino acids regulating the high toxicity of human PrP and propose a new strategy for testing candidate modifiers first in MD simulations followed by functional experiments in flies. In this review we expand on these new results to provide additional insight into the structural and functional biology of PrP through the prism of the conformational dynamics of a 3D domain in the C-terminus. We propose that the conformational dynamics of this domain is a sensitive measure of the propensity of PrP to misfold and cause toxicity. This provides renewed opportunities to identify the intrinsic determinants of PrP misfolding through the contribution of key amino acids to different conformational states by MD simulations followed by experimental validation in transgenic flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Cembran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN, United States
| | - Pedro Fernandez-Funez
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN, United States
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5
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Narita H, Shima T, Iizuka R, Uemura S. N-terminal region of Drosophila melanogaster Argonaute2 forms amyloid-like aggregates. BMC Biol 2023; 21:78. [PMID: 37072852 PMCID: PMC10114355 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01569-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Argonaute proteins play a central role in RNA silencing by forming protein-small RNA complexes responsible for the silencing process. While most Argonaute proteins have a short N-terminal region, Argonaute2 in Drosophila melanogaster (DmAgo2) harbors a long and unique N-terminal region. Previous in vitro biochemical studies have shown that the loss of this region does not impair the RNA silencing activity of the complex. However, an N-terminal mutant of Drosophila melanogaster has demonstrated abnormal RNA silencing activity. To explore the causes of this discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo studies, we investigated the biophysical properties of the region. The N-terminal region is highly rich in glutamine and glycine residues, which is a well-known property for prion-like domains, a subclass of amyloid-forming peptides. Therefore, the possibility of the N-terminal region functioning as an amyloid was tested. RESULTS Our in silico and biochemical assays demonstrated that the N-terminal region exhibits amyloid-specific properties. The region indeed formed aggregates that were not dissociated even in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Also, the aggregates enhanced the fluorescence intensity of thioflavin-T, an amyloid detection reagent. The kinetics of the aggregation followed that of typical amyloid formation exhibiting self-propagating activity. Furthermore, we directly visualized the aggregation process of the N-terminal region under fluorescence microscopy and found that the aggregations took fractal or fibril shapes. Together, the results indicate that the N-terminal region can form amyloid-like aggregates. CONCLUSIONS Many other amyloid-forming peptides have been reported to modulate the function of proteins through their aggregation. Therefore, our findings raise the possibility that aggregation of the N-terminal region regulates the RNA silencing activity of DmAgo2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Narita
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Shima
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Ryo Iizuka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sotaro Uemura
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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6
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Prions: a threat to health security and the need for effective medical countermeasures. GLOBAL HEALTH JOURNAL 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.glohj.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
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7
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Pintado-Grima C, Santos J, Iglesias V, Manglano-Artuñedo Z, Pallarès I, Ventura S. Exploring cryptic amyloidogenic regions in prion-like proteins from plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1060410. [PMID: 36726678 PMCID: PMC9885169 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1060410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Prion-like domains (PrLDs) are intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of low sequence complexity with a similar composition to yeast prion domains. PrLDs-containing proteins have been involved in different organisms' regulatory processes. Regions of moderate amyloid propensity within IDRs have been shown to assemble autonomously into amyloid fibrils. These sequences tend to be rich in polar amino acids and often escape from the detection of classical bioinformatics screenings that look for highly aggregation-prone hydrophobic sequence stretches. We defined them as cryptic amyloidogenic regions (CARs) and recently developed an integrated database that collects thousands of predicted CARs in IDRs. CARs seem to be evolutionary conserved among disordered regions because of their potential to stablish functional contacts with other biomolecules. Here we have focused on identifying and characterizing CARs in prion-like proteins (pCARs) from plants, a lineage that has been poorly studied in comparison with other prionomes. We confirmed the intrinsic amyloid potential for a selected pCAR from Arabidopsis thaliana and explored functional enrichments and compositional bias of pCARs in plant prion-like proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Pintado-Grima
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaime Santos
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valentín Iglesias
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
- Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zoe Manglano-Artuñedo
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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8
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Burdukiewicz M, Rafacz D, Barbach A, Hubicka K, Bąkała L, Lassota A, Stecko J, Szymańska N, Wojciechowski J, Kozakiewicz D, Szulc N, Chilimoniuk J, Jęśkowiak I, Gąsior-Głogowska M, Kotulska M. AmyloGraph: a comprehensive database of amyloid-amyloid interactions. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D352-D357. [PMID: 36243982 PMCID: PMC9825533 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Information about the impact of interactions between amyloid proteins on their fibrillization propensity is scattered among many experimental articles and presented in unstructured form. We manually curated information located in almost 200 publications (selected out of 562 initially considered), obtaining details of 883 experimentally studied interactions between 46 amyloid proteins or peptides. We also proposed a novel standardized terminology for the description of amyloid-amyloid interactions, which is included in our database, covering all currently known types of such a cross-talk, including inhibition of fibrillization, cross-seeding and other phenomena. The new approach allows for more specific studies on amyloids and their interactions, by providing very well-defined data. AmyloGraph, an online database presenting information on amyloid-amyloid interactions, is available at (http://AmyloGraph.com/). Its functionalities are also accessible as the R package (https://github.com/KotulskaLab/AmyloGraph). AmyloGraph is the only publicly available repository for experimentally determined amyloid-amyloid interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dominik Rafacz
- Faculty of Mathematics and Information Science, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Barbach
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Hubicka
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Laura Bąkała
- Faculty of Mathematics and Information Science, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Lassota
- School of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Jakub Stecko
- Faculty of Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Ludwika Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Natalia Szymańska
- Faculty of Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Ludwika Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Jakub W Wojciechowski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Dominika Kozakiewicz
- Laboratory of Microbiome Immunobiology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Weigla 12, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Natalia Szulc
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Jarosław Chilimoniuk
- Department of Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, Fryderyka Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Izabela Jęśkowiak
- Department of Pharmacology, Wroclaw Medical University, Mikulicza-Radeckiego 2, 50-345 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Marlena Gąsior-Głogowska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Kotulska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
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Expression of Huntingtin and TDP-43 Derivatives in Fission Yeast Can Cause Both Beneficial and Toxic Effects. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073950. [PMID: 35409310 PMCID: PMC8999813 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative disorders display protein aggregation as a hallmark, Huntingtin and TDP-43 aggregates being characteristic of Huntington disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, respectively. However, whether these aggregates cause the diseases, are secondary by-products, or even have protective effects, is a matter of debate. Mutations in both human proteins can modulate the structure, number and type of aggregates, as well as their toxicity. To study the role of protein aggregates in cellular fitness, we have expressed in a highly tractable unicellular model different variants of Huntingtin and TDP-43. They each display specific patterns of aggregation and toxicity, even though in both cases proteins have to be very highly expressed to affect cell fitness. The aggregation properties of Huntingtin, but not of TDP-43, are affected by chaperones such as Hsp104 and the Hsp40 couple Mas5, suggesting that the TDP-43, but not Huntingtin, derivatives have intrinsic aggregation propensity. Importantly, expression of the aggregating form of Huntingtin causes a significant extension of fission yeast lifespan, probably as a consequence of kidnapping chaperones required for maintaining stress responses off. Our study demonstrates that in general these prion-like proteins do not cause toxicity under normal conditions, and in fact they can protect cells through indirect mechanisms which up-regulate cellular defense pathways.
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10
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Computational methods to predict protein aggregation. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 73:102343. [PMID: 35240456 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In most cases, protein aggregation stems from the establishment of non-native intermolecular contacts. The formation of insoluble protein aggregates is associated with many human diseases and is a major bottleneck for the industrial production of protein-based therapeutics. Strikingly, fibrillar aggregates are naturally exploited for structural scaffolding or to generate molecular switches and can be artificially engineered to build up multi-functional nanomaterials. Thus, there is a high interest in rationalizing and forecasting protein aggregation. Here, we review the available computational toolbox to predict protein aggregation propensities, identify sequential or structural aggregation-prone regions, evaluate the impact of mutations on aggregation or recognize prion-like domains. We discuss the strengths and limitations of these algorithms and how they can evolve in the next future.
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11
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Tetz G, Tetz V. Prion-like Domains in Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Differ across Its Variants and Enable Changes in Affinity to ACE2. Microorganisms 2022; 10:280. [PMID: 35208734 PMCID: PMC8878784 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, the world is struggling with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Prions are proteins that possess a unique conformational conversion, with the ability to rapidly shift between multiple conformations due to residue hydrophobicity and net sequence charge, and viral prion-like proteins are known as potential regulators of viral infections. However, the prion-like domains (PrD) in the SARS-CoV-2 proteome have not been analyzed. In this in silico study, using the PLAAC algorithm, we identified the presence of prion-like domains in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Compared with other viruses, a striking difference was observed in the distribution of prion-like domains in the spike protein since SARS-CoV-2 is the only coronavirus with a prion-like domain found in the receptor-binding domain of the S1 region of the spike protein. The presence and unique distribution of prion-like domains in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domains of the spike protein are particularly interesting since although the SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV S proteins share the same host cell receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), SARS-CoV-2 demonstrates a 10- to 20-fold higher affinity for ACE2. We identified prion-like domains in the α1 helix of the ACE2 receptor that interact with the viral receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we found substantial differences in the prion-like domain of the S1 region of the spike protein across emerging variants including Omicron (B.1.1.529). Taken together, the present findings indicate that the identified PrDs in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and ACE2 region that interact with RBD play important functional roles in viral adhesion and entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Tetz
- Department of Proteome Research, Human Microbiology Institute, New York, NY 10013, USA;
- Department for Proteome Research, Tetz Laboratories, New York, NY 10013, USA
| | - Victor Tetz
- Department of Proteome Research, Human Microbiology Institute, New York, NY 10013, USA;
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12
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Wright DE, De la Rosa MA. Entering the second decade: FEBS Open Bio in 2022. FEBS Open Bio 2022; 12:4-8. [PMID: 34927398 PMCID: PMC8727927 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
FEBS Open Bio continues to go from strength to strength, with 2021 perhaps marking its most exciting year. In this Editorial, the Editor-in-Chief Miguel A. De la Rosa looks back at all the new developments of 2021 and forecasts the outlook for 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miguel A. De la Rosa
- Institute for Chemical Research (IIQ)Scientific Research Centre Isla de la Cartuja (cicCartuja)Universidad de Sevilla‐CSICSevillaSpain
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Behbahanipour M, García-Pardo J, Ventura S. Decoding the role of coiled-coil motifs in human prion-like proteins. Prion 2021; 15:143-154. [PMID: 34428113 PMCID: PMC8386614 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2021.1961569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are self-propagating proteins that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans. However, increasing evidence suggests that eukaryotic cells exploit prion conformational conversion for functional purposes. A recent study delineated a group of twenty prion-like proteins in humans, characterized by the presence of low-complexity glutamine-rich sequences with overlapping coiled-coil (CCs) motifs. This is the case of Mediator complex subunit 15 (MED15), which is overexpressed in a wide range of human cancers. Biophysical studies demonstrated that the prion-like domain (PrLD) of MED15 forms homodimers in solution, sustained by CCs interactions. Furthermore, the same coiled-coil (CC) region plays a crucial role in the PrLD structural transition to a transmissible β-sheet amyloid state. In this review, we discuss the role of CCs motifs and their contribution to amyloid transitions in human prion-like domains (PrLDs), while providing a comprehensive overview of six predicted human prion-like proteins involved in transcription, gene expression, or DNA damage response and associated with human disease, whose PrLDs contain or overlap with CCs sequences. Finally, we try to rationalize how these molecular signatures might relate to both their function and involvement in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molood Behbahanipour
- Institut De Biotecnologia I De Biomedicina (Ibb) and Departament De Bioquímica I Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autónoma De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier García-Pardo
- Institut De Biotecnologia I De Biomedicina (Ibb) and Departament De Bioquímica I Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autónoma De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut De Biotecnologia I De Biomedicina (Ibb) and Departament De Bioquímica I Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autónoma De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract
While most organelles are surrounded by membranes, cells also contain membraneless organelles, which remain separated in the cell by avoiding the mixture of their components with the surroundings. Actually, liquid–liquid phase separation provides a simple but smart mechanism for the cell to control the spatial localization and processing of molecules, without relying on membrane boundaries. This Special ‘In the Limelight’ section, entitled ‘Membraneless organelles’, consists of three review articles, each focused on a particular aspect. The first article deals with assembly of coacervates as mediated by polyproline II helices, as well as with condensate stability. The second article addresses the formation of protein–nucleic acid coacervates by prion‐like proteins and their link to human diseases. Finally, the last article focuses on mitochondrial cytochrome c translocation into the nucleus after DNA damage, with the subsequent inhibition of nucleosome assembly/disassembly activity of histone chaperones and its impact on chromatin dynamics and nuclear condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Díaz-Moreno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, Spain
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