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Santos J, Cuellar J, Pallarès I, Byrd EJ, Lends A, Moro F, Abdul-Shukkoor MB, Pujols J, Velasco-Carneros L, Sobott F, Otzen DE, Calabrese AN, Muga A, Pedersen JS, Loquet A, Valpuesta JM, Radford SE, Ventura S. A Targetable N-Terminal Motif Orchestrates α-Synuclein Oligomer-to-Fibril Conversion. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:12702-12711. [PMID: 38683963 PMCID: PMC11082882 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Oligomeric species populated during α-synuclein aggregation are considered key drivers of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. However, the development of oligomer-targeting therapeutics is constrained by our limited knowledge of their structure and the molecular determinants driving their conversion to fibrils. Phenol-soluble modulin α3 (PSMα3) is a nanomolar peptide binder of α-synuclein oligomers that inhibits aggregation by blocking oligomer-to-fibril conversion. Here, we investigate the binding of PSMα3 to α-synuclein oligomers to discover the mechanistic basis of this protective activity. We find that PSMα3 selectively targets an α-synuclein N-terminal motif (residues 36-61) that populates a distinct conformation in the mono- and oligomeric states. This α-synuclein region plays a pivotal role in oligomer-to-fibril conversion as its absence renders the central NAC domain insufficient to prompt this structural transition. The hereditary mutation G51D, associated with early onset Parkinson's disease, causes a conformational fluctuation in this region, leading to delayed oligomer-to-fibril conversion and an accumulation of oligomers that are resistant to remodeling by molecular chaperones. Overall, our findings unveil a new targetable region in α-synuclein oligomers, advance our comprehension of oligomer-to-amyloid fibril conversion, and reveal a new facet of α-synuclein pathogenic mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Santos
- Institut
de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica
i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Jorge Cuellar
- Department
of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional
de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Institut
de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica
i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Emily J. Byrd
- Astbury
Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular
Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.
| | - Alons Lends
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, IECB, Pessac 33600, France
| | - Fernando Moro
- Instituto
Biofisika (UPV/EHU, CSIC) y Dpto. de Bioquímica y Biología
Molecular, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco, Barrio Sarriena S/N, Leioa 48940, Spain
| | | | - Jordi Pujols
- Institut
de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica
i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Lorea Velasco-Carneros
- Instituto
Biofisika (UPV/EHU, CSIC) y Dpto. de Bioquímica y Biología
Molecular, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco, Barrio Sarriena S/N, Leioa 48940, Spain
| | - Frank Sobott
- Astbury
Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular
Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.
| | - Daniel E. Otzen
- Interdisciplinary
Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and Department of Molecular Biology and
Genetics, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
| | - Antonio N. Calabrese
- Astbury
Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular
Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.
| | - Arturo Muga
- Instituto
Biofisika (UPV/EHU, CSIC) y Dpto. de Bioquímica y Biología
Molecular, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco, Barrio Sarriena S/N, Leioa 48940, Spain
| | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary
Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
| | - Antoine Loquet
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, IECB, Pessac 33600, France
| | - Jose María Valpuesta
- Department
of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional
de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Sheena E. Radford
- Astbury
Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular
Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut
de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica
i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| |
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