1
|
Srivastava T, Tyagi D, Fatima S, Sathyan MTV, Raj R, Sharma A, Chaturvedi M, Sinha M, Shishodia SK, Kumar D, Sharma SK, Shankar J, Satish A, Priya S. A natural small molecule-mediated inhibition of alpha-synuclein aggregation leads to neuroprotection in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurochem 2024; 168:1640-1654. [PMID: 37429595 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15907] [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: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Small molecules are being explored intensively for their applications as therapeutic molecules in the management of metabolic and neurological disorders. The natural small molecules can inhibit protein aggregation and underlying cellular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases involving multi-factorial mechanisms of action. Certain natural small molecular inhibitors of pathogenic protein aggregation are highly efficient and have shown promising therapeutic potential. In the present study, Shikonin (SHK), a natural plant-based naphthoquinone has been investigated for its aggregation inhibition activity against α-synuclein (α-syn) and the neuroprotective potential in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). SHK significantly inhibited aggregation of α-syn at sub-stochiometric concentrations, delayed the linear lag phase and growth kinetics of seeded and unseeded α-syn aggregation. The binding of SHK to the C-terminus of α-syn maintained α-helical and disordered secondary structures with reduced beta-sheet content and complexity of aggregates. Further, in C. elegans transgenic PD models, SHK significantly reduced α-syn aggregation, improved locomotor activity and prevented dopaminergic (DA) neuronal degeneration, indicating the neuroprotective role of SHK. The present study highlights the potential of natural small molecules in the prevention of protein aggregation that may further be explored for their therapeutic efficacy in the management of protein aggregation and neurodegenerative diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tulika Srivastava
- Systems Toxicology and Health Risk Assessment Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Divya Tyagi
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
| | - Siraj Fatima
- Systems Toxicology and Health Risk Assessment Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Malur Thirumalesh Vishnu Sathyan
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
| | - Ritu Raj
- Department of Advanced Spectroscopy and Imaging, Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR), Lucknow, India
| | - Aniket Sharma
- Food, Drug and Chemical Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Minal Chaturvedi
- Systems Toxicology and Health Risk Assessment Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Meetali Sinha
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- Computational Toxicology Facility, Toxicoinformatics Research Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR) Vishvigyan Bhawan, Lucknow, India
| | - Sonia Kumari Shishodia
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan, India
- University Institute of Biotechnology (UIBT), Chandigarh University, Mohali, India
| | - Dinesh Kumar
- Department of Advanced Spectroscopy and Imaging, Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR), Lucknow, India
| | - Sandeep K Sharma
- Food, Drug and Chemical Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
| | - Jata Shankar
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan, India
| | - Aruna Satish
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
| | - Smriti Priya
- Systems Toxicology and Health Risk Assessment Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cysteine Pathogenic Variants of PMM2 Are Sensitive to Environmental Stress with Loss of Structural Stability. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2023; 2023:5964723. [PMID: 36743691 PMCID: PMC9891822 DOI: 10.1155/2023/5964723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are severe metabolic disorders caused by an imbalance in the glycosylation pathway. Phosphomannomutase2 (PMM2-CDG), the most prevalent CDG, is mainly due to the disorder of PMM2. Pathogenic variants in cysteine have been found in various diseases, and cysteine residues have a potential as therapeutic targets. PMM2 harbor six cysteines; the variants Cys9Tyr (C9Y) and Cys241Ser (C241S) of PMM2 have been identified to associate with CDG, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain uncharacterized. Here, we purified PMM2 wild type (WT), C9Y, and C241S to investigate their structural characteristics and biophysical properties by spectroscopic experiments under physiological temperature and environmental stress. Notably, the variants led to drastic changes in the protein properties and were prone to aggregate at physiological temperature. Meanwhile, PMM2 was sensitive to oxidative stress, and the cysteine pathogenic variants led to obvious aggregate formation and a higher cellular apoptosis ratio under oxidative stress. Molecular dynamic simulations indicated that the pathogenic variants changed the core domain of homomeric PMM2 and subunit binding free energy. Moreover, we tested the potential drug targeting PMM2-celastrol in cell level and explained the result by molecular docking simulation. In this study, we delineated the pathological mechanism of the cysteine substitution in PMM2, which addressed the vital role of cysteine in PMM2 and provided novel insights into prevention and treatment strategies for PMM2-CDG.
Collapse
|
3
|
Khan AN, Khan RH. Protein misfolding and related human diseases: A comprehensive review of toxicity, proteins involved, and current therapeutic strategies. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 223:143-160. [PMID: 36356861 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Most of the cell's chemical reactions and structural components are facilitated by proteins. But proteins are highly dynamic molecules, where numerous modifications or changes in the cellular environment can affect their native conformational fold leading to protein aggregation. Various stress conditions, such as oxidative stress, mutations and metal toxicity may cause protein misfolding and aggregation by shifting the conformational equilibrium towards more aggregation-prone states. Most of the protein misfolding diseases (PMDs) involve aggregation of protein. We have discussed such proteins like Aβ peptide, α-synuclein, amylin and lysozyme involved in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type II diabetes and non-neuropathic systemic amyloidosis respectively. Till date, all advances in PMDs therapeutics help symptomatically but do not prevent the root cause of the disease, i.e., the aggregation of protein involved in the diseases. Current efforts focused on developing therapies for PMDs have employed diverse strategies; repositioning pre-existing drugs as it saves time and money; natural compounds that are touted as potential drug candidates have an advantage of being taken in diet normally and will induce lesser side effects. This review also covers recently developed therapeutic strategies like antisense drugs and disaggregases which has yielded therapeutic agents that have transitioned from preclinical studies into human clinical trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Asra Nasir Khan
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, AMU, Aligarh 202002, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Correia da Silva D, Valentão P, Andrade PB, Pereira DM. A Pipeline for Natural Small Molecule Inhibitors of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:956154. [PMID: 35935873 PMCID: PMC9354955 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.956154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The homeostasis of eukaryotic cells is inseverable of that of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The main function of this organelle is the synthesis and folding of a significant portion of cellular proteins, while it is also the major calcium reservoir of the cell. Upon unresolved ER stress, a set of stress response signaling pathways that are collectively labeled as the unfolded protein response (UPR) is activated. Prolonged or intense activation of this molecular machinery may be deleterious. It is known that compromised ER homeostasis, and consequent UPR activation, characterizes the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. In an effort to discover new small molecules capable of countering ER stress, we subjected a panel of over 100 natural molecules to a battery of assays designed to evaluate several hallmarks of ER stress. The protective potential of these compounds against ER stress was evaluated at the levels of calcium homeostasis, key gene and protein expression, and levels of protein aggregation in fibroblasts. The most promising compounds were subsequently tested in neuronal cells. This framework resulted in the identification of several bioactive molecules capable of countering ER stress and deleterious events associated to it. Delphinidin stands out as the most promising candidate against neurodegeneration. This compound significantly inhibited the expression of UPR biomarkers, and displayed a strong potential to inhibit protein aggregation in the two aforementioned cell models. Our results indicate that natural products may be a valuable resource in the development of an effective therapeutic strategy against ER stress-related diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - David M. Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|