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Hurtle B, Donnelly CJ, Zhang X, Thathiah A. Live-cell visualization of tau aggregation in human neurons. Commun Biol 2024; 7:1143. [PMID: 39277689 PMCID: PMC11401922 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06840-z] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and more than twenty other dementias, termed tauopathies, are pathologically defined by insoluble aggregates of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT). Although tau aggregation correlates with AD symptomology, the specific tau species, i.e., monomers, soluble oligomers, and insoluble aggregates that induce neurotoxicity are incompletely understood. We developed a light-responsive tau protein (optoTAU) and used viscosity-sensitive AggFluor probes to investigate the consequence(s) of tau aggregation in human neurons and identify modifiers of tau aggregation in AD and other tauopathies. We determined that optoTAU reproduces biological and structural properties of tau aggregation observed in human brains and the pathophysiological transition in tau solubility in live cells. We also provide proof-of-concept for the utilization of optoTAU as a pharmacological platform to identify modifiers of tau aggregation. These findings have broad implications for the characterization of aggregation-prone proteins and investigation of the complex relationship between protein solubility, cellular function, and disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Hurtle
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Christopher J Donnelly
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- LiveLikeLou Center for ALS Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Protein Conformational Diseases, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Amantha Thathiah
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Center for Protein Conformational Diseases, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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2
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Xie Q, Wang Q, Xu X. Firefly Luciferase Complementation-Based Analysis of Dynamic Protein-Protein Interactions Under Diurnal and Circadian Conditions in Arabidopsis. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2398:205-213. [PMID: 34674178 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1912-4_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Split firefly luciferase complementation assay (FLCA) is one of the most widely used sensitive and reliable methods for the analysis of constitutive and dynamic protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Here, we report a method for long-term in vivo detects plant protein-protein interactions in Arabidopsis F1 hybrids via Topcount™ Microplate Scintillation Counter or Deep-Cooled CCD camera. Following these protocols, we successfully detected time-dependent PPIs of EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) and EARLY FLOWERING 4 (ELF4); both of them with LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX) belong to an evening complex which has been found to play a key role in circadian rhythms, flowering, and growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiguang Xie
- Institute of Plant Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
- College of Biological Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
| | - Qiao Wang
- Institute of Plant Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Xiaodong Xu
- Institute of Plant Stress Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
- College of Biological Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
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Winkler J, Mylle E, De Meyer A, Pavie B, Merchie J, Grones P, Van Damme D. Visualizing protein-protein interactions in plants by rapamycin-dependent delocalization. THE PLANT CELL 2021; 33:1101-1117. [PMID: 33793859 PMCID: PMC7612334 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Identifying protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is crucial for understanding biological processes. Many PPI tools are available, yet only some function within the context of a plant cell. Narrowing down even further, only a few tools allow complex multi-protein interactions to be visualized. Here, we present a conditional in vivo PPI tool for plant research that meets these criteria. Knocksideways in plants (KSP) is based on the ability of rapamycin to alter the localization of a bait protein and its interactors via the heterodimerization of FKBP and FRB domains. KSP is inherently free from many limitations of other PPI systems. This in vivo tool does not require spatial proximity of the bait and prey fluorophores and it is compatible with a broad range of fluorophores. KSP is also a conditional tool and therefore the visualization of the proteins in the absence of rapamycin acts as an internal control. We used KSP to confirm previously identified interactions in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf epidermal cells. Furthermore, the scripts that we generated allow the interactions to be quantified at high throughput. Finally, we demonstrate that KSP can easily be used to visualize complex multi-protein interactions. KSP is therefore a versatile tool with unique characteristics and applications that complements other plant PPI methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Winkler
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Evelien Mylle
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Andreas De Meyer
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Julie Merchie
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Grones
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Daniёl Van Damme
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
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Yudenko A, Smolentseva A, Maslov I, Semenov O, Goncharov IM, Nazarenko VV, Maliar NL, Borshchevskiy V, Gordeliy V, Remeeva A, Gushchin I. Rational Design of a Split Flavin-Based Fluorescent Reporter. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:72-83. [PMID: 33325704 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Protein-fragment complementation assays are used ubiquitously for probing protein-protein interactions. Most commonly, the reporter protein is split in two parts, which are then fused to the proteins of interest and can reassemble and provide a readout if the proteins of interest interact with each other. The currently known split fluorescent proteins either can be used only in aerobic conditions and assemble irreversibly, or require addition of exogenous chromophores, which complicates the design of experiments. In recent years, light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domains of several photoreceptor proteins have been developed into flavin-based fluorescent proteins (FbFPs) that, under some circumstances, can outperform commonly used fluorescent proteins such as GFP. Here, we show that CagFbFP, a small thermostable FbFP based on a LOV domain-containing protein from Chloroflexus aggregans, can serve as a split fluorescent reporter. We use the available genetic and structural information to identify three loops between the conserved secondary structure elements, Aβ-Bβ, Eα-Fα, and Hβ-Iβ, that tolerate insertion of flexible poly-Gly/Ser segments and eventually splitting. We demonstrate that the designed split pairs, when fused to interacting proteins, are fluorescent in vivo in E. coli and human cells and have low background fluorescence. Our results enable probing protein-protein interactions in anaerobic conditions without using exogenous fluorophores and provide a basis for further development of LOV and PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) domain-based fluorescent reporters and optogenetic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Yudenko
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Anastasia Smolentseva
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Ivan Maslov
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Oleg Semenov
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Ivan M. Goncharov
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Vera V. Nazarenko
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Nina L. Maliar
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Valentin Borshchevskiy
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Valentin Gordeliy
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
- Institut de Biologie Structurale J.-P. Ebel, Université Grenoble Alpes-CEA-CNRS, 38044 Grenoble, France
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Alina Remeeva
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Ivan Gushchin
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
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Interactomes: Experimental and In Silico Approaches. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1346:107-117. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-80352-0_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Broch F, Gautier A. Illuminating Cellular Biochemistry: Fluorogenic Chemogenetic Biosensors for Biological Imaging. Chempluschem 2020; 85:1487-1497. [PMID: 32644262 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202000413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cellular activity is defined by the precise spatiotemporal regulation of various components, such as ions, small molecules, or proteins. Studying cell physiology consequently requires the optical recording of these processes, notably by using fluorescent biosensors. The recent development of various fluorogenic systems greatly expanded the palette of reporters to be included in these sensors design. Fluorogenic reporters consist of a protein or RNA tag that can complex either an endogenous or a synthetic fluorogenic dye (so-called fluorogen). The intrinsic nature of these tags, along with the high tunability of their cognate chromophore provide interesting features such as far-red to near-infrared emission, oxygen independence, or unprecedented color versatility. These engineered photoreceptors, self-labelling proteins, or noncovalent aptamers and protein tags were rapidly identified as promising reporters to observe biological events. This Minireview focuses on the new perspectives they offer to design unique and innovative biosensors, thus pushing the boundaries of cellular imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Broch
- Sorbonne Université, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS Laboratoire des biomolécules, LBM, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Gautier
- Sorbonne Université, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS Laboratoire des biomolécules, LBM, 75005, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, France
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Huang X, Jiang C, Yu L, Yang A. Current and Emerging Approaches for Studying Inter-Organelle Membrane Contact Sites. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:195. [PMID: 32292782 PMCID: PMC7118198 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Inter-organelle membrane contact sites (MCSs) are classically defined as areas of close proximity between heterologous membranes and established by specific proteins (termed tethers). The interest on MCSs has rapidly increased in the last years, since MCSs play a crucial role in the transfer of cellular components between different organelles and have been involved in important cellular functions such as apoptosis, organelle division and biogenesis, and cell growth. Recently, an unprecedented depth and breadth in insights into the details of MCSs have been uncovered. On one hand, extensive MCSs (organelles interactome) are revealed by comprehensive analysis of organelle network with high temporal-spatial resolution at the system level. On the other hand, more and more tethers involving in MCSs are identified and further works are focusing on addressing the role of these tethers in regulating the function of MCSs at the molecular level. These enormous progresses largely depend on the powerful approaches, including several different types of microscopies and various biochemical techniques. These approaches have greatly accelerated recent advances in MCSs at the system and molecular level. In this review, we summarize the current and emerging approaches for studying MCSs, such as various microscopies, proximity-driven fluorescent signal generation and proximity-dependent biotinylation. In addition, we highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques to provide a general guidance for the study of MCSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Chen Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lihua Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Aimin Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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Moustaqil M, Gambin Y, Sierecki E. Biophysical Techniques for Target Validation and Drug Discovery in Transcription-Targeted Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E2301. [PMID: 32225120 PMCID: PMC7178067 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21072301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In the post-genome era, pathologies become associated with specific gene expression profiles and defined molecular lesions can be identified. The traditional therapeutic strategy is to block the identified aberrant biochemical activity. However, an attractive alternative could aim at antagonizing key transcriptional events underlying the pathogenesis, thereby blocking the consequences of a disorder, irrespective of the original biochemical nature. This approach, called transcription therapy, is now rendered possible by major advances in biophysical technologies. In the last two decades, techniques have evolved to become key components of drug discovery platforms, within pharmaceutical companies as well as academic laboratories. This review outlines the current biophysical strategies for transcription manipulation and provides examples of successful applications. It also provides insights into the future development of biophysical methods in drug discovery and personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Moustaqil
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science and School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
| | | | - Emma Sierecki
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science and School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
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Pedelacq JD, Cabantous S. Development and Applications of Superfolder and Split Fluorescent Protein Detection Systems in Biology. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20143479. [PMID: 31311175 PMCID: PMC6678664 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20143479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular engineering of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) into a robust and stable variant named Superfolder GFP (sfGFP) has revolutionized the field of biosensor development and the use of fluorescent markers in diverse area of biology. sfGFP-based self-associating bipartite split-FP systems have been widely exploited to monitor soluble expression in vitro, localization, and trafficking of proteins in cellulo. A more recent class of split-FP variants, named « tripartite » split-FP, that rely on the self-assembly of three GFP fragments, is particularly well suited for the detection of protein–protein interactions. In this review, we describe the different steps and evolutions that have led to the diversification of superfolder and split-FP reporter systems, and we report an update of their applications in various areas of biology, from structural biology to cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Denis Pedelacq
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31077 Toulouse, France.
| | - Stéphanie Cabantous
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), Inserm, Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse III, CNRS, 31037 Toulouse, France.
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Abstract
Many proteins can be split into fragments that spontaneously reassemble, without covalent linkage, into a functional protein. For split green fluorescent proteins (GFPs), fragment reassembly leads to a fluorescent readout, which has been widely used to investigate protein-protein interactions. We review the scope and limitations of this approach as well as other diverse applications of split GFPs as versatile sensors, molecular glues, optogenetic tools, and platforms for photophysical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Romei
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA; ,
| | - Steven G Boxer
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA; ,
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Surfaceome nanoscale organization and extracellular interaction networks. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2018; 48:26-33. [PMID: 30308468 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The reductionist view of 'one target-one drug' has fueled the development of therapeutic agents to treat human disease. However, many compounds that have efficacy in vitro are inactive in complex in vivo systems. It has become clear that a molecular understanding of signaling networks is needed to address disease phenotypes in the human body. Protein signaling networks function at the molecular level through information transfer via protein-protein interactions. Cell surface exposed proteins, termed the surfaceome, are the gatekeepers between the intra- and extracellular signaling networks, translating extracellular cues into intracellular responses and vice versa. As 66% of drugs in the DrugBank target the surfaceome, these proteins are a key source for potential diagnostic and therapeutic agents. In this review article, we will discuss current knowledge about the spatial organization and molecular interactions of the surfaceome and provide a perspective on the technologies available for studying the extracellular surfaceome interaction network.
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