1
|
Iwata N, Tsubuki S, Sekiguchi M, Watanabe-Iwata K, Matsuba Y, Kamano N, Fujioka R, Takamura R, Watamura N, Kakiya N, Mihira N, Morito T, Shirotani K, Mann DM, Robinson AC, Hashimoto S, Sasaguri H, Saito T, Higuchi M, Saido TC. Metabolic resistance of Aβ3pE-42, a target epitope of the anti-Alzheimer therapeutic antibody, donanemab. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202402650. [PMID: 39348937 PMCID: PMC11443169 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202402650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 09/06/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The amyloid β peptide (Aβ), starting with pyroglutamate (pE) at position 3 and ending at position 42 (Aβ3pE-42), predominantly accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer's disease. Consistently, donanemab, a therapeutic antibody raised against Aβ3pE-42, has been shown to be effective in recent clinical trials. Although the primary Aβ produced physiologically is Aβ1-40/42, an explanation for how and why this physiological Aβ is converted to the pathological form remains elusive. Here, we present experimental evidence that accounts for the aging-associated Aβ3pE-42 deposition: Aβ3pE-42 was metabolically more stable than other Aβx-42 variants; deficiency of neprilysin, the major Aβ-degrading enzyme, induced a relatively selective deposition of Aβ3pE-42 in both APP transgenic and App knock-in mouse brains; Aβ3pE-42 deposition always colocalized with Pittsburgh compound B-positive cored plaques in APP transgenic mouse brains; and under aberrant conditions, such as a significant reduction in neprilysin activity, aminopeptidases, dipeptidyl peptidases, and glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase-like were up-regulated in the progression of aging, and a proportion of Aβ1-42 may be processed to Aβ3pE-42. Our findings suggest that anti-Aβ therapies are more effective if given before Aβ3pE-42 deposition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhisa Iwata
- https://ror.org/058h74p94 Department of Genome-Based Drug Discovery and Leading Medical Research Core Unit, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Satoshi Tsubuki
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Misaki Sekiguchi
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kaori Watanabe-Iwata
- https://ror.org/058h74p94 Department of Genome-Based Drug Discovery and Leading Medical Research Core Unit, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yukio Matsuba
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Naoko Kamano
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ryo Fujioka
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Risa Takamura
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Naoto Watamura
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Naomasa Kakiya
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Naomi Mihira
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takahiro Morito
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Keiro Shirotani
- https://ror.org/058h74p94 Department of Genome-Based Drug Discovery and Leading Medical Research Core Unit, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - David Ma Mann
- https://ror.org/027m9bs27 Division of Neuroscience, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
| | - Andrew C Robinson
- https://ror.org/027m9bs27 Division of Neuroscience, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
| | - Shoko Hashimoto
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hiroki Sasaguri
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Makoto Higuchi
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- https://ror.org/04j1n1c04 Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hoq MR, Fernandez A, Vago FS, Hallinan GI, Bharath SR, Li D, Ozcan KA, Garringer HJ, Jiang W, Vidal R, Ghetti B. Cryo-EM structures of cotton wool plaques' amyloid β and of tau filaments in dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 148:20. [PMID: 39147931 PMCID: PMC11327195 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02786-y] [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: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Cotton wool plaques (CWPs) have been described as features of the neuropathologic phenotype of dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease (DIAD) caused by some missense and deletion mutations in the presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene. CWPs are round, eosinophilic amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques that lack an amyloid core and are recognizable, but not fluorescent, in Thioflavin S (ThS) preparations. Amino-terminally truncated and post-translationally modified Aβ peptide species are the main component of CWPs. Tau immunopositive neurites may be present in CWPs. In addition, neurofibrillary tangles coexist with CWPs. Herein, we report the structure of Aβ and tau filaments isolated from brain tissue of individuals affected by DIAD caused by the PSEN1 V261I and A431E mutations, with the CWP neuropathologic phenotype. CWPs are predominantly composed of type I Aβ filaments present in two novel arrangements, type Ic and type Id; additionally, CWPs contain type I and type Ib Aβ filaments. Tau filaments have the AD fold, which has been previously reported in sporadic AD and DIAD. The formation of type Ic and type Id Aβ filaments may be the basis for the phenotype of CWPs. Our data are relevant for the development of PET imaging methodologies to best detect CWPs in DIAD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Md Rejaul Hoq
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA
| | - Anllely Fernandez
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., MSB A136, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Frank S Vago
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA
| | - Grace I Hallinan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., MSB A136, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Sakshibeedu R Bharath
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA
| | - Daoyi Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA
| | - Kadir A Ozcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA
| | - Holly J Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., MSB A136, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Wen Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA.
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., MSB A136, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA.
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., MSB A136, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wirth S, Schlößer A, Beiersdorfer A, Schweizer M, Woo MS, Friese MA, Lohr C, Grochowska KM. Astrocytic uptake of posttranslationally modified amyloid-β leads to endolysosomal system disruption and induction of pro-inflammatory signaling. Glia 2024; 72:1451-1468. [PMID: 38629411 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24539] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
The disruption of astrocytic catabolic processes contributes to the impairment of amyloid-β (Aβ) clearance, neuroinflammatory signaling, and the loss of synaptic contacts in late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). While it is known that the posttranslational modifications of Aβ have significant implications on biophysical properties of the peptides, their consequences for clearance impairment are not well understood. It was previously shown that N-terminally pyroglutamylated Aβ3(pE)-42, a significant constituent of amyloid plaques, is efficiently taken up by astrocytes, leading to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α and synapse loss. Here we report that Aβ3(pE)-42, but not Aβ1-42, gradually accumulates within the astrocytic endolysosomal system, disrupting this catabolic pathway and inducing the formation of heteromorphous vacuoles. This accumulation alters lysosomal kinetics, lysosome-dependent calcium signaling, and upregulates the lysosomal stress response. These changes correlate with the upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and increased activity of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). Treatment with a lysosomal protease inhibitor, E-64, rescues GFAP upregulation, NF-κB activation, and synapse loss, indicating that abnormal lysosomal protease activity is upstream of pro-inflammatory signaling and related synapse loss. Collectively, our data suggest that Aβ3(pE)-42-induced disruption of the astrocytic endolysosomal system leads to cytoplasmic leakage of lysosomal proteases, promoting pro-inflammatory signaling and synapse loss, hallmarks of AD-pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Wirth
- Leibniz Group 'Dendritic Organelles and Synaptic Function', Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Annika Schlößer
- Leibniz Group 'Dendritic Organelles and Synaptic Function', Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Antonia Beiersdorfer
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michaela Schweizer
- Core Facility of Electron Microscopy, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marcel S Woo
- Institute of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Manuel A Friese
- Institute of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Lohr
- Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katarzyna M Grochowska
- Leibniz Group 'Dendritic Organelles and Synaptic Function', Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Research Group Neuroplasticity, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Babalola JA, Stracke A, Loeffler T, Schilcher I, Sideromenos S, Flunkert S, Neddens J, Lignell A, Prokesch M, Pazenboeck U, Strobl H, Tadic J, Leitinger G, Lass A, Hutter-Paier B, Hoefler G. Effect of astaxanthin in type-2 diabetes -induced APPxhQC transgenic and NTG mice. Mol Metab 2024; 85:101959. [PMID: 38763496 PMCID: PMC11153249 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2024.101959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Aggregation and misfolding of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins, suggested to arise from post-translational modification processes, are thought to be the main cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, a plethora of evidence exists that links metabolic dysfunctions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and dyslipidemia to the pathogenesis of AD. We thus investigated the combinatory effect of T2D and human glutaminyl cyclase activity (pyroglutamylation), on the pathology of AD and whether astaxanthin (ASX) treatment ameliorates accompanying pathophysiological manifestations. METHODS Male transgenic AD mice, APPxhQC, expressing human APP751 with the Swedish and the London mutation and human glutaminyl cyclase (hQC) enzyme and their non-transgenic (NTG) littermates were used. Both APPxhQC and NTG mice were allocated to 3 groups, control, T2D-control, and T2D-ASX. Mice were fed control or high fat diet ± ASX for 13 weeks starting at an age of 11-12 months. High fat diet fed mice were further treated with streptozocin for T2D induction. Effects of genotype, T2D induction, and ASX treatment were evaluated by analysing glycemic readouts, lipid concentration, Aβ deposition, hippocampus-dependent cognitive function and nutrient sensing using immunosorbent assay, ELISA-based assays, western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, and behavioral testing via Morris water maze (MWM), respectively. RESULTS APPxhQC mice presented a higher glucose sensitivity compared to NTG mice. T2D-induced brain dysfunction was more severe in NTG compared to the APPxhQC mice. T2D induction impaired memory functions while increasing hepatic LC3B, ABCA1, and p65 levels in NTG mice. T2D induction resulted in a progressive shift of Aβ from the soluble to insoluble form in APPxhQC mice. ASX treatment reversed T2D-induced memory dysfunction in NTG mice and in parallel increased hepatic pAKT while decreasing p65 and increasing cerebral p-S6rp and p65 levels. ASX treatment reduced soluble Aβ38 and Aβ40 and insoluble Aβ40 levels in T2D-induced APPxhQC mice. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that T2D induction in APPxhQC mice poses additional risk for AD pathology as seen by increased Aβ deposition. Although ASX treatment reduced Aβ expression in T2D-induced APPxhQC mice and rescued T2D-induced memory impairment in NTG mice, ASX treatment alone may not be effective in cases of T2D comorbidity and AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anika Stracke
- Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Austria
| | | | | | - Spyridon Sideromenos
- QPS Austria GmbH, Grambach, Austria; Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | - Ute Pazenboeck
- Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Austria
| | - Herbert Strobl
- Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Austria
| | - Jelena Tadic
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Gerd Leitinger
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Austria
| | - Achim Lass
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Austria
| | | | - Gerald Hoefler
- Diagnostic and Research Institute of Pathology Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Song T, Wang Y, Silverglate BD, Grossberg GT. Pharmacokinetic evaluation of donanemab for the treatment of Alzheimer's. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2024; 20:411-417. [PMID: 38758223 DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2024.2357637] [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] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Donanemab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that significantly reduces cerebral amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). It can delay disease progression and cognitive decline, making it one of the most promising disease-modifying treatments in the current treatment landscape. AREAS COVERED This paper covers the current literature available on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and tolerability of donanemab. Publications from PubMed and Google were reviewed. A summary of regulatory approvals and current clinical data is also provided. EXPERT OPINION/COMMENTARY Donanemab as a therapy for AD has more effective disease-modifying effects compared to lecanemab. Donanemab appears generally well-tolerated; however, it may have higher rates of severe side effects, such as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), that could lead to death. Guidelines for frequency of MRI monitoring for ARIA/safety are pending but will be integral to determining its use. Despite some limitations, donanemab is expected to receive FDA approval, giving clinicians access to another disease-modifying drug. Overall, more data is needed about donanemab, especially relating to safety, efficacy, cost, and integration with other treatments, but its development signifies progress in AD treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Song
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yunfei Wang
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - George T Grossberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Guo X, Yan L, Zhang D, Zhao Y. Passive immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 94:102192. [PMID: 38219962 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102192] [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] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive impairment with few therapeutic options. Despite many failures in developing AD treatment during the past 20 years, significant advances have been achieved in passive immunotherapy of AD very recently. Here, we review characteristics, clinical trial data, and mechanisms of action for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting key players in AD pathogenesis, including amyloid-β (Aβ), tau and neuroinflammation modulators. We emphasized the efficacy of lecanemab and donanemab on cognition and amyloid clearance in AD patients in phase III clinical trials and discussed factors that may contribute to the efficacy and side effects of anti-Aβ mAbs. In addition, we provided important information on mAbs targeting tau or inflammatory regulators in clinical trials, and indicated that mAbs against the mid-region of tau or pathogenic tau have therapeutic potential for AD. In conclusion, passive immunotherapy targeting key players in AD pathogenesis offers a promising strategy for effective AD treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Guo
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Li Yan
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China
| | - Denghong Zhang
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Yingjun Zhao
- Center for Brain Sciences, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kandi S, Cline EN, Rivera BM, Viola KL, Zhu J, Condello C, LeDuc RD, Klein WL, Kelleher NL, Patrie SM. Amyloid β Proteoforms Elucidated by Quantitative LC/MS in the 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. J Proteome Res 2023; 22:3475-3488. [PMID: 37847596 PMCID: PMC10840081 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous Aβ proteoforms, identified in the human brain, possess differential neurotoxic and aggregation propensities. These proteoforms contribute in unknown ways to the conformations and resultant pathogenicity of oligomers, protofibrils, and fibrils in Alzheimer's disease (AD) manifestation owing to the lack of molecular-level specificity to the exact chemical composition of underlying protein products with widespread interrogating techniques, like immunoassays. We evaluated Aβ proteoform flux using quantitative top-down mass spectrometry (TDMS) in a well-studied 5xFAD mouse model of age-dependent Aβ-amyloidosis. Though the brain-derived Aβ proteoform landscape is largely occupied by Aβ1-42, 25 different forms of Aβ with differential solubility were identified. These proteoforms fall into three natural groups defined by hierarchical clustering of expression levels in the context of mouse age and proteoform solubility, with each group sharing physiochemical properties associated with either N/C-terminal truncations or both. Overall, the TDMS workflow outlined may hold tremendous potential for investigating proteoform-level relationships between insoluble fibrils and soluble Aβ, including low-molecular-weight oligomers hypothesized to serve as the key drivers of neurotoxicity. Similarly, the workflow may also help to validate the utility of AD-relevant animal models to recapitulate amyloidosis mechanisms or possibly explain disconnects observed in therapeutic efficacy in animal models vs humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soumya Kandi
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Erika N Cline
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Brianna M Rivera
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Kirsten L Viola
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Jiuhe Zhu
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Carlo Condello
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Richard D LeDuc
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - William L Klein
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Neil L Kelleher
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Steven M Patrie
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Readel ER, Dhaubhadel U, Patel A, Armstrong DW. Variable fragmentation and ionization of amyloid-beta epimers and isomers. Anal Bioanal Chem 2023; 415:6799-6807. [PMID: 37787853 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-023-04958-3] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
While the existence of D-amino acids in peptides and proteins has recently been accepted in higher forms of life, their roles and importance are yet to be understood. The lack of analytical methods present for such epimeric and/or isomeric analyses often limits developments in the field. Studies have shown the elevated presence of epimeric and isomeric modifications to amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides extracted from Alzheimer's disease patients. These modifications most frequently occur through aspartic acid and serine residues. Because such peptides are indistinguishable by mass alone, selective liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis is required to differentiate such peptides. Herein, we examine MS/MS of tryptic fragments of Aβ peptides containing D-Asp, L-iso-Asp, D-iso-Asp, and/or D-Ser modifications. Peptide ionizability and fragmentation are explored through selected reaction monitoring, selected ion monitoring, and product ion scan. The results show the variability of ionization and fragmentation for many "identical mass peptides" and how these differences can affect the analysis of isomeric and epimeric peptides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Readel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA
| | - Umang Dhaubhadel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA
| | - Arzoo Patel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA
| | - Daniel W Armstrong
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Li G, Jeon CK, Ma M, Jia Y, Zheng Z, Delafield DG, Lu G, Romanova EV, Sweedler JV, Ruotolo BT, Li L. Site-specific chirality-conferred structural compaction differentially mediates the cytotoxicity of Aβ42. Chem Sci 2023; 14:5936-5944. [PMID: 37293657 PMCID: PMC10246695 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc00678f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence supports the confident association between distinct amyloid beta (Aβ) isoforms and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) pathogenesis. As such, critical investigations seeking to uncover the translational factors contributing to Aβ toxicity represent a venture of significant value. Herein, we comprehensively assess full-length Aβ42 stereochemistry, with a specific focus on models that consider naturally-occurring isomerization of Asp and Ser residues. We customize various forms of d-isomerized Aβ as natural mimics, ranging from fragments containing a single d residue to full length Aβ42 that includes multiple isomerized residues, systematically evaluating their cytotoxicity against a neuronal cell line. Combining multidimensional ion mobility-mass spectrometry experimental data with replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations, we confirm that co-d-epimerization at Asp and Ser residues within Aβ42 in both N-terminal and core regions effectively reduces its cytotoxicity. We provide evidence that this rescuing effect is associated with the differential and domain-specific compaction and remodeling of Aβ42 secondary structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gongyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemical Biology, Research Center for Analytical Science and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
- Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations Tianjin 300192 China
| | - Chae Kyung Jeon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Min Ma
- School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison 777 Highland Ave. Madison WI 53705 USA
| | - Yifei Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemical Biology, Research Center for Analytical Science and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University Tianjin 300071 China
| | - Zhen Zheng
- School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University Tianjin 300070 China
| | - Daniel G Delafield
- School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison 777 Highland Ave. Madison WI 53705 USA
| | - Gaoyuan Lu
- School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison 777 Highland Ave. Madison WI 53705 USA
| | - Elena V Romanova
- Department of Chemistry and The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana Illinois 61801 USA
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- Department of Chemistry and The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana Illinois 61801 USA
| | - Brandon T Ruotolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Lingjun Li
- School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison 777 Highland Ave. Madison WI 53705 USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Hong W, Liu W, Desousa AO, Young-Pearse T, Walsh DM. Methods for the isolation and analysis of Aβ from postmortem brain. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1108715. [PMID: 36777642 PMCID: PMC9909698 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1108715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid β-protein (Aβ) plays an initiating role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but only a small number of groups have studied Aβ extracted from human brain. Most prior studies have utilized synthetic Aβ peptides, but the relevance of these test tube experiments to the conditions that prevail in AD is uncertain. Here, we describe three distinct methods for studying Aβ from cortical tissue. Each method allows the analysis of different ranges of species thus enabling the examination of different questions. The first method allows the study of readily diffusible Aβ with a relatively high specific activity. The second enables the analysis of readily solubilized forms of Aβ the majority of which are inactive. The third details the isolation of true Aβ dimers which have disease-related activity. We also describe a bioassay to study the effects of Aβ on the neuritic integrity of iPSC-derived human neurons. The combined use of this bioassay and the described extraction procedures provides a platform to investigate the activity of different forms and mixtures of Aβ species, and offers a tractable system to identify strategies to mitigate Aβ mediated neurotoxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Hong
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Wen Liu
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alexandra O. Desousa
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Tracy Young-Pearse
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Dominic M. Walsh
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Zhang Y, Wang Y, Zhao Z, Peng W, Wang P, Xu X, Zhao C. Glutaminyl cyclases, the potential targets of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Eur J Pharmacol 2022; 931:175178. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.175178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
12
|
Enhanced ion mobility resolution of Abeta isomers from human brain using high-resolution demultiplexing software. Anal Bioanal Chem 2022; 414:5683-5693. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-04055-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
|
13
|
Karran E, De Strooper B. The amyloid hypothesis in Alzheimer disease: new insights from new therapeutics. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2022; 21:306-318. [PMID: 35177833 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-022-00391-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 285] [Impact Index Per Article: 142.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Many drugs that target amyloid-β (Aβ) in Alzheimer disease (AD) have failed to demonstrate clinical efficacy. However, four anti-Aβ antibodies have been shown to mediate the removal of amyloid plaque from brains of patients with AD, and the FDA has recently granted accelerated approval to one of these, aducanumab, using reduction of amyloid plaque as a surrogate end point. The rationale for approval and the extent of the clinical benefit from these antibodies are under intense debate. With the aim of informing this debate, we review clinical trial data for drugs that target Aβ from the perspective of the temporal interplay between the two pathognomonic protein aggregates in AD - Aβ plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles - and their relationship to cognitive impairment, highlighting differences in drug properties that could affect their clinical performance. On this basis, we propose that Aβ pathology drives tau pathology, that amyloid plaque would need to be reduced to a low level (~20 centiloids) to reveal significant clinical benefit and that there will be a lag between the removal of amyloid and the potential to observe a clinical benefit. We conclude that the speed of amyloid removal from the brain by a potential therapy will be important in demonstrating clinical benefit in the context of a clinical trial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Karran
- Cambridge Research Center, AbbVie, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Bart De Strooper
- VIB Centre for Brain Disease Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Mukherjee S, Perez KA, Dubois C, Nisbet RM, Li QX, Varghese S, Jin L, Birchall I, Streltsov VA, Vella LJ, McLean C, Barham KJ, Roberts BR, Masters CL. Citrullination of Amyloid-β Peptides in Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:3719-3732. [PMID: 34519476 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein citrullination (deimination of arginine residue) is a well-known biomarker of inflammation. Elevated protein citrullination has been shown to colocalize with extracellular amyloid plaques in postmortem AD patient brains. Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides which aggregate and accumulate in the plaques of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have sequential N-terminal truncations and multiple post-translational modifications (PTM) such as isomerization, pyroglutamate formation, phosphorylation, nitration, and dityrosine cross-linking. However, no conclusive biochemical evidence exists whether citrullinated Aβ is present in AD brains. In this study, using high-resolution mass spectrometry, we have identified citrullination of Aβ in sporadic and familial AD brains by characterizing the tandem mass spectra of endogenous N-truncated citrullinated Aβ peptides. Our quantitative estimations demonstrate that ∼ 35% of pyroglutamate3-Aβ pool was citrullinated in plaques in the sporadic AD temporal cortex and ∼ 22% in the detergent-insoluble frontal cortex fractions. Similarly, hypercitrullinated pyroglutamate3-Aβ (∼ 30%) was observed in both the detergent-soluble as well as insoluble Aβ pool in familial AD cases. Our results indicate that a common mechanism for citrullination of Aβ exists in both the sporadic and familial AD. We establish that citrullination of Aβ is a remarkably common PTM, closely associated with pyroglutamate3-Aβ formation and its accumulation in AD. This may have implications for Aβ toxicity, autoantigenicity of Aβ, and may be relevant for the design of diagnostic assays and therapeutic targeting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soumya Mukherjee
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Keyla A. Perez
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Celine Dubois
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Rebecca M. Nisbet
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Qiao-Xin Li
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Shiji Varghese
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Liang Jin
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Ian Birchall
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Victor A. Streltsov
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Laura J. Vella
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Catriona McLean
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Victoria 3004, Australia
| | - Kevin J. Barham
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Blaine R. Roberts
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Colin L. Masters
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Pivtoraiko VN, Racic T, Abrahamson EE, Villemagne VL, Handen BL, Lott IT, Head E, Ikonomovic MD. Postmortem Neocortical 3H-PiB Binding and Levels of Unmodified and Pyroglutamate Aβ in Down Syndrome and Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:728739. [PMID: 34489686 PMCID: PMC8416541 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.728739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a genetic predisposition for amyloid-β (Aβ) overproduction and earlier onset of Aβ deposits compared to patients with sporadic late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Positron emission tomography (PET) with Pittsburgh Compound-B (PiB) detects fibrillar Aβ pathology in living people with DS and AD, but its relationship with heterogeneous Aβ forms aggregated within amyloid deposits is not well understood. We performed quantitative in vitro3H-PiB binding assays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays of fibrillar (insoluble) unmodified Aβ40 and Aβ42 forms and N-terminus truncated and pyroglutamate-modified AβNpE3-40 and AβNpE3-42 forms in postmortem frontal cortex and precuneus samples from 18 DS cases aged 43–63 years and 17 late-onset AD cases aged 62–99 years. Both diagnostic groups had frequent neocortical neuritic plaques, while the DS group had more severe vascular amyloid pathology (cerebral amyloid angiopathy, CAA). Compared to the AD group, the DS group had higher levels of Aβ40 and AβNpE3-40, while the two groups did not differ by Aβ42 and AβNpE3-42 levels. This resulted in lower ratios of Aβ42/Aβ40 and AβNpE3-42/AβNpE3-40 in the DS group compared to the AD group. Correlations of Aβ42/Aβ40 and AβNpE3-42/AβNpE3-40 ratios with CAA severity were strong in DS cases and weak in AD cases. Pyroglutamate-modified Aβ levels were lower than unmodified Aβ levels in both diagnostic groups, but within group proportions of both pyroglutamate-modified Aβ forms relative to both unmodified Aβ forms were lower in the DS group but not in the AD group. The two diagnostic groups did not differ by 3H-PiB binding levels. These results demonstrate that compared to late-onset AD cases, adult DS individuals with similar severity of neocortical neuritic plaques and greater CAA pathology have a preponderance of both pyroglutamate-modified AβNpE3-40 and unmodified Aβ40 forms. Despite the distinct molecular profile of Aβ forms and greater vascular amyloidosis in DS cases, cortical 3H-PiB binding does not distinguish between diagnostic groups that are at an advanced level of amyloid plaque pathology. This underscores the need for the development of CAA-selective PET radiopharmaceuticals to detect and track the progression of cerebral vascular amyloid deposits in relation to Aβ plaques in individuals with DS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Violetta N Pivtoraiko
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Tamara Racic
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Eric E Abrahamson
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Victor L Villemagne
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Benjamin L Handen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Ira T Lott
- Department of Neurology, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, CA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Head
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, CA, United States
| | - Milos D Ikonomovic
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Hartlage-Rübsamen M, Bluhm A, Moceri S, Machner L, Köppen J, Schenk M, Hilbrich I, Holzer M, Weidenfeller M, Richter F, Coras R, Serrano GE, Beach TG, Schilling S, von Hörsten S, Xiang W, Schulze A, Roßner S. A glutaminyl cyclase-catalyzed α-synuclein modification identified in human synucleinopathies. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:399-421. [PMID: 34309760 PMCID: PMC8357657 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02349-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is neuropathologically characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) and formation of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites composed of aggregated α-synuclein. Proteolysis of α-synuclein by matrix metalloproteinases was shown to facilitate its aggregation and to affect cell viability. One of the proteolysed fragments, Gln79-α-synuclein, possesses a glutamine residue at its N-terminus. We argue that glutaminyl cyclase (QC) may catalyze the pyroglutamate (pGlu)79-α-synuclein formation and, thereby, contribute to enhanced aggregation and compromised degradation of α-synuclein in human synucleinopathies. Here, the kinetic characteristics of Gln79-α-synuclein conversion into the pGlu-form by QC are shown using enzymatic assays and mass spectrometry. Thioflavin T assays and electron microscopy demonstrated a decreased potential of pGlu79-α-synuclein to form fibrils. However, size exclusion chromatography and cell viability assays revealed an increased propensity of pGlu79-α-synuclein to form oligomeric aggregates with high neurotoxicity. In brains of wild-type mice, QC and α-synuclein were co-expressed by dopaminergic SN neurons. Using a specific antibody against the pGlu-modified neo-epitope of α-synuclein, pGlu79-α-synuclein aggregates were detected in association with QC in brains of two transgenic mouse lines with human α-synuclein overexpression. In human brain samples of PD and dementia with Lewy body subjects, pGlu79-α-synuclein was shown to be present in SN neurons, in a number of Lewy bodies and in dystrophic neurites. Importantly, there was a spatial co-occurrence of pGlu79-α-synuclein with the enzyme QC in the human SN complex and a defined association of QC with neuropathological structures. We conclude that QC catalyzes the formation of oligomer-prone pGlu79-α-synuclein in human synucleinopathies, which may—in analogy to pGlu-Aβ peptides in Alzheimer’s disease—act as a seed for pathogenic protein aggregation.
Collapse
|
17
|
Michno W, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Brinkmalm G. Refining the amyloid β peptide and oligomer fingerprint ambiguities in Alzheimer's disease: Mass spectrometric molecular characterization in brain, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and plasma. J Neurochem 2021; 159:234-257. [PMID: 34245565 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Since its discovery, amyloid-β (Aβ) has been the principal target of investigation of in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Over the years however, no clear correlation was found between the Aβ plaque burden and location, and AD-associated neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Instead, diagnostic potential of specific Aβ peptides and/or their ratio, was established. For instance, a selective reduction in the concentration of the aggregation-prone 42 amino acid-long Aβ peptide (Aβ42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was put forward as reflective of Aβ peptide aggregation in the brain. With time, Aβ oligomers-the proposed toxic Aβ intermediates-have emerged as potential drivers of synaptic dysfunction and neurodegeneration in the disease process. Oligomers are commonly agreed upon to come in different shapes and sizes, and are very poorly characterized when it comes to their composition and their "toxic" properties. The concept of structural polymorphism-a diversity in conformational organization of amyloid aggregates-that depends on the Aβ peptide backbone, makes the characterization of Aβ aggregates and their role in AD progression challenging. In this review, we revisit the history of Aβ discovery and initial characterization and highlight the crucial role mass spectrometry (MS) has played in this process. We critically review the common knowledge gaps in the molecular identity of the Aβ peptide, and how MS is aiding the characterization of higher order Aβ assemblies. Finally, we go on to present recent advances in MS approaches for characterization of Aβ as single peptides and oligomers, and convey our optimism, as to how MS holds a promise for paving the way for progress toward a more comprehensive understanding of Aβ in AD research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Michno
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden.,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
| | - Gunnar Brinkmalm
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Valverde A, Dunys J, Lorivel T, Debayle D, Gay AS, Lacas-Gervais S, Roques BP, Chami M, Checler F. Aminopeptidase A contributes to biochemical, anatomical and cognitive defects in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model and is increased at early stage in sporadic AD brain. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 141:823-839. [PMID: 33881611 PMCID: PMC8113186 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02308-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
One of the main components of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD)-affected brain is the Aβ peptide species harboring a pyroglutamate at position three pE3-Aβ. Several studies indicated that pE3-Aβ is toxic, prone to aggregation and serves as a seed of Aβ aggregation. The cyclisation of the glutamate residue is produced by glutaminyl cyclase, the pharmacological and genetic reductions of which significantly alleviate AD-related anatomical lesions and cognitive defects in mice models. The cyclisation of the glutamate in position 3 requires prior removal of the Aβ N-terminal aspartyl residue to allow subsequent biotransformation. The enzyme responsible for this rate-limiting catalytic step and its relevance as a putative trigger of AD pathology remained yet to be established. Here, we identify aminopeptidase A as the main exopeptidase involved in the N-terminal truncation of Aβ and document its key contribution to AD-related anatomical and behavioral defects. First, we show by mass spectrometry that human recombinant aminopeptidase A (APA) truncates synthetic Aβ1-40 to yield Aβ2-40. We demonstrate that the pharmacological blockade of APA with its selective inhibitor RB150 restores the density of mature spines and significantly reduced filopodia-like processes in hippocampal organotypic slices cultures virally transduced with the Swedish mutated Aβ-precursor protein (βAPP). Pharmacological reduction of APA activity and lowering of its expression by shRNA affect pE3-42Aβ- and Aβ1-42-positive plaques and expressions in 3xTg-AD mice brains. Further, we show that both APA inhibitors and shRNA partly alleviate learning and memory deficits observed in 3xTg-AD mice. Importantly, we demonstrate that, concomitantly to the occurrence of pE3-42Aβ-positive plaques, APA activity is augmented at early Braak stages in sporadic AD brains. Overall, our data indicate that APA is a key enzyme involved in Aβ N-terminal truncation and suggest the potential benefit of targeting this proteolytic activity to interfere with AD pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Valverde
- INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team Labelled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) DistAlz", Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France
| | - Julie Dunys
- INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team Labelled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) DistAlz", Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France
| | - Thomas Lorivel
- INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team Labelled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) DistAlz", Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France
| | - Delphine Debayle
- INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team Labelled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) DistAlz", Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Gay
- INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team Labelled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) DistAlz", Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France
| | | | - Bernard P Roques
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Paris-Descartes, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Mounia Chami
- INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team Labelled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) DistAlz", Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France
| | - Frédéric Checler
- INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team Labelled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) DistAlz", Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Mukherjee S, Perez KA, Lago LC, Klatt S, McLean CA, Birchall IE, Barnham KJ, Masters CL, Roberts BR. Quantification of N-terminal amyloid-β isoforms reveals isomers are the most abundant form of the amyloid-β peptide in sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab028. [PMID: 33928245 PMCID: PMC8062259 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Plaques that characterize Alzheimer's disease accumulate over 20 years as a result of decreased clearance of amyloid-β peptides. Such long-lived peptides are subjected to multiple post-translational modifications, in particular isomerization. Using liquid chromatography ion mobility separations mass spectrometry, we characterized the most common isomerized amyloid-β peptides present in the temporal cortex of sporadic Alzheimer's disease brains. Quantitative assessment of amyloid-β N-terminus revealed that > 80% of aspartates (Asp-1 and Asp-7) in the N-terminus was isomerized, making isomerization the most dominant post-translational modification of amyloid-β in Alzheimer's disease brain. Total amyloid-β1-15 was ∼85% isomerized at Asp-1 and/or Asp-7 residues, with only 15% unmodified amyloid-β1-15 left in Alzheimer's disease. While amyloid-β4-15 the next most abundant N-terminus found in Alzheimer's disease brain, was only ∼50% isomerized at Asp-7 in Alzheimer's disease. Further investigations into different biochemically defined amyloid-β-pools indicated a distinct pattern of accumulation of extensively isomerized amyloid-β in the insoluble fibrillar plaque and membrane-associated pools, while the extent of isomerization was lower in peripheral membrane/vesicular and soluble pools. This pattern correlated with the accumulation of aggregation-prone amyloid-β42 in Alzheimer's disease brains. Isomerization significantly alters the structure of the amyloid-β peptide, which not only has implications for its degradation, but also for oligomer assembly, and the binding of therapeutic antibodies that directly target the N-terminus, where these modifications are located.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soumya Mukherjee
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Keyla A Perez
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Larissa C Lago
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Stephan Klatt
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Catriona A McLean
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Alfred Hospital, Prahran, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Ian E Birchall
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Kevin J Barnham
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Colin L Masters
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Blaine R Roberts
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
[The future of dementia prevention and treatment strategies]. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi 2020; 57:374-396. [PMID: 33268621 DOI: 10.3143/geriatrics.57.374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|
21
|
Wildburger NC, Hartke AS, Schidlitzki A, Richter F. Current Evidence for a Bidirectional Loop Between the Lysosome and Alpha-Synuclein Proteoforms. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:598446. [PMID: 33282874 PMCID: PMC7705175 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.598446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cumulative evidence collected in recent decades suggests that lysosomal dysfunction contributes to neurodegenerative diseases, especially if amyloid proteins are involved. Among these, alpha-synuclein (aSyn) that progressively accumulates and aggregates in Lewy bodies is undisputedly a main culprit in Parkinson disease (PD) pathogenesis. Lysosomal dysfunction is evident in brains of PD patients, and mutations in lysosomal enzymes are a major risk factor of PD. At first glance, the role of protein-degrading lysosomes in a disease with pathological protein accumulation seems obvious and should guide the development of straightforward and rational therapeutic targets. However, our review demonstrates that the story is more complicated for aSyn. The protein can possess diverse posttranslational modifications, aggregate formations, and truncations, all of which contribute to a growing known set of proteoforms. These interfere directly or indirectly with lysosome function, reducing their own degradation, and thereby accelerating the protein aggregation and disease process. Conversely, unbalanced lysosomal enzymatic processes can produce truncated aSyn proteoforms that may be more toxic and prone to aggregation. This highlights the possibility of enhancing lysosomal function as a treatment for PD, if it can be confirmed that this approach effectively reduces harmful aSyn proteoforms and does not produce novel, toxic proteoforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Norelle C Wildburger
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hanover, Germany
| | - Anna-Sophia Hartke
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Germany
| | - Alina Schidlitzki
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Germany
| | - Franziska Richter
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hanover, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Catania M, Di Fede G. One or more β-amyloid(s)? New insights into the prion-like nature of Alzheimer's disease. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 175:213-237. [PMID: 32958234 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Misfolding and aggregation of proteins play a central role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's and Lewy Body diseases, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration and prion diseases. Increasing evidence supports the view that Aβ and tau, which are the two main molecular players in AD, share with the prion protein several "prion-like" features that can be relevant for disease pathogenesis. These features essentially include structural/conformational/biochemical variations, resistance to degradation by endogenous proteases, seeding ability, attitude to form neurotoxic assemblies, spreading and propagation of toxic aggregates, transmissibility of tau- and Aβ-related pathology to animal models. Following this view, part of the recent scientific literature has generated a new reading frame for AD pathophysiology, based on the application of the prion paradigm to the amyloid cascade hypothesis in an attempt to definitely explain the key events causing the disease and inducing its occurrence under different clinical phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Catania
- Neurology 5 / Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Neurology 5 / Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Kumar A, Bagri K, Nimbhal M, Kumar P. In silico exploration of the fingerprints triggering modulation of glutaminyl cyclase inhibition for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease using SMILES based attributes in Monte Carlo optimization. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:7181-7193. [PMID: 32795153 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1806111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder and being a social burden Alzheimer's has become an economic liability on developing countries. With limited understanding regarding the cause of disease, it is commonly identified by extracellular deposit of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides as senile plaques. Pyroglutamated Aβ is identified from the brain of AD patients and constituted the majority of total Aβ present. The formation of Pyroglutamated Aβ could be hindered by the use of Glutaminyl cyclase inhibitors and could efficiently improve the symptoms of Alzheimer's. The literature revealed the competence of quantitative structure activity/property relationship studies in drug discovery. The present work explores the efficiency of Monte Carlo based QSAR modelling studies on a dataset of 125 Glutaminyl cyclase inhibitors with pKi taken as the endpoint for QSAR analysis. The dataset is divided into training, subtraining, calibration and validation sets resulting in the generation of five random splits. The validation is performed in accordance with the Organization of Economic Corporation and Development principles. The values of R2, Q2, index of ideality of correlation, concordance correlation coefficient, av. rm2 and delta rm2 of calibration set of the best split are found to be 0.9012, 0.8775, 0.9479, 0.9435, 0.8347 and 0.0847, respectively. The structural features responsible for increasing the inhibitory activity are identified. These structural features are added to a base compound from the dataset to design six novel molecules. These new molecules possess improved inhibitory activity as compare to the base compound. The results are further supported by docking studies.Communicated by Vsevolod Makeev.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashwani Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar, India
| | - Kiran Bagri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar, India
| | - Manisha Nimbhal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar, India
| | - Parvin Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kupski O, Funk LM, Sautner V, Seifert F, Worbs B, Ramsbeck D, Meyer F, Diederichsen U, Buchholz M, Schilling S, Demuth HU, Tittmann K. Hydrazides Are Potent Transition-State Analogues for Glutaminyl Cyclase Implicated in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease. Biochemistry 2020; 59:2585-2591. [PMID: 32551535 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Amyloidogenic plaques are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and typically consist of high percentages of modified Aβ peptides bearing N-terminally cyclized glutamate residues. The human zinc(II) enzyme glutaminyl cyclase (QC) was shown in vivo to catalyze the cyclization of N-terminal glutamates of Aβ peptides in a pathophysiological side reaction establishing QC as a druggable target for therapeutic treatment of AD. Here, we report crystallographic snapshots of human QC catalysis acting on the neurohormone neurotensin that delineate the stereochemical course of catalysis and suggest that hydrazides could mimic the transition state of peptide cyclization and deamidation. This hypothesis is validated by a sparse-matrix inhibitor screening campaign that identifies hydrazides as the most potent metal-binding group compared to classic Zn binders. The structural basis of hydrazide inhibition is illuminated by X-ray structure analysis of human QC in complex with a hydrazide-bearing peptide inhibitor and reveals a pentacoordinated Zn complex. Our findings inform novel strategies in the design of potent and highly selective QC inhibitors by employing hydrazides as the metal-binding warhead.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Kupski
- Department of Molecular Enzymology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Julia-Lermontowa-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Structural Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lisa-Marie Funk
- Department of Molecular Enzymology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Julia-Lermontowa-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Structural Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Viktor Sautner
- Department of Molecular Enzymology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Julia-Lermontowa-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Structural Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Franziska Seifert
- Department of Molecular Enzymology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Julia-Lermontowa-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Brigitte Worbs
- Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg-August University Göttingen, Tammannstraß 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Ramsbeck
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Franc Meyer
- Institute for Inorganic Chemistry, Georg-August University Göttingen, Tammannstraße 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulf Diederichsen
- Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg-August University Göttingen, Tammannstraß 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mirko Buchholz
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Stephan Schilling
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Demuth
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Kai Tittmann
- Department of Molecular Enzymology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Julia-Lermontowa-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Structural Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Du S, Readel ER, Wey M, Armstrong DW. Complete identification of all 20 relevant epimeric peptides in β-amyloid: a new HPLC-MS based analytical strategy for Alzheimer's research. Chem Commun (Camb) 2020; 56:1537-1540. [PMID: 31922154 DOI: 10.1039/c9cc09080k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Although the underlying cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not known, the extracellular deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) is considered as a hallmark of AD brains. Evidence has shown the occurrence of d-Asp, isoAsp, and d-Ser residues in Aβ, which may be indicative of and/or contribute to the neurodegeneration in AD patients. Herein, we have developed the first high-throughput profiling technique for all 20 isobaric Aβ peptide epimers containing Asp, isoAsp, and Ser isomers using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). This new analytical strategy allows the direct detection and identification of all possible Asp, isoAsp, and Ser stereoisomers in Aβ, and may contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Du
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Acero G, Garay C, Venegas D, Ortega E, Gevorkian G. Novel monoclonal antibody 3B8 specifically recognizes pyroglutamate-modified amyloid β 3-42 peptide in brain of AD patients and 3xTg-AD transgenic mice. Neurosci Lett 2020; 724:134876. [PMID: 32114116 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In addition to the full-length beta-amyloid peptides (Aβ 1-40/42), several Aβ variants, truncated at their N- or C-termini and bearing different post-translational modifications, have been detected in the brain of Alzheimer´s disease (AD) patients. AβN3(pE), an Aβ peptide bearing an amino-terminal pyroglutamate at position 3, is a significant constituent of intracellular, extracellular and vascular Aβ deposits in brain tissue from individuals with AD and Down syndrome. Pioneering immunotherapy studies have primarily focused on the full-length Aβ peptide, disregarding the presence of N-truncated/modified species. However, in recent years, increasing attention has been directed towards AβN3(pE), in both pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. In the present study, we generated and characterized an anti-AβN3(pE) mouse monoclonal antibody (3B8) that recognizes amyloid aggregates in brain tissue from AD patients and in 3xTg-AD transgenic mice. To identify the epitope recognized by 3B8, a library of random heptapeptides fused to the minor coat protein of M13 phage was screened. Results from screening, along with those from ELISA assays against distinct Aβ fragments, suggest recognition of two conformational epitopes present in AβN3(pE) and Aβ 3-42, regardless of the glutamate-pyroglutamate modification. The novel 3B8 antibody may be useful in future therapeutic and diagnostic applications for AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Acero
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70228, Cuidad Universitaria, CDMX, CP, 04510, Mexico
| | - Claudia Garay
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70228, Cuidad Universitaria, CDMX, CP, 04510, Mexico
| | - David Venegas
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70228, Cuidad Universitaria, CDMX, CP, 04510, Mexico
| | - Enrique Ortega
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70228, Cuidad Universitaria, CDMX, CP, 04510, Mexico
| | - Goar Gevorkian
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70228, Cuidad Universitaria, CDMX, CP, 04510, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Arnés M, Romero N, Casas-Tintó S, Acebes Á, Ferrús A. PI3K activation prevents Aβ42-induced synapse loss and favors insoluble amyloid deposit formation. Mol Biol Cell 2019; 31:244-260. [PMID: 31877058 PMCID: PMC7183762 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e19-05-0303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Excess of Aβ42 peptide is considered a hallmark of the disease. Here we express the human Aβ42 peptide to assay the neuroprotective effects of PI3K in adult Drosophila melanogaster. The neuronal expression of the human peptide elicits progressive toxicity in the adult fly. The pathological traits include reduced axonal transport, synapse loss, defective climbing ability and olfactory perception, as well as lifespan reduction. The Aβ42-dependent synapse decay does not involve transcriptional changes in the core synaptic protein encoding genes bruchpilot, liprin and synaptobrevin. All toxicity features, however, are suppressed by the coexpression of PI3K. Moreover, PI3K activation induces a significant increase of 6E10 and thioflavin-positive amyloid deposits. Mechanistically, we suggest that Aβ42-Ser26 could be a candidate residue for direct or indirect phosphorylation by PI3K. Along with these in vivo experiments, we further analyze Aβ42 toxicity and its suppression by PI3K activation in in vitro assays with SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell cultures, where Aβ42 aggregation into large insoluble deposits is reproduced. Finally, we show that the Aβ42 toxicity syndrome includes the transcriptional shut down of PI3K expression. Taken together, these results uncover a potential novel pharmacological strategy against this disease through the restoration of PI3K activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ninovska Romero
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
| | | | - Ángel Acebes
- Cajal Institute (CSIC), Madrid 28002, Spain.,Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Nie R, Wu Z, Ni J, Zeng F, Yu W, Zhang Y, Kadowaki T, Kashiwazaki H, Teeling JL, Zhou Y. Porphyromonas gingivalis Infection Induces Amyloid-β Accumulation in Monocytes/Macrophages. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 72:479-494. [DOI: 10.3233/jad-190298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ran Nie
- Department of Dental Implantology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhou Wu
- Department of Aging Science and Pharmacology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
- OBT Research Center, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Junjun Ni
- Department of Aging Science and Pharmacology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Fan Zeng
- Department of Aging Science and Pharmacology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Weixian Yu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Tooth Development and Bone Remodeling, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yufeng Zhang
- Gerontal Department of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Tomoko Kadowaki
- Division of Frontier Life Science, Department of Medical and Dental Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Kashiwazaki
- Section of Geriatric Dentistry and Perioperative Medicine in Dentistry, Division of Maxillofacial Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Jessica L. Teeling
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Yanmin Zhou
- Department of Dental Implantology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Molecular basis for chirality-regulated Aβ self-assembly and receptor recognition revealed by ion mobility-mass spectrometry. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5038. [PMID: 31695027 PMCID: PMC6834639 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12346-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive efforts on probing the mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and enormous investments into AD drug development, the lack of effective disease-modifying therapeutics and the complexity of the AD pathogenesis process suggest a great need for further insights into alternative AD drug targets. Herein, we focus on the chiral effects of truncated amyloid beta (Aβ) and offer further structural and molecular evidence for epitope region-specific, chirality-regulated Aβ fragment self-assembly and its potential impact on receptor-recognition. A multidimensional ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) analytical platform and in-solution kinetics analysis reveal the comprehensive structural and molecular basis for differential Aβ fragment chiral chemistry, including the differential and cooperative roles of chiral Aβ N-terminal and C-terminal fragments in receptor recognition. Our method is applicable to many other systems and the results may shed light on the potential development of novel AD therapeutic strategies based on targeting the D-isomerized Aβ, rather than natural L-Aβ. Chiral inversion of amino acids is thought to modulate the structure and function of amyloid beta (Aβ) but these processes are poorly understood. Here, the authors develop an ion mobility-mass spectrometry based approach to study chirality-regulated structural features of Aβ fragments and their influence on receptor recognition.
Collapse
|
30
|
Wang X, Wang L, Yu X, Li Y, Liu Z, Zou Y, Zheng Y, He Z, Wu H. Glutaminyl cyclase inhibitor exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in both AD and LPS-induced inflammatory model mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2019; 75:105770. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2019.105770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
|
31
|
Dunkelmann T, Schemmert S, Honold D, Teichmann K, Butzküven E, Demuth HU, Shah NJ, Langen KJ, Kutzsche J, Willbold D, Willuweit A. Comprehensive Characterization of the Pyroglutamate Amyloid-β Induced Motor Neurodegenerative Phenotype of TBA2.1 Mice. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 63:115-130. [PMID: 29578479 PMCID: PMC5900553 DOI: 10.3233/jad-170775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder and is being intensively investigated using a broad variety of animal models. Many of these models express mutant versions of human amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) that are associated with amyloid-β protein (Aβ)-induced early onset familial AD. Most of these models, however, do not develop bold neurodegenerative pathology and the respective phenotypes. Nevertheless, this may well be essential for their suitability to identify therapeutically active compounds that have the potential for a curative or at least disease-modifying therapy in humans. In this study, the new transgenic mouse model TBA2.1 was explored in detail to increase knowledge about the neurodegenerative process induced by the presence of pyroglutamate modified human Aβ3-42 (pEAβ3-42). Analysis of the sensorimotor phenotype, motor coordination, Aβ pathology, neurodegeneration, and gliosis revealed formation and progression of severe pathology and phenotypes including massive neuronal loss in homozygous TBA2.1 mice within a few months. In contrast, the start of a slight phenotype was observed only after 21 months in heterozygous mice. These data highlight the role of pEAβ3-42 in the disease development and progression of AD. Based on the findings of this study, homozygous TBA2.1 mice can be utilized to gain deeper understanding in the underlying mechanisms of pEAβ3-42 and might be suitable as an animal model for treatment studies targeting toxic Aβ species, complementary to the well described transgenic AβPP mouse models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tina Dunkelmann
- Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sarah Schemmert
- Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Dominik Honold
- Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Kerstin Teichmann
- Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Elke Butzküven
- Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Demuth
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation (MWT), Fraunhofer-Institute of Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Biozentrum, Halle, Germany
| | - Nadim Joni Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Germany.,Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, JARA, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Karl-Josef Langen
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Germany.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, Universitätsklinikum der RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Janine Kutzsche
- Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Dieter Willbold
- Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Antje Willuweit
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Germany
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Michno W, Nyström S, Wehrli P, Lashley T, Brinkmalm G, Guerard L, Syvänen S, Sehlin D, Kaya I, Brinet D, Nilsson KPR, Hammarström P, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Hanrieder J. Pyroglutamation of amyloid-βx-42 (Aβx-42) followed by Aβ1-40 deposition underlies plaque polymorphism in progressing Alzheimer's disease pathology. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:6719-6732. [PMID: 30814252 PMCID: PMC6497931 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.006604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the formation of polymorphic deposits comprising diffuse and cored plaques. Because diffuse plaques are predominantly observed in cognitively unaffected, amyloid-positive (CU-AP) individuals, pathogenic conversion into cored plaques appears to be critical to AD pathogenesis. Herein, we identified the distinct Aβ species associated with amyloid polymorphism in brain tissue from individuals with sporadic AD (s-AD) and CU-AP. To this end, we interrogated Aβ polymorphism with amyloid conformation–sensitive dyes and a novel in situ MS paradigm for chemical characterization of hyperspectrally delineated plaque morphotypes. We found that maturation of diffuse into cored plaques correlated with increased Aβ1–40 deposition. Using spatial in situ delineation with imaging MS (IMS), we show that Aβ1–40 aggregates at the core structure of mature plaques, whereas Aβ1–42 localizes to diffuse amyloid aggregates. Moreover, we observed that diffuse plaques have increased pyroglutamated Aβx-42 levels in s-AD but not CU-AP, suggesting an AD pathology–related, hydrophobic functionalization of diffuse plaques facilitating Aβ1–40 deposition. Experiments in tgAPPSwe mice verified that, similar to what has been observed in human brain pathology, diffuse deposits display higher levels of Aβ1–42 and that Aβ plaque maturation over time is associated with increases in Aβ1–40. Finally, we found that Aβ1–40 deposition is characteristic for cerebral amyloid angiopathy deposition and maturation in both humans and mice. These results indicate that N-terminal Aβx-42 pyroglutamation and Aβ1–40 deposition are critical events in priming and maturation of pathogenic Aβ from diffuse into cored plaques, underlying neurotoxic plaque development in AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Michno
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Sofie Nyström
- the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Patrick Wehrli
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Tammaryn Lashley
- the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Gunnar Brinkmalm
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Laurent Guerard
- the Center for Cellular Imaging, Core Facilities, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 41390 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Stina Syvänen
- the Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dag Sehlin
- the Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ibrahim Kaya
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Dimitri Brinet
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - K Peter R Nilsson
- the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per Hammarström
- the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Kaj Blennow
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden.,the Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden.,the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.,the Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden.,the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom, and
| | - Jörg Hanrieder
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 43180 Mölndal, Sweden, .,the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Beach TG, Maarouf CL, Intorcia A, Sue LI, Serrano GE, Lu M, Joshi A, Pontecorvo MJ, Roher AE. Antemortem-Postmortem Correlation of Florbetapir (18F) PET Amyloid Imaging with Quantitative Biochemical Measures of Aβ42 but not Aβ40. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 61:1509-1516. [PMID: 29376867 DOI: 10.3233/jad-170762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid imaging demonstrates the in vivo presence of amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits in the aging human brain but it is still unknown which structural forms and modifications of Aβ are detected. In Alzheimer's disease, most amyloid deposits are predominantly composed of Aβ ending at amino acid residues Val40 or Ala42. It has been reported that Aβ40 is largely restricted to neuritic plaques while Aβ42 may be deposited in amyloid plaques of all types, and is often the sole component of diffuse plaques. The distinction is important as it is mainly the neuritic plaques that correlate with cognitive impairment while diffuse plaques may be the initial type of Aβ deposited. Whether PET amyloid ligands such as florbetapir-18F (Amyvid) are partially or wholly selective for brain deposits of Aβ40 or Aβ42 is currently unknown. We compared antemortem florbetapir PET cortical/cerebellar signal intensity (SUVr) of 55 subjects with postmortem biochemical (ELISA) measurements employing specific antibodies against Aβ40 and Aβ42. Spearman's univariable correlations were significant for both Aβ40 and Aβ42, but were much stronger for Aβ42. Multiple linear regression showed significance only for Aβ42. These results suggest that florbetapir binds only weakly, if at all, to Aβ40. This may be in part due to the higher likelihood for Aβ42 to be present in a β-pleated sheet tertiary structure, or to differences between Aβ40 and Aβ42 in β-pleated sheet tertiary or quaternary structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lucia I Sue
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
| | | | - Ming Lu
- Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Alex E Roher
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA.,Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Tran PT, Hoang VH, Lee J, Hien TTT, Tung NT, Ngo ST. In vitroandin silicodetermination of glutaminyl cyclase inhibitors. RSC Adv 2019; 9:29619-29627. [PMID: 35531555 PMCID: PMC9071946 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra05763c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease currently. It is widely accepted that AD is characterized by the self-assembly of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides. The human glutaminyl cyclase (hQC) enzyme is characterized by association with Aβ peptide generation. The development of hQC inhibitors could prevent the self-aggregation of Aβ peptides, resulting in impeding AD. Utilizing structural knowledge of the hQC substrates and known hQC inhibitors, new heterocyclic and peptidomimetic derivatives were synthesized and were able to inhibit the hQC enzyme. The inhibiting abilities of these compounds were evaluated using a fluorometric assay. The binding mechanism at the atomic level was estimated using molecular docking, free energy perturbation, and quantum chemical calculation methods. The predicted log(BBB) and human intestinal absorption values indicated that these compounds are able to permeate the blood–brain barrier and be well-absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. Overall, 5,6-dimethoxy-N-(3-(5-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)propyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-amine (1_2) was indicated as a potential drug for AD treatment. Rational design of new hQC inhibitors.![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phuong-Thao Tran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Hanoi University of Pharmacy
- Hanoi
- Vietnam
| | - Van-Hai Hoang
- Institute of Research and Development
- Duy Tan University
- Da Nang 550000
- Vietnam
| | - Jeewoo Lee
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry
- College of Pharmacy
- Seoul National University
- Seoul
- Korea
| | | | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science
- Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
- Hanoi
- Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics
- Ton Duc Thang University
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Dunys J, Valverde A, Checler F. Are N- and C-terminally truncated Aβ species key pathological triggers in Alzheimer's disease? J Biol Chem 2018; 293:15419-15428. [PMID: 30143530 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.r118.003999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The histopathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by neuronal loss, neurofibrillary tangles, and senile plaque formation. The latter results from an exacerbated production (familial AD cases) or altered degradation (sporadic cases) of 40/42-amino acid-long β-amyloid peptides (Aβ peptides) that are produced by sequential cleavages of Aβ precursor protein (βAPP) by β- and γ-secretases. The amyloid cascade hypothesis proposes a key role for the full-length Aβ42 and the Aβ40/42 ratio in AD etiology, in which soluble Aβ oligomers lead to neurotoxicity, tau hyperphosphorylation, aggregation, and, ultimately, cognitive defects. However, following this postulate, during the last decade, several clinical approaches aimed at decreasing full-length Aβ42 production or neutralizing it by immunotherapy have failed to reduce or even stabilize AD-related decline. Thus, the Aβ peptide (Aβ40/42)-centric hypothesis is probably a simplified view of a much more complex situation involving a multiplicity of APP fragments and Aβ catabolites. Indeed, biochemical analyses of AD brain deposits and fluids have unraveled an Aβ peptidome consisting of additional Aβ-related species. Such Aβ catabolites could be due to either primary enzymatic cleavages of βAPP or secondary processing of Aβ itself by exopeptidases. Here, we review the diversity of N- and C-terminally truncated Aβ peptides and their biosynthesis and outline their potential function/toxicity. We also highlight their potential as new pharmaceutical targets and biomarkers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Dunys
- From the Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team labeled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) Distalz," 660 Route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560 Valbonne, France
| | - Audrey Valverde
- From the Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team labeled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) Distalz," 660 Route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560 Valbonne, France
| | - Frédéric Checler
- From the Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, IPMC, Team labeled "Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) Distalz," 660 Route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560 Valbonne, France
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Sadakane Y, Kawahara M. Implications of Metal Binding and Asparagine Deamidation for Amyloid Formation. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19082449. [PMID: 30126231 PMCID: PMC6121660 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19082449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that amyloid formation, i.e., self-assembly of proteins and the resulting conformational changes, is linked with the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, prion diseases, and Lewy body diseases. Among the factors that accelerate or inhibit oligomerization, we focus here on two non-genetic and common characteristics of many amyloidogenic proteins: metal binding and asparagine deamidation. Both reflect the aging process and occur in most amyloidogenic proteins. All of the amyloidogenic proteins, such as Alzheimer’s β-amyloid protein, prion protein, and α-synuclein, are metal-binding proteins and are involved in the regulation of metal homeostasis. It is widely accepted that these proteins are susceptible to non-enzymatic posttranslational modifications, and many asparagine residues of these proteins are deamidated. Moreover, these two factors can combine because asparagine residues can bind metals. We review the current understanding of these two common properties and their implications in the pathogenesis of these neurodegenerative diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Sadakane
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka 513-8670, Japan.
| | - Masahiro Kawahara
- Department of Bio-Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Musashino University, 1-1-20 Shinmachi, Nishitokyo, Tokyo 202-8585, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Schilling S, Rahfeld JU, Lues I, Lemere CA. Passive Aβ Immunotherapy: Current Achievements and Future Perspectives. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23051068. [PMID: 29751505 PMCID: PMC6099643 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23051068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Passive immunotherapy has emerged as a very promising approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, which are characterized by the misfolding and deposition of amyloid peptides. On the basis of the amyloid hypothesis, the majority of antibodies in clinical development are directed against amyloid β (Aβ), the primary amyloid component in extracellular plaques. This review focuses on the current status of Aβ antibodies in clinical development, including their characteristics and challenges that came up in clinical trials with these new biological entities (NBEs). Emphasis is placed on the current view of common side effects observed with passive immunotherapy, so-called amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIAs), and potential ways to overcome this issue. Among these new ideas, a special focus is placed on molecules that are directed against post-translationally modified variants of the Aβ peptide, an emerging approach for development of new antibody molecules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Schilling
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Jens-Ulrich Rahfeld
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Inge Lues
- Probiodrug AG, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Cynthia A Lemere
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Womens's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02116, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Abstract
Amyloid β (Aβ) is the major constituent of the brain deposits found in parenchymal plaques and cerebral blood vessels of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Besides classic full-length peptides, biochemical analyses of brain deposits have revealed high degree of Aβ heterogeneity likely resulting from the action of multiple proteolytic enzymes. This chapter describes a sequential extraction protocol allowing the differential fractionation of soluble and deposited Aβ species taking advantage of their differential solubility properties. Soluble Aβ is extracted by water-based buffers like phosphate-buffered saline-PBS-whereas pre-fibrillar and fibrillar deposits, usually poorly soluble in PBS, are extractable in detergent containing solutions or more stringent conditions as formic acid. The extraction procedure is followed by the biochemical identification of the extracted Aβ species using Western blot and a targeted proteomic analysis which combines immunoprecipitation with MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry. This approach revealed the presence of numerous C- and N-terminal truncated Aβ species in addition to Aβ1-40/42. Notably, the more soluble C-terminal cleaved fragments constitute a main part of PBS homogenates. On the contrary, N-terminal truncated species typically require more stringent conditions for the extraction in agreement with their lower solubility and enhanced aggregability. Detailed assessment of the molecular diversity of Aβ species composing interstitial fluid and amyloid deposits at different disease stages, as well as the evaluation of the truncation profile during various pharmacologic approaches will provide a comprehensive understanding of the still undefined contribution of Aβ truncations to AD pathogenesis and their potential as novel therapeutic targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agueda Rostagno
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thomas A Neubert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jorge Ghiso
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Roher AE, Kokjohn TA, Clarke SG, Sierks MR, Maarouf CL, Serrano GE, Sabbagh MS, Beach TG. APP/Aβ structural diversity and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. Neurochem Int 2017; 110:1-13. [PMID: 28811267 PMCID: PMC5688956 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) proposes amyloid- β (Aβ) is a chief pathological element of dementia. AD therapies have targeted monomeric and oligomeric Aβ 1-40 and 1-42 peptides. However, alternative APP proteolytic processing produces a complex roster of Aβ species. In addition, Aβ peptides are subject to extensive posttranslational modification (PTM). We propose that amplified production of some APP/Aβ species, perhaps exacerbated by differential gene expression and reduced peptide degradation, creates a diverse spectrum of modified species which disrupt brain homeostasis and accelerate AD neurodegeneration. We surveyed the literature to catalog Aβ PTM including species with isoAsp at positions 7 and 23 which may phenocopy the Tottori and Iowa Aβ mutations that result in early onset AD. We speculate that accumulation of these alterations induce changes in secondary and tertiary structure of Aβ that favor increased toxicity, and seeding and propagation in sporadic AD. Additionally, amyloid-β peptides with a pyroglutamate modification at position 3 and oxidation of Met35 make up a substantial portion of sporadic AD amyloid deposits. The intrinsic physical properties of these species, including resistance to degradation, an enhanced aggregation rate, increased neurotoxicity, and association with behavioral deficits, suggest their emergence is linked to dementia. The generation of specific 3D-molecular conformations of Aβ impart unique biophysical properties and a capacity to seed the prion-like global transmission of amyloid through the brain. The accumulation of rogue Aβ ultimately contributes to the destruction of vascular walls, neurons and glial cells culminating in dementia. A systematic examination of Aβ PTM and the analysis of the toxicity that they induced may help create essential biomarkers to more precisely stage AD pathology, design countermeasures and gauge the impacts of interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alex E Roher
- Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA; Division of Clinical Education, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA.
| | - Tyler A Kokjohn
- Department of Microbiology, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA
| | - Steven G Clarke
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095-1569, USA
| | - Michael R Sierks
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-6106, USA
| | - Chera L Maarouf
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA
| | - Geidy E Serrano
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA
| | - Marwan S Sabbagh
- Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders Division, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA
| | - Thomas G Beach
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Diversity of Amyloid-beta Proteoforms in the Alzheimer's Disease Brain. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9520. [PMID: 28842697 PMCID: PMC5572664 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10422-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-beta (Aβ) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but little is known about the proteoforms present in AD brain. We used high-resolution mass spectrometry to analyze intact Aβ from soluble aggregates and insoluble material in brains of six cases with severe dementia and pathologically confirmed AD. The soluble aggregates are especially relevant because they are believed to be the most toxic form of Aβ. We found a diversity of Aβ peptides, with 26 unique proteoforms including various N- and C-terminal truncations. N- and C-terminal truncations comprised 73% and 30%, respectively, of the total Aβ proteoforms detected. The Aβ proteoforms segregated between the soluble and more insoluble aggregates with N-terminal truncations predominating in the insoluble material and C- terminal truncations segregating into the soluble aggregates. In contrast, canonical Aβ comprised the minority of the identified proteoforms (15.3%) and did not distinguish between the soluble and more insoluble aggregates. The relative abundance of many truncated Aβ proteoforms did not correlate with post-mortem interval, suggesting they are not artefacts. This heterogeneity of Aβ proteoforms deepens our understanding of AD and offers many new avenues for investigation into pathological mechanisms of the disease, with implications for therapeutic development.
Collapse
|
41
|
Hoffmann T, Meyer A, Heiser U, Kurat S, Böhme L, Kleinschmidt M, Bühring KU, Hutter-Paier B, Farcher M, Demuth HU, Lues I, Schilling S. Glutaminyl Cyclase Inhibitor PQ912 Improves Cognition in Mouse Models of Alzheimer's Disease-Studies on Relation to Effective Target Occupancy. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2017; 362:119-130. [PMID: 28446518 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.117.240614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies suggest that the majority of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides deposited in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are truncated and post-translationally modified at the N terminus. Among these modified species, pyroglutamyl-Aβ (pE-Aβ, including N3pE-Aβ40/42 and N11pE-Aβ40/42) has been identified as particularly neurotoxic. The N-terminal modification renders the peptide hydrophobic, accelerates formation of oligomers, and reduces degradation by peptidases, leading ultimately to the accumulation of the peptide and progression of AD. It has been shown that the formation of pyroglutamyl residues is catalyzed by glutaminyl cyclase (QC). Here, we present data about the pharmacological in vitro and in vivo efficacy of the QC inhibitor (S)-1-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-5-yl)-5-(4-propoxyphenyl)imidazolidin-2-one (PQ912), the first-in-class compound that is in clinical development. PQ912 inhibits human, rat, and mouse QC activity, with Ki values ranging between 20 and 65 nM. Chronic oral treatment of hAPPSLxhQC double-transgenic mice with approximately 200 mg/kg/day via chow shows a significant reduction of pE-Aβ levels and concomitant improvement of spatial learning in a Morris water maze test paradigm. This dose results in a brain and cerebrospinal fluid concentration of PQ912 which relates to a QC target occupancy of about 60%. Thus, we conclude that >50% inhibition of QC activity in the brain leads to robust treatment effects. Secondary pharmacology experiments in mice indicate a fairly large potency difference for Aβ cyclization compared with cyclization of physiologic substrates, suggesting a robust therapeutic window in humans. This information constitutes an important translational guidance for predicting the therapeutic dose range in clinical studies with PQ912.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Torsten Hoffmann
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Antje Meyer
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Ulrich Heiser
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Stephan Kurat
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Livia Böhme
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Martin Kleinschmidt
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Karl-Ulrich Bühring
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Birgit Hutter-Paier
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Martina Farcher
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Hans-Ulrich Demuth
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Inge Lues
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| | - Stephan Schilling
- Probiodrug AG, Halle, Germany (T.H., A.M., U.H., L.B., K.-U.B., I.L.); QPS Austria, Grambach, Austria (S.K., B.H.-P., M.F.); and Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department for Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle, Germany (M.K., H.-U.D., S.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Goldblatt G, Cilenti L, Matos JO, Lee B, Ciaffone N, Wang QX, Tetard L, Teter K, Tatulian SA. Unmodified and pyroglutamylated amyloid β peptides form hypertoxic hetero-oligomers of unique secondary structure. FEBS J 2017; 284:1355-1369. [PMID: 28294556 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid β (Aβ) peptide plays a major role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and occurs in multiple forms, including pyroglutamylated Aβ (AβpE). Identification and characterization of the most cytotoxic Aβ species is necessary for advancement in AD diagnostics and therapeutics. While in brain tissue multiple Aβ species act in combination, structure/toxicity studies and immunotherapy trials have been focused on individual forms of Aβ. As a result, the molecular composition and the structural features of "toxic Aβ oligomers" have remained unresolved. Here, we have used a novel approach, hydration from gas phase coupled with isotope-edited Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, to identify the prefibrillar assemblies formed by Aβ and AβpE and to resolve the structures of both peptides in combination. The peptides form unusual β-sheet oligomers stabilized by intramolecular H-bonding as opposed to intermolecular H-bonding in the fibrils. Time-dependent morphological changes in peptide assemblies have been visualized by atomic force microscopy. Aβ/AβpE hetero-oligomers exert unsurpassed cytotoxic effect on PC12 cells as compared to oligomers of individual peptides or fibrils. These findings lead to a novel concept that Aβ/AβpE hetero-oligomers, not just Aβ or AβpE oligomers, constitute the main neurotoxic conformation. The hetero-oligomers thus present a new biomarker that may be targeted for development of more efficient diagnostic and immunotherapeutic strategies to combat AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Greg Goldblatt
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Lucia Cilenti
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Jason O Matos
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Briana Lee
- Nanotechnology Graduate Program, NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Nicholas Ciaffone
- Nanotechnology Graduate Program, NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Qing X Wang
- Physics Graduate Program, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Laurene Tetard
- NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.,Department of Physics, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Ken Teter
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Suren A Tatulian
- Department of Physics, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Kleinschmidt M, Schoenfeld R, Göttlich C, Bittner D, Metzner JE, Leplow B, Demuth HU. Characterizing Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia with Blood-Based Biomarkers and Neuropsychology. J Alzheimers Dis 2016; 50:111-26. [PMID: 26639953 DOI: 10.3233/jad-143189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current treatment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is initiated at a stage where the brain already has irreversible structural deteriorations. Therefore, the concept of treatment prior to obvious cognitive deficits has become widely accepted, and simple biochemical tests to discriminate normal aging from prodromal or demented stages are now common practice. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was the differentiation of controls, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD patients by novel blood-based assays in combination with neuropsychological tests. METHODS In a cross-sectional study, 143 subjects aged 18 to 85 years were recruited. All participants were classified by a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Blood samples were analyzed for several amyloid-β (Aβ) species, pro-inflammatory markers, anti-Aβ autoantibodies, and ApoE allele status, respectively. RESULTS Plasma Aβ1-42 was significantly decreased in MCI and AD compared to age-matched controls, whereas Aβ1-40 did not differ, but increases with age in healthy controls. The Aβ1-42 to Aβ1-40 ratio was stepwise decreased from age-matched controls via MCI to AD, and shows a clear correlation with memory scores. Reduced Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-42 to Aβ1-40 ratio have strongly correlated with carrying ApoE ɛ4 allele. Autoantibodies against pyroglutamate-modified Aβ, but only a certain subclass, were significantly decreased in AD compared to MCI and age-matched controls, whereas autoantibodies against the unmodified N-terminus of Aβ did not differ. CONCLUSION Comprehensive sample preparation and assay standardization enable reliable usage of plasma Aβ for diagnosis of MCI and AD. Anti-pGlu-Aβ autoantibodies correlate with cognition, but not with ApoE, supporting the associated plasma Aβ analysis with additional and independent information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kleinschmidt
- Probiodrug AG, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Current address: Fraunhofer Institute of Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Robby Schoenfeld
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Department of Psychology, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Claudia Göttlich
- Probiodrug AG, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Department Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine (TERM), University Hospital Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Bittner
- Clinic for Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Bernd Leplow
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Department of Psychology, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Demuth
- Probiodrug AG, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Current address: Fraunhofer Institute of Cell Therapy and Immunology, Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Halle (Saale), Germany
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Goldblatt G, Matos JO, Gornto J, Tatulian SA. Isotope-edited FTIR reveals distinct aggregation and structural behaviors of unmodified and pyroglutamylated amyloid β peptides. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016. [PMID: 26214017 DOI: 10.1039/c5cp03343h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid β peptide (Aβ) is causatively associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and N-terminally truncated and pyroglutamylated Aβ peptides (AβpE) exert hypertoxic effect by an unknown mechanism. Recent evidence has identified the prefibrillar oligomers of Aβ, not the fibrils, as the prevalent cytotoxic species. Structural characterization of Aβ and AβpE oligomers is therefore important for better understanding of their toxic effect. Here we have used isotope-edited Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to identify the conformational changes in Aβ(1-42) and AβpE(3-42) upon aggregation, individually and in 1 : 1 molar combination. During the first two hours of exposure to aqueous buffer, the peptides undergo transition from mostly α-helical to mostly β-sheet structure. Data on peptides (13)C,(15)N-labeled at K(16)L(17)V(18) or V(36)G(37)G(38)V(39) allowed construction of structural models for the monomer and early oligomers. The peptide monomer comprises a β-hairpin that involves residues upstream of the K(16)L(17)V(18) sequence and an N-terminal α-helix. The oligomers form by non-H-bonding interactions between the β-strands of neighboring β-hairpins, in lateral or staggered manner, with the strands running parallel or antiparallel. Relative α-helical and β-sheet propensities of Aβ(1-42) and AβpE(3-42) depend on the ionic strength of the buffer, emphasizing the importance of ionic interactions in Aβ peptide structure and aggregation. It is inferred that N-terminal modification of AβpE(3-42) affects the helix stability and thereby modulates β-sheet oligomer formation. The data thus provide new insight into the molecular mechanism of Aβ oligomerization by emphasizing the role of the N-terminal transient α-helical structure and by identifying structural constraints for molecular organization of the oligomers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Greg Goldblatt
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Jason O Matos
- Biotechnology Graduate Program, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Jeremy Gornto
- Undergraduate student, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Suren A Tatulian
- Department of Physics, Physical Sciences Room 456, University of Central Florida, 4111 Libra Drive, Orlando, Florida 32816-2385, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Galiano MR, Goitea VE, Hallak ME. Post-translational protein arginylation in the normal nervous system and in neurodegeneration. J Neurochem 2016; 138:506-17. [PMID: 27318192 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Post-translational arginylation of proteins is an important regulator of many physiological pathways in cells. This modification was originally noted in protein degradation during neurodegenerative processes, with an apparently different physiological relevance between central and peripheral nervous system. Subsequent studies have identified a steadily increasing number of proteins and proteolysis-derived polypeptides as arginyltransferase (ATE1) substrates, including β-amyloid, α-synuclein, and TDP43 proteolytic fragments. Arginylation is involved in signaling processes of proteins and polypeptides that are further ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome. In addition, it is also implicated in autophagy/lysosomal degradation pathway. Recent studies using mutant mouse strains deficient in ATE1 indicate additional roles of this modification in neuronal physiology. As ATE1 is capable of modifying proteins either at the N-terminus or middle-chain acidic residues, determining which proteins function are modulated by arginylation represents a big challenge. Here, we review studies addressing various roles of ATE1 activity in nervous system function, and suggest future research directions that will clarify the role of post-translational protein arginylation in brain development and various neurological disorders. Arginyltransferase (ATE1), the enzyme responsible for post-translational arginylation, modulates the functions of a wide variety of proteins and polypeptides, and is also involved in the main degradation pathways of intracellular proteins. Regulatory roles of ATE1 have been well defined for certain organs. However, its roles in nervous system development and neurodegenerative processes remain largely unknown, and present exciting opportunities for future research, as discussed in this review.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio R Galiano
- Centro de Investigaciones de Química Biológica de Córdoba, CIQUIBIC, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Victor E Goitea
- Centro de Investigaciones de Química Biológica de Córdoba, CIQUIBIC, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Marta E Hallak
- Centro de Investigaciones de Química Biológica de Córdoba, CIQUIBIC, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Rosen RF, Tomidokoro Y, Farberg AS, Dooyema J, Ciliax B, Preuss TM, Neubert TA, Ghiso JA, LeVine H, Walker LC. Comparative pathobiology of β-amyloid and the unique susceptibility of humans to Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 44:185-196. [PMID: 27318146 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The misfolding and accumulation of the protein fragment β-amyloid (Aβ) is an early and essential event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite close biological similarities among primates, humans appear to be uniquely susceptible to the profound neurodegeneration and dementia that characterize AD, even though nonhuman primates deposit copious Aβ in senile plaques and cerebral amyloid-β angiopathy as they grow old. Because the amino acid sequence of Aβ is identical in all primates studied to date, we asked whether differences in the properties of aggregated Aβ might underlie the vulnerability of humans and the resistance of other primates to AD. In a comparison of aged squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and humans with AD, immunochemical and mass spectrometric analyses indicate that the populations of Aβ fragments are largely similar in the 2 species. In addition, Aβ-rich brain extracts from the brains of aged squirrel monkeys and AD patients similarly seed the deposition of Aβ in a transgenic mouse model. However, the epitope exposure of aggregated Aβ differs in sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable oligomeric Aβ from the 2 species. In addition, the high-affinity binding of (3)H Pittsburgh Compound B to Aβ is significantly diminished in tissue extracts from squirrel monkeys compared with AD patients. These findings support the hypothesis that differences in the pathobiology of aggregated Aβ among primates are linked to post-translational attributes of the misfolded protein, such as molecular conformation and/or the involvement of species-specific cofactors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca F Rosen
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | | | - Aaron S Farberg
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jeromy Dooyema
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Brian Ciliax
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Todd M Preuss
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Thomas A Neubert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jorge A Ghiso
- Department of Pathology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harry LeVine
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry, Center on Aging, Center for Structural Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Lary C Walker
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Wulff M, Baumann M, Thümmler A, Yadav JK, Heinrich L, Knüpfer U, Schlenzig D, Schierhorn A, Rahfeld JU, Horn U, Balbach J, Demuth HU, Fändrich M. Verstärkte Fibrillen-Fragmentierung N-terminal verkürzter, Pyroglutamat-modifizierter Aβ-Peptide. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201511099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Wulff
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Biotechnologie; Universität Ulm; Helmholtzstraße 8/1 89081 Ulm Deutschland
| | - Monika Baumann
- Institut für Physik; Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg; Deutschland
| | - Anka Thümmler
- Probiodrug AG, Biozentrum; Halle (Saale) Deutschland
| | - Jay K. Yadav
- Department of Biotechnology; School of Life Sciences; Central University of Rajasthan; Indien
| | - Liesa Heinrich
- Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie; Hans-Knöll-Institut; Jena Deutschland
| | - Uwe Knüpfer
- Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie; Hans-Knöll-Institut; Jena Deutschland
| | - Dagmar Schlenzig
- Außenstelle Halle für Molekulare Wirkstoffbiochemie und Therapieentwicklung MWT; Fraunhofer-Institut für Zelltherapie und Immunologie IZI Leipzig, Biozentrum; Halle (Saale) Deutschland
| | - Angelika Schierhorn
- Serviceeinheit für Massenspektrometrie; Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg; Halle (Saale) Deutschland
| | - Jens-Ulrich Rahfeld
- Außenstelle Halle für Molekulare Wirkstoffbiochemie und Therapieentwicklung MWT; Fraunhofer-Institut für Zelltherapie und Immunologie IZI Leipzig, Biozentrum; Halle (Saale) Deutschland
| | - Uwe Horn
- Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie; Hans-Knöll-Institut; Jena Deutschland
| | - Jochen Balbach
- Institut für Physik; Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg; Deutschland
| | - Hans-Ulrich Demuth
- Außenstelle Halle für Molekulare Wirkstoffbiochemie und Therapieentwicklung MWT; Fraunhofer-Institut für Zelltherapie und Immunologie IZI Leipzig, Biozentrum; Halle (Saale) Deutschland
| | - Marcus Fändrich
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Biotechnologie; Universität Ulm; Helmholtzstraße 8/1 89081 Ulm Deutschland
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Wulff M, Baumann M, Thümmler A, Yadav JK, Heinrich L, Knüpfer U, Schlenzig D, Schierhorn A, Rahfeld JU, Horn U, Balbach J, Demuth HU, Fändrich M. Enhanced Fibril Fragmentation of N-Terminally Truncated and Pyroglutamyl-Modified Aβ Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016; 55:5081-4. [PMID: 26970534 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201511099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
N-terminal truncation and pyroglutamyl (pE) formation are naturally occurring chemical modifications of the Aβ peptide in Alzheimer's disease. We show herein that these two modifications significantly reduce the fibril length and the transition midpoint of thermal unfolding of the fibrils, but they do not substantially perturb the fibrillary peptide conformation. This observation implies that the N terminus of the unmodified peptide protects Aβ fibrils against mechanical stress and fragmentation and explains the high propensity of pE-modified peptides to form small and particularly toxic aggregates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Wulff
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Biotechnologie, Ulm University, Helmholtzstrasse 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Monika Baumann
- Institute of Physics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Betty-Heimann-Strasse 7, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Anka Thümmler
- Probiodrug AG, Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jay K Yadav
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, NH-8, Ajmer-, 305801, Rajasthan, India
| | - Liesa Heinrich
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Uwe Knüpfer
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Dagmar Schlenzig
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation MWT Halle/Saale, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI Leipzig, Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Angelika Schierhorn
- Service Unit for Mass Spectrometry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Strasse 3, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jens-Ulrich Rahfeld
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation MWT Halle/Saale, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI Leipzig, Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Uwe Horn
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Jochen Balbach
- Institute of Physics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Betty-Heimann-Strasse 7, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Demuth
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation MWT Halle/Saale, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI Leipzig, Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Marcus Fändrich
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Biotechnologie, Ulm University, Helmholtzstrasse 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Roher AE, Maarouf CL, Kokjohn TA. Familial Presenilin Mutations and Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology: Is the Assumption of Biochemical Equivalence Justified? J Alzheimers Dis 2016; 50:645-58. [DOI: 10.3233/jad-150757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alex E. Roher
- Longtine Center for Neurodegenerative Biochemistry, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
| | - Chera L. Maarouf
- Longtine Center for Neurodegenerative Biochemistry, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
| | - Tyler A. Kokjohn
- Department of Microbiology, Midwestern University School of Medicine, Glendale, AZ, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Dammers C, Gremer L, Neudecker P, Demuth HU, Schwarten M, Willbold D. Purification and Characterization of Recombinant N-Terminally Pyroglutamate-Modified Amyloid-β Variants and Structural Analysis by Solution NMR Spectroscopy. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139710. [PMID: 26436664 PMCID: PMC4593648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly and is characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline. Pathological hallmark of AD brains are intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular amyloid plaques. The major component of these plaques is the highly heterogeneous amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, varying in length and modification. In recent years pyroglutamate-modified amyloid-β (pEAβ) peptides have increasingly moved into the focus since they have been described to be the predominant species of all N-terminally truncated Aβ. Compared to unmodified Aβ, pEAβ is known to show increased hydrophobicity, higher toxicity, faster aggregation and β-sheet stabilization and is more resistant to degradation. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a particularly powerful method to investigate the conformations of pEAβ isoforms in solution and to study peptide/ligand interactions for drug development. However, biophysical characterization of pEAβ and comparison to its non-modified variant has so far been seriously hampered by the lack of highly pure recombinant and isotope-enriched protein. Here we present, to our knowledge, for the first time a reproducible protocol for the production of pEAβ from a recombinant precursor expressed in E. coli in natural isotope abundance as well as in uniformly [U-15N]- or [U-13C, 15N]-labeled form, with yields of up to 15 mg/l E. coli culture broth. The chemical state of the purified protein was evaluated by RP-HPLC and formation of pyroglutamate was verified by mass spectroscopy. The recombinant pyroglutamate-modified Aβ peptides showed characteristic sigmoidal aggregation kinetics as monitored by thioflavin-T assays. The quality and quantity of produced pEAβ40 and pEAβ42 allowed us to perform heteronuclear multidimensional NMR spectroscopy in solution and to sequence-specifically assign the backbone resonances under near-physiological conditions. Our results suggest that the presented method will be useful in obtaining cost-effective high-quality recombinant pEAβ40 and pEAβ42 for further physiological and biochemical studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Dammers
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Lothar Gremer
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Philipp Neudecker
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Demuth
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Dep. Molecular Drug Biochemistry and Therapy, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Melanie Schwarten
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Dieter Willbold
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|