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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.
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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.
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2
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Todd TW, Islam NN, Cook CN, Caulfield TR, Petrucelli L. Cryo-EM structures of pathogenic fibrils and their impact on neurodegenerative disease research. Neuron 2024; 112:2269-2288. [PMID: 38834068 PMCID: PMC11257806 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are commonly associated with the formation of aberrant protein aggregates within the brain, and ultrastructural analyses have revealed that the proteins within these inclusions often assemble into amyloid filaments. Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as an effective method for determining the near-atomic structure of these disease-associated filamentous proteins, and the resulting structures have revolutionized the way we think about aberrant protein aggregation and propagation during disease progression. These structures have also revealed that individual fibril conformations may dictate different disease conditions, and this newfound knowledge has improved disease modeling in the lab and advanced the ongoing pursuit of clinical tools capable of distinguishing and targeting different pathogenic entities within living patients. In this review, we summarize some of the recently developed cryo-EM structures of ex vivo α-synuclein, tau, β-amyloid (Aβ), TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), and transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) fibrils and discuss how these structures are being leveraged toward mechanistic research and therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany W Todd
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Naeyma N Islam
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Casey N Cook
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | | | - Leonard Petrucelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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3
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Iacono D, Murphy EK, Stimpson CD, Perl DP, Day RM. Low-dose radiation decreases Lrrk2 levels in the striatum of large mammalian brains: New venues to treat Parkinson's disease? Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2024; 124:107024. [PMID: 38843617 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2024.107024] [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: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Among gene mutations and variants linked to an increased risk of PD, mutations of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 gene (LRRK2) are among the most frequently associated with early- and late-onset PD. Clinical and neuropathological characteristics of idiopathic-PD (iPD) and LRRK2-PD are similar, and these similarities suggest that the pathomechanisms between these two conditions are shared. LRRK2 mutations determine a gain-of-function and yield higher levels of lrrk2 across body tissues, including brain. On another side, recent animal studies supported the potential use of low dose radiation (LDR) to modify the pathomechanisms of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS We assessed if a single total-body LDR (sLDR) exposure in normal swine could alter expression levels of the following PD-associated molecules: alpha-synuclein (α-syn), phosphorylated-α-synuclein (pα-syn), parkin, tyrosine hydroxylase (th), lrrk2, phosphorylated-lrrk2 (pS935-lrrk2), and some LRRK2 substrates (Rab8a, Rab12) across different brain regions. These proteins were measured in frontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum, thalamus/hypothalamus, and cerebellum of 9 radiated (RAD) vs. 6 sham (SH) swine after 28 days from a sLDR of 1.79Gy exposure. RESULTS Western Blot analyses showed lowered lrrk2 levels in the striatum of RAD vs. SH swine (p < 0.05), with no differences across the remaining brain regions. None of the other protein levels differed between RAD and SH swine in any examined brain regions. No lrrk2 and p-lrrk2 (S935) levels differed in the lungs of RAD vs. SH swine. CONCLUSIONS These findings show a specific striatal lrrk2 lowering effect due to LDR and support the potential use of LDR to interfere with the pathomechanisms of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Iacono
- DoD/USU Brain Tissue Repository & Neuropathology Program, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA; Neuroscience Program, Department of Anatomy, Physiology & Genetics, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Erin K Murphy
- DoD/USU Brain Tissue Repository & Neuropathology Program, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Cheryl D Stimpson
- DoD/USU Brain Tissue Repository & Neuropathology Program, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel P Perl
- DoD/USU Brain Tissue Repository & Neuropathology Program, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Regina M Day
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA
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4
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Glynn C, Rodriguez JA, Hyman BT. The structural line between prion and "prion-like": Insights from prion protein and tau. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102857. [PMID: 38489865 PMCID: PMC11162956 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The concept of 'prion-like' behavior has emerged in the study of diseases involving protein misfolding where fibrillar structures, called amyloids, self-propagate and induce disease in a fashion similar to prions. From a biological standpoint, in order to be considered 'prion-like,' a protein must traverse cells and tissues and further propagate via a templated conformational change. Since 2017, cryo-electron microscopy structures from patient-derived 'prion-like' amyloids, in particular tau, have been presented and revealed structural similarities shared across amyloids. Since 2021, cryo-EM structures from prions of known infectivity have been added to the ex vivo amyloid structure family. In this review, we discuss current proposals for the 'prion-like' mechanisms of spread for tau and prion protein as well as discuss different influencers on structures of aggregates from tauopathies and prion diseases. Lastly, we discuss some of the current hypotheses for what may distinguish structures that are 'prion-like' from transmissible prion structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calina Glynn
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jose A Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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5
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Fernandez A, Hoq MR, Hallinan GI, Li D, Bharath SR, Vago FS, Zhang X, Ozcan KA, Newell KL, Garringer HJ, Jiang W, Ghetti B, Vidal R. Cryo-EM structures of amyloid-β and tau filaments in Down syndrome. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:903-909. [PMID: 38553642 PMCID: PMC11189299 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01252-3] [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: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Adult individuals with Down syndrome (DS) develop Alzheimer disease (AD). Whether there is a difference between AD in DS and AD regarding the structure of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau filaments is unknown. Here we report the structure of Aβ and tau filaments from two DS brains. We found two Aβ40 filaments (types IIIa and IIIb) that differ from those previously reported in sporadic AD and two types of Aβ42 filaments (I and II) identical to those found in sporadic and familial AD. Tau filaments (paired helical filaments and straight filaments) were identical to those in AD, supporting the notion of a common mechanism through which amyloids trigger aggregation of tau. This knowledge is important for understanding AD in DS and assessing whether adults with DS could be included in AD clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anllely Fernandez
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Md Rejaul Hoq
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Grace I Hallinan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Daoyi Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Sakshibeedu R Bharath
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Frank S Vago
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Xiaoqi Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Kadir A Ozcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Kathy L Newell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Holly J Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Wen Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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6
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Zheng H, Sun H, Cai Q, Tai HC. The Enigma of Tau Protein Aggregation: Mechanistic Insights and Future Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4969. [PMID: 38732197 PMCID: PMC11084794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094969] [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: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau protein misfolding and aggregation are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and over twenty neurodegenerative disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms of tau aggregation in vivo remain incompletely understood. There are two types of tau aggregates in the brain: soluble aggregates (oligomers and protofibrils) and insoluble filaments (fibrils). Compared to filamentous aggregates, soluble aggregates are more toxic and exhibit prion-like transmission, providing seeds for templated misfolding. Curiously, in its native state, tau is a highly soluble, heat-stable protein that does not form fibrils by itself, not even when hyperphosphorylated. In vitro studies have found that negatively charged molecules such as heparin, RNA, or arachidonic acid are generally required to induce tau aggregation. Two recent breakthroughs have provided new insights into tau aggregation mechanisms. First, as an intrinsically disordered protein, tau is found to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) both in vitro and inside cells. Second, cryo-electron microscopy has revealed diverse fibrillar tau conformations associated with different neurodegenerative disorders. Nonetheless, only the fibrillar core is structurally resolved, and the remainder of the protein appears as a "fuzzy coat". From this review, it appears that further studies are required (1) to clarify the role of LLPS in tau aggregation; (2) to unveil the structural features of soluble tau aggregates; (3) to understand the involvement of fuzzy coat regions in oligomer and fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hwan-Ching Tai
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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7
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Qi C, Lövestam S, Murzin AG, Peak-Chew S, Franco C, Bogdani M, Latimer C, Murrell JR, Cullinane PW, Jaunmuktane Z, Bird TD, Ghetti B, Scheres SH, Goedert M. Tau filaments with the Alzheimer fold in cases with MAPT mutations V337M and R406W. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.29.591661. [PMID: 38746388 PMCID: PMC11092478 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.29.591661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease are the most common forms of early-onset dementia. Dominantly inherited mutations in MAPT, the microtubule-associated protein tau gene, cause FTD and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). Individuals with FTDP-17 develop abundant filamentous tau inclusions in brain cells. Here we used electron cryo-microscopy to determine the structures of tau filaments from the brains of individuals with MAPT mutations V337M and R406W. Both mutations gave rise to tau filaments with the Alzheimer fold, which consisted of paired helical filaments in all V337M and R406W cases and of straight filaments in two V337M cases. We also identified a new assembly of the Alzheimer fold into triple tau filaments in a V337M case. Filaments assembled from recombinant tau(297-391) with mutation V337M had the Alzheimer fold and showed an increased rate of assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Marika Bogdani
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Caitlin Latimer
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Jill R. Murrell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Patrick W. Cullinane
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College, London UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College, London, UK
| | - Zane Jaunmuktane
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College, London UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College, London, UK
| | - Thomas D. Bird
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Sjors H.W. Scheres
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors jointly supervised this work: Sjors H.W. Scheres, Michel Goedert
| | - Michel Goedert
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors jointly supervised this work: Sjors H.W. Scheres, Michel Goedert
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8
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Peng L, Helgason E, Miranda R, Tom J, Zhang J, Dueber EC, Song A. N- tert-Butoxycarbonyl- N-(2-(tritylthio)ethoxy)glycine as a Building Block for Peptide Ubiquitination. Bioconjug Chem 2024; 35:245-253. [PMID: 38236171 PMCID: PMC10885006 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00541] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
N-Boc-N-(2-(tritylthio)ethoxy)glycine has been developed as a building block for peptide ubiquitination, which is fully compatible with solid-phase Fmoc chemistry and common peptide modifications including phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, biotinylation, and fluorescence labeling. The optimal conditions for peptide cleavage and auxiliary removal were obtained. The utility of this building block in peptide ubiquitination was demonstrated by the synthesis of seven ubiquitinated histone and Tau peptides bearing various modifications. Cys residues were well tolerated and did not require orthogonal protection. The structural integrity and folding of the synthesized ubiquitinated peptides were confirmed by enzymatic deubiquitination of a fluorescently labeled ubiquitin conjugate. The synthetic strategy using this building block provides a practical approach for the preparation of ubiquitinated peptides with diverse modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Peng
- Department
of Peptide Therapeutics, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Elizabeth Helgason
- Department
of Biological Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Rafael Miranda
- Department
of Biological Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jeffrey Tom
- Department
of Peptide Therapeutics, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jennifer Zhang
- Department
of Protein Analytical Chemistry, Genentech,
Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Erin C. Dueber
- Department
of Biological Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Aimin Song
- Department
of Peptide Therapeutics, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
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9
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Kimura T, Sato H, Kano M, Tatsumi L, Tomita T. Novel aspects of the phosphorylation and structure of pathological tau: implications for tauopathy biomarkers. FEBS Open Bio 2024; 14:181-193. [PMID: 37391389 PMCID: PMC10839341 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13667] [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: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The deposition of highly phosphorylated and aggregated tau is a characteristic of tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. It has long been known that different isoforms of tau are aggregated in different cell types and brain regions in each tauopathy. Recent advances in analytical techniques revealed the details of the biochemical and structural biological differences of tau specific to each tauopathy. In this review, we explain recent advances in the analysis of post-translational modifications of tau, particularly phosphorylation, brought about by the development of mass-spectrometry and Phos-tag technology. We then discuss the structure of tau filaments in each tauopathy revealed by the advent of cryo-EM. Finally, we describe the progress in biofluid and imaging biomarkers for tauopathy. This review summarizes current efforts to elucidate the characteristics of pathological tau and the landscape of the use of tau as a biomarker to diagnose and determine the pathological stage of tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taeko Kimura
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical SciencesThe University of TokyoJapan
| | - Haruaki Sato
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical SciencesThe University of TokyoJapan
| | - Maria Kano
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical SciencesThe University of TokyoJapan
| | - Lisa Tatsumi
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical SciencesThe University of TokyoJapan
| | - Taisuke Tomita
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical SciencesThe University of TokyoJapan
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10
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Medina-Vera D, López-Gambero AJ, Navarro JA, Sanjuan C, Baixeras E, Decara J, de Fonseca FR. Novel insights into D-Pinitol based therapies: a link between tau hyperphosphorylation and insulin resistance. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:289-295. [PMID: 37488880 PMCID: PMC10503604 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.379015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the amyloid accumulation in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is mainly mediated by the phosphorylation and aggregation of tau protein. Among the multiple causes of tau hyperphosphorylation, brain insulin resistance has generated much attention, and inositols as insulin sensitizers, are currently considered candidates for drug development. The present narrative review revises the interactions between these three elements: Alzheimer's disease-tau-inositols, which can eventually identify targets for new disease modifiers capable of bringing hope to the millions of people affected by this devastating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Medina-Vera
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, UGC Salud Mental, Málaga, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, UGC del Corazón, Málaga, Spain
| | - Antonio Jesús López-Gambero
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, UGC Salud Mental, Málaga, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- University of Bordeaux, INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, Bordeaux, France
| | - Juan Antonio Navarro
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, UGC Salud Mental, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - Elena Baixeras
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Juan Decara
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, UGC Salud Mental, Málaga, Spain
| | - Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, UGC Salud Mental, Málaga, Spain
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11
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Goedert M, Crowther RA, Scheres SHW, Spillantini MG. Tau and neurodegeneration. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2024; 81:95-102. [PMID: 38073060 PMCID: PMC7615684 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21812] [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] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
First identified in 1975, tau was implicated in Alzheimer's disease 10 years later. Filamentous tangle inclusions were known to be made of hyperphosphorylated tau by 1991, with similar inclusions gaining recognition for being associated with other neurodegenerative diseases. In 1998, mutations in MAPT, the gene that encodes tau, were identified as the cause of a dominantly inherited form of frontotemporal dementia with abundant filamentous tau inclusions. While this result indicated that assembly of tau into aberrant filaments is sufficient to drive neurodegeneration and dementia, most cases of tauopathy are sporadic. More recent work in experimental systems showed that filamentous assemblies of tau may first form in one brain area, and then spread to others in a prion-like fashion. Beginning in 2017, work on human brains using high-resolution techniques has led to a structure-based classification of tauopathies, which has opened the door to a better understanding of the significance of tau filament formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
| | - R. Anthony Crowther
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sjors H. W. Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Qi C, Verheijen BM, Kokubo Y, Shi Y, Tetter S, Murzin AG, Nakahara A, Morimoto S, Vermulst M, Sasaki R, Aronica E, Hirokawa Y, Oyanagi K, Kakita A, Ryskeldi-Falcon B, Yoshida M, Hasegawa M, Scheres SHW, Goedert M. Tau filaments from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex adopt the CTE fold. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306767120. [PMID: 38100415 PMCID: PMC10743375 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306767120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) of the island of Guam and the Kii peninsula of Japan is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of unknown cause that is characterized by the presence of abundant filamentous tau inclusions in brains and spinal cords. Here, we used electron cryo-microscopy to determine the structures of tau filaments from the cerebral cortex of three cases of ALS/PDC from Guam and eight cases from Kii, as well as from the spinal cord of two of the Guam cases. Tau filaments had the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) fold, with variable amounts of Type I and Type II filaments. Paired helical tau filaments were also found in three Kii cases and tau filaments with the corticobasal degeneration fold in one Kii case. We identified a new Type III CTE tau filament, where protofilaments pack against each other in an antiparallel fashion. ALS/PDC is the third known tauopathy with CTE-type filaments and abundant tau inclusions in cortical layers II/III, the others being CTE and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Because these tauopathies are believed to have environmental causes, our findings support the hypothesis that ALS/PDC is caused by exogenous factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qi
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeCB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Bert M. Verheijen
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Yasumasa Kokubo
- Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, Mie University, Tsu514-8507, Japan
| | - Yang Shi
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeCB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Stephan Tetter
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeCB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Alexey G. Murzin
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeCB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Asa Nakahara
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata951-8585, Japan
| | - Satoru Morimoto
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu514-8507, Japan
| | - Marc Vermulst
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Ryogen Sasaki
- Department of Nursing, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka513-8670, Japan
| | - Eleonora Aronica
- Department of Neuropathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Yoshifumi Hirokawa
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu514-8507, Japan
| | - Kiyomitsu Oyanagi
- Department of Brain Disease Research, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto390-8621, Japan
| | - Akiyoshi Kakita
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata951-8585, Japan
| | | | - Mari Yoshida
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute480-1195, Japan
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo156-8506, Japan
| | - Sjors H. W. Scheres
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeCB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeCB2 0QH, United Kingdom
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13
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Wang H, Zhang J, Toso D, Liao S, Sedighian F, Gunsalus R, Zhou ZH. Hierarchical organization and assembly of the archaeal cell sheath from an amyloid-like protein. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6720. [PMID: 37872154 PMCID: PMC10593813 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42368-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Certain archaeal cells possess external proteinaceous sheath, whose structure and organization are both unknown. By cellular cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET), here we have determined sheath organization of the prototypical archaeon, Methanospirillum hungatei. Fitting of Alphafold-predicted model of the sheath protein (SH) monomer into the 7.9 Å-resolution structure reveals that the sheath cylinder consists of axially stacked β-hoops, each of which is comprised of two to six 400 nm-diameter rings of β-strand arches (β-rings). With both similarities to and differences from amyloid cross-β fibril architecture, each β-ring contains two giant β-sheets contributed by ~ 450 SH monomers that entirely encircle the outer circumference of the cell. Tomograms of immature cells suggest models of sheath biogenesis: oligomerization of SH monomers into β-ring precursors after their membrane-proximal cytoplasmic synthesis, followed by translocation through the unplugged end of a dividing cell, and insertion of nascent β-hoops into the immature sheath cylinder at the junction of two daughter cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Jiayan Zhang
- California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Daniel Toso
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Shiqing Liao
- California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Farzaneh Sedighian
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Robert Gunsalus
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- The UCLA-DOE Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Z Hong Zhou
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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14
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Scheres SHW, Ryskeldi-Falcon B, Goedert M. Molecular pathology of neurodegenerative diseases by cryo-EM of amyloids. Nature 2023; 621:701-710. [PMID: 37758888 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06437-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Abnormal assembly of tau, α-synuclein, TDP-43 and amyloid-β proteins into amyloid filaments defines most human neurodegenerative diseases. Genetics provides a direct link between filament formation and the causes of disease. Developments in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have made it possible to determine the atomic structures of amyloids from postmortem human brains. Here we review the structures of brain-derived amyloid filaments that have been determined so far and discuss their impact on research into neurodegeneration. Whereas a given protein can adopt many different filament structures, specific amyloid folds define distinct diseases. Amyloid structures thus provide a description of neuropathology at the atomic level and a basis for studying disease. Future research should focus on model systems that replicate the structures observed in disease to better understand the molecular mechanisms of disease and develop improved diagnostics and therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | | | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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15
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Schweighauser M, Garringer HJ, Klingstedt T, Nilsson KPR, Masuda-Suzukake M, Murrell JR, Risacher SL, Vidal R, Scheres SHW, Goedert M, Ghetti B, Newell KL. Mutation ∆K281 in MAPT causes Pick's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2023; 146:211-226. [PMID: 37351604 PMCID: PMC10329087 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-023-02598-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Two siblings with deletion mutation ∆K281 in MAPT developed frontotemporal dementia. At autopsy, numerous inclusions of hyperphosphorylated 3R Tau were present in neurons and glial cells of neocortex and some subcortical regions, including hippocampus, caudate/putamen and globus pallidus. The inclusions were argyrophilic with Bodian silver, but not with Gallyas-Braak silver. They were not labelled by an antibody specific for tau phosphorylated at S262 and/or S356. The inclusions were stained by luminescent conjugated oligothiophene HS-84, but not by bTVBT4. Electron cryo-microscopy revealed that the core of tau filaments was made of residues K254-F378 of 3R Tau and was indistinguishable from that of Pick's disease. We conclude that MAPT mutation ∆K281 causes Pick's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Holly J Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Therése Klingstedt
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Lingköping University, Lingköping, Sweden
| | - K Peter R Nilsson
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Lingköping University, Lingköping, Sweden
| | - Masami Masuda-Suzukake
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jill R Murrell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shannon L Risacher
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Kathy L Newell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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16
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Tarutani A, Lövestam S, Zhang X, Kotecha A, Robinson AC, Mann DMA, Saito Y, Murayama S, Tomita T, Goedert M, Scheres SHW, Hasegawa M. Cryo-EM structures of tau filaments from SH-SY5Y cells seeded with brain extracts from cases of Alzheimer's disease and corticobasal degeneration. FEBS Open Bio 2023; 13:1394-1404. [PMID: 37337995 PMCID: PMC10392052 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The formation of amyloid filaments through templated seeding is believed to underlie the propagation of pathology in most human neurodegenerative diseases. A widely used model system to study this process is to seed amyloid filament formation in cultured cells using human brain extracts. Here, we report the electron cryo-microscopy structures of tau filaments from undifferentiated seeded SH-SY5Y cells that transiently expressed N-terminally HA-tagged 1N3R or 1N4R human tau, using brain extracts from individuals with Alzheimer's disease or corticobasal degeneration. Although the resulting filament structures differed from those of the brain seeds, some degrees of structural templating were observed. Studying templated seeding in cultured cells, and determining the structures of the resulting filaments, can thus provide insights into the cellular aspects underlying neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Airi Tarutani
- Department of Brain & Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sofia Lövestam
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Xianjun Zhang
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Abhay Kotecha
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew C Robinson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford, UK
| | - David M A Mann
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford, UK
| | - Yuko Saito
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan
| | - Shigeo Murayama
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan
- Brain Bank for Neurodevelopmental, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Japan
| | - Taisuke Tomita
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain & Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan
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17
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Pinzi L, Bisi N, Sorbi C, Franchini S, Tonali N, Rastelli G. Insights into the Structural Conformations of the Tau Protein in Different Aggregation Status. Molecules 2023; 28:4544. [PMID: 37299020 PMCID: PMC10254443 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau is a protein characterized by large structural portions displaying extended conformational changes. Unfortunately, the accumulation of this protein into toxic aggregates in neuronal cells leads to a number of severe pathologies, collectively named tauopathies. In the last decade, significant research advancements were achieved, including a better understanding of Tau structures and their implication in different tauopathies. Interestingly, Tau is characterized by a high structural variability depending on the type of disease, the crystallization conditions, and the formation of pathologic aggregates obtained from in vitro versus ex vivo samples. In this review, we reported an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of Tau structures reported in the Protein Data Bank, with a special focus on discussing the connections between structural features, different tauopathies, different crystallization conditions, and the use of in vitro or ex vivo samples. The information reported in this article highlights very interesting links between all these aspects, which we believe may be of particular relevance for a more informed structure-based design of compounds able to modulate Tau aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pinzi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy; (L.P.); (C.S.); (S.F.)
| | - Nicolò Bisi
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Paris-Saclay, BioCIS, Bat. Henri Moissan, 17 Av. des Sciences, 91400 Orsay, France; (N.B.); (N.T.)
| | - Claudia Sorbi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy; (L.P.); (C.S.); (S.F.)
| | - Silvia Franchini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy; (L.P.); (C.S.); (S.F.)
| | - Nicolò Tonali
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Paris-Saclay, BioCIS, Bat. Henri Moissan, 17 Av. des Sciences, 91400 Orsay, France; (N.B.); (N.T.)
| | - Giulio Rastelli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy; (L.P.); (C.S.); (S.F.)
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18
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Ziaunys M, Mikalauskaite K, Krasauskas L, Smirnovas V. Conformation-Specific Association of Prion Protein Amyloid Aggregates with Tau Protein Monomers. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119277. [PMID: 37298227 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils is associated with several amyloidoses, including neurodegenerative Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Despite years of research and numerous studies, the process is still not fully understood, which significantly impedes the search for cures of amyloid-related disorders. Recently, there has been an increase in reports of amyloidogenic protein cross-interactions during the fibril formation process, which further complicates the already intricate process of amyloid aggregation. One of these reports displayed an interaction involving Tau and prion proteins, which prompted a need for further investigation into the matter. In this work, we generated five populations of conformationally distinct prion protein amyloid fibrils and examined their interaction with Tau proteins. We observed that there was a conformation-specific association between Tau monomers and prion protein fibrils, which increased the aggregate self-association and amyloidophilic dye binding capacity. We also determined that the interaction did not induce the formation of Tau protein amyloid aggregates, but rather caused their electrostatic adsorption to the prion protein fibril surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mantas Ziaunys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Kamile Mikalauskaite
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Lukas Krasauskas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
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19
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Qi C, Hasegawa M, Takao M, Sakai M, Sasaki M, Mizutani M, Akagi A, Iwasaki Y, Miyahara H, Yoshida M, Scheres SHW, Goedert M. Identical tau filaments in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:74. [PMID: 37143123 PMCID: PMC10161654 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01565-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) occurs in some individuals after measles infection, following a symptom-free period of several years. It resembles chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which happens after repetitive head impacts or exposure to blast waves, following a symptom-free period. As in CTE, the neurofibrillary changes of SSPE are concentrated in superficial cortical layers. Here we used electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) of tau filaments from two cases of SSPE to show that the tau folds of SSPE and CTE are identical. Two types of filaments were each made of two identical protofilaments with an extra density in the β-helix region. Like in CTE, the vast majority of tau filaments were Type I, with a minority of Type II filaments. These findings suggest that the CTE tau fold can be caused by different environmental insults, which may be linked by inflammatory changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qi
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaki Takao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory and Internal Medicine, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Neurology and Brain Bank, Mihara Memorial Hospital, Isesaki, Japan
| | - Motoko Sakai
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Suzuka National Hospital, Suzuka, Mie, Japan
| | - Mayasuki Sasaki
- Department of Child Neurology, Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masashi Mizutani
- Department of Clinical Laboratory and Internal Medicine, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akio Akagi
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yasushi Iwasaki
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Miyahara
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Mari Yoshida
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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20
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Qi C, Verheijen BM, Kokubo Y, Shi Y, Tetter S, Murzin AG, Nakahara A, Morimoto S, Vermulst M, Sasaki R, Aronica E, Hirokawa Y, Oyanagi K, Kakita A, Ryskeldi-Falcon B, Yoshida M, Hasegawa M, Scheres SH, Goedert M. Tau Filaments from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC) adopt the CTE Fold. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.26.538417. [PMID: 37162924 PMCID: PMC10168338 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.26.538417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) of the island of Guam and the Kii peninsula of Japan is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of unknown cause that is characterised by the presence of abundant filamentous tau inclusions in brains and spinal cords. Here we used electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine the structures of tau filaments from the cerebral cortex of three cases of ALS/PDC from Guam and eight cases from Kii, as well as from the spinal cord of two of the Guam cases. Tau filaments had the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) fold, with variable amounts of Type I and Type II filaments. Paired helical tau filaments were also found in two Kii cases. We also identified a novel Type III CTE tau filament, where protofilaments pack against each other in an anti-parallel fashion. ALS/PDC is the third known tauopathy with CTE-type filaments and abundant tau inclusions in cortical layers II/III, the others being CTE and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Because these tauopathies are believed to have environmental causes, our findings support the hypothesis that ALS/PDC is caused by exogenous factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bert M. Verheijen
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Yasumasa Kokubo
- Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, Mie University, Tsu, Japan
| | - Yang Shi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Current address: MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | | | | | - Asa Nakahara
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Satoru Morimoto
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Japan
| | - Marc Vermulst
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Ryogen Sasaki
- Department of Nursing, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka, Japan
| | - Eleonora Aronica
- Department of Neuropathology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yoshifumi Hirokawa
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Japan
| | - Kiyomitsu Oyanagi
- Department of Brain Disease Research, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Akiyoshi Kakita
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | | | - Mari Yoshida
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Yang Y, Zhang W, Murzin AG, Schweighauser M, Huang M, Lövestam S, Peak-Chew SY, Saito T, Saido TC, Macdonald J, Lavenir I, Ghetti B, Graff C, Kumar A, Nordberg A, Goedert M, Scheres SHW. Cryo-EM structures of amyloid-β filaments with the Arctic mutation (E22G) from human and mouse brains. Acta Neuropathol 2023; 145:325-333. [PMID: 36611124 PMCID: PMC9925504 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02533-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic mutation, encoding E693G in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene [E22G in amyloid-β (Aβ)], causes dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease. Here, we report the high-resolution cryo-EM structures of Aβ filaments from the frontal cortex of a previously described case (AβPParc1) with the Arctic mutation. Most filaments consist of two pairs of non-identical protofilaments that comprise residues V12-V40 (human Arctic fold A) and E11-G37 (human Arctic fold B). They have a substructure (residues F20-G37) in common with the folds of type I and type II Aβ42. When compared to the structures of wild-type Aβ42 filaments, there are subtle conformational changes in the human Arctic folds, because of the lack of a side chain at G22, which may strengthen hydrogen bonding between mutant Aβ molecules and promote filament formation. A minority of Aβ42 filaments of type II was also present, as were tau paired helical filaments. In addition, we report the cryo-EM structures of Aβ filaments with the Arctic mutation from mouse knock-in line AppNL-G-F. Most filaments are made of two identical mutant protofilaments that extend from D1 to G37 (AppNL-G-F murine Arctic fold). In a minority of filaments, two dimeric folds pack against each other in an anti-parallel fashion. The AppNL-G-F murine Arctic fold differs from the human Arctic folds, but shares some substructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Wenjuan Zhang
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit and Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alexey G Murzin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Melissa Huang
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Dementia Research Institute, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sofia Lövestam
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sew Y Peak-Chew
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Takashi Saito
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Neurocognitive Science, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
| | | | | | - Isabelle Lavenir
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Caroline Graff
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Amit Kumar
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Agneta Nordberg
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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22
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Hoq MR, Bharath SR, Hallinan GI, Fernandez A, Vago FS, Ozcan KA, Li D, Garringer HJ, Vidal R, Ghetti B, Jiang W. Cross-β helical filaments of Tau and TMEM106B in Gray and White Matter of Multiple System Tauopathy with presenile Dementia. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.09.523314. [PMID: 36711790 PMCID: PMC9882095 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.09.523314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Background The Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau (MAPT) is one of the proteins that are central to neurodegenerative diseases. The nature of intracellular tau aggregates is determined by the cell types whether neuronal or glial, the participating tau isoforms, and the structure of the amyloid filament. The transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) has recently emerged as another significant player in neurodegeneration and aging. In the central nervous system, the composition of the gray and white matter differs considerably. The gray matter consists of nerve cell bodies, dendrites, unmyelinated axons, synaptic terminals, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes (satellite cells) and microglia. The white matter differs from the gray for the presence of axonal tracts as the only neuronal component and for the absence of nerve cell bodies, dendrites and synaptic terminals. Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies have unveiled the structure of tau and TMEM106B, from the cerebral cortex, in several neurodegenerative diseases; however, whether tau and TMEM106B filaments from the gray and white matter share a common fold requires additional investigation. Methods We isolated tau and TMEM106B from the cerebral cortex and white matter of the frontal lobes of two individuals affected by multiple system tauopathy with presenile dementia (MSTD), a disease caused by the MAPT intron 10 mutation +3. We used immunostaining, biochemical, genetics and cryo-EM methods to characterize tau and TMEM106B. Results We determined that tau filaments in the gray and the white matter of MSTD individuals can induce tau aggregation and have identical AGD type 2 folds. TMEM106B amyloid filaments were also found in the gray and white matter of MSTD; the filament folds were identical in the two anatomical regions. Conclusions Our findings show for the first time that in MSTD two types of amyloid filaments extracted from the gray matter have identical folds to those extracted from the white matter. Whether in this genetic disorder there is a relationship in the pathogenesis of the tau and TMEM106B filaments, remains to be determined. Furthermore, additional studies are needed for other proteins and other neurodegenerative diseases to establish whether filaments extracted from the gray and white matter would have identical folds.
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23
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He X, Man VH, Gao J, Wang J. Investigation of the Structure of Full-Length Tau Proteins with Coarse-Grained and All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:209-217. [PMID: 36563129 PMCID: PMC10236889 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00381] [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] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau proteins not only have many important biological functions but also are associated with several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is still a challenge to identify the atomic structure of full-length tau proteins due to their lengthy and disordered characteristics and the factor that there are no crystal structures of full-length tau proteins available. We performed multi- and large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of the full-length tau monomer (the 2N4R isoform and 441 residues) in aqueous solution under biological conditions with coarse-grained and all-atom force fields. The obtained atomic structures produced radii of gyration and chemical shifts that are in excellent agreement with those of experiment. The generated monomer structure ensemble would be very useful for further studying the oligomerization mechanism and discovering tau oligomerization inhibitors, which are important events in AD drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xibing He
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Viet Hoang Man
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Jie Gao
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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24
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Heterotypic electrostatic interactions control complex phase separation of tau and prion into multiphasic condensates and co-aggregates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216338120. [PMID: 36595668 PMCID: PMC9986828 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216338120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates formed via phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids are thought to perform a wide range of critical cellular functions by maintaining spatiotemporal regulation and organizing intracellular biochemistry. However, aberrant phase transitions are implicated in a multitude of human diseases. Here, we demonstrate that two neuronal proteins, namely tau and prion, undergo complex coacervation driven by domain-specific electrostatic interactions to yield highly dynamic, mesoscopic liquid-like droplets. The acidic N-terminal segment of tau interacts electrostatically with the polybasic N-terminal intrinsically disordered segment of the prion protein (PrP). We employed a unique combination of time-resolved tools that encompass several orders of magnitude of timescales ranging from nanoseconds to seconds. These studies unveil an intriguing symphony of molecular events associated with the formation of heterotypic condensates comprising ephemeral, domain-specific, short-range electrostatic nanoclusters. Our results reveal that these heterotypic condensates can be tuned by RNA in a stoichiometry-dependent manner resulting in reversible, multiphasic, immiscible, and ternary condensates of different morphologies ranging from core-shell to nested droplets. This ternary system exhibits a typical three-regime phase behavior reminiscent of other membraneless organelles including nucleolar condensates. We also show that upon aging, tau:PrP droplets gradually convert into solid-like co-assemblies by sequestration of persistent intermolecular interactions. Our vibrational Raman results in conjunction with atomic force microscopy and multi-color fluorescence imaging reveal the presence of amorphous and amyloid-like co-aggregates upon maturation. Our findings provide mechanistic underpinnings of overlapping neuropathology involving tau and PrP and highlight a broader biological role of complex phase transitions in physiology and disease.
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25
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Nafe R, Arendt CT, Hattingen E. Human prion diseases and the prion protein - what is the current state of knowledge? Transl Neurosci 2023; 14:20220315. [PMID: 37854584 PMCID: PMC10579786 DOI: 10.1515/tnsci-2022-0315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases and the prion protein are only partially understood so far in many aspects. This explains the continued research on this topic, calling for an overview on the current state of knowledge. The main objective of the present review article is to provide a comprehensive up-to-date presentation of all major features of human prion diseases bridging the gap between basic research and clinical aspects. Starting with the prion protein, current insights concerning its physiological functions and the process of pathological conversion will be highlighted. Diagnostic, molecular, and clinical aspects of all human prion diseases will be discussed, including information concerning rare diseases like prion-associated amyloidoses and Huntington disease-like 1, as well as the question about a potential human threat due to the transmission of prions from prion diseases of other species such as chronic wasting disease. Finally, recent attempts to develop future therapeutic strategies will be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhold Nafe
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinics of Johann Wolfgang-Goethe University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christophe T. Arendt
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinics of Johann Wolfgang-Goethe University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Elke Hattingen
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinics of Johann Wolfgang-Goethe University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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26
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Al-Hilaly YK, Hurt C, Rickard JE, Harrington CR, Storey JMD, Wischik CM, Serpell LC, Siemer AB. Solid-state NMR of paired helical filaments formed by the core tau fragment tau(297-391). Front Neurosci 2022; 16:988074. [PMID: 36570831 PMCID: PMC9774000 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.988074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of the tau protein into fibrillar cross-β aggregates is a hallmark of Alzheimer's diseases (AD) and many other neurodegenerative tauopathies. Recently, several core structures of patient-derived tau paired helical filaments (PHFs) have been solved revealing a structural variability that often correlates with a specific tauopathy. To further characterize the dynamics of these fibril cores, to screen for strain-specific small molecules as potential biomarkers and therapeutics, and to develop strain-specific antibodies, recombinant in-vitro models of tau filaments are needed. We recently showed that a 95-residue fragment of tau (from residue 297 to 391), termed dGAE, forms filaments in vitro in the absence of polyanionic co-factors often used for in vitro aggregation of full-length tau. Tau(297-391) was identified as the proteolytic resistant core of tau PHFs and overlaps with the structures characterized by cryo-electron microscopy in ex vivo PHFs, making it a promising model for the study of AD tau filaments in vitro. In the present study, we used solid-state NMR to characterize tau(297-391) filaments and show that such filaments assembled under non-reducing conditions are more dynamic and less ordered than those made in the presence of the reducing agent DTT. We further report the resonance assignment of tau(297-391)+DTT filaments and compare it to existing core structures of tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youssra K. Al-Hilaly
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, United Kingdom
- Chemistry Department, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Connor Hurt
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Janet E. Rickard
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Charles R. Harrington
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - John M. D. Storey
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Claude M. Wischik
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Louise C. Serpell
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, United Kingdom
| | - Ansgar B. Siemer
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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27
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Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease with F198S Mutation Induces Independent Tau and Prion Protein Pathologies in Bank Voles. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12101537. [PMID: 36291746 PMCID: PMC9599806 DOI: 10.3390/biom12101537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker disease (GSS) is a rare genetic prion disease. A large GSS kindred linked to the serine-for-phenylalanine substitution at codon 198 of the prion protein gene (GSS-F198S) is characterized by conspicuous accumulation of prion protein (PrP)-amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, we demonstrated the transmissibility of GSS-F198S prions to bank vole carrying isoleucine at 109 PrP codon (BvI). Here we investigated: (i) the transmissibility of GSS-F198S prions to voles carrying methionine at codon 109 (BvM); (ii) the induction of hyperphosphorylated Tau (pTau) in two vole lines, and (iii) compared the phenotype of GSS-F198S-induced pTau with pTau induced in BvM following intracerebral inoculation of a familial Alzheimer’s disease case carrying Presenilin 1 mutation (fAD-PS1). We did not detect prion transmission to BvM, despite the high susceptibility of BvI previously observed. Immunohistochemistry established the presence of induced pTau depositions in vole brains that were not affected by prions. Furthermore, the phenotype of pTau deposits in vole brains was similar in GSS-F198S and fAD-PS1. Overall, results suggest that, regardless of the cause of pTau deposition and its relationship with PrPSc in GSS-F198S human-affected brains, the two components possess their own seeding properties, and that pTau deposition is similarly induced by GSS-F198S and fAD-PS1.
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28
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Hallinan GI, Ozcan KA, Hoq MR, Cracco L, Vago FS, Bharath SR, Li D, Jacobsen M, Doud EH, Mosley AL, Fernandez A, Garringer HJ, Jiang W, Ghetti B, Vidal R. Cryo-EM structures of prion protein filaments from Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 144:509-520. [PMID: 35819518 PMCID: PMC9381446 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02461-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Prion protein (PrP) aggregation and formation of PrP amyloid (APrP) are central events in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. In the dominantly inherited prion protein amyloidosis known as Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease, plaques made of PrP amyloid are present throughout the brain. The c.593t > c mutation in the prion protein gene (PRNP) results in a phenylalanine to serine amino acid substitution at PrP residue 198 (F198S) and causes the most severe amyloidosis among GSS variants. It has been shown that neurodegeneration in this disease is associated with the presence of extracellular APrP plaques and neuronal intracytoplasmic Tau inclusions, that have been shown to contain paired helical filaments identical to those found in Alzheimer disease. Using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we determined for the first time the structures of filaments of human APrP, isolated post-mortem from the brain of two symptomatic PRNP F198S mutation carriers. We report that in GSS (F198S) APrP filaments are composed of dimeric, trimeric and tetrameric left-handed protofilaments with their protomers sharing a common protein fold. The protomers in the cross-β spines consist of 62 amino acids and span from glycine 80 to phenylalanine 141, adopting a previously unseen spiral fold with a thicker outer layer and a thinner inner layer. Each protomer comprises nine short β-strands, with the β1 and β8 strands, as well as the β4 and β9 strands, forming a steric zipper. The data obtained by cryo-EM provide insights into the structural complexity of the PrP filament in a dominantly inherited human PrP amyloidosis. The novel findings highlight the urgency of extending our knowledge of the filaments' structures that may underlie distinct clinical and pathologic phenotypes of human neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace I. Hallinan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Kadir A. Ozcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Md Rejaul Hoq
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Laura Cracco
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Frank S. Vago
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 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
| | - Max Jacobsen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Emma H. Doud
- Center for Proteome Analysis and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Amber L. Mosley
- Center for Proteome Analysis and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Anllely Fernandez
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Holly J. Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Wen Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
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29
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Rabin JS, Nichols E, La Joie R, Casaletto KB, Palta P, Dams-O’Connor K, Kumar RG, George KM, Satizabal CL, Schneider JA, Pa J, Brickman AM. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy interacts with neuritic amyloid plaques to promote tau and cognitive decline. Brain 2022; 145:2823-2833. [PMID: 35759327 PMCID: PMC9420012 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating data suggest that cerebrovascular disease contributes to Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology and progression toward dementia. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a form of cerebrovascular pathology that results from the build-up of β-amyloid in the vessel walls. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy commonly co-occurs with Alzheimer's disease pathology in the ageing brain and increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease dementia. In the present study, we examined whether cerebral amyloid angiopathy influences tau deposition and cognitive decline independently or synergistically with parenchymal β-amyloid burden. Secondly, we examined whether tau burden mediates the association between cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive decline. We included data from autopsied subjects recruited from one of three longitudinal clinical-pathological cohort studies: the Rush Memory and Aging Project, the Religious Orders Study and the Minority Aging Research Study. Participants completed annual clinical and cognitive evaluations and underwent brain autopsy. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy pathology was rated as none, mild, moderate or severe. Bielschowsky silver stain was used to visualize neuritic β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. We used linear regression and linear mixed models to test independent versus interactive associations of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and neuritic plaque burden with tau burden and longitudinal cognitive decline, respectively. We used causal mediation models to examine whether tau mediates the association between cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive decline. The study sample included 1722 autopsied subjects (age at baseline = 80.2 ± 7.1 years; age at death = 89.5 ± 6.7 years; 68% females). Cerebral amyloid angiopathy interacted with neuritic plaques to accelerate tau burden and cognitive decline. Specifically, those with more severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy pathology and higher levels of neuritic plaque burden had greater tau burden and faster cognitive decline. We also found that tau mediated the association between cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive decline among participants with higher neuritic plaque burden. In summary, more severe levels of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and higher parenchymal β-amyloid burden interacted to promote cognitive decline indirectly via tau deposition. These results highlight the dynamic interplay between cerebral amyloid angiopathy and Alzheimer's disease pathology in accelerating progression toward dementia. These findings have implications for Alzheimer's disease clinical trials and therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Rabin
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences
Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M4N 3M5
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program,
Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada M4N 3M5
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Canada M5G 1V7
| | - Emma Nichols
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for
Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco,
CA, USA 94158
| | - Kaitlin B Casaletto
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for
Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco,
CA, USA 94158
| | - Priya Palta
- Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving
Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kristen Dams-O’Connor
- Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA 10029
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai, New York, NY, USA 10029
| | - Raj G Kumar
- Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA 10029
| | - Kristen M George
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis School
of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Claudia L Satizabal
- Department of Population Health Science and Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s
and Neurodegenerative Diseases, UT Health San Antonio, San
Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of
Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julie A Schneider
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical
Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Judy Pa
- Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Department of
Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
| | - Adam M Brickman
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain,
Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia
University, New York, NY, USA 10032
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30
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Sirkis DW, Bonham LW, Johnson TP, La Joie R, Yokoyama JS. Dissecting the clinical heterogeneity of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2674-2688. [PMID: 35393555 PMCID: PMC9156414 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01531-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) is a rare but particularly devastating form of AD. Though notable for its high degree of clinical heterogeneity, EOAD is defined by the same neuropathological hallmarks underlying the more common, late-onset form of AD. In this review, we describe the various clinical syndromes associated with EOAD, including the typical amnestic phenotype as well as atypical variants affecting visuospatial, language, executive, behavioral, and motor functions. We go on to highlight advances in fluid biomarker research and describe how molecular, structural, and functional neuroimaging can be used not only to improve EOAD diagnostic acumen but also enhance our understanding of fundamental pathobiological changes occurring years (and even decades) before the onset of symptoms. In addition, we discuss genetic variation underlying EOAD, including pathogenic variants responsible for the well-known mendelian forms of EOAD as well as variants that may increase risk for the much more common forms of EOAD that are either considered to be sporadic or lack a clear autosomal-dominant inheritance pattern. Intriguingly, specific pathogenic variants in PRNP and MAPT-genes which are more commonly associated with other neurodegenerative diseases-may provide unexpectedly important insights into the formation of AD tau pathology. Genetic analysis of the atypical clinical syndromes associated with EOAD will continue to be challenging given their rarity, but integration of fluid biomarker data, multimodal imaging, and various 'omics techniques and their application to the study of large, multicenter cohorts will enable future discoveries of fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of EOAD and its varied clinical presentations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Sirkis
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Luke W Bonham
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Taylor P Johnson
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Jennifer S Yokoyama
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
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31
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Tarutani A, Adachi T, Akatsu H, Hashizume Y, Hasegawa K, Saito Y, Robinson AC, Mann DMA, Yoshida M, Murayama S, Hasegawa M. Ultrastructural and biochemical classification of pathogenic tau, α-synuclein and TDP-43. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 143:613-640. [PMID: 35513543 PMCID: PMC9107452 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02426-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular accumulation of abnormal proteins with conformational changes is the defining neuropathological feature of neurodegenerative diseases. The pathogenic proteins that accumulate in patients' brains adopt an amyloid-like fibrous structure and exhibit various ultrastructural features. The biochemical analysis of pathogenic proteins in sarkosyl-insoluble fractions extracted from patients' brains also shows disease-specific features. Intriguingly, these ultrastructural and biochemical features are common within the same disease group. These differences among the pathogenic proteins extracted from patients' brains have important implications for definitive diagnosis of the disease, and also suggest the existence of pathogenic protein strains that contribute to the heterogeneity of pathogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent experimental evidence has shown that prion-like propagation of these pathogenic proteins from host cells to recipient cells underlies the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The reproduction of the pathological features that characterize each disease in cellular and animal models of prion-like propagation also implies that the structural differences in the pathogenic proteins are inherited in a prion-like manner. In this review, we summarize the ultrastructural and biochemical features of pathogenic proteins extracted from the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases that accumulate abnormal forms of tau, α-synuclein, and TDP-43, and we discuss how these disease-specific properties are maintained in the brain, based on recent experimental insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Airi Tarutani
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8506, Japan
| | - Tadashi Adachi
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan
| | - Hiroyasu Akatsu
- Department of Neuropathology, Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Aichi, 441-8124, Japan
- Department of Community-Based Medical Education, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Yoshio Hashizume
- Department of Neuropathology, Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Aichi, 441-8124, Japan
| | - Kazuko Hasegawa
- Division of Neurology, National Hospital Organization, Sagamihara National Hospital, Kanagawa, 252-0392, Japan
| | - Yuko Saito
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, 187-8551, Japan
| | - Andrew C Robinson
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Salford Royal Hospital, The University of Manchester, Salford, M6 8HD, UK
| | - David M A Mann
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Salford Royal Hospital, The University of Manchester, Salford, M6 8HD, UK
| | - Mari Yoshida
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan
| | - Shigeo Murayama
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan
- Brain Bank for Neurodevelopmental, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8506, Japan.
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32
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Kametani F, Hasegawa M. Structures of tau and α-synuclein filaments from brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Neurochem Int 2022; 158:105362. [PMID: 35659527 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2022.105362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular accumulations and aggregates of abnormal protein, consisting of amyloid-like fibrils, are common neuropathological features of many neurodegenerative diseases. The distributions and spreading of these pathological proteins are closely correlated with clinical symptoms and progression. Recent evidence supports the idea that template-mediated amplification of amyloid-like fibrils and intracellular propagation of fibril seeds are the main mechanisms by which pathological features spread along the neural circuits in the brain. Here, we review recent developments in the structural analysis of amyloid-like fibrils from brains of patients with various types of tauopathy and alpha-synucleinopathy, focusing on cryo-electron microscopy and mass analysis, and we discuss their relevance to the mechanisms of template-mediated amplification and intracellular propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyuki Kametani
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan.
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan
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Abstract
Biological structures with helical symmetries of distinct twist, rise, and axial symmetry are abundant and span a wide range of organisms and functions. Performing de novo helical indexing remains challenging because of the steep learning curve involved in Fourier space layer lines. The unknown amount of out-of-plane tilt and the existence of multiple conformations of the helices further complicate indexing. In this work, we introduce a real-space indexing method that leverages the prior knowledge of the tilt and in-plane angles of the helical filaments/tubes, robust ab initio 3D reconstruction capabilities in single particle cryo-EM to obtain asymmetric reconstructions, and automatic indexing of helical parameters directly from the asymmetric density maps. We validated this approach using data from multiple helical structures of distinct helical symmetries, diameters, flexibility, data qualities, and heterogeneous states. The fully automated tool we introduce for real space indexing, HI3D, uses the 2D lattice in the autocorrelation of the cylindrical projection of a 3D density map to identify the helical symmetry. HI3D can often successfully determine the helical parameters of a suboptimal 3D density map, including ab initio single particle asymmetric reconstructions and sub-tomogram averages, with intermediate evidence that can also help assess the map quality. Furthermore, this open-source HI3D is usable independently as a Web application that can be accessed free of installation. With these methods, de novo helical indexing will be significantly more accessible to researchers investigating structures of helical filaments/tubes using cryo-EM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Sun
- grid.169077.e0000 0004 1937 2197Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
| | - Brenda Gonzalez
- grid.169077.e0000 0004 1937 2197Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
| | - Wen Jiang
- grid.169077.e0000 0004 1937 2197Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
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34
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Han ZZ, Kang SG, Arce L, Westaway D. Prion-like strain effects in tauopathies. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:179-199. [PMID: 35460367 PMCID: PMC9034081 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that plays crucial roles in physiology and pathophysiology. In the realm of dementia, tau protein misfolding is associated with a wide spectrum of clinicopathologically diverse neurodegenerative diseases, collectively known as tauopathies. As proposed by the tau strain hypothesis, the intrinsic heterogeneity of tauopathies may be explained by the existence of structurally distinct tau conformers, “strains”. Tau strains can differ in their associated clinical features, neuropathological profiles, and biochemical signatures. Although prior research into infectious prion proteins offers valuable lessons for studying how a protein-only pathogen can encompass strain diversity, the underlying mechanism by which tau subtypes are generated remains poorly understood. Here we summarize recent advances in understanding different tau conformers through in vivo and in vitro experimental paradigms, and the implications of heterogeneity of pathological tau species for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuang Zhuang Han
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sang-Gyun Kang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Luis Arce
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada. .,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. .,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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35
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Lutter L, Al-Hilaly YK, Serpell CJ, Tuite MF, Wischik CM, Serpell LC, Xue WF. Structural Identification of Individual Helical Amyloid Filaments by Integration of Cryo-Electron Microscopy-Derived Maps in Comparative Morphometric Atomic Force Microscopy Image Analysis. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167466. [PMID: 35077765 PMCID: PMC9005780 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The presence of amyloid fibrils is a hallmark of more than 50 human disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases and systemic amyloidoses. A key unresolved challenge in understanding the involvement of amyloid in disease is to explain the relationship between individual structural polymorphs of amyloid fibrils, in potentially mixed populations, and the specific pathologies with which they are associated. Although cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy methods have been successfully employed in recent years to determine the structures of amyloid fibrils with high resolution detail, they rely on ensemble averaging of fibril structures in the entire sample or significant subpopulations. Here, we report a method for structural identification of individual fibril structures imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM) by integration of high-resolution maps of amyloid fibrils determined by cryo-EM in comparative AFM image analysis. This approach was demonstrated using the hitherto structurally unresolved amyloid fibrils formed in vitro from a fragment of tau (297-391), termed 'dGAE'. Our approach established unequivocally that dGAE amyloid fibrils bear no structural relationship to heparin-induced tau fibrils formed in vitro. Furthermore, our comparative analysis resulted in the prediction that dGAE fibrils are structurally closely related to the paired helical filaments (PHFs) isolated from Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain tissue characterised by cryo-EM. These results show the utility of individual particle structural analysis using AFM, provide a workflow of how cryo-EM data can be incorporated into AFM image analysis and facilitate an integrated structural analysis of amyloid polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisa Lutter
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, UK. https://twitter.com/LiisaLutter
| | - Youssra K Al-Hilaly
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, BN1 9QG Falmer, Brighton, UK; Chemistry Department, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Christopher J Serpell
- School of Physical Sciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NH Canterbury, UK. https://twitter.com/@SerpellLab
| | - Mick F Tuite
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, UK
| | - Claude M Wischik
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK; TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen, UK
| | - Louise C Serpell
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, BN1 9QG Falmer, Brighton, UK. https://twitter.com/@Serpell1
| | - Wei-Feng Xue
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, UK.
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36
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Chen Z, Ma J, Liu L, Liu S, Zhang J, Chu M, Wang Z, Chan P, Wu L. Alterations of Striatal Subregions in a Prion Protein Gene V180I Mutation Carrier Presented as Frontotemporal Dementia With Parkinsonism. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:830602. [PMID: 35493933 PMCID: PMC9053668 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.830602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To explore the roles of striatal subdivisions in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism (FTDP) in a patient resulting from prion protein gene (PRNP) mutation. Methods This patient received clinical interviews and underwent neuropsychological assessments, genetic testing, [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([18F]-FDG PET)/MRI, and [18F]-dihydrotetrabenazine positron emission tomography ([18F]-DTBZ PET)/CT. Region-of-interest analysis was conducted concerning metabolism, and dopamine transport function between this patient and 12 controls, focusing on the striatum subregions according to the Oxford-GSK-Imanova Striatal Connectivity Atlas. Results A 64-year-old man initially presented with symptoms of motor dysfunction and subsequently behavioral and personality changes. FTDP was initially suspected. Sequence analysis disclosed a valine to isoleucine at codon 180 in PRNP. Compared to controls, this patient had a severe reduction (> 2SD) of standard uptake value ratio (SUVR) in the limbic and executive subregions but relative retention of metabolism in rostral motor and caudal motor subregions using [18F]-FDG PET/MRI, and the SUVR decreased significantly across the striatal in [18F]-DTBZ PET/CT, especially in the rostral motor and caudal motor subregions. Conclusion The alteration of frontal striatal loops may be involved in cognitive impairment in FTDP, and the development of parkinsonism in FTDP may be primarily due to the involvement of the presynaptic nigrostriatal loops in PRNP V180I mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyun Chen
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinghong Ma
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuying Liu
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Min Chu
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Piu Chan
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Liyong Wu
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Beijing, China
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37
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Baggett DW, Nath A. Structure-Activity Relationships of Novel Tau Ligands: Passive Fibril Binders and Active Aggregation Inhibitors. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:701-708. [PMID: 35147406 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are core components of many biological processes and are central players in several pathologies. Despite being important drug targets, attempts to design small-molecule ligands that would help understand and attenuate their behavior are frustrated by the structural diversity exhibited by these flexible proteins. To accommodate the dynamic nature of IDPs, we developed a procedure that efficiently identifies active small-molecule ligands for disordered proteins. By exploring the chemical space around these ligands, we refined their effect on aggregation and identified molecular features critical for activity and affinity. Notably, the discovery of this new family of disordered protein ligands was achieved more quickly and with less expense than conventional high-throughput screening (HTS) or docking alone would have allowed. The resulting ligands include tau aggregation inhibitors as well as at least one compound that binds fibrils potently but does not appear to perturb the extent of kinetics of aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Baggett
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Box 357610, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Abhinav Nath
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Box 357610, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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38
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Kovacs GG, Ghetti B, Goedert M. Classification of Diseases with Accumulation of Tau Protein. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2022; 48:e12792. [PMID: 35064600 PMCID: PMC9352145 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabor G Kovacs
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Laboratory Medicine Program & Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana, USA
| | - Michel Goedert
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
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39
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Cryo-EM structures of τ filaments from human brain. Essays Biochem 2021; 65:949-959. [PMID: 34846514 PMCID: PMC8709893 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20210025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) has made it possible to determine near-atomic structures of τ filaments from human brain. Previous work had shown that the cores of paired helical and straight filaments of Alzheimer's disease are made of two identical, but differently arranged C-shaped protofilaments. In recent years, cryo-EM has shown that the Alzheimer τ fold is 79 amino acids long. Five of the eight β-strands give rise to two antiparallel β-sheets, with the other three forming a β-helix. High-affinity binding sites of positron emission tomography ligand APN-1607 (PM-PBB3) are in the β-helix region. The Alzheimer fold contrasts with the 94 amino acid-long Pick fold, which is J-shaped and comprises nine β-strands that give rise to four antiparallel β-sheets, in the absence of a β-helix. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy τ fold is similar to the Alzheimer fold, but differs in the β-helix region, which is larger and contains a non-proteinaceous density that is probably hydrophobic. These folds are mostly two-layered. By contrast, the 107 amino acid τ fold of the 4R tauopathy corticobasal degeneration is four-layered and comprises 11 β-strands. It contains an internal, probably hydrophilic, density that is surrounded by τ. The τ folds described here share the presence of microtubule-binding repeats 3 and 4, as well as 10-13 amino acids after repeat 4.
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40
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Limorenko G, Lashuel HA. To target Tau pathologies, we must embrace and reconstruct their complexities. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 161:105536. [PMID: 34718129 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of hyperphosphorylated fibrillar Tau aggregates in the brain is one of the defining hallmarks of Tauopathy diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. However, the primary events or molecules responsible for initiation of the pathological Tau aggregation and spreading remain unknown. The discovery of heparin as an effective inducer of Tau aggregation in vitro was instrumental to enabling different lines of research into the role of Tau aggregation in the pathogenesis of Tauopathies. However, recent proteomics and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies have revealed that heparin-induced Tau fibrils generated in vitro do not reproduce the biochemical and ultrastructural properties of disease-associated brain-derived Tau fibrils. These observations demand that we reassess our current approaches for investigating the mechanisms underpinning Tau aggregation and pathology formation. Our review article presents an up-to-date survey and analyses of 1) the evolution of our understanding of the interactions between Tau and heparin, 2) the various structural and mechanistic models of the heparin-induced Tau aggregation, 3) the similarities and differences between brain-derived and heparin-induced Tau fibrils; and 4) emerging concepts on the biochemical and structural determinants underpinning Tau pathological heterogeneity in Tauopathies. Our analyses identify specific knowledge gaps and call for 1) embracing the complexities of Tau pathologies; 2) reassessment of current approaches to investigate, model and reproduce pathological Tau aggregation as it occurs in the brain; 3) more research towards a better understanding of the naturally-occurring cofactor molecules that are associated with Tau brain pathology initiation and propagation; and 4) developing improved approaches for in vitro production of the Tau aggregates and fibrils that recapitulate and/or amplify the biochemical and structural complexity and diversity of pathological Tau in Tauopathies. This will result in better and more relevant tools, assays, and mechanistic models, which could significantly improve translational research and the development of drugs and antibodies that have higher chances for success in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina Limorenko
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hilal A Lashuel
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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41
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Do Carmo S, Spillantini MG, Cuello AC. Editorial: Tau Pathology in Neurological Disorders. Front Neurol 2021; 12:754669. [PMID: 34630315 PMCID: PMC8497747 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.754669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Do Carmo
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Maria Grazia Spillantini
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Clifford Allbutt Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - A Claudio Cuello
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
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42
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Shi Y, Zhang W, Yang Y, Murzin AG, Falcon B, Kotecha A, van Beers M, Tarutani A, Kametani F, Garringer HJ, Vidal R, Hallinan GI, Lashley T, Saito Y, Murayama S, Yoshida M, Tanaka H, Kakita A, Ikeuchi T, Robinson AC, Mann DMA, Kovacs GG, Revesz T, Ghetti B, Hasegawa M, Goedert M, Scheres SHW. Structure-based classification of tauopathies. Nature 2021; 598:359-363. [PMID: 34588692 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03911-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 410] [Impact Index Per Article: 136.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The ordered assembly of tau protein into filaments characterizes several neurodegenerative diseases, which are called tauopathies. It was previously reported that, by cryo-electron microscopy, the structures of tau filaments from Alzheimer's disease1,2, Pick's disease3, chronic traumatic encephalopathy4 and corticobasal degeneration5 are distinct. Here we show that the structures of tau filaments from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) define a new three-layered fold. Moreover, the structures of tau filaments from globular glial tauopathy are similar to those from PSP. The tau filament fold of argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) differs, instead resembling the four-layered fold of corticobasal degeneration. The AGD fold is also observed in ageing-related tau astrogliopathy. Tau protofilament structures from inherited cases of mutations at positions +3 or +16 in intron 10 of MAPT (the microtubule-associated protein tau gene) are also identical to those from AGD, suggesting that relative overproduction of four-repeat tau can give rise to the AGD fold. Finally, the structures of tau filaments from cases of familial British dementia and familial Danish dementia are the same as those from cases of Alzheimer's disease and primary age-related tauopathy. These findings suggest a hierarchical classification of tauopathies on the basis of their filament folds, which complements clinical diagnosis and neuropathology and also allows the identification of new entities-as we show for a case diagnosed as PSP, but with filament structures that are intermediate between those of globular glial tauopathy and PSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Shi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Yang Yang
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Abhay Kotecha
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | | | - Airi Tarutani
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fuyuki Kametani
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Holly J Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Grace I Hallinan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Tammaryn Lashley
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Yuko Saito
- Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeo Murayama
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, University of Osaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mari Yoshida
- Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Hidetomo Tanaka
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Akiyoshi Kakita
- Department of Pathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ikeuchi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Andrew C Robinson
- Clinical Sciences Building, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - David M A Mann
- Clinical Sciences Building, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tamas Revesz
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
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