1
|
Farzam F, Dabirmanesh B. Experimental techniques for detecting and evaluating the amyloid fibrils. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 206:183-227. [PMID: 38811081 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2024.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils are insoluble proteins with intricate β-sheet structures associated with various human diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and prion diseases. Proteins can form aggregates when their structure is misfolded, resulting in highly organized amyloid fibrils or amorphous aggregates. The formation of protein aggregates is a promising research field for mitigating diseases and the pharmaceutical and food industries. It is important to monitor and minimize the appearance of aggregates in these protein products. Several methods exist to assess protein aggregation, that includes from basic investigations to advanced biophysical techniques. Physicochemical parameters such as molecular weight, conformation, structure, and dimension are examined to study aggregation. There is an urgent need to develop methods for the detection of protein aggregation and amyloid fibril formation both in vitro and in vivo. This chapter focuses on a comprehensive discussion of the methods used to characterize and evaluate aggregates and amyloid fibrils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farnoosh Farzam
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahareh Dabirmanesh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hall D. Biophysical Reviews' "Meet the Editors Series": a profile of Damien Hall. Biophys Rev 2023; 15:1883-1896. [PMID: 38192343 PMCID: PMC10771549 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01176-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
This piece introduces Damien Hall, Chief Editor of the Biophysical Reviews journal since 2019. Currently working as an Assistant Professor at Kanazawa University, the author describes his association with the journal along with some parts of his family history and academic journey.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Hall
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University, Kakumamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1164 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
A fortunate period of overlap with Prof. Haruki Nakamura. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:1239-1245. [PMID: 36589736 PMCID: PMC9786412 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-022-01033-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The author recounts a period of overlap with Prof. Haruki Nakamura that stretched from 2007 till the present day. Starting as a short-term research fellow in his laboratory, the author has also been a coauthor, academic colleague, and joint journal editorial board member of Prof. Nakamura.
Collapse
|
4
|
Synthesis and study of macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides for investigating amyloid oligomers. Methods Enzymol 2021; 656:123-168. [PMID: 34325785 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Chemically constrained peptides that self-assemble can be used to better understand the molecular basis of amyloid diseases. The formation of small assemblies of the amyloidogenic peptides and proteins, termed oligomers, is central to amyloid diseases. The use of chemical model systems can help provide insights into the structures and interactions of amyloid oligomers, which are otherwise difficult to study. This chapter describes the use of macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides as model systems to study amyloid oligomers. The first part of the chapter describes the chemical synthesis of the macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides and covalent assemblies thereof. The second part of the chapter describes the characterization of the oligomers formed by the macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides, focusing on SDS-PAGE, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and X-ray crystallography. The procedures provided focus on the β-amyloid peptide, but these strategies are applicable to a broad range of amyloid-derived peptides and proteins.
Collapse
|
5
|
Hall D. A simple method for modeling amyloid kinetics featuring position biased fiber breakage. Biophys Physicobiol 2020; 17:30-35. [PMID: 33110736 PMCID: PMC7550252 DOI: 10.2142/biophysico.bsj-2020003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
A mathematical model of amyloid fiber formation is described that is able to simply specify different rates of fiber breakage at internal versus end regions. This Note presents the derivation of the relevant equations and provides results showing the dramatic effects of position biased fiber breakage on the kinetics of amyloid growth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Hall
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-0830, USA.,Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,Present address: International Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8555, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hirota N, Edskes H, Hall D. Unified theoretical description of the kinetics of protein aggregation. Biophys Rev 2019; 11:191-208. [PMID: 30888575 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-019-00506-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Solution conditions chosen for the production of amyloid can also promote formation of significant extents of amorphous protein aggregate. In one interpretation, the amyloid and amorphous aggregation pathways are considered to be in competition with each other. An alternative conceptualization involves considering amorphous aggregation as an obligatory intermediate process of the amyloid formation pathway. Here, we review recently developed macroscopic-level theories of protein aggregation that unify these two competing models into a single paradigm. Key features of the unified model included (1) a description of the amorphous aggregate as a second liquid phase with the degree of liquid-like character determined by the mobility of the monomer within it, and (2) heterogeneous growth pathways based on nucleation, growth, and fragmentation of amyloid occurring within different phases and at their interfacial boundary. Limiting-case behaviors of the protein aggregation reaction, either singly involving amyloid or amorphous aggregate production, and mixed-case behaviors, involving competitive and/or facilitated growth of amorphous and amyloid species, are presented and reviewed in context. This review principally describes an approach developed by Hirota and Hall 2019 (Hirota, N. and Hall, D. 2019. Protein Aggregation Kinetics: A Unified Theoretical Description. Chapter 7 of 'Protein Solubility and Amorphous Aggregation: From Academic Research to Applications in Drug Discovery and Bioindustry' edited by Y. Kuroda and F. Arisaka. CMC Publishers). Sections of that work are translated from the original Japanese and republished here with the full permission of CMC Publishing Corporation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nami Hirota
- Do International Trading House, Koshienguchi-1-chome, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 6113, Japan
| | - Herman Edskes
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, NIDDK, NIH, Bld 8, Bethesda, MD, 20892-0830, USA
| | - Damien Hall
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ionic liquids and protein folding-old tricks for new solvents. Biophys Rev 2019; 11:209-225. [PMID: 30888574 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-019-00509-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
One important aspect of the green chemistry revolution has been the use of ionic liquids as the solvent in liquid-phase enzymatic catalysis. An essential requirement for protein enzyme function is the correct folding of the polypeptide chain into its functional "native" state. Quantitative assessment of protein structure may be carried out either empirically, or by using model-based characterization procedures, in which the parameters are defined in terms of a standard reference state. In this short note, we briefly outline the nature of the parameters associated with different empirical and model-based characterization procedures and point out factors which affect their interpretation when using a base solvent different from water. This review principally describes arguments developed by Wakayama et al., Protein Solubility and Amorphous Aggregation: From Academic Research to Applications in Drug Discovery and Bioindustry, 2019, edited by Y. Kuroda and F. Arisaka; CMC Publishing House. Sections of that work are translated from the original Japanese and republished here with the full permission of CMC Publishing Corporation.
Collapse
|
8
|
A composite polynomial approach for analyzing the indefinite self-association of macromolecules studied by sedimentation equilibrium. Biophys Chem 2017. [PMID: 28628895 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A different approach is described for analyzing sedimentation equilibrium experiments of indefinitely self-associating systems. The procedure involves application of conservation of mass criteria, along with local evaluation of the weight average molar mass, to generate a polynomial based on a composite pseudo-independent variable. The outlined method does not depend upon non-linear regression to generate a solution, but instead requires evaluation of the roots of a high-order polynomial.
Collapse
|
9
|
Zhao R, So M, Maat H, Ray NJ, Arisaka F, Goto Y, Carver JA, Hall D. Measurement of amyloid formation by turbidity assay-seeing through the cloud. Biophys Rev 2016; 8:445-471. [PMID: 28003859 PMCID: PMC5135725 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-016-0233-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Detection of amyloid growth is commonly carried out by measurement of solution turbidity, a low-cost assay procedure based on the intrinsic light scattering properties of the protein aggregate. Here, we review the biophysical chemistry associated with the turbidimetric assay methodology, exploring the reviewed literature using a series of pedagogical kinetic simulations. In turn, these simulations are used to interrogate the literature concerned with in vitro drug screening and the assessment of amyloid aggregation mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ran Zhao
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Masatomo So
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hendrik Maat
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Nicholas J Ray
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Fumio Arisaka
- College of Bio-resource Sciences, Nihon University, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8275, Japan
| | - Yuji Goto
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - John A Carver
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Damien Hall
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT, 2601, Australia. .,Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Real-time monitoring of amyloid growth in a rigid gel matrix. Anal Biochem 2016; 511:13-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2016.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
11
|
Hall D, Zhao R, So M, Adachi M, Rivas G, Carver JA, Goto Y. Recognizing and analyzing variability in amyloid formation kinetics: Simulation and statistical methods. Anal Biochem 2016; 510:56-71. [PMID: 27430932 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
We examine the phenomenon of variability in the kinetics of amyloid formation and detail methods for its simulation, identification and analysis. Simulated data, reflecting intrinsic variability, were produced using rate constants, randomly sampled from a pre-defined distribution, as parameters in an irreversible nucleation-growth kinetic model. Simulated kinetic traces were reduced in complexity through description in terms of three characteristic parameters. Practical methods for assessing convergence of the reduced parameter distributions were introduced and a bootstrap procedure was applied to determine convergence for different levels of intrinsic variation. Statistical methods for assessing the significance of shifts in parameter distributions, relating to either change in parameter mean or distribution shape, were tested. Robust methods for analyzing and interpreting kinetic data possessing significant intrinsic variance will allow greater scrutiny of the effects of anti-amyloid compounds in drug trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Hall
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT 2601, Australia; Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 Japan.
| | - Ran Zhao
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Masatomo So
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Masayuki Adachi
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Germán Rivas
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - John A Carver
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Yuji Goto
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-1- Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Protein aggregate turbidity: Simulation of turbidity profiles for mixed-aggregation reactions. Anal Biochem 2016; 498:78-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2015.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2015] [Revised: 11/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
13
|
So M, Hall D, Goto Y. Revisiting supersaturation as a factor determining amyloid fibrillation. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2016; 36:32-9. [PMID: 26774801 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2015.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils involved in various diseases are formed by a nucleation-growth mechanism, similar to the crystallization of solutes from solution. Solubility and supersaturation are two of the most important factors determining crystallization of solutes. Moreover, crystallization competes with glass formation in which solutes collapse into amorphous aggregates. Recent studies on the formation of amyloid fibrils and amorphous aggregates indicate that the partition between distinct types of aggregates can be rationally explained by a kinetic and thermodynamic competition between them. Understanding the role of supersaturation in determining aggregation-based phase transitions of denatured proteins provides an important complementary point of view to structural studies of protein aggregates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masatomo So
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Yamadaoka 3-2, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Damien Hall
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Yamadaoka 3-2, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Yuji Goto
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Yamadaoka 3-2, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Wang X, Tang M, Wang Y. Equilibrium Distribution of Semiflexible Polymer Chains between a Macroscopic Dilute Solution Phase and Small Voids of Cylindrical Shape. MACROMOL THEOR SIMUL 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/mats.201500029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Wang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering; College of chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Soochow University; 199 Ren-ai Road Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
| | - Meng Tang
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering; Soochow University; 1 Shi-zi Street Suzhou 215006 P. R. China
| | - Yanwei Wang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering; College of chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Soochow University; 199 Ren-ai Road Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Native metastable prefibrillar oligomers are the most neurotoxic species among amyloid aggregates. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2014; 1842:1622-9. [PMID: 24932517 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Revised: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Many proteins belonging to the amyloid family share the tendency to misfold and aggregate following common steps, and display similar neurotoxicity. In the aggregation pathway different kinds of species are formed, including several types of oligomers and eventually mature fibers. It is now suggested that the pathogenic aggregates are not the mature fibrils, but the intermediate, soluble oligomers. Many kinds of aggregates have been described to exist in a metastable state and in equilibrium with monomers. Up to now it is not clear whether a specific structure is at the basis of the neurotoxicity. Here we characterized, starting from the early aggregation stages, the oligomer populations formed by an amyloid protein, salmon calcitonin (sCT), chosen due to its very slow aggregation rate. To prepare different oligomer populations and characterize them by means of photoinduced cross-linking SDS-PAGE, Energy Filtered-Transmission Electron Microscopy (EF-TEM) and Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, we used Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC), a technique that does not influence the aggregation process leaving the protein in the native state. Taking advantage of sCT low aggregation rate, we characterized the neurotoxic potential of the SEC-separated, non-crosslinked fractions in cultured primary hippocampal neurons, analyzing intracellular Ca(2+) influx and apoptotic trend. We provide evidence that native, globular, metastable, prefibrillar oligomers (dimers, trimers and tetramers) were the toxic species and that low concentrations of these aggregates in the population was sufficient to render the sample neurotoxic. Monomers and other kind of aggregates, such as annular or linear protofibers and mature fibers, were totally biologically inactive.
Collapse
|
16
|
Ponterini G. Fluorescence Observables and Enzyme Kinetics in the Investigation of PPI Modulation by Small Molecules: Detection, Mechanistic Insight, and Functional Consequences. DISRUPTION OF PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERFACES 2013. [PMCID: PMC7123529 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-37999-4_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The potential of fluorescence-based methods and kinetic analysis in the screening and molecular-scale mechanistic investigation of PPI modulation by small molecules is discussed through several representative examples collected and commented. These experimental approaches take advantage of a variety of observables. Changes in the protein aggregation pattern have been monitored through fluorescence properties such as spectra, intensities (related to quantum yields), time-decays, and anisotropies of intrinsic protein fluorophores, of extrinsic fluorescent tags and, even, of the same small molecules added to modulate PPIs, as well as through bimolecular excited-state processes such as static and collisional quenching, including electron and excitation-energy transfer, or exciton interaction, whose efficiencies are crucially structure dependent. Besides allowing for qualitative and quantitative information on the small-molecule induced PPI modulation, these approaches can take advantage from the sensitivity of fluorescence observables on fine structural details to shed light on the molecular-scale mechanisms of action and their functional consequences. Direct investigation of the latter by kinetic inhibition analysis represents a useful change in perspective whenever PPI are relevant for enzyme activity. Dissociative inhibition, that is, the ability of some small molecules to inhibit enzymes by disrupting their active oligomeric assembly is shortly reviewed.
Collapse
|
17
|
Abstract
In this chapter we provided the overall background to the subject of protein aggregation and fibrillogenesis in amyloidogenesis, with introduction and brief discussion of the various topics that are included with the coming chapters. The division of the book into basic science and clinical science sections enables correlation of the topics to be made. The many proteins and peptides that have currently been found to undergo fibrillogenesis are tabulated. A broad technical survey is made, to indicate the vast array of techniques currently available to study aspects of protein oligomerization, aggregation and fibrillogenesis. These are split into three groups and tabulated, as the microscopical techniques, the analytical and biophysical methods, and the biochemical and cellular techniques. A few techniques are discussed, but in most cases only a link to relevant recent literature is provided.
Collapse
|