1
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Tang Y, Zhang Y, Zhang D, Liu Y, Nussinov R, Zheng J. Exploring pathological link between antimicrobial and amyloid peptides. Chem Soc Rev 2024. [PMID: 39041297 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00878a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid peptides (AMYs) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered as the two distinct families of peptides, characterized by their unique sequences, structures, biological functions, and specific pathological targets. However, accumulating evidence has revealed intriguing pathological connections between these peptide families in the context of microbial infection and neurodegenerative diseases. Some AMYs and AMPs share certain structural and functional characteristics, including the ability to self-assemble, the presence of β-sheet-rich structures, and membrane-disrupting mechanisms. These shared features enable AMYs to possess antimicrobial activity and AMPs to acquire amyloidogenic properties. Despite limited studies on AMYs-AMPs systems, the cross-seeding phenomenon between AMYs and AMPs has emerged as a crucial factor in the bidirectional communication between the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and host defense against microbial infections. In this review, we examine recent developments in the potential interplay between AMYs and AMPs, as well as their pathological implications for both infectious and neurodegenerative diseases. By discussing the current progress and challenges in this emerging field, this account aims to inspire further research and investments to enhance our understanding of the intricate molecular crosstalk between AMYs and AMPs. This knowledge holds great promise for the development of innovative therapies to combat both microbial infections and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijing Tang
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Ohio 44325, USA.
| | - Yanxian Zhang
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Dong Zhang
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Yonglan Liu
- Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Ohio 44325, USA.
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2
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Weaver DF. Endogenous Antimicrobial-Immunomodulatory Molecules: Networking Biomolecules of Innate Immunity. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202400089. [PMID: 38658319 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Endogenous antimicrobial-immunomodulatory molecules (EAIMs) are essential to immune-mediated human health and evolution. Conventionally, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been regarded as the dominant endogenous antimicrobial molecule; however, AMPs are not sufficient to account for the full spectrum of antimicrobial-immunomodulatory duality occurring within the human body. The threat posed by pathogenic microbes is pervasive with the capacity for widespread impact across many organ systems and multiple biochemical pathways; accordingly, the host needs the capacity to react with an equally diverse response. This can be attained by having EAIMs that traverse the full range of molecular size (small to large molecules) and structural diversity (including molecules other than peptides). This review identifies multiple molecules (peptide/protein, lipid, carbohydrate, nucleic acid, small organic molecule, and metallic cation) as EAIMs and discusses the possibility of cooperative, additive effects amongst the various EAIM classes during the host response to a microbial assault. This comprehensive consideration of the full molecular diversity of EAIMs enables the conclusion that EAIMs constitute a previously uncatalogued structurally diverse and collectively underappreciated immuno-active group of integrated molecular responders within the innate immune system's first line of defence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald F Weaver
- Departments of Chemistry and Medicine, University of Toronto, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, M5Y 0S8, Canada
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3
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An D, Xu Y. Environmental risk factors provoke new thinking for prevention and treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30175. [PMID: 38707435 PMCID: PMC11068646 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30175] [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: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years, environmental factors have received attention in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Other than genetic factors, the identification of environmental factors and modifiable risk factors may create opportunities to delay the onset or slow the progression of Lewy body disease. Researchers have made significant progress in understanding environmental and modifiable risk factors over the past 30 years. To date, despite the increasing number of articles assessing risk factors for Lewy body disease, few reviews have focused on their role in its onset. In this review, we reviewed the literature investigating the relationship between Lewy body disease and several environmental and other modifiable factors. We found that some air pollutants, exposure to some metals, and infection with some microorganisms may increase the risk of Lewy body disease. Coffee intake and the Mediterranean diet are protective factors. However, it is puzzling that low educational levels and smoking may have some protective effects. In addition, we proposed specific protocols for subsequent research directions on risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases and improved methods. By conducting additional case-control studies, we could explore the role of these factors in the etiopathogenesis of Lewy body disease, establishing a foundation for strategies aimed at preventing and reducing the onset and burden of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinghao An
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Xu
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Institute of Translational Medicine for Brain Critical Diseases, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neurology Clinical Medical Center, Nanjing, China
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4
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Balczon R, Lin MT, Voth S, Nelson AR, Schupp JC, Wagener BM, Pittet JF, Stevens T. Lung endothelium, tau, and amyloids in health and disease. Physiol Rev 2024; 104:533-587. [PMID: 37561137 PMCID: PMC11281824 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00006.2023] [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: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung endothelia in the arteries, capillaries, and veins are heterogeneous in structure and function. Lung capillaries in particular represent a unique vascular niche, with a thin yet highly restrictive alveolar-capillary barrier that optimizes gas exchange. Capillary endothelium surveys the blood while simultaneously interpreting cues initiated within the alveolus and communicated via immediately adjacent type I and type II epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and pericytes. This cell-cell communication is necessary to coordinate the immune response to lower respiratory tract infection. Recent discoveries identify an important role for the microtubule-associated protein tau that is expressed in lung capillary endothelia in the host-pathogen interaction. This endothelial tau stabilizes microtubules necessary for barrier integrity, yet infection drives production of cytotoxic tau variants that are released into the airways and circulation, where they contribute to end-organ dysfunction. Similarly, beta-amyloid is produced during infection. Beta-amyloid has antimicrobial activity, but during infection it can acquire cytotoxic activity that is deleterious to the host. The production and function of these cytotoxic tau and amyloid variants are the subject of this review. Lung-derived cytotoxic tau and amyloid variants are a recently discovered mechanism of end-organ dysfunction, including neurocognitive dysfunction, during and in the aftermath of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Balczon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
- Center for Lung Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
| | - Mike T Lin
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
- Center for Lung Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
| | - Sarah Voth
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, Louisiana, United States
| | - Amy R Nelson
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
- Center for Lung Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
| | - Jonas C Schupp
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Hannover, Germany
| | - Brant M Wagener
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
| | - Jean-Francois Pittet
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
| | - Troy Stevens
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
- Center for Lung Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States
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5
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Koukoulis TF, Beauchamp LC, Kaparakis-Liaskos M, McQuade RM, Purnianto A, Finkelstein DI, Barnham KJ, Vella LJ. Do Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles Contribute to Chronic Inflammation in Parkinson's Disease? JOURNAL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE 2024; 14:227-244. [PMID: 38427502 PMCID: PMC10977405 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-230315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is an increasingly common neurodegenerative disease. It has been suggested that the etiology of idiopathic PD is complex and multifactorial involving environmental contributions, such as viral or bacterial infections and microbial dysbiosis, in genetically predisposed individuals. With advances in our understanding of the gut-brain axis, there is increasing evidence that the intestinal microbiota and the mammalian immune system functionally interact. Recent findings suggest that a shift in the gut microbiome to a pro-inflammatory phenotype may play a role in PD onset and progression. While there are links between gut bacteria, inflammation, and PD, the bacterial products involved and how they traverse the gut lumen and distribute systemically to trigger inflammation are ill-defined. Mechanisms emerging in other research fields point to a role for small, inherently stable vesicles released by Gram-negative bacteria, called outer membrane vesicles in disease pathogenesis. These vesicles facilitate communication between bacteria and the host and can shuttle bacterial toxins and virulence factors around the body to elicit an immune response in local and distant organs. In this perspective article, we hypothesize a role for bacterial outer membrane vesicles in PD pathogenesis. We present evidence suggesting that these outer membrane vesicles specifically from Gram-negative bacteria could potentially contribute to PD by traversing the gut lumen to trigger local, systemic, and neuroinflammation. This perspective aims to facilitate a discussion on outer membrane vesicles in PD and encourage research in the area, with the goal of developing strategies for the prevention and treatment of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiana F. Koukoulis
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Leah C. Beauchamp
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brighamand Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria Kaparakis-Liaskos
- Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Rachel M. McQuade
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine, Gut-Axis Injury and Repair Laboratory, Western Centre for Health Research and Education (WCHRE), The University of Melbourne, Sunshine Hospital, St Albans, VIC, Australia
- Australian Institute of Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), Western Centre for Health Research and Education (WCHRE), Sunshine Hospital, St Albans, VIC, Australia
| | - Adityas Purnianto
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - David I. Finkelstein
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Kevin J. Barnham
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Laura J. Vella
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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6
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Cossu D, Hatano T, Hattori N. The Role of Immune Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease Development. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16766. [PMID: 38069088 PMCID: PMC10706591 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has unveiled intriguing insights suggesting that the body's immune system may be implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD) development. Studies have observed disparities in pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers between PD patients and healthy individuals. This finding underscores the potential influence of immune system dysfunction in the genesis of this condition. A dysfunctional immune system can serve as a primary catalyst for systemic inflammation in the body, which may contribute to the emergence of various brain disorders. The identification of several genes associated with PD, as well as their connection to neuroinflammation, raises the likelihood of disease susceptibility. Moreover, advancing age and mitochondrial dysfunction can weaken the immune system, potentially implicating them in the onset of the disease, particularly among older individuals. Compromised integrity of the blood-brain barrier could facilitate the immune system's access to brain tissue. This exposure may lead to encounters with native antigens or infections, potentially triggering an autoimmune response. Furthermore, there is mounting evidence supporting the notion that gut dysbiosis might represent an initial trigger for brain inflammation, ultimately promoting neurodegeneration. In this comprehensive review, we will delve into the numerous hypotheses surrounding the role of both innate and adaptive immunity in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Cossu
- Department of Neurology, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138431, Japan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Taku Hatano
- Department of Neurology, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138431, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Hattori
- Department of Neurology, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138431, Japan
- Neurodegenerative Disorders Collaborative Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 3510918, Japan
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7
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de Fàbregues O, Sellés M, Ramos-Vicente D, Roch G, Vila M, Bové J. Relevance of tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells in the onset of Parkinson's disease and examination of its possible etiologies: infectious or autoimmune? Neurobiol Dis 2023; 187:106308. [PMID: 37741513 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106308] [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: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells are responsible for local immune surveillance in different tissues, including the brain. They constitute the first line of defense against pathogens and cancer cells and play a role in autoimmunity. A recently published study demonstrated that CD8 T cells with markers of residency containing distinct granzymes and interferon-γ infiltrate the parenchyma of the substantia nigra and contact dopaminergic neurons in an early premotor stage of Parkinson's disease. This infiltration precedes α-synuclein aggregation and neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, suggesting a relevant role for CD8 T cells in the onset of the disease. To date, the nature of the antigen that initiates the adaptive immune response remains unknown. This review will discuss the role of tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells in brain immune homeostasis and in the onset of Parkinson's disease and other neurological diseases. We also discuss how aging and genetic factors can affect the CD8 T cell immune response and how animal models can be misleading when studying human-related immune response. Finally, we speculate about a possible infectious or autoimmune origin of Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol de Fàbregues
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital
| | - Maria Sellés
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - David Ramos-Vicente
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Gerard Roch
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Miquel Vila
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jordi Bové
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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8
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Tang Y, Zhang D, Zheng J. Repurposing Antimicrobial Protegrin-1 as a Dual-Function Amyloid Inhibitor via Cross-seeding. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:3143-3155. [PMID: 37589476 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloids and antimicrobial peptides have traditionally been recognized as distinct families with separate biological functions and targets. However, certain amyloids and antimicrobial peptides share structural and functional characteristics that contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, the aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and microbial infections are interconnected pathological factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we propose and demonstrate a novel repurposing strategy for an antimicrobial peptide of protegrin-1 (PG-1), which exhibits the ability to simultaneously prevent Aβ aggregation and microbial infection both in vitro and in vivo. Through a comprehensive analysis using protein, cell, and worm assays, we uncover multiple functions of PG-1 against Aβ, including the following: (i) complete inhibition of Aβ aggregation at a low molar ratio of PG-1/Aβ = 0.25:1, (ii) disassembly of the preformed Aβ fibrils into amorphous aggregates, (iii) reduction of Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells and transgenic GMC101 nematodes, and (iv) preservation of original antimicrobial activity against P.A., E.coli., S.A., and S.E. strains in the presence of Aβ. Mechanistically, the dual anti-amyloid and anti-bacterial functions of PG-1 primarily arise from its strong binding to distinct Aβ seeds (KD = 1.24-1.90 μM) through conformationally similar β-sheet associations. This work introduces a promising strategy to repurpose antimicrobial peptides as amyloid inhibitors, effectively targeting multiple pathological pathways in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijing Tang
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Dong Zhang
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
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9
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Cattabriga G, Giordani G, Gargiulo G, Cavaliere V. Effect of aminergic signaling on the humoral innate immunity response of Drosophila. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1249205. [PMID: 37693001 PMCID: PMC10483126 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1249205] [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: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Biogenic amines are crucial signaling molecules that modulate various physiological life functions both in vertebrates and invertebrates. In humans, these neurotransmitters influence the innate and adaptive immunity systems. In this work, we analyzed whether the aminergic neurotransmission of dopamine, serotonin, and octopamine could have an impact on the humoral innate immune response of Drosophila melanogaster. This is a powerful model system widely used to uncover the insect innate immunity mechanisms which are also conserved in mammals. We found that the neurotransmission of all these amines positively modulates the Toll-responsive antimicrobial peptide (AMP) drosomycin (drs) gene in adult flies infected with the Micrococcus luteus bacterium. Indeed, we showed that either blocking the neurotransmission in their specific aminergic neurons by expressing shibirets (Shits) or silencing the vesicular monoamine transporter gene (dVMAT) by RNAi caused a significantly reduced expression of the Toll-responsive drs gene. However, upon M. luteus infection, the block of aminergic transmission did not alter the expression of AMP attacin genes responding to the immune deficiency (Imd) and Toll pathways. Overall, our results not only reveal a neuroimmune function for biogenic amines in humoral immunity but also further highlight the complexity of the network controlling AMP gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cattabriga
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giorgia Giordani
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gargiulo
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valeria Cavaliere
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology (BAT Center), University of Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
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10
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D Magalhães J, Candeias E, Melo-Marques I, Silva DF, Esteves AR, Empadinhas N, Cardoso SM. Intestinal infection triggers mitochondria-mediated α-synuclein pathology: relevance to Parkinson's disease. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:166. [PMID: 37249642 PMCID: PMC11072242 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04819-3] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. In the prodromal phase several autonomic symptoms including orthostatic hypotension and constipation are correlated with increased α-synuclein pathology in peripheral tissues. It is currently accepted that some idiopathic PD cases may start in the gut (body-first PD) with accumulation of pathological α-synuclein in enteric neurons that may subsequently propagate caudo-rostrally to the central nervous system. In addition to the already-established regulation of synaptic vesicle trafficking, α-synuclein also seems to play a role in neuronal innate immunity after infection. Our goal was to understand if seeding the gut with the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes by oral gavage would impact gut immunity and eventually the central nervous system. Our results demonstrate that L. monocytogenes infection induced oligomerization of α-synuclein in the ileum, along with a pronounced pro-inflammatory local and systemic response that ultimately culminated in neuronal mitochondria dysfunction. We propose that, having evolved from ancestral endosymbiotic bacteria, mitochondria may be directly targeted by virulence factors of intracellular pathogens, and that mitochondrial dysfunction and fragmentation resulting also from the activation of the innate immune system at the gut level, trigger innate immune responses in midbrain neurons, which include α-synuclein oligomerization and neuroinflammation, all of which hallmarks of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- João D Magalhães
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Ph.D. Programme in Biomedicine and Experimental Biology (PDBEB), Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Candeias
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Inês Melo-Marques
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Diana F Silva
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - A Raquel Esteves
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Nuno Empadinhas
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Sandra Morais Cardoso
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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11
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Olari LR, Bauer R, Gil Miró M, Vogel V, Cortez Rayas L, Groß R, Gilg A, Klevesath R, Rodríguez Alfonso AA, Kaygisiz K, Rupp U, Pant P, Mieres-Pérez J, Steppe L, Schäffer R, Rauch-Wirth L, Conzelmann C, Müller JA, Zech F, Gerbl F, Bleher J, Preising N, Ständker L, Wiese S, Thal DR, Haupt C, Jonker HRA, Wagner M, Sanchez-Garcia E, Weil T, Stenger S, Fändrich M, von Einem J, Read C, Walther P, Kirchhoff F, Spellerberg B, Münch J. The C-terminal 32-mer fragment of hemoglobin alpha is an amyloidogenic peptide with antimicrobial properties. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:151. [PMID: 37198527 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04795-8] [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: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are major components of the innate immune defense. Accumulating evidence suggests that the antibacterial activity of many AMPs is dependent on the formation of amyloid-like fibrils. To identify novel fibril forming AMPs, we generated a spleen-derived peptide library and screened it for the presence of amyloidogenic peptides. This approach led to the identification of a C-terminal 32-mer fragment of alpha-hemoglobin, termed HBA(111-142). The non-fibrillar peptide has membranolytic activity against various bacterial species, while the HBA(111-142) fibrils aggregated bacteria to promote their phagocytotic clearance. Further, HBA(111-142) fibrils selectively inhibited measles and herpes viruses (HSV-1, HSV-2, HCMV), but not SARS-CoV-2, ZIKV and IAV. HBA(111-142) is released from its precursor by ubiquitous aspartic proteases under acidic conditions characteristic at sites of infection and inflammation. Thus, HBA(111-142) is an amyloidogenic AMP that may specifically be generated from a highly abundant precursor during bacterial or viral infection and may play an important role in innate antimicrobial immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia-Raluca Olari
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Richard Bauer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marta Gil Miró
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Verena Vogel
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Laura Cortez Rayas
- Institute of Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Groß
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Andrea Gilg
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Raphael Klevesath
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Armando A Rodríguez Alfonso
- Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Ulm Peptide Pharmaceuticals (U-PEP), Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- Core Unit of Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Kübra Kaygisiz
- Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ulrich Rupp
- Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Pradeep Pant
- Computational Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Joel Mieres-Pérez
- Computational Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Lena Steppe
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ramona Schäffer
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Lena Rauch-Wirth
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Carina Conzelmann
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Janis A Müller
- Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Zech
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Fabian Gerbl
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jana Bleher
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Nico Preising
- Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Ulm Peptide Pharmaceuticals (U-PEP), Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ludger Ständker
- Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Ulm Peptide Pharmaceuticals (U-PEP), Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sebastian Wiese
- Core Unit of Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Dietmar R Thal
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, UZ-Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christian Haupt
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Hendrik R A Jonker
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Manfred Wagner
- Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Elsa Sanchez-Garcia
- Computational Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Tanja Weil
- Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Steffen Stenger
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marcus Fändrich
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jens von Einem
- Institute of Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Clarissa Read
- Institute of Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Paul Walther
- Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Frank Kirchhoff
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Barbara Spellerberg
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jan Münch
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
- Core Unit of Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
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12
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Indig RY, Landau M. Designed inhibitors to reduce amyloid virulence and cytotoxicity and combat neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 75:102318. [PMID: 37196450 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The review highlights the role of amyloids in various diseases and the challenges associated with targeting human amyloids in therapeutic development. However, due to the better understanding of microbial amyloids' role as virulence factors, there is a growing interest in repurposing and designing anti-amyloid compounds for antivirulence therapy. The identification of amyloid inhibitors has not only significant clinical implications but also provides valuable insights into the structure and function of amyloids. The review showcases small molecules and peptides that specifically target amyloids in both humans and microbes, reducing cytotoxicity and biofilm formation, respectively. The review emphasizes the importance of further research on amyloid structures, mechanisms, and interactions across all life forms to yield new drug targets and improve the design of selective treatments. Overall, the review highlights the potential for amyloid inhibitors in therapeutic development for both human diseases and microbial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinat Yona Indig
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Meytal Landau
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel; Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) and Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany; Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany; European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg, Germany.
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13
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Esteves AR, Silva DF, Banha D, Candeias E, Guedes B, Cardoso SM. LPS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction regulates innate immunity activation and α-synuclein oligomerization in Parkinson's disease. Redox Biol 2023; 63:102714. [PMID: 37120929 PMCID: PMC10172719 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102714] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sporadic Parkinson's disease (sPD) is a complex multifactorial disorder which etiology remains elusive. Several mechanisms have been described to contribute to PD development namely mitochondrial dysfunction, activation of inflammatory pathways and the deposition of unfolded proteins such as α-synuclein. Our work shows for the first time that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of innate immunity requires a functional mitochondria and mimics PD pathology in cells. We found in primary mesencephalic neurons that LPS targeted the mitochondria and activated neuronal innate immune responses, which culminated with α-synuclein oligomerization. Moreover, in cybrid cell lines repopulated with mtDNA from sPD subjects with inherent mitochondrial dysfunction and NT2-Rho0 obtained by long-term ethidium bromide exposure, and so without a functional mitochondrial, LPS was not able to further activate innate immunity or increase α-synuclein aggregation. Herein, we showed that mesencephalic neurons are able to activate innate immunity after LPS exposure and this pathway is dependent on mitochondria. Moreover, we disclose that α-synuclein over production is an innate immune response. Our data indicate that mitochondria provide the base for innate immunity activation in idiopathic PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Raquel Esteves
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Diana F Silva
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Diogo Banha
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Emanuel Candeias
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Beatriz Guedes
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Sandra M Cardoso
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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14
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Surguchov A, Emamzadeh FN, Titova M, Surguchev AA. Controversial Properties of Amyloidogenic Proteins and Peptides: New Data in the COVID Era. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1215. [PMID: 37189833 PMCID: PMC10136278 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11041215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
For a long time, studies of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides (amyloidogenic PPs) have been focused basically on their harmful properties and association with diseases. A vast amount of research has investigated the structure of pathogenic amyloids forming fibrous deposits within or around cells and the mechanisms of their detrimental actions. Much less has been known about the physiologic functions and beneficial properties of amyloidogenic PPs. At the same time, amyloidogenic PPs have various useful properties. For example, they may render neurons resistant to viral infection and propagation and stimulate autophagy. We discuss here some of amyloidogenic PPs' detrimental and beneficial properties using as examples beta-amyloid (β-amyloid), implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and α-synuclein-one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently amyloidogenic PPs' antiviral and antimicrobial properties have attracted attention because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing threat of other viral and bacterial-induced diseases. Importantly, several COVID-19 viral proteins, e.g., spike, nucleocapsid, and envelope proteins, may become amyloidogenic after infection and combine their harmful action with the effect of endogenous APPs. A central area of current investigations is the study of the structural properties of amyloidogenic PPs, defining their beneficial and harmful properties, and identifying triggers that transform physiologically important amyloidogenic PPs into vicious substances. These directions are of paramount importance during the current SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei Surguchov
- Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Fatemeh N. Emamzadeh
- Analytical Development Department, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc., Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Mariya Titova
- The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Kansas University, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Alexei A. Surguchev
- Department of Surgery, Section of Otolaryngology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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15
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Lathe R, St Clair D. Programmed ageing: decline of stem cell renewal, immunosenescence, and Alzheimer's disease. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023. [PMID: 37068798 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
The characteristic maximum lifespan varies enormously across animal species from a few hours to hundreds of years. This argues that maximum lifespan, and the ageing process that itself dictates lifespan, are to a large extent genetically determined. Although controversial, this is supported by firm evidence that semelparous species display evolutionarily programmed ageing in response to reproductive and environmental cues. Parabiosis experiments reveal that ageing is orchestrated systemically through the circulation, accompanied by programmed changes in hormone levels across a lifetime. This implies that, like the circadian and circannual clocks, there is a master 'clock of age' (circavital clock) located in the limbic brain of mammals that modulates systemic changes in growth factor and hormone secretion over the lifespan, as well as systemic alterations in gene expression as revealed by genomic methylation analysis. Studies on accelerated ageing in mice, as well as human longevity genes, converge on evolutionarily conserved fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors, including KLOTHO, as well as insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and steroid hormones, as key players mediating the systemic effects of ageing. Age-related changes in these and multiple other factors are inferred to cause a progressive decline in tissue maintenance through failure of stem cell replenishment. This most severely affects the immune system, which requires constant renewal from bone marrow stem cells. Age-related immune decline increases risk of infection whereas lifespan can be extended in germfree animals. This and other evidence suggests that infection is the major cause of death in higher organisms. Immune decline is also associated with age-related diseases. Taking the example of Alzheimer's disease (AD), we assess the evidence that AD is caused by immunosenescence and infection. The signature protein of AD brain, Aβ, is now known to be an antimicrobial peptide, and Aβ deposits in AD brain may be a response to infection rather than a cause of disease. Because some cognitively normal elderly individuals show extensive neuropathology, we argue that the location of the pathology is crucial - specifically, lesions to limbic brain are likely to accentuate immunosenescence, and could thus underlie a vicious cycle of accelerated immune decline and microbial proliferation that culminates in AD. This general model may extend to other age-related diseases, and we propose a general paradigm of organismal senescence in which declining stem cell proliferation leads to programmed immunosenescence and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Lathe
- Division of Infection Medicine, Chancellor's Building, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Little France, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
| | - David St Clair
- Institute of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
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16
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Linard M, Foubert-Samier A, Pacaud J, Helmer C. Could JC virus be involved in the onset of multiple system atrophy? A hypothesis. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2023; 109:105358. [PMID: 36935321 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2023.105358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Linard
- INSERM UMR U1219 Bordeaux Population Health Research Centre, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Alexandra Foubert-Samier
- INSERM UMR U1219 Bordeaux Population Health Research Centre, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; French Reference Centre for MSA, Bordeaux University Hospital, Bordeaux, France; CNRS UMR 5293, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jordi Pacaud
- Department of Virology, Bordeaux University Hospital, Bordeaux, France; CNRS UMR 5234, Fundamental Microbiology and Pathogenicity, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Catherine Helmer
- INSERM UMR U1219 Bordeaux Population Health Research Centre, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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17
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Magalhães JD, Cardoso SM. Mitochondrial signaling on innate immunity activation in Parkinson disease. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 78:102664. [PMID: 36535149 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein (aSyn) in the nigrostriatal pathway that is followed by severe neuroinflammatory response. PD etiology is still puzzling; however, the mitocentric view might explain the vast majority of molecular findings not only in the brain, but also at systemic level. While neuronal degeneration is tightly associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, the causal role between aSyn accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction still requires further investigation. Moreover, mitochondrial dysfunction can elicit an inflammatory response that may be transmitted locally but also in a long range through systemic circulation. Furthermore, mitochondrial-driven innate immune activation may involve the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides, of which aSyn poses as a good candidate. While there is still a need to clarify disease-elicited mechanisms and how aSyn has the ability to modulate mitochondrial and cellular dysfunction, recent studies provide insightful views on mitochondria-inflammation axis in PD etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- João D Magalhães
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Programme in Biomedicine and Experimental Biology (PDBEB), Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sandra Morais Cardoso
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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Liebert A, Capon W, Pang V, Vila D, Bicknell B, McLachlan C, Kiat H. Photophysical Mechanisms of Photobiomodulation Therapy as Precision Medicine. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11020237. [PMID: 36830774 PMCID: PMC9953702 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite a significant focus on the photochemical and photoelectrical mechanisms underlying photobiomodulation (PBM), its complex functions are yet to be fully elucidated. To date, there has been limited attention to the photophysical aspects of PBM. One effect of photobiomodulation relates to the non-visual phototransduction pathway, which involves mechanotransduction and modulation to cytoskeletal structures, biophotonic signaling, and micro-oscillatory cellular interactions. Herein, we propose a number of mechanisms of PBM that do not depend on cytochrome c oxidase. These include the photophysical aspects of PBM and the interactions with biophotons and mechanotransductive processes. These hypotheses are contingent on the effect of light on ion channels and the cytoskeleton, the production of biophotons, and the properties of light and biological molecules. Specifically, the processes we review are supported by the resonant recognition model (RRM). This previous research demonstrated that protein micro-oscillations act as a signature of their function that can be activated by resonant wavelengths of light. We extend this work by exploring the local oscillatory interactions of proteins and light because they may affect global body circuits and could explain the observed effect of PBM on neuro-cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillations. In particular, since dysrhythmic gamma oscillations are associated with neurodegenerative diseases and pain syndromes, including migraine with aura and fibromyalgia, we suggest that transcranial PBM should target diseases where patients are affected by impaired neural oscillations and aberrant brain wave patterns. This review also highlights examples of disorders potentially treatable with precise wavelengths of light by mimicking protein activity in other tissues, such as the liver, with, for example, Crigler-Najjar syndrome and conditions involving the dysregulation of the cytoskeleton. PBM as a novel therapeutic modality may thus behave as "precision medicine" for the treatment of various neurological diseases and other morbidities. The perspectives presented herein offer a new understanding of the photophysical effects of PBM, which is important when considering the relevance of PBM therapy (PBMt) in clinical applications, including the treatment of diseases and the optimization of health outcomes and performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Liebert
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
- Adventist Hospital Group, Wahroonga 2076, Australia
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead 2145, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - William Capon
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
| | - Vincent Pang
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead 2145, Australia
| | - Damien Vila
- Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier-Nîmes, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Brian Bicknell
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead 2145, Australia
| | - Craig McLachlan
- Faculty of Health, Torrens University, Adelaide 5000, Australia
| | - Hosen Kiat
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead 2145, Australia
- Faculty of Health, Torrens University, Adelaide 5000, Australia
- Cardiac Health Institute, Sydney 2121, Australia
- ANU College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra 2600, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park 2109, Australia
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19
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Gagat P, Duda-Madej A, Ostrówka M, Pietluch F, Seniuk A, Mackiewicz P, Burdukiewicz M. Testing Antimicrobial Properties of Selected Short Amyloids. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24010804. [PMID: 36614244 PMCID: PMC9821130 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloids and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have many similarities, e.g., both kill microorganisms by destroying their membranes, form aggregates, and modulate the innate immune system. Given these similarities and the fact that the antimicrobial properties of short amyloids have not yet been investigated, we chose a group of potentially antimicrobial short amyloids to verify their impact on bacterial and eukaryotic cells. We used AmpGram, a best-performing AMP classification model, and selected ten amyloids with the highest AMP probability for our experimental research. Our results indicate that four tested amyloids: VQIVCK, VCIVYK, KCWCFT, and GGYLLG, formed aggregates under the conditions routinely used to evaluate peptide antimicrobial properties, but none of the tested amyloids exhibited antimicrobial or cytotoxic properties. Accordingly, they should be included in the negative datasets to train the next-generation AMP prediction models, based on experimentally confirmed AMP and non-AMP sequences. In the article, we also emphasize the importance of reporting non-AMPs, given that only a handful of such sequences have been officially confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Gagat
- Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, Fryderyka Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland
- Correspondence: (P.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Anna Duda-Madej
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Chałubińskiego 4, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Michał Ostrówka
- Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, Fryderyka Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Filip Pietluch
- Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, Fryderyka Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Alicja Seniuk
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Chałubińskiego 4, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Paweł Mackiewicz
- Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, Fryderyka Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Michał Burdukiewicz
- Clinical Research Centre, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Białystok, Poland
- Correspondence: (P.G.); (M.B.)
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20
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Esteves AR, Munoz-Pinto MF, Nunes-Costa D, Candeias E, Silva DF, Magalhães JD, Pereira-Santos AR, Ferreira IL, Alarico S, Tiago I, Empadinhas N, Cardoso SM. Footprints of a microbial toxin from the gut microbiome to mesencephalic mitochondria. Gut 2023; 72:73-89. [PMID: 34836918 PMCID: PMC9763194 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-326023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregation and death of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Recent evidence posits that PD may initiate in the gut by microbes or their toxins that promote chronic gut inflammation that will ultimately impact the brain. In this work, we sought to demonstrate that the effects of the microbial toxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in the gut may trigger some PD cases, which is especially worrying as this toxin is present in certain foods but not routinely monitored by public health authorities. DESIGN To test the hypothesis, we treated wild-type mice, primary neuronal cultures, cell lines and isolated mitochondria with BMAA, and analysed its impact on gut microbiota composition, barrier permeability, inflammation and aSyn aggregation as well as in brain inflammation, dopaminergic neuronal loss and motor behaviour. To further examine the key role of mitochondria, we also determined the specific effects of BMAA on mitochondrial function and on inflammasome activation. RESULTS BMAA induced extensive depletion of segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) that regulate gut immunity, thus triggering gut dysbiosis, immune cell migration, increased intestinal inflammation, loss of barrier integrity and caudo-rostral progression of aSyn. Additionally, BMAA induced in vitro and in vivo mitochondrial dysfunction with cardiolipin exposure and consequent activation of neuronal innate immunity. These events primed neuroinflammation, dopaminergic neuronal loss and motor deficits. CONCLUSION Taken together, our results demonstrate that chronic exposure to dietary BMAA can trigger a chain of events that recapitulate the evolution of the PD pathology from the gut to the brain, which is consistent with 'gut-first' PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Raquel Esteves
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,IIIUC-Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mário F Munoz-Pinto
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,IIIUC-Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Daniela Nunes-Costa
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,PDBEB–Ph.D. Programme in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Candeias
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,PDBEB–Ph.D. Programme in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Diana F Silva
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,IIIUC-Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João D Magalhães
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,PDBEB–Ph.D. Programme in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - A Raquel Pereira-Santos
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,PDBEB–Ph.D. Programme in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - I Luisa Ferreira
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,IIIUC-Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Susana Alarico
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal,IIIUC-Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Igor Tiago
- CFE-Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Nuno Empadinhas
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal .,IIIUC-Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sandra Morais Cardoso
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal .,Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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21
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Zhang Z, Liu Z, Lv A, Fan C. How Toll-like receptors influence Parkinson's disease in the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1154626. [PMID: 37207228 PMCID: PMC10189046 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1154626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, a large number of experimenters have found that the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease may be related to the gut microbiome and proposed the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Studies have shown that Toll-like receptors, especially Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), are key mediators of gut homeostasis. In addition to their established role in innate immunity throughout the body, research is increasingly showing that the Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathways shape the development and function of the gut and enteric nervous system. Notably, Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4 are dysregulated in Parkinson's disease patients and may therefore be identified as the core of early gut dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. To better understand the contribution of Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4 dysfunction in the gut to early α-synuclein aggregation, we discussed the structural function of Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4 and signal transduction of Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4 in Parkinson's disease by reviewing clinical, animal models, and in vitro studies. We also present a conceptual model of the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, in which microbial dysbiosis alters the gut barrier as well as the Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathways, ultimately leading to a positive feedback loop for chronic gut dysfunction, promoting α-synuclein aggregation in the gut and vagus nerve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Baotou Central Hospital, Baotou, China
- Baotou Clinical Medical College, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Baotou, China
| | - Zhihui Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Baotou Central Hospital, Baotou, China
- *Correspondence: Zhihui Liu,
| | - Ao Lv
- The First Clinical College, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Chenhui Fan
- Safety Engineering, People’s Public Security University of China, Beijing, China
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22
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Specific Focus on Antifungal Peptides against Azole Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Perspectives. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 9:jof9010042. [PMID: 36675863 PMCID: PMC9864941 DOI: 10.3390/jof9010042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of fungal infections is increasing worldwide, especially that of aspergillosis, which previously only affected people with immunosuppression. Aspergillus fumigatus can cause allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and endangers public health due to resistance to azole-type antimycotics such as fluconazole. Antifungal peptides are viable alternatives that combat infection by forming pores in membranes through electrostatic interactions with the phospholipids as well as cell death to peptides that inhibit protein synthesis and inhibit cell replication. Engineering antifungal peptides with nanotechnology can enhance the efficacy of these therapeutics at lower doses and reduce immune responses. This manuscript explains how antifungal peptides combat antifungal-resistant aspergillosis and also how rational peptide design with nanotechnology and artificial intelligence can engineer peptides to be a feasible antifungal alternative.
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23
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Membrane-Binding Biomolecules Influence the Rate of Vesicle Exchange between Bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0134622. [PMID: 36342184 PMCID: PMC9746307 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01346-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The exchange of bacterial extracellular vesicles facilitates molecular exchange between cells, including the horizontal transfer of genetic material. Given the implications of such transfer events on cell physiology and adaptation, some bacterial cells have likely evolved mechanisms to regulate vesicle exchange. Past work has identified mechanisms that influence the formation of extracellular vesicles, including the production of small molecules that modulate membrane structure; however, whether these mechanisms also modulate vesicle uptake and have an overall impact on the rate of vesicle exchange is unknown. Here, we show that membrane-binding molecules produced by microbes influence both the formation and uptake of extracellular vesicles and have the overall impact of increasing the vesicle exchange rate within a bacterial coculture. In effect, production of compounds that increase vesicle exchange rates encourage gene exchange between neighboring cells. The ability of several membrane-binding compounds to increase vesicle exchange was demonstrated. Three of these compounds, nisin, colistin, and polymyxin B, are antimicrobial peptides added at sub-inhibitory concentrations. These results suggest that a potential function of exogenous compounds that bind to membranes may be the regulation of vesicle exchange between cells. IMPORTANCE The exchange of bacterial extracellular vesicles is one route of gene transfer between bacteria, although it was unclear if bacteria developed strategies to modulate the rate of gene transfer within vesicles. In eukaryotes, there are many examples of specialized molecules that have evolved to facilitate the production, loading, and uptake of vesicles. Recent work with bacteria has shown that some small molecules influence membrane curvature and induce vesicle formation. Here, we show that similar compounds facilitate vesicle uptake, thereby increasing the overall rate of vesicle exchange within bacterial populations. The addition of membrane-binding compounds, several of them antibiotics at subinhibitory concentrations, to a bacterial coculture increased the rate of horizontal gene transfer via vesicle exchange.
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24
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Emery DC, Davies M, Cerajewska TL, Taylor J, Hazell M, Paterson A, Allen-Birt SJ, West NX. High resolution 16S rRNA gene Next Generation Sequencing study of brain areas associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1026260. [PMID: 36570533 PMCID: PMC9780557 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1026260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are neurodegenerative conditions characterized by incremental deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) and α-synuclein in AD and PD brain, respectively, in relatively conserved patterns. Both are associated with neuroinflammation, with a proposed microbial component for disease initiation and/or progression. Notably, Aβ and α-synuclein have been shown to possess antimicrobial properties. There is evidence for bacterial presence within the brain, including the oral pathobiont Porphyromonas gingivalis, with cognitive impairment and brain pathology being linked to periodontal (gum) disease and gut dysbiosis. Methods Here, we use high resolution 16S rRNA PCR-based Next Generation Sequencing (16SNGS) to characterize bacterial composition in brain areas associated with the early, intermediate and late-stage of the diseases. Results and discussion This study reveals the widespread presence of bacteria in areas of the brain associated with AD and PD pathology, with distinctly different bacterial profiles in blood and brain. Brain area profiles were overall somewhat similar, predominantly oral, with some bacteria subgingival and oronasal in origin, and relatively comparable profiles in AD and PD brain. However, brain areas associated with early disease development, such as the locus coeruleus, were substantially different in bacterial DNA content compared to areas affected later in disease etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Mae Hazell
- Translational Health Sciences, Learning and Research, Bristol Medical School, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Paterson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol Genomics Facility, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Shelley J. Allen-Birt
- Translational Health Sciences, Learning and Research, Bristol Medical School, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola X. West
- Bristol Dental School, Bristol, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Nicola X. West,
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25
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Ragonis-Bachar P, Rayan B, Barnea E, Engelberg Y, Upcher A, Landau M. Natural Antimicrobial Peptides Self-assemble as α/β Chameleon Amyloids. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:3713-3727. [PMID: 35947777 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid protein fibrils and some antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) share biophysical and structural properties. This observation suggests that ordered self-assembly can act as an AMP-regulating mechanism, and, vice versa, that human amyloids play a role in host defense against pathogens, as opposed to their common association with neurodegenerative and systemic diseases. Based on previous structural information on toxic amyloid peptides, we developed a sequence-based bioinformatics platform and, led by its predictions, experimentally identified 14 fibril-forming AMPs (ffAMPs) from living organisms, which demonstrated cross-β and cross-α amyloid properties. The results support the amyloid-antimicrobial link. The high prevalence of ffAMPs produced by amphibians and marine creatures among other species suggests that they confer unique advantageous properties in distinctive environments, potentially providing stability and adherence properties. Most of the newly identified 14 ffAMPs showed lipid-induced and/or time-dependent secondary structure transitions in the fibril form, indicating structural and functional cross-α/β chameleons. Specifically, ffAMP cytotoxicity against human cells correlated with the inherent or lipid-induced α-helical fibril structure. The findings raise hypotheses about the role of fibril secondary structure switching in regulation of processes, such as the transition between a stable storage conformation and an active state with toxicity against specific cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peleg Ragonis-Bachar
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Bader Rayan
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Eilon Barnea
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Yizhaq Engelberg
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Alexander Upcher
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Meytal Landau
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg 22607, Germany
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26
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Bücker R, Seuring C, Cazey C, Veith K, García-Alai M, Grünewald K, Landau M. The Cryo-EM structures of two amphibian antimicrobial cross-β amyloid fibrils. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4356. [PMID: 35896552 PMCID: PMC9329304 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32039-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloid-antimicrobial link hypothesis is based on antimicrobial properties found in human amyloids involved in neurodegenerative and systemic diseases, along with amyloidal structural properties found in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Supporting this hypothesis, we here determined the fibril structure of two AMPs from amphibians, uperin 3.5 and aurein 3.3, by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), revealing amyloid cross-β fibrils of mated β-sheets at atomic resolution. Uperin 3.5 formed a 3-blade symmetrical propeller of nine peptides per fibril layer including tight β-sheet interfaces. This cross-β cryo-EM structure complements the cross-α fibril conformation previously determined by crystallography, substantiating a secondary structure switch mechanism of uperin 3.5. The aurein 3.3 arrangement consisted of six peptides per fibril layer, all showing kinked β-sheets allowing a rounded compactness of the fibril. The kinked β-sheets are similar to LARKS (Low-complexity, Amyloid-like, Reversible, Kinked Segments) found in human functional amyloids. In this work the authors provide high-resolution structural support for the amyloid-antimicrobial link via functional amyloids displaying propeller-like and kinked cross-β fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Bücker
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,Rigaku Europe SE, Neu-Isenburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute of Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carolin Seuring
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute of Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cornelia Cazey
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Veith
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria García-Alai
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kay Grünewald
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany. .,Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. .,Leibniz Institute of Virology, Hamburg, Germany. .,Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Meytal Landau
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany. .,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. .,Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel.
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27
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Golan N, Engelberg Y, Landau M. Structural Mimicry in Microbial and Antimicrobial Amyloids. Annu Rev Biochem 2022; 91:403-422. [PMID: 35729071 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-032620-105157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The remarkable variety of microbial species of human pathogens and microbiomes generates significant quantities of secreted amyloids, which are structured protein fibrils that serve diverse functions related to virulence and interactions with the host. Human amyloids are associated largely with fatal neurodegenerative and systemic aggregation diseases, and current research has put forward the hypothesis that the interspecies amyloid interactome has physiological and pathological significance. Moreover, functional and molecular-level connections between antimicrobial activity and amyloid structures suggest a neuroimmune role for amyloids that are otherwise known to be pathological. Compared to the extensive structural information that has been accumulated for human amyloids, high-resolution structures of microbial and antimicrobial amyloids are only emerging. These recent structures reveal both similarities and surprising departures from the typical amyloid motif, in accordance with their diverse activities, and advance the discovery of novel antivirulence and antimicrobial agents. In addition, the structural information has led researchers to postulate that amyloidogenic sequences are natural targets for structural mimicry, for instance in host-microbe interactions. Microbial amyloid research could ultimately be used to fight aggressive infections and possibly processes leading to autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimrod Golan
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel;
| | - Yizhaq Engelberg
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel;
| | - Meytal Landau
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; .,European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and Center for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany
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28
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Pohl C, Effantin G, Kandiah E, Meier S, Zeng G, Streicher W, Segura DR, Mygind PH, Sandvang D, Nielsen LA, Peters GHJ, Schoehn G, Mueller-Dieckmann C, Noergaard A, Harris P. pH- and concentration-dependent supramolecular assembly of a fungal defensin plectasin variant into helical non-amyloid fibrils. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3162. [PMID: 35672293 PMCID: PMC9174238 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30462-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-assembly and fibril formation play important roles in protein behaviour. Amyloid fibril formation is well-studied due to its role in neurodegenerative diseases and characterized by refolding of the protein into predominantly β-sheet form. However, much less is known about the assembly of proteins into other types of supramolecular structures. Using cryo-electron microscopy at a resolution of 1.97 Å, we show that a triple-mutant of the anti-microbial peptide plectasin, PPI42, assembles into helical non-amyloid fibrils. The in vitro anti-microbial activity was determined and shown to be enhanced compared to the wildtype. Plectasin contains a cysteine-stabilised α-helix-β-sheet structure, which remains intact upon fibril formation. Two protofilaments form a right-handed protein fibril. The fibril formation is reversible and follows sigmoidal kinetics with a pH- and concentration dependent equilibrium between soluble monomer and protein fibril. This high-resolution structure reveals that α/β proteins can natively assemble into fibrils. Here the authors report the cryo-EM structure of a triple-mutant of the anti-microbial peptide plectasin, PPI42, assembling in a pH- and concentration dependent manner into helical non-amyloid fibrils. The fibrils formation is reversible, and follows a sigmoidal kinetics. The fibrils adopt a right-handed helical superstructure composed by two protofilaments, stabilized by an outer hydrophobic ring and an inner hydrophobic centre. These findings reveal that α/β proteins can natively assemble into fibrils.
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29
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Stuart BAR, Franitza AL, E L. Regulatory Roles of Antimicrobial Peptides in the Nervous System: Implications for Neuronal Aging. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:843790. [PMID: 35321204 PMCID: PMC8936185 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.843790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are classically known as important effector molecules in innate immunity across all multicellular organisms. However, emerging evidence begins to suggest multifunctional properties of AMPs beyond their antimicrobial activity, surprisingly including their roles in regulating neuronal function, such as sleep and memory formation. Aging, which is fundamental to neurodegeneration in both physiological and disease conditions, interestingly affects the expression pattern of many AMPs in an infection-independent manner. While it remains unclear whether these are coincidental events, or a mechanistic relationship exists, previous studies have suggested a close link between AMPs and a few key proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases. This review discusses recent literature and advances in understanding the crosstalk between AMPs and the nervous system at both molecular and functional levels, with the aim to explore how AMPs may relate to neuronal vulnerability in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradey A. R. Stuart
- Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Ariel L. Franitza
- Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Lezi E
- Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- *Correspondence: Lezi E
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30
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Inflammation in dementia with Lewy bodies. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 168:105698. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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31
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Kasen A, Houck C, Burmeister AR, Sha Q, Brundin L, Brundin P. Upregulation of α-synuclein following immune activation: Possible trigger of Parkinson's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 166:105654. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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32
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Linard M, Ravier A, Mougué L, Grgurina I, Boutillier AL, Foubert-Samier A, Blanc F, Helmer C. Infectious Agents as Potential Drivers of α-Synucleinopathies. Mov Disord 2022; 37:464-477. [PMID: 35040520 DOI: 10.1002/mds.28925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
α-synucleinopathies, encompassing Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, are devastating neurodegenerative diseases for which available therapeutic options are scarce, mostly because of our limited understanding of their pathophysiology. Although these pathologies are attributed to an intracellular accumulation of the α-synuclein protein in the nervous system with subsequent neuronal loss, the trigger(s) of this accumulation is/are not clearly identified. Among the existing hypotheses, interest in the hypothesis advocating the involvement of infectious agents in the onset of these diseases is renewed. In this article, we aimed to review the ongoing relevant factors favoring and opposing this hypothesis, focusing on (1) the potential antimicrobial role of α-synuclein, (2) potential entry points of pathogens in regard to early symptoms of diverse α-synucleinopathies, (3) pre-existing literature reviews assessing potential associations between infectious agents and Parkinson's disease, (4) original studies assessing these associations for dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy (identified through a systematic literature review), and finally (5) potential susceptibility factors modulating the effects of infectious agents on the nervous system. © 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Linard
- University of Bordeaux, INSERM, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR U1219, Bordeaux, France
| | - Alix Ravier
- CM2R (Memory Resource and Research Centre), Geriatrics Department, University Hospitals of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Louisa Mougué
- Cognitive-Behavioral Unit and Memory Consultations, Hospital of Sens, Sens, France
| | - Iris Grgurina
- University of Strasbourg, UMR7364 CNRS, LNCA, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Alexandra Foubert-Samier
- University of Bordeaux, INSERM, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR U1219, Bordeaux, France.,French Reference Centre for MSA, University Hospital of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Frédéric Blanc
- CM2R (Memory Resource and Research Centre), Geriatrics Department, University Hospitals of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,ICube Laboratory and FMTS (Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg), Team IMIS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Catherine Helmer
- University of Bordeaux, INSERM, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR U1219, Bordeaux, France
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33
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Kramer P. Mitochondria-Microbiota Interaction in Neurodegeneration. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 13:776936. [PMID: 35002678 PMCID: PMC8733591 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.776936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are the two best-known neurodegenerative diseases. Each is associated with the excessive aggregation in the brain and elsewhere of its own characteristic amyloid proteins. Yet the two afflictions have much in common and often the same amyloids play a role in both. These amyloids need not be toxic and can help regulate bile secretion, synaptic plasticity, and immune defense. Moreover, when they do form toxic aggregates, amyloids typically harm not just patients but their pathogens too. A major port of entry for pathogens is the gut. Keeping the gut’s microbe community (microbiota) healthy and under control requires that our cells’ main energy producers (mitochondria) support the gut-blood barrier and immune system. As we age, these mitochondria eventually succumb to the corrosive byproducts they themselves release, our defenses break down, pathogens or their toxins break through, and the side effects of inflammation and amyloid aggregation become problematic. Although it gets most of the attention, local amyloid aggregation in the brain merely points to a bigger problem: the systemic breakdown of the entire human superorganism, exemplified by an interaction turning bad between mitochondria and microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Kramer
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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34
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Gorecki AM, Anyaegbu CC, Anderton RS. TLR2 and TLR4 in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis: the environment takes a toll on the gut. Transl Neurodegener 2021; 10:47. [PMID: 34814947 PMCID: PMC8609261 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-021-00271-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is an incurable, devastating disorder that is characterized by pathological protein aggregation and neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra. In recent years, growing evidence has implicated the gut environment and the gut-brain axis in the pathogenesis and progression of PD, especially in a subset of people who exhibit prodromal gastrointestinal dysfunction. Specifically, perturbations of gut homeostasis are hypothesized to contribute to α-synuclein aggregation in enteric neurons, which may spread to the brain over decades and eventually result in the characteristic central nervous system manifestations of PD, including neurodegeneration and motor impairments. However, the mechanisms linking gut disturbances and α-synuclein aggregation are still unclear. A plethora of research indicates that toll-like receptors (TLRs), especially TLR2 and TLR4, are critical mediators of gut homeostasis. Alongside their established role in innate immunity throughout the body, studies are increasingly demonstrating that TLR2 and TLR4 signalling shapes the development and function of the gut and the enteric nervous system. Notably, TLR2 and TLR4 are dysregulated in patients with PD, and may thus be central to early gut dysfunction in PD. To better understand the putative contribution of intestinal TLR2 and TLR4 dysfunction to early α-synuclein aggregation and PD, we critically discuss the role of TLR2 and TLR4 in normal gut function as well as evidence for altered TLR2 and TLR4 signalling in PD, by reviewing clinical, animal model and in vitro research. Growing evidence on the immunological aetiology of α-synuclein aggregation is also discussed, with a focus on the interactions of α-synuclein with TLR2 and TLR4. We propose a conceptual model of PD pathogenesis in which microbial dysbiosis alters the permeability of the intestinal barrier as well as TLR2 and TLR4 signalling, ultimately leading to a positive feedback loop of chronic gut dysfunction promoting α-synuclein aggregation in enteric and vagal neurons. In turn, α-synuclein aggregates may then migrate to the brain via peripheral nerves, such as the vagal nerve, to contribute to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration typically associated with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastazja M Gorecki
- School of Biological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
- Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Group, Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA, Australia.
| | - Chidozie C Anyaegbu
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Ralph and Patricia Sarich Neuroscience Research Institute, Curtin University, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Ryan S Anderton
- Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia
- School of Nursing, Midwifery, Health Sciences and Physiotherapy, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia
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35
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Yadav JK. Structural and functional swapping of amyloidogenic and antimicrobial peptides: Redefining the role of amyloidogenic propensity in disease and host defense. J Pept Sci 2021; 28:e3378. [PMID: 34738279 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3378] [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: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Peptides constitute an essential component of all organisms' protein homeostasis ranging from bacteria, plants, and animals. They have organically been evolved to perform a wide range of essential functions, including their role as neurotransmitters, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and hormones. AMPs are short peptides synthesized by almost all organisms, implicated in guarding the host from various microbial infections. Their inherent ability to differentiate the target microbes from the host confers them excellent prospects in fighting against microbial infections and affirming their robust therapeutic potential against numerous drug-resistant microbes. Amyloidogenic peptides (AMYs) represent another class of short peptides armed with inherent aggregation propensity and form fibrillar aggregates rich in cross β-sheet structure. They are often involved in various degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and type-2 diabetes. Although these two distinct classes of peptides (i.e., AMPs and AMYs) appear to be functionally divergent, recent studies suggest that they possess a significant degree of structural and functional reciprocity. Consistent with this, many AMPs display amphiphilic nature, and hence, they can facilitate membrane remodeling processes, such as pore formation and fusion, similar to AMYs. The mounting evidence suggests the inherent ability of AMPs to self-assemble to form amyloid-like structures. On the other hand, the demonstration of antimicrobial properties of AMYs in their monomeric conformation provides a hint about the existence of an evolutionary linkage between these two classes of peptides. The congregation of specific amino acids to form aggregation-prone regions in a protein/peptide might have served as an evolutionary reservoir from which AMPs and AMYs were consecutively evolved. The current article reviews the fundamental features of the AMPs, AMYs, and their inter-relatedness and emerging paradigm for their inter-conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Kant Yadav
- Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, India
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36
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Oliveira LMA, Gasser T, Edwards R, Zweckstetter M, Melki R, Stefanis L, Lashuel HA, Sulzer D, Vekrellis K, Halliday GM, Tomlinson JJ, Schlossmacher M, Jensen PH, Schulze-Hentrich J, Riess O, Hirst WD, El-Agnaf O, Mollenhauer B, Lansbury P, Outeiro TF. Alpha-synuclein research: defining strategic moves in the battle against Parkinson's disease. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2021; 7:65. [PMID: 34312398 PMCID: PMC8313662 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-021-00203-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With the advent of the genetic era in Parkinson's disease (PD) research in 1997, α-synuclein was identified as an important player in a complex neurodegenerative disease that affects >10 million people worldwide. PD has been estimated to have an economic impact of $51.9 billion in the US alone. Since the initial association with PD, hundreds of researchers have contributed to elucidating the functions of α-synuclein in normal and pathological states, and these remain critical areas for continued research. With this position paper the authors strive to achieve two goals: first, to succinctly summarize the critical features that define α-synuclein's varied roles, as they are known today; and second, to identify the most pressing knowledge gaps and delineate a multipronged strategy for future research with the goal of enabling therapies to stop or slow disease progression in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis M A Oliveira
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Thomas Gasser
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robert Edwards
- Departments of Neurology and Physiology, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
- Department for NMR-based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ronald Melki
- Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, CEA and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CNRS, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Leonidas Stefanis
- Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
- First Department of Neurology, Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Hilal A Lashuel
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Sulzer
- Department of Psychiatry, Neurology, Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kostas Vekrellis
- Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Glenda M Halliday
- University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Julianna J Tomlinson
- Neuroscience Program, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Schlossmacher
- Neuroscience Program, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Division of Neurology, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Poul Henning Jensen
- Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine & DANDRITE, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Julia Schulze-Hentrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Warren D Hirst
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Unit, Biogen, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Omar El-Agnaf
- Neurological Disorder Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Brit Mollenhauer
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Paracelsus-Elena-Klinik, Kassel, Germany
| | | | - Tiago F Outeiro
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany.
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany.
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
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37
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Provenzano F, Deleidi M. Reassessing neurodegenerative disease: immune protection pathways and antagonistic pleiotropy. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:771-780. [PMID: 34284880 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) theory posits that adaptive evolutionary changes, which facilitate reproduction and individual fitness early in life, can enhance detrimental aging-related processes. Several genes associated with human brain diseases play a protective role in infection, suggesting the relevance of AP in the context of brain aging and neurodegeneration. Relatedly, genetic variants that confer immune protection against pathogens may lead to uncontrolled brain inflammation later in life. Here, we propose a conceptual framework suggesting that the pleiotropic roles of genes in infections and host-pathogen interactions should be considered when studying neurological illnesses. We reinterpret recent findings regarding the impact of neurological disease-associated genetic traits on infections and chronic inflammatory diseases. Identifying the AP pathways shared among these seemingly unrelated conditions might provide further insights into the detrimental role of the immune system in brain disease as well as the mechanisms involved in chronic infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Provenzano
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany; Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michela Deleidi
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany; Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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38
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The amphibian antimicrobial peptide uperin 3.5 is a cross-α/cross-β chameleon functional amyloid. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2014442118. [PMID: 33431675 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2014442118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial activity is being increasingly linked to amyloid fibril formation, suggesting physiological roles for some human amyloids, which have historically been viewed as strictly pathological agents. This work reports on formation of functional cross-α amyloid fibrils of the amphibian antimicrobial peptide uperin 3.5 at atomic resolution, an architecture initially discovered in the bacterial PSMα3 cytotoxin. The fibrils of uperin 3.5 and PSMα3 comprised antiparallel and parallel helical sheets, respectively, recapitulating properties of β-sheets. Uperin 3.5 demonstrated chameleon properties of a secondary structure switch, forming mostly cross-β fibrils in the absence of lipids. Uperin 3.5 helical fibril formation was largely induced by, and formed on, bacterial cells or membrane mimetics, and led to membrane damage and cell death. These findings suggest a regulation mechanism, which includes storage of inactive peptides as well as environmentally induced activation of uperin 3.5, via chameleon cross-α/β amyloid fibrils.
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39
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Pirolli NH, Bentley WE, Jay SM. Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles and the Gut-Microbiota Brain Axis: Emerging Roles in Communication and Potential as Therapeutics. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2021; 5:e2000540. [PMID: 33857347 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202000540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) have emerged as candidate signaling vectors for long-distance interkingdom communication within the gut-microbiota brain axis. Most bacteria release these nanosized vesicles, capable of signaling to the brain via their abundant protein and small RNA cargo, possibly directly via crossing the blood-brain barrier. BEVs have been shown to regulate brain gene expression and induce pathology at most stages of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, and thus they may play a causal role in diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and depression/anxiety. On the other hand, BEVs have intrinsic therapeutic properties that may be relevant to probiotic therapy and can also be engineered to function as drug delivery vehicles and vaccines. Thus, BEVs may be both a cause of and solution to neuropathological conditions. In this review, current knowledge of the physiological roles of BEVs as well as state of the art pertaining to the development of therapeutic BEVs in the context of the microbiome-gut-brain axis are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas H Pirolli
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 3102 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - William E Bentley
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, Robert E. Fischell Institute, and Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 5120A A. James Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Steven M Jay
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering and Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, 3116 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
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40
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Miller AL, Bessho S, Grando K, Tükel Ç. Microbiome or Infections: Amyloid-Containing Biofilms as a Trigger for Complex Human Diseases. Front Immunol 2021; 12:638867. [PMID: 33717189 PMCID: PMC7952436 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.638867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The human microbiota is the community of microorganisms that live upon or within their human host. The microbiota consists of various microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea; the gut microbiota is comprised mostly of bacteria. Many bacterial species within the gut microbiome grow as biofilms, which are multicellular communities embedded in an extracellular matrix. Studies have shown that the relative abundances of bacterial species, and therefore biofilms and bacterial byproducts, change during progression of a variety of human diseases including gastrointestinal, autoimmune, neurodegenerative, and cancer. Studies have shown the location and proximity of the biofilms within the gastrointestinal tract might impact disease outcome. Gram-negative enteric bacteria secrete the amyloid curli, which makes up as much as 85% of the extracellular matrix of enteric biofilms. Curli mediates cell-cell attachment and attachment to various surfaces including extracellular matrix components such as fibronectin and laminin. Structurally, curli is strikingly similar to pathological and immunomodulatory human amyloids such as amyloid-β, which has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, α-synuclein, which is involved in Parkinson's disease, and serum amyloid A, which is secreted during the acute phase of inflammation. The immune system recognizes both bacterial amyloid curli and human amyloids utilizing the same receptors, so curli also induces inflammation. Moreover, recent work indicates that curli can participate in the self-assembly process of pathological human amyloids. Curli is found within biofilms of commensal enteric bacteria as well as invasive pathogens; therefore, evidence suggests that curli contributes to complex human diseases. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on how bacterial biofilms containing curli participate in the pathological and immunological processes in gastrointestinal diseases, systemic autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Miller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Shingo Bessho
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kaitlyn Grando
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Çagla Tükel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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41
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogesh Bhattarai
- Enteric Neuroscience Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Purna C. Kashyap
- Enteric Neuroscience Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
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42
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Engelberg Y, Landau M. The Human LL-37(17-29) antimicrobial peptide reveals a functional supramolecular structure. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3894. [PMID: 32753597 PMCID: PMC7403366 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17736-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we demonstrate the self-assembly of the antimicrobial human LL-37 active core (residues 17–29) into a protein fibril of densely packed helices. The surface of the fibril encompasses alternating hydrophobic and positively charged zigzagged belts, which likely underlie interactions with and subsequent disruption of negatively charged lipid bilayers, such as bacterial membranes. LL-3717–29 correspondingly forms wide, ribbon-like, thermostable fibrils in solution, which co-localize with bacterial cells. Structure-guided mutagenesis analyses supports the role of self-assembly in antibacterial activity. LL-3717–29 resembles, in sequence and in the ability to form amphipathic helical fibrils, the bacterial cytotoxic PSMα3 peptide that assembles into cross-α amyloid fibrils. This argues helical, self-assembling, basic building blocks across kingdoms of life and points to potential structural mimicry mechanisms. The findings expose a protein fibril which performs a biological activity, and offer a scaffold for functional and durable biomaterials for a wide range of medical and technological applications. The human antibacterial and immunomodulatory peptide LL-37 is a hCAP-18 protein cleavage product that self-assembles. Here, the authors present the human and gorilla LL-37 (17–29) crystal structures, revealing a self-assembly of amphipathic helices into a densely packed and elongated hexameric structure with a central pore and mutagenesis experiments support the role of self-assembly for antibacterial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhaq Engelberg
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
| | - Meytal Landau
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel. .,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), and European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 22607, Hamburg, Germany.
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43
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Lee EY, Srinivasan Y, de Anda J, Nicastro LK, Tükel Ç, Wong GCL. Functional Reciprocity of Amyloids and Antimicrobial Peptides: Rethinking the Role of Supramolecular Assembly in Host Defense, Immune Activation, and Inflammation. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1629. [PMID: 32849553 PMCID: PMC7412598 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathological self-assembly is a concept that is classically associated with amyloids, such as amyloid-β (Aβ) in Alzheimer's disease and α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease. In prokaryotic organisms, amyloids are assembled extracellularly in a similar fashion to human amyloids. Pathogenicity of amyloids is attributed to their ability to transform into several distinct structural states that reflect their downstream biological consequences. While the oligomeric forms of amyloids are thought to be responsible for their cytotoxicity via membrane permeation, their fibrillar conformations are known to interact with the innate immune system to induce inflammation. Furthermore, both eukaryotic and prokaryotic amyloids can self-assemble into molecular chaperones to bind nucleic acids, enabling amplification of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling. Recent work has shown that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) follow a strikingly similar paradigm. Previously, AMPs were thought of as peptides with the primary function of permeating microbial membranes. Consistent with this, many AMPs are facially amphiphilic and can facilitate membrane remodeling processes such as pore formation and fusion. We show that various AMPs and chemokines can also chaperone and organize immune ligands into amyloid-like ordered supramolecular structures that are geometrically optimized for binding to TLRs, thereby amplifying immune signaling. The ability of amphiphilic AMPs to self-assemble cooperatively into superhelical protofibrils that form structural scaffolds for the ordered presentation of immune ligands like DNA and dsRNA is central to inflammation. It is interesting to explore the notion that the assembly of AMP protofibrils may be analogous to that of amyloid aggregates. Coming full circle, recent work has suggested that Aβ and other amyloids also have AMP-like antimicrobial functions. The emerging perspective is one in which assembly affords a more finely calibrated system of recognition and response: the detection of single immune ligands, immune ligands bound to AMPs, and immune ligands spatially organized to varying degrees by AMPs, result in different immunologic outcomes. In this framework, not all ordered structures generated during multi-stepped AMP (or amyloid) assembly are pathological in origin. Supramolecular structures formed during this process serve as signatures to the innate immune system to orchestrate immune amplification in a proportional, situation-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest Y Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Yashes Srinivasan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jaime de Anda
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Lauren K Nicastro
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Çagla Tükel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Gerard C L Wong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,California Nano Systems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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44
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Lathe R, St Clair D. From conifers to cognition: Microbes, brain and behavior. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 19:e12680. [PMID: 32515128 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
A diversity of bacteria, protozoans and viruses ("endozoites") were recently uncovered within healthy tissues including the human brain. By contrast, it was already recognized a century ago that healthy plants tissues contain abundant endogenous microbes ("endophytes"). Taking endophytes as an informative precedent, we overview the nature, prevalence, and role of endozoites in mammalian tissues, centrally focusing on the brain, concluding that endozoites are ubiquitous in diverse tissues. These passengers often remain subclinical, but they are not silent. We address their routes of entry, mechanisms of persistence, tissue specificity, and potential to cause long-term behavioral changes and/or immunosuppression in mammals, where rabies virus is the exemplar. We extend the discussion to Herpesviridae, Coronaviridae, and Toxoplasma, as well as to diverse bacteria and yeasts, and debate the advantages and disadvantages that endozoite infection might afford to the host and to the ecosystem. We provide a clinical perspective in which endozoites are implicated in neurodegenerative disease, anxiety/depression, and schizophrenia. We conclude that endozoites are instrumental in the delicate balance between health and disease, including age-related brain disease, and that endozoites have played an important role in the evolution of brain function and human behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Lathe
- Division of Infection Medicine, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David St Clair
- Institute of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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45
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Voth S, Gwin M, Francis CM, Balczon R, Frank DW, Pittet JF, Wagener BM, Moser SA, Alexeyev M, Housley N, Audia JP, Piechocki S, Madera K, Simmons A, Crawford M, Stevens T. Virulent Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection converts antimicrobial amyloids into cytotoxic prions. FASEB J 2020; 34:9156-9179. [PMID: 32413239 PMCID: PMC7383673 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202000051rrr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection elicits the production of cytotoxic amyloids from lung endothelium, yet molecular mechanisms of host‐pathogen interaction that underlie the amyloid production are not well understood. We examined the importance of type III secretion system (T3SS) effectors in the production of cytotoxic amyloids. P aeruginosa possessing a functional T3SS and effectors induced the production and release of cytotoxic amyloids from lung endothelium, including beta amyloid, and tau. T3SS effector intoxication was sufficient to generate cytotoxic amyloid release, yet intoxication with exoenzyme Y (ExoY) alone or together with exoenzymes S and T (ExoS/T/Y) generated the most virulent amyloids. Infection with lab and clinical strains engendered cytotoxic amyloids that were capable of being propagated in endothelial cell culture and passed to naïve cells, indicative of a prion strain. Conversely, T3SS‐incompetent P aeruginosa infection produced non‐cytotoxic amyloids with antimicrobial properties. These findings provide evidence that (1) endothelial intoxication with ExoY is sufficient to elicit self‐propagating amyloid cytotoxins during infection, (2) pulmonary endothelium contributes to innate immunity by generating antimicrobial amyloids in response to bacterial infection, and (3) ExoY contributes to the virulence arsenal of P aeruginosa through the subversion of endothelial amyloid host‐defense to promote a lung endothelial‐derived cytotoxic proteinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Voth
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Meredith Gwin
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Christopher Michael Francis
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Ron Balczon
- Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Dara W Frank
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Jean-Francois Pittet
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Brant M Wagener
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Stephen A Moser
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Mikhail Alexeyev
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Nicole Housley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Jonathon P Audia
- Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Scott Piechocki
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Kayla Madera
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Autumn Simmons
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Michaela Crawford
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Troy Stevens
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Center for Lung Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
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46
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Sancandi M, Uysal-Onganer P, Kraev I, Mercer A, Lange S. Protein Deimination Signatures in Plasma and Plasma-EVs and Protein Deimination in the Brain Vasculature in a Rat Model of Pre-Motor Parkinson's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21082743. [PMID: 32326590 PMCID: PMC7215947 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21082743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification of biomarkers for early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is of pivotal importance for improving approaches for clinical intervention. The use of translatable animal models of pre-motor PD therefore offers optimal opportunities for novel biomarker discovery in vivo. Peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) are a family of calcium-activated enzymes that contribute to protein misfolding through post-translational deimination of arginine to citrulline. Furthermore, PADs are an active regulator of extracellular vesicle (EV) release. Both protein deimination and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are gaining increased attention in relation to neurodegenerative diseases, including in PD, while roles in pre-motor PD have yet to be investigated. The current study aimed at identifying protein candidates of deimination in plasma and plasma-EVs in a rat model of pre-motor PD, to assess putative contributions of such post-translational changes in the early stages of disease. EV-cargo was further assessed for deiminated proteins as well as three key micro-RNAs known to contribute to inflammation and hypoxia (miR21, miR155, and miR210) and also associated with PD. Overall, there was a significant increase in circulating plasma EVs in the PD model compared with sham animals and inflammatory and hypoxia related microRNAs were significantly increased in plasma-EVs of the pre-motor PD model. A significantly higher number of protein candidates were deiminated in the pre-motor PD model plasma and plasma-EVs, compared with those in the sham animals. KEGG (Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathways identified for deiminated proteins in the pre-motor PD model were linked to “Alzheimer’s disease”, “PD”, “Huntington’s disease”, “prion diseases”, as well as for “oxidative phosphorylation”, “thermogenesis”, “metabolic pathways”, “Staphylococcus aureus infection”, gap junction, “platelet activation”, “apelin signalling”, “retrograde endocannabinoid signalling”, “systemic lupus erythematosus”, and “non-alcoholic fatty liver disease”. Furthermore, PD brains showed significantly increased staining for total deiminated proteins in the brain vasculature in cortex and hippocampus, as well as increased immunodetection of deiminated histone H3 in dentate gyrus and cortex. Our findings identify EVs and post-translational protein deimination as novel biomarkers in early pre-motor stages of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Sancandi
- Department of Pharmacology, UCL School of Pharmacy, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (M.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Pinar Uysal-Onganer
- Cancer Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1W 6XH, UK;
| | - Igor Kraev
- Electron Microscopy Suite, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK;
| | - Audrey Mercer
- Department of Pharmacology, UCL School of Pharmacy, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (M.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Sigrun Lange
- Tissue Architecture and Regeneration Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1W 6XH, UK
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-(0)207-911-5000 (ext. 64832)
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The function of bacterial HtrA is evolutionally conserved in mammalian HtrA2/Omi. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5284. [PMID: 32210343 PMCID: PMC7093540 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62309-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the malfunction of HtrA2/Omi leads to Parkinson's disease (PD), the underlying mechanism has remained unknown. Here, we showed that HtrA2/Omi specifically removed oligomeric α-Syn but not monomeric α-Syn to protect oligomeric α-Syn-induced neurodegeneration. Experiments using mnd2 mice indicated that HtrA2/Omi degraded oligomeric α-Syn specifically without affecting monomers. Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster experiments of the co-expression α-Syn and HtrA2/Omi and expression of genes individually also confirmed that pan-neuronal expression of HtrA2/Omi completely rescued Parkinsonism in the α-Syn-induced PD Drosophila model by specifically removing oligomeric α-Syn. HtrA2/Omi maintained the health and integrity of the brain and extended the life span of transgenic flies. Because HtrA2/Omi specifically degraded oligomeric α-Syn, co-expression of HtrA2/Omi and α-Syn in Drosophila eye maintained a healthy retina, while the expression of α-Syn induced retinal degeneration. This work showed that the bacterial function of HtrA to degrade toxic misfolded proteins is evolutionarily conserved in mammalian brains as HtrA2/Omi.
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Amyloidogenic Peptides in Human Neuro-Degenerative Diseases and in Microorganisms: A Sorrow Shared Is a Sorrow Halved? Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25040925. [PMID: 32093040 PMCID: PMC7070710 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25040925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The term "amyloid" refers to proteinaceous deposits of peptides that might be generated from larger precursor proteins e.g., by proteolysis. Common to these peptides is a stable cross-β dominated secondary structure which allows self-assembly, leading to insoluble oligomers and lastly to fibrils. These highly ordered protein aggregates have been, for a long time, mainly associated with human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (Amyloid-β peptides). However, they also exert physiological functions such as in release of deposited hormones in human beings. In the light of the rediscovery of our microbial commensals as important companions in health and disease, the fact that microbes also possess amyloidogenic peptides is intriguing. Transmission of amyloids by iatrogenic means or by consumption of contaminated meat from diseased animals is a well-known fact. What if also our microbial commensals might drive human amyloidosis or suffer from our aggregated amyloids? Moreover, as the microbial amyloids are evolutionarily older, we might learn from these organisms how to cope with the sword of Damocles forged of endogenous, potentially toxic peptides. This review summarizes knowledge about the interplay between human amyloids involved in neurodegenerative diseases and microbial amyloids.
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Vittor AY, Long M, Chakrabarty P, Aycock L, Kollu V, DeKosky ST. West Nile Virus-Induced Neurologic Sequelae-Relationship to Neurodegenerative Cascades and Dementias. CURRENT TROPICAL MEDICINE REPORTS 2020; 7:25-36. [PMID: 32775145 DOI: 10.1007/s40475-020-00200-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review West Nile virus (WNV) emerged from Central Africa in the 1990s and is now endemic throughout much of the world. Twenty years after its introduction in the USA, it is becoming apparent that neurological impairments can persist for years following infection. Here, we review the epidemiological data in support of such long-term deficits and discuss possible mechanisms that drive these persistent manifestations. Recent Findings Focusing on the recently discovered antimicrobial roles of amyloid and alpha-synuclein, we connect WNV late pathology to overlapping features encountered in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. We also summarize new research on microglial activation and engulfment of neural synapses seen in recovered WNV as well as in neurodegenerative diseases, and discuss how loss of integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may exacerbate this process. Summary Neuroinvasive viral infections such as WNV may be linked epidemiologically and mechanistically to neurodegeneration. This may open doors to therapeutic options for hitherto untreatable infectious sequelae; additionally, it may also shed light on the possible infectious etiologies of age-progressive neurodegenerative dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Y Vittor
- Division of Infectious Disease and Global Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Maureen Long
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Paramita Chakrabarty
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lauren Aycock
- School of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Vidya Kollu
- Division of Infectious Disease and Global Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Steven T DeKosky
- Department of Neurology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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New insights on Drosophila antimicrobial peptide function in host defense and beyond. Curr Opin Immunol 2020; 62:22-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2019.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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