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Misra P, Tischer A, Lampe L, Pierluissi-Ruiz V, Dick CJ, Bragantini B, Kormshchikov N, Auton M, Ramirez-Alvarado M. Biophysical characterization of human-cell-expressed, full-length κI O18/O8, AL-09, λ6a, and Wil immunoglobulin light chains. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2024; 1872:140993. [PMID: 38169170 PMCID: PMC10939777 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2023.140993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis involves the deposition of insoluble monoclonal AL protein fibrils in the extracellular space of different organs leading to dysfunction and death. Development of methods to efficiently express and purify AL proteins with acceptable standards of homogeneity and structural integrity has become critical to understand the in vitro and in vivo aspects of AL protein aggregation, and thus the disease progression. In this study, we report the biophysical characterization of His-tagged and untagged versions of AL full-length (FL) κI and λ6 subgroup proteins and their mutants expressed from the Expi293F human cell line. We used an array of biophysical and biochemical methods to analyze the structure and stability of the monomers, oligomerization states, and thermodynamic characteristics of the purified FL proteins and how they compare with the bacterially expressed FL proteins. Our results demonstrate that the tagged and untagged versions of FL proteins have comparable stability to proteins expressed in bacterial cells but exhibit multiple unfolding transitions and reversibility. Non-reducing SDS-PAGE and analytical ultracentrifugation analysis showed presence of monomers and dimers, with an insignificant amount of higher-order oligomers, in the purified fraction of all proteins. Overall, the FL proteins were expressed with sufficient yields for biophysical studies and can replace bacterial expression systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinaki Misra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
| | - Alexander Tischer
- Department of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Lindsey Lampe
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Valeria Pierluissi-Ruiz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Christopher J Dick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Benoit Bragantini
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Nikita Kormshchikov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Matthew Auton
- Department of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Marina Ramirez-Alvarado
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN, USA.
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Del Pozo-Yauner L, Herrera GA, Perez Carreon JI, Turbat-Herrera EA, Rodriguez-Alvarez FJ, Ruiz Zamora RA. Role of the mechanisms for antibody repertoire diversification in monoclonal light chain deposition disorders: when a friend becomes foe. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1203425. [PMID: 37520549 PMCID: PMC10374031 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1203425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates generates a highly diverse repertoire of antibodies to meet the antigenic challenges of a constantly evolving biological ecosystem. Most of the diversity is generated by two mechanisms: V(D)J gene recombination and somatic hypermutation (SHM). SHM introduces changes in the variable domain of antibodies, mostly in the regions that form the paratope, yielding antibodies with higher antigen binding affinity. However, antigen recognition is only possible if the antibody folds into a stable functional conformation. Therefore, a key force determining the survival of B cell clones undergoing somatic hypermutation is the ability of the mutated heavy and light chains to efficiently fold and assemble into a functional antibody. The antibody is the structural context where the selection of the somatic mutations occurs, and where both the heavy and light chains benefit from protective mechanisms that counteract the potentially deleterious impact of the changes. However, in patients with monoclonal gammopathies, the proliferating plasma cell clone may overproduce the light chain, which is then secreted into the bloodstream. This places the light chain out of the protective context provided by the quaternary structure of the antibody, increasing the risk of misfolding and aggregation due to destabilizing somatic mutations. Light chain-derived (AL) amyloidosis, light chain deposition disease (LCDD), Fanconi syndrome, and myeloma (cast) nephropathy are a diverse group of diseases derived from the pathologic aggregation of light chains, in which somatic mutations are recognized to play a role. In this review, we address the mechanisms by which somatic mutations promote the misfolding and pathological aggregation of the light chains, with an emphasis on AL amyloidosis. We also analyze the contribution of the variable domain (VL) gene segments and somatic mutations on light chain cytotoxicity, organ tropism, and structure of the AL fibrils. Finally, we analyze the most recent advances in the development of computational algorithms to predict the role of somatic mutations in the cardiotoxicity of amyloidogenic light chains and discuss the challenges and perspectives that this approach faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Del Pozo-Yauner
- Department of Pathology, University of South Alabama-College of Medicine, Mobile, AL, United States
| | - Guillermo A. Herrera
- Department of Pathology, University of South Alabama-College of Medicine, Mobile, AL, United States
| | | | - Elba A. Turbat-Herrera
- Department of Pathology, University of South Alabama-College of Medicine, Mobile, AL, United States
- Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama-College of Medicine, Mobile, AL, United States
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Absmeier RM, Rottenaicher GJ, Svilenov HL, Kazman P, Buchner J. Antibodies gone bad - the molecular mechanism of light chain amyloidosis. FEBS J 2023; 290:1398-1419. [PMID: 35122394 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Light chain amyloidosis (AL) is a systemic disease in which abnormally proliferating plasma cells secrete large amounts of mutated antibody light chains (LCs) that eventually form fibrils. The fibrils are deposited in various organs, most often in the heart and kidney, and impair their function. The prognosis for patients diagnosed with AL is generally poor. The disease is set apart from other amyloidoses by the huge number of patient-specific mutations in the disease-causing and fibril-forming protein. The molecular mechanisms that drive the aggregation of mutated LCs into fibrils have been enigmatic, which hindered the development of efficient diagnostics and therapies. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on AL amyloidosis and discuss open issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona M Absmeier
- Center for Functional Protein Assemblies and Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Georg J Rottenaicher
- Center for Functional Protein Assemblies and Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Hristo L Svilenov
- Center for Functional Protein Assemblies and Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Pamina Kazman
- Center for Functional Protein Assemblies and Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Johannes Buchner
- Center for Functional Protein Assemblies and Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
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Yan NL, Nair R, Chu A, Wilson IA, Johnson KA, Morgan GJ, Kelly JW. Amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chain kinetic stabilizers comprising a simple urea linker module reveal a novel binding sub-site. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2022; 60:128571. [PMID: 35065233 PMCID: PMC8857066 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128571] [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: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In immunoglobulin light chain (LC) amyloidosis, the misfolding, or misfolding and misassembly of LC a protein or fragments thereof resulting from aberrant endoproteolysis, causes organ damage to patients. A small molecule "kinetic stabilizer" drug could slow or stop these processes and improve prognosis. We previously identified coumarin-based kinetic stabilizers of LCs that can be divided into four components, including a "linker module" and "distal substructure". Our prior studies focused on characterizing carbamate, hydantoin, and spirocyclic urea linker modules, which bind in a solvent-exposed site at the VL-VL domain interface of the LC dimer. Here, we report structure-activity relationship data on 7-diethylamino coumarin-based kinetic stabilizers. This substructure occupies the previously characterized "anchor cavity" and the "aromatic slit". The potencies of amide and urea linker modules terminating in a variety of distal substructures attached at the 3-position of this coumarin ring were assessed. Surprisingly, crystallographic data on a 7-diethylamino coumarin-based kinetic stabilizer reveals that the urea linker module and distal substructure attached at the 3-position bind a solvent-exposed region of the full-length LC dimer distinct from previously characterized sites. Our results further elaborate the small-molecule binding surface of LCs that could be occupied by potent and selective LC kinetic stabilizers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas L Yan
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Reji Nair
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Alan Chu
- California Institute for Biomedical Research, 11119 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ian A Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kristen A Johnson
- California Institute for Biomedical Research, 11119 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gareth J Morgan
- Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA; The Amyloidosis Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Jeffery W Kelly
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Yan NL, Santos-Martins D, Nair R, Chu A, Wilson IA, Johnson KA, Forli S, Morgan GJ, Petrassi HM, Kelly JW. Discovery of Potent Coumarin-Based Kinetic Stabilizers of Amyloidogenic Immunoglobulin Light Chains Using Structure-Based Design. J Med Chem 2021; 64:6273-6299. [PMID: 33939422 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In immunoglobulin light-chain (LC) amyloidosis, transient unfolding or unfolding and proteolysis enable aggregation of LC proteins, causing potentially fatal organ damage. A drug that kinetically stabilizes LCs could suppress aggregation; however, LC sequences are variable and have no natural ligands, hindering drug development efforts. We previously identified high-throughput screening hits that bind to a site at the interface between the two variable domains of the LC homodimer. We hypothesized that extending the stabilizers beyond this initially characterized binding site would improve affinity. Here, using protease sensitivity assays, we identified stabilizers that can be divided into four substructures. Some stabilizers exhibit nanomolar EC50 values, a 3000-fold enhancement over the screening hits. Crystal structures reveal a key π-π stacking interaction with a conserved tyrosine residue that was not utilized by the screening hits. These data provide a foundation for developing LC stabilizers with improved binding selectivity and enhanced physicochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas L Yan
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Diogo Santos-Martins
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Reji Nair
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Alan Chu
- California Institute for Biomedical Research, 11119 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Ian A Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Kristen A Johnson
- California Institute for Biomedical Research, 11119 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Stefano Forli
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Gareth J Morgan
- Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States.,The Amyloidosis Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - H Michael Petrassi
- California Institute for Biomedical Research, 11119 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Jeffery W Kelly
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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Blancas-Mejia LM, Misra P, Dick CJ, Cooper SA, Redhage KR, Bergman MR, Jordan TL, Maar K, Ramirez-Alvarado M. Immunoglobulin light chain amyloid aggregation. Chem Commun (Camb) 2018; 54:10664-10674. [PMID: 30087961 DOI: 10.1039/c8cc04396e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a devastating, complex, and incurable protein misfolding disease. It is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of plasma cells (fully differentiated B cells) producing an excess of monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains that are secreted into circulation, where the light chains misfold, aggregate as amyloid fibrils in target organs, and cause organ dysfunction, organ failure, and death. In this article, we will review the factors that contribute to AL amyloidosis complexity, the findings by our laboratory from the last 16 years and the work from other laboratories on understanding the structural, kinetics, and thermodynamic contributions that drive immunoglobulin light chain-associated amyloidosis. We will discuss the role of cofactors and the mechanism of cellular damage. Last, we will review our recent findings on the high resolution structure of AL amyloid fibrils. AL amyloidosis is the best example of protein sequence diversity in misfolding diseases, as each patient has a unique combination of germline donor sequences and multiple amino acid mutations in the protein that forms the amyloid fibril.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis M Blancas-Mejia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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Martin EB, Williams AD, Heidel RE, Foster JS, Lands RH, Kennel SJ, Wall JS. A functional assay to identify amyloidogenic light chains. Amyloid 2018; 25:93-100. [PMID: 29571269 PMCID: PMC6333307 DOI: 10.1080/13506129.2018.1456425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Multiple myeloma (MM) and light chain monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (LCMGUS) are plasma cell disorders associated with the secretion of monoclonal free light-chain (LC) proteins. Due to the high concentrations of LC in circulation, both of these populations are at risk for developing LC-associated amyloidosis (AL) - a protein misfolding disease characterized by the deposition of LC protein fibrils in organs and tissues, leading to dysfunction and significant morbidity. At present, accurate identification of subjects at risk for developing amyloidosis is not possible, but with the advent of novel, amyloid-targeted therapies, identification of pre-symptomatic individuals is of clinical import. METHODS To address this, a competition assay has been developed to discern LC proteins with enhanced amyloidogenic potential. Numerous factors that may influence the efficacy of the assay have been evaluated to yield optimal conditions. RESULTS Using a panel of nine patient-derived LC, we have demonstrated that amyloid-associated LC inhibited the recruitment of a biotinyl-λ6 variable domain by homologous amyloid-like fibrils significantly more than MM LC (p < .01). CONCLUSION The assay accurately discriminated AL from MM patient populations, suggesting that it may aid in the identification of patients with monoclonal gammopathies who have an increased risk of developing amyloidosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B Martin
- a Department of Medicine , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA
| | - Angela D Williams
- a Department of Medicine , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA
| | - R Eric Heidel
- b Department of Surgery , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA
| | - James S Foster
- a Department of Medicine , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA
| | - Ronald H Lands
- a Department of Medicine , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA
| | - Stephen J Kennel
- a Department of Medicine , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA.,c Department of Radiology , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA
| | - Jonathan S Wall
- a Department of Medicine , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA.,c Department of Radiology , University of Tennessee Medical Center , Knoxville , TN , USA
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