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Patel SP, Nikam T, Sreepathi B, Karankar VS, Jaiswal A, Vardhan SV, Rana A, Toga V, Srivastava N, Saraf SA, Awasthi S. Unraveling the Molecular Jam: How Crowding Shapes Protein Aggregation in Neurodegenerative Disorders. ACS Chem Biol 2024; 19:2118-2130. [PMID: 39373539 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.4c00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/08/2024]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation are the hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and prion diseases. A crowded cellular environment plays a crucial role in modulating protein aggregation processes in vivo and the pathological aggregation of proteins linked to different neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review recent studies examining the effects of various crowding agents, such as polysaccharides, polyethylene glycol, and proteins like BSA and lysozyme on the behaviors of aggregation of several amyloidogenic peptides and proteins, including amylin, huntingtin, tau, α-synuclein, prion, and amyloid-β. We also summarize how the aggregation kinetics, thermodynamic stability, and morphology of amyloid fibrils are altered significantly in the presence of crowding agents. In addition, we also discuss the molecular basis underlying the modulation of amyloidogenic aggregation, focusing on changes in the protein conformation, and the nucleation mechanism. The molecular understanding of the effects of macromolecular crowding on amyloid aggregation is essential for revealing disease pathologies and identifying possible therapeutic targets. Thus, this review offers a perspective on the complex interplay between protein aggregation and the crowded cellular environment in vivo and explains the relevance of crowding in the context of neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashi Prakash Patel
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Tejas Nikam
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Bhargavi Sreepathi
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vijayshree S Karankar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ankita Jaiswal
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Salumuri Vamsi Vardhan
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anika Rana
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vanshu Toga
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nidhi Srivastava
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shubhini A Saraf
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Saurabh Awasthi
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Raebareli (NIPER-R), Lucknow-226002, Uttar Pradesh, India
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2
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Nanajkar N, Sahoo A, Matysiak S. Unraveling the Molecular Complexity of N-Terminus Huntingtin Oligomers: Insights into Polymorphic Structures. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:7761-7769. [PMID: 39092631 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c03274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder resulting from an abnormal expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ) repeats in the N-terminus of the huntingtin protein. When the polyQ tract surpasses 35 repeats, the mutated protein undergoes misfolding, culminating in the formation of intracellular aggregates. Research in mouse models suggests that HD pathogenesis involves the aggregation of N-terminal fragments of the huntingtin protein (htt). These early oligomeric assemblies of htt, exhibiting diverse characteristics during aggregation, are implicated as potential toxic entities in HD. However, a consensus on their specific structures remains elusive. Understanding the heterogeneous nature of htt oligomers provides crucial insights into disease mechanisms, emphasizing the need to identify various oligomeric conformations as potential therapeutic targets. Employing coarse-grained molecular dynamics, our study aims to elucidate the mechanisms governing the aggregation process and resultant aggregate architectures of htt. The polyQ tract within htt is flanked by two regions: an N-terminal domain (N17) and a short C-terminal proline-rich segment. We conducted self-assembly simulations involving five distinct N17 + polyQ systems with polyQ lengths ranging from 7 to 45, utilizing the ProMPT force field. Prolongation of the polyQ domain correlates with an increase in β-sheet-rich structures. Longer polyQ lengths favor intramolecular β-sheets over intermolecular interactions due to the folding of the elongated polyQ domain into hairpin-rich conformations. Importantly, variations in polyQ length significantly influence resulting oligomeric structures. Shorter polyQ domains lead to N17 domain aggregation, forming a hydrophobic core, while longer polyQ lengths introduce a competition between N17 hydrophobic interactions and polyQ polar interactions, resulting in densely packed polyQ cores with outwardly distributed N17 domains. Additionally, at extended polyQ lengths, we observe distinct oligomeric conformations with varying degrees of N17 bundling. These findings can help explain the toxic gain-of-function that htt with expanded polyQ acquires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Nanajkar
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, United States
| | - Abhilash Sahoo
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, New York 10010, United States
- Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute, New York, New York 10010, United States
| | - Silvina Matysiak
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, United States
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Moldovean-Cioroianu NS. Reviewing the Structure-Function Paradigm in Polyglutamine Disorders: A Synergistic Perspective on Theoretical and Experimental Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6789. [PMID: 38928495 PMCID: PMC11204371 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the excessive expansion of CAG (cytosine, adenine, guanine) repeats within host proteins. The quest to unravel the complex diseases mechanism has led researchers to adopt both theoretical and experimental methods, each offering unique insights into the underlying pathogenesis. This review emphasizes the significance of combining multiple approaches in the study of polyQ disorders, focusing on the structure-function correlations and the relevance of polyQ-related protein dynamics in neurodegeneration. By integrating computational/theoretical predictions with experimental observations, one can establish robust structure-function correlations, aiding in the identification of key molecular targets for therapeutic interventions. PolyQ proteins' dynamics, influenced by their length and interactions with other molecular partners, play a pivotal role in the polyQ-related pathogenic cascade. Moreover, conformational dynamics of polyQ proteins can trigger aggregation, leading to toxic assembles that hinder proper cellular homeostasis. Understanding these intricacies offers new avenues for therapeutic strategies by fine-tuning polyQ kinetics, in order to prevent and control disease progression. Last but not least, this review highlights the importance of integrating multidisciplinary efforts to advancing research in this field, bringing us closer to the ultimate goal of finding effective treatments against polyQ disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nastasia Sanda Moldovean-Cioroianu
- Institute of Materials Science, Bioinspired Materials and Biosensor Technologies, Kiel University, Kaiserstraße 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany;
- Faculty of Physics, Babeș-Bolyai University, Kogălniceanu 1, RO-400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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4
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Jane-Wit D, Song G, He L, Jiang Q, Barkestani M, Wang S, Wang Q, Ren P, Fan M, Johnson J, Mullan C. Complement Membrane Attack Complexes Disrupt Proteostasis to Function as Intracellular Alarmins. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4504419. [PMID: 38947095 PMCID: PMC11213201 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4504419/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Internalized pools of membrane attack complexes (MACs) promote NF-kB and dysregulated tissue inflammation. Here, we show that C9, a MAC-associated protein, promotes loss of proteostasis to become intrinsically immunogenic. Surface-bound C9 is internalized into Rab5 + endosomes whose intraluminal acidification promotes C9 aggregates. A region within the MACPF/CDC domain of C9 stimulates aggrephagy to induce NF-kB, inflammatory genes, and EC activation. This process requires ZFYVE21, a Rab5 effector, which links LC3A/B on aggresome membranes to RNF34-P62 complexes to mediate C9 aggrephagy. C9 aggregates form in human tissues, C9-associated signaling responses occur in three mouse models, and ZFYVE21 stabilizes RNF34 to promote C9 aggrephagy in vivo. Gene-deficient mice lacking ZFYVE21 in ECs showed reduced MAC-induced tissue injury in a skin model of chronic rejection. While classically defined as cytotoxic effectors, MACs may impair proteostasis, forming aggregates that behave as intracellular alarmins.
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Chen WH, Hsu CC, Huang HY, Cherng JY, Hsiao YC. Optimizing Gluten Extraction Using Eco-friendly Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids: Exploring the Impact of Cation Side Chains and Anions. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:17028-17035. [PMID: 38645333 PMCID: PMC11025095 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Gluten is a well-known food allergen globally, and it can induce immune responses in celiac- and nonceliac gluten-sensitive patients. The gliadin proteins from gluten have a special amino acid sequence that make it hydrophobic. One way to deal with gluten allergies is to provide a gluten-free diet. The hydrophobic characteristic of gliadin makes gliadin detection more difficult. An analyst needs to use an organic solvent or multiple processes to denature gluten for extraction. Although organic solvents can rapidly extract gluten in a sample, organic solvent also denatures the antibody and induces false biotest results without buffer dilute, and the accuracy will reduce with buffer dilute. An ionic liquid (IL) is a highly modifiable green chemical organic salt. The imidazolium has a cationic structure and is modified with different lengths (C = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12) of carbon side chains with organic and inorganic anions [methanesulfonate (MSO), Cl-, F-, NO3-, HSO4-, and H2PO4-] to make different kinds of ILs for testing the solubility of gliadin. Different IL/water ratios were used to test the solubility of gluten. We measured the solubility of gliadin in different imidazolium ILs, and the kinetic curve of gliadin dissolved in 1% [C5DMIM][MSO]aq was conducted. We also used circular dichroism spectroscopy and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the gliadin structure and the effect of binding with an antibody after 1% [C5DMIM][MSO]aq treatment. An 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4- nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay was used to test the toxicity of [C5DMIM][MSO]aq in N2a cells. In our research, 1% [C5DMIM][MSO]aq produced a good solubility of gluten, and it could dissolve more than 3000 ppm of gluten in 5 min. [C5DMIM][MSO]aq did not break down the gluten structure and did not restrict antibody binding to gluten, and more importantly, [C5DMIM][MSO] did not exhibit cell toxicity. In this report, we showed that [C5DMIM][MSO] could be a good extraction solution applied for gluten detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hao Chen
- Research
and Development Group, Yen Hao Holding Company, Tainan 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate
Institute of Biomedical Optomechatronics, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Chuan-Chih Hsu
- Division
of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine,
College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Division
of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University Hospital, 250 Wuxing Street, Tai-pei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Yin Huang
- Research
and Development Group, Yen Hao Holding Company, Tainan 11031, Taiwan
| | - Jong-Yuh Cherng
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National
Chung Cheng University, Chia-yi 62102, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Cheng Hsiao
- Research
and Development Group, Yen Hao Holding Company, Tainan 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate
Institute of Biomedical Optomechatronics, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Stanford
Byers Center for Biodesign, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Cell
Physiology and Molecular Image Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
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6
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Ojalvo-Pacheco J, Yakhine-Diop SMS, Fuentes JM, Paredes-Barquero M, Niso-Santano M. Role of TFEB in Huntington's Disease. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:238. [PMID: 38666850 PMCID: PMC11048341 DOI: 10.3390/biology13040238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by an expansion of the CAG trinucleotide repeat in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. This expansion leads to a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract at the N-terminal end of HTT, which reduces the solubility of the protein and promotes its accumulation. Inefficient clearance of mutant HTT (mHTT) by the proteasome or autophagy-lysosomal system leads to accumulation of oligomers and toxic protein aggregates in neurons, resulting in impaired proteolytic systems, transcriptional dysregulation, impaired axonal transport, mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular energy imbalance. Growing evidence suggests that the accumulation of mHTT aggregates and autophagic and/or lysosomal dysfunction are the major pathogenic mechanisms underlying HD. In this context, enhancing autophagy may be an effective therapeutic strategy to remove protein aggregates and improve cell function. Transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master transcriptional regulator of autophagy, controls the expression of genes critical for autophagosome formation, lysosomal biogenesis, lysosomal function and autophagic flux. Consequently, the induction of TFEB activity to promote intracellular clearance may be a therapeutic strategy for HD. However, while some studies have shown that overexpression of TFEB facilitates the clearance of mHTT aggregates and ameliorates the disease phenotype, others indicate such overexpression may lead to mHTT co-aggregation and worsen disease progression. Further studies are necessary to confirm whether TFEB modulation could be an effective therapeutic strategy against mHTT-mediated toxicity in different disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Ojalvo-Pacheco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Genética, Facultad de Enfermería y Terapia Ocupacional, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain; (J.O.-P.); (S.M.S.Y.-D.); (J.M.F.)
| | - Sokhna M. S. Yakhine-Diop
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Genética, Facultad de Enfermería y Terapia Ocupacional, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain; (J.O.-P.); (S.M.S.Y.-D.); (J.M.F.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativa, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBER-CIBERNED-ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación Biosanitaria de Extremadura (INUBE), 10003 Caceres, Spain
| | - José M. Fuentes
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Genética, Facultad de Enfermería y Terapia Ocupacional, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain; (J.O.-P.); (S.M.S.Y.-D.); (J.M.F.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativa, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBER-CIBERNED-ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación Biosanitaria de Extremadura (INUBE), 10003 Caceres, Spain
| | - Marta Paredes-Barquero
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativa, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBER-CIBERNED-ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación Biosanitaria de Extremadura (INUBE), 10003 Caceres, Spain
| | - Mireia Niso-Santano
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Genética, Facultad de Enfermería y Terapia Ocupacional, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain; (J.O.-P.); (S.M.S.Y.-D.); (J.M.F.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativa, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBER-CIBERNED-ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación Biosanitaria de Extremadura (INUBE), 10003 Caceres, Spain
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7
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Parlato R, Volarić J, Lasorsa A, Bagherpoor Helabad M, Kobauri P, Jain G, Miettinen MS, Feringa BL, Szymanski W, van der Wel PCA. Photocontrol of the β-Hairpin Polypeptide Structure through an Optimized Azobenzene-Based Amino Acid Analogue. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:2062-2071. [PMID: 38226790 PMCID: PMC10811659 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c11155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
A family of neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxias, are associated with an abnormal polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in mutant proteins that become prone to form amyloid-like aggregates. Prior studies have suggested a key role for β-hairpin formation as a driver of nucleation and aggregation, but direct experimental studies have been challenging. Toward such research, we set out to enable spatiotemporal control over β-hairpin formation by the introduction of a photosensitive β-turn mimic in the polypeptide backbone, consisting of a newly designed azobenzene derivative. The reported derivative overcomes the limitations of prior approaches associated with poor photochemical properties and imperfect structural compatibility with the desired β-turn structure. A new azobenzene-based β-turn mimic was designed, synthesized, and found to display improved photochemical properties, both prior and after incorporation into the backbone of a polyQ polypeptide. The two isomers of the azobenzene-polyQ peptide showed different aggregate structures of the polyQ peptide fibrils, as demonstrated by electron microscopy and solid-state NMR (ssNMR). Notably, only peptides in which the β-turn structure was stabilized (azobenzene in the cis configuration) closely reproduced the spectral fingerprints of toxic, β-hairpin-containing fibrils formed by mutant huntingtin protein fragments implicated in HD. These approaches and findings will enable better deciphering of the roles of β-hairpin structures in protein aggregation processes in HD and other amyloid-related neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Parlato
- Zernike
Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jana Volarić
- Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747
AG Groningen, The
Netherlands
| | - Alessia Lasorsa
- Zernike
Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mahdi Bagherpoor Helabad
- Department
of Theory and Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute
of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Piermichele Kobauri
- Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747
AG Groningen, The
Netherlands
| | - Greeshma Jain
- Zernike
Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Markus S. Miettinen
- Computational
Biology Unit, Departments of Chemistry and Informatics, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ben L. Feringa
- Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747
AG Groningen, The
Netherlands
| | - Wiktor Szymanski
- Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747
AG Groningen, The
Netherlands
- Medical
Imaging Center, University Medical Center
Groningen, Hanzeplein
1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick C. A. van der Wel
- Zernike
Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Pandey NK, Varkey J, Ajayan A, George G, Chen J, Langen R. Fluorescent protein tagging promotes phase separation and alters the aggregation pathway of huntingtin exon-1. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105585. [PMID: 38141760 PMCID: PMC10825056 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105585] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluorescent protein tags are convenient tools for tracking the aggregation states of amyloidogenic or phase separating proteins, but the effect of the tags is often not well understood. Here, we investigated the impact of a C-terminal red fluorescent protein (RFP) tag on the phase separation of huntingtin exon-1 (Httex1), an N-terminal portion of the huntingtin protein that aggregates in Huntington's disease. We found that the RFP-tagged Httex1 rapidly formed micron-sized, phase separated states in the presence of a crowding agent. The formed structures had a rounded appearance and were highly dynamic according to electron paramagnetic resonance and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, suggesting that the phase separated state was largely liquid in nature. Remarkably, the untagged protein did not undergo any detectable liquid condensate formation under the same conditions. In addition to strongly promoting liquid-liquid phase separation, the RFP tag also facilitated fibril formation, as the tag-dependent liquid condensates rapidly underwent a liquid-to-solid transition. The rate of fibril formation under these conditions was significantly faster than that of the untagged protein. When expressed in cells, the RFP-tagged Httex1 formed larger aggregates with different antibody staining patterns compared to untagged Httex1. Collectively, these data reveal that the addition of a fluorescent protein tag significantly impacts liquid and solid phase separations of Httex1 in vitro and leads to altered aggregation in cells. Considering that the tagged Httex1 is commonly used to study the mechanisms of Httex1 misfolding and toxicity, our findings highlight the importance to validate the conclusions with untagged protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitin K Pandey
- Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jobin Varkey
- Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Anakha Ajayan
- Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Gincy George
- Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jeannie Chen
- Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ralf Langen
- Physiology and Neuroscience, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA; Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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9
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Narita H, Shima T, Iizuka R, Uemura S. N-terminal region of Drosophila melanogaster Argonaute2 forms amyloid-like aggregates. BMC Biol 2023; 21:78. [PMID: 37072852 PMCID: PMC10114355 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01569-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Argonaute proteins play a central role in RNA silencing by forming protein-small RNA complexes responsible for the silencing process. While most Argonaute proteins have a short N-terminal region, Argonaute2 in Drosophila melanogaster (DmAgo2) harbors a long and unique N-terminal region. Previous in vitro biochemical studies have shown that the loss of this region does not impair the RNA silencing activity of the complex. However, an N-terminal mutant of Drosophila melanogaster has demonstrated abnormal RNA silencing activity. To explore the causes of this discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo studies, we investigated the biophysical properties of the region. The N-terminal region is highly rich in glutamine and glycine residues, which is a well-known property for prion-like domains, a subclass of amyloid-forming peptides. Therefore, the possibility of the N-terminal region functioning as an amyloid was tested. RESULTS Our in silico and biochemical assays demonstrated that the N-terminal region exhibits amyloid-specific properties. The region indeed formed aggregates that were not dissociated even in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Also, the aggregates enhanced the fluorescence intensity of thioflavin-T, an amyloid detection reagent. The kinetics of the aggregation followed that of typical amyloid formation exhibiting self-propagating activity. Furthermore, we directly visualized the aggregation process of the N-terminal region under fluorescence microscopy and found that the aggregations took fractal or fibril shapes. Together, the results indicate that the N-terminal region can form amyloid-like aggregates. CONCLUSIONS Many other amyloid-forming peptides have been reported to modulate the function of proteins through their aggregation. Therefore, our findings raise the possibility that aggregation of the N-terminal region regulates the RNA silencing activity of DmAgo2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Narita
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Shima
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Ryo Iizuka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sotaro Uemura
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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10
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Joachimiak P, Ciesiołka A, Kozłowska E, Świtoński PM, Figura G, Ciołak A, Adamek G, Surdyka M, Kalinowska-Pośka Ż, Figiel M, Caron NS, Hayden MR, Fiszer A. Allele-specific quantitation of ATXN3 and HTT transcripts in polyQ disease models. BMC Biol 2023; 21:17. [PMID: 36726088 PMCID: PMC9893648 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01515-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of genes in the human genome is present in two copies but the expression levels of both alleles is not equal. Allelic imbalance is an aspect of gene expression relevant not only in the context of genetic variation, but also to understand the pathophysiology of genes implicated in genetic disorders, in particular, dominant genetic diseases where patients possess one normal and one mutant allele. Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are caused by the expansion of CAG trinucleotide tracts within specific genes. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) and Huntington's disease (HD) patients harbor one normal and one mutant allele that differ in the length of CAG tracts. However, assessing the expression level of individual alleles is challenging due to the presence of abundant CAG repeats in the human transcriptome, which make difficult the design of allele-specific methods, as well as of therapeutic strategies to selectively engage CAG sequences in mutant transcripts. RESULTS To precisely quantify expression in an allele-specific manner, we used SNP variants that are linked to either normal or CAG expanded alleles of the ataxin-3 (ATXN3) and huntingtin (HTT) genes in selected patient-derived cell lines. We applied a SNP-based quantitative droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) protocol for precise determination of the levels of transcripts in cellular and mouse models. For HD, we showed that the process of cell differentiation can affect the ratio between endogenous alleles of HTT mRNA. Additionally, we reported changes in the absolute number of the ATXN3 and HTT transcripts per cell during neuronal differentiation. We also implemented our assay to reliably monitor, in an allele-specific manner, the silencing efficiency of mRNA-targeting therapeutic approaches for HD. Finally, using the humanized Hu128/21 HD mouse model, we showed that the ratio of normal and mutant HTT transgene expression in brain slightly changes with the age of mice. CONCLUSIONS Using allele-specific ddPCR assays, we observed differences in allele expression levels in the context of SCA3 and HD. Our allele-selective approach is a reliable and quantitative method to analyze low abundant transcripts and is performed with high accuracy and reproducibility. Therefore, the use of this approach can significantly improve understanding of allele-related mechanisms, e.g., related with mRNA processing that may be affected in polyQ diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Joachimiak
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Adam Ciesiołka
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Emilia Kozłowska
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Paweł M. Świtoński
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Figura
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Agata Ciołak
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Grażyna Adamek
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Magdalena Surdyka
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Żaneta Kalinowska-Pośka
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Maciej Figiel
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Nicholas S. Caron
- grid.17091.3e0000 0001 2288 9830Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
| | - Michael R. Hayden
- grid.17091.3e0000 0001 2288 9830Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
| | - Agnieszka Fiszer
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
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11
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Gropp MHM, Klaips CL, Hartl FU. Formation of toxic oligomers of polyQ-expanded Huntingtin by prion-mediated cross-seeding. Mol Cell 2022; 82:4290-4306.e11. [PMID: 36272412 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.09.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Manifestation of aggregate pathology in Huntington's disease is thought to be facilitated by a preferential vulnerability of affected brain cells to age-dependent proteostatic decline. To understand how specific cellular backgrounds may facilitate pathologic aggregation, we utilized the yeast model in which polyQ-expanded Huntingtin forms aggregates only when the endogenous prion-forming protein Rnq1 is in its amyloid-like prion [PIN+] conformation. We employed optogenetic clustering of polyQ protein as an orthogonal method to induce polyQ aggregation in prion-free [pin-] cells. Optogenetic aggregation circumvented the prion requirement for the formation of detergent-resistant polyQ inclusions but bypassed the formation of toxic polyQ oligomers, which accumulated specifically in [PIN+] cells. Reconstitution of aggregation in vitro suggested that these polyQ oligomers formed through direct templating on Rnq1 prions. These findings shed light on the mechanism of prion-mediated formation of oligomers, which may play a role in triggering polyQ pathology in the patient brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H M Gropp
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Courtney L Klaips
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713AV Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - F Ulrich Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.
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12
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Restrepo-Pineda, Rosiles-BecerrilVargas-Castillo D, Ávila-Barrientos LP, Luviano A, Sánchez-Puig N, García-Hernández E, Pérez NO, Trujillo-Roldán MA, Valdez-Cruz NA. Induction temperature impacts the structure of recombinant HuGM-CSF inclusion bodies in thermoinducible E. coli. ELECTRON J BIOTECHN 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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13
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KPNB1 modulates the Machado-Joseph disease protein ataxin-3 through activation of the mitochondrial protease CLPP. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:401. [PMID: 35794401 PMCID: PMC9259533 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04372-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Machado–Joseph disease (MJD) is characterized by a pathological expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) tract within the ataxin-3 protein. Despite its primarily cytoplasmic localization, polyQ-expanded ataxin-3 accumulates in the nucleus and forms intranuclear aggregates in the affected neurons. Due to these histopathological hallmarks, the nucleocytoplasmic transport machinery has garnered attention as an important disease relevant mechanism. Here, we report on MJD cell model-based analysis of the nuclear transport receptor karyopherin subunit beta-1 (KPNB1) and its implications in the molecular pathogenesis of MJD. Although directly interacting with both wild-type and polyQ-expanded ataxin-3, modulating KPNB1 did not alter the intracellular localization of ataxin-3. Instead, overexpression of KPNB1 reduced ataxin-3 protein levels and the aggregate load, thereby improving cell viability. On the other hand, its knockdown and inhibition resulted in the accumulation of soluble and insoluble ataxin-3. Interestingly, the reduction of ataxin-3 was apparently based on protein fragmentation independent of the classical MJD-associated proteolytic pathways. Label-free quantitative proteomics and knockdown experiments identified mitochondrial protease CLPP as a potential mediator of the ataxin-3-degrading effect induced by KPNB1. We confirmed reduction of KPNB1 protein levels in MJD by analyzing two MJD transgenic mouse models and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from MJD patients. Our results reveal a yet undescribed regulatory function of KPNB1 in controlling the turnover of ataxin-3, thereby highlighting a new potential target of therapeutic value for MJD.
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14
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Guo P, Han D. Targeting Pathogenic DNA and RNA Repeats: A Conceptual Therapeutic Way for Repeat Expansion Diseases. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202201749. [PMID: 35727679 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202201749] [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: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Expansions of short tandem repeats (STRs) in the human genome cause nearly 50 neurodegenerative diseases, which are mostly inheritable, nonpreventable and incurable, posing as a huge threat to human health. Non-B DNAs formed by STRs are thought to be structural intermediates that can cause repeat expansions. The subsequent transcripts harboring expanded RNA repeats can further induce cellular toxicity through forming specific structures. Direct targeting of these pathogenic DNA and RNA repeats has emerged as a new potential therapeutic strategy to cure repeat expansion diseases. In this conceptual review, we first introduce the roles of DNA and RNA structures in the genetic instabilities and pathomechanisms of repeat expansion diseases, then describe structural features of DNA and RNA repeats with a focus on the tertiary structures determined by X-ray crystallography and solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and finally discuss recent progress and perspectives of developing chemical tools that target pathogenic DNA and RNA repeats for curing repeat expansion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Guo
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310022, P. R. China
| | - Da Han
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310022, P. R. China.,Institute of Molecular Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, P. R. China
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15
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Siu HW, Hauser K. Observation of Oligomeric States Indicates a High Structural Flexibility Required for the Onset of Polyglutamine Fibrillization. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:4543-4548. [PMID: 35580015 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are caused by misfolding and aggregation of expanded polyQ tracts in the affected protein. PolyQ fibrils have been studied in detail; however, less is known about oligomeric precursor states. By a combination of time-resolved temperature-jump (T-jump) infrared (IR) spectroscopy and an appropriately tailored polyQ model peptide, we succeeded in disentangling conformational dynamics in the heterogeneous ensemble of states evolving during aggregation. Individual structural elements could be differentiated by IR-specific signatures, i.e., hairpin monomers, β-structured oligomers, and disordered structure. Submillisecond dynamics were observed for early oligomeric states in contrast to the slow dynamics of fibril growth. We propose that a high structural flexibility of oligomers is required to initiate fibril formation, but not after a fibrillar structure has consolidated and the fibril just grows. Our study reveals that structural flexibility changes at different stages in the aggregation process, from fibril initiation to fibril growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho-Wah Siu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Karin Hauser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
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16
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Abstract
Amyloids are protein aggregates bearing a highly ordered cross β structural motif, which may be functional but are mostly pathogenic. Their formation, deposition in tissues and consequent organ dysfunction is the central event in amyloidogenic diseases. Such protein aggregation may be brought about by conformational changes, and much attention has been directed toward factors like metal binding, post-translational modifications, mutations of protein etc., which eventually affect the reactivity and cytotoxicity of the associated proteins. Over the past decade, a global effort from different groups working on these misfolded/unfolded proteins/peptides has revealed that the amino acid residues in the second coordination sphere of the active sites of amyloidogenic proteins/peptides cause changes in H-bonding pattern or protein-protein interactions, which dramatically alter the structure and reactivity of these proteins/peptides. These second sphere effects not only determine the binding of transition metals and cofactors, which define the pathology of some of these diseases, but also change the mechanism of redox reactions catalyzed by these proteins/peptides and form the basis of oxidative damage associated with these amyloidogenic diseases. The present review seeks to discuss such second sphere modifications and their ramifications in the etiopathology of some representative amyloidogenic diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2Dm), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhuparna Roy
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Arnab Kumar Nath
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Ishita Pal
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Somdatta Ghosh Dey
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A & 2B, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
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17
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PolyQ aggregation studied by model peptides with intrinsic tryptophan fluorophores. Biophys Chem 2022; 284:106782. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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18
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Lauxmann MA, Vazquez DS, Schilbert HM, Neubauer PR, Lammers KM, Dodero VI. From celiac disease to coccidia infection and vice-versa: The polyQ peptide CXCR3-interaction axis. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2100101. [PMID: 34705290 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100101] [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: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Zonulin is a physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions, which upregulation is involved in several diseases like celiac disease (CeD). The polyQ gliadin fragment binds to the CXCR3 chemokine receptor that activates zonulin upregulation, leading to increased intestinal permeability in humans. Here, we report a general hypothesis based on the structural connection between the polyQ sequence of the immunogenic CeD protein, gliadin, and enteric coccidian parasites proteins. Firstly, a novel interaction pathway between the parasites and the host is described based on the structural similarities between polyQ gliadin fragments and the parasite proteins. Secondly, a potential connection between coccidial infections as a novel environmental trigger of CeD is hypothesized. Therefore, this report represents a promising breakthrough for coccidian research and points out the potential role of coccidian parasites as a novel trigger of CeD that might define a preventive strategy for gluten-related disorders in general. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/oMaQasStcFI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Lauxmann
- Institute for Biochemistry, Brandenburg Medical School (MHB) Theodor Fontane, Germany.,Department of Nephrology, Campus Clinic Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School (MHB) Theodor Fontane, Germany
| | - Diego S Vazquez
- Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología (GBEyB-IMBICE), Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Hanna M Schilbert
- Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry OCIII, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, Bielefeld, Germany.,Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec) & Faculty of Biology, Universitätsstraße 25, Bielefeld, 33615, Germany
| | - Pia R Neubauer
- Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry OCIII, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Veronica I Dodero
- Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry OCIII, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, Bielefeld, Germany
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19
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Hommen F, Bilican S, Vilchez D. Protein clearance strategies for disease intervention. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2021; 129:141-172. [PMID: 34689261 PMCID: PMC8541819 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-021-02431-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, is essential for cell function and viability. Unwanted, damaged, misfolded and aggregated proteins are degraded by the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) and the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Growing evidence indicates that alterations in these major proteolytic mechanisms lead to a demise in proteostasis, contributing to the onset and development of distinct diseases. Indeed, dysregulation of the UPS or autophagy is linked to several neurodegenerative, infectious and inflammatory disorders as well as cancer. Thus, modulation of protein clearance pathways is a promising approach for therapeutics. In this review, we discuss recent findings and open questions on how targeting proteolytic mechanisms could be applied for disease intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Hommen
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Strasse 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Saygın Bilican
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Strasse 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - David Vilchez
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Strasse 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany. .,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. .,Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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20
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Pigazzini ML, Lawrenz M, Margineanu A, Kaminski Schierle GS, Kirstein J. An Expanded Polyproline Domain Maintains Mutant Huntingtin Soluble in vivo and During Aging. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:721749. [PMID: 34720872 PMCID: PMC8554126 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.721749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat, encoding for the amino acid glutamine (Q), present in the first exon of the protein huntingtin. Over the threshold of Q39 HTT exon 1 (HTTEx1) tends to misfold and aggregate into large intracellular structures, but whether these end-stage aggregates or their on-pathway intermediates are responsible for cytotoxicity is still debated. HTTEx1 can be separated into three domains: an N-terminal 17 amino acid region, the polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion and a C-terminal proline rich domain (PRD). Alongside the expanded polyQ, these flanking domains influence the aggregation propensity of HTTEx1: with the N17 initiating and promoting aggregation, and the PRD modulating it. In this study we focus on the first 11 amino acids of the PRD, a stretch of pure prolines, which are an evolutionary recent addition to the expanding polyQ region. We hypothesize that this proline region is expanding alongside the polyQ to counteract its ability to misfold and cause toxicity, and that expanding this proline region would be overall beneficial. We generated HTTEx1 mutants lacking both flanking domains singularly, missing the first 11 prolines of the PRD, or with this stretch of prolines expanded. We then followed their aggregation landscape in vitro with a battery of biochemical assays, and in vivo in novel models of C. elegans expressing the HTTEx1 mutants pan-neuronally. Employing fluorescence lifetime imaging we could observe the aggregation propensity of all HTTEx1 mutants during aging and correlate this with toxicity via various phenotypic assays. We found that the presence of an expanded proline stretch is beneficial in maintaining HTTEx1 soluble over time, regardless of polyQ length. However, the expanded prolines were only advantageous in promoting the survival and fitness of an organism carrying a pathogenic stretch of Q48 but were extremely deleterious to the nematode expressing a physiological stretch of Q23. Our results reveal the unique importance of the prolines which have and still are evolving alongside expanding glutamines to promote the function of HTTEx1 and avoid pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lucia Pigazzini
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FMP), Berlin, Germany
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mandy Lawrenz
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FMP), Berlin, Germany
| | - Anca Margineanu
- Advanced Light Microscopy, Max-Delbrück Centrum for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriele S. Kaminski Schierle
- Molecular Neuroscience Group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Janine Kirstein
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FMP), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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21
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Marquette A, Aisenbrey C, Bechinger B. Membrane Interactions Accelerate the Self-Aggregation of Huntingtin Exon 1 Fragments in a Polyglutamine Length-Dependent Manner. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22136725. [PMID: 34201610 PMCID: PMC8268948 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of aggregated protein is a typical hallmark of many human neurodegenerative disorders, including polyglutamine-related diseases such as chorea Huntington. Misfolding of the amyloidogenic proteins gives rise to self-assembled complexes and fibres. The huntingtin protein is characterised by a segment of consecutive glutamines which, when exceeding ~ 37 residues, results in the occurrence of the disease. Furthermore, it has also been demonstrated that the 17-residue amino-terminal domain of the protein (htt17), located upstream of this polyglutamine tract, strongly correlates with aggregate formation and pathology. Here, we demonstrate that membrane interactions strongly accelerate the oligomerisation and β-amyloid fibril formation of htt17-polyglutamine segments. By using a combination of biophysical approaches, the kinetics of fibre formation is investigated and found to be strongly dependent on the presence of lipids, the length of the polyQ expansion, and the polypeptide-to-lipid ratio. Finally, the implications for therapeutic approaches are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Marquette
- Chemistry Institute UMR7177, University of Strasbourg/CNRS, 67000 Strasbourg, France; (A.M.); (C.A.)
| | - Christopher Aisenbrey
- Chemistry Institute UMR7177, University of Strasbourg/CNRS, 67000 Strasbourg, France; (A.M.); (C.A.)
| | - Burkhard Bechinger
- Chemistry Institute UMR7177, University of Strasbourg/CNRS, 67000 Strasbourg, France; (A.M.); (C.A.)
- Insitut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence:
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22
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Tran Q, Sudasinghe A, Jones B, Xiong K, Cohen RE, Sharlin DS, Hartert KT, Goellner GM. FAM171B is a novel polyglutamine protein widely expressed in the mammalian brain. Brain Res 2021; 1766:147540. [PMID: 34052262 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147540] [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: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Mutation in proteins containing polyglutamine (polyQ) tracts has been shown to underlie a number of severe human neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia. In this study, we identify and describe FAM171B as a novel polyQ protein containing fourteen consecutive glutamine residues in its National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) referenced sequence. Utilizing western blotting, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry, we demonstrate that FAM171B is widely expressed in mouse brain with pronounced localization in the hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. Furthermore, immunofluorescence experiments reveal that FAM171B predominantly localizes to vesicle-like structures in the cytoplasm of neurons. Finally, bioinformatic analysis suggests that FAM171B is robustly expressed in human brain, and (similar to other polyQ disease genes) its polyQ tract is polymorphic within the general human population. Thus, as a polyQ protein that is expressed in brain, FAM171B should be considered a candidate gene for an as yet molecularly uncharacterized neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Tran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States
| | - Ashani Sudasinghe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States
| | - Brooke Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States
| | - Ka Xiong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States
| | - Rachel E Cohen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States
| | - David S Sharlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States
| | - Keenan T Hartert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States
| | - Geoffrey M Goellner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Trafton South 242, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, United States.
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23
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Kuang X, Nunn K, Jiang J, Castellano P, Hardikar U, Horgan A, Kong J, Tan Z, Dai W. Structural insight into transmissive mutant huntingtin species by correlative light and electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 560:99-104. [PMID: 33984771 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.04.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Aggregates of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) containing an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) tract are hallmarks of Huntington's Disease (HD). Studies have shown that mHTT can spread between cells, leading to the propagation of misfolded protein pathology. However, the structure of transmissive mHTT species, and the molecular mechanisms underlying their transmission remain unknown. Using correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), we identified two types of aggregation-prone granules in conditioned medium from PC12 cells expressing a mHTT N-terminal fragment: densities enclosed by extracellular vesicles (EVs), and uncoated, amorphous meshworks of heterogeneous oligomers that co-localize with clusters of EVs. In vitro assays confirmed that liposomes induce condensation of polyQ oligomers into higher-order assemblies, resembling the uncoated meshworks observed in PC12 conditioned medium. Our findings provide novel insights into formation and architecture of transmissive mHTT proteins, and highlight the potential role of EVs as both carriers and modulators of transmissive mHTT proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyuan Kuang
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Department of Hyperbaric Oxygen, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China
| | - Kyle Nunn
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Jennifer Jiang
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Paul Castellano
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Uttara Hardikar
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Arianna Horgan
- Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Joyce Kong
- Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Zhiqun Tan
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, 29697, USA; Institute for Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, 29697, USA.
| | - Wei Dai
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
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Barrera EE, Zonta F, Pantano S. Dissecting the role of glutamine in seeding peptide aggregation. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:1595-1602. [PMID: 33868596 PMCID: PMC8039506 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly glutamine and glutamine-rich peptides play a central role in a plethora of pathological aggregation events. However, biophysical characterization of soluble oligomers -the most toxic species involved in these processes- remains elusive due to their structural heterogeneity and dynamical nature. Here, we exploit the high spatio-temporal resolution of coarse-grained simulations as a computational microscope to characterize the aggregation propensity and morphology of a series of polyglutamine and glutamine-rich peptides. Comparative analysis of ab-initio aggregation pinpointed a double role for glutamines. In the first phase, glutamines mediate seeding by pairing monomeric peptides, which serve as primers for higher-order nucleation. According to the glutamine content, these low molecular-weight oligomers may then proceed to create larger aggregates. Once within the aggregates, buried glutamines continue to play a role in their maturation by optimizing solvent-protected hydrogen bonds networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Exequiel E. Barrera
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología (IHEM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC56, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Francesco Zonta
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Sergio Pantano
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Biomolecular Simulations Group, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, CP 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
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25
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A PolyQ Membrane Protein of Vibrio cholerae Acts as the Receptor for Phage Infection. J Virol 2021; 95:JVI.02245-20. [PMID: 33408174 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02245-20] [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: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophage VP1 is a typing phage used for the phage subtyping of Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor, but the molecular mechanisms of its receptor recognition and the resistance of its host to infection are mostly unknown. In this study, we aimed to identify the host receptor and its role in resistance in natural VP1-resistant strains. Generating spontaneous resistance mutations and genome sequencing mutant strains found the polyQ protein VcpQ, which carries 46 glutamine residues in its Q-rich region, to be responsible for infection by VP1. VcpQ is a membrane protein and possibly forms homotrimers. VP1 adsorbed to V. cholerae through VcpQ. Sequence comparisons showed that 72% of natural VP1-resistant strains have fewer glutamines in the VcpQ Q-rich stretch than VP1-sensitive strains. This difference did not affect the membrane location and oligomer of VcpQ but abrogated VP1 adsorption. These mutant VcpQs did not recover VP1 infection sensitivity in a V. cholerae strain with vcpQ deleted. Our study revealed that the polyQ protein VcpQ is responsible for the binding of VP1 during its infection of V. cholerae and that glutamine residue reduction in VcpQ affects VP1 adsorption to likely be the main cause of VP1 resistance in natural resistant strains. The physiological functions of this polyQ protein in bacteria need further clarification; however, mutations in the polyQ stretch may endow V. cholerae with phage resistance and enhance survival against VP1 or related phages.IMPORTANCE Receptor recognition and binding by bacteriophage are the first step for its infection of bacterial cells. In this study, we found the Vibrio cholerae subtyping phage VP1 uses a polyQ protein named VcpQ (V. cholerae polyQ protein) as the receptor for VP1 infection. Our study reveals the receptor's recognition of phage VP1 during its adsorption and the VP1 resistance mechanism of the wild resistant V. cholerae strains bearing the mutagenesis in the receptor VcpQ. These mutations may confer the survival advantage on these resistant strains in the environment containing VP1 or its similar phages.
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26
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Vosough F, Barth A. Characterization of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Amyloid-β42 Oligomer Preparations with Biochemical Methods and Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals a Correlation between Infrared Spectrum and Oligomer Size. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:473-488. [PMID: 33455165 PMCID: PMC8023574 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
Soluble oligomers of the amyloid-β(1-42)
(Aβ42) peptide,
widely considered to be among the relevant neurotoxic species involved
in Alzheimer’s disease, were characterized with a combination
of biochemical and biophysical methods. Homogeneous and stable Aβ42
oligomers were prepared by treating monomeric solutions of the peptide
with detergents. The prepared oligomeric solutions were analyzed with
blue native and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis,
as well as with infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The IR spectra indicated
a well-defined β-sheet structure of the prepared oligomers.
We also found a relationship between the size/molecular weight of
the Aβ42 oligomers and their IR spectra: The position of the
main amide I′ band of the peptide backbone correlated with
oligomer size, with larger oligomers being associated with lower wavenumbers.
This relationship explained the time-dependent band shift observed
in time-resolved IR studies of Aβ42 aggregation in the absence
of detergents, during which the oligomer size increased. In addition,
the bandwidth of the main IR band in the amide I′ region was
found to become narrower with time in our time-resolved aggregation
experiments, indicating a more homogeneous absorption of the β-sheets
of the oligomers after several hours of aggregation. This is predominantly
due to the consumption of smaller oligomers in the aggregation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faraz Vosough
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden
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27
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Gräwe A, Stein V. Linker Engineering in the Context of Synthetic Protein Switches and Sensors. Trends Biotechnol 2020; 39:731-744. [PMID: 33293101 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Linkers play critical roles in the construction of synthetic protein switches and sensors as they functionally couple a receptor with an actuator. With an increasing number of molecular toolboxes and experimental strategies becoming available that can be applied to engineer protein switches and sensors with tailored response functions, optimising the connecting linkers remains an idiosyncratic and empiric process. This review aims to provide an in-depth analysis of linker motifs, the biophysical properties they confer, and how they impact the performance of synthetic protein switches and sensors while identifying trends, mechanisms, and strategies that underlie the most potent switches and sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Gräwe
- Department of Biology, TU Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Centre for Synthetic Biology, TU Darmstadt, 64283 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Viktor Stein
- Department of Biology, TU Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Centre for Synthetic Biology, TU Darmstadt, 64283 Darmstadt, Germany.
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28
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Pachetti M, Zupin L, Venturin I, Mitri E, Boscolo R, D’Amico F, Vaccari L, Crovella S, Ricci G, Pascolo L. FTIR Spectroscopy to Reveal Lipid and Protein Changes Induced on Sperm by Capacitation: Bases for an Improvement of Sample Selection in ART. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228659. [PMID: 33212829 PMCID: PMC7698301 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although being a crucial step for Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART) success, to date sperm selection is based only on morphology, motility and concentration characteristics. Considering the many possible alterations, there is a great need for analytical approaches allowing more effective sperm selections. The use of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) may represent an interesting possibility, being able to reveal many macromolecular changes in a single measurement in a nondestructive way. As a proof of concept, in this observational study, we used a FTIR approach to reveal features related to sperm quality and chemical changes promoted by in vitro capacitation. We found indication that α-helix content is increased in capacitated sperm, while high percentages of the β-structures seem to correlate to poor-quality spermatozoa. The most interesting observation was related to the lipid composition, when measured as CH2/CH3 vibrations (ratio 2853/2870), which resulted in being strongly influenced by capacitation and well correlated with sperm motility. Interestingly, this ratio is higher than 1 in infertile samples, suggesting that motility is related to sperm membranes stiffness and lipid composition. Although further analyses are requested, our results support the concept that FTIR can be proposed as a new smart diagnostic tool for semen quality assessment in ART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Pachetti
- Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SS14—km 163.5, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.P.); (I.V.); (E.M.); (F.D.); (L.V.)
- Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Via Valerio 2, 34143 Trieste, Italy
| | - Luisa Zupin
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy; (L.Z.); (R.B.); (G.R.)
| | - Irene Venturin
- Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SS14—km 163.5, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.P.); (I.V.); (E.M.); (F.D.); (L.V.)
| | - Elisa Mitri
- Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SS14—km 163.5, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.P.); (I.V.); (E.M.); (F.D.); (L.V.)
| | - Rita Boscolo
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy; (L.Z.); (R.B.); (G.R.)
| | - Francesco D’Amico
- Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SS14—km 163.5, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.P.); (I.V.); (E.M.); (F.D.); (L.V.)
| | - Lisa Vaccari
- Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SS14—km 163.5, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.P.); (I.V.); (E.M.); (F.D.); (L.V.)
| | - Sergio Crovella
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Qatar, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar;
| | - Giuseppe Ricci
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy; (L.Z.); (R.B.); (G.R.)
- Department of Medical, Surgical, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Lorella Pascolo
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy; (L.Z.); (R.B.); (G.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-040-378-5526
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29
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Paul S, Kumari K, Paul S. Molecular Insight into the Effects of Enhanced Hydrophobicity on Amyloid-like Aggregation. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:10048-10061. [PMID: 33115237 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c06000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Generally, hydrophobic amino acids provide hydrophobic interactions during peptide aggregation. However, besides the hydrophobic amino acids, some hydrophilic amino acids, such as glutamine, are also considered to be essential elements in many self-aggregating peptides. For example, huntingtin contains polyglutamine at its N-terminus and the yeast prion Sup35 protein has the GNNQQNY sequence, a peptide well-known for its ability for amyloid fibril formation. However, despite the frequent emergence of glutamine in self-assembling systems, the molecular mechanism of amyloid formation involving this unique amino acid has not been well documented. It is still not clear how this hydrophilic amino acid is responsible for the hydrophobic interaction in the self-association process. Therefore, in this study, we have carried out classical molecular dynamics simulations of the GNNQQNY peptide and its derivatives in pure water. We quantify the propensity for the formation of β-sheet conformation with an increasing glutamine number in the peptide sequence. In addition, we assess the importance of the hydrophobicity of the dimethanediyl group present in glutamine (as well as in glutamic acid) for the self-association of the peptides through nonpolar solvent medium simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srijita Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Komal Kumari
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Sandip Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
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30
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Siu HW, Heck B, Kovermann M, Hauser K. Template-assisted design of monomeric polyQ models to unravel the unique role of glutamine side chains in disease-related aggregation. Chem Sci 2020; 12:412-426. [PMID: 33552461 PMCID: PMC7863018 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc05299j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
PolyQ model peptides reveal the effect of individual glutamine side chains on fibril formation.
Expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) sequences cause numerous neurodegenerative diseases which are accompanied by the formation of polyQ fibrils. The unique role of glutamines in the aggregation onset is undoubtedly accepted and a lot structural data of the fibrils have been acquired, however side-chain specific structural dynamics inducing oligomerization are not well understood yet. To analyze spectroscopically the nucleation process, we designed various template-assisted glutamine-rich β-hairpin monomers mimicking the structural motif of a polyQ fibril. In a top-down strategy, we use a template which forms a well-defined stable hairpin in solution, insert polyQ-rich sequences into each strand and monitor the effects of individual glutamines by NMR, CD and IR spectroscopic approaches. The design was further advanced by alternating glutamines with other amino acids (T, W, E, K), thereby enhancing the solubility and increasing the number of cross-strand interacting glutamine side chains. Our spectroscopic studies reveal a decreasing hairpin stability with increased glutamine content and demonstrate the enormous impact of only a few glutamines – far below the disease threshold – to destabilize structure. Furthermore, we could access sub-ms conformational dynamics of monomeric polyQ-rich peptides by laser-excited temperature-jump IR spectroscopy. Both, the increased number of interacting glutamines and higher concentrations are key parameters to induce oligomerization. Concentration-dependent time-resolved IR measurements indicate an additional slower kinetic phase upon oligomer formation. The here presented peptide models enable spectroscopic molecular analyses to distinguish between monomer and oligomer dynamics in the early steps of polyQ fibril formation and in a side-chain specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho-Wah Siu
- Department of Chemistry , University of Konstanz , 78457 Konstanz , Germany . ;
| | - Benjamin Heck
- Department of Chemistry , University of Konstanz , 78457 Konstanz , Germany . ;
| | - Michael Kovermann
- Department of Chemistry , University of Konstanz , 78457 Konstanz , Germany . ;
| | - Karin Hauser
- Department of Chemistry , University of Konstanz , 78457 Konstanz , Germany . ;
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31
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Watanabe Y, Taguchi K, Tanaka M. Ubiquitin, Autophagy and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Cells 2020; 9:cells9092022. [PMID: 32887381 PMCID: PMC7563958 DOI: 10.3390/cells9092022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitin signals play various roles in proteolytic and non-proteolytic functions. Ubiquitin signals are recognized as targets of the ubiquitin–proteasome system and the autophagy–lysosome pathway. In autophagy, ubiquitin signals are required for selective incorporation of cargoes, such as proteins, organelles, and microbial invaders, into autophagosomes. Autophagy receptors possessing an LC3-binding domain and a ubiquitin binding domain are involved in this process. Autophagy activity can decline as a result of genetic variation, aging, or lifestyle, resulting in the onset of various neurodegenerative diseases. This review summarizes the selective autophagy of neurodegenerative disease-associated protein aggregates via autophagy receptors and discusses its therapeutic application for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihisa Watanabe
- Department of Basic Geriatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
- Correspondence: (Y.W.); (M.T.)
| | - Katsutoshi Taguchi
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan;
| | - Masaki Tanaka
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan;
- Correspondence: (Y.W.); (M.T.)
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32
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Goodliffe J, Rubakovic A, Chang W, Pathak D, Luebke J. Structural and functional features of medium spiny neurons in the BACHDΔN17 mouse model of Huntington's Disease. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234394. [PMID: 32574176 PMCID: PMC7310706 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the BACHD mouse model of Huntington’s disease (HD), deletion of the N17 domain of the Huntingtin gene (BACHDΔN17, Q97) has been reported to lead to nuclear accumulation of mHTT and exacerbation of motor deficits, neuroinflammation and striatal atrophy (Gu et al., 2015). Here we characterized the effect of N17 deletion on dorsolateral striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in BACHDΔN17 (Q97) and BACWTΔN17 (Q31) mice by comparing them to MSNs in wildtype (WT) mice. Mice were characterized on a series of motor tasks and subsequently whole cell patch clamp recordings with simultaneous biocytin filling of MSNs in in vitro striatal slices from these mice were used to comprehensively assess their physiological and morphological features. Key findings include that: Q97 mice exhibit impaired gait and righting reflexes but normal tail suspension reflexes and normal coats while Q31 mice do not differ from WT; intrinsic membrane and action potential properties are altered -but differentially so- in MSNs from Q97 and from Q31 mice; excitatory and inhibitory synaptic currents exhibit higher amplitudes in Q31 but not Q97 MSNs, while excitatory synaptic currents occur at lower frequency in Q97 than in WT and Q31 MSNs; there is a reduced total dendritic length in Q31 -but not Q97- MSNs compared to WT, while spine density and number did not differ in MSNs in the three groups. The findings that Q31 MSNs differed from Q97 and WT neurons with regard to some physiological features and structurally suggest a novel role of the N17 domain in the function of WT Htt. The motor phenotype seen in Q97 mice was less robust than that reported in an earlier study (Gu et al., 2015), and the alterations to MSN physiological properties were largely consistent with changes reported previously in a number of other mouse models of HD. Together this study indicates that N17 plays a role in the modulation of the properties of MSNs in both mHtt and WT-Htt mice, but does not markedly exacerbate HD-like pathogenesis in the BACHD model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Goodliffe
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Anastasia Rubakovic
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Wayne Chang
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Dhruba Pathak
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Luebke
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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33
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Mier P, Andrade-Navarro MA. The features of polyglutamine regions depend on their evolutionary stability. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:59. [PMID: 32448113 PMCID: PMC7247214 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01626-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Polyglutamine regions (polyQ) are one of the most studied and prevalent homorepeats in eukaryotes. They have a particular length-dependent codon usage, which relates to a characteristic CAG-slippage mechanism. Pathologically expanded tracts of polyQ are known to form aggregates and are involved in the development of several human neurodegenerative diseases. The non-pathogenic function of polyQ is to mediate protein-protein interactions via a coiled-coil pairing with an interactor. They are usually located in a helical context. Results Here we study the stability of polyQ regions in evolution, using a set of 60 proteomes from four distinct taxonomic groups (Insecta, Teleostei, Sauria and Mammalia). The polyQ regions can be distinctly grouped in three categories based on their evolutionary stability: stable, unstable by length variation (inserted), and unstable by mutations (mutated). PolyQ regions in these categories can be significantly distinguished by their glutamine codon usage, and we show that the CAG-slippage mechanism is predominant in inserted polyQ of Sauria and Mammalia. The polyQ amino acid context is also influenced by the polyQ stability, with a higher proportion of proline residues around inserted polyQ. By studying the secondary structure of the sequences surrounding polyQ regions, we found that regarding the structural conformation around a polyQ, its stability category is more relevant than its taxonomic information. The protein-protein interaction capacity of a polyQ is also affected by its stability, as stable polyQ have more interactors than unstable polyQ. Conclusions Our results show that apart from the sequence of a polyQ, information about its orthologous sequences is needed to assess its function. Codon usage, amino acid context, structural conformation and the protein-protein interaction capacity of polyQ from all studied taxa critically depend on the region stability. There are however some taxa-specific polyQ features that override this importance. We conclude that a taxa-driven evolutionary analysis is of the highest importance for the comprehensive study of any feature of polyglutamine regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Mier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Miguel A Andrade-Navarro
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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34
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Singh A, Upadhyay V, Singh A, Panda AK. Structure-Function Relationship of Inclusion Bodies of a Multimeric Protein. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:876. [PMID: 32457730 PMCID: PMC7225587 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
High level expression of recombinant proteins in bacteria often results in their aggregation into inclusion bodies. Formation of inclusion bodies poses a major bottleneck in high-throughput recovery of recombinant protein. These aggregates have amyloid-like nature and can retain biological activity. Here, effect of expression temperature on the quality of Escherichia coli asparaginase II (a tetrameric protein) inclusion bodies was evaluated. Asparaginase was expressed as inclusion bodies at different temperatures. Purified inclusion bodies were checked for biological activities and analyzed for structural properties in order to establish a structure-activity relationship. Presence of activity in inclusion bodies showed the existence of properly folded asparaginase tetramers. Expression temperature affected the properties of asparaginase inclusion bodies. Inclusion bodies expressed at higher temperatures were characterized by higher biological activity and less amyloid content as evident by Thioflavin T binding and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Complex kinetics of proteinase K digestion of asparaginase inclusion bodies expressed at higher temperatures indicate higher extent of conformational heterogeneity in these aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Singh
- Product Development Cell, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Vaibhav Upadhyay
- Product Development Cell, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Akansha Singh
- Product Development Cell, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Amulya K Panda
- Product Development Cell, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
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Avaro JT, Wolf SLP, Hauser K, Gebauer D. Stable Prenucleation Calcium Carbonate Clusters Define Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:6155-6159. [PMID: 31943581 PMCID: PMC7187218 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201915350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is an intermediate step during the precipitation of calcium carbonate, and is assumed to play a key role in biomineralization processes. Here, we have developed a model where ion association thermodynamics in homogeneous phases determine the liquid-liquid miscibility gap of the aqueous calcium carbonate system, verified experimentally using potentiometric titrations, and kinetic studies based on stopped-flow ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The proposed mechanism explains the variable solubilities of solid amorphous calcium carbonates, reconciling previously inconsistent literature values. Accounting for liquid-liquid amorphous polymorphism, the model also provides clues to the mechanism of polymorph selection. It is general and should be tested for systems other than calcium carbonate to provide a new perspective on the physical chemistry of LLPS mechanisms based on stable prenucleation clusters rather than un-/metastable fluctuations in biomineralization, and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan T. Avaro
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Stefan L. P. Wolf
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Karin Hauser
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
| | - Denis Gebauer
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of KonstanzUniversitätsstrasse 1078457KonstanzGermany
- Present address: Institute of Inorganic ChemistryLeibniz University of HannoverCallinstrasse 930167HannoverGermany
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Avaro JT, Wolf SLP, Hauser K, Gebauer D. Stabile Calciumcarbonat‐Pränukleationscluster bestimmen die Flüssig‐flüssig‐Phasenseparation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201915350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan T. Avaro
- Fachbereich ChemieUniversität Konstanz Universitätsstraße 10 78457 Konstanz Deutschland
| | - Stefan L. P. Wolf
- Fachbereich ChemieUniversität Konstanz Universitätsstraße 10 78457 Konstanz Deutschland
| | - Karin Hauser
- Fachbereich ChemieUniversität Konstanz Universitätsstraße 10 78457 Konstanz Deutschland
| | - Denis Gebauer
- Fachbereich ChemieUniversität Konstanz Universitätsstraße 10 78457 Konstanz Deutschland
- Derzeitige Adresse: Institut für Anorganische ChemieLeibniz Universität Hannover Callinstraße 9 30167 Hannover Deutschland
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37
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Poulson BG, Szczepski K, Lachowicz JI, Jaremko L, Emwas AH, Jaremko M. Aggregation of biologically important peptides and proteins: inhibition or acceleration depending on protein and metal ion concentrations. RSC Adv 2019; 10:215-227. [PMID: 35492549 PMCID: PMC9047971 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra09350h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of aggregation of proteins and peptides is dependent on the concentration of proteins, and the rate of aggregation can be altered by the presence of metal ions, but this dependence is not always a straightforward relationship. In general, aggregation does not occur under normal physiological conditions, yet it can be induced in the presence of certain metal ions. However, the extent of the influence of metal ion interactions on protein aggregation has not yet been fully comprehended. A consensus has thus been difficult to reach because the acceleration/inhibition of the aggregation of proteins in the presence of metal ions depends on several factors such as pH and the concentration of the aggregated proteins involved as well as metal concentration level of metal ions. Metal ions, like Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+ etc. may either accelerate or inhibit aggregation simply because the experimental conditions affect the behavior of biomolecules. It is clear that understanding the relationship between metal ion concentration and protein aggregation will prove useful for future scientific applications. This review focuses on the dependence of the aggregation of selected important biomolecules (peptides and proteins) on metal ion concentrations. We review proteins that are prone to aggregation, the result of which can cause serious neurodegenerative disorders. Furthering our understanding of the relationship between metal ion concentration and protein aggregation will prove useful for future scientific applications, such as finding therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Gabriel Poulson
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Kacper Szczepski
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Joanna Izabela Lachowicz
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria 09042 Monserrato Italy
| | - Lukasz Jaremko
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdul-Hamid Emwas
- Core Labs, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Mariusz Jaremko
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
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Dong X, Cong S. The Emerging Role of microRNAs in Polyglutamine Diseases. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:156. [PMID: 31275113 PMCID: PMC6593396 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding molecules that regulate a large amount of post-transcriptional repressor genes by recognizing semi-complementary target sequences that are normally located in the 3' UTR of the mRNA. Altered expression of miRNA has been related to several pathological processes, including polyglutamine (Poly Q) diseases. Specific expression patterns in the circulating fluids and brain parenchyma have been speculated as potential biomarkers for Poly Q disease diagnosis and prognosis. Several miRNAs have been consistently identified in diseases including Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). In our review, we describe the emerging role of miRNAs in Poly Q diseases and provide an overview on general miRNA biology, implications in pathophysiology, and their potential roles as future biomarkers and applications for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shuyan Cong
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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Abstract
The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a genetically heterogeneous group of autosomal dominantly inherited progressive disorders, the clinical hallmark of which is loss of balance and coordination accompanied by slurred speech; onset is most often in adult life. Genetically, SCAs are grouped as repeat expansion SCAs, such as SCA3/Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), and rare SCAs that are caused by non-repeat mutations, such as SCA5. Most SCA mutations cause prominent damage to cerebellar Purkinje neurons with consecutive cerebellar atrophy, although Purkinje neurons are only mildly affected in some SCAs. Furthermore, other parts of the nervous system, such as the spinal cord, basal ganglia and pontine nuclei in the brainstem, can be involved. As there is currently no treatment to slow or halt SCAs (many SCAs lead to premature death), the clinical care of patients with SCA focuses on managing the symptoms through physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Intense research has greatly expanded our understanding of the pathobiology of many SCAs, revealing that they occur via interrelated mechanisms (including proteotoxicity, RNA toxicity and ion channel dysfunction), and has led to the identification of new targets for treatment development. However, the development of effective therapies is hampered by the heterogeneity of the SCAs; specific therapeutic approaches may be required for each disease.
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