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Essential Components of Synthetic Infectious Prion Formation De Novo. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12111694. [DOI: 10.3390/biom12111694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a class of neurodegenerative diseases that are uniquely infectious. Whilst their general replication mechanism is well understood, the components required for the formation and propagation of highly infectious prions are poorly characterized. The protein-only hypothesis posits that the prion protein (PrP) is the only component of the prion; however, additional co-factors are required for its assembly into infectious prions. These can be provided by brain homogenate, but synthetic lipids and non-coding RNA have also been used in vitro. Here, we review a range of experimental approaches, which generate PrP amyloid assemblies de novo. These synthetic PrP assemblies share some, but not necessarily all, properties of genuine infectious prions. We will discuss the different experimental approaches, how a prion is defined, the non-protein requirements of a prion, and provide an overview of the current state of prion amplification and generation in vitro.
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Human cerebral organoids as a therapeutic drug screening model for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5165. [PMID: 33727594 PMCID: PMC7943797 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84689-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a fatal, currently incurable, neurodegenerative disease. The search for candidate treatments would be greatly facilitated by the availability of human cell-based models of prion disease. Recently, an induced pluripotent stem cell derived human cerebral organoid model was shown to take up and propagate human CJD prions. This model offers new opportunities to screen drug candidates for the treatment of human prion diseases in an entirely human genetic background. Here we provide the first evidence that human cerebral organoids can be a viable model for CJD drug screening by using an established anti-prion compound, pentosan polysulfate (PPS). PPS delayed prion propagation in a prophylactic-like treatment paradigm and also alleviated propagation when applied following establishment of infection in a therapeutic-like treatment paradigm. This study demonstrates the utility of cerebral organoids as the first human 3D cell culture system for screening therapeutic drug candidates for human prion diseases.
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From Seeds to Fibrils and Back: Fragmentation as an Overlooked Step in the Propagation of Prions and Prion-Like Proteins. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10091305. [PMID: 32927676 PMCID: PMC7563560 DOI: 10.3390/biom10091305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many devastating neurodegenerative diseases are driven by the misfolding of normal proteins into a pathogenic abnormal conformation. Examples of such protein misfolding diseases include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion diseases. The misfolded proteins involved in these diseases form self-templating oligomeric assemblies that recruit further correctly folded protein and induce their conversion. Over time, this leads to the formation of high molecular and mostly fibrillar aggregates that are increasingly inefficient at converting normal protein. Evidence from a multitude of in vitro models suggests that fibrils are fragmented to form new seeds, which can convert further normal protein and also spread to neighboring cells as observed in vivo. While fragmentation and seed generation were suggested as crucial steps in aggregate formation decades ago, the biological pathways involved remain largely unknown. Here, we show that mechanisms of aggregate clearance—namely the mammalian Hsp70–Hsp40–Hsp110 tri-chaperone system, macro-autophagy, and the proteasome system—may not only be protective, but also play a role in fragmentation. We further review the challenges that exist in determining the precise contribution of these mechanisms to protein misfolding diseases and suggest future directions to resolve these issues.
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Nicot S, Verchère J, Bélondrade M, Mayran C, Bétemps D, Bougard D, Baron T. Seeded propagation of α-synuclein aggregation in mouse brain using protein misfolding cyclic amplification. FASEB J 2019; 33:12073-12086. [PMID: 31370680 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201900354r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
α-Synuclein (α-syn) protein aggregation is associated with several neurodegenerative disorders collectively referred to as synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease. We used protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) to study α-syn aggregation in brain homogenates of wild-type or transgenic mice expressing normal (D line) or A53T mutant (M83 line) human α-syn. We found that sonication-incubation cycles of M83 mouse brain gradually produce large quantities of SDS-resistant α-syn aggregates, involving both human and mouse proteins. These PMCA products, containing partially proteinase K-resistant α-syn species, are competent to accelerate the onset of neurologic symptoms after intracerebral inoculation to young M83 mice and to seed aggregate formation of α-syn following PMCA, including in D and wild-type mouse brain substrates. PMCA seeding activity in the M83 diseased brain correlates positively with regions mostly targeted by the α-syn pathology in this model. Our data indicate that similar to prions, PMCA can reproduce some characteristics of α-syn aggregation and seeded propagation in vitro in a complex milieu. This opens new opportunities for the molecular study of synucleinopathies.-Nicot, S., Verchère, J., Bélondrade, M., Mayran, C., Bétemps, D., Bougard, D., Baron, T. Seeded propagation of α-synuclein aggregation in mouse brain using protein misfolding cyclic amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Nicot
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic Infections, Etablissement Français du Sang, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jérémy Verchère
- French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Maxime Bélondrade
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic Infections, Etablissement Français du Sang, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Charly Mayran
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic Infections, Etablissement Français du Sang, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Dominique Bétemps
- French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Daisy Bougard
- Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic Infections, Etablissement Français du Sang, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Thierry Baron
- French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), University of Lyon, Lyon, France
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Vorberg I, Chiesa R. Experimental models to study prion disease pathogenesis and identify potential therapeutic compounds. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2019; 44:28-38. [PMID: 30878006 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are devastating neurodegenerative disorders for which no drugs are available. The successful development of therapeutics depends on drug screening platforms and preclinical models that recapitulate key molecular and pathological features of the disease. Innovative experimental tools have been developed over the last few years that might facilitate drug discovery, including cell-free prion replication assays and prion-infected flies. However, there is still room for improvement. Animal models of genetic prion disease are few, and only partially recapitulate the complexity of the human disorder. Moreover, we still lack a human cell culture model suitable for high-content anti-prion drug screening. This review provides an overview of the models currently used in prion research, and discusses their promise and limitations for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Vorberg
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 53127 Bonn, Germany; Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Roberto Chiesa
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy.
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Editorial overview: Prion disease: From drug discovery tools to clinical trials. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2019; 44:iii-v. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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