1
|
Wahyuningtyas D, Chen WH, He RY, Huang YA, Tsao CK, He YJ, Yu CY, Lu PC, Chen YC, Wang SH, Ng KC, Po-Wen Chen B, Wei PK, Shie JJ, Kuo CH, Sun YH, Jen-Tse Huang J. Polyglutamine-Specific Gold Nanoparticle Complex Alleviates Mutant Huntingtin-Induced Toxicity. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:60894-60906. [PMID: 34914364 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c18754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) belongs to protein misfolding disorders associated with polyglutamine (polyQ)-rich mutant huntingtin (mHtt) protein inclusions. Currently, it is indicated that the aggregation of polyQ-rich mHtt participates in neuronal toxicity and dysfunction. Here, we designed and synthesized a polyglutamine-specific gold nanoparticle (AuNP) complex, which specifically targeted mHtt and alleviated its toxicity. The polyglutamine-specific AuNPs were prepared by decorating the surface of AuNPs with an amphiphilic peptide (JLD1) consisting of both polyglutamine-binding sequences and negatively charged sequences. By applying the polyQ aggregation model system, we demonstrated that AuNPs-JLD1 dissociated the fibrillary aggregates from the polyQ peptide and reduced its β-sheet content in a concentration-dependent manner. By further integrating polyethyleneimine (PEI) onto AuNPs-JLD1, we generated a complex (AuNPs-JLD1-PEI). We showed that this complex could penetrate cells, bind to cytosolic mHtt proteins, dissociate mHtt inclusions, reduce mHtt oligomers, and ameliorate mHtt-induced toxicity. AuNPs-JLD1-PEI was also able to be transported to the brain and improved the functional deterioration in the HD Drosophila larva model. Our results revealed the feasibility of combining AuNPs, JLD1s, and cell-penetrating polymers against mHtt protein aggregation and oligomerization, which hinted on the early therapeutic strategies against HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Devi Wahyuningtyas
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Science Building 2, 1001 Ta Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Hao Chen
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Yu He
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yung-An Huang
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Kang Tsao
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jung He
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chu-Yi Yu
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Po-Chao Lu
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Department and Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, National Taiwan University, 11F, No. 1, Section 1, Ren'ai Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Cai Chen
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Hann Wang
- Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Ka Chon Ng
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Bryan Po-Wen Chen
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Kuen Wei
- Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Jiun-Jie Shie
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hong Kuo
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Y Henry Sun
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Joseph Jen-Tse Huang
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, No. 300, University Road, Chiayi 600, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Przybyl L, Wozna-Wysocka M, Kozlowska E, Fiszer A. What, When and How to Measure-Peripheral Biomarkers in Therapy of Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22041561. [PMID: 33557131 PMCID: PMC7913877 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the main challenges in further advancing therapeutic strategies for Huntington’s disease (HD) is the development of biomarkers which must be applied to assess the efficiency of the treatment. HD is a dreadful neurodegenerative disorder which has its source of pathogenesis in the central nervous system (CNS) but is reflected by symptoms in the periphery. Visible symptoms include motor deficits and slight changes in peripheral tissues, which can be used as hallmarks for prognosis of the course of HD, e.g., the onset of the disease symptoms. Knowing how the pathology develops in the context of whole organisms is crucial for the development of therapy which would be the most beneficial for patients, as well as for proposing appropriate biomarkers to monitor disease progression and/or efficiency of treatment. We focus here on molecular peripheral biomarkers which could be used as a measurable outcome of potential therapy. We present and discuss a list of wet biomarkers which have been proposed in recent years to measure pre- and postsymptomatic HD. Interestingly, investigation of peripheral biomarkers in HD can unravel new aspects of the disease pathogenesis. This especially refers to inflammatory proteins or specific immune cells which attract scientific attention in neurodegenerative disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lukasz Przybyl
- Laboratory of Mammalian Model Organisms, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
- Correspondence: (L.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Magdalena Wozna-Wysocka
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland; (M.W.-W.); (E.K.)
| | - Emilia Kozlowska
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland; (M.W.-W.); (E.K.)
| | - Agnieszka Fiszer
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland; (M.W.-W.); (E.K.)
- Correspondence: (L.P.); (A.F.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hosseinpour-Moghaddam K, Caraglia M, Sahebkar A. Autophagy induction by trehalose: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic impacts. J Cell Physiol 2018; 233:6524-6543. [PMID: 29663416 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.26583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The balance between synthesis and degradation is crucial to maintain cellular homeostasis and different mechanisms are known to keep this balance. In this review, we will provide a short overview on autophagy as an intracellular homeostatic degradative machinery. We will also describe the involvement of downregulation of autophagy in numerous diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, aging, metabolic disorders, and other infectious diseases. Therefore, modulation of autophagic processes can represent a promising way of intervention in different diseases including neurodegeneration and cancer. Trehalose, also known as mycose, is a natural disaccharide found extensively but not abundantly among several organisms. It is described that trehalose can work as an important autophagy modulator and can be proficiently used in the control several diseases in which autophagy plays an important role. On these bases, we describe here the role of trehalose as an innovative drug in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and other illnesses opening a new scenario of intervention in conditions difficult to be treated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Michele Caraglia
- Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and General Pathology, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Amirhossein Sahebkar
- Neurogenic inflammation Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Evers MM, Schut MH, Pepers BA, Atalar M, van Belzen MJ, Faull RL, Roos RA, van Roon-Mom WMC. Making (anti-) sense out of huntingtin levels in Huntington disease. Mol Neurodegener 2015; 10:21. [PMID: 25928884 PMCID: PMC4411791 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-015-0018-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms. HD is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the first exon of the HTT gene, resulting in an expanded polyglutamine tract at the N-terminus of the huntingtin protein. Typical disease onset is around mid-life (adult-onset HD) whereas onset below 21 years is classified as juvenile HD. While much research has been done on the underlying HD disease mechanisms, little is known about regulation and expression levels of huntingtin RNA and protein. Results In this study we used 15 human post-mortem HD brain samples to investigate the expression of wild-type and mutant huntingtin mRNA and protein. In adult-onset HD brain samples, there was a small but significantly lower expression of mutant huntingtin mRNA compared to wild-type huntingtin mRNA, while wild-type and mutant huntingtin protein expression levels did not differ significantly. Juvenile HD subjects did show a lower expression of mutant huntingtin protein compared to wild-type huntingtin protein. Our results in HD brain and fibroblasts suggest that protein aggregation does not affect levels of huntingtin RNA and protein. Additionally, we did not find any evidence for a reduced expression of huntingtin antisense in fibroblasts derived from a homozygous HD patient. Conclusions We found small differences in allelic huntingtin mRNA levels in adult-onset HD brain, with significantly lower mutant huntingtin mRNA levels. Wild-type and mutant huntingtin protein were not significantly different in adult-onset HD brain samples. Conversely, in juvenile HD brain samples mutant huntingtin protein levels were lower compared with wild-type huntingtin, showing subtle differences between juvenile HD and adult-onset HD. Since most HD model systems harbor juvenile repeat expansions, our results suggest caution with the interpretation of huntingtin mRNA and protein studies using HD cell and animal models with such long repeats. Furthermore, our huntingtin antisense results in homozygous HD cells do not support reduced huntingtin antisense expression due to an expanded CAG repeat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melvin M Evers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
| | - Menno H Schut
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
| | - Barry A Pepers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Martine J van Belzen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Richard Lm Faull
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy with Radiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Raymund Ac Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Willeke M C van Roon-Mom
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chang R, Liu X, Li S, Li XJ. Transgenic animal models for study of the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease and therapy. DRUG DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND THERAPY 2015; 9:2179-88. [PMID: 25931812 PMCID: PMC4404937 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s58470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by a genetic mutation that results in polyglutamine expansion in the N-terminal regions of huntingtin. As a result, this polyQ expansion leads to the misfolding and aggregation of mutant huntingtin as well as age-dependent neurodegeneration. The genetic mutation in HD allows for generating a variety of animal models that express different forms of mutant huntingtin and show differential pathology. Studies of these animal models have provided an important insight into the pathogenesis of HD. Mouse models of HD include transgenic mice, which express N-terminal or full-length mutant huntingtin ubiquitously or selectively in different cell types, and knock-in mice that express full-length mutant Htt at the endogenous level. Large animals, such as pig, sheep, and monkeys, have also been used to generate animal HD models. This review focuses on the different features of commonly used transgenic HD mouse models as well as transgenic large animal models of HD, and also discusses how to use them to identify potential therapeutics. Since HD shares many pathological features with other neurodegenerative diseases, identification of therapies for HD would also help to develop effective treatment for different neurodegenerative diseases that are also caused by protein misfolding and occur in an age-dependent manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renbao Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xudong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Shihua Li
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xiao-Jiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China ; Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Katsuno M, Watanabe H, Yamamoto M, Sobue G. Potential therapeutic targets in polyglutamine-mediated diseases. Expert Rev Neurother 2014; 14:1215-28. [PMID: 25190502 DOI: 10.1586/14737175.2014.956727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Polyglutamine diseases are a group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders that are caused by an abnormal expansion of a trinucleotide CAG repeat, which encodes a polyglutamine tract in the protein-coding region of the respective disease genes. To date, nine polyglutamine diseases are known, including Huntington's disease, spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy and six forms of spinocerebellar ataxia. These diseases share a salient molecular pathophysiology including the aggregation of the mutant protein followed by the disruption of cellular functions such as transcriptional regulation and axonal transport. The intraneuronal accumulation of mutant protein and resulting cellular dysfunction are the essential targets for the development of disease-modifying therapies, some of which have shown beneficial effects in animal models. In this review, the current status of and perspectives on therapy development for polyglutamine diseases will be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masahisa Katsuno
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fiszer A, Krzyzosiak WJ. Oligonucleotide-based strategies to combat polyglutamine diseases. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:6787-810. [PMID: 24848018 PMCID: PMC4066792 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Considerable advances have been recently made in understanding the molecular aspects of pathogenesis and in developing therapeutic approaches for polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases. Studies on pathogenic mechanisms have extended our knowledge of mutant protein toxicity, confirmed the toxicity of mutant transcript and identified other toxic RNA and protein entities. One very promising therapeutic strategy is targeting the causative gene expression with oligonucleotide (ON) based tools. This straightforward approach aimed at halting the early steps in the cascade of pathogenic events has been widely tested for Huntington's disease and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. In this review, we gather information on the use of antisense oligonucleotides and RNA interference triggers for the experimental treatment of polyQ diseases in cellular and animal models. We present studies testing non-allele-selective and allele-selective gene silencing strategies. The latter include targeting SNP variants associated with mutations or targeting the pathologically expanded CAG repeat directly. We compare gene silencing effectors of various types in a number of aspects, including their design, efficiency in cell culture experiments and pre-clinical testing. We discuss advantages, current limitations and perspectives of various ON-based strategies used to treat polyQ diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Fiszer
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Wlodzimierz J Krzyzosiak
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Roles of Hsp104 and trehalose in solubilisation of mutant huntingtin in heat shocked Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2014; 1843:746-57. [PMID: 24412307 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2014.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Revised: 12/21/2013] [Accepted: 01/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Inhibition of huntingtin aggregation, either in the nucleus and/or in the cytosol, has been identified as a major strategy to ameliorate the symptoms of Huntington's disease. Chaperones and other protein stabilisers would thus be key players in ensuring the correct folding of the amyloidogenic protein and its expression in the soluble form. By transient activation of the global heat stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeBY4742, we show that heterologous expression of mutant huntingtin (103Q-htt) could be modulated so that the protein was partitioned off in the soluble fraction of the cytosol. This led to lower levels of reactive oxygen species and improved cell viability. Previous reports had speculated on the relationship between trehalose and the heat shock response in ensuring enhanced cell survival but no direct evidence of such an interaction was available. Using mutants of an isogenic strain which do not express the major trehalose synthetic or metabolising enzymes or the chaperone, heat shock protein 104 (Hsp104), we were able to identify the functions of Hsp104 and the osmoprotectant trehalose in solubilising mutant huntingtin. We propose that the beneficial effect of the protein refolding machinery in solubilising the aggregation-prone protein is exerted by maintaining a tight balance between the trehalose synthetic enzyme, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 and Hsp104. This ensures that the level of the osmoprotectant, trehalose, does not exceed the limit beyond which it is reported to inhibit protein refolding.
Collapse
|
9
|
Deciphering the roles of trehalose and Hsp104 in the inhibition of aggregation of mutant huntingtin in a yeast model of Huntington's disease. Neuromolecular Med 2013; 16:280-91. [PMID: 24248470 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-013-8275-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite the significant amount of experimental data available on trehalose, the molecular mechanism responsible for its intracellular stabilising properties has not emerged yet. The repair of cellular homeostasis in many protein-misfolding diseases by trehalose is credited to the disaccharide being an inducer of autophagy, a mechanism by which aggregates of misfolded proteins are cleared by the cell. In this work, we expressed the pathogenic N-terminal fragment of huntingtin in Δnth1 mutant (unable to degrade trehalose) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4742 strain. We show that the presence of trehalose resulted in the partitioning of the mutant huntingtin in the soluble fraction of the cell. This led to reduced oxidative stress and improved cell survival. The beneficial effect was independent of the expression of the major cellular antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Additionally, trehalose led to the overexpression of the heat shock protein, Hsp104p, in mutant huntingtin-expressing cells, and resulted in rescue of the endocytotic defect in the yeast cell. We propose that at least in the initial stages of aggregation, trehalose functions as a stabiliser, increasing the level of monomeric mutant huntingtin protein, with its concomitant beneficial effects, in addition to its role as an inducer of autophagy.
Collapse
|
10
|
Calamini B, Lo DC, Kaltenbach LS. Experimental models for identifying modifiers of polyglutamine-induced aggregation and neurodegeneration. Neurotherapeutics 2013; 10:400-15. [PMID: 23700210 PMCID: PMC3701774 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-013-0195-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) typifies a class of inherited neurodegenerative disorders in which a CAG expansion in a single gene leads to an extended polyglutamine tract and misfolding of the expressed protein, driving cumulative neural dysfunction and degeneration. HD is invariably fatal with symptoms that include progressive neuropsychiatric and cognitive impairments, and eventual motor disability. No curative therapies yet exist for HD and related polyglutamine diseases; therefore, substantial efforts have been made in the drug discovery field to identify potential drug and drug target candidates for disease-modifying treatment. In this context, we review here a range of early-stage screening approaches based in in vitro, cellular, and invertebrate models to identify pharmacological and genetic modifiers of polyglutamine aggregation and induced neurodegeneration. In addition, emerging technologies, including high-content analysis, three-dimensional culture models, and induced pluripotent stem cells are increasingly being incorporated into drug discovery screening pipelines for protein misfolding disorders. Together, these diverse screening strategies are generating novel and exciting new probes for understanding the disease process and for furthering development of therapeutic candidates for eventual testing in the clinical setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Calamini
- Department of Neurobiology and Center for Drug Discovery, Duke University Medical Center, 4321 Medical Park Drive, Durham, NC 27704 USA
| | - Donald C. Lo
- Department of Neurobiology and Center for Drug Discovery, Duke University Medical Center, 4321 Medical Park Drive, Durham, NC 27704 USA
| | - Linda S. Kaltenbach
- Department of Neurobiology and Center for Drug Discovery, Duke University Medical Center, 4321 Medical Park Drive, Durham, NC 27704 USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Margulis BA, Vigont V, Lazarev VF, Kaznacheyeva EV, Guzhova IV. Pharmacological protein targets in polyglutamine diseases: mutant polypeptides and their interactors. FEBS Lett 2013; 587:1997-2007. [PMID: 23684638 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2013.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2013] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Polyglutamine diseases are a group of pathologies affecting different parts of the brain and causing dysfunction and atrophy of certain neural cell populations. These diseases stem from mutations in various cellular genes that result in the synthesis of proteins with extended polyglutamine tracts. In particular, this concerns huntingtin, ataxins, and androgen receptor. These mutant proteins can form oligomers, aggregates, and, finally, aggresomes with distinct functions and different degrees of cytotoxicity. In this review, we analyze the effects of different forms of polyQ proteins on other proteins and their functions, which are considered as targets for therapeutic intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boris A Margulis
- Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky pr., 4, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
The management of patients with chorea, in particular Huntington's disease, is a complex task requiring skills in a number of areas. This paper reviews new knowledge on this topic and places it in the context of established procedures. It is focused on Huntington's disease, since this is the disorder, for which most publications on management have been published in the past few years. Management starts with appropriate diagnosis and differential diagnosis, with the aim of finding disorders with chorea amenable to causative treatment. The place of genetic testing and the importance of genetic counselling is stressed, as well as the importance of precise observation in the course of the disorder to tailor appropriate therapies. Pharmacological treatment is based on poor evidence but to a large extent on expertise from centres devoted to the care of patients with Huntington's disease. It is focused mainly on motor and psychiatric aspects of the phenotype. Nonpharmacological treatment is important and is best offered in a multidisciplinary care setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Burgunder
- Swiss Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurology, University of Bern, Neurobu Clinics, Steinerstrasse 45, CH 3006 Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|