1
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Heath SG, Gray SG, Hamzah EM, O'Connor KM, Bozonet SM, Botha AD, de Cordovez P, Magon NJ, Naughton JD, Goldsmith DLW, Schwartfeger AJ, Sunde M, Buell AK, Morris VK, Göbl C. Amyloid formation and depolymerization of tumor suppressor p16 INK4a are regulated by a thiol-dependent redox mechanism. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5535. [PMID: 38951545 PMCID: PMC11217399 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49581-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The conversion of a soluble protein into polymeric amyloid structures is a process that is poorly understood. Here, we describe a fully redox-regulated amyloid system in which cysteine oxidation of the tumor suppressor protein p16INK4a leads to rapid amyloid formation. We identify a partially-structured disulfide-bonded dimeric intermediate species that subsequently assembles into fibrils. The stable amyloid structures disassemble when the disulfide bond is reduced. p16INK4a is frequently mutated in cancers and is considered highly vulnerable to single-point mutations. We find that multiple cancer-related mutations show increased amyloid formation propensity whereas mutations stabilizing the fold prevent transition into amyloid. The complex transition into amyloids and their structural stability is therefore strictly governed by redox reactions and a single regulatory disulfide bond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah G Heath
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Shelby G Gray
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Emilie M Hamzah
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Karina M O'Connor
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Stephanie M Bozonet
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Alex D Botha
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Pierre de Cordovez
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Nicholas J Magon
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Jennifer D Naughton
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Dylan L W Goldsmith
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | | | - Margaret Sunde
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alexander K Buell
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Vanessa K Morris
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
| | - Christoph Göbl
- Mātai Hāora - Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine, Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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2
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Chitty C, Kuliga K, Xue WF. Atomic force microscopy 3D structural reconstruction of individual particles in the study of amyloid protein assemblies. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:761-771. [PMID: 38600027 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230857] [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: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Recent developments in atomic force microscopy (AFM) image analysis have made three-dimensional (3D) structural reconstruction of individual particles observed on 2D AFM height images a reality. Here, we review the emerging contact point reconstruction AFM (CPR-AFM) methodology and its application in 3D reconstruction of individual helical amyloid filaments in the context of the challenges presented by the structural analysis of highly polymorphous and heterogeneous amyloid protein structures. How individual particle-level structural analysis can contribute to resolving the amyloid polymorph structure-function relationships, the environmental triggers leading to protein misfolding and aggregation into amyloid species, the influences by the conditions or minor fluctuations in the initial monomeric protein structure on the speed of amyloid fibril formation, and the extent of the different types of amyloid species that can be formed, are discussed. Future perspectives in the capabilities of AFM-based 3D structural reconstruction methodology exploiting synergies with other recent AFM technology advances are also discussed to highlight the potential of AFM as an emergent general, accessible and multimodal structural biology tool for the analysis of individual biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Chitty
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
| | - Kinga Kuliga
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
| | - Wei-Feng Xue
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
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3
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Razbin M, Benetatos P. Variance and higher moments in the sigmoidal self-assembly of branched fibrils. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:114109. [PMID: 38506286 DOI: 10.1063/5.0190768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Self-assembly of functional branched filaments, such as actin filaments and microtubules, or dysfunctional ones, such as amyloid fibrils, plays important roles in many biological processes. Here, based on the master equation approach, we study the kinetics of the formation of the branched fibrils. In our model, a branched fibril has one mother branch and several daughter branches. A daughter branch grows from the side of a pre-existing mother branch or daughter branch. In our model, we consider five basic processes for the self-assembly of the branched filaments, namely, the nucleation, the dissociation of the primary nucleus of fibrils, the elongation, the fragmentation, and the branching. The elongation of a mother branch from two ends and the elongation of a daughter branch from two ends can, in principle, occur with four different rate constants associated with the corresponding tips. This leads to a pronounced impact of the directionality of growth on the kinetics of the self-assembly. Here, we have unified and generalized our four previously presented models of branched fibrillogenesis in a single model. We have obtained a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations that give the time evolution of the polymer numbers and the mass concentrations along with the higher moments as observable quantities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadhosein Razbin
- Department of Energy Engineering and Physics, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Panayotis Benetatos
- Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakro, Bukgu, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
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4
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Louros N, Schymkowitz J, Rousseau F. Mechanisms and pathology of protein misfolding and aggregation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:912-933. [PMID: 37684425 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00647-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite advances in machine learning-based protein structure prediction, we are still far from fully understanding how proteins fold into their native conformation. The conventional notion that polypeptides fold spontaneously to their biologically active states has gradually been replaced by our understanding that cellular protein folding often requires context-dependent guidance from molecular chaperones in order to avoid misfolding. Misfolded proteins can aggregate into larger structures, such as amyloid fibrils, which perpetuate the misfolding process, creating a self-reinforcing cascade. A surge in amyloid fibril structures has deepened our comprehension of how a single polypeptide sequence can exhibit multiple amyloid conformations, known as polymorphism. The assembly of these polymorphs is not a random process but is influenced by the specific conditions and tissues in which they originate. This observation suggests that, similar to the folding of native proteins, the kinetics of pathological amyloid assembly are modulated by interactions specific to cells and tissues. Here, we review the current understanding of how intrinsic protein conformational propensities are modulated by physiological and pathological interactions in the cell to shape protein misfolding and aggregation pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Louros
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joost Schymkowitz
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Frederic Rousseau
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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5
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Buell AK. Stability matters, too - the thermodynamics of amyloid fibril formation. Chem Sci 2022; 13:10177-10192. [PMID: 36277637 PMCID: PMC9473512 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc06782f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils are supramolecular homopolymers of proteins that play important roles in biological functions and disease. These objects have received an exponential increase in attention during the last few decades, due to their role in the aetiology of a range of severe disorders, most notably some of a neurodegenerative nature. While an overwhelming number of experimental studies exist that investigate how, and how fast, amyloid fibrils form and how their formation can be inhibited, a much more limited body of experimental work attempts to answer the question as to why these types of structures form (i.e. the thermodynamic driving force) and how stable they actually are. In this review, I attempt to give an overview of the types of experiments that have been performed to-date to answer these questions, and to summarise our current understanding of amyloid thermodynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander K Buell
- Technical University of Denmark, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine Søltofts Plads, Building 227 2800 Kgs. Lyngby Denmark
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6
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Sakunthala A, Datta D, Navalkar A, Gadhe L, Kadu P, Patel K, Mehra S, Kumar R, Chatterjee D, Devi J, Sengupta K, Padinhateeri R, Maji SK. Direct Demonstration of Seed Size-Dependent α-Synuclein Amyloid Amplification. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:6427-6438. [PMID: 35816132 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The size of amyloid seeds is known to modulate their autocatalytic amplification and cellular toxicity. However, the seed size-dependent secondary nucleation mechanism, toxicity, and disease-associated biological processes mediated by α-synuclein (α-Syn) fibrils are largely unknown. Using the cellular model and in vitro reconstitution, we showed that the size of α-Syn fibril seeds dictates not only their cellular internalization and associated cell death but also the distinct mechanisms of fibril amplification pathways involved in the pathological conformational change of α-Syn. Specifically, small fibril seeds showed elongation possibly through monomer addition at the fibril termini, whereas longer fibrils template the fibril amplification by surface-mediated nucleation as demonstrated by super-resolution microscopy. The distinct mechanism of fibril amplification and cellular uptake along with toxicity suggest that breakage of fibrils into seeds of different sizes determines the underlying pathological outcome of synucleinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arunima Sakunthala
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Debalina Datta
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Ambuja Navalkar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Laxmikant Gadhe
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Pradeep Kadu
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Komal Patel
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Surabhi Mehra
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Debdeep Chatterjee
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Jyoti Devi
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Kundan Sengupta
- Chromosome Biology Lab, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Ranjith Padinhateeri
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Samir K Maji
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
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7
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Block AJ, Bartz JC. Prion strains: shining new light on old concepts. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:113-133. [PMID: 35796874 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03665-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of inevitably fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting numerous mammalian species, including humans. The existence of heritable phenotypes of disease in the natural host suggested that prions exist as distinct strains. Transmission of sheep scrapie to rodent models accelerated prion research, resulting in the isolation and characterization of numerous strains with distinct characteristics. These strains are grouped into categories based on the incubation period of disease in different strains of mice and also by how stable the strain properties were upon serial passage. These classical studies defined the host and agent parameters that affected strain properties, and, prior to the advent of the prion hypothesis, strain properties were hypothesized to be the result of mutations in a nucleic acid genome of a conventional pathogen. The development of the prion hypothesis challenged the paradigm of infectious agents, and, initially, the existence of strains was difficult to reconcile with a protein-only agent. In the decades since, much evidence has revealed how a protein-only infectious agent can perform complex biological functions. The prevailing hypothesis is that strain-specific conformations of PrPSc encode prion strain diversity. This hypothesis can provide a mechanism to explain the observed strain-specific differences in incubation period of disease, biochemical properties of PrPSc, tissue tropism, and subcellular patterns of pathology. This hypothesis also explains how prion strains mutate, evolve, and adapt to new species. These concepts are applicable to prion-like diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, where evidence of strain diversity is beginning to emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa J Block
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA
| | - Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA.
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8
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Sanami S, Purton TJ, Smith DP, Tuite MF, Xue WF. Comparative Analysis of the Relative Fragmentation Stabilities of Polymorphic Alpha-Synuclein Amyloid Fibrils. Biomolecules 2022; 12:630. [PMID: 35625557 PMCID: PMC9138312 DOI: 10.3390/biom12050630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The division of amyloid fibril particles through fragmentation is implicated in the progression of human neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Fragmentation of amyloid fibrils plays a crucial role in the propagation of the amyloid state encoded in their three-dimensional structures and may have an important role in the spreading of potentially pathological properties and phenotypes in amyloid-associated diseases. However, despite the mechanistic importance of fibril fragmentation, the relative stabilities of different types or different polymorphs of amyloid fibrils toward fragmentation remain to be quantified. We have previously developed an approach to compare the relative stabilities of different types of amyloid fibrils toward fragmentation. In this study, we show that controlled sonication, a widely used method of mechanical perturbation for amyloid seed generation, can be used as a form of mechanical perturbation for rapid comparative assessment of the relative fragmentation stabilities of different amyloid fibril structures. This approach is applied to assess the relative fragmentation stabilities of amyloid formed in vitro from wild type (WT) α-synuclein and two familial mutant variants of α-synuclein (A30P and A53T) that generate morphologically different fibril structures. Our results demonstrate that the fibril fragmentation stabilities of these different α-synuclein fibril polymorphs are all highly length dependent but distinct, with both A30P and A53T α-synuclein fibrils displaying increased resistance towards sonication-induced fibril fragmentation compared with WT α-synuclein fibrils. These conclusions show that fragmentation stabilities of different amyloid fibril polymorph structures can be diverse and suggest that the approach we report here will be useful in comparing the relative stabilities of amyloid fibril types or fibril polymorphs toward fragmentation under different biological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarina Sanami
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - Tracey J Purton
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - David P Smith
- Biomolecular Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UK
| | - Mick F Tuite
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - Wei-Feng Xue
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK
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9
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Wang X, Yue C, Xu H, Guan C, Guo R, Yang X, Ma C, Shao M. Comparison of emulsifying properties of fibrils formed from whey protein concentrate following induction by nuclei and nuclei fragments. Int Dairy J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2021.105166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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10
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Amyloid particles facilitate surface-catalyzed cross-seeding by acting as promiscuous nanoparticles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2104148118. [PMID: 34462352 PMCID: PMC8433567 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2104148118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid seeds are nanometer-sized protein particles that accelerate amyloid assembly as well as propagate and transmit the amyloid protein conformation associated with a wide range of protein misfolding diseases. However, seeded amyloid growth through templated elongation at fibril ends cannot explain the full range of molecular behaviors observed during cross-seeded formation of amyloid by heterologous seeds. Here, we demonstrate that amyloid seeds can accelerate amyloid formation via a surface catalysis mechanism without propagating the specific amyloid conformation associated with the seeds. This type of seeding mechanism is demonstrated through quantitative characterization of the cross-seeded assembly reactions involving two nonhomologous and unrelated proteins: the human Aβ42 peptide and the yeast prion-forming protein Sup35NM. Our results demonstrate experimental approaches to differentiate seeding by templated elongation from nontemplated amyloid seeding and rationalize the molecular mechanism of the cross-seeding phenomenon as a manifestation of the aberrant surface activities presented by amyloid seeds as nanoparticles.
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11
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Tournus M, Escobedo M, Xue WF, Doumic M. Insights into the dynamic trajectories of protein filament division revealed by numerical investigation into the mathematical model of pure fragmentation. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008964. [PMID: 34478445 PMCID: PMC8462728 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamics by which polymeric protein filaments divide in the presence of negligible growth, for example due to the depletion of free monomeric precursors, can be described by the universal mathematical equations of ‘pure fragmentation’. The rates of fragmentation reactions reflect the stability of the protein filaments towards breakage, which is of importance in biology and biomedicine for instance in governing the creation of amyloid seeds and the propagation of prions. Here, we devised from mathematical theory inversion formulae to recover the division rates and division kernel information from time-dependent experimental measurements of filament size distribution. The numerical approach to systematically analyze the behaviour of pure fragmentation trajectories was also developed. We illustrate how these formulae can be used, provide some insights on their robustness, and show how they inform the design of experiments to measure fibril fragmentation dynamics. These advances are made possible by our central theoretical result on how the length distribution profile of the solution to the pure fragmentation equation aligns with a steady distribution profile for large times. Amyloid fibrils are fibrillar protein structures involved in many neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. To propagate in disease, these misfolded protein aggregates must grow and divide to proliferate. Therefore, the intrinsic characteristics of their division, including the division rate and the pattern of division in terms of whether the fibrils are likely to break in the middle or at the edges, impact the disease aetiology. Here, we discovered mathematical formulae that can be used to directly extract the fibril division characteristics from recent experiments data obtained from time-dependent fibril length distribution measurements. We explain how these formulae can be used, and prove the robustness of the division rate formula where small errors in the measurement leads to small errors in the division rate. We also demonstrate that the mathematical formula is not robust enough to precisely decipher the pattern of division in the data, and suggest instead new future experimental design with short time measurements in experiments starting with fibril suspensions where all fibrils have similar size, which would be suitable to provide improved estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Tournus
- Centrale Marseille, I2M, UMR 7373, CNRS, Aix-Marseille université, Marseille, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Miguel Escobedo
- Universidad del País Vasco, Departamento de Matemat́icas, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Wei-Feng Xue
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
- INRIA Rocquencourt, équipe-projet BANG, domaine de Voluceau, Rocquencourt, France
| | - Marie Doumic
- INRIA Rocquencourt, équipe-projet BANG, domaine de Voluceau, Rocquencourt, France
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12
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Rice LJ, Ecroyd H, van Oijen AM. Illuminating amyloid fibrils: Fluorescence-based single-molecule approaches. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:4711-4724. [PMID: 34504664 PMCID: PMC8405898 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of proteins into insoluble filamentous amyloid fibrils is a pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases that include Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Since the identification of amyloid fibrils and their association with disease, there has been much work to describe the process by which fibrils form and interact with other proteins. However, due to the dynamic nature of fibril formation and the transient and heterogeneous nature of the intermediates produced, it can be challenging to examine these processes using techniques that rely on traditional ensemble-based measurements. Single-molecule approaches overcome these limitations as rare and short-lived species within a population can be individually studied. Fluorescence-based single-molecule methods have proven to be particularly useful for the study of amyloid fibril formation. In this review, we discuss the use of different experimental single-molecule fluorescence microscopy approaches to study amyloid fibrils and their interaction with other proteins, in particular molecular chaperones. We highlight the mechanistic insights these single-molecule techniques have already provided in our understanding of how fibrils form, and comment on their potential future use in studying amyloid fibrils and their intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J. Rice
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Heath Ecroyd
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Antoine M. van Oijen
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
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13
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Lutter L, Aubrey LD, Xue WF. On the Structural Diversity and Individuality of Polymorphic Amyloid Protein Assemblies. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167124. [PMID: 34224749 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The prediction of highly ordered three-dimensional structures of amyloid protein fibrils from the amino acid sequences of their monomeric self-assembly precursors constitutes a challenging and unresolved aspect of the classical protein folding problem. Because of the polymorphic nature of amyloid assembly whereby polypeptide chains of identical amino acid sequences under identical conditions are capable of self-assembly into a spectrum of different fibril structures, the prediction of amyloid structures from an amino acid sequence requires a detailed and holistic understanding of its assembly free energy landscape. The full extent of the structure space accessible to the cross-β molecular architecture of amyloid must also be resolved. Here, we review the current understanding of the diversity and the individuality of amyloid structures, and how the polymorphic landscape of amyloid links to biology and disease phenotypes. We present a comprehensive review of structural models of amyloid fibrils derived by cryo-EM, ssNMR and AFM to date, and discuss the challenges ahead for resolving the structural basis and the biological consequences of polymorphic amyloid assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisa Lutter
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, UK
| | - Liam D Aubrey
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, UK
| | - Wei-Feng Xue
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, UK.
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14
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Toward the equilibrium and kinetics of amyloid peptide self-assembly. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2021; 70:87-98. [PMID: 34153659 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2021.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Several devastating human diseases are linked to peptide self-assembly, but our understanding their onset and progression is not settled. This is a sign of the complexity of the aggregation process, which is prevented, catalyzed, or retarded by numerous factors in body fluids and cells, varying in time and space. Biophysical studies of pure peptide solutions contribute insights into the underlying steps in the process and quantitative parameters relating to rate constants (energy barriers) and equilibrium constants (population distributions). This requires methods to quantify the concentration of at least one species in the process. Translation to an in vivo situation poses an enormous challenge, and the effects of selected components (bottom up) or entire body fluids (top down) need to be quantified.
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