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Xie D, Deng T, Zhai Z, Sun T, Xu Y. The cellular model for Alzheimer's disease research: PC12 cells. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 15:1016559. [PMID: 36683856 PMCID: PMC9846650 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1016559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and irreversible memory impairment. Currently, several studies have failed to fully elucidate AD's cellular and molecular mechanisms. For this purpose, research on related cellular models may propose potential predictive models for the drug development of AD. Therefore, many cells characterized by neuronal properties are widely used to mimic the pathological process of AD, such as PC12, SH-SY5Y, and N2a, especially the PC12 pheochromocytoma cell line. Thus, this review covers the most systematic essay that used PC12 cells to study AD. We depict the cellular source, culture condition, differentiation methods, transfection methods, drugs inducing AD, general approaches (evaluation methods and metrics), and in vitro cellular models used in parallel with PC12 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danni Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Ting Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhenwei Zhai
- School of Medical Information Engineering, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Tao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- School of Medical Information Engineering, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Xu
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
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2
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Hu J, Zhao Y, Li Y. Rationally designed amyloid inhibitors based on amyloid-related structural studies. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2022.06.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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3
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Matuszyk MM, Garwood CJ, Ferraiuolo L, Simpson JE, Staniforth RA, Wharton SB. Biological and methodological complexities of beta-amyloid peptide: Implications for Alzheimer's disease research. J Neurochem 2021; 160:434-453. [PMID: 34767256 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Although controversial, the amyloid cascade hypothesis remains central to the Alzheimer's disease (AD) field and posits amyloid-beta (Aβ) as the central factor initiating disease onset. In recent years, there has been an increase in emphasis on studying the role of low molecular weight aggregates, such as oligomers, which are suggested to be more neurotoxic than fibrillary Aβ. Other Aβ isoforms, such as truncated Aβ, have also been implicated in disease. However, developing a clear understanding of AD pathogenesis has been hampered by the complexity of Aβ biochemistry in vitro and in vivo. This review explores factors contributing to the lack of consistency in experimental approaches taken to model Aβ aggregation and toxicity and provides an overview of the different techniques available to analyse Aβ, such as electron and atomic force microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, dye-based assays, size exclusion chromatography, mass spectrometry and SDS-PAGE. The review also explores how different types of Aβ can influence Aβ aggregation and toxicity, leading to variation in experimental outcomes, further highlighting the need for standardisation in Aβ preparations and methods used in current research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna M Matuszyk
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Claire J Garwood
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Laura Ferraiuolo
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Julie E Simpson
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Stephen B Wharton
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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4
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Aggregation and structure of amyloid β-protein. Neurochem Int 2021; 151:105208. [PMID: 34655726 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder and is characterized by major pathological hallmarks in the brain, including plaques composed of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein. Genetic studies, biochemical data, and animal models have suggested that Aβ is a critical species in the pathogenesis of AD. Aβ molecules aggregate to form oligomers, protofibrils (PFs), and mature fibrils. Because of their instability and structural heterogeneity, the misfolding and aggregation of Aβ is a highly complex process, leading to a variety of aggregates with different structures and morphologies. However, the elucidation of Aβ molecules is essential because they are believed to play an important role in AD pathogenesis. Recent combination studies using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have primarily revealed more detailed information about their aggregation process, including fibril extension and secondary nucleation, and the structural polymorphism of the fibrils under a variety of some conditions, including the actual brain. This review attempts to summarize the existing information on the major properties of the structure and aggregation of Aβ.
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5
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Creekmore BC, Chang YW, Lee EB. The Cryo-EM Effect: Structural Biology of Neurodegenerative Disease Aggregates. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2021; 80:514-529. [PMID: 33970243 PMCID: PMC8177849 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlab039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurogenerative diseases are characterized by diverse protein aggregates with a variety of microscopic morphologic features. Although ultrastructural studies of human neurodegenerative disease tissues have been conducted since the 1960s, only recently have near-atomic resolution structures of neurodegenerative disease aggregates been described. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography have provided near-atomic resolution information about in vitro aggregates but pose logistical challenges to resolving the structure of aggregates derived from human tissues. Recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have provided the means for near-atomic resolution structures of tau, amyloid-β (Aβ), α-synuclein (α-syn), and transactive response element DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) aggregates from a variety of diseases. Importantly, in vitro aggregate structures do not recapitulate ex vivo aggregate structures. Ex vivo tau aggregate structures indicate individual tauopathies have a consistent aggregate structure unique from other tauopathies. α-syn structures show that even within a disease, aggregate heterogeneity may correlate to disease course. Ex vivo structures have also provided insight into how posttranslational modifications may relate to aggregate structure. Though there is less cryo-EM data for human tissue-derived TDP-43 and Aβ, initial structural studies provide a basis for future endeavors. This review highlights structural variations across neurodegenerative diseases and reveals fundamental differences between experimental systems and human tissue derived protein inclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Creekmore
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yi-Wei Chang
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Edward B Lee
- Send correspondence to: Edward B. Lee, MD, PhD, Translational Neuropathology Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 613A Stellar Chance Laboratories, 422 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; E-mail:
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6
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Tavanti F, Pedone A, Menziani MC, Alexander-Katz A. Computational Insights into the Binding of Monolayer-Capped Gold Nanoparticles onto Amyloid-β Fibrils. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:3153-3160. [PMID: 32926781 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids-β (Aβ) fibrils are involved in several neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate how monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles interact with Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) fibrils. Our results show that small gold nanoparticles bind with the external side of amyloid-β fibrils that is involved in the fibrillation process. The binding affinity, studied for both kinds of fibrils as a function of the monolayer composition and the nanoparticle diameter, is modulated by hydrophobic interactions and ligand monolayer conformation. Our findings thus show that monolayer-protected nanoparticles are good candidates to prevent fibril aggregation and secondary nucleation or to deliver drugs to specific fibril regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Tavanti
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi, 103, I-41125 Modena, Italy
- CNR-NANO Istituto Nanoscienze, Centro S3, Via Campi 213/A, I-41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Alfonso Pedone
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi, 103, I-41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Menziani
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi, 103, I-41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Alfredo Alexander-Katz
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Avenue, 77, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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7
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Ke PC, Zhou R, Serpell LC, Riek R, Knowles TPJ, Lashuel HA, Gazit E, Hamley IW, Davis TP, Fändrich M, Otzen DE, Chapman MR, Dobson CM, Eisenberg DS, Mezzenga R. Half a century of amyloids: past, present and future. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:5473-5509. [PMID: 32632432 PMCID: PMC7445747 DOI: 10.1039/c9cs00199a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 304] [Impact Index Per Article: 76.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid diseases are global epidemics with profound health, social and economic implications and yet remain without a cure. This dire situation calls for research into the origin and pathological manifestations of amyloidosis to stimulate continued development of new therapeutics. In basic science and engineering, the cross-β architecture has been a constant thread underlying the structural characteristics of pathological and functional amyloids, and realizing that amyloid structures can be both pathological and functional in nature has fuelled innovations in artificial amyloids, whose use today ranges from water purification to 3D printing. At the conclusion of a half century since Eanes and Glenner's seminal study of amyloids in humans, this review commemorates the occasion by documenting the major milestones in amyloid research to date, from the perspectives of structural biology, biophysics, medicine, microbiology, engineering and nanotechnology. We also discuss new challenges and opportunities to drive this interdisciplinary field moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Chun Ke
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 111 Yixueyuan Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruhong Zhou
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Louise C. Serpell
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, East Sussex BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Roland Riek
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, CB3 0HE, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hilal A. Lashuel
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Neuroproteomics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ian W. Hamley
- School of Chemistry, Food Biosciences and Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AD, UK
| | - Thomas P. Davis
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Marcus Fändrich
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Daniel Erik Otzen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Center for Insoluble Protein Structures (inSPIN), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Matthew R. Chapman
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Centre for Microbial Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA
| | - Christopher M. Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - David S. Eisenberg
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biological Chemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- Department of Health Science & Technology, ETH Zurich, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, LFO, E23, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang Pauli Strasse 10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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8
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Yagi-Utsumi M, Yanaka S, Song C, Satoh T, Yamazaki C, Kasahara H, Shimazu T, Murata K, Kato K. Characterization of amyloid β fibril formation under microgravity conditions. NPJ Microgravity 2020; 6:17. [PMID: 32566742 PMCID: PMC7293247 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-020-0107-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils are self-assembled and ordered proteinaceous supramolecules structurally characterized by the cross-β spine. Amyloid formation is known to be related to various diseases typified by neurogenerative disorders and involved in a variety of functional roles. Whereas common mechanisms for amyloid formation have been postulated across diverse systems, the mesoscopic morphology of the fibrils is significantly affected by the type of solution condition in which it grows. Amyloid formation is also thought to share a phenomenological similarity with protein crystallization. Although many studies have demonstrated the effect of gravity on protein crystallization, its effect on amyloid formation has not been reported. In this study, we conducted an experiment at the International Space Station (ISS) to characterize fibril formation of 40-residue amyloid β (Aβ(1-40)) under microgravity conditions. Our comparative analyses revealed that the Aβ(1-40) fibrilization progresses much more slowly on the ISS than on the ground, similarly to protein crystallization. Furthermore, microgravity promoted the formation of distinct morphologies of Aβ(1-40) fibrils. Our findings demonstrate that the ISS provides an ideal experimental environment for detailed investigations of amyloid formation mechanisms by eliminating the conventionally uncontrollable factors derived from gravity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maho Yagi-Utsumi
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
- Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabe-dori, Mizuho, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8603 Japan
| | - Saeko Yanaka
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
- Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabe-dori, Mizuho, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8603 Japan
| | - Chihong Song
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
| | - Tadashi Satoh
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabe-dori, Mizuho, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8603 Japan
| | - Chiaki Yamazaki
- JEM Mission Operations and Integration Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8505 Japan
| | - Haruo Kasahara
- Kibo Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8505 Japan
| | - Toru Shimazu
- Technology and Research Promotion Department, Japan Space Forum, 3-2-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0004 Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Murata
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
| | - Koichi Kato
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
- Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787 Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabe-dori, Mizuho, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8603 Japan
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9
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Wille H, Dorosh L, Amidian S, Schmitt-Ulms G, Stepanova M. Combining molecular dynamics simulations and experimental analyses in protein misfolding. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2020; 118:33-110. [PMID: 31928730 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2019.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The fold of a protein determines its function and its misfolding can result in loss-of-function defects. In addition, for certain proteins their misfolding can lead to gain-of-function toxicities resulting in protein misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or the prion diseases. In all of these diseases one or more proteins misfold and aggregate into disease-specific assemblies, often in the form of fibrillar amyloid deposits. Most, if not all, protein misfolding diseases share a fundamental molecular mechanism that governs the misfolding and subsequent aggregation. A wide variety of experimental methods have contributed to our knowledge about misfolded protein aggregates, some of which are briefly described in this review. The misfolding mechanism itself is difficult to investigate, as the necessary timescale and resolution of the misfolding events often lie outside of the observable parameter space. Molecular dynamics simulations fill this gap by virtue of their intrinsic, molecular perspective and the step-by-step iterative process that forms the basis of the simulations. This review focuses on molecular dynamics simulations and how they combine with experimental analyses to provide detailed insights into protein misfolding and the ensuing diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Wille
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Lyudmyla Dorosh
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Sara Amidian
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Gerold Schmitt-Ulms
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Maria Stepanova
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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10
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Lin YC, Komatsu H, Ma J, Axelsen PH, Fakhraai Z. Identifying Polymorphs of Amyloid-β (1-40) Fibrils Using High-Resolution Atomic Force Microscopy. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:10376-10383. [PMID: 31714085 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b07854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many amyloid-β fibril preparations are highly polymorphic, and the conditions under which they are formed determine their morphology. This report describes the application of high-resolution atomic force microscopy (HR-AFM), combined with volume-per-length analysis, to define, identify, and quantify the structural components of polymorphic Aβ fibril preparations. Volume-per-length analysis confirms that they are composed of discrete cross-β filaments, and the analysis of HR-AFM images yields the number of striations in each fibril. Compared to mass-per-length analysis by electron microscopy, HR-AFM analysis yields narrower distributions, facilitating rapid and label-free quantitative morphological characterization of Aβ fibril preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hiroaki Komatsu
- Departments of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Medicine/Infectious Diseases , University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6084 , United States
| | | | - Paul H Axelsen
- Departments of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Medicine/Infectious Diseases , University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6084 , United States
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11
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Cryo-EM structure and polymorphism of Aβ amyloid fibrils purified from Alzheimer's brain tissue. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4760. [PMID: 31664019 PMCID: PMC6820800 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12683-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 364] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of Aβ amyloid fibrils is a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. However, the structure of Aβ amyloid fibrils from brain tissue is poorly understood. Here we report the purification of Aβ amyloid fibrils from meningeal Alzheimer's brain tissue and their structural analysis with cryo-electron microscopy. We show that these fibrils are polymorphic but consist of similarly structured protofilaments. Brain derived Aβ amyloid fibrils are right-hand twisted and their peptide fold differs sharply from previously analyzed Aβ fibrils that were formed in vitro. These data underscore the importance to use patient-derived amyloid fibrils when investigating the structural basis of the disease.
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12
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Iadanza MG, Jackson MP, Hewitt EW, Ranson NA, Radford SE. A new era for understanding amyloid structures and disease. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2019; 19:755-773. [PMID: 30237470 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-018-0060-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 579] [Impact Index Per Article: 115.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibrils and their deposition into plaques and intracellular inclusions is the hallmark of amyloid disease. The accumulation and deposition of amyloid fibrils, collectively known as amyloidosis, is associated with many pathological conditions that can be associated with ageing, such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, type II diabetes and dialysis-related amyloidosis. However, elucidation of the atomic structure of amyloid fibrils formed from their intact protein precursors and how fibril formation relates to disease has remained elusive. Recent advances in structural biology techniques, including cryo-electron microscopy and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, have finally broken this impasse. The first near-atomic-resolution structures of amyloid fibrils formed in vitro, seeded from plaque material and analysed directly ex vivo are now available. The results reveal cross-β structures that are far more intricate than anticipated. Here, we describe these structures, highlighting their similarities and differences, and the basis for their toxicity. We discuss how amyloid structure may affect the ability of fibrils to spread to different sites in the cell and between organisms in a prion-like manner, along with their roles in disease. These molecular insights will aid in understanding the development and spread of amyloid diseases and are inspiring new strategies for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Iadanza
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Matthew P Jackson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Eric W Hewitt
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Neil A Ranson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sheena E Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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13
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Yu L, Yang Y, Wang C. Peptide Self-Assembly and Its Modulation: Imaging on the Nanoscale. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1174:35-60. [PMID: 31713196 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-9791-2_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
This chapter intends to review the progress in obtaining site-specific structural information for peptide assemblies using scanning tunneling microscopy. The effects on assembly propensity due to mutations and modifications in peptide sequences, small organic molecules and conformational transitions of peptides are identified. The obtained structural insights into the sequence-dependent assembly propensity could inspire rational design of peptide architectures at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanlan Yu
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanlian Yang
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chen Wang
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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14
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Lee CT, Terentjev EM. Mechanisms and rates of nucleation of amyloid fibrils. J Chem Phys 2018; 147:105103. [PMID: 28915747 DOI: 10.1063/1.4995255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The classical nucleation theory finds the rate of nucleation proportional to the monomer concentration raised to the power, which is the "critical nucleus size," nc. The implicit assumption, that amyloids nucleate in the same way, has been recently challenged by an alternative two-step mechanism, when the soluble monomers first form a metastable aggregate (micelle) and then undergo conversion into the conformation rich in β-strands that are able to form a stable growing nucleus for the protofilament. Here we put together the elements of extensive knowledge about aggregation and nucleation kinetics, using a specific case of Aβ1-42 amyloidogenic peptide for illustration, to find theoretical expressions for the effective rate of amyloid nucleation. We find that at low monomer concentrations in solution and also at low interaction energy between two peptide conformations in the micelle, the nucleation occurs via the classical route. At higher monomer concentrations, and a range of other interaction parameters between peptides, the two-step "aggregation-conversion" mechanism of nucleation takes over. In this regime, the effective rate of the process can be interpreted as a power of monomer concentration in a certain range of parameters; however, the exponent is determined by a complicated interplay of interaction parameters and is not related to the minimum size of the growing nucleus (which we find to be ∼7-8 for Aβ1-42).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Tai Lee
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Eugene M Terentjev
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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15
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Flores-Fernández JM, Rathod V, Wille H. Comparing the Folds of Prions and Other Pathogenic Amyloids. Pathogens 2018; 7:E50. [PMID: 29734684 PMCID: PMC6027354 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens7020050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 04/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic amyloids are the main feature of several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Creutzfeldt⁻Jakob disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. High resolution structures of tau paired helical filaments (PHFs), amyloid-β(1-42) (Aβ(1-42)) fibrils, and α-synuclein fibrils were recently reported using cryo-electron microscopy. A high-resolution structure for the infectious prion protein, PrPSc, is not yet available due to its insolubility and its propensity to aggregate, but cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray fiber diffraction, and other approaches have defined the overall architecture of PrPSc as a 4-rung β-solenoid. Thus, the structure of PrPSc must have a high similarity to that of the fungal prion HET-s, which is part of the fungal heterokaryon incompatibility system and contains a 2-rung β-solenoid. This review compares the structures of tau PHFs, Aβ(1-42), and α-synuclein fibrils, where the β-strands of each molecule stack on top of each other in a parallel in-register arrangement, with the β-solenoid folds of HET-s and PrPSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Miguel Flores-Fernández
- Department of Biochemistry & Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada.
| | - Vineet Rathod
- Department of Biochemistry & Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada.
| | - Holger Wille
- Department of Biochemistry & Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada.
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16
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Poma AB, Chwastyk M, Cieplak M. Elastic moduli of biological fibers in a coarse-grained model: crystalline cellulose and β-amyloids. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 19:28195-28206. [PMID: 29022971 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp05269c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
We study the mechanical response of cellulose and β-amyloid microfibrils to three types of deformation: tensile, indentational, and shear. The cellulose microfibrils correspond to the allomorphs Iα or Iβ whereas the β-amyloid microfibrils correspond to the polymorphs of either two- or three-fold symmetry. This response can be characterized by three elastic moduli, namely, YL, YT, and S. We use a structure-based coarse-grained model to analyze the deformations in a unified manner. We find that each of the moduli is almost the same for the two allomorphs of cellulose but YL is about 20 times larger than YT (140 GPa vs. 7 GPa), indicating the existence of significant anisotropy. For cellulose we note that the anisotropy results from the involvement of covalent bonds in stretching. For β-amyloid, the sense of anisotropy is opposite to that of cellulose. In the three-fold symmetry case, YL is about half of YT (3 vs. 7) whereas for two-fold symmetry the anisotropy is much larger (1.6 vs. 21 GPa). The S modulus is derived to be 1.2 GPa for three-fold symmetry and one half of it for the other symmetry and 3.0 GPa for cellulose. The values of the moduli reflect deformations in the hydrogen-bond network. Unlike in our theoretical approach, no experiment can measure all three elastic moduli with the same apparatus. However, our theoretical results are consistent with various measured values: typical YL for cellulose Iβ ranges from 133 to 155 GPa, YT from 2 to 25 GPa, and S from 1.8 to 3.8 GPa. For β-amyloid, the experimental values of S and YT are about 0.3 GPa and 3.3 GPa respectively, while the value of YL has not been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adolfo B Poma
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland.
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17
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Bagrov D, Gazizova Y, Podgorsky V, Udovichenko I, Danilkovich A, Prusakov K, Klinov D. Morphology and aggregation of RADA-16-I peptide Studied by AFM, NMR and molecular dynamics simulations. Biopolymers 2017; 106:72-81. [PMID: 26501800 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 10/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
RADA-16-I is a self-assembling peptide which forms biocompatible fibrils and hydrogels. We used molecular dynamics simulations, atomic-force microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and thioflavin T binding assay to examine size, structure, and morphology of RADA-16-I aggregates. We used the native form of RADA-16-I (H-(ArgAlaAspAla)4 -OH) rather than the acetylated one commonly used in the previous studies. At neutral pH, RADA-16-I is mainly in the fibrillar form, the fibrils consist of an even number of stacked β-sheets. At acidic pH, RADA-16-I fibrils disassemble into monomers, which form an amorphous monolayer on graphite and monolayer lamellae on mica. RADA-16-I fibrils were compared with the fibrils of a similar peptide RLDL-16-I. Thickness of β-sheets measured by AFM was in excellent agreement with the molecular dynamics simulations. A pair of RLDL-16-I β-sheets was thicker (2.3 ± 0.4 nm) than a pair of RADA-16-I β-sheets (1.9 ± 0.1 nm) due to the volume difference between alanine and leucine residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Bagrov
- Scientific Research Institute of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya, 1a Moscow, 119435, Russian Federation.,Faculty of Biology, Department of Bioengineering, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1/73, Moscow, 111991, Russian Federation
| | - Yuliya Gazizova
- Scientific Research Institute of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya, 1a Moscow, 119435, Russian Federation.,Department of Biological and Medical Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutsky Lane 9, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russian Federation
| | - Victor Podgorsky
- Scientific Research Institute of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya, 1a Moscow, 119435, Russian Federation
| | - Igor Udovichenko
- Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Nauki-6, Pushchino, 142290, Russian Federation.,Pushchino State Institute of Natural Science, Prospect Nauki-3, Pushchino, 142290, Russian Federation
| | - Alexey Danilkovich
- Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Nauki-6, Pushchino, 142290, Russian Federation.,Pushchino State Institute of Natural Science, Prospect Nauki-3, Pushchino, 142290, Russian Federation
| | - Kirill Prusakov
- Scientific Research Institute of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya, 1a Moscow, 119435, Russian Federation
| | - Dmitry Klinov
- Scientific Research Institute of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya, 1a Moscow, 119435, Russian Federation.,Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya, 16/10, Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation
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18
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Eustache S, Leprince J, Tufféry P. Progress with peptide scanning to study structure-activity relationships: the implications for drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2016; 11:771-84. [PMID: 27310575 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2016.1201058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Peptides have gained renewed interest as candidate therapeutics. However, to bring them to a broader clinical use, challenges such as the rational optimization of their pharmacological properties remain. Peptide scanning techniques offer a systematic framework to gain information on the functional role of individual amino acids of a peptide. Due to progress in mastering new chemical synthesis routes targeting amino acid backbone, they are currently diversified. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analyses such as alanine- or enantioneric- scanning can now be supplemented by N-substitution, lactam cyclisation- or aza-amino scanning procedures addressing not only SAR considerations but also the peptide pharmacological properties. AREAS COVERED This review highlights the different scanning techniques currently available and illustrates how they can impact drug discovery. EXPERT OPINION Progress in peptide scanning techniques opens new perspectives for peptide drug development. It comes with the promise of a paradigm change in peptide drug design in which peptide drugs will be closer to the parent peptides. However, scanning still remains assimilable to a trial and error strategy that could benefit from being combined with specific in silico approaches that start reaching maturity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Eustache
- a INSERM UMR-S 973 , University Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité , Paris , France
| | - Jérôme Leprince
- b INSERM U982 , Regional Platform for Cell Imaging of Normandy (PRIMACEN), University Rouen-Normandy , Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Pierre Tufféry
- a INSERM UMR-S 973 , University Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité , Paris , France
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19
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Abelein A, Jarvet J, Barth A, Gräslund A, Danielsson J. Ionic Strength Modulation of the Free Energy Landscape of Aβ40 Peptide Fibril Formation. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:6893-902. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b04511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Axel Abelein
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius
väg 16, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jüri Jarvet
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius
väg 16, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- The National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius
väg 16, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Astrid Gräslund
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius
väg 16, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jens Danielsson
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius
väg 16, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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20
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Gruziel M, Szymczak P. From ribbons to tubules: a computational study of the polymorphism in aggregation of helical filaments. SOFT MATTER 2015; 11:6294-6304. [PMID: 26165798 DOI: 10.1039/c5sm00652j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A simple, coarse-grained model of chiral, helical filaments is used to study the polymorphism of fibrous aggregates. Three generic morphologies of the aggregates are observed: ribbons, in which the filaments are joined side-by-side, twisted, helicoidal fibrils, in which filaments entwine along each other and tubular forms, with filaments wound together around a hollow core of the tube. A relative simplicity of the model allows us to supplement numerical simulations with an analytic description of the elastic properties of the aggregates. The model is capable of predicting geometric and structural characteristics of the composite structures, as well as their relative stabilities. We also investigate in detail the transitions between different morphologies of the aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Gruziel
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland.
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21
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Zhang Q, Liu J, Hu X, Wang W, Yuan Z. In Vitro Studies on Accelerating the Degradation and Clearance of Amyloid-β Fibrils by an Antiamyloidogenic Peptide. ACS Macro Lett 2015; 4:339-342. [PMID: 35596317 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.5b00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The clearance of overloaded amyloid-β (Aβ) species, especially the toxic aggregates, was thought to be an attractive and promising strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy in the past decade. In this work, an active Aβ inhibitor decapeptide RR was used to transform mature Aβ fibrils (fAβ) into nanorod-like Aβ assemblies (rAβ) as well as loosen the β-structure of rAβ. Compared with fAβ, rAβ could be engulfed by PC12 cells more efficiently and showed a 1.46-fold difference. More importantly, the rAβ was colocated with lysosomes after endocytosis, and in vitro study illustrated that rAβ were easily degraded by lysosome protease cathepsin B when compared with the fibrils. Thus, our study indicated the potential application of RR in Aβ fibrils clearance by a cell-participated and enzyme-mediated pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional
Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry,
Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering
(Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Functional
Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry,
Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering
(Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xiaoyu Hu
- Key Laboratory of Functional
Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry,
Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering
(Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional
Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry,
Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering
(Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Zhi Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Functional
Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry,
Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering
(Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
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22
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Thal DR, Walter J, Saido TC, Fändrich M. Neuropathology and biochemistry of Aβ and its aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2015; 129:167-82. [PMID: 25534025 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-014-1375-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Revised: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by β-amyloid plaques and intraneuronal τ aggregation usually associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Both β-amyloid plaques and CAA deposits contain fibrillar aggregates of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ). Aβ plaques and CAA develop first in neocortical areas of preclinical AD patients and, then, expand in a characteristic sequence into further brain regions with end-stage pathology in symptomatic AD patients. Aβ aggregates are not restricted to amyloid plaques and CAA. Soluble and several types of insoluble non-plaque- and non-CAA-associated Aβ aggregates have been described. Amyloid fibrils are products of a complex self-assembly process that involves different types of transient intermediates. Amongst these intermediate species are protofibrils and oligomers. Different variants of Aβ peptides may result from alternative processing or from mutations that lead to rare forms of familial AD. These variants can exhibit different self-assembly and aggregation properties. In addition, several post-translational modifications of Aβ have been described that result, for example, in the production of N-terminal truncated Aβ with pyroglutamate modification at position 3 (AβN3pE) or of Aβ phosphorylated at serine 8 (pSer8Aβ). Both AβN3pE and pSer8Aβ show enhanced aggregation into oligomers and fibrils. However, the earliest detectable soluble and insoluble Aβ aggregates in the human brain exhibit non-modified Aβ, whereas AβN3pE and pSer8Aβ are detected in later stages. This finding indicates the existence of different biochemical stages of Aβ aggregate maturation with pSer8Aβ being related mainly to cases with symptomatic AD. The conversion from preclinical to symptomatic AD could thereby be related to combined effects of increased Aβ concentration, maturation of aggregates and spread of deposits into additional brain regions. Thus, the inhibition of Aβ aggregation and maturation before entering the symptomatic stage of the disease as indicated by the accumulation of pSer8Aβ may represent an attractive treatment strategy for preventing disease progression.
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23
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Sachse C. Single-particle based helical reconstruction—how to make the most of real and Fourier space. AIMS BIOPHYSICS 2015. [DOI: 10.3934/biophy.2015.2.219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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24
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Yu Y, Yang Y, Wang C. Site-specific Analysis of Amyloid Assemblies by Using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. CHINESE J CHEM 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/cjoc.201400631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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25
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v Berlepsch H, Ludwig K, Schade B, Haag R, Böttcher C. Progress in the direct structural characterization of fibrous amphiphilic supramolecular assemblies in solution by transmission electron microscopic techniques. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2014; 208:279-92. [PMID: 24508499 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2014.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Revised: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 01/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules into fibrous structures has been the subject of numerous studies over past decades due to various current and promising technical applications. Although very different in their head group chemistry many natural as well as synthetic amphiphilic compounds derived from carbohydrates, carbocyanine dyes, or amino acids tend to form fibrous structures by molecular self-assembly in water predominantly twisted ribbons or tubes. Often a transition between these assembly structures is observed, which is a phenomenon already theoretically approached by Wolfgang Helfrich and still focus point in current research. With the development of suitable sample preparation and electron optical imaging techniques, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) in combination with three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction techniques has become a particular popular direct characterization technique for supramolecular assemblies in general. Here we review the recent progress in deriving precise structural information from cryo-TEM data of particularly fibrous structures preferably in three dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans v Berlepsch
- Forschungszentrum für Elektronenmikroskopie, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 36a, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Core Facility BioSupraMol an der Freien Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 36a, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Ludwig
- Forschungszentrum für Elektronenmikroskopie, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 36a, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Boris Schade
- Forschungszentrum für Elektronenmikroskopie, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 36a, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Rainer Haag
- Core Facility BioSupraMol an der Freien Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 36a, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institut für Chemie und Biochemie - Organische Chemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Böttcher
- Forschungszentrum für Elektronenmikroskopie, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 36a, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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26
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Hubin E, van Nuland NAJ, Broersen K, Pauwels K. Transient dynamics of Aβ contribute to toxicity in Alzheimer's disease. Cell Mol Life Sci 2014; 71:3507-21. [PMID: 24803005 PMCID: PMC4143600 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-014-1634-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The aggregation and deposition of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in the brain has been linked with neuronal death, which progresses in the diagnostic and pathological signs of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The transition of an unstructured monomeric peptide into self-assembled and more structured aggregates is the crucial conversion from what appears to be a harmless polypeptide into a malignant form that causes synaptotoxicity and neuronal cell death. Despite efforts to identify the toxic form of Aβ, the development of effective treatments for AD is still limited by the highly transient and dynamic nature of interconverting forms of Aβ. The variability within the in vivo “pool” of different Aβ peptides is another complicating factor. Here we review the dynamical interplay between various components that influence the heterogeneous Aβ system, from intramolecular Aβ flexibility to intermolecular dynamics between various Aβ alloforms and external factors. The complex dynamics of Aβ contributes to the causative role of Aβ in the pathogenesis of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Hubin
- Nanobiophysics Group, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands
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27
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Abelein A, Abrahams JP, Danielsson J, Gräslund A, Jarvet J, Luo J, Tiiman A, Wärmländer SKTS. The hairpin conformation of the amyloid β peptide is an important structural motif along the aggregation pathway. J Biol Inorg Chem 2014; 19:623-34. [PMID: 24737040 DOI: 10.1007/s00775-014-1131-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The amyloid β (Aβ) peptides are 39-42 residue-long peptides found in the senile plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. These peptides self-aggregate in aqueous solution, going from soluble and mainly unstructured monomers to insoluble ordered fibrils. The aggregation process(es) are strongly influenced by environmental conditions. Several lines of evidence indicate that the neurotoxic species are the intermediate oligomeric states appearing along the aggregation pathways. This minireview summarizes recent findings, mainly based on solution and solid-state NMR experiments and electron microscopy, which investigate the molecular structures and characteristics of the Aβ peptides at different stages along the aggregation pathways. We conclude that a hairpin-like conformation constitutes a common motif for the Aβ peptides in most of the described structures. There are certain variations in different hairpin conformations, for example regarding H-bonding partners, which could be one reason for the molecular heterogeneity observed in the aggregated systems. Interacting hairpins are the building blocks of the insoluble fibrils, again with variations in how hairpins are organized in the cross-section of the fibril, perpendicular to the fibril axis. The secondary structure propensities can be seen already in peptide monomers in solution. Unfortunately, detailed structural information about the intermediate oligomeric states is presently not available. In the review, special attention is given to metal ion interactions, particularly the binding constants and ligand structures of Aβ complexes with Cu(II) and Zn(II), since these ions affect the aggregation process(es) and are considered to be involved in the molecular mechanisms underlying AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Abelein
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
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28
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Ma J, Komatsu H, Kim YS, Liu L, Hochstrasser RM, Axelsen PH. Intrinsic structural heterogeneity and long-term maturation of amyloid β peptide fibrils. ACS Chem Neurosci 2013; 4:1236-43. [PMID: 23701594 DOI: 10.1021/cn400092v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid β peptides form fibrils that are commonly assumed to have a dry, homogeneous, and static internal structure. To examine these assumptions, fibrils under various conditions and different ages have been examined with multidimensional infrared spectroscopy. Each peptide in the fibril had a ¹³C═¹⁸O label in the backbone of one residue to disinguish the amide I' absorption due to that residue from the amide I' absorption of other residues. Fibrils examined soon after they formed, and reexamined after 1 year in the dry state, exhibited spectral changes confirming that structurally significant water molecules were present in the freshly formed fibrils. Results from fibrils incubated in solution for 4 years indicate that water molecules remained trapped within fibrils and mobile over the 4 year time span. These water molecules are structurally significant because they perturb the parallel β-sheet hydrogen bonding pattern at frequent intervals and at multiple points within individual fibrils, creating structural heterogeneity along the length of a fibril. These results show that the interface between β-sheets in an amyloid fibril is not a "dry zipper", and that the internal structure of a fibril evolves while it remains in a fibrillar state. These features, water trapping, structural heterogeneity, and structural evolution within a fibril over time, must be accommodated in models of amyloid fibril structure and formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianqiang Ma
- Ultrafast Optical Processes Laboratory,
Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Hiroaki Komatsu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United
States
| | - Yung Sam Kim
- School of Nano-Bioscience
and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 689-798, Republic of Korea
| | - Liu Liu
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109,
United States
| | - Robin M. Hochstrasser
- Ultrafast Optical Processes Laboratory,
Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Paul H. Axelsen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United
States
- Departments
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United
States
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Abstract
The deposition of peptides and proteins as amyloid fibrils is a common feature of nearly 50 medical -disorders affecting the brain or a variety of other organs and tissues. These disorders, which include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, the prion diseases, and type II diabetes, have an enormous impact on the public health and economy of the modern world. Extensive research is therefore taking place to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms and determinants of the pathological conversion of amyloidogenic proteins from their soluble forms into fibrillar structures. The use of molecular probes and biophysical techniques, such as X-ray crystallography and particularly NMR spectroscopy, are allowing detailed analysis of the mechanism of fibril formation and of the underlying structural and chemical features of the associated pathogenicity. Nanobodies, the antigen-binding domains derived from camelid heavy-chain antibodies, are excellent tools to probe protein aggregation as a result of their exquisite specificity and high affinity and stability, along with their ease of expression and small size; the latter in particular allows them to be used very efficiently in combination with NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. In this chapter we present an overview of how nanobodies are being used to obtain detailed information on the mechanisms of amyloid formation and on the nature and origin of their links with human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwin De Genst
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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30
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Hall D. Semi-automated methods for simulation and measurement of amyloid fiber distributions obtained from transmission electron microscopy experiments. Anal Biochem 2012; 421:262-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2011.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Revised: 10/04/2011] [Accepted: 10/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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31
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Shi X, Wang Z, Yan L, Ezemaduka AN, Fan G, Wang R, Fu X, Yin C, Chang Z. Small heat shock protein AgsA forms dynamic fibrils. FEBS Lett 2011; 585:3396-402. [DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2011.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2011] [Revised: 09/25/2011] [Accepted: 09/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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32
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Abstract
Many, perhaps most, proteins, are capable of forming self-propagating, β-sheet (amyloid) aggregates. Amyloid-like aggregates are found in a wide range of diseases and underlie prion-based inheritance. Despite intense interest in amyloids, structural details have only recently begun to be revealed as advances in biophysical approaches, such as hydrogen-deuterium exchange, X-ray crystallography, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), and cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM), have enabled high-resolution insights into their molecular organization. Initial studies found that despite the highly divergent primary structure of different amyloid-forming proteins, amyloids from different sources share many structural similarities. With higher-resolution information, however, it has become clear that, on the molecular level, amyloids comprise a wide diversity of structures. Particularly surprising has been the finding that identical polypeptides can fold into multiple, distinct amyloid conformations and that this structural diversity can lead to distinct heritable prion states or strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon H Toyama
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco and California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research, San Francisco, California 94158-2542, USA.
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Hidaka Y, Kontani KI, Taniguchi R, Saiki M, Yokoi S, Yukuhiro K, Yamaguchi H, Miyazawa M. Fiber formation of a synthetic spider peptide derived from Nephila clavata. Biopolymers 2011; 96:222-7. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.21402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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34
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Fändrich M, Schmidt M, Grigorieff N. Recent progress in understanding Alzheimer's β-amyloid structures. Trends Biochem Sci 2011; 36:338-45. [PMID: 21411326 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2011.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2010] [Revised: 02/09/2011] [Accepted: 02/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The formation of amyloid fibrils, protofibrils and oligomers from the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide represents a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Aβ-peptide-derived assemblies might be crucial for disease onset, but determining their atomic structures has proven to be a major challenge. Progress over the past 5 years has yielded substantial new data obtained with improved methodologies including electron cryo-microscopy and NMR. It is now possible to resolve the global fibril topology and the cross-β sheet organization within protofilaments, and to identify residues that are crucial for stabilizing secondary structural elements and peptide conformations within specific assemblies. These data have significantly enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of Aβ aggregation and have illuminated the possible relevance of specific conformers for neurodegenerative pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Fändrich
- Max-Planck Research Unit for Enzymology of Protein Folding & Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
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35
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Haupt C, Morgado I, Kumar ST, Parthier C, Bereza M, Hortschansky P, Stubbs MT, Horn U, Fändrich M. Amyloid Fibril Recognition with the Conformational B10 Antibody Fragment Depends on Electrostatic Interactions. J Mol Biol 2011; 405:341-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.10.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2010] [Revised: 10/29/2010] [Accepted: 10/31/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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36
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Komatsu H, Feingold-Link E, Sharp KA, Rastogi T, Axelsen PH. Intrinsic linear heterogeneity of amyloid β protein fibrils revealed by higher resolution mass-per-length determinations. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:41843-51. [PMID: 20940298 PMCID: PMC3009912 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.165068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2010] [Revised: 10/01/2010] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid β proteins spontaneously form fibrils in vitro that vary in their thermodynamic stability and in morphological characteristics such as length, width, shape, longitudinal twist, and the number of component filaments. It is vitally important to determine which variant best represents the type of fibril that accumulates in Alzheimer disease. In the present study, the nature of morphological variation was examined by dark-field and transmission electron microscopy in a preparation of seeded amyloid β protein fibrils that formed at relatively low protein concentrations and exhibited remarkably high thermodynamic stability. The number of filaments comprising these fibrils changed frequently from two to six along their length, and these changes only became apparent when mass-per-length (MPL) determinations are made with sufficient resolution. The MPL results could be reproduced by a simple stochastic model with a single adjustable parameter. The presence of more than two primary filaments could not be discerned by transmission electron microscopy, and they had no apparent relationship to the longitudinal twist of the fibrils. However, the pitch of the twist was strongly affected by the pH of the negative stain. We conclude that highly stable amyloid fibrils may form in which a surprising amount of intrinsic linear heterogeneity may be obscured by MPL measurements of insufficient resolution, and by the negative stains used for imaging fibrils by electron microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Paul H. Axelsen
- From the Departments of Pharmacology
- Biochemistry and Biophysics, and
- Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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37
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Dahse K, Garvey M, Kovermann M, Vogel A, Balbach J, Fändrich M, Fahr A. DHPC strongly affects the structure and oligomerization propensity of Alzheimer's Aβ(1-40) peptide. J Mol Biol 2010; 403:643-59. [PMID: 20851128 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Revised: 09/01/2010] [Accepted: 09/08/2010] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to depend on the deleterious action of amyloid fibrils or oligomers derived from β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide. Out of various known Aβ alloforms, the 40-residue peptide Aβ(1-40) occurs at highest concentrations inside the brains of AD patients. Its aggregation properties critically depend on lipids, and it was thus proposed that lipids could play a major role in AD. To better understand their possible effects on the structure of Aβ and on the ability of this peptide to form potentially detrimental amyloid structures, we here analyze the interactions between Aβ(1-40) and 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC). DHPC has served, due to its controlled properties, as a major model system for studying general lipid properties. Here, we show that DHPC concentrations of 8 mM or higher exert dramatic effects on the conformation of soluble Aβ(1-40) peptide and induce the formation of β-sheet structure at high levels. By contrast, we find that DHPC concentrations well below the critical micelle concentration present no discernible effect on the conformation of soluble Aβ, although they substantially affect the peptide's oligomerization and fibrillation kinetics. These data imply that subtle lipid-peptide interactions suffice in controlling the overall aggregation properties and drastically accelerate, or delay, the fibrillation kinetics of Aβ peptide in near-physiological buffer solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Dahse
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
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38
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Sachse C, Grigorieff N, Fändrich M. Nanoscale flexibility parameters of Alzheimer amyloid fibrils determined by electron cryo-microscopy. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010; 49:1321-3. [PMID: 20069616 PMCID: PMC2913414 DOI: 10.1002/anie.200904781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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39
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Sachse C, Grigorieff N, Fändrich M. Kryoelektronenmikroskopische Bestimmung der nanoskaligen Flexibiliät von Amyloidfibrillen. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.200904781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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40
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Comparison of Alzheimer Abeta(1-40) and Abeta(1-42) amyloid fibrils reveals similar protofilament structures. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:19813-8. [PMID: 19843697 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0905007106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
We performed mass-per-length (MPL) measurements and electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) with 3D reconstruction on an Abeta(1-42) amyloid fibril morphology formed under physiological pH conditions. The data show that the examined Abeta(1-42) fibril morphology has only one protofilament, although two protofilaments were observed with a previously studied Abeta(1-40) fibril. The latter fibril was resolved at 8 A resolution showing pairs of beta-sheets at the cores of the two protofilaments making up a fibril. Detailed comparison of the Abeta(1-42) and Abeta(1-40) fibril structures reveals that they share an axial twofold symmetry and a similar protofilament structure. Furthermore, the MPL data indicate that the protofilaments of the examined Abeta(1-40) and Abeta(1-42) fibrils have the same number of Abeta molecules per cross-beta repeat. Based on this data and the previously studied Abeta(1-40) fibril structure, we describe a model for the arrangement of peptides within the Abeta(1-42) fibril.
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41
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Berryman JT, Radford SE, Harris SA. Thermodynamic description of polymorphism in Q- and N-rich peptide aggregates revealed by atomistic simulation. Biophys J 2009; 97:1-11. [PMID: 19580739 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2009.03.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2008] [Revised: 02/04/2009] [Accepted: 03/11/2009] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils are long, helically symmetric protein aggregates that can display substantial variation (polymorphism), including alterations in twist and structure at the beta-strand and protofilament levels, even when grown under the same experimental conditions. The structural and thermodynamic origins of this behavior are not yet understood. We performed molecular-dynamics simulations to determine the thermodynamic properties of different polymorphs of the peptide GNNQQNY, modeling fibrils containing different numbers of protofilaments based on the structure of amyloid-like cross-beta crystals of this peptide. We also modeled fibrils with new orientations of the side chains, as well as a de novo designed structure based on antiparallel beta-strands. The simulations show that these polymorphs are approximately isoenergetic under a range of conditions. Structural analysis reveals a dynamic reorganization of electrostatics and hydrogen bonding in the main and side chains of the Gln and Asn residues that characterize this peptide sequence. Q/N-rich stretches are found in several amyloidogenic proteins and peptides, including the yeast prions Sup35-N and Ure2p, as well as in the human poly-Q disease proteins, including the ataxins and huntingtin. Based on our results, we propose that these residues imbue a unique structural plasticity to the amyloid fibrils that they comprise, rationalizing the ability of proteins enriched in these amino acids to form prion strains with heritable and different phenotypic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Berryman
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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42
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Abstract
The folding of a protein from a sequence of amino acids to a well-defined tertiary structure is one of the most studied and enigmatic events to take place in biological systems. Relatively recently, it has been established that some proteins and peptides are able to take on conformations other than their native fold to form long fibres known as amyloid. In vivo, these are associated with misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Type 2 diabetes and the amyloidoses. In vitro, peptide assembly leads to amyloid-like fibres that have high stability, resistance to degradation and high tensile strength. Remarkably, despite the lack of any obvious sequence similarity between these fibrillogenic proteins and peptides, all amyloid fibrils share common structural characteristics and their underlying structure is known as 'cross-beta'. Nature is rich in beta-sheet protein assemblies such as spider silk and other 'useful' amyloids such as curli from Escherichia coli, where the strength of fibrils is fundamental to their function.
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43
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Interprotofilament interactions between Alzheimer's Abeta1-42 peptides in amyloid fibrils revealed by cryoEM. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:4653-8. [PMID: 19264960 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0901085106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain. This amyloid primarily contains amyloid-beta (Abeta), a 39- to 43-aa peptide derived from the proteolytic cleavage of the endogenous amyloid precursor protein. The 42-residue-length Abeta peptide (Abeta(1-42)), the most abundant Abeta peptide found in plaques, has a much greater propensity to self-aggregate into fibrils than the other peptides and is believed to be more pathogenic. Synthetic human Abeta(1-42) peptides self-aggregate into stable but poorly-ordered helical filaments. We determined their structure to approximately 10-A resolution by using cryoEM and the iterative real-space reconstruction method. This structure reveals 2 protofilaments winding around a hollow core. Previous hairpin-like NMR models for Abeta(17-42) fit well in the cryoEM density map and reveal that the juxtaposed protofilaments are joined via the N terminus of the peptide from 1 protofilament connecting to the loop region of the peptide in the opposite protofilament. This model of mature Abeta(1-42) fibrils is markedly different from previous cryoEM models of Abeta(1-40) fibrils. In our model, the C terminus of Abeta forms the inside wall of the hollow core, which is supported by partial proteolysis analysis.
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44
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Meinhardt J, Sachse C, Hortschansky P, Grigorieff N, Fändrich M. Abeta(1-40) fibril polymorphism implies diverse interaction patterns in amyloid fibrils. J Mol Biol 2008; 386:869-77. [PMID: 19038266 PMCID: PMC6760659 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2008] [Revised: 11/04/2008] [Accepted: 11/05/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils characterize a diverse group of human diseases that includes Alzheimer's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and type II diabetes. Alzheimer's amyloid fibrils consist of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide and occur in a range of structurally different fibril morphologies. The structural characteristics of 12 single Abeta(1-40) amyloid fibrils, all formed under the same solution conditions, were determined by electron cryo-microscopy and three-dimensional reconstruction. The majority of analyzed fibrils form a range of morphologies that show almost continuously altering structural properties. The observed fibril polymorphism implies that amyloid formation can lead, for the same polypeptide sequence, to many different patterns of inter- or intra-residue interactions. This property differs significantly from native, monomeric protein folding reactions that produce, for one protein sequence, only one ordered conformation and only one set of inter-residue interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Meinhardt
- Leibniz-Institut für Altersforschung (Fritz-Lipmann-Institut), Beutenbergstrabetae 11,D-07745 Jena, Germany
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45
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Bogush VG, Sokolova OS, Davydova LI, Klinov DV, Sidoruk KV, Esipova NG, Neretina TV, Orchanskyi IA, Makeev VY, Tumanyan VG, Shaitan KV, Debabov VG, Kirpichnikov MP. A Novel Model System for Design of Biomaterials Based on Recombinant Analogs of Spider Silk Proteins. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2008; 4:17-27. [DOI: 10.1007/s11481-008-9129-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2008] [Accepted: 09/10/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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46
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Abstract
Amyloid fibrils are elongated protein aggregates well known for their association with many human diseases. However, similar structures have also been found in other organisms and amyloid fibrils can also be formed in vitro by other proteins usually under non-physiological conditions. In all cases, these fibrils assemble in a nucleated polymerization reaction with a pronounced lag phase that can be eliminated by supplying pre-formed fibrils as seeds. Once formed, the fibrils are usually very stable, except for their tendency to break into smaller pieces forming more growing ends in the process. These properties give amyloid fibers a self-replicating character dependent only on a source of soluble protein. For some systems and under certain circumstances this can lead to infectious protein structures, so-called prions, that can be passed from one organism to another as in the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and in fungal prion systems. Structural details about these processes have emerged only recently, mostly on account of the inability of traditional high-resolution methods to deal with insoluble, filamentous specimens. In consequence, current models for amyloid fibrils are based on fewer constraints than common atomic-resolution structures. This review gives an overview of the constraints used for the development of amyloid models and the methods used to derive them. The principally possible structures will be introduced by discussing current models of amyloid fibrils from Alzheimer's beta-peptide, amylin and several fungal systems. The infectivity of some amyloids under specific conditions might not be due to a principal structural difference between infectious and non-infectious amyloids, but could result from an interplay of the rates for filament nucleation, growth, fragmentation, and clearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Baxa
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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47
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Rambaran RN, Serpell LC. Amyloid fibrils: abnormal protein assembly. Prion 2008; 2:112-7. [PMID: 19158505 PMCID: PMC2634529 DOI: 10.4161/pri.2.3.7488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 330] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2008] [Accepted: 11/20/2008] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid refers to the abnormal fibrous, extracellular, proteinaceous deposits found in organs and tissues. Amyloid is insoluble and is structurally dominated by beta-sheet structure. Unlike other fibrous proteins it does not commonly have a structural, supportive or motility role but is associated with the pathology seen in a range of diseases known as the amyloidoses. These diseases include Alzheimer's, the spongiform encephalopathies and type II diabetes, all of which are progressive disorders with associated high morbidity and mortality. Not surprisingly, research into the physicochemical properties of amyloid and its formation is currently intensely pursued. In this chapter we will highlight the key scientific findings and discuss how the stability of amyloid fibrils impacts on bionanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roma N Rambaran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
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48
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Paired beta-sheet structure of an Abeta(1-40) amyloid fibril revealed by electron microscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:7462-6. [PMID: 18483195 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0712290105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the cerebral deposition of amyloid fibrils formed by Abeta peptide. Despite their prevalence in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, important details of the structure of amyloid fibrils remain unknown. Here, we present a three-dimensional structure of a mature amyloid fibril formed by Abeta(1-40) peptide, determined by electron cryomicroscopy at approximately 8-A resolution. The fibril consists of two protofilaments, each containing approximately 5-nm-long regions of beta-sheet structure. A local twofold symmetry within each region suggests that pairs of beta-sheets are formed from equivalent parts of two Abeta(1-40) peptides contained in each protofilament. The pairing occurs via tightly packed interfaces, reminiscent of recently reported steric zipper structures. However, unlike these previous structures, the beta-sheet pairing is observed within an amyloid fibril and includes significantly longer amino acid sequences.
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49
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Hetényi A, Fülöp L, Martinek TA, Wéber E, Soós K, Penke B. Ligand-Induced Flocculation of Neurotoxic Fibrillar Aβ(1–42) by Noncovalent Crosslinking. Chembiochem 2008; 9:748-57. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.200700351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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50
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Directed selection of a conformational antibody domain that prevents mature amyloid fibril formation by stabilizing Abeta protofibrils. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:19232-7. [PMID: 18042730 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0703793104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of amyloid fibrils is a common biochemical characteristic that occurs in Alzheimer's disease and several other amyloidoses. The unifying structural feature of amyloid fibrils is their specific type of beta-sheet conformation that differentiates these fibrils from the products of normal protein folding reactions. Here we describe the generation of an antibody domain, termed B10, that recognizes an amyloid-specific and conformationally defined epitope. This antibody domain was selected by phage-display from a recombinant library of camelid antibody domains. Surface plasmon resonance, immunoblots, and immunohistochemistry show that this antibody domain distinguishes Abeta amyloid fibrils from disaggregated Abeta peptide as well as from specific Abeta oligomers. The antibody domain possesses functional activity in preventing the formation of mature amyloid fibrils by stabilizing Abeta protofibrils. These data suggest possible applications of B10 in the detection of amyloid fibrils or in the modulation of their formation.
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