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Sun J, Tian ZY, Liu J, Wan C, Dai C, Liu Z, Xing Y, Wu Y, Hou Z, Han W, Yin F, Ye Y, Li Z. Intramolecular CH⋯π attraction mediated conformational polymorphism of constrained helical peptides. Chem Sci 2024:d4sc02545h. [PMID: 39149221 PMCID: PMC11322895 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc02545h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
In nature, biochemical processes depend on polymorphism, a phenomenon by which discrete biomolecules can adopt specific conformations based on their environment. However, it is often difficult to explore the generation mechanism and achieve polymorphic control in artificial supramolecular assembly systems. In this work, we propose a feasible thought for exploring the transformation mechanism of polymorphism in peptide assembly from the perspective of thermodynamic regulation, which enables polymorphic composition to be limited by switchable intramolecular CH⋯π attraction within a certain temperature range. Combined with the density functional theory calculations, we obtained thermodynamic theoretical data supporting the conformation transition and the underlying polymorphism formation principle. Afterward, we properly designed the peptide to alter the probability of CH⋯π attraction occurring. Then, we selectively obtained a homogeneous morphological form with corresponding molecular conformation, which further demonstrated the important role of molecular conformational manipulation in polymorphism selection. This unique template-based strategy developed in this study may provide scientists with an additional line of thought to guide assembly paths in other polymorphic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinming Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School Shenzhen 518055 China
| | - Zi-You Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School Shenzhen 518055 China
| | - Jianbo Liu
- Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen 518118 China
| | - Chuan Wan
- College of Health Science and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Technology University Shenzhen 518118 China
| | - Chuan Dai
- Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen 518118 China
| | - Zhihong Liu
- Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen 518118 China
| | - Yun Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School Shenzhen 518055 China
| | - Yujie Wu
- Office of Core Facilities, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen 518118 China
| | - Zhanfeng Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School Shenzhen 518055 China
| | - Wei Han
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Hong Kong Baptist University Kowloon Town Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Feng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School Shenzhen 518055 China
- Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen 518118 China
| | - Yuxin Ye
- Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen 518118 China
| | - Zigang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School Shenzhen 518055 China
- Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen 518118 China
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2
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Ruan K, Bai G, Fang Y, Li D, Li T, Liu X, Lu B, Lu Q, Songyang Z, Sun S, Wang Z, Zhang X, Zhou W, Zhang H. Biomolecular condensates and disease pathogenesis. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024:10.1007/s11427-024-2661-3. [PMID: 39037698 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-024-2661-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates or membraneless organelles (MLOs) formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) divide intracellular spaces into discrete compartments for specific functions. Dysregulation of LLPS or aberrant phase transition that disturbs the formation or material states of MLOs is closely correlated with neurodegeneration, tumorigenesis, and many other pathological processes. Herein, we summarize the recent progress in development of methods to monitor phase separation and we discuss the biogenesis and function of MLOs formed through phase separation. We then present emerging proof-of-concept examples regarding the disruption of phase separation homeostasis in a diverse array of clinical conditions including neurodegenerative disorders, hearing loss, cancers, and immunological diseases. Finally, we describe the emerging discovery of chemical modulators of phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Ruan
- The First Affiliated Hospital & School of Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membrane-less Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
| | - Ge Bai
- Nanhu Brain-computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, 311100, China.
- Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Yanshan Fang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Dan Li
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China.
| | - Tingting Li
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China.
| | - Xingguo Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
- Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
| | - Boxun Lu
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Qing Lu
- Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Bio-X Institutes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China.
| | - Zhou Songyang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging Research, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
| | - Shuguo Sun
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Zheng Wang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.
| | - Xin Zhang
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, 310024, China.
| | - Wen Zhou
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Hong Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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3
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Ramadan A, Mohammed A, Elnour AA, Sadeq A, Al Mazrouei N, Alkaabi M, Al-Kubaisi KA, Beshir SA, Menon V, AlAmoodi A, Sam KG, Saeed AAAM, Abdalla SF, Hussein SM. The flavonoid luteolin reduces mutant huntingtin aggregation and cytotoxicity in huntingtin-mutated neuroblastoma cells. Saudi Pharm J 2023; 31:101871. [PMID: 38125952 PMCID: PMC10731386 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Huntington's disease is an inherited progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of the polyglutamine tract leading to malformation and aggregation of the mutant huntingtin protein in the cell cytoplasm and nucleus of affected brain regions. The development of neuroprotective agents from plants has received considerable research attention. Objective Our study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effects of luteolin and the mechanisms that underline its potential mediated protection in the mutant htt neuroblastoma cells. Methods The mutant htt neuroblastoma cells were transfected with 160Q, and the control wild-type neuroblastoma cells were transfected with 20Q htt for 24 h and later treated with luteolin. Cell viability was determined by MTT and PI staining in both groups, while western blotting was used to evaluate caspase 3 protein expression. Aggregation formation was assessed via immunofluorescence microscopy. Also, western blotting was utilized to measure the protein expression of mutant htt aggregated and soluble protein, Nrf2 and HO-1. The impact of Nrf2 on luteolin-treated neuroblastoma cells was assessed using small interfering RNAs. Results Our study reports that luteolin can protect cultured cells from mutant huntingtin cytotoxicity, evidenced by increased viability and decreased apoptosis. Also, luteolin reduced the accumulation of soluble and insoluble mutant huntingtin aggregates in mutant htt neuroblastoma cells transfected with 160Q compared to the control wild-type. The mutant htt aggregate reduction mediated by luteolin appeared to be independent of the Nrf2 -HO-1 antioxidant pathway. Conclusion Luteolin presents a new potential therapeutic and protective agent for the treatment and decreasing the cytotoxicity in neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azza Ramadan
- College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi Campus Abu Dhabi, UAE, AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Abuelnor Mohammed
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Dar Al Uloom University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Asim Ahmed Elnour
- Program of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi campus, Abu Dhabi-United Arab Emirates (UAE), AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Adel Sadeq
- Program of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nadia Al Mazrouei
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Maisoun Alkaabi
- New Medical Center (NMC) Royal Women’s Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Khalid Awad Al-Kubaisi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy-University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Semira Abdi Beshir
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai Pharmacy College For Girls, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Vineetha Menon
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, United Arab Emirates
| | - Abdulla AlAmoodi
- Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Academic Affairs, Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA), United Arab Emirates
| | - Kishore Ganana Sam
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ali Awadallah Ali Mohamed Saeed
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Clinical and Industrial Pharmacy, National University-Sudan, Mycetoma Research Center, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Sami Fatehi Abdalla
- Clinical Department, College of Medicine, University of Almaarefa, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Samah Mohammed Hussein
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah 52571, Saudi Arabia
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4
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Zheng H, Li G, Min J, Xu X, Huang W. Lysosome and related protein degradation technologies. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103767. [PMID: 37708931 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Recently, targeted protein degradation technologies based on lysosomal pathways have been developed. Lysosome-based targeted protein degradation technology has a broad range of substrates and the potential to degrade intracellular and extracellular proteins, protein aggregates, damaged organelles and non-protein molecules. Thus, they hold great promise for drug R&D. This study has focused on the biogenesis of lysosomes, their basic functions, lysosome-associated diseases and targeted protein degradation technologies through the lysosomal pathway. In addition, we thoroughly examine the potential applications and limitations of this technology and engage in insightful discussions on potential avenues for future research. Our primary objective is to foster preclinical research on this technology and facilitate its successful clinical implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Zheng
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, China
| | - Gangjian Li
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, China
| | - Jingli Min
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, China
| | - Xiangwei Xu
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
| | - Wenhai Huang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, China.
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5
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Pan Y, Lu J, Feng X, Lu S, Yang Y, Yang G, Tan S, Wang L, Li P, Luo S, Lu B. Gelation of cytoplasmic expanded CAG RNA repeats suppresses global protein synthesis. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:1372-1383. [PMID: 37592155 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01384-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
RNA molecules with the expanded CAG repeat (eCAGr) may undergo sol-gel phase transitions, but the functional impact of RNA gelation is completely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the eCAGr RNA may form cytoplasmic gel-like foci that are rapidly degraded by lysosomes. These RNA foci may significantly reduce the global protein synthesis rate, possibly by sequestering the translation elongation factor eEF2. Disrupting the eCAGr RNA gelation restored the global protein synthesis rate, whereas enhanced gelation exacerbated this phenotype. eEF2 puncta were significantly enhanced in brain slices from a knock-in mouse model and from patients with Huntington's disease, which is a CAG expansion disorder expressing eCAGr RNA. Finally, neuronal expression of the eCAGr RNA by adeno-associated virus injection caused significant behavioral deficits in mice. Our study demonstrates the existence of RNA gelation inside the cells and reveals its functional impact, providing insights into repeat expansion diseases and functional impacts of RNA phase transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyin Pan
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junmei Lu
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinran Feng
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shengyi Lu
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Peninsula Medical School, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Guang Yang
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shudan Tan
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology & Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Pilong Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology & Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Shouqing Luo
- Peninsula Medical School, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK.
| | - Boxun Lu
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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6
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Elena-Real CA, Sagar A, Urbanek A, Popovic M, Morató A, Estaña A, Fournet A, Doucet C, Lund XL, Shi ZD, Costa L, Thureau A, Allemand F, Swenson RE, Milhiet PE, Crehuet R, Barducci A, Cortés J, Sinnaeve D, Sibille N, Bernadó P. The structure of pathogenic huntingtin exon 1 defines the bases of its aggregation propensity. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:309-320. [PMID: 36864173 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-00920-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG expansion in the first exon of the HTT gene, resulting in an extended polyglutamine (poly-Q) tract in huntingtin (httex1). The structural changes occurring to the poly-Q when increasing its length remain poorly understood due to its intrinsic flexibility and the strong compositional bias. The systematic application of site-specific isotopic labeling has enabled residue-specific NMR investigations of the poly-Q tract of pathogenic httex1 variants with 46 and 66 consecutive glutamines. Integrative data analysis reveals that the poly-Q tract adopts long α-helical conformations propagated and stabilized by glutamine side chain to backbone hydrogen bonds. We show that α-helical stability is a stronger signature in defining aggregation kinetics and the structure of the resulting fibrils than the number of glutamines. Our observations provide a structural perspective of the pathogenicity of expanded httex1 and pave the way to a deeper understanding of poly-Q-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Elena-Real
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Amin Sagar
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Annika Urbanek
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Matija Popovic
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Anna Morató
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Alejandro Estaña
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- LAAS-CNRS, University of Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Aurélie Fournet
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Christine Doucet
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Xamuel L Lund
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- Institute of Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France
| | - Zhen-Dan Shi
- The Chemistry and Synthesis Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Luca Costa
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Frédéric Allemand
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Rolf E Swenson
- The Chemistry and Synthesis Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | - Ramon Crehuet
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alessandro Barducci
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Juan Cortés
- LAAS-CNRS, University of Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Davy Sinnaeve
- Univ. Lille, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS, EMR9002, Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Nathalie Sibille
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Pau Bernadó
- Centre for Structural Biology, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
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7
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Li X, Liu Q, Xie X, Peng C, Pang Q, Liu B, Han B. Application of Novel Degraders Employing Autophagy for Expediting Medicinal Research. J Med Chem 2023; 66:1700-1711. [PMID: 36716420 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) technology is based on a unique pharmacological mechanism that has profoundly revolutionized medicinal research by overcoming limitations associated with traditional small-molecule drugs. Autophagy, a mechanism for intracellular waste disposal and recovery, is an important biological process in medicinal research. Recently, studies have demonstrated that several emerging autophagic degraders can treat human diseases. Herein we summarize the progress in medicinal research on autophagic degraders, including autophagosome-tethering compounds (ATTEC), autophagy-targeting chimeras (AUTAC), and AUTOphagy-TArgeting chimeras (AUTOTAC), for treating human diseases. These autophagic degraders exhibit excellent potential for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Our research on autophagic degraders provides a new avenue for medicinal research on TPD via autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy and College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Qian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy and College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Xin Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy and College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy and College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Qiwen Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy and College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Bo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Bo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy and College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
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8
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Ding Y, Xing D, Fei Y, Lu B. Emerging degrader technologies engaging lysosomal pathways. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:8832-8876. [PMID: 36218065 PMCID: PMC9620493 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00624c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) provides unprecedented opportunities for drug discovery. While the proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology has already entered clinical trials and changed the landscape of small-molecule drugs, new degrader technologies harnessing alternative degradation machineries, especially lysosomal pathways, have emerged and broadened the spectrum of degradable targets. We have recently proposed the concept of autophagy-tethering compounds (ATTECs) that hijack the autophagy protein microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) for targeted degradation. Other groups also reported degrader technologies engaging lysosomal pathways through different mechanisms including AUTACs, AUTOTACs, LYTACs and MoDE-As. In this review, we analyse and discuss ATTECs along with other lysosomal-relevant degrader technologies. Finally, we will briefly summarize the current status of these degrader technologies and envision possible future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Ding
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Dong Xing
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yiyan Fei
- Department of Optical Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Ultra-Precision Optical Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Photonic Structures (Ministry of Education), Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Boxun Lu
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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9
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The Emerging Roles of Autophagy in Human Diseases. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9111651. [PMID: 34829881 PMCID: PMC8615641 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9111651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy, a process of cellular self-digestion, delivers intracellular components including superfluous and dysfunctional proteins and organelles to the lysosome for degradation and recycling and is important to maintain cellular homeostasis. In recent decades, autophagy has been found to help fight against a variety of human diseases, but, at the same time, autophagy can also promote the procession of certain pathologies, which makes the connection between autophagy and diseases complex but interesting. In this review, we summarize the advances in understanding the roles of autophagy in human diseases and the therapeutic methods targeting autophagy and discuss some of the remaining questions in this field, focusing on cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases and metabolic disorders.
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10
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Lu S, Lu B. Degeneration Versus Development: Hunting-Out the D-Unit of Huntington's Disease. Neurosci Bull 2021; 37:757-760. [PMID: 33721179 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00649-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shengyi Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Boxun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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11
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Roberts SL, Evans T, Yang Y, Fu Y, Button RW, Sipthorpe RJ, Cowan K, Valionyte E, Anichtchik O, Li H, Lu B, Luo S. Bim contributes to the progression of Huntington's disease-associated phenotypes. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 29:216-227. [PMID: 31813995 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin (HTT) protein. Mutant HTT (mHTT) toxicity is caused by its aggregation/oligomerization. The striatum is the most vulnerable region, although all brain regions undergo neuronal degeneration in the disease. Here we show that the levels of Bim, a BH3-only protein, are significantly increased in HD human post-mortem and HD mouse striata, correlating with neuronal death. Bim reduction ameliorates mHTT neurotoxicity in HD cells. In the HD mouse model, heterozygous Bim knockout significantly mitigates mHTT accumulation and neuronal death, ameliorating disease-associated phenotypes and lifespan. Therefore, Bim could contribute to the progression of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheridan L Roberts
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Tracey Evans
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Yi Yang
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Yuhua Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Robert W Button
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Rebecca J Sipthorpe
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Katrina Cowan
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Evelina Valionyte
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Oleg Anichtchik
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Huiliang Li
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Boxun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Shouqing Luo
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
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12
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Loss of Hap1 selectively promotes striatal degeneration in Huntington disease mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:20265-20273. [PMID: 32747555 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002283117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is an ideal model for investigating selective neurodegeneration, as expanded polyQ repeats in the ubiquitously expressed huntingtin (HTT) cause the preferential neurodegeneration in the striatum of the HD patient brains. Here we report that adeno-associated virus (AAV) transduction-mediated depletion of Hap1, the first identified huntingtin-associated protein, in adult HD knock-in (KI) mouse brains leads to selective neuronal loss in the striatum. Further, Hap1 depletion-mediated neuronal loss via AAV transduction requires the presence of mutant HTT. Rhes, a GTPase that is enriched in the striatum and sumoylates mutant HTT to mediate neurotoxicity, binds more N-terminal HTT when Hap1 is deficient. Consistently, more soluble and sumoylated N-terminal HTT is presented in HD KI mouse striatum when HAP1 is absent. Our findings suggest that both Rhes and Hap1 as well as cellular stress contribute to the preferential neurodegeneration in HD, highlighting the involvement of multiple factors in selective neurodegeneration.
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13
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Urbanek A, Popovic M, Morató A, Estaña A, Elena-Real CA, Mier P, Fournet A, Allemand F, Delbecq S, Andrade-Navarro MA, Cortés J, Sibille N, Bernadó P. Flanking Regions Determine the Structure of the Poly-Glutamine in Huntingtin through Mechanisms Common among Glutamine-Rich Human Proteins. Structure 2020; 28:733-746.e5. [PMID: 32402249 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The causative agent of Huntington's disease, the poly-Q homo-repeat in the N-terminal region of huntingtin (httex1), is flanked by a 17-residue-long fragment (N17) and a proline-rich region (PRR), which promote and inhibit the aggregation propensity of the protein, respectively, by poorly understood mechanisms. Based on experimental data obtained from site-specifically labeled NMR samples, we derived an ensemble model of httex1 that identified both flanking regions as opposing poly-Q secondary structure promoters. While N17 triggers helicity through a promiscuous hydrogen bond network involving the side chains of the first glutamines in the poly-Q tract, the PRR promotes extended conformations in neighboring glutamines. Furthermore, a bioinformatics analysis of the human proteome showed that these structural traits are present in many human glutamine-rich proteins and that they are more prevalent in proteins with longer poly-Q tracts. Taken together, these observations provide the structural bases to understand previous biophysical and functional data on httex1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Urbanek
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Matija Popovic
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Anna Morató
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Alejandro Estaña
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France; LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Carlos A Elena-Real
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Pablo Mier
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Aurélie Fournet
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric Allemand
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Stephane Delbecq
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire (LBCM-EA4558 Vaccination Antiparasitaire), UFR Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Miguel A Andrade-Navarro
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Juan Cortés
- LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Nathalie Sibille
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Pau Bernadó
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France.
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14
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Zhao Q, Li C, Yu M, Sun Y, Wang J, Ma L, Sun X, Lu B. HuR stabilizes HTT mRNA via interacting with its exon 11 in a mutant HTT-dependent manner. RNA Biol 2020; 17:500-516. [PMID: 31928144 PMCID: PMC7237150 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1712894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a monogenetic neurodegenerative disorder mainly caused by the cytotoxicity of the mutant HTT protein (mHTT) encoded by the mutant HTT gene. Lowering HTT mRNA has been extensively studied as a potential therapeutic strategy, but how its level is regulated endogenously has been unclear. Here we report that the RNA-binding protein (RBP) HuR interacts with and stabilizes HTT mRNA in an mHTT-dependent manner. In HD cells but not wild-type cells, siRNA knockdown or CRISPR-induced heterozygous knockout of HuR decreased HTT mRNA stability. HuR interacted with HTT mRNA at a conserved site in exon 11 rather than the 3ʹ-UTR region of the mRNA. Interestingly, this interaction was dependent on the presence of mHTT, likely via the activation of MAPK11, which enhanced cytosolic localization of the HuR protein. Thus, mHTT, MAPK11 and HuR may form a positive feedback loop that stabilizes HTT mRNA and enhances mHTT accumulation, which may contribute to HD progression. Our data reveal a novel regulatory mechanism of HTT mRNA via non-canonical binding of HuR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Zhao
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Li
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Meng Yu
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yimin Sun
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lixiang Ma
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Basic Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoli Sun
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Xuhui District Central Hospital, Zhongshan Xuhui Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Boxun Lu
- Neurology Department at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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15
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Cai Q, Jeong YY. Mitophagy in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases. Cells 2020; 9:cells9010150. [PMID: 31936292 PMCID: PMC7017092 DOI: 10.3390/cells9010150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a central aspect of aging and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington's disease. Mitochondria are the main cellular energy powerhouses, supplying most of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation, which is required to fuel essential neuronal functions. Efficient removal of aged and dysfunctional mitochondria through mitophagy, a cargo-selective autophagy, is crucial for mitochondrial maintenance and neuronal health. Mechanistic studies into mitophagy have highlighted an integrated and elaborate cellular network that can regulate mitochondrial turnover. In this review, we provide an updated overview of the recent discoveries and advancements on the mitophagy pathways and discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying mitophagy defects in Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the therapeutic potential of mitophagy-enhancing strategies to combat these disorders.
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16
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Targeting N-Terminal Huntingtin with a Dual-sgRNA Strategy by CRISPR/Cas9. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 2019:1039623. [PMID: 31828084 PMCID: PMC6881766 DOI: 10.1155/2019/1039623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disorder, caused by a CAG/polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat expansion in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. The polyQ tract is located in and transcribed from N-terminal HTT of exon 1. HTT is a large multifaceted protein, which participates in a range of cellular functions. Previous studies have shown that truncated HTT, which lacks N-terminus, retains specific functions that can produce neuroprotective benefits. It gives an insight that it is possible to repair HD by removing deleterious N-terminal HTT with CRISPR/Cas9, without compromising functions of remaining HTT peptides. To successfully generate functional truncated HTT proteins, an alternative downstream ATG start codon that is capable of initiating truncated HTT expression is required. In this study, we searched all possible in-frame ATGs before exon 7 and demonstrated that one of them can indeed initiate the downstream GFP expression in plasmids. We then tried to remove endogenous N-terminal HTT with an optimized dual-sgRNA strategy by CRISPR/Cas9; however, we cannot detect obvious traits of truncated HTT expression. Our results suggest that noncanonical ATGs of N-terminal HTT may not be effective in the genomic context, as in the construct context. Nevertheless, our study examined the therapeutic efficacy of downstream noncanonical ATGs for protein translation and also provided an optimized dual-sgRNA strategy for further genome manipulation of the HTT gene.
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17
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Urbanek A, Elena-Real CA, Popovic M, Morató A, Fournet A, Allemand F, Delbecq S, Sibille N, Bernadó P. Site-Specific Isotopic Labeling (SSIL): Access to High-Resolution Structural and Dynamic Information in Low-Complexity Proteins. Chembiochem 2019; 21:769-775. [PMID: 31697025 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201900583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Remarkable technical progress in the area of structural biology has paved the way to study previously inaccessible targets. For example, large protein complexes can now be easily investigated by cryo-electron microscopy, and modern high-field NMR magnets have challenged the limits of high-resolution characterization of proteins in solution. However, the structural and dynamic characteristics of certain proteins with important functions still cannot be probed by conventional methods. These proteins in question contain low-complexity regions (LCRs), compositionally biased sequences where only a limited number of amino acids is repeated multiple times, which hamper their characterization. This Concept article describes a site-specific isotopic labeling (SSIL) strategy, which combines nonsense suppression and cell-free protein synthesis to overcome these limitations. An overview on how poly-glutamine tracts were made amenable to high-resolution structural studies is used to illustrate the usefulness of SSIL. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of this methodology to give further insights into the roles of LCRs in human pathologies and liquid-liquid phase separation, as well as the challenges that must be addressed in the future for the popularization of SSIL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Urbanek
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Carlos A Elena-Real
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Matija Popovic
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Anna Morató
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Aurélie Fournet
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric Allemand
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Stephane Delbecq
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, (LBCM-EA4558 Vaccination Antiparasitaire), UFR Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier, 15, Av. Charles Flahault, BP 14491, 34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Sibille
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Pau Bernadó
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 29, rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
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18
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Valionyte E, Yang Y, Roberts SL, Kelly J, Lu B, Luo S. Lowering Mutant Huntingtin Levels and Toxicity: Autophagy-Endolysosome Pathways in Huntington's Disease. J Mol Biol 2019; 432:2673-2691. [PMID: 31786267 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a monogenetic neurodegenerative disease, which serves as a model of neurodegeneration with protein aggregation. Autophagy has been suggested to possess a great value to tackle protein aggregation toxicity and neurodegenerative diseases. Current studies suggest that autophagy-endolysosomal pathways are critical for HD pathology. Here we review recent advancement in the studies of autophagy and selective autophagy relating HD. Restoration of autophagy flux and enhancement of selective removal of mutant huntingtin/disease-causing protein would be effective approaches towards tackling HD as well as other similar neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelina Valionyte
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Research Way, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Yi Yang
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Research Way, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Sheridan L Roberts
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Research Way, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Jack Kelly
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Research Way, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Boxun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Shouqing Luo
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Research Way, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK.
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19
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Allele-selective lowering of mutant HTT protein by HTT–LC3 linker compounds. Nature 2019; 575:203-209. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1722-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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20
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Nostramo R, Xing S, Zhang B, Herman PK. Insights into the Role of P-Bodies and Stress Granules in Protein Quality Control. Genetics 2019; 213:251-265. [PMID: 31285256 PMCID: PMC6727810 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The eukaryotic cell is highly compartmentalized, and contains a variety of both membrane-bound and membraneless organelles. The latter include the cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules, known as the processing body (P-body) and the stress granule. These RNP structures are thought to be involved in the storage of particular mRNAs during periods of stress. Here, we find that a mutant lacking both P-bodies and stress granules exhibits phenotypes suggesting that these structures also have a role in the maintenance of protein homeostasis. In particular, there was an increased occurrence of specific protein quality control (PQC) compartments in this mutant, an observation that is consistent with there being an elevated level of protein misfolding. These compartments normally house soluble misfolded proteins and allow the cell to sequester these polypeptides away from the remaining cellular milieu. Moreover, specific proteins that are normally targeted to both P-bodies and stress granules were found to instead associate with these PQC compartments in this granuleless mutant. This observation is interesting as our data indicate that this association occurs specifically in cells that have been subjected to an elevated level of proteotoxic stress. Altogether, the results here are consistent with P-bodies and stress granules having a role in normal protein homeostasis in eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Nostramo
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | - Siyuan Xing
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | - Paul K Herman
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
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21
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Chen ZS, Wong AKY, Cheng TC, Koon AC, Chan HYE. FipoQ/FBXO33, a Cullin-1-based ubiquitin ligase complex component modulates ubiquitination and solubility of polyglutamine disease protein. J Neurochem 2019; 149:781-798. [PMID: 30685895 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases describe a group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders caused by the CAG triplet repeat expansion in the coding region of the disease genes. To date, nine such diseases, including spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), have been reported. The formation of SDS-insoluble protein aggregates in neurons causes cellular dysfunctions, such as impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and contributes to polyQ pathologies. Recently, the E3 ubiquitin ligases, which govern substrate specificity of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, have been implicated in polyQ pathogenesis. The Cullin (Cul) proteins are major components of Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) complexes that are evolutionarily conserved in the Drosophila genome. In this study, we examined the effect of individual Culs on SCA3 pathogenesis and found that the knockdown of Cul1 expression enhances SCA3-induced neurodegeneration and reduces the solubility of expanded SCA3-polyQ proteins. The F-box proteins are substrate receptors of Cul1-based CRL. We further performed a genetic modifier screen of the 19 Drosophila F-box genes and identified F-box involved in polyQ pathogenesis (FipoQ) as a genetic modifier of SCA3 degeneration that modulates the ubiquitination and solubility of expanded SCA3-polyQ proteins. In the human SK-N-MC cell model, we identified that F-box only protein 33 (FBXO33) exerts similar functions as FipoQ in modulating the ubiquitination and solubility of expanded SCA3-polyQ proteins. Taken together, our study demonstrates that Cul1-based CRL and its associated F-box protein, FipoQ/FBXO33, modify SCA3 protein toxicity. These findings will lead to a better understanding of the disease mechanism of SCA3 and provide insights for developing treatments against SCA3. Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14510.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhefan Stephen Chen
- Laboratory of Drosophila Research, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.,Biochemistry Programme, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Azaria Kam Yan Wong
- Laboratory of Drosophila Research, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.,Molecular Biotechnology Programme, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tat Cheung Cheng
- Laboratory of Drosophila Research, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.,Biochemistry Programme, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Alex Chun Koon
- Laboratory of Drosophila Research, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ho Yin Edwin Chan
- Laboratory of Drosophila Research, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.,Molecular Biotechnology Programme, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.,Biochemistry Programme, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.,Gerald Choa Neuroscience Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
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22
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Cowan K, Anichtchik O, Luo S. Mitochondrial integrity in neurodegeneration. CNS Neurosci Ther 2019; 25:825-836. [PMID: 30746905 PMCID: PMC6566061 DOI: 10.1111/cns.13105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitochondrion is a unique organelle with a diverse range of functions. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key pathological process in several neurodegenerative diseases. Mitochondria are mostly important for energy production; however, they also have roles in Ca2+ homeostasis, ROS production, and apoptosis. There are two major systems in place, which regulate mitochondrial integrity, mitochondrial dynamics, and mitophagy. These two processes remove damaged mitochondria from cells and protect the functional mitochondrial population. These quality control systems often become dysfunctional during neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, causing mitochondrial dysfunction and severe neurological symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Cowan
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Oleg Anichtchik
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Shouqing Luo
- Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
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23
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Wang T, Zhang L, Wang J, Feng Y, Xu E, Mao X, Liu L. Evaluation of the photo-degradation of Alzheimer's amyloid fibrils with a label-free approach. Chem Commun (Camb) 2018; 54:13084-13087. [PMID: 30394470 PMCID: PMC6404227 DOI: 10.1039/c8cc07164k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Degradation of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates has been considered as an attractive therapeutic and preventive strategy against Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, an in situ, real-time, and label-free technique is still lacking to understand the degradation process of Aβ aggregates. In this work, we developed a novel method to quantitatively evaluate the degradation of Aβ fibrils by photoactive meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin under UV irradiation with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianke Wang
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, China.
| | - Liwei Zhang
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, China.
| | - Jie Wang
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, China.
| | - Yonghai Feng
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, China.
| | - Enquan Xu
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore,
| | - Xiaobo Mao
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore,
| | - Lei Liu
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, China.
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