1
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Zajkowski T, Lee MD, Sharma S, Vallota-Eastman A, Kuska M, Malczewska M, Rothschild LJ. Conserved functions of prion candidates suggest a primeval role of protein self-templating. Proteins 2023; 91:1298-1315. [PMID: 37519023 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid-based prions have simple structures, a wide phylogenetic distribution, and a plethora of functions in contemporary organisms, suggesting they may be an ancient phenomenon. However, this hypothesis has yet to be addressed with a systematic, computational, and experimental approach. Here we present a framework to help guide future experimental verification of candidate prions with conserved functions to understand their role in the early stages of evolution and potentially in the origins of life. We identified candidate prions in all high-quality proteomes available in UniProt computationally, assessed their phylogenomic distributions, and analyzed candidate-prion functional annotations. Of the 27 980 560 proteins scanned, 228 561 were identified as candidate prions (~0.82%). Among these candidates, there were 84 Gene Ontology (GO) terms conserved across the three domains of life. We found that candidate prions with a possible role in adaptation were particularly well-represented within this group. We discuss unifying features of candidate prions to elucidate the primeval roles of prions and their associated functions. Candidate prions annotated as transcription factors, DNA binding, and kinases are particularly well suited to generating diverse responses to changes in their environment and could allow for adaptation and population expansion into more diverse environments. We hypothesized that a relationship between these functions and candidate prions could be evolutionarily ancient, even if individual prion domains themselves are not evolutionarily conserved. Candidate prions annotated with these universally occurring functions potentially represent the oldest extant prions on Earth and are therefore excellent experimental targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Zajkowski
- Universities Space Research Association at NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michael D Lee
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- KBR, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
| | - Siddhant Sharma
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alec Vallota-Eastman
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Mikołaj Kuska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Malczewska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lynn J Rothschild
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
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2
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Tehrani SSH, Kogan A, Mikulski P, Jansen LET. Remembering foods and foes: emerging principles of transcriptional memory. Cell Death Differ 2023:10.1038/s41418-023-01200-6. [PMID: 37563261 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-023-01200-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional memory is characterized by a primed cellular state, induced by an external stimulus that results in an altered expression of primed genes upon re-exposure to the inducing signal. Intriguingly, the primed state is heritably maintained across somatic cell divisions even after the initial stimulus and target gene transcription cease. This phenomenon is widely observed across various organisms and appears to enable cells to retain a memory of external signals, thereby adapting to environmental changes. Signals range from nutrient supplies (food) to a variety of stress signals, including exposure to pathogens (foes), leading to long-term memory such as in the case of trained immunity in plants and mammals. Here, we review these priming phenomena and our current understanding of transcriptional memory. We consider different mechanistic models for how memory can work and discuss existing evidence for potential carriers of memory. Key molecular signatures include: the poising of RNA polymerase II machinery, maintenance of histone marks, as well as alterations in nuclear positioning and long-range chromatin interactions. Finally, we discuss the potential adaptive roles of transcriptional memory in the organismal response to its environment from nutrient sensing to trained immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar S H Tehrani
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK
| | - Anna Kogan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK
| | - Pawel Mikulski
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK.
| | - Lars E T Jansen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK.
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3
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Zhouravleva GA, Bondarev SA, Trubitsina NP. How Big Is the Yeast Prion Universe? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11651. [PMID: 37511408 PMCID: PMC10380529 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of yeast prions and prion-like proteins described since 1994 has grown from two to nearly twenty. If in the early years most scientists working with the classic mammalian prion, PrPSc, were skeptical about the possibility of using the term prion to refer to yeast cytoplasmic elements with unusual properties, it is now clear that prion-like phenomena are widespread and that yeast can serve as a convenient model for studying them. Here we give a brief overview of the yeast prions discovered so far and focus our attention to the various approaches used to identify them. The prospects for the discovery of new yeast prions are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina A Zhouravleva
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Stanislav A Bondarev
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Nina P Trubitsina
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
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4
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Kelly C, Ahmed Y, Elghawy O, Pachon NF, Fontanese MS, Kim S, Kitterman E, Marley A, Terrenzio D, Wike R, Zeibekis T, Cameron DM. The human ribosome-associated complex suppresses prion formation in yeast. Proteins 2023; 91:715-723. [PMID: 36604744 PMCID: PMC10159891 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Many human diseases are associated with the misfolding of amyloidogenic proteins. Understanding the mechanisms cells employ to ensure the integrity of the proteome is therefore a crucial step in the development of potential therapeutic interventions. Yeast cells possess numerous prion-forming proteins capable of adopting amyloid conformations, possibly as an epigenetic mechanism to cope with changing environmental conditions. The ribosome-associated complex (RAC), which docks near the ribosomal polypeptide exit tunnel and recruits the Hsp70 Ssb to chaperone nascent chains, can moderate the acquisition of these amyloid conformations in yeast. Here we examine the ability of the human RAC chaperone proteins Mpp11 and Hsp70L1 to function in place of their yeast RAC orthologues Zuo1 and Ssz1 in yeast lacking endogenous RAC and investigate the extent to which the human orthologues can perform RAC chaperone activities in yeast. We found that the Mpp11/Hsp70L1 complex can partially correct the growth defect seen in RAC-deficient yeast cells, although yeast/human hetero species complexes were variable in this ability. The proportion of cells in which the Sup35 protein undergoes spontaneous conversion to a [PSI+ ] prion conformation, which is increased in the absence of RAC, was reduced by the presence of the human RAC complex. However, the toxicity in yeast from expression of a pathogenically expanded polyQ protein was unable to be countered by the human RAC chaperones. This yeast system can serve as a facile model for studying the extent to which the human RAC chaperones contribute to combating cotranslational misfolding of other mammalian disease-associated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Kelly
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Yusef Ahmed
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
- Present address: Department of Chemistry, University of California – Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Omar Elghawy
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
- Present address: University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA
| | | | - Matthew S. Fontanese
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
- Present address: Department of clinical psychology; University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, 75799, USA
| | - Seongchan Kim
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Erica Kitterman
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
- Present address: Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA
| | - Amanda Marley
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Danielle Terrenzio
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
- Present address: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19131, USA
| | - Richard Wike
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
- Present address: Physiology Department, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | | | - Dale M. Cameron
- Biology Department, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
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5
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Tanabe K, Maeda N, Okumura H, Shima J. Emergence of [GAR + ] cells in yeast from sake brewing affects the fermentation properties. Yeast 2023; 40:134-142. [PMID: 36755487 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In the traditional (kimoto) method of sake (Japanese rice wine) brewing, Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells are exposed to lactate, which is produced by lactic acid bacteria in the seed mash. Lactate promotes the appearance of glucose-repression-resistant [GAR+ ] cells. Herein, we compared the resistance to glucose repression among kimoto, industrial, and laboratory yeast strains. We observed that the frequencies of the spontaneous emergence of [GAR+ ] cells among the kimoto strains were higher than those among the industrial and laboratory strains. The fermentation ability of a kimoto yeast (strain U44) was lower than that of an industrial strain (K701), as [GAR+ ] cells generally showed slower ethanol production. The addition of lactate decreased the fermentation abilities of the K701 strain by increasing the number of [GAR+ ] cells, but it did not affect those of the U44 strain. These results suggest that lactate controlled fermentation by promoting the appearance of [GAR+ ] cells in the industrial sake strains but not in the kimoto strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Tanabe
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.,Research Center for Fermentation and Brewing, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Natsumi Maeda
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Honoka Okumura
- Department of Plant Life Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Jun Shima
- Research Center for Fermentation and Brewing, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.,Department of Plant Life Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
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6
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Staszewski J, Lazarewicz N, Konczak J, Migdal I, Maciaszczyk-Dziubinska E. UPF1-From mRNA Degradation to Human Disorders. Cells 2023; 12:cells12030419. [PMID: 36766761 PMCID: PMC9914065 DOI: 10.3390/cells12030419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Up-frameshift protein 1 (UPF1) plays the role of a vital controller for transcripts, ready to react in the event of an incorrect translation mechanism. It is well known as one of the key elements involved in mRNA decay pathways and participates in transcript and protein quality control in several different aspects. Firstly, UPF1 specifically degrades premature termination codon (PTC)-containing products in a nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD)-coupled manner. Additionally, UPF1 can potentially act as an E3 ligase and degrade target proteins independently from mRNA decay pathways. Thus, UPF1 protects cells against the accumulation of misfolded polypeptides. However, this multitasking protein may still hide many of its functions and abilities. In this article, we summarize important discoveries in the context of UPF1, its involvement in various cellular pathways, as well as its structural importance and mutational changes related to the emergence of various pathologies and disease states. Even though the state of knowledge about this protein has significantly increased over the years, there are still many intriguing aspects that remain unresolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacek Staszewski
- Department of Genetics and Cell Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, 50-328 Wroclaw, Poland
- Correspondence: (J.S.); (E.M.-D.)
| | - Natalia Lazarewicz
- Department of Genetics and Cell Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, 50-328 Wroclaw, Poland
- Institute of Genetics and Development of Rennes, CNRS UMR 6290, University of Rennes 1, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Julia Konczak
- Department of Genetics and Cell Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, 50-328 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Iwona Migdal
- Department of Genetics and Cell Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, 50-328 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Ewa Maciaszczyk-Dziubinska
- Department of Genetics and Cell Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, 50-328 Wroclaw, Poland
- Correspondence: (J.S.); (E.M.-D.)
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7
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Memory of plants: present understanding. THE NUCLEUS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13237-022-00399-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
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8
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Kushnirov VV, Dergalev AA, Alieva MK, Alexandrov AI. Structural Bases of Prion Variation in Yeast. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23105738. [PMID: 35628548 PMCID: PMC9147965 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids are protein aggregates with a specific filamentous structure that are related to a number of human diseases, and also to some important physiological processes in animals and other kingdoms of life. Amyloids in yeast can stably propagate as heritable units, prions. Yeast prions are of interest both on their own and as a model for amyloids and prions in general. In this review, we consider the structure of yeast prions and its variation, how such structures determine the balance of aggregated and soluble prion protein through interaction with chaperones and how the aggregated state affects the non-prion functions of these proteins.
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9
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Lau Y, Oamen HP, Grogg M, Parfenova I, Saarikangas J, Hannay R, Nichols RA, Hilvert D, Barral Y, Caudron F. Whi3 mnemon association with endoplasmic reticulum membranes confines the memory of deceptive courtship to the yeast mother cell. Curr Biol 2022; 32:963-974.e7. [PMID: 35085498 PMCID: PMC8938615 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Prion-like proteins are involved in many aspects of cellular physiology, including cellular memory. In response to deceptive courtship, budding yeast escapes pheromone-induced cell-cycle arrest through the coalescence of the G1/S inhibitor Whi3 into a dominant, inactive super-assembly. Whi3 is a mnemon (Whi3mnem), a protein that conformational change maintains as a trait in the mother cell but is not inherited by the daughter cells. How the maintenance and asymmetric inheritance of Whi3mnem are achieved is unknown. Here, we report that Whi3mnem is closely associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes and is retained in the mother cell by the lateral diffusion barriers present at the bud neck. Strikingly, barrier defects made Whi3mnem propagate in a mitotically stable, prion-like manner. The amyloid-forming glutamine-rich domain of Whi3 was required for both mnemon and prion-like behaviors. Thus, we propose that Whi3mnem is in a self-templating state, lending temporal maintenance of memory, whereas its association with the compartmentalized membranes of the ER prevents infectious propagation to the daughter cells. These results suggest that confined self-templating super-assembly is a powerful mechanism for the long-term encoding of information in a spatially defined manner. Yeast courtship may provide insights on how individual synapses become potentiated in neuronal memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin Lau
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Henry Patrick Oamen
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Marcel Grogg
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Iuliia Parfenova
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Juha Saarikangas
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, Viikinkaari 5, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Viikinkaari 5, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Robin Hannay
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Richard Alan Nichols
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Donald Hilvert
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yves Barral
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice Caudron
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK; IGMM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France.
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10
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Loh D, Reiter RJ. Melatonin: Regulation of Prion Protein Phase Separation in Cancer Multidrug Resistance. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27030705. [PMID: 35163973 PMCID: PMC8839844 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27030705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The unique ability to adapt and thrive in inhospitable, stressful tumor microenvironments (TME) also renders cancer cells resistant to traditional chemotherapeutic treatments and/or novel pharmaceuticals. Cancer cells exhibit extensive metabolic alterations involving hypoxia, accelerated glycolysis, oxidative stress, and increased extracellular ATP that may activate ancient, conserved prion adaptive response strategies that exacerbate multidrug resistance (MDR) by exploiting cellular stress to increase cancer metastatic potential and stemness, balance proliferation and differentiation, and amplify resistance to apoptosis. The regulation of prions in MDR is further complicated by important, putative physiological functions of ligand-binding and signal transduction. Melatonin is capable of both enhancing physiological functions and inhibiting oncogenic properties of prion proteins. Through regulation of phase separation of the prion N-terminal domain which targets and interacts with lipid rafts, melatonin may prevent conformational changes that can result in aggregation and/or conversion to pathological, infectious isoforms. As a cancer therapy adjuvant, melatonin could modulate TME oxidative stress levels and hypoxia, reverse pH gradient changes, reduce lipid peroxidation, and protect lipid raft compositions to suppress prion-mediated, non-Mendelian, heritable, but often reversible epigenetic adaptations that facilitate cancer heterogeneity, stemness, metastasis, and drug resistance. This review examines some of the mechanisms that may balance physiological and pathological effects of prions and prion-like proteins achieved through the synergistic use of melatonin to ameliorate MDR, which remains a challenge in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Loh
- Independent Researcher, Marble Falls, TX 78654, USA
- Correspondence: (D.L.); (R.J.R.)
| | - Russel J. Reiter
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
- Correspondence: (D.L.); (R.J.R.)
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11
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van Oosten-Hawle P, Saarikangas J. Special issue on "Cell stress in development, aging and disease". Exp Cell Res 2021; 408:112839. [PMID: 34560102 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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12
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Gil‐Garcia M, Iglesias V, Pallarès I, Ventura S. Prion-like proteins: from computational approaches to proteome-wide analysis. FEBS Open Bio 2021; 11:2400-2417. [PMID: 34057308 PMCID: PMC8409284 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are self-perpetuating proteins able to switch between a soluble state and an aggregated-and-transmissible conformation. These proteinaceous entities have been widely studied in yeast, where they are involved in hereditable phenotypic adaptations. The notion that such proteins could play functional roles and be positively selected by evolution has triggered the development of computational tools to identify prion-like proteins in different kingdoms of life. These algorithms have succeeded in screening multiple proteomes, allowing the identification of prion-like proteins in a diversity of unrelated organisms, evidencing that the prion phenomenon is well conserved among species. Interestingly enough, prion-like proteins are not only connected with the formation of functional membraneless protein-nucleic acid coacervates, but are also linked to human diseases. This review addresses state-of-the-art computational approaches to identify prion-like proteins, describes proteome-wide analysis efforts, discusses these unique proteins' functional role, and illustrates recently validated examples in different domains of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Gil‐Garcia
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
| | - Valentín Iglesias
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
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13
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Do Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance and Immune System Development Share Common Epigenetic Processes? J Dev Biol 2021; 9:jdb9020020. [PMID: 34065783 PMCID: PMC8162332 DOI: 10.3390/jdb9020020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications regulate gene expression for development, immune response, disease, and other processes. A major role of epigenetics is to control the dynamics of chromatin structure, i.e., the condensed packaging of DNA around histone proteins in eukaryotic nuclei. Key epigenetic factors include enzymes for histone modifications and DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs, and prions. Epigenetic modifications are heritable but during embryonic development, most parental epigenetic marks are erased and reset. Interestingly, some epigenetic modifications, that may be resulting from immune response to stimuli, can escape remodeling and transmit to subsequent generations who are not exposed to those stimuli. This phenomenon is called transgenerational epigenetic inheritance if the epigenetic phenotype persists beyond the third generation in female germlines and second generation in male germlines. Although its primary function is likely immune response for survival, its role in the development and functioning of the immune system is not extensively explored, despite studies reporting transgenerational inheritance of stress-induced epigenetic modifications resulting in immune disorders. Hence, this review draws from studies on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, immune system development and function, high-throughput epigenetics tools to study those phenomena, and relevant clinical trials, to focus on their significance and deeper understanding for future research, therapeutic developments, and various applications.
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14
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Extracellular Vesicles-Encapsulated Yeast Prions and What They Can Tell Us about the Physical Nature of Propagons. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:ijms22010090. [PMID: 33374854 PMCID: PMC7794690 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae hosts an ensemble of protein-based heritable traits, most of which result from the conversion of structurally and functionally diverse cytoplasmic proteins into prion forms. Among these, [PSI+], [URE3] and [PIN+] are the most well-documented prions and arise from the assembly of Sup35p, Ure2p and Rnq1p, respectively, into insoluble fibrillar assemblies. Yeast prions propagate by molecular chaperone-mediated fragmentation of these aggregates, which generates small self-templating seeds, or propagons. The exact molecular nature of propagons and how they are faithfully transmitted from mother to daughter cells despite spatial protein quality control are not fully understood. In [PSI+] cells, Sup35p forms detergent-resistant assemblies detectable on agarose gels under semi-denaturant conditions and cytosolic fluorescent puncta when the protein is fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP); yet, these macroscopic manifestations of [PSI+] do not fully correlate with the infectivity measured during growth by the mean of protein infection assays. We also discovered that significant amounts of infectious Sup35p particles are exported via extracellular (EV) and periplasmic (PV) vesicles in a growth phase and glucose-dependent manner. In the present review, I discuss how these vesicles may be a source of actual propagons and a suitable vehicle for their transmission to the bud.
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