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Peña-Díaz S, García-Pardo J, Ventura S. Development of Small Molecules Targeting α-Synuclein Aggregation: A Promising Strategy to Treat Parkinson's Disease. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:839. [PMID: 36986700 PMCID: PMC10059018 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15030839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, is characterized by the accumulation of protein deposits in the dopaminergic neurons. These deposits are primarily composed of aggregated forms of α-Synuclein (α-Syn). Despite the extensive research on this disease, only symptomatic treatments are currently available. However, in recent years, several compounds, mainly of an aromatic character, targeting α-Syn self-assembly and amyloid formation have been identified. These compounds, discovered by different approaches, are chemically diverse and exhibit a plethora of mechanisms of action. This work aims to provide a historical overview of the physiopathology and molecular aspects associated with Parkinson's disease and the current trends in small compound development to target α-Syn aggregation. Although these molecules are still under development, they constitute an important step toward discovering effective anti-aggregational therapies for Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Peña-Díaz
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Javier García-Pardo
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
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microRNA signatures in prodromal REM sleep behavior disorder and early Parkinson's disease as noninvasive biomarkers. Sleep Med 2021; 78:160-168. [PMID: 33444973 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The flow of gene expression or "The central dogma of molecular biology": DNA - RNA - protein, proposed by Watson & Crick sixty years ago, is a tightly controlled cell process. In the middle of this journey, the mRNA molecule is regulated by "RNA interference" (RNAi), a posttranscriptional gene silencing mechanism. A microRNA is an endogenous short double-stranded RNA that down-regulates hundreds of mRNAs by RNAi, maintaining healthy cell physiology. In contrast, aberrant expressions of microRNAs play a role in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. The damage may start at an early period of brain degeneration, in the non-motor or "prodromal" stage, where autonomic, mood and sleep changes are often manifested. REM-sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is the prodromal manifestation with the highest odds for conversion into PD, thereby a valuable phenotype for disease prediction. The present review focuses on microRNAs' role in the pathogenesis of PD and RBD, summarizing the state-of-the-art of these RNA molecules as noninvasive biomarkers for non-motor prodromal (RBD) and early PD.
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Pujols J, Peña-Díaz S, Pallarès I, Ventura S. Chemical Chaperones as Novel Drugs for Parkinson's Disease. Trends Mol Med 2020; 26:408-421. [PMID: 32277934 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of deposits of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the brain. The pivotal role of α-syn aggregation in PD makes it an attractive target for potential disease-modifying therapies. However, the disordered nature of the protein, its multistep aggregation mechanism, and the lack of structural information on intermediate species complicate the discovery of modulators of α-syn amyloid deposition. Despite these difficulties, small molecules have been shown to block the misfolding and aggregation of α-syn, and can even disentangle mature α-syn amyloid fibrils. In this review we provide an updated overview of these leading small compounds and discuss how these chemical chaperones hold great promise to alter the course of PD progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Pujols
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Samuel Peña-Díaz
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
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Peña-Díaz S, Pujols J, Conde-Giménez M, Čarija A, Dalfo E, García J, Navarro S, Pinheiro F, Santos J, Salvatella X, Sancho J, Ventura S. ZPD-2, a Small Compound That Inhibits α-Synuclein Amyloid Aggregation and Its Seeded Polymerization. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:306. [PMID: 31920537 PMCID: PMC6928008 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
α-Synuclein (α-Syn) forms toxic intracellular protein inclusions and transmissible amyloid structures in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Preventing α-Syn self-assembly has become one of the most promising approaches in the search for disease-modifying treatments for this neurodegenerative disorder. Here, we describe the capacity of a small molecule (ZPD-2), identified after a high-throughput screening, to inhibit α-Syn aggregation. ZPD-2 inhibits the aggregation of wild-type α-Syn and the A30P and H50Q familial variants in vitro at substoichiometric compound:protein ratios. In addition, the molecule prevents the spreading of α-Syn seeds in protein misfolding cyclic amplification assays. ZPD-2 is active against different α-Syn strains and blocks their seeded polymerization. Treating with ZPD-2 two different PD Caenorhabditis elegans models that express α-Syn either in muscle or in dopaminergic (DA) neurons substantially reduces the number of α-Syn inclusions and decreases synuclein-induced DA neurons degeneration. Overall, ZPD-2 is a hit compound worth to be explored in order to develop lead molecules for therapeutic intervention in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Peña-Díaz
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Pujols
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Conde-Giménez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology, Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Anita Čarija
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esther Dalfo
- Faculty of Medicine, M2, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Spain
| | - Jesús García
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susanna Navarro
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francisca Pinheiro
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaime Santos
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Salvatella
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Catalan Institute for Research and Advance Studies, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Sancho
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology, Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Catalan Institute for Research and Advance Studies, Barcelona, Spain
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A30P mutant α-synuclein impairs autophagic flux by inactivating JNK signaling to enhance ZKSCAN3 activity in midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Cell Death Dis 2019; 10:133. [PMID: 30755581 PMCID: PMC6372582 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-019-1364-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in α-synuclein gene have been linked to familial early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD) with Lewy body pathology. A30P mutant α-synuclein is believed to suppress autophagic progression associated with PD pathogenesis. However, the mechanistic link between A30P mutation and autophagy inhibition in PD remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified that A30P mutant α-synuclein resulted in reduced autophagy flux through promoting the decrease of autophagosomal membrane-associated protein LC3 and the increase of SQSTM1/p62 protein levels in midbrain dopaminergic neuron, due to the transcriptional repressor ZKSCAN3 trafficking from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Moreover, the results demonstrated that A30P mutant α-synuclein not only decreased the phospho-c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (p-JNK) levels in midbrain dopaminergic neuron but also interfered autophagy without influencing the activities of AMPK and mTOR. Collectively, the present study reveals a novel autophagy inhibition mechanism induced by A30P mutant α-synuclein via transcriptional activation of the ZKSCAN3 in a JNK-dependent manner.
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