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de Ávila C, Suazo C, Nolz J, Nicholas Cochran J, Wang Q, Velazquez R, Dammer E, Readhead B, Mastroeni D. Reduced PIN1 expression in neocortical and limbic brain regions in female Alzheimer's patients correlates with cognitive and neuropathological phenotypes. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 141:160-170. [PMID: 38964013 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.06.007] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Women have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), even after adjusting for increased longevity. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify genes that underpin sex-associated risk of AD. PIN1 is a key regulator of the tau phosphorylation signaling pathway; however, potential differences in PIN1 expression, in males and females, are still unknown. We analyzed brain transcriptomic datasets focusing on sex differences in PIN1 mRNA levels in an aging and AD cohort, which revealed reduced PIN1 levels primarily within females. We validated this observation in an independent dataset (ROS/MAP), which also revealed that PIN1 is negatively correlated with multiregional neurofibrillary tangle density and global cognitive function in females only. Additional analysis revealed a decrease in PIN1 in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with aged individuals, again driven predominantly by female subjects. Histochemical analysis of PIN1 in AD and control male and female neocortex revealed an overall decrease in axonal PIN1 protein levels in females. These findings emphasize the importance of considering sex differences in AD research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila de Ávila
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Crystal Suazo
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jennifer Nolz
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - J Nicholas Cochran
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, 601 Genome Way, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Qi Wang
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ramon Velazquez
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Eric Dammer
- Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benjamin Readhead
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Diego Mastroeni
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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2
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Alhadidy MM, Kanaan NM. Biochemical approaches to assess the impact of post-translational modifications on pathogenic tau conformations using recombinant protein. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:301-318. [PMID: 38348781 PMCID: PMC10903483 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230596] [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: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Tau protein is associated with many neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies. Aggregates of tau are thought of as a main contributor to neurodegeneration in these diseases. Increasingly, evidence points to earlier, soluble conformations of abnormally modified monomers and multimeric tau as toxic forms of tau. The biological processes driving tau from physiological species to pathogenic conformations remain poorly understood, but certain avenues are currently under investigation including the functional consequences of various pathological tau changes (e.g. mutations, post-translational modifications (PTMs), and protein-protein interactions). PTMs can regulate several aspects of tau biology such as proteasomal and autophagic clearance, solubility, and aggregation. Moreover, PTMs can contribute to the transition of tau from normal to pathogenic conformations. However, our understating of how PTMs specifically regulate the transition of tau into pathogenic conformations is partly impeded by the relative lack of structured frameworks to assess and quantify these conformations. In this review, we describe a set of approaches that includes several in vitro assays to determine the contribution of PTMs to tau's transition into known pathogenic conformations. The approaches begin with different methods to create recombinant tau proteins carrying specific PTMs followed by validation of the PTMs status. Then, we describe a set of biochemical and biophysical assays that assess the contribution of a given PTM to different tau conformations, including aggregation, oligomerization, exposure of the phosphatase-activating domain, and seeding. Together, these approaches can facilitate the advancement of our understanding of the relationships between PTMs and tau conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M. Alhadidy
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, U.S.A
| | - Nicholas M. Kanaan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, U.S.A
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3
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de Ávila C, Suazo C, Nolz J, Cochran JN, Wang Q, Velazquez R, Dammer E, Readhead B, Mastroeni D. Reduced PIN1 gene expression in neocortical and limbic brain regions in female Alzheimer's patients correlates with cognitive and neuropathological phenotypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.14.553279. [PMID: 37645898 PMCID: PMC10462057 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.14.553279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Women have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), even after adjusting for increased longevity. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify the molecular networks that underpin the sex-associated risk of AD. Recent efforts have identified PIN1 as a key regulator of tau phosphorylation signaling pathway. Pin1 is the only gene, to date, that when deleted can cause both tau and Aβ-related pathologies in an age-dependent manner. We analyzed multiple brain transcriptomic datasets focusing on sex differences in PIN1 mRNA levels, in an aging and AD cohort, which revealed reduced PIN1 levels driven by females. Then, we validated this observation in an independent dataset (ROS/MAP) which also revealed that PIN1 is negatively correlated with multiregional neurofibrillary tangle density and global cognitive function, in females only. Additional analysis revealed a decrease in PIN1 in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with aged individuals, again, driven predominantly by female subjects. Our results show that while both male and female AD patients show decreased PIN1 expression, changes occur before the onset of clinical symptoms of AD in females and correlate to early events associated with AD risk (e.g., synaptic dysfunction). These changes are specific to neurons, and may be a potential prognostic marker to assess AD risk in the aging population and even more so in AD females with increased risk of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila de Ávila
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Crystal Suazo
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Nolz
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - J. Nicholas Cochran
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, 601 Genome Way, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA
| | - Qi Wang
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Ramon Velazquez
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Eric Dammer
- Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benjamin Readhead
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Diego Mastroeni
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
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4
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Yao J, He Z, You G, Liu Q, Li N. The Deficits of Insulin Signal in Alzheimer's Disease and the Mechanisms of Vanadium Compounds in Curing AD. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:6365-6382. [PMID: 37623221 PMCID: PMC10453015 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45080402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Vanadium is a well-known essential trace element, which usually exists in oxidation states in the form of a vanadate cation intracellularly. The pharmacological study of vanadium began with the discovery of its unexpected inhibitory effect on ATPase. Thereafter, its protective effects on β cells and its ability in glucose metabolism regulation were observed from the vanadium compound, leading to the application of vanadium compounds in clinical trials for curing diabetes. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia disease in elderly people. However, there are still no efficient agents for treating AD safely to date. This is mainly because of the complexity of the pathology, which is characterized by senile plaques composed of the amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein in the parenchyma of the brain and the neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are derived from the hyperphosphorylated tau protein in the neurocyte, along with mitochondrial damage, and eventually the central nervous system (CNS) atrophy. AD was also illustrated as type-3 diabetes because of the observations of insulin deficiency and the high level of glucose in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as well as the impaired insulin signaling in the brain. In this review, we summarize the advances in applicating the vanadium compound to AD treatment in experimental research and point out the limitations of the current study using vanadium compounds in AD treatment. We hope this will help future studies in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyi Yao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (J.Y.)
| | - Zhijun He
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (J.Y.)
| | - Guanying You
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (J.Y.)
| | - Qiong Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (J.Y.)
| | - Nan Li
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (J.Y.)
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
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5
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The Strategies for Treating "Alzheimer's Disease": Insulin Signaling May Be a Feasible Target. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:6172-6188. [PMID: 36547082 PMCID: PMC9777526 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44120421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by senile plaques formed by amyloid-beta (Aβ) extracellularly and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) formed by hyperphosphorylated tau protein intracellularly. Apart from these two features, insulin deficiency and insulin resistance have also been observed in AD brains. Thus, AD has also been referred to as type 3 diabetes by some of the scientists in this field. Insulin plays a pivotal role in learning and memory and is involved in regulating tau phosphorylation though the PI3KAkt-GSK3b signaling pathway. Interestingly, recent studies revealed that in AD brains the microglia transformed into a disease-associated microglia (DAM) status in a TREM2-dependent manner to restrain the toxicity of Aβ and propagation of tau. This also correlated with PI3K-Akt signaling through the adaptor of TREM2. Whether insulin has any effect on microglia activation in AD pathology is unclear so far. However, many studies demonstrated that diabetes increased the risk of AD. In this review, we summarize the main strategies for curing AD, including lowering the level of Aβ, suppressing the phosphorylation of tau, the ablation and/or repopulation of microglia, and especially the supply of insulin. We also propose that attention should be given to the influences of insulin on microglia in AD.
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6
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Banerjee S, Ghosh A. Structurally Distinct Polymorphs of Tau Aggregates Revealed by Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:11035-11041. [PMID: 34747175 PMCID: PMC8967399 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Aggregation of the tau protein plays a central role in several neurodegenerative diseases collectively known as tauopathies, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Tau misfolds into fibrillar β sheet structures that constitute the paired helical filaments found in neurofibrillary tangles. It is known that there can be significant structural heterogeneities in tau aggregates associated with different diseases. However, while structures of mature fibrils have been studied, the structural distributions in early-stage tau aggregates is not well-understood. In the present study, we use atomic force microscopy-IR to investigate nanoscale spectra of individual tau fibrils at different stages of aggregation and demonstrate the presence of multiple fibrillar polymorphs that exhibit different secondary structures. We further show that mature fibrils contain significant amounts of antiparallel β sheets. Our results are the very first application of nanoscale infrared spectroscopy to tau aggregates and underscore the promise of spatially resolved infrared spectroscopy for investigating protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ayanjeet Ghosh
- Corresponding Author Ayanjeet Ghosh - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, 1007E Shelby Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, USA.
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7
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Dong X, Qi R, Qiao Q, Li X, Li F, Wan J, Zhang Q, Wei G. Heparin remodels the microtubule-binding repeat R3 of Tau protein towards fibril-prone conformations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:20406-20418. [PMID: 34494046 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02651h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal aggregation of proteins into pathological amyloid fibrils is implicated in a wide range of devastating human neurodegenerative diseases. Intracellular fibrillary inclusions formed by Tau protein are characterized as the hallmark of tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Heparin has been often used to trigger Tau aggregation in in vitro studies. However, the conformational changes induced by heparin and the underlying mechanism of promotion of Tau aggregation by heparin are not well understood. Structural characterization of Tau oligomers in the early stage of fibrillation is of great importance but remains challenging due to their dynamic and heterogeneous nature. R3, the third microtubule-binding repeat of Tau, contains the fibril-nucleating core (PHF6) and is crucial for Tau aggregation. In this study, utilizing extensive all-atom replica-exchange molecular dynamic simulations, we explored the conformational ensembles of R3 monomer/dimer in the absence and presence of heparin. Our results show that without heparin, both monomeric and dimeric R3 preferentially adopt collapsed β-sheet-containing conformations and PHF6 plays an important role in the formation of interchain β-sheet structures, while in the presence of heparin, R3 can populate relatively extended disordered states where chain dimension is similar to that of R3 in Tau filaments. Through electrostatic, hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interactions, heparin has a preference for interacting with residues V306/Q307/K317/K321/H329/H330/K331 which distribute throughout the entire sequence of R3, in turn acting as a template to extend R3 conformations. More importantly, heparin alters intramolecular/intermolecular interaction patterns of R3 and increases the intermolecular contact regions. Our results suggest that heparin remodels the conformations of R3 towards fibril-prone structures by increasing chain dimension and intermolecular contact regions, which may shed light on the atomic mechanism of heparin-induced amyloid fibrillization of Tau protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuewei Dong
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Sciences (Ministry of Education), Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ruxi Qi
- Cryo-EM Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Qin Qiao
- Digital Medical Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuhua Li
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Fangying Li
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Sciences (Ministry of Education), Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jiaqian Wan
- College of Physical Education and Training, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingwen Zhang
- College of Physical Education and Training, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Sciences (Ministry of Education), Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China.
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8
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Nguyen PH, Ramamoorthy A, Sahoo BR, Zheng J, Faller P, Straub JE, Dominguez L, Shea JE, Dokholyan NV, De Simone A, Ma B, Nussinov R, Najafi S, Ngo ST, Loquet A, Chiricotto M, Ganguly P, McCarty J, Li MS, Hall C, Wang Y, Miller Y, Melchionna S, Habenstein B, Timr S, Chen J, Hnath B, Strodel B, Kayed R, Lesné S, Wei G, Sterpone F, Doig AJ, Derreumaux P. Amyloid Oligomers: A Joint Experimental/Computational Perspective on Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Type II Diabetes, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Chem Rev 2021; 121:2545-2647. [PMID: 33543942 PMCID: PMC8836097 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 386] [Impact Index Per Article: 128.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation is observed in many amyloidogenic diseases affecting either the central nervous system or a variety of peripheral tissues. Structural and dynamic characterization of all species along the pathways from monomers to fibrils is challenging by experimental and computational means because they involve intrinsically disordered proteins in most diseases. Yet understanding how amyloid species become toxic is the challenge in developing a treatment for these diseases. Here we review what computer, in vitro, in vivo, and pharmacological experiments tell us about the accumulation and deposition of the oligomers of the (Aβ, tau), α-synuclein, IAPP, and superoxide dismutase 1 proteins, which have been the mainstream concept underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), type II diabetes (T2D), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, respectively, for many years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Bikash R Sahoo
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Peter Faller
- Institut de Chimie, UMR 7177, CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - John E Straub
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Laura Dominguez
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Joan-Emma Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
- Department of Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Molecular Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Buyong Ma
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Sackler Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Saeed Najafi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics & Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Antoine Loquet
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Mara Chiricotto
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Pritam Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - James McCarty
- Chemistry Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225, United States
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute for Computational Science and Technology, SBI Building, Quang Trung Software City, Tan Chanh Hiep Ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Carol Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yiming Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yifat Miller
- Department of Chemistry and The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 84105, Israel
| | | | - Birgit Habenstein
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Stepan Timr
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Jiaxing Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Brianna Hnath
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Birgit Strodel
- Institute of Complex Systems: Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Sylvain Lesné
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Science, Multiscale Research Institute of Complex Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Fabio Sterpone
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Andrew J Doig
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
- Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Avdeeva NV. Novel mGluR4 agonist Rapitalam ameliorates motor dysfunction in mice with tau-associated neurodegeneration. RESEARCH RESULTS IN PHARMACOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/rrpharmacology.6.52098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Tau protein is classically involved in the pathogenesis of a neurodegenerative processes, such as Parkinson’s disease. This study was aimed at testing the novel mGluR4 selective agonist using it in transgenic mice with tau-associated neurodegeneration.
Materials and methods: Mice with Human P301S Tau hyperexpression were divided into 3 groups: Rapitalam 6 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg by gavage 3 times a week; and Control (Sham). The motor functions of animals were evaluated at 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th weeks of life using the grip-test, rotarod and hanging wire test. In addition, the time of symptoms onset and death was recorded.
Research results: The use of Rapitalam at a dose of 6 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg significantly restored the holding impulse on a hanging wire, increasing it from 5.06±1.25 kg×sec to 6.42±0.97 kg×sec and 8.84±1.17 kg×sec, respectively. A similar trend was observed in the grip test: Rapitalam recovered grip strength from 28.43±5.04 N in the control group to 44.27±5.54 N (6 mg/kg) and 59.53±7.95 (20 mg/kg). Finally, the two-month use of Rapitalam neither delayed the manifestation of symptoms, nor increased the survival of mice.
Discussion: The cause of the loss of nerve cells in the mouse-tau line is autophagy. Apparently, Rapitalam is not able to simulate this process by reducing excitotoxicity, but against the background of the neurodegenerative process, it increases the activity of the nerve cells.
Conclusion: Rapitalam improves motor dysfunction in mice with tauopathy, with no effect on the survival of animals.
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10
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Chen X, Chen M, Schafer NP, Wolynes PG. Exploring the interplay between fibrillization and amorphous aggregation channels on the energy landscapes of tau repeat isoforms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:4125-4130. [PMID: 32029593 PMCID: PMC7049151 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921702117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Filaments made up of different isoforms of tau protein are associated with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Filaments made up of the 4R-tau isoform, which has four repeat regions (R1 to R4), are found in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, while filaments made of the 3R-tau isoform, which contains only three repeat units (R1, R3, and R4), are found in patients with Pick's disease (frontotemporal dementia). In this work, a predictive coarse-grained protein force field, the associative memory water-mediated structure and energy model (AWSEM), is used to study the energy landscapes of nucleation of the two different fibrils derived from patients with Pick's and Alzheimer's diseases. The landscapes for nucleating both fibril types contain amorphous oligomers leading to branched structures as well as prefibrillar oligomers. These two classes of oligomers differ in their structural details: The prefibrillar oligomers have more parallel in-register β-strands, which ultimately lead to amyloid fibrils, while the amorphous oligomers are characterized by a near random β-strand stacking, leading to a distinct amorphous phase. The landscape topography suggests that there must be significant structural reordering, or "backtracking," to transit from the amorphous aggregation channel to the fibrillization channel. Statistical mechanical perturbation theory allows us to evaluate the effects of changing concentration on the aggregation free-energy landscapes and to predict the effects of phosphorylation, which is known to facilitate the aggregation of tau repeats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Chen
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
| | - Mingchen Chen
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
| | - Nicholas P Schafer
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
| | - Peter G Wolynes
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005;
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005
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11
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Ghosh A, Torraville SE, Mukherjee B, Walling SG, Martin GM, Harley CW, Yuan Q. An experimental model of Braak's pretangle proposal for the origin of Alzheimer's disease: the role of locus coeruleus in early symptom development. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2019; 11:59. [PMID: 31266535 PMCID: PMC6607586 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-019-0511-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Background The earliest brain pathology related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is hyperphosphorylated soluble tau in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) neurons. Braak characterizes five pretangle tau stages preceding AD tangles. Pretangles begin in young humans and persist in the LC while spreading from there to other neuromodulatory neurons and, later, to the cortex. While LC pretangles appear in all by age 40, they do not necessarily result in AD prior to death. However, with age and pretangle spread, more individuals progress to AD stages. LC neurons are lost late, at Braak stages III–IV, when memory deficits appear. It is not clear if LC hyperphosphorylated tau generates the pathology and cognitive changes associated with preclinical AD. We use a rat model expressing pseudohyperphosphorylated human tau in LC to investigate the hypothesis that LC pretangles generate preclinical Alzheimer pathology. Methods We infused an adeno-associated viral vector carrying a human tau gene pseudophosphorylated at 14 sites common in LC pretangles into 2–3- or 14–16-month TH-Cre rats. We used odor discrimination to probe LC dysfunction, and we evaluated LC cell and fiber loss. Results Abnormal human tau was expressed in LC and exhibited somatodendritic mislocalization. In rats infused at 2–3 months old, 4 months post-infusion abnormal LC tau had transferred to the serotonergic raphe neurons. After 7 months, difficult similar odor discrimination learning was impaired. Impairment was associated with reduced LC axonal density in the olfactory cortex and upregulated β1-adrenoceptors. LC infusions in 14–16-month-old rats resulted in more severe outcomes. By 5–6 months post-infusion, rats were impaired even in simple odor discrimination learning. LC neuron number was reduced. Human tau appeared in the microglia and cortical neurons. Conclusions Our animal model suggests, for the first time, that Braak’s hypothesis that human AD originates with pretangle stages is plausible. LC pretangle progression here generates both preclinical AD pathological changes and cognitive decline. The odor discrimination deficits are similar to human odor identification deficits seen with aging and preclinical AD. When initiated in aged rats, pretangle stages progress rapidly and cause LC cell loss. These age-related outcomes are associated with a severe learning impairment consistent with memory decline in Braak stages III–IV. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13195-019-0511-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhinaba Ghosh
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Sarah E Torraville
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Bandhan Mukherjee
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Susan G Walling
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Gerard M Martin
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Carolyn W Harley
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Qi Yuan
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada.
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Vymětal J, Jurásková V, Vondrášek J. AMBER and CHARMM Force Fields Inconsistently Portray the Microscopic Details of Phosphorylation. J Chem Theory Comput 2018; 15:665-679. [PMID: 30468703 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.8b00715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Phosphorylation of serine, threonine, and tyrosine is one of the most frequently occurring and crucial post-translational modifications of proteins often associated with important structural and functional changes. We investigated the direct effect of phosphorylation on the intrinsic conformational preferences of amino acids as a potential trigger of larger structural events. We conducted a comparative study of force fields on terminally capped amino acids (dipeptides) as the simplest model for phosphorylation. Our bias-exchange metadynamics simulations revealed that all model dipeptides sampled a great heterogeneity of ensembles affected by introduction of mono- and dianionic phosphate groups. However, the detected changes in populations of backbone conformers and side-chain rotamers did not reveal a strong discriminatory shift in preferences, as could be anticipated for the bulky, charged phosphate group. Furthermore, the AMBER and CHARMM force fields provided inconsistent populations of individual conformers as well as net structural trends upon phosphorylation. Detailed analysis of ensembles revealed competition between hydration and formation of internal hydrogen bonds involving amide hydrogens and the phosphate group. The observed difference in hydration free energy and potential for hydrogen bonding in individual force fields could be attributed to the different partial atomic charges used in each force field and, hence, the different parametrization strategies. Nevertheless, conformational propensities and net structural changes upon phosphorylation are difficult to extract from experimental measurements, and existing experimental data provide limited guidance for force field assessment and further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Vymětal
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Flemingovo náměstí 542/2 , 166 10 Praha 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Jurásková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Flemingovo náměstí 542/2 , 166 10 Praha 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Vondrášek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Flemingovo náměstí 542/2 , 166 10 Praha 6 , Czech Republic
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Lima AN, de Oliveira RJ, Braz ASK, de Souza Costa MG, Perahia D, Scott LPB. Effects of pH and aggregation in the human prion conversion into scrapie form: a study using molecular dynamics with excited normal modes. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL: EBJ 2018; 47:583-590. [PMID: 29546436 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-018-1292-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
There are two different prion conformations: (1) the cellular natural (PrPC) and (2) the scrapie (PrPSc), an infectious form that tends to aggregate under specific conditions. PrPC and PrPSc are widely different regarding secondary and tertiary structures. PrPSc contains more and longer β-strands compared to PrPC. The lack of solved PrPSc structures precludes a proper understanding of the mechanisms related to the transition between cellular and scrapie forms, as well as the aggregation process. In order to investigate the conformational transition between PrPC and PrPSc, we applied MDeNM (molecular dynamics with excited normal modes), an enhanced sampling simulation technique that has been recently developed to probe large structural changes. These simulations yielded new structural rearrangements of the cellular prion that would have been difficult to obtain with standard MD simulations. We observed an increase in β-sheet formation under low pH (≤ 4) and upon oligomerization, whose relevance was discussed on the basis of the energy landscape theory for protein folding. The characterization of intermediate structures corresponding to transition states allowed us to propose a conversion model from the cellular to the scrapie prion, which possibly ignites the fibril formation. This model can assist the design of new drugs to prevent neurological disorders related to the prion aggregation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Nakagawa Lima
- Laboratório de Biologia Computacional e Bioinformática, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, SP, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biofísica Teórica, Departamento de Física, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e Educação, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo Junio de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Biofísica Teórica, Departamento de Física, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e Educação, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brazil
| | - Antônio Sérgio Kimus Braz
- Laboratório de Biologia Computacional e Bioinformática, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, SP, Brazil
| | | | - David Perahia
- Laboratorie de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, Cachan, France
| | - Luis Paulo Barbour Scott
- Laboratório de Biologia Computacional e Bioinformática, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
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Caballero B, Wang Y, Diaz A, Tasset I, Juste YR, Stiller B, Mandelkow EM, Mandelkow E, Cuervo AM. Interplay of pathogenic forms of human tau with different autophagic pathways. Aging Cell 2018; 17. [PMID: 29024336 PMCID: PMC5770880 DOI: 10.1111/acel.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of neuronal proteostasis, a common feature of the aging brain, is accelerated in neurodegenerative disorders, including different types of tauopathies. Aberrant turnover of tau, a microtubule-stabilizing protein, contributes to its accumulation and subsequent toxicity in tauopathy patients' brains. A direct toxic effect of pathogenic forms of tau on the proteolytic systems that normally contribute to their turnover has been proposed. In this study, we analyzed the contribution of three different types of autophagy, macroautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy, and endosomal microautophagy to the degradation of tau protein variants and tau mutations associated with this age-related disease. We have found that the pathogenic P301L mutation inhibits degradation of tau by any of the three autophagic pathways, whereas the risk-associated tau mutation A152T reroutes tau for degradation through a different autophagy pathway. We also found defective autophagic degradation of tau when using mutations that mimic common posttranslational modifications in tau or known to promote its aggregation. Interestingly, although most mutations markedly reduced degradation of tau through autophagy, the step of this process preferentially affected varies depending on the type of tau mutation. Overall, our studies unveil a complex interplay between the multiple modifications of tau and selective forms of autophagy that may determine its physiological degradation and its faulty clearance in the disease context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Caballero
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Yipeng Wang
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); 53175 Bonn Germany
- CAESAR Research Center; 53175 Bonn Germany
| | - Antonio Diaz
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Inmaculada Tasset
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Yves Robert Juste
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Barbara Stiller
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Eva-Maria Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); 53175 Bonn Germany
- CAESAR Research Center; 53175 Bonn Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); 53175 Bonn Germany
- CAESAR Research Center; 53175 Bonn Germany
| | - Ana Maria Cuervo
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
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