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Ortigosa-Pascual L, Leiding T, Linse S, Pálmadóttir T. Photo-Induced Cross-Linking of Unmodified α-Synuclein Oligomers. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:3192-3205. [PMID: 37621159 PMCID: PMC10485903 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00326] [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: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Photo-induced cross-linking of unmodified proteins (PICUP) has been used in the past to study size distributions of protein assemblies. PICUP may, for example, overcome the significant experimental challenges related to the transient nature, heterogeneity, and low concentration of amyloid protein oligomers relative to monomeric and fibrillar species. In the current study, a reaction chamber was designed, produced, and used for PICUP reaction optimization in terms of reaction conditions and lighting time from ms to s. These efforts make the method more reproducible and accessible and enable the use of shorter reaction times compared to previous studies. We applied the optimized method to an α-synuclein aggregation time course to monitor the relative concentration and size distribution of oligomers over time. The data are compared to the time evolution of the fibril mass concentration, as monitored by thioflavin T fluorescence. At all time points, the smaller the oligomer, the higher its concentration observed after PICUP. Moreover, the total oligomer concentration is highest at short aggregation times, and the decline over time follows the disappearance of monomers. We can therefore conclude that these oligomers form from monomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Ortigosa-Pascual
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural
Biology, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Thom Leiding
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural
Biology, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Sara Linse
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural
Biology, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Tinna Pálmadóttir
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural
Biology, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
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2
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Forloni G, La Vitola P, Balducci C. Oligomeropathies, inflammation and prion protein binding. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:822420. [PMID: 36081661 PMCID: PMC9445368 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.822420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The central role of oligomers, small soluble aggregates of misfolded proteins, in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders is recognized in numerous experimental conditions and is compatible with clinical evidence. To underline this concept, some years ago we coined the term oligomeropathies to define the common mechanism of action of protein misfolding diseases like Alzheimer, Parkinson or prion diseases. Using simple experimental conditions, with direct application of synthetic β amyloid or α-synuclein oligomers intraventricularly at micromolar concentrations, we could detect differences and similarities in the biological consequences. The two oligomer species affected cognitive behavior, neuronal dysfunction and cerebral inflammatory reactions with distinct mechanisms. In these experimental conditions the proposed mediatory role of cellular prion protein in oligomer activities was not confirmed. Together with oligomers, inflammation at different levels can be important early in neurodegenerative disorders; both β amyloid and α-synuclein oligomers induce inflammation and its control strongly affects neuronal dysfunction. This review summarizes our studies with β-amyloid or α-synuclein oligomers, also considering the potential curative role of doxycycline, a well-known antibiotic with anti-amyloidogenic and anti-inflammatory activities. These actions are analyzed in terms of the therapeutic prospects.
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Shafiq M, Da Vela S, Amin L, Younas N, Harris DA, Zerr I, Altmeppen HC, Svergun D, Glatzel M. The prion protein and its ligands: Insights into structure-function relationships. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2022; 1869:119240. [PMID: 35192891 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2022.119240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The prion protein is a multifunctional protein that exists in at least two different folding states. It is subject to diverse proteolytic processing steps that lead to prion protein fragments some of which are membrane-bound whereas others are soluble. A multitude of ligands bind to the prion protein and besides proteinaceous binding partners, interaction with metal ions and nucleic acids occurs. Although of great importance, information on structural and functional consequences of prion protein binding to its partners is limited. Here, we will reflect on the structure-function relationship of the prion protein and its binding partners considering the different folding states and prion protein fragments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsin Shafiq
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefano Da Vela
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg c/o German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ladan Amin
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Neelam Younas
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Robert-Koch-str. 40, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - David A Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Robert-Koch-str. 40, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Hermann C Altmeppen
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dmitri Svergun
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg c/o German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Glatzel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany.
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4
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Legname G, Scialò C. On the role of the cellular prion protein in the uptake and signaling of pathological aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases. Prion 2021; 14:257-270. [PMID: 33345731 PMCID: PMC7757855 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2020.1854034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders are associated with intra- or extra-cellular deposition of aggregates of misfolded insoluble proteins. These deposits composed of tau, amyloid-β or α-synuclein spread from cell to cell, in a prion-like manner. Novel evidence suggests that the circulating soluble oligomeric species of these misfolded proteins could play a major role in pathology, while insoluble aggregates would represent their protective less toxic counterparts. Recent convincing data support the proposition that the cellular prion protein, PrPC, act as a toxicity-inducing receptor for amyloid-β oligomers. As a consequence, several studies focused their investigations to the role played by PrPC in binding other protein aggregates, such as tau and α-synuclein, for its possible common role in mediating toxic signalling. The biological relevance of PrPC as key ligand and potential mediator of toxicity for multiple proteinaceous aggregated species, prions or PrPSc included, could lead to relevant therapeutic implications. Here we describe the structure of PrPC and the proposed interplay with its pathological counterpart PrPSc and then we recapitulate the most recent findings regarding the role of PrPC in the interaction with aggregated forms of other neurodegeneration-associated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Legname
- Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Scuola Internazionale Superiore Di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) , Trieste, Italy
| | - Carlo Scialò
- Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Scuola Internazionale Superiore Di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) , Trieste, Italy
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5
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The Cellular Prion Protein Increases the Uptake and Toxicity of TDP-43 Fibrils. Viruses 2021; 13:v13081625. [PMID: 34452489 PMCID: PMC8402629 DOI: 10.3390/v13081625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic aggregation of the primarily nuclear TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) affects neurons in most amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and approximately half of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) cases. The cellular prion protein, PrPC, has been recognized as a common receptor and downstream effector of circulating neurotoxic species of several proteins involved in neurodegeneration. Here, capitalizing on our recently adapted TDP-43 real time quaking induced reaction, we set reproducible protocols to obtain standardized preparations of recombinant TDP-43 fibrils. We then exploited two different cellular systems (human SH-SY5Y and mouse N2a neuroblastoma cells) engineered to express low or high PrPC levels to investigate the link between PrPC expression on the cell surface and the internalization of TDP-43 fibrils. Fibril uptake was increased in cells overexpressing either human or mouse prion protein. Increased internalization was associated with detrimental consequences in all PrP-overexpressing cell lines but was milder in cells expressing the human form of the prion protein. As described for other amyloids, treatment with TDP-43 fibrils induced a reduction in the accumulation of the misfolded form of PrPC, PrPSc, in cells chronically infected with prions. Our results expand the list of misfolded proteins whose uptake and detrimental effects are mediated by PrPC, which encompass almost all pathological amyloids involved in neurodegeneration.
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6
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Structural details of amyloid β oligomers in complex with human prion protein as revealed by solid-state MAS NMR spectroscopy. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100499. [PMID: 33667547 PMCID: PMC8042448 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Human PrP (huPrP) is a high-affinity receptor for oligomeric amyloid β (Aβ) protein aggregates. Binding of Aβ oligomers to membrane-anchored huPrP has been suggested to trigger neurotoxic cell signaling in Alzheimer’s disease, while an N-terminal soluble fragment of huPrP can sequester Aβ oligomers and reduce their toxicity. Synthetic oligomeric Aβ species are known to be heterogeneous, dynamic, and transient, rendering their structural investigation particularly challenging. Here, using huPrP to preserve Aβ oligomers by coprecipitating them into large heteroassemblies, we investigated the conformations of Aβ(1–42) oligomers and huPrP in the complex by solid-state MAS NMR spectroscopy. The disordered N-terminal region of huPrP becomes immobilized in the complex and therefore visible in dipolar spectra without adopting chemical shifts characteristic of a regular secondary structure. Most of the well-defined C-terminal part of huPrP is part of the rigid complex, and solid-state NMR spectra suggest a loss in regular secondary structure in the two C-terminal α-helices. For Aβ(1–42) oligomers in complex with huPrP, secondary chemical shifts reveal substantial β-strand content. Importantly, not all Aβ(1–42) molecules within the complex have identical conformations. Comparison with the chemical shifts of synthetic Aβ fibrils suggests that the Aβ oligomer preparation represents a heterogeneous mixture of β-strand-rich assemblies, of which some have the potential to evolve and elongate into different fibril polymorphs, reflecting a general propensity of Aβ to adopt variable β-strand-rich conformers. Taken together, our results reveal structural changes in huPrP upon binding to Aβ oligomers that suggest a role of the C terminus of huPrP in cell signaling. Trapping Aβ(1–42) oligomers by binding to huPrP has proved to be a useful tool for studying the structure of these highly heterogeneous β-strand-rich assemblies.
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7
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Scialò C, Legname G. The role of the cellular prion protein in the uptake and toxic signaling of pathological neurodegenerative aggregates. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 175:297-323. [PMID: 32958237 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders are invariably associated with intra- or extra-cellular deposition of aggregates composed of misfolded insoluble proteins. These deposits composed of tau, amyloid-β or α-synuclein spread from cell to cell, in a prion-like manner. Emerging evidence suggests that the circulating soluble species of these misfolded proteins (usually referred as oligomers) could play a major role in pathology, while insoluble aggregates would represent their protective less toxic counterparts. Convincing data support the hypothesis that the cellular prion protein, PrPC, act as a toxicity-transducing receptor for amyloid-β oligomers. As a consequence, several studies extended investigations to the role played by PrPC in binding aggregates of proteins other than Aβ, such as tau and α-synuclein, for its possible common role in mediating toxic signaling. A better characterization of the biological relevance of PrPC as key ligand and potential mediator of toxicity for multiple proteinaceous aggregated species, prions or PrPSc included, would bring relevant therapeutic implications. Here we will first describe the structure of the prion protein and the hypothesized interplay with its pathological counterpart PrPSc and then we will recapitulate the most relevant discoveries regarding the role of PrPC in the interaction with aggregated forms of other neurodegeneration-associated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Scialò
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore Di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore Di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.
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8
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Corbett GT, Wang Z, Hong W, Colom-Cadena M, Rose J, Liao M, Asfaw A, Hall TC, Ding L, DeSousa A, Frosch MP, Collinge J, Harris DA, Perkinton MS, Spires-Jones TL, Young-Pearse TL, Billinton A, Walsh DM. PrP is a central player in toxicity mediated by soluble aggregates of neurodegeneration-causing proteins. Acta Neuropathol 2020; 139:503-526. [PMID: 31853635 PMCID: PMC7035229 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-019-02114-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are an enormous public health problem, affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. Nearly all of these diseases are characterized by oligomerization and fibrillization of neuronal proteins, and there is great interest in therapeutic targeting of these aggregates. Here, we show that soluble aggregates of α-synuclein and tau bind to plate-immobilized PrP in vitro and on mouse cortical neurons, and that this binding requires at least one of the same N-terminal sites at which soluble Aβ aggregates bind. Moreover, soluble aggregates of tau, α-synuclein and Aβ cause both functional (impairment of LTP) and structural (neuritic dystrophy) compromise and these deficits are absent when PrP is ablated, knocked-down, or when neurons are pre-treated with anti-PrP blocking antibodies. Using an all-human experimental paradigm involving: (1) isogenic iPSC-derived neurons expressing or lacking PRNP, and (2) aqueous extracts from brains of individuals who died with Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Pick's disease, we demonstrate that Aβ, α-synuclein and tau are toxic to neurons in a manner that requires PrPC. These results indicate that PrP is likely to play an important role in a variety of late-life neurodegenerative diseases and that therapeutic targeting of PrP, rather than individual disease proteins, may have more benefit for conditions which involve the aggregation of more than one protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant T Corbett
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Zemin Wang
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wei Hong
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Marti Colom-Cadena
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH89JZ, UK
| | - Jamie Rose
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH89JZ, UK
| | - Meichen Liao
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Adhana Asfaw
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Tia C Hall
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lai Ding
- Program for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Alexandra DeSousa
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Matthew P Frosch
- Massachusetts General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - John Collinge
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - David A Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | | | - Tara L Spires-Jones
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH89JZ, UK
| | - Tracy L Young-Pearse
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Andrew Billinton
- Neuroscience, IMED Biotechnology Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, UK
| | - Dominic M Walsh
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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9
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Madhu P, Mukhopadhyay S. Preferential Recruitment of Conformationally Distinct Amyloid-β Oligomers by the Intrinsically Disordered Region of the Human Prion Protein. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:86-98. [PMID: 31808343 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Soluble oligomeric species of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide exhibit pronounced neurotoxic effects in Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies have indicated that the prion protein (PrP) is one of the cell-surface receptors, so-called a bad receptor, of Aβ oligomers that mediates downstream cellular toxicity. A rational classification of Aβ oligomers on the basis of conformation indicates that there are two distinct types of oligomers, namely, prefibrillar and fibrillar oligomers that are positive to A11 and OC conformation-dependent antibodies, respectively. The mechanism of heterotypic assembly of conformationally distinct oligomers and PrP is poorly understood. In this work, using an array of biophysical and biochemical tools, we dissect the molecular mechanism of the interaction of A11- and OC-positive Aβ42 oligomers with human PrP. Using site-specific binding titrations, we show that the recruitment of Aβ oligomers primarily occurs via the electrostatic interaction between the N-terminal intrinsically disordered region of PrP and Aβ oligomers. Our results demonstrate that OC-positive fibrillar oligomers possessing in-register parallel β-sheet packing displayed ∼30 times stronger binding with PrP compared to A11-positive oligomers. We also show that these OC-positive oligomers exacerbate their toxic effects on mammalian cells upon binding to PrP. On the contrary, the addition of PrP does not alter the toxicity exhibited by A11-positive oligomers. Our findings suggest that strategies targeting the interaction between PrP and OC-positive oligomers, which have been shown to be highly concentrated in the vicinity of amyloid plaques, may have therapeutic potential against Alzheimer's disease.
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10
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Cline EN, Bicca MA, Viola KL, Klein WL. The Amyloid-β Oligomer Hypothesis: Beginning of the Third Decade. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 64:S567-S610. [PMID: 29843241 PMCID: PMC6004937 DOI: 10.3233/jad-179941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 520] [Impact Index Per Article: 104.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The amyloid-β oligomer (AβO) hypothesis was introduced in 1998. It proposed that the brain damage leading to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was instigated by soluble, ligand-like AβOs. This hypothesis was based on the discovery that fibril-free synthetic preparations of AβOs were potent CNS neurotoxins that rapidly inhibited long-term potentiation and, with time, caused selective nerve cell death (Lambert et al., 1998). The mechanism was attributed to disrupted signaling involving the tyrosine-protein kinase Fyn, mediated by an unknown toxin receptor. Over 4,000 articles concerning AβOs have been published since then, including more than 400 reviews. AβOs have been shown to accumulate in an AD-dependent manner in human and animal model brain tissue and, experimentally, to impair learning and memory and instigate major facets of AD neuropathology, including tau pathology, synapse deterioration and loss, inflammation, and oxidative damage. As reviewed by Hayden and Teplow in 2013, the AβO hypothesis “has all but supplanted the amyloid cascade.” Despite the emerging understanding of the role played by AβOs in AD pathogenesis, AβOs have not yet received the clinical attention given to amyloid plaques, which have been at the core of major attempts at therapeutics and diagnostics but are no longer regarded as the most pathogenic form of Aβ. However, if the momentum of AβO research continues, particularly efforts to elucidate key aspects of structure, a clear path to a successful disease modifying therapy can be envisioned. Ensuring that lessons learned from recent, late-stage clinical failures are applied appropriately throughout therapeutic development will further enable the likelihood of a successful therapy in the near-term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika N Cline
- Department of Neurobiology, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, International Institute for Nanotechnology, and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Maíra Assunção Bicca
- Department of Neurobiology, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, International Institute for Nanotechnology, and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Kirsten L Viola
- Department of Neurobiology, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, International Institute for Nanotechnology, and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - William L Klein
- Department of Neurobiology, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, International Institute for Nanotechnology, and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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11
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Babinchak WM, Haider R, Dumm BK, Sarkar P, Surewicz K, Choi JK, Surewicz WK. The role of liquid-liquid phase separation in aggregation of the TDP-43 low-complexity domain. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:6306-6317. [PMID: 30814253 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.007222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathological aggregation of the transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) is associated with several neurodegenerative disorders, including ALS, frontotemporal dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and Alzheimer's disease. TDP-43 aggregation appears to be largely driven by its low-complexity domain (LCD), which also has a high propensity to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). However, the mechanism of TDP-43 LCD pathological aggregation and, most importantly, the relationship between the aggregation process and LLPS remains largely unknown. Here, we show that amyloid formation by the LCD is controlled by electrostatic repulsion. We also demonstrate that the liquid droplet environment strongly accelerates LCD fibrillation and that its aggregation under LLPS conditions involves several distinct events, culminating in rapid assembly of fibrillar aggregates that emanate from within mature liquid droplets. These combined results strongly suggest that LLPS may play a major role in pathological TDP-43 aggregation, contributing to pathogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Michael Babinchak
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Raza Haider
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Benjamin K Dumm
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Prottusha Sarkar
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Krystyna Surewicz
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Jin-Kyu Choi
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Witold K Surewicz
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
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12
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Nieznanska H, Bandyszewska M, Surewicz K, Zajkowski T, Surewicz WK, Nieznanski K. Identification of prion protein-derived peptides of potential use in Alzheimer's disease therapy. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2018; 1864:2143-2153. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2018.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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13
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Purro SA, Nicoll AJ, Collinge J. Prion Protein as a Toxic Acceptor of Amyloid-β Oligomers. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:358-368. [PMID: 29331212 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The initial report that cellular prion protein (PrPC) mediates toxicity of amyloid-β species linked to Alzheimer's disease was initially treated with scepticism, but growing evidence supports this claim. That there is a high-affinity interaction is now clear, and its molecular basis is being unraveled, while recent studies have identified possible downstream toxic mechanisms. Determination of the clinical significance of such interactions between PrPC and disease-associated amyloid-β species will require experimental medicine studies in humans. Trials of compounds that inhibit PrP-dependent amyloid-β toxicity are commencing in humans, and although it is clear that only a fraction of Alzheimer's disease toxicity could be governed by PrPC, a partial, but still therapeutically useful, role in human disease may soon be testable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia A Purro
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J Nicoll
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom; Elkington and Fife LLP, Kent, United Kingdom.
| | - John Collinge
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom.
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14
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Oki S, Iwashita K, Kimura M, Kano H, Shiraki K. Mechanism of co-aggregation in a protein mixture with small additives. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 107:1428-1437. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Nyeste A, Stincardini C, Bencsura P, Cerovic M, Biasini E, Welker E. The prion protein family member Shadoo induces spontaneous ionic currents in cultured cells. Sci Rep 2016; 6:36441. [PMID: 27819308 PMCID: PMC5098206 DOI: 10.1038/srep36441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Some mutant forms of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) carrying artificial deletions or point mutations associated with familial human prion diseases are capable of inducing spontaneous ionic currents across the cell membrane, conferring hypersensitivity to certain antibiotics to a wide range of cultured cells and primary cerebellar granular neurons (CGNs). These effects are abrogated when the wild type (WT) form is co-expressed, suggesting that they might be related to a physiological activity of PrPC. Interestingly, the prion protein family member Shadoo (Sho) makes cells hypersensitive to the same antibiotics as mutant PrP-s, an effect that is diminished by the co-expression of WT-PrP. Here, we report that Sho engages in another mutant PrP-like activity: it spontaneously induces large ionic currents in cultured SH-SY5Y cells, as detected by whole-cell patch clamping. These currents are also decreased by the co-expression of WT-PrP. Furthermore, deletion of the N-terminal (RXXX)8 motif of Sho, mutation of the eight arginine residues of this motif to glutamines, or replacement of the hydrophobic domain by that of PrP, also diminish Sho-induced ionic currents. Our results suggest that the channel activity that is also characteristic to some pathogenic PrP mutants may be linked to a physiological function of Sho.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antal Nyeste
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary
- Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Claudia Stincardini
- Dulbecco Telethon Laboratory of Prions and Amyloids, Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, ITALY
| | - Petra Bencsura
- Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Milica Cerovic
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milano, ITALY
| | - Emiliano Biasini
- Dulbecco Telethon Laboratory of Prions and Amyloids, Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, ITALY
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milano, ITALY
| | - Ervin Welker
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary
- Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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16
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Ribarič S. The Rationale for Insulin Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease. Molecules 2016; 21:molecules21060689. [PMID: 27240327 PMCID: PMC6273626 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21060689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 05/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, with a prevalence that increases with age. By 2050, the worldwide number of patients with AD is projected to reach more than 140 million. The prominent signs of AD are progressive memory loss, accompanied by a gradual decline in cognitive function and premature death. AD is the clinical manifestation of altered proteostasis. The initiating step of altered proteostasis in most AD patients is not known. The progression of AD is accelerated by several chronic disorders, among which the contribution of diabetes to AD is well understood at the cell biology level. The pathological mechanisms of AD and diabetes interact and tend to reinforce each other, thus accelerating cognitive impairment. At present, only symptomatic interventions are available for treating AD. To optimise symptomatic treatment, a personalised therapy approach has been suggested. Intranasal insulin administration seems to open the possibility for a safe, and at least in the short term, effective symptomatic intervention that delays loss of cognition in AD patients. This review summarizes the interactions of AD and diabetes from the cell biology to the patient level and the clinical results of intranasal insulin treatment of cognitive decline in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samo Ribarič
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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17
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Puig B, Altmeppen HC, Ulbrich S, Linsenmeier L, Krasemann S, Chakroun K, Acevedo-Morantes CY, Wille H, Tatzelt J, Glatzel M. Secretory pathway retention of mutant prion protein induces p38-MAPK activation and lethal disease in mice. Sci Rep 2016; 6:24970. [PMID: 27117504 PMCID: PMC4847012 DOI: 10.1038/srep24970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Misfolding of proteins in the biosynthetic pathway in neurons may cause disturbed protein homeostasis and neurodegeneration. The prion protein (PrPC) is a GPI-anchored protein that resides at the plasma membrane and may be misfolded to PrPSc leading to prion diseases. We show that a deletion in the C-terminal domain of PrPC (PrPΔ214–229) leads to partial retention in the secretory pathway causing a fatal neurodegenerative disease in mice that is partially rescued by co-expression of PrPC. Transgenic (Tg(PrPΔ214–229)) mice show extensive neuronal loss in hippocampus and cerebellum and activation of p38-MAPK. In cell culture under stress conditions, PrPΔ214–229 accumulates in the Golgi apparatus possibly representing transit to the Rapid ER Stress-induced ExporT (RESET) pathway together with p38-MAPK activation. Here we describe a novel pathway linking retention of a GPI-anchored protein in the early secretory pathway to p38-MAPK activation and a neurodegenerative phenotype in transgenic mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berta Puig
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Hermann C Altmeppen
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Sarah Ulbrich
- Department of Biochemistry of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Biochemistry und Pathobiochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum 44801, Germany
| | - Luise Linsenmeier
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Susanne Krasemann
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Karima Chakroun
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Claudia Y Acevedo-Morantes
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases and Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2M8 Alberta, Canada
| | - Holger Wille
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases and Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2M8 Alberta, Canada
| | - Jörg Tatzelt
- Department of Biochemistry of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Biochemistry und Pathobiochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum 44801, Germany
| | - Markus Glatzel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany
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18
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Scott-McKean JJ, Surewicz K, Choi JK, Ruffin VA, Salameh AI, Nieznanski K, Costa ACS, Surewicz WK. Soluble prion protein and its N-terminal fragment prevent impairment of synaptic plasticity by Aβ oligomers: Implications for novel therapeutic strategy in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 91:124-131. [PMID: 26949218 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathogenic process in Alzheimer's disease (AD) appears to be closely linked to the neurotoxic action of amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers. Recent studies have shown that these oligomers bind with high affinity to the membrane-anchored cellular prion protein (PrP(C)). It has also been proposed that this binding might mediate some of the toxic effects of the oligomers. Here, we show that the soluble (membrane anchor-free) recombinant human prion protein (rPrP) and its N-terminal fragment N1 block Aβ oligomers-induced inhibition of long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices, an important surrogate marker of cognitive deficit associated with AD. rPrP and N1 are also strikingly potent inhibitors of Aβ cytotoxicity in primary hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, experiments using hippocampal slices and neurons from wild-type and PrP(C) null mice (as well as rat neurons in which PrP(C) expression was greatly reduced by gene silencing) indicate that, in contrast to the impairment of synaptic plasticity by Aβ oligomers, the cytotoxic effects of these oligomers, and the inhibition of these effects by rPrP and N1, are independent of the presence of endogenous PrP(C). This suggests fundamentally different mechanisms by which soluble rPrP and its fragments inhibit these two toxic responses to Aβ. Overall, these findings provide strong support to recent suggestions that PrP-based compounds may offer new avenues for pharmacological intervention in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonah J Scott-McKean
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Cleveland, OH, USA 44116
| | | | - Jin-Kyu Choi
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Cleveland, OH, USA 44116
| | - Vernon A Ruffin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Cleveland, OH, USA 44116
| | - Ahlam I Salameh
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Cleveland, OH, USA 44116
| | - Krzysztof Nieznanski
- Department of Biochemistry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 02-093Warsaw, Poland
| | - Alberto C S Costa
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Cleveland, OH, USA 44116.,Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA 44116
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Milisav I, Šuput D, Ribarič S. Unfolded Protein Response and Macroautophagy in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Prion Diseases. Molecules 2015; 20:22718-56. [PMID: 26694349 PMCID: PMC6332363 DOI: 10.3390/molecules201219865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteostasis are integrated biological pathways within cells that control synthesis, folding, trafficking and degradation of proteins. The absence of cell division makes brain proteostasis susceptible to age-related changes and neurodegeneration. Two key processes involved in sustaining normal brain proteostasis are the unfolded protein response and autophagy. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and prion diseases (PrDs) have different clinical manifestations of neurodegeneration, however, all share an accumulation of misfolded pathological proteins associated with perturbations in unfolded protein response and macroautophagy. While both the unfolded protein response and macroautophagy play an important role in the prevention and attenuation of AD and PD progression, only macroautophagy seems to play an important role in the development of PrDs. Macroautophagy and unfolded protein response can be modulated by pharmacological interventions. However, further research is necessary to better understand the regulatory pathways of both processes in health and neurodegeneration to be able to develop new therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Milisav
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zaloška 4, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Zdravstvena pot 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija.
| | - Dušan Šuput
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zaloška 4, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia.
| | - Samo Ribarič
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zaloška 4, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia.
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