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Mayo P, Pascual J, Crisman E, Domínguez C, López MG, León R. Innovative pathological network-based multitarget approaches for Alzheimer's disease treatment. Med Res Rev 2024. [PMID: 38678582 DOI: 10.1002/med.22045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease and is a major health threat globally. Its prevalence is forecasted to exponentially increase during the next 30 years due to the global aging population. Currently, approved drugs are merely symptomatic, being ineffective in delaying or blocking the relentless disease advance. Intensive AD research describes this disease as a highly complex multifactorial disease. Disclosure of novel pathological pathways and their interconnections has had a major impact on medicinal chemistry drug development for AD over the last two decades. The complex network of pathological events involved in the onset of the disease has prompted the development of multitarget drugs. These chemical entities combine pharmacological activities toward two or more drug targets of interest. These multitarget-directed ligands are proposed to modify different nodes in the pathological network aiming to delay or even stop disease progression. Here, we review the multitarget drug development strategy for AD during the last decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Mayo
- Departamento de desarrollo preclínico, Fundación Teófilo Hernando, Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Farmacología y Terapéutica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Química Médica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Pascual
- Departamento de desarrollo preclínico, Fundación Teófilo Hernando, Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Química Médica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Crisman
- Instituto de Química Médica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Domínguez
- Instituto de Química Médica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuela G López
- Departamento de Farmacología y Terapéutica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael León
- Instituto de Química Médica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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2
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Zou Y, Guan L, Tan J, Qi B, Sun Y, Huang F, Zhang Q. Molecular Insights into the Differential Effects of Acetylation on the Aggregation of Tau Microtubule-Binding Repeats. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:3386-3399. [PMID: 38489841 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Aggregation of tau protein into intracellular fibrillary inclusions is characterized as the hallmark of tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The microtubule-binding (MTB) domain of tau, containing either three or four repeats with sequence similarities, plays an important role in determining tau's aggregation. Previous studies have reported that abnormal acetylation of lysine residues displays a distinct effect on the formation of pathological tau aggregates. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains mostly elusive. In this study, we performed extensive replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations of 144 μs in total to systematically investigate the dimerization of four tau MTB repeats and explore the impacts of Lys280 (K280) or Lys321 (K321) acetylation on the conformational ensembles of the R2 or R3 dimer. Our results show that R3 is the most prone to aggregation among the four repeats, followed by R2 and R4, while R1 displays the weakest aggregation propensity with a disordered structure. Acetylation of K280 could promote the aggregation of R2 peptides by increasing the formation of β-sheet structures and strengthening the interchain interaction. However, K321 acetylation decreases the β-sheet content of the R3 dimer, reduces the ability of R3 peptides to form long β-strands, and promotes the stable helix structure formation. The salt bridge and Y310-Y310 π-π stacking interactions of the R3 dimer are greatly weakened by K321 acetylation, resulting in the inhibition of dimerization. This study uncovers the structural ensembles of tau MTB repeats and provides mechanistic insights into the influences of acetylation on tau aggregation, which may deepen the understanding of the pathogenesis of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zou
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Lulu Guan
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Jingwang Tan
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Bote Qi
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, 818 Fenghua Road, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Fengjuan Huang
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering (NIIME), Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Qingwen Zhang
- College of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, 399 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200438, P. R. China
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3
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Man VH, He X, Han F, Cai L, Wang L, Niu T, Zhai J, Ji B, Gao J, Wang J. Phosphorylation at Ser289 Enhances the Oligomerization of Tau Repeat R2. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:1351-1361. [PMID: 36786552 PMCID: PMC10032562 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
In tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), aberrant phosphorylation causes the dissociation of tau proteins from microtubules. The dissociated tau then aggregates into sequent forms from soluble oligomers to paired helical filaments and insoluble neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). NFTs is a hallmark of AD, while oligomers are found to be the most toxic form of the tau aggregates. Therefore, understanding tau oligomerization with regard to abnormal phosphorylation is important for the therapeutic development of AD. In this study, we investigated the impact of phosphorylated Ser289, one of the 40 aberrant phosphorylation sites of full-length tau proteins, on monomeric and dimeric structures of tau repeat R2 peptides. We carried out intensive replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation with a total simulation time of up to 0.1 ms. Our result showed that the phosphorylation significantly affected the structures of both the monomer and the dimer. For the monomer, the phosphorylation enhanced ordered-disordered structural transition and intramolecular interaction, leading to more compactness of the phosphorylated R2 compared to the wild-type one. As to the dimer, the phosphorylation increased intermolecular interaction and β-sheet formation, which can accelerate the oligomerization of R2 peptides. This result suggests that the phosphorylation at Ser289 is likely to promote tau aggregation. We also observed a phosphorylated Ser289-Na+-phosphorylated Ser289 bridge in the phosphorylated R2 dimer, suggesting an important role of cation ions in tau aggregation. Our findings suggest that phosphorylation at Ser289 should be taken into account in the inhibitor screening of tau oligomerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viet Hoang Man
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Xibing He
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Fengyang Han
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Lianjin Cai
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Luxuan Wang
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Taoyu Niu
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Jingchen Zhai
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Beihong Ji
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Jie Gao
- Department
of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University
Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening
Center, School of Pharmacy, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
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4
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Barredo PA, Balanay MP. Recent Advances in Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Tau Fibrils and Oligomers. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:277. [PMID: 36984665 PMCID: PMC10052016 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13030277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The study of tau protein aggregation and interactions with other molecules or solvents using molecular dynamics simulations (MDs) is of interest to many researchers to propose new mechanism-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and other tauopathies. In this review, we present recent MD simulation studies of tau oligomers and fibrils such as tau-NPK, tau-PHF, tau-K18, and tau-R3-R4 monomers and dimers. All-atom simulations by replica exchange MDs and coarse-grained MDs in lipid bilayers and in solution were used. The simulations revealed different mechanisms in the binding of tau in bilayers and in solutions, depending on the peptide size. Phosphorylation is also an important factor in MD simulations. The use of steered MDs was also included to simulate the dissociation of tau fibrils. The exponential improvement in the computing power of computers has led to an increasing number of scientists and engineers using a cost-effective, high-performance computing platform to study how the tau protein interacts and the effects of changing its structure, such as the phosphorylation of tau fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prechiel A. Barredo
- Department of Chemistry, Mindanao State University, Marawi City 9700, Philippines
| | - Mannix P. Balanay
- Department of Chemistry, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
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5
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Juan SMA, Daglas M, Adlard P. Tau pathology, metal dyshomeostasis and repetitive mild traumatic brain injury: an unexplored link paving the way for neurodegeneration. J Neurotrauma 2022; 39:902-922. [PMID: 35293225 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2021.0241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (r-mTBI), commonly experienced by athletes and military personnel, causes changes in multiple intracellular pathways, one of which involves the tau protein. Tau phosphorylation plays a role in several neurodegenerative conditions including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder linked to repeated head trauma. There is now mounting evidence suggesting that tau phosphorylation may be regulated by metal ions (such as iron, zinc and copper), which themselves are implicated in ageing and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent work has also shown that a single TBI can result in age-dependent and region-specific modulation of metal ions. As such, this review explores the link between TBI, CTE, ageing and neurodegeneration with a specific focus on the involvement of (and interaction between) tau pathology and metal dyshomeostasis. The authors highlight that metal dyshomeostasis has yet to be investigated in the context of repeat head trauma or CTE. Given the evidence that metal dyshomeostasis contributes to the onset and/or progression of neurodegeneration, and that CTE itself is a neurodegenerative condition, this brings to light an uncharted link that should be explored. The development of adequate models of r-mTBI and/or CTE will be crucial in deepening our understanding of the pathological mechanisms that drive the clinical manifestations in these conditions and also in the development of effective therapeutics targeted towards slowing progressive neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney M A Juan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, 56369, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3052;
| | - Maria Daglas
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, 56369, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;
| | - Paul Adlard
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, 56369, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;
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6
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Chatterjee P, Le T, Bui HTD, Cho MK, Ham S. Atomic Level Investigations of Early Aggregation of Tau43 in Water I. Conformational Propensity of Monomeric Tau43. B KOREAN CHEM SOC 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.12338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Prathit Chatterjee
- Department of Chemistry The Research Institute of Natural Sciences, Sookmyung Women's University, Cheongpa‐ro 47‐Gil 100, Yongsan‐Ku Seoul 04310 Korea
| | - Thi‐Diem Le
- Department of Chemistry The Research Institute of Natural Sciences, Sookmyung Women's University, Cheongpa‐ro 47‐Gil 100, Yongsan‐Ku Seoul 04310 Korea
| | - Huong T. D. Bui
- Department of Chemistry The Research Institute of Natural Sciences, Sookmyung Women's University, Cheongpa‐ro 47‐Gil 100, Yongsan‐Ku Seoul 04310 Korea
| | - Myung Keun Cho
- Department of Chemistry The Research Institute of Natural Sciences, Sookmyung Women's University, Cheongpa‐ro 47‐Gil 100, Yongsan‐Ku Seoul 04310 Korea
- Department of Chemistry College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak‐ro 1, Gwanak‐ku Seoul 08826 Korea
| | - Sihyun Ham
- Department of Chemistry The Research Institute of Natural Sciences, Sookmyung Women's University, Cheongpa‐ro 47‐Gil 100, Yongsan‐Ku Seoul 04310 Korea
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7
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He H, Liu Y, Sun Y, Ding F. Misfolding and Self-Assembly Dynamics of Microtubule-Binding Repeats of the Alzheimer-Related Protein Tau. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:2916-2925. [PMID: 34032430 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Pathological aggregation of intrinsically disordered tau protein, driven by the interactions between microtubule-binding (MTB) domains, is associated with Alzheimer's disease. The MTB domain contains either three or four repeats with sequence similarities. Compared to amyloid β, many aspects of the misfolding and aggregation mechanisms of tau are largely unknown. In this study, we systematically investigated the dynamics of monomer misfolding and dimerization of each MTB repeat using atomistic discrete molecular dynamic simulations. Our results revealed that all the four repeat monomers (R1-R4) were very dynamic, featuring frequent conformational conversion and lacking stable conformations. While R1, R2, and R4 monomers occasionally adopted partially helical conformations, R3 monomers frequently formed β-sheets. In dimerization simulations, R3 displayed the strongest aggregation propensity with high β-sheet contents, while R1 was the least prone to aggregation. The R2 and R4 dimers contained both helix and β-sheet structures. The β-sheets in R4 assemblies were dominant with β-hairpin conformation. In R2 and R3 dimers, intermolecular β-sheets were mainly driven by residues around the paired helical filament (PHF) regions. Residues around the PHF6* in R2 and PHF6 in R3 had significantly higher intermolecular contacts than other regions, suggesting that these residues play a key role in the amyloid aggregation of tau. Our results on the structural ensembles and early aggregation dynamics of each tau MTB repeat will help understand the nucleation and fibrillization of tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan He
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yuying Liu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
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8
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Liu H, Li Q, Xiong C, Zhong H, Zhang Q, Liu H, Yao X. Uncovering the Effect of pS202/pT205/pS208 Triple Phosphorylations on the Conformational Features of the Key Fragment G192-T212 of Tau Protein. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:1039-1048. [PMID: 33663205 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubule-associated protein tau is abnormally phosphorylated and forms the aggregates of paired helical filaments in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. So far, the relationship and mechanism between the abnormal phosphorylation of tau and fibril formation is still unclear. Therefore, studying the effect of phosphorylation on the structure of tau protein is helpful to elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of tauopathies. It has been shown that pS202/pT205/pS208 triple phosphorylations located in the proline-rich region can promote tau aggregation. In this work, the effect of triple phosphorylations on tau structure was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations combined with multiple analytical methods of trajectories. The results showed that the conformational diversity of G192-T212 fragments decreased after phosphorylation compared with that of the wild-type. Moreover, the dynamic network and hydrogen bond analyses showed that the addition of pS208 phosphorylation can destroy the key hydrogen bonds and the network structure formed centered on pT205 at the C-terminal of the pS202/pT205 double phosphorylated peptide and then destroy the turn structure formed in the region of G207-R211. The destruction of this turn structure is considered to be the main reason for the aggregation of pS202/pT205/pS208 triple phosphorylations. For the pS202/pT205/pS208 triple phosphorylated system, the G207-R211 region is a coil structure, which is more extended and prone to aggregation. In a word, our results reveal the mechanism that pS202/pT205/pS208 triple phosphorylations promote tau aggregation at the atomic level, which can provide useful theoretical guidance for the rational design of effective therapeutic drugs against AD and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qin Li
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Chunmei Xiong
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Haiyang Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Huanxiang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaojun Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
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9
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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: 378] [Impact Index Per Article: 126.0] [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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10
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Roca C, Campillo NE. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) inhibitors: a patent update (2016–2019). Expert Opin Ther Pat 2020; 30:863-872. [DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2020.1815706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Roca
- Structural and Chemical Biology, Centro De Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria E. Campillo
- Structural and Chemical Biology, Centro De Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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11
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Derreumaux P, Man VH, Wang J, Nguyen PH. Tau R3-R4 Domain Dimer of the Wild Type and Phosphorylated Ser356 Sequences. I. In Solution by Atomistic Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:2975-2983. [PMID: 32216358 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c00574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
In Alzheimer's disease, neurofibrillary lesions correlate with cognitive deficits and consist of inclusions of tau protein with cross-β structure. A stable dimeric form of soluble tau has been evidenced in the cells, but its high-resolution structure is missing in solution. We know, however, that cryo-electron microscopy (c-EM) of full-length tau in the brain of an individual with AD displays a core of eight β-sheets with a C-shaped architecture spanning the R3-R4 repeat domain, while the rest of the protein is very flexible. To address the conformational ensemble of the dimer, we performed atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations on the tau R3-R4 domain starting from the c-EM configuration. We find that the wild type tau R3-R4 dimer explores elongated, U-shaped, V-shaped, and globular forms rather than the C-shape. Phosphorylation of Ser356, pSer356, is known to block the interaction between the tau protein and the amyloid-β42 peptide. Standard molecular dynamics simulations of this phosphorylated sequence for a total of 5 μs compared to its wild type counterpart show a modulation of the population of β-helices and accessible topologies and a decrease of intermediates near the fibril-like conformers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Derreumaux
- 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
| | - Viet Hoang Man
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, Université de Paris, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005, Paris, France.,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, 75000, Paris, France
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12
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Amir Mishan M, Rezaei Kanavi M, Shahpasand K, Ahmadieh H. Pathogenic Tau Protein Species: Promising Therapeutic Targets for Ocular Neurodegenerative Diseases. J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2019; 14:491-505. [PMID: 31875105 PMCID: PMC6825701 DOI: 10.18502/jovr.v14i4.5459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein, which is highly expressed in the central nervous system as well as ocular neurons and stabilizes microtubule structure. It is a phospho-protein being moderately phosphorylated under physiological conditions but its abnormal hyperphosphorylation or some post-phosphorylation modifications would result in a pathogenic condition, microtubule dissociation, and aggregation. The aggregates can induce neuroinflammation and trigger some pathogenic cascades, leading to neurodegeneration. Taking these together, targeting pathogenic tau employing tau immunotherapy may be a promising therapeutic strategy in fighting with cerebral and ocular neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Amir Mishan
- Ocular Tissue Engineering Research Center, Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mozhgan Rezaei Kanavi
- Ocular Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Koorosh Shahpasand
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Ahmadieh
- Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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13
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Zhang X, Gao F, Wang D, Li C, Fu Y, He W, Zhang J. Tau Pathology in Parkinson's Disease. Front Neurol 2018; 9:809. [PMID: 30333786 PMCID: PMC6176019 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau protein—a member of the microtubule-associated protein family—is a key protein involved in many neurodegenerative diseases. Tau pathology in neurodegenerative diseases is characterized by pathological tau aggregation in neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Diseases with this typical pathological feature are called tauopathies. Parkinson's disease (PD) was not initially considered to be a typical tauopathy. However, recent studies have demonstrated increasing evidence of tau pathology in PD. A genome-wide association (GWA) study indicated a potential association between tauopathy and sporadic PD. The aggregation and deposition of tau were also observed in ~50% of PD brains, and it seems to be transported from neuron to neuron. The aggregation of NFTs, the abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau protein, and the interaction between tau and alpha-synuclein may all contribute to the cell death and poor axonal transport observed in PD and Parkinsonism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Research Center on Pediatric Development and Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Gao
- Department of Immunology, Research Center on Pediatric Development and Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, China
| | - Dongdong Wang
- Department of Immunology, Research Center on Pediatric Development and Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Li
- Department of Immunology, Research Center on Pediatric Development and Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Fu
- Department of Immunology, Research Center on Pediatric Development and Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, China
| | - Wei He
- Department of Immunology, Research Center on Pediatric Development and Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, China
| | - Jianmin Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Research Center on Pediatric Development and Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, China
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14
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Prion-Like Propagation of Post-Translationally Modified Tau in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Hypothesis. J Mol Neurosci 2018; 65:480-490. [DOI: 10.1007/s12031-018-1111-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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15
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Bhattacharya S, Xu L, Thompson D. Revisiting the earliest signatures of amyloidogenesis: Roadmaps emerging from computational modeling and experiment. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shayon Bhattacharya
- Department of Physics, Bernal InstituteUniversity of LimerickLimerickIreland
| | - Liang Xu
- Department of Physics, Bernal InstituteUniversity of LimerickLimerickIreland
| | - Damien Thompson
- Department of Physics, Bernal InstituteUniversity of LimerickLimerickIreland
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16
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Xu L, Bhattacharya S, Thompson D. The fold preference and thermodynamic stability of α-synuclein fibrils is encoded in the non-amyloid-β component region. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:4502-4512. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cp08321a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The strain-dependent synucleinopathies may be partially imprinted in the fold-dependent thermodynamic properties of non-amyloid-β component (NAC) fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Xu
- Department of Physics
- Bernal Institute
- University of Limerick
- Ireland
| | | | - Damien Thompson
- Department of Physics
- Bernal Institute
- University of Limerick
- Ireland
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17
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Nizynski B, Dzwolak W, Nieznanski K. Amyloidogenesis of Tau protein. Protein Sci 2017; 26:2126-2150. [PMID: 28833749 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The role of microtubule-associated protein Tau in neurodegeneration has been extensively investigated since the discovery of Tau amyloid aggregates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The process of formation of amyloid fibrils is known as amyloidogenesis and attracts much attention as a potential target in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative conditions linked to protein aggregation. Cerebral deposition of amyloid aggregates of Tau is observed not only in AD but also in numerous other tauopathies and prion diseases. Amyloidogenesis of intrinsically unstructured monomers of Tau can be triggered by mutations in the Tau gene, post-translational modifications, or interactions with polyanionic molecules and aggregation-prone proteins/peptides. The self-assembly of amyloid fibrils of Tau shares a number of characteristic features with amyloidogenesis of other proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases. For example, in vitro experiments have demonstrated that the nucleation phase, which is the rate-limiting stage of Tau amyloidogenesis, is shortened in the presence of fragmented preformed Tau fibrils acting as aggregation templates ("seeds"). Accordingly, Tau aggregates released by tauopathy-affected neurons can spread the neurodegenerative process in the brain through a prion-like mechanism, originally described for the pathogenic form of prion protein. Moreover, Tau has been shown to form amyloid strains-structurally diverse self-propagating aggregates of potentially various pathological effects, resembling in this respect prion strains. Here, we review the current literature on Tau aggregation and discuss mechanisms of propagation of Tau amyloid in the light of the prion-like paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Nizynski
- College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, 2C Banacha Str, Warsaw, 02-097, Poland.,Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, 1 Pasteur Str, Warsaw, 02-093, Poland
| | - Wojciech Dzwolak
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, 1 Pasteur Str, Warsaw, 02-093, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Nieznanski
- Department of Biochemistry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Str, Warsaw, 02-093, Poland
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18
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Lucato CM, Lupton CJ, Halls ML, Ellisdon AM. Amyloidogenicity at a Distance: How Distal Protein Regions Modulate Aggregation in Disease. J Mol Biol 2017; 429:1289-1304. [PMID: 28342736 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The misfolding of proteins to form amyloid is a key pathological feature of several progressive, and currently incurable, diseases. A mechanistic understanding of the pathway from soluble, native protein to insoluble amyloid is crucial for therapeutic design, and recent efforts have helped to elucidate the key molecular events that trigger protein misfolding. Generally, either global or local structural perturbations occur early in amyloidogenesis to expose aggregation-prone regions of the protein that can then self-associate to form toxic oligomers. Surprisingly, these initiating structural changes are often caused or influenced by protein regions distal to the classically amyloidogenic sequences. Understanding the importance of these distal regions in the pathogenic process has highlighted many remaining knowledge gaps regarding the precise molecular events that occur in classic aggregation pathways. In this review, we discuss how these distal regions can influence aggregation in disease and the recent technical and conceptual advances that have allowed this insight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M Lucato
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Christopher J Lupton
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Michelle L Halls
- Drug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Andrew M Ellisdon
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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19
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Millan MJ. Linking deregulation of non-coding RNA to the core pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease: An integrative review. Prog Neurobiol 2017; 156:1-68. [PMID: 28322921 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Revised: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The human genome encodes a vast repertoire of protein non-coding RNAs (ncRNA), some specific to the brain. MicroRNAs, which interfere with the translation of target mRNAs, are of particular interest since their deregulation has been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it remains challenging to link the complex body of observations on miRNAs and AD into a coherent framework. Using extensive graphical support, this article discusses how a diverse panoply of miRNAs convergently and divergently impact (and are impacted by) core pathophysiological processes underlying AD: neuroinflammation and oxidative stress; aberrant generation of β-amyloid-42 (Aβ42); anomalies in the production, cleavage and post-translational marking of Tau; impaired clearance of Aβ42 and Tau; perturbation of axonal organisation; disruption of synaptic plasticity; endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response; mitochondrial dysfunction; aberrant induction of cell cycle re-entry; and apoptotic loss of neurons. Intriguingly, some classes of miRNA provoke these cellular anomalies, whereas others act in a counter-regulatory, protective mode. Moreover, changes in levels of certain species of miRNA are a consequence of the above-mentioned anomalies. In addition to miRNAs, circular RNAs, piRNAs, long non-coding RNAs and other types of ncRNA are being increasingly implicated in AD. Overall, a complex mesh of deregulated and multi-tasking ncRNAs reciprocally interacts with core pathophysiological mechanisms underlying AD. Alterations in ncRNAs can be detected in CSF and the circulation as well as the brain and are showing promise as biomarkers, with the ultimate goal clinical exploitation as targets for novel modes of symptomatic and course-altering therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Millan
- Centre for Therapeutic Innovation in Neuropsychiatry, institut de recherche Servier, 125 chemin de ronde, 78290 Croissy sur Seine, France.
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20
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Zabik NL, Imhof MM, Martic-Milne S. Structural evaluations of tau protein conformation: methodologies and approaches. Biochem Cell Biol 2017; 95:338-349. [PMID: 28278386 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2016-0227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-misfolding diseases are based on a common principle of aggregation initiated by intra- and inter-molecular contacts. The structural and conformational changes induced by biochemical transformations such as post-translational modifications (PTMs), often lead to protein unfolding and misfolding. Thus, these order-to-disorder or disorder-to-order transitions may regulate cellular function. Tau, a neuronal protein, regulates microtubule (MT) structure and overall cellular integrity. However, misfolded tau modified by PTMs results in MT destabilization, toxic tau aggregate formation, and ultimately cell death, leading to neurodegeneration. Currently, the lack of structural information surrounding tau severely limits understanding of neurodegeneration. This minireview focuses on the current methodologies and approaches aimed at probing tau conformation and the role of conformation in various aspects of tau biochemistry. The recent applications of nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, Förster resonance electron transfer, and molecular dynamics simulations toward structural analysis of conformational landscapes of tau will be described. The strategies developed for structural evaluation of tau may significantly improve our understanding of misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L Zabik
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Matthew M Imhof
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Sanela Martic-Milne
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
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21
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Xie C, Miyasaka T. The Role of the Carboxyl-Terminal Sequence of Tau and MAP2 in the Pathogenesis of Dementia. Front Mol Neurosci 2016; 9:158. [PMID: 28082867 PMCID: PMC5186789 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2016.00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Dementia includes several diseases characterized by acquired and irreversible brain dysfunctions that interfere with daily life. According to the etiology, dementia can be induced by poisoning or metabolic disorders, and other cases of dementia have a clear pathogenesis. However, half of neurodegenerative diseases have an unclear pathogenesis and etiology. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Lewy body dementia and frontal-temporal dementia are the three most common types of dementia. These neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the appearance of the following specific protein inclusions: amyloid beta and tau in AD; α-synuclein in Lewy body dementia; and tau, TDP-43, or FUS in frontal-temporal dementia. Thus far, studies on the pathogenesis of dementia mainly focus aberrant inclusions formed by the aforementioned proteins. As a historically heavily studied protein tau is likely to be associated with the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases that cause dementia. The role of tau in neurodegeneration has been unknown for many years. However, both pathological and genetic analyses have helped tau become gradually recognized as an important factor in the pathogenesis of tauopathy. Currently, especially in the field of AD, tau is attracting more attention and is being considered a potential target for drug development. In this review article, previously discovered biochemical and pathological features of tau are highlighted, and current opinions regarding the neurotoxicity of tau are summarized. Additionally, we introduce key amino acid sequences responsible for tau neurotoxicity from our studies using transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans. Finally, a new hypothesis regarding the roles of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and tau in the pathogenesis of tauopathy is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ce Xie
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical UniversityDalian, China; Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha UniversityKyotanabe, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Miyasaka
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University Kyotanabe, Japan
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22
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Albayram O, Herbert MK, Kondo A, Tsai CY, Baxley S, Lian X, Hansen M, Zhou XZ, Lu KP. Function and regulation of tau conformations in the development and treatment of traumatic brain injury and neurodegeneration. Cell Biosci 2016; 6:59. [PMID: 27980715 PMCID: PMC5139118 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-016-0124-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the two common hallmark lesions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains is neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (p-tau). NFTs are also a defining feature of other neurodegenerative disorders and have recently been identified in the brains of patients suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). However, NFTs are not normally observed in traumatic brain injury (TBI) until months or years after injury. This raises the question of whether NFTs are a cause or a consequence of long-term neurodegeneration following TBI. Two conformations of phosphorylated tau, cis p-tau and trans p-tau, which are regulated by the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1, have been previously identified. By generating a polyclonal and monoclonal antibody (Ab) pair capable of distinguishing between cis and trans isoforms of p-tau (cis p-tau and trans p-tau, respectively), cis p-tau was identified as a precursor of tau pathology and an early driver of neurodegeneration in AD, TBI and CTE. Histological studies shows the appearance of robust cis p-tau in the early stages of human mild cognitive impairment (MCI), AD and CTE brains, as well as after sport- and military-related TBI. Notably, cis p-tau appears within hours after closed head injury and long before other known pathogenic p-tau conformations including oligomers, pre-fibrillary tangles and NFTs. Importantly, cis p-tau monoclonal antibody treatment not only eliminates cis p-tau induction and tau pathology, but also restores many neuropathological and functional outcome in TBI mouse models. Thus, cis p-tau is an early driver of tau pathology in TBI and CTE and detection of cis p-tau in human bodily fluids could potentially provide new diagnostic and prognostic tools. Furthermore, humanization of the cis p-tau antibody could ultimately be developed as a new treatment for AD, TBI and CTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onder Albayram
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Megan K Herbert
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Asami Kondo
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Cheng-Yu Tsai
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Sean Baxley
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Xiaolan Lian
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Madison Hansen
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Xiao Zhen Zhou
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
| | - Kun Ping Lu
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 0408, Boston, MA USA
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23
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Bucki R, Janmey PA. Extracellular aggregation of polyelectrolytes escaped from the cell interior: Mechanisms and physiological consequences. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2016.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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24
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Ma B, Zhao J, Nussinov R. Conformational selection in amyloid-based immunotherapy: Survey of crystal structures of antibody-amyloid complexes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2016; 1860:2672-81. [PMID: 27266343 PMCID: PMC5610039 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The dominant feature in neurodegenerative diseases is protein aggregations that lead to neuronal loss. Immunotherapies using antibodies or antibody fragments to target the aggregations are a highly perused approach. The molecular mechanisms underlying the amyloid-based immunotherapy are complex. Deciphering the properties of amyloidogenic proteins responsible for these diseases is essential to obtain insights into antibody recognition of the amyloid antigens. SCOPE OF REVIEW We systematically explore all available crystal structures of antibody-amyloid complexes related to neurodegenerative diseases, including antibodies that recognize the Aβ peptide, tau protein, prion protein, alpha-synuclein, huntingtin protein (mHTT), and polyglutamine. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS We found that antibodies mostly use the conformational selection mechanism to recognize the highly flexible amyloid antigens. In particular, solanezumab bound to Aβ12-28 tripeptide motif conformation (F19F20A21), which is shared with the Aβ42 fibril. This motif, which is trapped by the antibody, may provide the missing link in amyloid formation. Water molecules often bridge between the antibody and amyloid, contributing to the recognition. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE This paper provides the structural basis for antibody recognition of amyloidogenic proteins. The analysis and discussion of known structures are expected to help in the design and optimization of antibodies in neurodegenerative diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "System Genetics" Guest Editor: Dr. Yudong Cai and Dr. Tao Huang.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buyong Ma
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, United States.
| | - Jun Zhao
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, United States; Sackler Inst. of Molecular Medicine, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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25
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Gerson JE, Mudher A, Kayed R. Potential mechanisms and implications for the formation of tau oligomeric strains. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2016; 51:482-496. [PMID: 27650389 PMCID: PMC5285467 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2016.1226251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The culmination of many years of increasing research into the toxicity of tau aggregation in neurodegenerative disease has led to the consensus that soluble, oligomeric forms of tau are likely the most toxic entities in disease. While tauopathies overlap in the presence of tau pathology, each disease has a unique combination of symptoms and pathological features; however, most study into tau has grouped tau oligomers and studied them as a homogenous population. Established evidence from the prion field combined with the most recent tau and amyloidogenic protein research suggests that tau is a prion-like protein, capable of seeding the spread of pathology throughout the brain. Thus, it is likely that tau may also form prion-like strains or diverse conformational structures that may differ by disease and underlie some of the differences in symptoms and pathology in neurodegenerative tauopathies. The development of techniques and new technology for the detection of tau oligomeric strains may, therefore, lead to more efficacious diagnostic and treatment strategies for neurodegenerative disease. [Formula: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia E. Gerson
- George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1045, USA
- Departments of Neurology, and Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1045, USA
| | - Amrit Mudher
- Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Rakez Kayed
- George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1045, USA
- Departments of Neurology, and Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1045, USA
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