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Tsintzas E, Niccoli T. Using Drosophila amyloid toxicity models to study Alzheimer's disease. Ann Hum Genet 2024. [PMID: 38517001 DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12554] [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: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia and is characterised by a progressive loss of neurons, which manifests as gradual memory decline, followed by cognitive loss. Despite the significant progress in identifying novel biomarkers and understanding the prodromal pathology and symptomatology, AD remains a significant unmet clinical need. Lecanemab and aducanumab, the only Food and Drug Administration approved drugs to exhibit some disease-modifying clinical efficacy, target Aβ amyloid, underscoring the importance of this protein in disease aetiology. Nevertheless, in the absence of a definitive cure, the utilisation of preclinical models remains imperative for the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the evaluation of potential therapeutic agents. Drosophila melanogaster is a model system that can be used as a research tool to investigate neurodegeneration and therapeutic interventions. The short lifespan, low price and ease of husbandry/rearing make Drosophila an advantageous model organism from a practical perspective. However, it is the highly conserved genome and similarity of Drosophila and human neurobiology which make flies a powerful tool to investigate neurodegenerative mechanisms. In addition, the ease of transgenic modifications allows for early proof of principle studies for future therapeutic approaches in neurodegenerative research. This mini review will specifically focus on utilising Drosophila as an in vivo model of amyloid toxicity in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elli Tsintzas
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Teresa Niccoli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
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3
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Schultz AP, Kloet RW, Sohrabi HR, van der Weerd L, van Rooden S, Wermer MJH, Moursel LG, Yaqub M, van Berckel BNM, Chatterjee P, Gardener SL, Taddei K, Fagan AM, Benzinger TL, Morris JC, Sperling R, Johnson K, Bateman RJ, Gurol ME, van Buchem MA, Martins R, Chhatwal JP, Greenberg SM. Amyloid imaging of dutch-type hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy carriers. Ann Neurol 2019; 86:616-625. [PMID: 31361916 DOI: 10.1002/ana.25560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether amyloid imaging with the positron emission tomography (PET) agent Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) can detect vascular β-amyloid (Aβ) in the essentially pure form of cerebral amyloid angiopathy associated with the Dutch-type hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy (D-CAA) mutation. METHODS PiB retention in a cortical composite of frontal, lateral, and retrosplenial regions (FLR) was measured by PiB-PET in 19 D-CAA mutation carriers (M+ ; 13 without neurologic symptoms, 6 with prior lobar intracerebral hemorrhage) and 17 mutation noncarriers (M- ). Progression of PiB retention was analyzed in a subset of 18 serially imaged individuals (10 asymptomatic M+ , 8 M- ). We also analyzed associations between PiB retention and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ concentrations in 17 M+ and 11 M- participants who underwent lumbar puncture and compared the findings to PiB-PET and CSF Aβ in 37 autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease (ADAD) mutation carriers. RESULTS D-CAA M+ showed greater age-dependent FLR PiB retention (p < 0.001) than M- , and serially imaged asymptomatic M+ demonstrated greater longitudinal increases (p = 0.004). Among M+ , greater FLR PiB retention associated with reduced CSF concentrations of Aβ40 (r = -0.55, p = 0.021) but not Aβ42 (r = 0.01, p = 0.991). Despite comparably low CSF Aβ40 and Aβ42, PiB retention was substantially less in D-CAA than ADAD (p < 0.001). INTERPRETATION Increased PiB retention in D-CAA and correlation with reduced CSF Aβ40 suggest this compound labels vascular amyloid, although to a lesser degree than amyloid deposits in ADAD. Progression in PiB signal over time suggests amyloid PET as a potential biomarker in trials of candidate agents for this untreatable cause of hemorrhagic stroke. ANN NEUROL 2019;86:616-625.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron P Schultz
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Reina W Kloet
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Hamid R Sohrabi
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Louise van der Weerd
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sanneke van Rooden
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke J H Wermer
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Laure Grand Moursel
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Maqsood Yaqub
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine and Department of Neurology (Alzheimer's Center), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bart N M van Berckel
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine and Department of Neurology (Alzheimer's Center), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pratishtha Chatterjee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Samantha L Gardener
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Kevin Taddei
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Anne M Fagan
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | - Tammie L Benzinger
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | - John C Morris
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | - Reisa Sperling
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Keith Johnson
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Randall J Bateman
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | | | - M Edip Gurol
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Mark A van Buchem
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ralph Martins
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jasmeer P Chhatwal
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Steven M Greenberg
- Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
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Braggin JE, Bucks SA, Course MM, Smith CL, Sopher B, Osnis L, Shuey KD, Domoto‐Reilly K, Caso C, Kinoshita C, Scherpelz KP, Cross C, Grabowski T, Nik SHM, Newman M, Garden GA, Leverenz JB, Tsuang D, Latimer C, Gonzalez‐Cuyar LF, Keene CD, Morrison RS, Rhoads K, Wijsman EM, Dorschner MO, Lardelli M, Young JE, Valdmanis PN, Bird TD, Jayadev S. Alternative splicing in a presenilin 2 variant associated with Alzheimer disease. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2019; 6:762-777. [PMID: 31020001 PMCID: PMC6469258 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Autosomal-dominant familial Alzheimer disease (AD) is caused by by variants in presenilin 1 (PSEN1), presenilin 2 (PSEN2), and amyloid precursor protein (APP). Previously, we reported a rare PSEN2 frameshift variant in an early-onset AD case (PSEN2 p.K115Efs*11). In this study, we characterize a second family with the same variant and analyze cellular transcripts from both patient fibroblasts and brain lysates. METHODS We combined genomic, neuropathological, clinical, and molecular techniques to characterize the PSEN2 K115Efs*11 variant in two families. RESULTS Neuropathological and clinical evaluation confirmed the AD diagnosis in two individuals carrying the PSEN2 K115Efs*11 variant. A truncated transcript from the variant allele is detectable in patient fibroblasts while levels of wild-type PSEN2 transcript and protein are reduced compared to controls. Functional studies to assess biological consequences of the variant demonstrated that PSEN2 K115Efs*11 fibroblasts secrete less Aβ 1-40 compared to controls, indicating abnormal γ-secretase activity. Analysis of PSEN2 transcript levels in brain tissue revealed alternatively spliced PSEN2 products in patient brain as well as in sporadic AD and age-matched control brain. INTERPRETATION These data suggest that PSEN2 K115Efs*11 is a likely pathogenic variant associated with AD. We uncovered novel PSEN2 alternative transcripts in addition to previously reported PSEN2 splice isoforms associated with sporadic AD. In the context of a frameshift, these alternative transcripts return to the canonical reading frame with potential to generate deleterious protein products. Our findings suggest novel potential mechanisms by which PSEN variants may influence AD pathogenesis, highlighting the complexity underlying genetic contribution to disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Meredith M. Course
- Division of Medical GeneticsDepartment of MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Carole L. Smith
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Bryce Sopher
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Leah Osnis
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Kiel D. Shuey
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | | | - Christina Caso
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Chizuru Kinoshita
- Department of Neurological SurgeryUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | | | - Chloe Cross
- School of MedicineUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtah
| | - Thomas Grabowski
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Seyyed H. M. Nik
- Genetics and EvolutionUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSouth Australia
| | - Morgan Newman
- Genetics and EvolutionUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSouth Australia
| | - Gwenn A. Garden
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Department of PathologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | | | - Debby Tsuang
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Division of Medical GeneticsDepartment of MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical CenterVA Puget Sound Health Care SystemSeattleWashington
| | - Caitlin Latimer
- Department of PathologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | | | | | | | | | - Ellen M. Wijsman
- Division of Medical GeneticsDepartment of MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Univeristy of Washington Department of BiostatisticsSeattleWashington
| | - Michael O. Dorschner
- Department of PathologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- UW Medicine Center for Precision DiagnosticsUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Michael Lardelli
- Genetics and EvolutionUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSouth Australia
| | - Jessica E. Young
- Department of PathologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Paul N. Valdmanis
- Division of Medical GeneticsDepartment of MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Thomas D. Bird
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Division of Medical GeneticsDepartment of MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical CenterVA Puget Sound Health Care SystemSeattleWashington
| | - Suman Jayadev
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
- Division of Medical GeneticsDepartment of MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
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Zou R, Kuang G, Ågren H, Nordberg A, Långström B, Tu Y. Free Energy Profile for Penetration of Pittsburgh Compound-B into the Amyloid β Fibril. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:1783-1790. [PMID: 30698013 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloid β (Aβ) fibril is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has therefore served as an important target for early diagnosis of AD. The Pittsburgh Compound-B (PiB) is one of the most famous positron emission tomography (PET) tracers commonly used for in vivo detection of Aβ fibrils. Many theoretical studies have predicted the existence of various core binding sites with different microenvironments for probes binding to the Aβ fibril. However, little attention has been devoted to how the probes actually penetrate into the different core binding sites. In this study, an integrated molecular modeling scheme is used to study the penetration of PiB into the core binding sites of the Aβ1-42 fibril structure recently obtained by cryogenic electron microscopy. We find that there are two core binding sites for PiB with dramatic differences in cavity size and microenvironment properties, and furthermore that the penetration of PiB into site-1 is energetically prohibitive, whereas the penetration into site-2 is much more favorable. Therefore, the binding capacity at site-2 may be larger than that at site-1 despite its lower binding affinity. Our results thus suggest that site-2 may be a major binding site for PiB binding to Aβ fibril and emphasize the importance to adopt a full dynamical picture when studying tracer-fibril binding problems in general, something that in turn can be used to guide the development of tracers with higher affinity and selectivity for the Aβ fibril.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongfeng Zou
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova University Center, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Guanglin Kuang
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova University Center, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hans Ågren
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova University Center, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan 475004, P. R. China
| | - Agneta Nordberg
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center of Alzheimer Research, Clinical Geriatrics, Neo and Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institute, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Bengt Långström
- Department of Chemistry—BMC, Physical Organic Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yaoquan Tu
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova University Center, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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Coskuner-Weber O, Uversky VN. Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases with Molecular Simulations: Understanding the Roles of Artificial and Pathological Missense Mutations in Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Related to Pathology. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E336. [PMID: 29364151 PMCID: PMC5855558 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Revised: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β and α-synuclein are intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which are at the center of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease pathologies, respectively. These IDPs are extremely flexible and do not adopt stable structures. Furthermore, both amyloid-β and α-synuclein can form toxic oligomers, amyloid fibrils and other type of aggregates in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Experimentalists face challenges in investigating the structures and thermodynamic properties of these IDPs in their monomeric and oligomeric forms due to the rapid conformational changes, fast aggregation processes and strong solvent effects. Classical molecular dynamics simulations complement experiments and provide structural information at the atomic level with dynamics without facing the same experimental limitations. Artificial missense mutations are employed experimentally and computationally for providing insights into the structure-function relationships of amyloid-β and α-synuclein in relation to the pathologies of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Furthermore, there are several natural genetic variations that play a role in the pathogenesis of familial cases of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, which are related to specific genetic defects inherited in dominant or recessive patterns. The present review summarizes the current understanding of monomeric and oligomeric forms of amyloid-β and α-synuclein, as well as the impacts of artificial and pathological missense mutations on the structural ensembles of these IDPs using molecular dynamics simulations. We also emphasize the recent investigations on residual secondary structure formation in dynamic conformational ensembles of amyloid-β and α-synuclein, such as β-structure linked to the oligomerization and fibrillation mechanisms related to the pathologies of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. This information represents an important foundation for the successful and efficient drug design studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orkid Coskuner-Weber
- Türkisch-Deutsche Universität, Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, Molecular Biotechnology, Sahinkaya Caddesi, No. 86, Beykoz, Istanbul 34820, Turkey.
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
- Laboratory of New Methods in Biology, Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia.
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