1
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Lee CH, Saw JE, Chen EHL, Wang CH, Uchihashi T, Chen RPY. The Positively Charged Cluster in the N-terminal Disordered Region may Affect Prion Protein Misfolding: Cryo-EM Structure of Hamster PrP(23-144) Fibrils. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168576. [PMID: 38641239 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Prions, the misfolding form of prion proteins, are contagious proteinaceous macromolecules. Recent studies have shown that infectious prion fibrils formed in the brain and non-infectious fibrils formed from recombinant prion protein in a partially denaturing condition have distinct structures. The amyloid core of the in vitro-prepared non-infectious fibrils starts at about residue 160, while that of infectious prion fibrils formed in the brain involves a longer sequence (residues ∼90-230) of structural conversion. The C-terminal truncated prion protein PrP(23-144) can form infectious fibrils under certain conditions and cause disease in animals. In this study, we used cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to resolve the structure of hamster sHaPrP(23-144) fibrils prepared at pH 3.7. This 2.88 Å cryo-EM structure has an amyloid core covering residues 94-144. It comprises two protofilaments, each containing five β-strands arranged as a long hairpin plus an N-terminal β-strand. This N-terminal β-strand resides in a positively charged cluster region (named PCC2; sequence 96-111), which interacts with the turn region of the opposite protofilaments' hairpin to stabilize the fibril structure. Interestingly, this sHaPrP(23-144) fibril structure differs from a recently reported structure formed by the human or mouse counterpart at pH 6.5. Moreover, sHaPrP(23-144) fibrils have many structural features in common with infectious prions. Whether this structure is infectious remains to be determined. More importantly, the sHaPrP(23-144) structure is different from the sHaPrP(108-144) fibrils prepared in the same fibrillization buffer, indicating that the N-terminal disordered region, possibly the positively charged cluster, influences the misfolding pathway of the prion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Hsuan Lee
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Ee Saw
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Eric H-L Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hsiung Wang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Takayuki Uchihashi
- Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan; Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan; Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Rita P-Y Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei 106, Taiwan; Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
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2
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Chu BKY, Lin YS, Shen HCH, Chen RPY. Cross-Seeding Assay in the Investigation of the Amyloid Core of Prion Fibrils. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2551:633-647. [PMID: 36310229 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2597-2_38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Amyloidogenesis, self-propagation of protein or peptide monomers to amyloid fibrils, has been linked to incurable pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and prion diseases. Investigations of amyloid structures and how monomers are transformed through seeding are therefore crucial for developing therapeutics toward these diseases. Here we describe a cross-seeding method to explore the amyloid core in prion fibrils that uses preformed amyloid fibrils as a seed to induce the transformation of other protein or peptide monomers to amyloid fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett K-Y Chu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Sheng Lin
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Howard C-H Shen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Rita P-Y Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
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3
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Zhang T, Pan Y, Kandapal S, Sun X, Xu B. Following the Aggregation of Human Prion Protein on Heparin Functionalized Gold Surface in Real Time. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:5457-5464. [PMID: 36228282 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The aggregation of the prion protein (PrP) plays a key role in the development of prion diseases and is believed to be an autocatalytic process with a very high kinetic barrier. Intensive studies have focused on overcoming the kinetic barriers under extremely nonphysiological in vitro conditions by altering the pH of PrP solution on solid surfaces, such as gold, mica, and a lipid bilayer. Importantly, sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), including heparin, were found to be associated with PrP misfolding and aggregation, suggesting GAGs have catalytic roles in PrP aggregation processes. However, the exact role and details of GAGs in the PrP aggregation are not clear and need a thorough perusal. Here, we investigate the PrP aggregation process on a heparin functionalized gold surface by in situ, real-time monitoring of the atomic scale details of the whole aggregation process by single molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM), combining simultaneous topographic and recognition (TREC) imaging and single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). We observed the whole aggregation process for full-length human recombinant PrP (23-231) aggregation on the heparin modified gold surface, from the formation of oligomers, to the assembly of protofibrils and short fibers, and the formation of elongated mature fibers. Heparin is found to promote the PrP aggregation by facilitating the formation of oligomers during the early nucleation stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Zhang
- Single Molecule Study Laboratory, College of Engineering and Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia30602, United States
| | - Yangang Pan
- Single Molecule Study Laboratory, College of Engineering and Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia30602, United States
| | - Sneha Kandapal
- Single Molecule Study Laboratory, College of Engineering and Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia30602, United States
| | - Xin Sun
- Single Molecule Study Laboratory, College of Engineering and Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia30602, United States
| | - Bingqian Xu
- Single Molecule Study Laboratory, College of Engineering and Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia30602, United States
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4
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Chen EHL, Kao HW, Lee CH, Huang JYC, Wu KP, Chen RPY. 2.2 Å Cryo-EM Tetra-Protofilament Structure of the Hamster Prion 108-144 Fibril Reveals an Ordered Water Channel in the Center. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:13888-13894. [PMID: 35857020 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c05479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fibrils of the hamster prion peptide (sHaPrP, sequence 108-144) were prepared in an acidic solution, and their structure was solved by cryogenic electron microscopy with a resolution of 2.23 Å based on the gold-standard Fourier shell correlation (FSC) curve. The fibril has a novel architecture that has never been found in other amyloid fibrils. Each fibril is assembled by four protofilaments (PFs) and has an ordered water channel in the center. Each protofilament contains three β-strands (125-130, 133-135, and 138-141) arranged in an "R"-shaped construct. The structural data indicate that these three β-strand segments are the most amyloidogenic region of the prion peptide/protein and might be the site of nucleation during fibrillization under conditions without denaturants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric H-L Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Hsi-Wen Kao
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Hsuan Lee
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Jessica Y C Huang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Kuen-Phon Wu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Rita P-Y Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.,Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan
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5
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Arifin MI, Hannaoui S, Chang SC, Thapa S, Schatzl HM, Gilch S. Cervid Prion Protein Polymorphisms: Role in Chronic Wasting Disease Pathogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052271. [PMID: 33668798 PMCID: PMC7956812 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease found in both free-ranging and farmed cervids. Susceptibility of these animals to CWD is governed by various exogenous and endogenous factors. Past studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms within the prion protein (PrP) sequence itself affect an animal's susceptibility to CWD. PrP polymorphisms can modulate CWD pathogenesis in two ways: the ability of the endogenous prion protein (PrPC) to convert into infectious prions (PrPSc) or it can give rise to novel prion strains. In vivo studies in susceptible cervids, complemented by studies in transgenic mice expressing the corresponding cervid PrP sequence, show that each polymorphism has distinct effects on both PrPC and PrPSc. It is not entirely clear how these polymorphisms are responsible for these effects, but in vitro studies suggest they play a role in modifying PrP epitopes crucial for PrPC to PrPSc conversion and determining PrPC stability. PrP polymorphisms are unique to one or two cervid species and most confer a certain degree of reduced susceptibility to CWD. However, to date, there are no reports of polymorphic cervid PrP alleles providing absolute resistance to CWD. Studies on polymorphisms have focused on those found in CWD-endemic areas, with the hope that understanding the role of an animal's genetics in CWD can help to predict, contain, or prevent transmission of CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Immaculata Arifin
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Samia Hannaoui
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Sheng Chun Chang
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Simrika Thapa
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Hermann M. Schatzl
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Sabine Gilch
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (M.I.A.); (S.H.); (S.C.C.); (S.T.); (H.M.S.)
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Correspondence:
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6
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Shen HCH, Chen YH, Lin YS, Chu BKY, Liang CS, Yang CC, Chen RPY. Segments in the Amyloid Core that Distinguish Hamster from Mouse Prion Fibrils. Neurochem Res 2019; 44:1399-1409. [PMID: 30603982 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-018-02709-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting humans and other mammals. The disease transmission can occur between different species but is limited by the sequence homology between host and inoculum. The crucial molecular event in the progression of this disease is prion formation, starting from the conformational conversion of the normal, membrane-anchored prion protein (PrPC) into the misfolded, β-sheet-rich and aggregation-prone isoform (PrPSc), which then self-associates into the infectious amyloid form called prion. Amyloid is the aggregate formed from one-dimensional protein association. As amyloid formation is a key hallmark in prion pathogenesis, studying which segments in prion protein are involved in the amyloid formation can provide molecular details in the cross-species transmission barrier of prion diseases. However, due to the difficulties of studying protein aggregates, very limited knowledge about prion structure or prion formation was disclosed by now. In this study, cross-seeding assay was used to identify the segments involved in the amyloid fibril formation of full-length hamster prion protein, SHaPrP(23-231). Our results showed that the residues in the segments 108-127, 172-194 (helix 2 in PrPC) and 200-227 (helix 3 in PrPC) are in the amyloid core of hamster prion fibrils. The segment 127-143, but not 107-126 (which corresponds to hamster sequence 108-127), was previously reported to be involved in the amyloid core of full-length mouse prion fibrils. Our results indicate that hamster prion protein and mouse prion protein use different segments to form the amyloid core in amyloidogenesis. The sequence-dependent core formation can be used to explain the seeding barrier between mouse and hamster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard C-H Shen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Han Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Sheng Lin
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.,Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Brett K-Y Chu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.,Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Shin Liang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Chih Yang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Rita P-Y Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan. .,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
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7
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Harrathi C, Fernández-Borges N, Eraña H, Elezgarai SR, Venegas V, Charco JM, Castilla J. Insights into the Bidirectional Properties of the Sheep-Deer Prion Transmission Barrier. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:5287-5303. [PMID: 30592012 PMCID: PMC6614146 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1443-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The large chronic wasting disease (CWD)-affected cervid population in the USA and Canada, and the risk of the disease being transmitted to humans through intermediate species, is a highly worrying issue that is still poorly understood. In this case, recombinant protein misfolding cyclic amplification was used to determine, in vitro, the relevance of each individual amino acid on cross-species prion transmission. Others and we have found that the β2-α2 loop is a key modulator of transmission barriers between species and markedly influences infection by sheep scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or elk CWD. Amino acids that differentiate ovine and deer normal host prion protein (PrPC) and associated with structural rigidity of the loop β2-α2 (S173N, N177T) appear to confer resistance to some prion diseases. However, addition of methionine at codon 208 together with the previously described rigid loop substitutions seems to hide a key in this species barrier, as it makes sheep recombinant prion protein highly susceptible to CWD-induced misfolding. These studies indicate that interspecies prion transmission is not only governed just by the β2-α2 loop amino acid sequence but also by its interactions with the α3-helix as shown by substitution I208M. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, characterized by long incubation periods and spongiform changes associated with neuronal loss in the brain, have been described in several mammalian species appearing either naturally (scrapie in sheep and goats, bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle, chronic wasting disease in cervids, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans) or by experimental transmission studies (scrapie in mice and hamsters). Much of the pathogenesis of the prion diseases has been determined in the last 40 years, such as the etiological agent or the fact that prions occur as different strains that show distinct biological and physicochemical properties. However, there are many unanswered questions regarding the strain phenomenon and interspecies transmissibility. To assess the risk of interspecies transmission between scrapie and chronic wasting disease, an in vitro prion propagation method has been used. This technique allows to predict the amino acids preventing the transmission between sheep and deer prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chafik Harrathi
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | | | - Hasier Eraña
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Saioa R Elezgarai
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Vanessa Venegas
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Jorge M Charco
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain. .,IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain.
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8
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Wang Y, Hall CK. Seeding and cross-seeding fibrillation of N-terminal prion protein peptides PrP(120-144). Protein Sci 2018; 27:1304-1313. [PMID: 29637634 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are infectious neurodegenerative diseases that are capable of cross-species transmission, thus arousing public health concerns. Seed-templating propagation of prion protein is believed to underlie prion cross-species transmission pathology. Understanding the molecular fundamentals of prion propagation is key to unravelling the pathology of prion diseases. In this study, we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics to investigate the seeding and cross-seeding aggregation of three prion protein fragments PrP(120-144) originating from human (Hu), bank vole (BV), and Syrian hamster (SHa). We find that the seed accelerates the aggregation of the monomer peptides by eliminating the lag phase. The monomer aggregation kinetics are mainly determined by the structure of the seed. The stronger the hydrophobic residues on the seed associate with each other, the higher the probability that the seed recruits monomer peptides to its surface/interface. For cross-seeding aggregation, we show that Hu has a strong tendency to adopt the conformation of the BV seed and vice versa; the Hu and BV monomers have a weak tendency to adopt the conformation of the SHa seed. These two findings are consistent with Apostol et al.'s experimental findings on PrP(138-143) and partially consistent with Jones et al.'s finding on PrP(23-144). We also identify several conformational mismatches when SHa cross-seeds BV and Hu peptides, indicating the existence of a cross-seeding barrier between SHa and the other two sequences. This study sheds light on the molecular mechanism of seed-templating aggregation of prion protein fragments underlying the sequence-dependent transmission barrier in prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695-7905
| | - Carol K Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695-7905
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9
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Lou Z, Wang B, Guo C, Wang K, Zhang H, Xu B. Molecular-level insights of early-stage prion protein aggregation on mica and gold surface determined by AFM imaging and molecular simulation. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2015; 135:371-378. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2015.07.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Revised: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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10
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Comparison of the anti-amyloidogenic effect of O-mannosylation, O-galactosylation, and O-GalNAc glycosylation. Carbohydr Res 2014; 387:46-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2014.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2013] [Revised: 01/28/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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11
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Chatterjee B, Lee CY, Lin C, Chen EHL, Huang CL, Yang CC, Chen RPY. Amyloid core formed of full-length recombinant mouse prion protein involves sequence 127-143 but not sequence 107-126. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67967. [PMID: 23844138 PMCID: PMC3700907 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The principal event underlying the development of prion disease is the conversion of soluble cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into its disease-causing isoform, PrP(Sc). This conversion is associated with a marked change in secondary structure from predominantly α-helical to a high β-sheet content, ultimately leading to the formation of aggregates consisting of ordered fibrillar assemblies referred to as amyloid. In vitro, recombinant prion proteins and short prion peptides from various species have been shown to form amyloid under various conditions and it has been proposed that, theoretically, any protein and peptide could form amyloid under appropriate conditions. To identify the peptide segment involved in the amyloid core formed from recombinant full-length mouse prion protein mPrP(23-230), we carried out seed-induced amyloid formation from recombinant prion protein in the presence of seeds generated from the short prion peptides mPrP(107-143), mPrP(107-126), and mPrP(127-143). Our results showed that the amyloid fibrils formed from mPrP(107-143) and mPrP(127-143), but not those formed from mPrP(107-126), were able to seed the amyloidogenesis of mPrP(23-230), showing that the segment residing in sequence 127-143 was used to form the amyloid core in the fibrillization of mPrP(23-230).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chung-Yu Lee
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen Lin
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Eric H.-L. Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Li Huang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Chih Yang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Rita P.-Y. Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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12
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Chuang CC, Liao TY, Chen EHL, Chen RPY. How do amino acid substitutions affect the amyloidogenic properties and seeding efficiency of prion peptides. Amino Acids 2013; 45:785-96. [PMID: 23736988 PMCID: PMC3776267 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-013-1522-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2012] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The amino acid sequences in the amyloidogenic region (amino acids 108–144) of several mammalian prion proteins were compared and variations were found to occur at residues 109 (M or L), 112 (M or V), 129 (M, V, or L), 135 (N or S), 138 (M, L, or I), 139 (M or I), and 143 (N or S). Using the bovine PrP peptide (residues 108–144 based on the numbering of the human prion protein sequence) as a control peptide, several peptides with one amino acid differing from that of the bovine PrP peptide at residues 109, 112, 135, 138, 139, or 143 and several mammalian PrP peptides were synthesized, and the effects of these amino acid substitutions on the amyloidogenic properties of these peptides were compared and discussed on the basis of the chemical and structural properties of amino acids. Our results showed that the V112M substitution accelerated nucleation of amyloidogenesis, while the N143S and I139M substitutions retarded nucleation. These effects tended to cancel each other out when two substitutions with opposite effects were present on the same peptide. Moreover, acceleration or inhibition of nucleation was not necessarily correlated with effect on seeding efficiency. Using amyloid fibrils prepared from the bovine PrP peptide as seeds, the seeding efficiency for the monomer peptides with the M129L, S135N, N143S, or I139M substitution was decreased compared to that for bPrP peptide. Of all the mammalian peptides used in this study, the dog, mule deer, and pig PrP peptides had the lowest seeding efficiencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Chen Chuang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, ROC
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Hsu JCC, Chen EHL, Snoeberger RC, Luh FY, Lim TS, Hsu CP, Chen RPY. Thioflavin T and its photoirradiative derivatives: exploring their spectroscopic properties in the absence and presence of amyloid fibrils. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:3459-68. [PMID: 23458420 DOI: 10.1021/jp309331u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we found that, during storage or after UV irradiation, ThT is demethylated or oxidized, forming three derivatives. These three derivatives were purified by high performance liquid chromatography and characterized by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the spectroscopic properties of pure ThT and the derivatives carefully compared. Our results show that the emission peak at 450 nm results from oxidized ThT and not from the monomeric form of ThT, as previously proposed. The partial conversion of ThT into oxidized and demethylated derivatives has an effect on amyloid detection using ThT assay. Irradiated ThT has the same lag time as pure ThT in the amyloidogenesis of insulin, but the intensity of the emitted fluorescence is significantly decreased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack C-C Hsu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
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Sang JC, Lee CY, Luh FY, Huang YW, Chiang YW, Chen RPY. Slow spontaneous α-to-β structural conversion in a non-denaturing neutral condition reveals the intrinsically disordered property of the disulfide-reduced recombinant mouse prion protein. Prion 2012; 6:489-97. [PMID: 22987112 PMCID: PMC3510854 DOI: 10.4161/pri.22217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In prion diseases, the normal prion protein is transformed by an unknown mechanism from a mainly α-helical structure to a β-sheet-rich, disease-related isomer. In this study, we surprisingly found that a slow, spontaneous α-to-coil-to-β transition could be monitored by circular dichroism spectroscopy in one full-length mouse recombinant prion mutant protein, denoted S132C/N181C, in which the endogenous cysteines C179 and C214 were replaced by Ala and S132 and N181 were replaced by Cys, during incubation in a non-denaturing neutral buffer. No denaturant was required to destabilize the native state for the conversion. The product after this structural conversion is toxic β-oligomers with high fluorescence intensity when binding with thioflavin T. Site-directed spin-labeling ESR data suggested that the structural conversion involves the unfolding of helix 2. After examining more protein mutants, it was found that the spontaneous structural conversion is due to the disulfide-deletion (C to A mutations). The recombinant wild-type mouse prion protein could also be transformed into β-oligomers and amyloid fibrils simply by dissolving and incubating the protein in 0.5 mM NaOAc (pH 7) and 1 mM DTT at 25°C with no need of adding any denaturant to destabilize the prion protein. Our findings indicate the important role of disulfide bond reduction on the structural conversion of the recombinant prion protein, and highlight the special “intrinsically disordered” conformational character of the recombinant prion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason C Sang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Rubio J, Alfonso I, Burguete MI, Luis SV. Interplay between hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions in the self-assembly of a gemini amphiphilic pseudopeptide: from nano-spheres to hydrogels. Chem Commun (Camb) 2012; 48:2210-2. [DOI: 10.1039/c2cc17153h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Liao TY, Lee LYL, Chen RPY. Leu138 in bovine prion peptide fibrils is involved in seeding discrimination related to codon 129 M/V polymorphism in the prion peptide seeding experiment. FEBS J 2011; 278:4351-61. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2011.08353.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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17
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Cho KR, Huang Y, Yu S, Yin S, Plomp M, Qiu SR, Lakshminarayanan R, Moradian-Oldak J, Sy MS, De Yoreo JJ. A multistage pathway for human prion protein aggregation in vitro: from multimeric seeds to β-oligomers and nonfibrillar structures. J Am Chem Soc 2011; 133:8586-93. [PMID: 21534611 PMCID: PMC4505822 DOI: 10.1021/ja1117446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant protein aggregation causes numerous neurological diseases including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), but the aggregation mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report AFM results on the formation pathways of β-oligomers and nonfibrillar aggregates from wild-type full-length recombinant human prion protein (WT) and an insertion mutant (10OR) with five additional octapeptide repeats linked to familial CJD. Upon partial denaturing, seeds consisting of 3-4 monomers quickly appeared. Oligomers of ~11-22 monomers then formed through direct interaction of seeds, rather than by subsequent monomer attachment. All larger aggregates formed through association of these β-oligomers. Although both WT and 10OR exhibited identical aggregation mechanisms, the latter oligomerized faster due to lower solubility and, hence, thermodynamic stability. This novel aggregation pathway has implications for prion diseases as well as others caused by protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang R. Cho
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Yu Huang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Shuiliang Yu
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Shaoman Yin
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Marco Plomp
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - S. Roger Qiu
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Rajamani Lakshminarayanan
- Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, United States
| | - Janet Moradian-Oldak
- Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, United States
| | - Man-Sun Sy
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - James J. De Yoreo
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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Ho CC, Lee LYL, Huang KT, Lin CC, Ku MY, Yang CC, Chan SI, Hsu RL, Chen RPY. Tuning the conformational properties of the prion peptide. Proteins 2009; 76:213-25. [DOI: 10.1002/prot.22341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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19
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Steric Zipper of the Amyloid Fibrils Formed by Residues 109–122 of the Syrian Hamster Prion Protein. J Mol Biol 2008; 378:1142-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2007] [Revised: 03/04/2008] [Accepted: 03/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Makarava N, Lee CI, Ostapchenko VG, Baskakov IV. Highly promiscuous nature of prion polymerization. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:36704-13. [PMID: 17940285 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m704926200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The primary structure of the prion protein (PrP) is believed to be the key factor in regulating the species barrier of prion transmission. Because the strength of the species barrier was found to be affected by the prion strain, the extent to which the barrier can indeed be attributed to differences in the PrP primary structures of either donor and acceptor species remains unclear. In this study, we exploited the intrinsic property of PrP to polymerize spontaneously into disease-related amyloid conformations in the absence of a strain-specified template and analyzed polymerization of mouse and hamster full-length recombinant PrPs. Unexpectedly, we found no evidence of species specificity in cross-seeding polymerization assays. Even when both recombinant PrP variants were present in mixtures, preformed mouse or hamster fibrils displayed no selectivity in elongation reactions and consumed equally well both homologous and heterologous substrates. Analysis of individual fibrils revealed that fibrils can elongate in a bidirectional or unidirectional manner. Our work revealed that, in the absence of a cellular environment, post-translational modifications, or strain-specified conformational constraints, PrP fibrils are intrinsically promiscuous and capable of utilizing heterologous PrP variants as a substrate in a highly efficient manner. This study suggests that amyloid structures are capable of accommodating local perturbations arising because of a mismatch in amino acid sequences and highlights the promiscuous nature of the self-propagating activity of amyloid fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallia Makarava
- Medical Biotechnology Center, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baltimore 21201, USA
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