1
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Meng F, Kim JY, Louis JM, Chung HS. Single-Molecule Characterization of Heterogeneous Oligomer Formation during Co-Aggregation of 40- and 42-Residue Amyloid-β. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:24426-24439. [PMID: 39177153 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c06372] [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: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
The two most abundant isoforms of amyloid-β (Aβ) are the 40- (Aβ40) and 42-residue (Aβ42) peptides. Since they coexist and there is a correlation between toxicity and the ratio of the two isoforms, quantitative characterization of their interactions is crucial for understanding the Aβ aggregation mechanism. In this work, we follow the aggregation of individual isoforms in a mixture using single-molecule FRET spectroscopy by labeling Aβ42 and Aβ40 with the donor and acceptor fluorophores, respectively. We found that there are two phases of aggregation. The first phase consists of coaggregation of Aβ42 with a small amount of Aβ40, while the second phase results mostly from aggregation of Aβ40. We also found that the aggregation of Aβ42 is slowed by Aβ40 while the aggregation of Aβ40 is accelerated by Aβ42 in a concentration-dependent manner. The formation of oligomers was monitored by incubating mixtures in a plate reader and performing a single-molecule free-diffusion experiment at several different stages of aggregation. The detailed properties of the oligomers were obtained by maximum likelihood analysis of fluorescence bursts. The FRET efficiency distribution is much broader than that of the Aβ42 oligomers, indicating the diversity in isoform composition of the oligomers. Pulsed interleaved excitation experiments estimate that the fraction of Aβ40 in the co-oligomers in a 1:1 mixture of Aβ42 and Aβ40 varies between 0 and 20%. The detected oligomers were mostly co-oligomers especially at the physiological ratio of Aβ42 and Aβ40 (1:10), suggesting the critical role of Aβ40 in oligomer formation and aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanjie Meng
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - Jae-Yeol Kim
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - John M Louis
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - Hoi Sung Chung
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
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2
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Sternke-Hoffmann R, Sun X, Menzel A, Pinto MDS, Venclovaite U, Wördehoff M, Hoyer W, Zheng W, Luo J. Phase Separation and Aggregation of α-Synuclein Diverge at Different Salt Conditions. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2308279. [PMID: 38973194 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202308279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
The coacervation of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) into cytotoxic oligomers and amyloid fibrils are considered pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease. While aggregation is central to amyloid diseases, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and its interplay with aggregation have gained increasing interest. Previous work shows that factors promoting or inhibiting aggregation have similar effects on LLPS. This study provides a detailed scanning of a wide range of parameters, including protein, salt and crowding concentrations at multiple pH values, revealing different salt dependencies of aggregation and LLPS. The influence of salt on aggregation under crowding conditions follows a non-monotonic pattern, showing increased effects at medium salt concentrations. This behavior can be elucidated through a combination of electrostatic screening and salting-out effects on the intramolecular interactions between the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of αSyn. By contrast, this study finds a monotonic salt dependence of LLPS due to intermolecular interactions. Furthermore, it observes time evolution of the two distinct assembly states, with macroscopic fibrillar-like bundles initially forming at medium salt concentration but subsequently converting into droplets after prolonged incubation. The droplet state is therefore capable of inhibiting aggregation or even dissolving aggregates through heterotypic interactions, thus preventing αSyn from its dynamically arrested state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Sternke-Hoffmann
- Center for Life Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Xun Sun
- Center for Life Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Menzel
- Center for Photon Science, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Miriam Dos Santos Pinto
- Center for Life Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Urte Venclovaite
- Center for Life Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Michael Wördehoff
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hoyer
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Wenwei Zheng
- College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, 85212, USA
| | - Jinghui Luo
- Center for Life Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
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3
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Agha MM, Uversky VN. Morphological features and types of aggregated structures. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 206:85-109. [PMID: 38811090 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2024.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
In vivo, protein aggregation arises due to incorrect folding or misfolding. The aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibrils is the characteristic feature of various misfolding diseases known as amyloidosis, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The heterogeneous nature of these fibrils restricts the extent to which their structure may be characterized. Advancements in techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, cryo-electron microscopy, and solid-state NMR have yielded intricate insights into structures of different amyloid fibrils. These studies have unveiled a diverse range of polymorphic structures that typically conform to the cross-β amyloid pattern. This chapter provides a concise overview of the information acquired in the field of protein aggregation, with particular focus on amyloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoureh Mirza Agha
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Pushchino, Russia; Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States.
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4
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Alfano C, Fichou Y, Huber K, Weiss M, Spruijt E, Ebbinghaus S, De Luca G, Morando MA, Vetri V, Temussi PA, Pastore A. Molecular Crowding: The History and Development of a Scientific Paradigm. Chem Rev 2024; 124:3186-3219. [PMID: 38466779 PMCID: PMC10979406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
It is now generally accepted that macromolecules do not act in isolation but "live" in a crowded environment, that is, an environment populated by numerous different molecules. The field of molecular crowding has its origins in the far 80s but became accepted only by the end of the 90s. In the present issue, we discuss various aspects that are influenced by crowding and need to consider its effects. This Review is meant as an introduction to the theme and an analysis of the evolution of the crowding concept through time from colloidal and polymer physics to a more biological perspective. We introduce themes that will be more thoroughly treated in other Reviews of the present issue. In our intentions, each Review may stand by itself, but the complete collection has the aspiration to provide different but complementary perspectives to propose a more holistic view of molecular crowding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Alfano
- Structural
Biology and Biophysics Unit, Fondazione
Ri.MED, 90100 Palermo, Italy
| | - Yann Fichou
- CNRS,
Bordeaux INP, CBMN UMR 5248, IECB, University
of Bordeaux, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Klaus Huber
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
| | - Matthias Weiss
- Experimental
Physics I, Physics of Living Matter, University
of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Evan Spruijt
- Institute
for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon Ebbinghaus
- Lehrstuhl
für Biophysikalische Chemie and Research Center Chemical Sciences
and Sustainability, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Giuseppe De Luca
- Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Vetri
- Dipartimento
di Fisica e Chimica − Emilio Segrè, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Annalisa Pastore
- King’s
College London, Denmark
Hill Campus, SE5 9RT London, United Kingdom
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5
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Sternke-Hoffmann R, Sun X, Menzel A, Pinto MDS, Venclovaitė U, Wördehoff M, Hoyer W, Zheng W, Luo J. Phase Separation and Aggregation of α-Synuclein Diverge at Different Salt Conditions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.01.582895. [PMID: 38464093 PMCID: PMC10925286 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.01.582895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
The coacervation and structural rearrangement of the protein alpha-synuclein (αSyn) into cytotoxic oligomers and amyloid fibrils are considered pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease. While aggregation is recognized as the key element of amyloid diseases, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and its interplay with aggregation have gained increasing interest. Previous work showed that factors promoting or inhibiting amyloid formation have similar effects on phase separation. Here, we provide a detailed scanning of a wide range of parameters including protein, salt and crowding concentrations at multiple pH values, revealing different salt dependencies of aggregation and phase separation. The influence of salt on aggregation under crowded conditions follows a non-monotonic pattern, showing increased effects at medium salt concentrations. This behavior can be elucidated through a combination of electrostatic screening and salting-out effects on the intramolecular interactions between the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of αSyn. By contrast, we find a monotonic salt dependence of phase separation due to the intermolecular interaction. Furthermore, we observe the time evolution of the two distinct assembly states, with macroscopic fibrillar-like bundles initially forming at medium salt concentration but subsequently converting into droplets after prolonged incubation. The droplet state is therefore capable of inhibiting aggregation or even dissolving the aggregates through a variety of heterotypic interactions, thus preventing αSyn from its dynamically arrested state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Sternke-Hoffmann
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Xun Sun
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Menzel
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Miriam Dos Santos Pinto
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Urtė Venclovaitė
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Michael Wördehoff
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hoyer
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Wenwei Zheng
- College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, 85212, United States
| | - Jinghui Luo
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
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6
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Guza M, Dzwolak W. Acetone-induced structural variant of insulin amyloid fibrils. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 257:128680. [PMID: 38071871 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Self-propagating polymorphism of amyloid fibrils is a distinct manifestation of non-equilibrium conditions under which protein aggregation typically occurs. Structural variants of fibrils can often be accessed through physicochemical perturbations of the de novo aggregation process. On the other hand, tiny changes in the amino acid sequence of the parent protein may also result in structurally distinguishable amyloid fibrils. Here, we show that in the presence of acetone, the low-pH fibrillization pathway of bovine insulin (BI) leads to a new type of amyloid with the infrared features (split amide I' band with the maximum at 1623 cm-1) bearing a striking resemblance to those of the previously reported fibrils from recombinant LysB31-ArgB32 human insulin analog formed in the absence of the co-solvent. Insulin fibrils formed in the presence ([BI-ace]) and absence ([BI]) of acetone cross-seed each other and pass their infrared features to the daughter generations of fibrils. We have used dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) coupled to in situ infrared spectroscopy measurements to probe the stability of fibrils against chemical denaturation. While both types of fibrils eventually undergo DMSO-induced disassembly coupled to a β-sheet→coil transition, in the case of [BI-ace] amyloid, the denaturation is preceded by the fibrils transiently acquiring the [BI]-like infrared characteristics. We argue that this effect is caused by DMSO-induced dehydration of [BI-ace]. In support to this hypothesis, we show that, even in the absence of DMSO, the infrared features of [BI-ace] disappear upon drying. We discuss this very peculiar aspect of [BI-ace] fibrils in the context of recently accessed in silico models of plausible structural variants of insulin protofilaments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Guza
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, 1 Pasteur Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Wojciech Dzwolak
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, 1 Pasteur Str., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
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7
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Wilkinson M, Xu Y, Thacker D, Taylor AIP, Fisher DG, Gallardo RU, Radford SE, Ranson NA. Structural evolution of fibril polymorphs during amyloid assembly. Cell 2023; 186:5798-5811.e26. [PMID: 38134875 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) has provided unprecedented insights into amyloid fibril structures, including those associated with disease. However, these structures represent the endpoints of long assembly processes, and their relationship to fibrils formed early in assembly is unknown. Consequently, whether different fibril architectures, with potentially different pathological properties, form during assembly remains unknown. Here, we used cryo-EM to determine structures of amyloid fibrils at different times during in vitro fibrillation of a disease-related variant of human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP-S20G). Strikingly, the fibrils formed in the lag, growth, and plateau phases have different structures, with new forms appearing and others disappearing as fibrillation proceeds. A time course with wild-type hIAPP also shows fibrils changing with time, suggesting that this is a general property of IAPP amyloid assembly. The observation of transiently populated fibril structures has implications for understanding amyloid assembly mechanisms with potential new insights into amyloid progression in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Wilkinson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Yong Xu
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Dev Thacker
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Alexander I P Taylor
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Declan G Fisher
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Rodrigo U Gallardo
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Sheena E Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Neil A Ranson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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8
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Aftahy K, Arrasate P, Bashkirov PV, Kuzmin PI, Maurizot V, Huc I, Frolov VA. Molecular Sensing and Manipulation of Protein Oligomerization in Membrane Nanotubes with Bolaamphiphilic Foldamers. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:25150-25159. [PMID: 37948300 PMCID: PMC10682987 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05753] [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: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive and reversible self-assembly of supramolecular protein structures is a fundamental characteristic of dynamic living matter. However, the quantitative detection and assessment of the emergence of mesoscale protein complexes from small and dynamic oligomeric precursors remains highly challenging. Here, we present a novel approach utilizing a short membrane nanotube (sNT) pulled from a planar membrane reservoir as nanotemplates for molecular reconstruction, manipulation, and sensing of protein oligomerization and self-assembly at the mesoscale. The sNT reports changes in membrane shape and rigidity caused by membrane-bound proteins as variations of the ionic conductivity of the sNT lumen. To confine oligomerization to the sNT, we have designed and synthesized rigid oligoamide foldamer tapes (ROFTs). Charged ROFTs incorporate into the planar and sNT membranes, mediate protein binding to the membranes, and, driven by the luminal electric field, shuttle the bound proteins between the sNT and planar membranes. Using Annexin-V (AnV) as a prototype, we show that the sNT detects AnV oligomers shuttled into the nanotube by ROFTs. Accumulation of AnV on the sNT induces its self-assembly into a curved lattice, restricting the sNT geometry and inhibiting the material uptake from the reservoir during the sNT extension, leading to the sNT fission. By comparing the spontaneous and ROFT-mediated entry of AnV into the sNT, we reveal how intricate membrane curvature sensing by small AnV oligomers controls the lattice self-assembly. These results establish sNT-ROFT as a powerful tool for molecular reconstruction and functional analyses of protein oligomerization and self-assembly, with broad application to various membrane processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Aftahy
- Department
of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
München, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Pedro Arrasate
- Biofisika
Institute (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of
the Basque Country, Leioa 48940, Spain
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University
of the Basque Country, Leioa 48940, Spain
| | - Pavel V. Bashkirov
- Research
Institute for Systems Biology and Medicine, Moscow 117246, Russia
| | - Petr I. Kuzmin
- A.N.
Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Victor Maurizot
- Univ. Bordeaux,
CNRS, Bordeaux Institut National Polytechnique, CBMN (UMR 5248), Pessac 33600, France
| | - Ivan Huc
- Department
of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
München, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Vadim A. Frolov
- Biofisika
Institute (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of
the Basque Country, Leioa 48940, Spain
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University
of the Basque Country, Leioa 48940, Spain
- Ikerbasque,
Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48009, Spain
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9
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Wu R, Wang Z, Jia Z, Li C, Wang J, Liu L, Dong M. Identification of hybrid amyloid strains assembled from amyloid- βand human islet amyloid polypeptide. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 34:505101. [PMID: 37625382 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/acf3ee] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Cross-fibrillation of amyloid-β(Aβ) peptides and human islet amyloid polypeptides (hIAPP) has revealed a close correlation between Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Importantly, different amyloid strains are likely to lead to the clinical pathological heterogeneity of degenerative diseases due to toxicity. However, given the complicated cross-interactions between different amyloid peptides, it is still challenging to identify the polymorphism of the hybrid amyloid strains and reveal mechanistic insights into aggregation, but highly anticipated due to their significance. In this study, we investigated the cross-fibrillation of Aβpeptides and different hIAPP species (monomers, oligomers, and fibrils) using combined experimental and simulation approaches. Cross-seeding and propagation of different amyloid peptides monitored by experimental techniques proved that the three species of hIAPP aggregates have successively enhanced Aβfibrillation, especially for hIAPP fibrils. Moreover, the polymorphism of these morphologically similar hybrid amyloid strains could be distinguished by testing their mechanical properties using quantitative nanomechanical mapping, where the assemblies of Aβ-hIAPP fibrils exhibited the high Young's modulus. Furthermore, the enhanced internal molecular interactions andβ-sheet structural transformation were proved by exploring the conformational ensembles of Aβ-hIAPP heterodimer and Aβ-hIAPP decamer using molecular dynamic simulations. Our findings pave the way for identifying different hybrid amyloid strains by quantitative nanomechanical mapping and molecular dynamic simulations, which is important not only for the precise classification of neurodegenerative disease subtypes but also for future molecular diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of multiple interrelated degenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Wu
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Zengkai Wang
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Zili Jia
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Chenglong Li
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Wang
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Liu
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingdong Dong
- Aarhus University, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) Aarhus C DK-8000, Denmark
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10
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Devi S, Garg DK, Bhat R. Kinetic control in amyloid polymorphism: Different agitation and solution conditions promote distinct amyloid polymorphs of alpha-synuclein. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2023; 1871:140917. [PMID: 37061153 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2023.140917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
Aggregation of neuronal protein α-synuclein is implicated in synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease. Despite abundant in vitro studies, the mechanism of α-synuclein assembly process remains ambiguous. In this work, α-synuclein aggregation was induced by its constant mixing in two separate modes, either by agitation in a 96-well microplate reader (MP) or in microcentrifuge tubes using a shaker incubator (SI). Aggregation in both modes occurred through a sigmoidal growth pattern with a well-defined lag, growth, and saturation phase. The end-stage MP- and SI-derived aggregates displayed distinct differences in morphological, biochemical, and spectral signatures as discerned through AFM, proteinase-K digestion, FTIR, Raman, and CD spectroscopy. The MP-derived aggregates showed irregular morphology with a significant random coil conformation, contrary to SI-derived aggregates, which showed typical β-sheet fibrillar structures. The end-stage MP aggregates convert to β-rich SI-like aggregates upon 1) seeding with SI-derived aggregates and 2) agitating in SI. We conclude that end-stage MP aggregates were in a kinetically trapped conformation, whose kinetic barrier was bypassed upon either seeding by SI-derived fibrils or shaking in SI. We further show that MP-derived aggregates that form in the presence of sorbitol, an osmolyte, displayed a β-rich signature, indicating that the preferential exclusion effect of osmolytes helped overcome the kinetic barrier. Our findings help in unravelling the kinetic origin of different α-synuclein aggregated polymorphs (strains) that encode diverse variants of synucleinopathies. We demonstrate that kinetic control shapes the polymorphic landscape of α-synuclein aggregates, both through de novo generation of polymorphs, and by their interconversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Devi
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Dushyant Kumar Garg
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Rajiv Bhat
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.
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11
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Nguyen PH, Derreumaux P. Multistep molecular mechanisms of Aβ16-22 fibril formation revealed by lattice Monte Carlo simulations. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:235101. [PMID: 37318171 DOI: 10.1063/5.0149419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
As a model of self-assembly from disordered monomers to fibrils, the amyloid-β fragment Aβ16-22 was subject to past numerous experimental and computational studies. Because dynamics information between milliseconds and seconds cannot be assessed by both studies, we lack a full understanding of its oligomerization. Lattice simulations are particularly well suited to capture pathways to fibrils. In this study, we explored the aggregation of 10 Aβ16-22 peptides using 65 lattice Monte Carlo simulations, each simulation consisting of 3 × 109 steps. Based on a total of 24 and 41 simulations that converge and do not converge to the fibril state, respectively, we are able to reveal the diversity of the pathways leading to fibril structure and the conformational traps slowing down the fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
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12
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Bertouille J, Kasas S, Martin C, Hennecke U, Ballet S, Willaert RG. Fast Self-Assembly Dynamics of a β-Sheet Peptide Soft Material. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2206795. [PMID: 36807731 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202206795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Peptide-based hydrogels are promising biocompatible materials for wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications. The physical properties of these nanostructured materials depend strongly on the morphology of the gel network. However, the self-assembly mechanism of the peptides that leads to a distinct network morphology is still a subject of ongoing debate, since complete assembly pathways have not yet been resolved. To unravel the dynamics of the hierarchical self-assembly process of the model β-sheet forming peptide KFE8 (Ac-FKFEFKFE-NH2 ), high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) in liquid is used. It is demonstrated that a fast-growing network, based on small fibrillar aggregates, is formed at a solid-liquid interface, while in bulk solution, a distinct, more prolonged nanotube network emerges from intermediate helical ribbons. Moreover, the transformation between these morphologies has been visualized. It is expected that this new in situ and in real-time methodology will set the path for the in-depth unravelling of the dynamics of other peptide-based self-assembled soft materials, as well as gaining advanced insights into the formation of fibers involved in protein misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien Bertouille
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Sandor Kasas
- Laboratory of Biological Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- International Joint Research Group VUB-EPFL BioNanotechnology & NanoMedicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Martin
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Ulrich Hennecke
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Steven Ballet
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Ronnie G Willaert
- International Joint Research Group VUB-EPFL BioNanotechnology & NanoMedicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
- Research Group Structural Biology Brussels, Alliance Research Group VUB-UGent NanoMicrobiology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
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13
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Skamris T, Vestergaard B, Madsen KL, Langkilde AE, Foderà V. Identifying Biological and Biophysical Features of Different Maturation States of α-Synuclein Amyloid Fibrils. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2551:321-344. [PMID: 36310213 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2597-2_22] [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
Protein aggregates, hereunder amyloid fibrils, can undergo a maturation process, whereby early formed aggregates undergo a structural and physicochemical transition leading to more mature species. In the case of amyloid-related diseases, such maturation confers distinctive biological properties of the aggregates, which may account for a range of diverse pathological subtypes. Here, we present a protocol for the preparation of α-synuclein amyloid fibrils differing in the level of their maturation. We utilize widely accessible biophysical techniques to characterize the structure and morphology and a simple thermal treatment procedure to test their thermodynamic stability. Their biological properties are probed by means of binding to native plasma membrane sheets originating from mammalian cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Skamris
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bente Vestergaard
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kenneth L Madsen
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Annette E Langkilde
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Vito Foderà
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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14
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Saha D, Jana B. Identifying the Template for Oligomer to Fibril Conversion for Amyloid-β (1-42) Oligomers using Hamiltonian Replica Exchange Molecular Dynamics. Chemphyschem 2022; 23:e202200393. [PMID: 36052514 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202200393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The toxicity of amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers has been known to be higher compared to mature fibrils. Yet the presence of plaques in Alzheimer's disease patients indicates the significance of oligomer to fibril conversion for Aβ aggregates. In this study, we investigate Aβ13-42 oligomers having two to five peptide chains using extensive all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to identify the on- or off-pathway intermediates in fibril formation pathway. Hamiltonian replica exchange method through solute tempering (REST2) has been employed to explore the different structures attained by these aggregates. Using intra-chain and inter-chain contacts as reaction coordinates, we obtain the free energy surface for the Aβ13-42 oligomers. Consequently, their stable conformations and structural features have been identified. The found conformations belonging to most probable structures possess both parallel and anti-parallel β-sheets, characteristic of on- and off-pathway intermediates, respectively. Further, we have measured the tendency to form fibril like interactions among the β-sheet forming residues. Our analysis finds that residues 30-36 possess higher tendency to form fibril like contacts among all the residues. While we find stronger interaction among residues 30-36, these amino acids are also found to be more shielded from water compared to others. With previous experimental studies finding these residues to be more crucial for the stability of Aβ42 oligomers, we propose that interactions within this patch could trigger seed formation that leads to conversion of on-pathway oligomers into disease relevant fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasis Saha
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, Jadavpur, Kolkata, 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Biman Jana
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, Jadavpur, Kolkata, 700032, West Bengal, India
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15
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Nguyen PH, Sterpone F, Derreumaux P. Self-Assembly of Amyloid-Beta (Aβ) Peptides from Solution to Near In Vivo Conditions. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:10317-10326. [PMID: 36469912 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the atomistic resolution changes during the self-assembly of amyloid peptides or proteins is important to develop compounds or conditions to alter the aggregation pathways and suppress the toxicity and potentially aid in the development of drugs. However, the complexity of protein aggregation and the transient order/disorder of oligomers along the pathways to fibril are very challenging. In this Perspective, we discuss computational studies of amyloid polypeptides carried out under various conditions, including conditions closely mimicking in vivo and point out the challenges in obtaining physiologically relevant results, focusing mainly on the amyloid-beta Aβ peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Fabio Sterpone
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005, Paris, France
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16
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Wu K, Sun W, Li D, Diao J, Xiu P. Inhibition of Amyloid Nucleation by Steric Hindrance. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:10045-10054. [PMID: 36417323 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Despite recent experiments and simulations suggesting that small-molecule inhibitors and some post-translational modifications (e.g., glycosylation and ubiquitination) can suppress the pathogenic aggregation of proteins due to steric hindrance, the effect of steric hindrance on amyloid formation has not been systematically studied. Based on Monte Carlo simulations using a coarse-grained model for amyloidogenic proteins and a hard sphere acting as steric hindrance, we investigated how steric hindrance on proteins could affect amyloid formation, particularly two steps of primary nucleation, namely, oligomerization and conformational conversion into a β-sheet-enriched nucleus. We found that steric spheres played an inhibitory role in oligomerization with the effect proportional to the sphere radius RS, which we attributed to the decline in the nonspecific attractions between proteins. During the second step, small steric spheres facilitated the conformational conversion of proteins while large ones suppressed the conversion. The overall steric effect on amyloid nucleation was inhibitory regardless of RS. As RS increased, oligomeric assemblies changed from amorphous into sheet-like, structurally ordered species, reminiscent of the structure of amyloid fibrils. The oligomers with large RS were off-pathway with their ordered structures induced by the competition between steric hindrance and nonspecific attractions of soluble proteins. Interestingly, the equimolar mixture of proteins with and without steric hindrance amplified the sterically inhibitory effect by increasing the energy barrier of protein's conformational conversion. The physical mechanisms and biological implications of the above results are discussed. Our findings improve the current understanding of how nature regulates protein aggregation and amyloid formation by steric hindrance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Wu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, China.,Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267, United States of America
| | - Wuxuepeng Sun
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China
| | - Dechang Li
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiajie Diao
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267, United States of America
| | - Peng Xiu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China
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17
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Xing Y, Andrikopoulos N, Zhang Z, Sun Y, Ke PC, Ding F. Modulating Nanodroplet Formation En Route to Fibrillization of Amyloid Peptides with Designed Flanking Sequences. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:4179-4191. [PMID: 36137260 PMCID: PMC9618360 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Soluble oligomers populating early amyloid aggregation can be regarded as nanodroplets of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Amyloid peptides typically contain hydrophobic aggregation-prone regions connected by hydrophilic linkers and flanking sequences, and such a sequence hydropathy pattern drives the formation of supramolecular structures in the nanodroplets and modulates subsequent fibrillization. Here, we studied LLPS and fibrillization of coarse-grained amyloid peptides with increasing flanking sequences. Nanodroplets assumed lamellar, cylindrical micellar, and spherical micellar structures with increasing peptide hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratios, and such morphologies governed subsequent fibrillization processes. Adding glycine-serine repeats as flanking sequences to Aβ16-22, the amyloidogenic core of amyloid-β, our computational predictions of morphological transitions were corroborated experimentally. The uncovered inter-relationships between the peptide sequence pattern, oligomer/nanodroplet morphology, and fibrillization pathway, kinetics, and structure may contribute to our understanding of pathogenic amyloidosis in aging, facilitate future efforts ameliorating amyloidosis through peptide engineering, and aid in the design of novel amyloid-based functional nanobiomaterials and nanocomposites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanting Xing
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
| | - Nicholas Andrikopoulos
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Zhenzhen Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Pu Chun Ke
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Nanomedicine Center, The GBA National Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, 136 Kaiyuan Avenue, Guangzhou, 510700, China
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
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18
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Ziaunys M, Sakalauskas A, Mikalauskaite K, Smirnovas V. Rapid restructurization of conformationally-distinct alpha-synuclein amyloid fibrils at an elevated temperature. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14137. [PMID: 36199282 PMCID: PMC9528901 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation in the form of amyloid fibrils is linked with the onset and progression of more than 30 amyloidoses, including multiple neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Despite countless studies and years of research, the process of such aggregate formation is still not fully understood. One peculiar aspect of amyloids is that they appear to be capable of undergoing structural rearrangements even after the fibrils have already formed. Such a phenomenon was reported to occur in the case of alpha-synuclein and amyloid beta aggregates after a long period of incubation. In this work, we examine whether incubation at an elevated temperature can induce the restructurization of four different conformation alpha-synuclein amyloid fibrils. We show that this structural alteration occurs in a relatively brief time period, when the aggregates are incubated at 60 °C. Additionally, it appears that during this process multiple conformationally-distinct alpha-synuclein fibrils all shift towards an identical secondary structure.
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19
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Taylor AIP, Staniforth RA. General Principles Underpinning Amyloid Structure. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:878869. [PMID: 35720732 PMCID: PMC9201691 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.878869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils are a pathologically and functionally relevant state of protein folding, which is generally accessible to polypeptide chains and differs fundamentally from the globular state in terms of molecular symmetry, long-range conformational order, and supramolecular scale. Although amyloid structures are challenging to study, recent developments in techniques such as cryo-EM, solid-state NMR, and AFM have led to an explosion of information about the molecular and supramolecular organization of these assemblies. With these rapid advances, it is now possible to assess the prevalence and significance of proposed general structural features in the context of a diverse body of high-resolution models, and develop a unified view of the principles that control amyloid formation and give rise to their unique properties. Here, we show that, despite system-specific differences, there is a remarkable degree of commonality in both the structural motifs that amyloids adopt and the underlying principles responsible for them. We argue that the inherent geometric differences between amyloids and globular proteins shift the balance of stabilizing forces, predisposing amyloids to distinct molecular interaction motifs with a particular tendency for massive, lattice-like networks of mutually supporting interactions. This general property unites previously characterized structural features such as steric and polar zippers, and contributes to the long-range molecular order that gives amyloids many of their unique properties. The shared features of amyloid structures support the existence of shared structure-activity principles that explain their self-assembly, function, and pathogenesis, and instill hope in efforts to develop broad-spectrum modifiers of amyloid function and pathology.
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20
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Single-molecule fluorescence imaging and deep learning reveal highly heterogeneous aggregation of amyloid-β 42. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2116736119. [PMID: 35290118 PMCID: PMC8944908 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116736119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
There are various diseases caused by protein aggregation such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases. From the diversity in the fibril structure, aggregation is expected to occur via heterogeneous pathways. However, characterization of this heterogeneity is extremely difficult because it requires following individual fibril formation in a mixture from early oligomerization stages. In this work, we investigated aggregation of the 42-residue isoform of amyloid β (Aβ42) using single-molecule fluorescence imaging and deep learning. We could track the growth of individual fibrils, which allows for a quantitative description of heterogeneous fibril formation and discovery of a new fibril nucleation mechanism. Further characterization of heterogeneity involving Aβ42 will be important for better understanding the disease mechanism. Polymorphism in the structure of amyloid fibrils suggests the existence of many different assembly pathways. Characterization of this heterogeneity is the key to understanding the aggregation mechanism and toxicity, but in practice it is extremely difficult to probe individual aggregation pathways in a mixture. Here, we present development of a method combining single-molecule fluorescence lifetime imaging and deep learning for monitoring individual fibril formation in real time and their high-throughput analysis. A deep neural network (FNet) separates an image of highly overlapping fibrils into single fibril images, which allows for tracking the growth and changes in characteristics of individual fibrils. Using this method, we investigated aggregation of the 42-residue amyloid-β peptide (Aβ42). We demonstrate that highly heterogeneous fibril formation can be quantitatively characterized in terms of the number of cross-β subunits, elongation speed, growth polarity, and conformation of fibrils. Tracking individual fibril formation and growth also leads to the discovery of a general nucleation mechanism (termed heterogeneous secondary nucleation), where a fibril is formed on the surface of an oligomer with a different structure. Our development will be broadly applicable to characterization of heterogeneous aggregation processes of other proteins.
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21
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Blanco MA. Computational models for studying physical instabilities in high concentration biotherapeutic formulations. MAbs 2022; 14:2044744. [PMID: 35282775 PMCID: PMC8928847 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2044744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Computational prediction of the behavior of concentrated protein solutions is particularly advantageous in early development stages of biotherapeutics when material availability is limited and a large set of formulation conditions needs to be explored. This review provides an overview of the different computational paradigms that have been successfully used in modeling undesirable physical behaviors of protein solutions with a particular emphasis on high-concentration drug formulations. This includes models ranging from all-atom simulations, coarse-grained representations to macro-scale mathematical descriptions used to study physical instability phenomena of protein solutions such as aggregation, elevated viscosity, and phase separation. These models are compared and summarized in the context of the physical processes and their underlying assumptions and limitations. A detailed analysis is also given for identifying protein interaction processes that are explicitly or implicitly considered in the different modeling approaches and particularly their relations to various formulation parameters. Lastly, many of the shortcomings of existing computational models are discussed, providing perspectives and possible directions toward an efficient computational framework for designing effective protein formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A. Blanco
- Materials and Biophysical Characterization, Analytical R & D, Merck & Co., Inc, Kenilworth, NJ USA
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22
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Co NT, Li MS, Krupa P. Computational Models for the Study of Protein Aggregation. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2340:51-78. [PMID: 35167070 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1546-1_4] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Protein aggregation has been studied by many groups around the world for many years because it can be the cause of a number of neurodegenerative diseases that have no effective treatment. Obtaining the structure of related fibrils and toxic oligomers, as well as describing the pathways and main factors that govern the self-organization process, is of paramount importance, but it is also very difficult. To solve this problem, experimental and computational methods are often combined to get the most out of each method. The effectiveness of the computational approach largely depends on the construction of a reasonable molecular model. Here we discussed different versions of the four most popular all-atom force fields AMBER, CHARMM, GROMOS, and OPLS, which have been developed for folded and intrinsically disordered proteins, or both. Continuous and discrete coarse-grained models, which were mainly used to study the kinetics of aggregation, are also summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Truong Co
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Institute for Computational Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Pawel Krupa
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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23
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Sharma S, Modi P, Sharma G, Deep S. Kinetics theories to understand the mechanism of aggregation of a protein and to design strategies for its inhibition. Biophys Chem 2021; 278:106665. [PMID: 34419715 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2021.106665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Protein aggregation phenomenon is closely related to the formation of amyloids which results in many neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. In order to prevent and treat these diseases, a clear understanding of the mechanism of misfolding and self-assembly of peptides and proteins is very crucial. The aggregation of a protein may involve various microscopic events. Multiple simulations utilizing the solutions of the master equation have given a better understanding of the kinetic profiles involved in the presence and absence of a particular microscopic event. This review focuses on understanding the contribution of these molecular events to protein aggregation based on the analysis of kinetic profiles of aggregation. We also discuss the effect of inhibitors, which target various species of aggregation pathways, on the kinetic profile of protein aggregation. At the end of this review, some strategies for the inhibition of aggregation that can be utilized by combining the chemical kinetics approach with thermodynamics are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpa Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Priya Modi
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Gargi Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Shashank Deep
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India.
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24
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Szała-Mendyk B, Molski A. Diverse Aggregation Kinetics Predicted by a Coarse-Grained Peptide Model. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:7587-7597. [PMID: 34251838 PMCID: PMC8389928 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Protein and peptide
aggregation is a ubiquitous phenomenon with
implications in medicine, pharmaceutical industry, and materials science.
An important issue in peptide aggregation is the molecular mechanism
of aggregate nucleation and growth. In many experimental studies,
sigmoidal kinetics curves show a clear lag phase ascribed to nucleation;
however, experimental studies also show downhill kinetics curves,
where the monomers decay continuously and no lag phase can be seen.
In this work, we study peptide aggregation kinetics using a coarse-grained
implicit solvent model introduced in our previous work. Our simulations
explore the hypothesis that the interplay between interchain attraction
and intrachain bending stiffness controls the aggregation kinetics
and transient aggregate morphologies. Indeed, our model reproduces
the aggregation modes seen in experiment: no observed aggregation,
nucleated aggregation, and rapid downhill aggregation. We find that
the interaction strength is the primary parameter determining the
aggregation mode, whereas the stiffness is a secondary parameter modulating
the transient morphologies and aggregation rates: more attractive
and stiff chains aggregate more rapidly and the transient morphologies
are more ordered. We also explore the effects of the initial monomer
concentration and the chain length. As the concentration decreases,
the aggregation mode shifts from downhill to nucleated and no-aggregation.
This concentration effect is in line with an experimental observation
that the transition between downhill and nucleated kinetics is concentration-dependent.
We find that longer peptides can aggregate at conditions where short
peptides do not aggregate at all. It supports an experimental observation
that the elongation of a homopeptide, e.g., polyglutamine, can increase
the aggregation propensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Szała-Mendyk
- Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 89b, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Andrzej Molski
- Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 89b, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
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25
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Abstract
Protein aggregation is a widespread phenomenon with important implications in many scientific areas. Although amyloid formation is typically considered as detrimental, functional amyloids that perform physiological roles have been identified in all kingdoms of life. Despite their functional and pathological relevance, the structural details of the majority of molecular species involved in the amyloidogenic process remains elusive. Here, we explore the application of AlphaFold, a highly accurate protein structure predictor, in the field of protein aggregation. While we envision a straightforward application of AlphaFold in assisting the design of globular proteins with improved solubility for biomedical and industrial purposes, the use of this algorithm for predicting the structure of aggregated species seems far from trivial. First, in amyloid diseases, the presence of multiple amyloid polymorphs and the heterogeneity of aggregation intermediates challenges the "one sequence, one structure" paradigm, inherent to sequence-based predictions. Second, aberrant aggregation is not the subject of positive selective pressure, precluding the use of evolutionary-based approaches, which are the core of the AlphaFold pipeline. Instead, amyloid polymorphism seems to be constrained by the need for a defined structure-activity relationship in functional amyloids. They may thus provide a starting point for the application of AlphaFold in the amyloid landscape.
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26
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Nguyen PH, Ramamoorthy A, Sahoo BR, Zheng J, Faller P, Straub JE, Dominguez L, Shea JE, Dokholyan NV, De Simone A, Ma B, Nussinov R, Najafi S, Ngo ST, Loquet A, Chiricotto M, Ganguly P, McCarty J, Li MS, Hall C, Wang Y, Miller Y, Melchionna S, Habenstein B, Timr S, Chen J, Hnath B, Strodel B, Kayed R, Lesné S, Wei G, Sterpone F, Doig AJ, Derreumaux P. Amyloid Oligomers: A Joint Experimental/Computational Perspective on Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Type II Diabetes, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Chem Rev 2021; 121:2545-2647. [PMID: 33543942 PMCID: PMC8836097 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 386] [Impact Index Per Article: 128.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation is observed in many amyloidogenic diseases affecting either the central nervous system or a variety of peripheral tissues. Structural and dynamic characterization of all species along the pathways from monomers to fibrils is challenging by experimental and computational means because they involve intrinsically disordered proteins in most diseases. Yet understanding how amyloid species become toxic is the challenge in developing a treatment for these diseases. Here we review what computer, in vitro, in vivo, and pharmacological experiments tell us about the accumulation and deposition of the oligomers of the (Aβ, tau), α-synuclein, IAPP, and superoxide dismutase 1 proteins, which have been the mainstream concept underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), type II diabetes (T2D), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, respectively, for many years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Bikash R Sahoo
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Peter Faller
- Institut de Chimie, UMR 7177, CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - John E Straub
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Laura Dominguez
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Joan-Emma Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
- Department of Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Molecular Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Buyong Ma
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Sackler Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Saeed Najafi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics & Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Antoine Loquet
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Mara Chiricotto
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Pritam Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - James McCarty
- Chemistry Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225, United States
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute for Computational Science and Technology, SBI Building, Quang Trung Software City, Tan Chanh Hiep Ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Carol Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yiming Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yifat Miller
- Department of Chemistry and The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 84105, Israel
| | | | - Birgit Habenstein
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Stepan Timr
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Jiaxing Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Brianna Hnath
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Birgit Strodel
- Institute of Complex Systems: Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Sylvain Lesné
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Science, Multiscale Research Institute of Complex Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Fabio Sterpone
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Andrew J Doig
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
- Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Lau CYJ, Mastrobattista E. Programming supramolecular peptide materials by modulating the intermediate steps in the complex assembly pathway: Implications for biomedical applications. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2020.101396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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28
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Zhou J, Venturelli L, Keiser L, Sekatskii SK, Gallaire F, Kasas S, Longo G, Knowles TPJ, Ruggeri FS, Dietler G. Environmental Control of Amyloid Polymorphism by Modulation of Hydrodynamic Stress. ACS NANO 2021; 15:944-953. [PMID: 33348981 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The phenomenon of amyloid polymorphism is a key feature of protein aggregation. Unravelling this phenomenon is of great significance for understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with neurodegenerative diseases and for the development of amyloid-based functional biomaterials. However, the understanding of the molecular origins and the physicochemical factors modulating amyloid polymorphs remains challenging. Herein, we demonstrate an association between amyloid polymorphism and environmental stress in solution, induced by an air/water interface in motion. Our results reveal that low-stress environments produce heterogeneous amyloid polymorphs, including twisted, helical, and rod-like fibrils, whereas high-stress conditions generate only homogeneous rod-like fibrils. Moreover, high environmental stress converts twisted fibrils into rod-like fibrils both in-pathway and after the completion of mature amyloid formation. These results enrich our understanding of the environmental origin of polymorphism of pathological amyloids and shed light on the potential of environmentally controlled fabrication of homogeneous amyloid biomaterials for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Zhou
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Venturelli
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ludovic Keiser
- Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Instabilities, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sergey K Sekatskii
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - François Gallaire
- Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Instabilities, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sandor Kasas
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Longo
- Istituto di Struttura della Materia, CNR, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K
| | - Francesco S Ruggeri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Giovanni Dietler
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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29
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Milardi D, Gazit E, Radford SE, Xu Y, Gallardo RU, Caflisch A, Westermark GT, Westermark P, Rosa CL, Ramamoorthy A. Proteostasis of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide: A Molecular Perspective of Risk Factors and Protective Strategies for Type II Diabetes. Chem Rev 2021; 121:1845-1893. [PMID: 33427465 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The possible link between hIAPP accumulation and β-cell death in diabetic patients has inspired numerous studies focusing on amyloid structures and aggregation pathways of this hormone. Recent studies have reported on the importance of early oligomeric intermediates, the many roles of their interactions with lipid membrane, pH, insulin, and zinc on the mechanism of aggregation of hIAPP. The challenges posed by the transient nature of amyloid oligomers, their structural heterogeneity, and the complex nature of their interaction with lipid membranes have resulted in the development of a wide range of biophysical and chemical approaches to characterize the aggregation process. While the cellular processes and factors activating hIAPP-mediated cytotoxicity are still not clear, it has recently been suggested that its impaired turnover and cellular processing by proteasome and autophagy may contribute significantly toward toxic hIAPP accumulation and, eventually, β-cell death. Therefore, studies focusing on the restoration of hIAPP proteostasis may represent a promising arena for the design of effective therapies. In this review we discuss the current knowledge of the structures and pathology associated with hIAPP self-assembly and point out the opportunities for therapy that a detailed biochemical, biophysical, and cellular understanding of its aggregation may unveil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Milardi
- Istituto di Cristallografia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Sheena E Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Yong Xu
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Rodrigo U Gallardo
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Amedeo Caflisch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Gunilla T Westermark
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Per Westermark
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Carmelo La Rosa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 41809-1055, United States
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30
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Abstract
Self-assembly of proteins and peptides into the amyloid fold is a widespread phenomenon in the natural world. The structural hallmark of self-assembly into amyloid fibrillar assemblies is the cross-beta motif, which conveys distinct morphological and mechanical properties. The amyloid fibril formation has contrasting results depending on the organism, in the sense that it can bestow an organism with the advantages of mechanical strength and improved functionality or, on the contrary, could give rise to pathological states. In this chapter we review the existing information on amyloid-like peptide aggregates, which could either be derived from protein sequences, but also could be rationally or de novo designed in order to self-assemble into amyloid fibrils under physiological conditions. Moreover, the development of self-assembled fibrillar biomaterials that are tailored for the desired properties towards applications in biomedical or environmental areas is extensively analyzed. We also review computational studies predicting the amyloid propensity of the natural amino acid sequences and the structure of amyloids, as well as designing novel functional amyloid materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Kokotidou
- University of Crete, Department of Materials Science and Technology Voutes Campus GR-70013 Heraklion Crete Greece
- FORTH, Institute for Electronic Structure and Laser N. Plastira 100 GR 70013 Heraklion Greece
| | - P. Tamamis
- Texas A&M University, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering College Station Texas 77843-3122 USA
| | - A. Mitraki
- University of Crete, Department of Materials Science and Technology Voutes Campus GR-70013 Heraklion Crete Greece
- FORTH, Institute for Electronic Structure and Laser N. Plastira 100 GR 70013 Heraklion Greece
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31
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Illig AM, Strodel B. Performance of Markov State Models and Transition Networks on Characterizing Amyloid Aggregation Pathways from MD Data. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:7825-7839. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander-Maurice Illig
- Institute of Biological Information Processing: Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Birgit Strodel
- Institute of Biological Information Processing: Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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32
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Lau CYJ, Fontana F, Mandemaker LDB, Wezendonk D, Vermeer B, Bonvin AMJJ, de Vries R, Zhang H, Remaut K, van den Dikkenberg J, Medeiros-Silva J, Hassan A, Perrone B, Kuemmerle R, Gelain F, Hennink WE, Weingarth M, Mastrobattista E. Control over the fibrillization yield by varying the oligomeric nucleation propensities of self-assembling peptides. Commun Chem 2020; 3:164. [PMID: 36703336 PMCID: PMC9814929 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-020-00417-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-assembling peptides are an exemplary class of supramolecular biomaterials of broad biomedical utility. Mechanistic studies on the peptide self-assembly demonstrated the importance of the oligomeric intermediates towards the properties of the supramolecular biomaterials being formed. In this study, we demonstrate how the overall yield of the supramolecular assemblies are moderated through subtle molecular changes in the peptide monomers. This strategy is exemplified with a set of surfactant-like peptides (SLPs) with different β-sheet propensities and charged residues flanking the aggregation domains. By integrating different techniques, we show that these molecular changes can alter both the nucleation propensity of the oligomeric intermediates and the thermodynamic stability of the fibril structures. We demonstrate that the amount of assembled nanofibers are critically defined by the oligomeric nucleation propensities. Our findings offer guidance on designing self-assembling peptides for different biomedical applications, as well as insights into the role of protein gatekeeper sequences in preventing amyloidosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Yin Jerry Lau
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Federico Fontana
- grid.413503.00000 0004 1757 9135IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Opera di San Pio da Pietralcina, Viale Capuccini 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Laurens D. B. Mandemaker
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis Group, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dennie Wezendonk
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis Group, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Benjamin Vermeer
- grid.5477.10000000120346234NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexandre M. J. J. Bonvin
- grid.5477.10000000120346234NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Renko de Vries
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Colloid Science, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 6, 6703 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Heyang Zhang
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Katrien Remaut
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joep van den Dikkenberg
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - João Medeiros-Silva
- grid.5477.10000000120346234NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Alia Hassan
- grid.481597.60000 0004 0452 3124Bruker BioSpin AG, Industriestrasse 26, 8117 Fällanden, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Perrone
- grid.481597.60000 0004 0452 3124Bruker BioSpin AG, Industriestrasse 26, 8117 Fällanden, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Kuemmerle
- grid.481597.60000 0004 0452 3124Bruker BioSpin AG, Industriestrasse 26, 8117 Fällanden, Switzerland
| | - Fabrizio Gelain
- grid.413503.00000 0004 1757 9135IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Opera di San Pio da Pietralcina, Viale Capuccini 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy ,ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering, Piazza dell’Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162 Milan, Italy
| | - Wim E. Hennink
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Markus Weingarth
- grid.5477.10000000120346234NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Enrico Mastrobattista
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
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33
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Rahimi Araghi L, Dee DR. Cross-Species and Cross-Polymorph Seeding of Lysozyme Amyloid Reveals a Dominant Polymorph. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:206. [PMID: 32923456 PMCID: PMC7456942 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to self-propagate is one of the most intriguing characteristics of amyloid fibrils, and is a feature of great interest both to stopping unwanted pathological amyloid, and for engineering functional amyloid as a useful nanomaterial. The sequence and structural tolerances for amyloid seeding are not well understood, particularly concerning the propagation of distinct fibril morphologies (polymorphs) across species. This study examined the seeding and cross-seeding reactions between two unique fibril polymorphs, one long and flexible (formed at pH 2) and the other short and rigid (formed at pH 6.3), of human lysozyme and hen egg-white lysozyme. Both polymorphs could cross-seed aggregation across species, but this reaction was markedly reduced under physiological conditions. For both species, the pH 6.3 fibril polymorph was dominant, seeding fibril growth with a faster growth rate constant at pH 2 than the pH 2 polymorph. Based on fibrillation kinetics and fibril morphology, we found that the pH 2 polymorph was not able to faithfully replicate itself at pH 6.3. These results show that two distinct amyloid polymorphs are both capable of heterologous seeding across two species (human and hen) of lysozyme, but that the pH 6.3 polymorph is favored, regardless of the species, likely due to a lower energy barrier, or faster configurational diffusion, to accessing this particular misfolded form. These findings contribute to our better understanding of amyloid strain propagation across species barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lida Rahimi Araghi
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Derek R Dee
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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34
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Differences in the free energies between the excited states of A β40 and A β42 monomers encode their aggregation propensities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:19926-19937. [PMID: 32732434 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002570117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The early events in the aggregation of the intrinsically disordered peptide, amyloid-β (Aβ), involve transitions from the disordered free energy ground state to assembly-competent states. Are the fingerprints of order found in the amyloid fibrils encoded in the conformations that the monomers access at equilibrium? If so, could the enhanced aggregation rate of Aβ42 compared to Aβ40 be rationalized from the sparsely populated high free energy states of the monomers? Here, we answer these questions in the affirmative using coarse-grained simulations of the self-organized polymer-intrinsically disordered protein (SOP-IDP) model of Aβ40 and Aβ42. Although both the peptides have practically identical ensemble-averaged properties, characteristic of random coils (RCs), the conformational ensembles of the two monomers exhibit sequence-specific heterogeneity. Hierarchical clustering of conformations reveals that both the peptides populate high free energy aggregation-prone ([Formula: see text]) states, which resemble the monomers in the fibril structure. The free energy gap between the ground (RC) and the [Formula: see text] states of Aβ42 peptide is smaller than that for Aβ40. By relating the populations of excited states of the two peptides to the fibril formation time scales using an empirical formula, we explain nearly quantitatively the faster aggregation rate of Aβ42 relative to Aβ40. The [Formula: see text] concept accounts for fibril polymorphs, leading to the prediction that the less stable [Formula: see text] state of Aβ42, encoding for the U-bend fibril, should form earlier than the structure with the S-bend topology, which is in accord with Ostwald's rule rationalizing crystal polymorph formation.
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35
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Caflisch A. Kinetic Control of Amyloidogenesis Calls for Unconventional Drugs To Fight Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:103-104. [PMID: 31904213 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Computer simulations had predicted that amyloid fibrillogenesis is governed by free energy barriers and kinetic traps (kinetic control), rather than the free energy of the final aggregates. The simulations suggested that the diversity in fibril morphologies can originate from variations in the number of protofilaments which has been confirmed by recent cryo-electron microscopy studies of amyloid-β fibrils derived from brain tissue of Alzheimer's patients. The kinetic control of fibril formation and polymorphism imply that chemical substances with new mechanisms of action are needed to fight Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amedeo Caflisch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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36
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Computational studies of protein aggregation mediated by amyloid: Fibril elongation and secondary nucleation. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 170:461-504. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2019.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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37
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Sakalauskas A, Ziaunys M, Smirnovas V. Concentration-dependent polymorphism of insulin amyloid fibrils. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8208. [PMID: 31844588 PMCID: PMC6910113 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into highly structured fibrils has long been associated with several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Polymorphism of amyloid fibrils increases the complexity of disease mechanisms and may be one of the reasons for the slow progress in drug research. Here we report protein concentration as another factor leading to polymorphism of insulin amyloid fibrils. Moreover, our data suggests that insulin amyloid conformation can self-replicate only via elongation, while seed-induced nucleation will lead to environment-defined conformation of fibrils. As similar observations were already described for a couple of other amyloid proteins, we suggest it to be a generic mechanism for self-replication of different amyloid fibril conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrius Sakalauskas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Mantas Ziaunys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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38
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Katyal N, Deep S. A computational approach to get insights into multiple faces of additives in modulation of protein aggregation pathways. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:24269-24285. [PMID: 31670327 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp03763b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
An enormous population worldwide is presently confronted with debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. The etiology of the disease is connected to protein aggregation and the events involved therein. Thus, a complete understanding of an inhibitor at different stages in the process is imperative for the formulation of a drug molecule. This review presents a detailed summary of the current status of different cosolvents. It further develops how the complex aggregation pathway can be simplified into three steps common to all proteins and the way computer simulations can be exploited to gain insights into the ways by which known inhibitors can affect all these stages. Computation of theoretical parameters in this regard and their correlation with experimental techniques is accentuated. In addition to providing an outline of the scope of different additives, this review showcases the way by which the problem of analyzing an effect of an additive can be addressed effectively via MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Katyal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016, Delhi, India.
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39
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Zottig X, Al-Halifa S, Babych M, Quittot N, Archambault D, Bourgault S. Guiding the Morphology of Amyloid Assemblies by Electrostatic Capping: from Polymorphic Twisted Fibrils to Uniform Nanorods. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2019; 15:e1901806. [PMID: 31268238 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201901806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Peptides that self-assemble into cross-β-sheet amyloid structures constitute promising building blocks to construct highly ordered proteinaceous materials and nanoparticles. Nevertheless, the intrinsic polymorphism of amyloids and the difficulty of controlling self-assembly currently limit their usage. In this study, the effect of electrostatic interactions on the supramolecular organization of peptide assemblies is investigated to gain insights into the structural basis of the morphological diversities of amyloids. Different charged capping units are introduced at the N-terminus of a potent β-sheet-forming sequence derived from the 20-29 segment of islet amyloid polypeptide, known to self-assemble into polymorphic fibrils. By tuning the charge and the electrostatic strength, different mesoscopic morphologies are obtained, including nanorods, rope-like fibrils, and twisted ribbons. Particularly, the addition of positive capping units leads to the formation of uniform rod-like assemblies, with lengths that can be modulated by the charge number. It is proposed that electrostatic repulsions between N-terminal positive charges hinder β-sheet tape twisting, leading to a unique control over the size of these cytocompatible nanorods by protofilament growth frustration. This study reveals the high susceptibility of amyloid formation to subtle chemical modifications and opens to promising strategies to control the final architecture of proteinaceous assemblies from the peptide sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena Zottig
- Chemistry Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, H2L 2C4, Canada
- Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering and Applications PROTEO, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Soultan Al-Halifa
- Chemistry Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, H2L 2C4, Canada
- Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering and Applications PROTEO, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Margaryta Babych
- Chemistry Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, H2L 2C4, Canada
- Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering and Applications PROTEO, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Noé Quittot
- Chemistry Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, H2L 2C4, Canada
- Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering and Applications PROTEO, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Denis Archambault
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, H2X 1Y4, Canada
- Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center, CRIPA, Québec, J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Steve Bourgault
- Chemistry Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, H2L 2C4, Canada
- Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering and Applications PROTEO, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
- Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center, CRIPA, Québec, J2S 2M2, Canada
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40
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Xu Y, Safari MS, Ma W, Schafer NP, Wolynes PG, Vekilov PG. Steady, Symmetric, and Reversible Growth and Dissolution of Individual Amyloid-β Fibrils. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:2967-2976. [PMID: 31099555 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Oligomers and fibrils of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide are implicated in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Here, we monitor the growth of individual Aβ40 fibrils by time-resolved in situ atomic force microscopy and thereby directly measure fibril growth rates. The measured growth rates in a population of fibrils that includes both single protofilaments and bundles of filaments are independent of the fibril thickness, indicating that cooperation between adjacent protofilaments does not affect incorporation of monomers. The opposite ends of individual fibrils grow at similar rates. In contrast to the "stop-and-go" kinetics that has previously been observed for amyloid-forming peptides, growth and dissolution of the Aβ40 fibrils are relatively steady for peptide concentration of 0-10 μM. The fibrils readily dissolve in quiescent peptide-free solutions at a rate that is consistent with the microscopic reversibility of growth and dissolution. Importantly, the bimolecular rate coefficient for the association of a monomer to the fibril end is significantly smaller than the diffusion limit, implying that the transition state for incorporation of a monomer into a fibril is associated with a relatively high free energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuechuan Xu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4726 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204-4004, United States
| | - Mohammad S. Safari
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4726 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204-4004, United States
| | - Wenchuan Ma
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4726 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204-4004, United States
| | - Nicholas P. Schafer
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, P.O. Box 1892, MS 654, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, P.O. Box 1892, MS 60, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, United States
| | - Peter G. Wolynes
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, P.O. Box 1892, MS 654, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, P.O. Box 1892, MS 60, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, United States
| | - Peter G. Vekilov
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4726 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77204-4004, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, 3585 Cullen Blvd., Houston, Texas 77204-5003, United States
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41
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Ilie IM, Caflisch A. Simulation Studies of Amyloidogenic Polypeptides and Their Aggregates. Chem Rev 2019; 119:6956-6993. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ioana M. Ilie
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Amedeo Caflisch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland
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42
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Ayme JF, Beves JE, Campbell CJ, Leigh DA. Probing the Dynamics of the Imine-Based Pentafoil Knot and Pentameric Circular Helicate Assembly. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:3605-3612. [PMID: 30707020 PMCID: PMC6429429 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b12800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
![]()
We investigate the self-assembly
dynamics of an imine-based pentafoil
knot and related pentameric circular helicates, each derived from
a common bis(formylpyridine)bipyridyl building block, iron(II) chloride,
and either monoamines or a diamine. The mixing of circular helicates
derived from different amines led to the complete exchange of the N-alkyl residues on the periphery of the metallo-supramolecular
scaffolds over 4 days in DMSO at 60 °C. Under similar conditions,
deuterium-labeled and nonlabeled building blocks showed full dialdehyde
building block exchange over 13 days for open circular helicates but
was much slower for the analogous closed-loop pentafoil knot (>60
days). Although both knots and open circular helicates self-assemble
under thermodynamic control given sufficiently long reaction times,
this is significantly longer than the time taken to afford the maximum
product yield (2 days). Highly effective error correction occurs during
the synthesis of imine-based pentafoil molecular knots and pentameric
circular helicates despite, in practice, the systems not operating
under full thermodynamic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Ayme
- School of Chemistry , University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , United Kingdom.,School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, West Mains Road , Edinburgh EH9 3JJ , United Kingdom
| | - Jonathon E Beves
- School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, West Mains Road , Edinburgh EH9 3JJ , United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J Campbell
- School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, West Mains Road , Edinburgh EH9 3JJ , United Kingdom
| | - David A Leigh
- School of Chemistry , University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , United Kingdom.,School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, West Mains Road , Edinburgh EH9 3JJ , United Kingdom
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43
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Li B, Zhang R, Shi X. Aggregation of amyloid peptides into fibrils driven by nanoparticles and their curvature effect. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:1784-1790. [PMID: 30624452 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp07211f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Fibrillation of amyloid peptides induces human diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, which has become a huge challenge. Some nanoparticles (NPs) could enhance peptide fibrillation by decreasing the lag time, yet how the size and shape of NPs affect amyloid fibrillation as well as the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we investigated amyloid fibrillation on the surface of spherical NPs and cylindrical nanorods (NRs) of different sizes using coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations. We focused on the curvature effect of NPs/NRs on the adsorption and fibrillation of peptide chains due to the size/shape difference. As the size of the NPs/NRs increases, the number of assembled peptide chains shows a non-monotonic tendency, and there is an optimal size for the highest adsorption. In most cases, the NRs could adsorb more peptides than the NPs of the same diameter due to the lower curvature. The mechanism beneath these observations was elucidated from a thermodynamic point of view. Our findings could provide a physical basis for the adsorption and fibrillation of amyloid peptides on NPs, and guide the design of future curvature-dependent NP-based amyloid treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Li
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchy Fabrication, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
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44
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Qiao Q, Wei G, Yao D, Song Z. Formation of α-helical and β-sheet structures in membrane-bound human IAPP monomer and the resulting membrane deformation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:20239-20251. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp03151k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Upon adsorption on membrane, human IAPP monomer takes conformational changes from coils to α-helices and β-sheets. The helices inserted and β on surface cause different types of membrane deformation, implying two distinct aggregation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Qiao
- Digital Medical Research Center
- School of Basic Medical Sciences
- Fudan University
- Shanghai 200032
- China
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics
- Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Science (Ministry of Education)
- Fudan University
- Shanghai 200438
| | - Demin Yao
- Digital Medical Research Center
- School of Basic Medical Sciences
- Fudan University
- Shanghai 200032
- China
| | - Zhijian Song
- Digital Medical Research Center
- School of Basic Medical Sciences
- Fudan University
- Shanghai 200032
- China
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45
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Faridi A, Sun Y, Okazaki Y, Peng G, Gao J, Kakinen A, Faridi P, Zhao M, Javed I, Purcell AW, Davis TP, Lin S, Oda R, Ding F, Ke PC. Mitigating Human IAPP Amyloidogenesis In Vivo with Chiral Silica Nanoribbons. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1802825. [PMID: 30369028 PMCID: PMC6263833 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201802825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils generally display chirality, a feature which has rarely been exploited in the development of therapeutics against amyloid diseases. This study reports, for the first time, the use of mesoscopic chiral silica nanoribbons against the in vivo amyloidogenesis of human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), the peptide whose aggregation is implicated in type 2 diabetes. The thioflavin T assay and transmission electron microscopy show accelerated IAPP fibrillization through elimination of the nucleation phase and shortening of the elongation phase by the nanostructures. Coarse-grained simulations offer complementary molecular insights into the acceleration of amyloid aggregation through their nonspecific binding and directional seeding with the nanostructures. This accelerated IAPP fibrillization translates to reduced toxicity, especially for the right-handed silica nanoribbons, as revealed by cell viability, helium ion microscopy, as well as zebrafish embryo survival, developmental, and behavioral assays. This study has implicated the potential of employing chiral nanotechnologies against the mesoscopic enantioselectivity of amyloid proteins and their associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava Faridi
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Yutaka Okazaki
- Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, 33607, Pessac, France
| | - Guotao Peng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jie Gao
- Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, 33607, Pessac, France
| | - Aleksandr Kakinen
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Pouya Faridi
- Infection and Immunity Program & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Mei Zhao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Ibrahim Javed
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Anthony W Purcell
- Infection and Immunity Program & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Thomas P Davis
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Sijie Lin
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Biomedical Multidisciplinary Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai East Hospital State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Reiko Oda
- Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, 33607, Pessac, France
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Pu Chun Ke
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
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46
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Chen M, Schafer NP, Wolynes PG. Surveying the Energy Landscapes of Aβ Fibril Polymorphism. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:11414-11430. [PMID: 30215519 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b07364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Many unrelated proteins and peptides have been found spontaneously to form amyloid fibers above a critical concentration. Even for a single sequence, however, the amyloid fold is not a single well-defined structure. Although the cross-β hydrogen bonding pattern is common to all amyloids, all other aspects of amyloid fiber structures are sensitive to both the sequence of the aggregating peptides and the solvent conditions under which the aggregation occurs. Amyloid fibers are easy to identify and grossly characterize using microscopy, but their insolubility and aperiodicity along the dimensions transverse to the fiber axis have complicated detailed experimental structural characterization. In this paper, we explore the landscape of possibilities for amyloid protofilament structures that are made up of a single stack of peptides associated in a parallel in-register manner. We view this landscape as a two-dimensional version of the usual three-dimensional protein folding problem: the survey of the two-dimensional folds of protein ribbons. Adopting this view leads to a practical method of predicting stable protofilament structures of arbitrary sequences. We apply this scheme to variants of Aβ, the amyloid forming peptide that is characteristically associated with Alzheimer's disease. Consistent with what is known from experiment, we find that Aβ protofibrils are polymorphic. To our surprise, however, the ribbon-folding landscape of Aβ turned out to be strikingly simple. We confirm that, at the level of the monomeric protofilament, the landscape for the Aβ sequence is reasonably well funneled toward structures that are similar to those that have been determined by experiment. The landscape has more distinct minima than does a typical globular protein landscape but fewer and deeper minima than the landscape of a randomly shuffled sequence having the same overall composition. It is tempting to consider the possibility that the significant degree of funneling of Aβ's ribbon-folding landscape has arisen as a result of natural selection. More likely, however, the intermediate complexity of Aβ's ribbon-folding landscape has come from the post facto selection of the Aβ sequence as an object of study by researchers because only by having a landscape with some degree of funneling can ordered aggregation of such a peptide occur at in vivo concentrations. In addition to predicting polymorph structures, we show that predicted solubilities of polymorphs correlate with experiment and with their elongation free energies computed by coarse-grained molecular dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingchen Chen
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics , Rice University , Houston , Texas 77005 , United States.,Department of Bioengineering , Rice University , Houston , Texas 77005 , United States
| | - Nicholas P Schafer
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics , Rice University , Houston , Texas 77005 , United States.,Department of Chemistry , Rice University , Houston , Texas 77005 , United States
| | - Peter G Wolynes
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics , Rice University , Houston , Texas 77005 , United States.,Department of Chemistry , Rice University , Houston , Texas 77005 , United States
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47
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Jonnalagadda SVR, Kokotidou C, Orr AA, Fotopoulou E, Henderson KJ, Choi CH, Lim WT, Choi SJ, Jeong HK, Mitraki A, Tamamis P. Computational Design of Functional Amyloid Materials with Cesium Binding, Deposition, and Capture Properties. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:7555-7568. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b04103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Chrysoula Kokotidou
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Heraklion 700 13, Crete, Greece
- Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) FORTH, Heraklion 711 10, Crete, Greece
| | | | - Emmanouela Fotopoulou
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Heraklion 700 13, Crete, Greece
| | | | | | - Woo Taik Lim
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Andong National University, Andong 36729, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang June Choi
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Anna Mitraki
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Heraklion 700 13, Crete, Greece
- Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) FORTH, Heraklion 711 10, Crete, Greece
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48
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Impact of membrane curvature on amyloid aggregation. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2018; 1860:1741-1764. [PMID: 29709613 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2018.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The misfolding, amyloid aggregation, and fibril formation of intrinsically disordered proteins/peptides (or amyloid proteins) have been shown to cause a number of disorders. The underlying mechanisms of amyloid fibrillation and structural properties of amyloidogenic precursors, intermediates, and amyloid fibrils have been elucidated in detail; however, in-depth examinations on physiologically relevant contributing factors that induce amyloidogenesis and lead to cell death remain challenging. A large number of studies have attempted to characterize the roles of biomembranes on protein aggregation and membrane-mediated cell death by designing various membrane components, such as gangliosides, cholesterol, and other lipid compositions, and by using various membrane mimetics, including liposomes, bicelles, and different types of lipid-nanodiscs. We herein review the dynamic effects of membrane curvature on amyloid generation and the inhibition of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides, and also discuss how amyloid formation affects membrane curvature and integrity, which are key for understanding relationships with cell death. Small unilamellar vesicles with high curvature and large unilamellar vesicles with low curvature have been demonstrated to exhibit different capabilities to induce the nucleation, amyloid formation, and inhibition of amyloid-β peptides and α-synuclein. Polymorphic amyloidogenesis in small unilamellar vesicles was revealed and may be viewed as one of the generic properties of interprotein interaction-dominated amyloid formation. Several mechanical models and phase diagrams are comprehensively shown to better explain experimental findings. The negative membrane curvature-mediated mechanisms responsible for the toxicity of pancreatic β cells by the amyloid aggregation of human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) and binding of the precursors of the semen-derived enhancer of viral infection (SEVI) are also described. The curvature-dependent binding modes of several types of islet amyloid polypeptides with high-resolution NMR structures are also discussed.
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49
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Guo ZH, Yang CI, Ho CI, Huang SJ, Chen YC, Tai HC, Chan JCC. Fibrillization of β-Amyloid Peptides via Chemically Modulated Pathway. Chemistry 2018; 24:4939-4943. [PMID: 29380450 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201706001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The aggregation of β-amyloid peptides is closely associated with Alzheimer's disease. We have used liposomes to modulate the early aggregation events of 40-residue β-amyloid peptides. The spatial confinement provided by liposomes leads to the formation of nonfibrillar aggregates of β-amyloid peptides. These on-pathway β-sheet intermediates were used to seed the fibrillization of the monomer peptides. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy revealed that the resultant fibrils have a more uniform structure than those formed in liposome-free solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong-Hong Guo
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chien-I Yang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-I Ho
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Shing-Jong Huang
- Instrumentation Center, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Chung Chen
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Hwan-Ching Tai
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Jerry Chun Chung Chan
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
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50
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Liu Y, Ren B, Zhang Y, Sun Y, Chang Y, Liang G, Xu L, Zheng J. Molecular simulation aspects of amyloid peptides at membrane interface. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2018; 1860:1906-1916. [PMID: 29421626 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2018.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The interactions of amyloid peptides with cell membranes play an important role in maintaining the integrity and functionality of cell membrane. A thorough molecular-level understanding of the structure, dynamics, and interactions between amyloid peptides and cell membranes is critical to amyloid aggregation and toxicity mechanisms for the bench-to-bedside applications. Here we review the most recent computational studies of amyloid peptides at model cell membranes. Different mechanisms of action of amyloid peptides on/in cell membranes, targeted by different computational techniques at different lengthscales and timescales, are rationally discussed. Finally, we have proposed some new insights into the remaining challenges and perspectives for future studies to improve our understanding of the activity of amyloid peptides associated with protein-misfolding diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein Aggregation and Misfolding at the Cell Membrane Interface edited by Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonglan Liu
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, College of Life Science and Chemistry, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, PR China; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, United States
| | - Baiping Ren
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, United States
| | - Yanxian Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, United States
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of the Ministry of Education School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yung Chang
- R&D Center for Membrane Technology and Department of Chemical EngineeringChung Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan
| | - Guizhao Liang
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, PR China
| | - Lijian Xu
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, College of Life Science and Chemistry, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, PR China; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, United States.
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, United States.
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