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Mammeri NE, Dregni AJ, Duan P, Hong M. Structures of AT8 and PHF1 phosphomimetic tau: Insights into the posttranslational modification code of tau aggregation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316175121. [PMID: 38408247 PMCID: PMC10927509 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316175121] [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: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau aggregates into amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. In these tauopathies, tau is hyperphosphorylated, suggesting that this posttranslational modification (PTM) may induce tau aggregation. Tau is also phosphorylated in normal developing brains. To investigate how tau phosphorylation induces amyloid fibrils, here we report the atomic structures of two phosphomimetic full-length tau fibrils assembled without anionic cofactors. We mutated key Ser and Thr residues to Glu in two regions of the protein. One construct contains three Glu mutations at the epitope of the anti-phospho-tau antibody AT8 (AT8-3E tau), whereas the other construct contains four Glu mutations at the epitope of the antibody PHF1 (PHF1-4E tau). Solid-state NMR data show that both phosphomimetic tau mutants form homogeneous fibrils with a single set of chemical shifts. The AT8-3E tau rigid core extends from the R3 repeat to the C terminus, whereas the PHF1-4E tau rigid core spans R2, R3, and R4 repeats. Cryoelectron microscopy data show that AT8-3E tau forms a triangular multi-layered core, whereas PHF1-4E tau forms a triple-stranded core. Interestingly, a construct combining all seven Glu mutations exhibits the same conformation as PHF1-4E tau. Scalar-coupled NMR data additionally reveal the dynamics and shape of the fuzzy coat surrounding the rigid cores. These results demonstrate that specific PTMs induce structurally specific tau aggregates, and the phosphorylation code of tau contains redundancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia El Mammeri
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Aurelio J. Dregni
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Pu Duan
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
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2
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Guillien M, Mouhand A, Sagar A, Fournet A, Allemand F, Pereira GAN, Thureau A, Bernadó P, Banères JL, Sibille N. Phosphorylation motif dictates GPCR C-terminal domain conformation and arrestin interaction. Structure 2023; 31:1394-1406.e7. [PMID: 37669668 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.08.011] [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: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Arrestin-dependent G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathway is regulated by the phosphorylation state of GPCR's C-terminal domain, but the molecular bases of arrestin:receptor interaction are to be further illuminated. Here we investigated the impact of phosphorylation on the conformational features of the C-terminal region from three rhodopsin-like GPCRs, the vasopressin V2 receptor (V2R), the growth hormone secretagogue or ghrelin receptor type 1a (GHSR), and the β2-adernergic receptor (β2AR). Using phosphomimetic variants, we identified pre-formed secondary structure elements, or short linear motifs (SLiMs), that undergo specific conformational transitions upon phosphorylation. Of importance, such conformational transitions appear to favor arrestin-2 binding. Hence, our results suggest a model in which the phosphorylation-dependent structuration of the GPCR C-terminal regions would modulate arrestin binding and therefore signaling outcomes in arrestin-dependent pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Guillien
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), CNRS, University Montpellier, Inserm, Montpellier, France
| | - Assia Mouhand
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), CNRS, University Montpellier, Inserm, Montpellier, France
| | - Amin Sagar
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), CNRS, University Montpellier, Inserm, Montpellier, France
| | - Aurélie Fournet
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), CNRS, University Montpellier, Inserm, Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric Allemand
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), CNRS, University Montpellier, Inserm, Montpellier, France
| | - Glaécia A N Pereira
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM), UMR-5247, University Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Aurélien Thureau
- HélioBio Section, Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin BP 48, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pau Bernadó
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), CNRS, University Montpellier, Inserm, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Louis Banères
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM), UMR-5247, University Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Sibille
- Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), CNRS, University Montpellier, Inserm, Montpellier, France.
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Al Abdullah S, Najm L, Ladouceur L, Ebrahimi F, Shakeri A, Al-Jabouri N, Didar TF, Dellinger K. Functional Nanomaterials for the Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2023; 33:2302673. [PMID: 39309539 PMCID: PMC11415277 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202302673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the main causes of dementia worldwide, whereby neuronal death or malfunction leads to cognitive impairment in the elderly population. AD is highly prevalent, with increased projections over the next few decades. Yet current diagnostic methods for AD occur only after the presentation of clinical symptoms. Evidence in the literature points to potential mechanisms of AD induction beginning before clinical symptoms start to present, such as the formation of amyloid beta (Aβ) extracellular plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Biomarkers of AD, including Aβ 40, Aβ 42, and tau protein, amongst others, show promise for early AD diagnosis. Additional progress is made in the application of biosensing modalities to measure and detect significant changes in these AD biomarkers within patient samples, such as cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and blood, serum, or plasma. Herein, a comprehensive review of the emerging nano-biomaterial approaches to develop biosensors for AD biomarkers' detection is provided. Advances, challenges, and potential of electrochemical, optical, and colorimetric biosensors, focusing on nanoparticle-based (metallic, magnetic, quantum dots) and nanostructure-based biomaterials are discussed. Finally, the criteria for incorporating these emerging nano-biomaterials in clinical settings are presented and assessed, as they hold great potential for enhancing early-onset AD diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saqer Al Abdullah
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, 2907 East Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27401, USA
| | - Lubna Najm
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Liane Ladouceur
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Farbod Ebrahimi
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, 2907 East Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27401, USA
| | - Amid Shakeri
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Nadine Al-Jabouri
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Tohid F Didar
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada
- Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR), 1280 Main St W, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Kristen Dellinger
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, 2907 East Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27401, USA
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Fatemeh B, Koorosh S, Amir S, Yaghoub F, Javad MZ. Intra-hippocampal cis-P tau microinjection induces long-term changes in behavior and synaptic plasticity in mice. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2023; 19:9. [PMID: 37231523 DOI: 10.1186/s12993-023-00211-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease is accompanied by an abnormal high accumulation of cis-P tau. However, the long-term changes in behavior following tau accumulation remains under debate. The present study investigated the long-term effects of tauopathy on learning and memory, synaptic plasticity, and hippocampal cell numbers. RESULTS Cis-P tau was microinjected into the dorsal hippocampus to generate Alzheimer's like-disease model in C57BL/6 mice. Cis-P tau injected animals showed a significant impairment in learning and memory in Y-maze and Barnes maze tests. In another group of animals, the generation of long-term potentiation (LTP) was evaluated in hippocampal slices 7 months after cis-P tau injection. LTP induction was disrupted only in the dorsal but not ventral hippocampal slices. The basal synaptic transmission was also reduced in dorsal hippocampal slices. In addition, hippocampal sampling was done, and the number of cells was assessed by Nissl staining. Obtained results indicated that the number of survived cells was significantly reduced in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus of cis P-tau injected animals compared to the animals in control group. However, the decrement of cell number was higher in the dorsal compared to the ventral hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, intra-hippocampal cis-P tau injection produced learning and memory impairment at 7 months after its injection. This impairment might result from LTP disruption and a significant decrease in the number of neurons in the dorsal hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bakhtiarzadeh Fatemeh
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, 14115-331, Tehran, 1411713116, Iran
| | - Shahpasand Koorosh
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shojaei Amir
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, 14115-331, Tehran, 1411713116, Iran
- Institute for Brain Sciences and Cognition, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fathollahi Yaghoub
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, 14115-331, Tehran, 1411713116, Iran
| | - Mirnajafi-Zadeh Javad
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, 14115-331, Tehran, 1411713116, Iran.
- Institute for Brain Sciences and Cognition, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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Paladino A, Vitagliano L, Graziano G. The Action of Chemical Denaturants: From Globular to Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050754. [PMID: 37237566 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Proteins perform their many functions by adopting either a minimal number of strictly similar conformations, the native state, or a vast ensemble of highly flexible conformations. In both cases, their structural features are highly influenced by the chemical environment. Even though a plethora of experimental studies have demonstrated the impact of chemical denaturants on protein structure, the molecular mechanism underlying their action is still debated. In the present review, after a brief recapitulation of the main experimental data on protein denaturants, we survey both classical and more recent interpretations of the molecular basis of their action. In particular, we highlight the differences and similarities of the impact that denaturants have on different structural classes of proteins, i.e., globular, intrinsically disordered (IDP), and amyloid-like assemblies. Particular attention has been given to the IDPs, as recent studies are unraveling their fundamental importance in many physiological processes. The role that computation techniques are expected to play in the near future is illustrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Paladino
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Graziano
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, via Francesco de Sanctis snc, 82100 Benevento, Italy
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Lasorsa A, Bera K, Malki I, Dupré E, Cantrelle FX, Merzougui H, Sinnaeve D, Hanoulle X, Hritz J, Landrieu I. Conformation and Affinity Modulations by Multiple Phosphorylation Occurring in the BIN1 SH3 Domain Binding Site of the Tau Protein Proline-Rich Region. Biochemistry 2023. [PMID: 37167199 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
An increase in phosphorylation of the Tau protein is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression through unclear molecular mechanisms. In general, phosphorylation modifies the interaction of intrinsically disordered proteins, such as Tau, with other proteins; however, elucidating the structural basis of this regulation mechanism remains challenging. The bridging integrator-1 gene is an AD genetic determinant whose gene product, BIN1, directly interacts with Tau. The proline-rich motif recognized within a Tau(210-240) peptide by the SH3 domain of BIN1 (BIN1 SH3) is defined as 216PTPP219, and this interaction is modulated by phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of T217 within the Tau(210-240) peptide led to a 6-fold reduction in the affinity, while single phosphorylation at either T212, T231, or S235 had no effect on the interaction. Nonetheless, combined phosphorylation of T231 and S235 led to a 3-fold reduction in the affinity, although these phosphorylations are not within the BIN1 SH3-bound region of the Tau peptide. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, these phosphorylations were shown to affect the local secondary structure and dynamics of the Tau(210-240) peptide. Models of the (un)phosphorylated peptides were obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation validated by experimental data and showed compaction of the phosphorylated peptide due to increased salt bridge formation. This dynamic folding might indirectly impact the BIN1 SH3 binding by a decreased accessibility of the binding site. Regulation of the binding might thus not only be due to local electrostatic or steric effects from phosphorylation but also to the modification of the conformational properties of Tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Lasorsa
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Krishnendu Bera
- CEITEC MU, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
- National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Idir Malki
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Elian Dupré
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille F-59000, France
| | - François-Xavier Cantrelle
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Hamida Merzougui
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Davy Sinnaeve
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Xavier Hanoulle
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Jozef Hritz
- CEITEC MU, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille F-59000, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille F-59000, France
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7
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Oliveira AC, Santos M, Pinho M, Lopes CS. String/Cdc25 phosphatase is a suppressor of Tau-associated neurodegeneration. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:286255. [PMID: 36601903 PMCID: PMC9903143 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau pathology is defined by the intracellular accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated Tau (MAPT) and is prevalent in several neurodegenerative disorders. The identification of modulators of Tau abnormal phosphorylation and aggregation is key to understanding disease progression and developing targeted therapeutic approaches. In this study, we identified String (Stg)/Cdc25 phosphatase as a suppressor of abnormal Tau phosphorylation and associated toxicity. Using a Drosophila model of tauopathy, we showed that Tau dephosphorylation by Stg/Cdc25 correlates with reduced Tau oligomerization, brain vacuolization and locomotor deficits in flies. Moreover, using a disease mimetic model, we provided evidence that Stg/Cdc25 reduces Tau phosphorylation levels independently of Tau aggregation status and delays neurodegeneration progression in the fly. These findings uncover a role for Stg/Cdc25 phosphatases as regulators of Tau biology that extends beyond their well-characterized function as cell-cycle regulators during cell proliferation, and indicate Stg/Cdc25-based approaches as promising entry points to target abnormal Tau phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia C. Oliveira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- PhD Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Madalena Santos
- Department of Anatomy, Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), ICBAS, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathological, Cytological and Thanatological Anatomy, ESS|P.PORTO, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
| | - Mafalda Pinho
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla S. Lopes
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Author for correspondence ()
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8
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Teixeira JMC, Liu ZH, Namini A, Li J, Vernon RM, Krzeminski M, Shamandy AA, Zhang O, Haghighatlari M, Yu L, Head-Gordon T, Forman-Kay JD. IDPConformerGenerator: A Flexible Software Suite for Sampling the Conformational Space of Disordered Protein States. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:5985-6003. [PMID: 36030416 PMCID: PMC9465686 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c03726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The power of structural information for informing biological mechanisms is clear for stable folded macromolecules, but similar structure-function insight is more difficult to obtain for highly dynamic systems such as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) which must be described as structural ensembles. Here, we present IDPConformerGenerator, a flexible, modular open-source software platform for generating large and diverse ensembles of disordered protein states that builds conformers that obey geometric, steric, and other physical restraints on the input sequence. IDPConformerGenerator samples backbone phi (φ), psi (ψ), and omega (ω) torsion angles of relevant sequence fragments from loops and secondary structure elements extracted from folded protein structures in the RCSB Protein Data Bank and builds side chains from robust Monte Carlo algorithms using expanded rotamer libraries. IDPConformerGenerator has many user-defined options enabling variable fractional sampling of secondary structures, supports Bayesian models for assessing the agreement of IDP ensembles for consistency with experimental data, and introduces a machine learning approach to transform between internal and Cartesian coordinates with reduced error. IDPConformerGenerator will facilitate the characterization of disordered proteins to ultimately provide structural insights into these states that have key biological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- João M. C. Teixeira
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Zi Hao Liu
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ashley Namini
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Jie Li
- Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering, and Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Robert M. Vernon
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Mickaël Krzeminski
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Alaa A. Shamandy
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department
of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2E4, Canada
| | - Oufan Zhang
- Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering, and Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Mojtaba Haghighatlari
- Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering, and Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Lei Yu
- Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering, and Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Teresa Head-Gordon
- Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering, and Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Julie D. Forman-Kay
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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9
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Huynh MB, Rebergue N, Merrick H, Gomez-Henao W, Jospin E, Biard DSF, Papy-Garcia D. HS3ST2 expression induces the cell autonomous aggregation of tau. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10850. [PMID: 35760982 PMCID: PMC9237029 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13486-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Heparan sulfates have long been known to intracellularly accumulate in Alzheimer's disease neurons, where they colocalize with neurofibrillary tangles made of abnormally phosphorylated and aggregated tau protein. However, the reasons and consequences of the heparan sulfates accumulation in the Alzheimer's cells are not yet well understood. Previously, we showed that the neural heparan sulfate 3-O-sulfotransferase HS3ST2 is critical for the abnormal phosphorylation of tau in Alzheimer's disease-related tauopathy. Using cell models of tauopathy we showed that intracellular 3-O-sulfatated heparan sulfates interact with tau inducing its abnormal phosphorylation. However, it is unknown whether HS3ST2 expression induces the intracellular aggregation of tau in cells. Here, by using replicative pEBV plasmids, we engineered HEK293 cells to stably express HS3ST2 together with human tau carrying or not the P301S mutation. We show that HS3ST2 gain of function induces the cell autonomous aggregation of tau not only in cells expressing tauP301S, but also in cells expressing the wild type tau. Our engineered cells mimicked both the HS intracellular accumulation observed in neurons of Alzheimer's disease and the tau aggregation characteristic of tauopathy development and evolution. These results give evidence that the neural HS3ST2 plays a critical role in the cell autonomous self-aggregation of tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B Huynh
- Glycobiology, Cell Growth and Tissue Repair Research Unit (Gly-CRRET), Univ Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), F-94010 Creteil, France
| | - N Rebergue
- Glycobiology, Cell Growth and Tissue Repair Research Unit (Gly-CRRET), Univ Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), F-94010 Creteil, France
| | - H Merrick
- Glycobiology, Cell Growth and Tissue Repair Research Unit (Gly-CRRET), Univ Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), F-94010 Creteil, France
| | - W Gomez-Henao
- Glycobiology, Cell Growth and Tissue Repair Research Unit (Gly-CRRET), Univ Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), F-94010 Creteil, France
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Laboratorio Internacional Gly-CRRET-UNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - E Jospin
- Glycobiology, Cell Growth and Tissue Repair Research Unit (Gly-CRRET), Univ Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), F-94010 Creteil, France
| | - D S F Biard
- Glycobiology, Cell Growth and Tissue Repair Research Unit (Gly-CRRET), Univ Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), F-94010 Creteil, France
- CEA, Institut de Biologie François Jacob (IBFJ), SEPIA, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - D Papy-Garcia
- Glycobiology, Cell Growth and Tissue Repair Research Unit (Gly-CRRET), Univ Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), F-94010 Creteil, France.
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10
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Meng JX, Zhang Y, Saman D, Haider AM, De S, Sang JC, Brown K, Jiang K, Humphrey J, Julian L, Hidari E, Lee SF, Balmus G, Floto RA, Bryant CE, Benesch JLP, Ye Y, Klenerman D. Hyperphosphorylated tau self-assembles into amorphous aggregates eliciting TLR4-dependent responses. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2692. [PMID: 35577786 PMCID: PMC9110413 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30461-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Soluble aggregates of the microtubule-associated protein tau have been challenging to assemble and characterize, despite their important role in the development of tauopathies. We found that sequential hyperphosphorylation by protein kinase A in conjugation with either glycogen synthase kinase 3β or stress activated protein kinase 4 enabled recombinant wild-type tau of isoform 0N4R to spontaneously polymerize into small amorphous aggregates in vitro. We employed tandem mass spectrometry to determine the phosphorylation sites, high-resolution native mass spectrometry to measure the degree of phosphorylation, and super-resolution microscopy and electron microscopy to characterize the morphology of aggregates formed. Functionally, compared with the unmodified aggregates, which require heparin induction to assemble, these self-assembled hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates more efficiently disrupt membrane bilayers and induce Toll-like receptor 4-dependent responses in human macrophages. Together, our results demonstrate that hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates are potentially damaging to cells, suggesting a mechanism for how hyperphosphorylation could drive neuroinflammation in tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan X Meng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dominik Saman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Arshad M Haider
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Suman De
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Neuroscience Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jason C Sang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Karen Brown
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kun Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jane Humphrey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Linda Julian
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eric Hidari
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Steven F Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gabriel Balmus
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - R Andres Floto
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Clare E Bryant
- Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Yu Ye
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Klenerman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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11
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Hornakova L, Sinsky J, Janubova M, Mederlyova A, Paulenka Ivanovova N, Piestansky J, Kovac A, Galba J, Skrabana R, Cehlar O. Interaction kinetics reveal distinct properties of conformational ensembles of three-repeat and four-repeat tau proteins. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:1178-1189. [PMID: 35322890 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14339] [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: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Tau protein is an intrinsically disordered protein. Its physiological state is best described as a conformational ensemble (CE) of metastable structures interconverting on the local and molecular scale. The monoclonal antibody DC39C recognizes a linear C-terminal tau epitope, and as the tau interaction partner, its binding parameters report about tau CE. Association kinetics of DC39C binding, together with crosslinking mass spectrometry, show differences in the accessibility of the C-terminus in CEs of tau isoforms. Furthermore, removal of the C-terminus accelerated the aggregation kinetics of three-repeat tau proteins. Our results suggest a novel mechanism of splicing-driven regulation of the tau C-terminal domain with consequences on the specific roles of tau isoforms in microtubule assembly and pathological aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Hornakova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovicova 6, 84215, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Institute of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 811 08, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Jakub Sinsky
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Maria Janubova
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo Nabrezie 10, 81102, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Institute of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 811 08, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Anna Mederlyova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | | | - Juraj Piestansky
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo Nabrezie 10, 81102, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Odbojarov 10, 83232, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Toxicological and Antidoping Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University in Bratislava, Odbojarov 10, 832 32, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Andrej Kovac
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo Nabrezie 10, 81102, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Jaroslav Galba
- Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo Nabrezie 10, 81102, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Rostislav Skrabana
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Axon Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dvorakovo Nabrezie 10, 81102, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Ondrej Cehlar
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84510, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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12
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Ye H, Han Y, Li P, Su Z, Huang Y. The Role of Post-Translational Modifications on the Structure and Function of Tau Protein. J Mol Neurosci 2022; 72:1557-1571. [PMID: 35325356 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-022-02002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Involving addition of chemical groups or protein units to specific residues of the target protein, post-translational modifications (PTMs) alter the charge, hydrophobicity, and conformation of a protein, which in tune influences protein function, protein - protein interaction, and protein aggregation. While the occurrence of PTMs is dynamic and subject to regulations, conformational disorder of the target protein facilitates PTMs. The microtubule-associated protein tau is a typical intrinsically disordered protein that undergoes a variety of PTMs including phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, methylation, and oxidation. Accumulated evidence shows that these PTMs play a critical role in regulating tau-microtubule interaction, tau localization, tau degradation and aggregation, and reinforces the correlation between tau PTMs and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease. Here, we review tau PTMs with an emphasis on their influence on tau structure. With available biophysical characterization results, we describe how PTMs induce conformational changes in tau monomer and regulate tau aggregation. Compared to functional analysis of tau PTMs, biophysical characterization of tau PTMs is lagging. While it is challenging, characterizing the specific effects of PTMs on tau conformation and interaction is indispensable to unravel the tau PTM code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiqiong Ye
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Yue Han
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Ping Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Zhengding Su
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Yongqi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China. .,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China. .,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.
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13
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Morris SL, Brady ST. Tau phosphorylation and PAD exposure in regulation of axonal growth. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1023418. [PMID: 36742197 PMCID: PMC9893789 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1023418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Tau is a microtubule associated phosphoprotein found principally in neurons. Prevailing dogma continues to define microtubule stabilization as the major function of tau in vivo, despite several lines of evidence suggesting this is not the case. Most importantly, tau null mice have deficits in axonal outgrowth and neuronal migration while still possessing an extensive microtubule network. Instead, mounting evidence suggests that tau may have a major function in the regulation of fast axonal transport (FAT) through activation of neuronal signaling pathways. Previous studies identified a phosphatase activating domain (PAD) at the tau N-terminal that is normally sequestered, but is constitutively exposed in tauopathies. When exposed, the PAD activates a signaling cascade involving PP1 and GSK3β which affects cellular functions including release of cargo from kinesin. Furthermore, we discovered that PAD exposure can be regulated by a single phosphorylation at T205. Exposure of the PAD is an early event in multiple tauopathies and a major contributing factor to neurodegeneration associated with tau hyperphosphorylation. However, effects of tau PAD exposure on anterograde FAT raised the interesting possibility that this pathway may be a mechanism for physiological regulation of cargo delivery through site-specific phosphorylation of tau and transient activation of PP1 and GSK3β. Significantly, there is already evidence of local control of PP1 and GSK3β at sites which require cargo delivery. Methods: To investigate this hypothesis, first we evaluated cellular localization of tau PAD exposure, pT205 tau phosphorylation, and active GSK3β in primary hippocampal neurons during development. Second, we analyzed the axonal outgrowth of tau knockout neurons following transfection with full length hTau40-WT, hTau40-ΔPAD, or hTau40-T205A. Results and Discussion: The results presented here suggest that transient activation of a PP1-GSK3β signaling pathway through locally regulated PAD exposure is a mechanism for cargo delivery, and thereby important for neurite outgrowth of developing neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Morris
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - S T Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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14
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Taylor HBC, Emptage NJ, Jeans AF. Long-term depression links amyloid-β to the pathological hyperphosphorylation of tau. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109638. [PMID: 34469725 PMCID: PMC8424646 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In Alzheimer's disease, soluble oligomers of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβo) trigger a cascade of events that includes abnormal hyperphosphorylation of the protein tau, which is essential for pathogenesis. However, the mechanistic link between these two key pathological proteins remains unclear. Using hippocampal slices, we show here that an Aβo-mediated increase in glutamate release probability causes enhancement of synaptically evoked N-methyl-d-aspartate subtype glutamate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD). We also find that elevated glutamate release probability is required for Aβo-induced pathological hyperphosphorylation of tau, which is likewise NMDAR dependent. Finally, we show that chronic, repeated chemical or optogenetic induction of NMDAR-dependent LTD alone is sufficient to cause tau hyperphosphorylation without Aβo. Together, these results support a possible causal chain in which Aβo increases glutamate release probability, thus leading to enhanced LTD induction, which in turn drives hyperphosphorylation of tau. Our data identify a mechanistic pathway linking the two critical pathogenic proteins of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry B C Taylor
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
| | - Nigel J Emptage
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK.
| | - Alexander F Jeans
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK.
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15
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Wang D, Huang X, Yan L, Zhou L, Yan C, Wu J, Su Z, Huang Y. The Structure Biology of Tau and Clue for Aggregation Inhibitor Design. Protein J 2021; 40:656-668. [PMID: 34401998 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-021-10017-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that is mainly expressed in central and peripheral nerve systems. Tau binds to tubulin and regulates assembly and stabilization of microtubule, thus playing a critical role in neuron morphology, axon development and navigation. Tau is highly stable under normal conditions; however, there are several factors that can induce or promote aggregation of tau, forming neurofibrillary tangles. Neurofibrillary tangles are toxic to neurons, which may be related to a series of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Thus, tau is widely accepted as an important therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases. While the monomeric structure of tau is highly disordered, the aggregate structure of tau is formed by closed packing of β-stands. Studies on the structure of tau and the structural transition mechanism provide valuable information on the occurrence, development, and therapy of tauopathies. In this review, we summarize recent progress on the structural investigation of tau and based on which we discuss aggregation inhibitor design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China
| | - Xianlong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China
| | - Lu Yan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China
| | - Luoqi Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China
| | - Chang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China
| | - Jinhu Wu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China
| | - Zhengding Su
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China
| | - Yongqi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China. .,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, China.
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16
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Saito T, Chiku T, Oka M, Wada-Kakuda S, Nobuhara M, Oba T, Shinno K, Abe S, Asada A, Sumioka A, Takashima A, Miyasaka T, Ando K. Disulfide bond formation in microtubule-associated tau protein promotes tau accumulation and toxicity in vivo. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:1955-1967. [PMID: 34137825 PMCID: PMC8522637 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of microtubule-associated tau protein is thought to cause neuron loss in a group of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. In diseased brains, tau molecules adopt pathological structures that propagate into insoluble forms with disease-specific patterns. Several types of posttranslational modifications in tau are known to modulate its aggregation propensity in vitro, but their influence on tau accumulation and toxicity at the whole-organism level has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we utilized a series of transgenic Drosophila models to compare systematically the toxicity induced by five tau constructs with mutations or deletions associated with aggregation, including substitutions at seven disease-associated phosphorylation sites (S7A and S7E), deletions of PHF6 and PHF6* sequences (ΔPHF6 and ΔPHF6*), and substitutions of cysteine residues in the microtubule binding repeats (C291/322A). We found that substitutions and deletions resulted in different patterns of neurodegeneration and accumulation, with C291/322A having a dramatic effect on both tau accumulation and neurodegeneration. These cysteines formed disulfide bonds in mouse primary cultured neurons and in the fly retina, and stabilized tau proteins. Additionally, they contributed to tau accumulation under oxidative stress. We also found that each of these cysteine residues contributes to the microtubule polymerization rate and microtubule levels at equilibrium, but none of them affected tau binding to polymerized microtubules. Since tau proteins expressed in the Drosophila retina are mostly present in the early stages of tau filaments self-assembly, our results suggest that disulfide bond formation by these cysteine residues could be attractive therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taro Saito
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoki Chiku
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mikiko Oka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoko Wada-Kakuda
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mika Nobuhara
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshiya Oba
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kanako Shinno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Saori Abe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akiko Asada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akio Sumioka
- Faculty of Science, Department of Life Science, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiko Takashima
- Faculty of Science, Department of Life Science, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Miyasaka
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kanae Ando
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Pischedda F, Cirnaru MD, Ponzoni L, Sandre M, Biosa A, Carrion MP, Marin O, Morari M, Pan L, Greggio E, Bandopadhyay R, Sala M, Piccoli G. LRRK2 G2019S kinase activity triggers neurotoxic NSF aggregation. Brain 2021; 144:1509-1525. [PMID: 33876242 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra pars compacta and the presence of protein aggregates in surviving neurons. The LRRK2 G2019S mutation is one of the major determinants of familial Parkinson's disease cases and leads to late-onset Parkinson's disease with pleomorphic pathology, including α-synuclein accumulation and deposition of protein inclusions. We demonstrated that LRRK2 phosphorylates N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF). We observed aggregates containing NSF in basal ganglia specimens from patients with Parkinson's disease carrying the G2019S variant, and in cellular and animal models expressing the LRRK2 G2019S variant. We found that LRRK2 G2019S kinase activity induces the accumulation of NSF in toxic aggregates. Of note, the induction of autophagy cleared NSF aggregation and rescued motor and cognitive impairment observed in aged hG2019S bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) mice. We suggest that LRRK2 G2019S pathological phosphorylation impacts on NSF biochemical properties, thus causing the formation of cytotoxic protein inclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pischedda
- CIBIO, Università degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy.,Dulbecco Telethon Institute, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Michele Sandre
- Department of Biomedical Sciences (DSB), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Alice Biosa
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Perez Carrion
- CIBIO, Università degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy.,Unidad Asociada Neurodeath, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02008, Albacete, Spain
| | - Oriano Marin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences (DSB), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Michele Morari
- Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Lifeng Pan
- Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Shanghai, China
| | - Elisa Greggio
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Rina Bandopadhyay
- Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and Department of Clinical and Movement Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | | | - Giovanni Piccoli
- CIBIO, Università degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy.,Dulbecco Telethon Institute, Rome, Italy
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18
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Zeng Y, Yang J, Zhang B, Gao M, Su Z, Huang Y. The structure and phase of tau: from monomer to amyloid filament. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:1873-1886. [PMID: 33078207 PMCID: PMC11073437 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03681-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein involved in regulation of assembly and spatial organization of microtubule in neurons. However, in pathological conditions, tau monomers assemble into amyloid filaments characterized by the cross-β structures in a number of neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies. In this review, we summarize recent progression on the characterization of structures of tau monomer and filament, as well as the dynamic liquid droplet assembly. Our aim is to reveal how post-translational modifications, amino acid mutations, and interacting molecules modulate the conformational ensemble of tau monomer, and how they accelerate or inhibit tau assembly into aggregates. Structure-based aggregation inhibitor design is also discussed in the context of dynamics and heterogeneity of tau structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bailing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Meng Gao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhengding Su
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yongqi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
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19
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Morris SL, Tsai MY, Aloe S, Bechberger K, König S, Morfini G, Brady ST. Defined Tau Phosphospecies Differentially Inhibit Fast Axonal Transport Through Activation of Two Independent Signaling Pathways. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 13:610037. [PMID: 33568975 PMCID: PMC7868336 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.610037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau protein is subject to phosphorylation by multiple kinases at more than 80 different sites. Some of these sites are associated with tau pathology and neurodegeneration, but other sites are modified in normal tau as well as in pathological tau. Although phosphorylation of tau at residues in the microtubule-binding repeats is thought to reduce tau association with microtubules, the functional consequences of other sites are poorly understood. The AT8 antibody recognizes a complex phosphoepitope site on tau that is detectable in a healthy brain but significantly increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Previous studies showed that phosphorylation of tau at the AT8 site leads to exposure of an N-terminal sequence that promotes activation of a protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)/glycogen synthase 3 (GSK3) signaling pathway, which inhibits kinesin-1-based anterograde fast axonal transport (FAT). This finding suggests that phosphorylation may control tau conformation and function. However, the AT8 includes three distinct phosphorylated amino acids that may be differentially phosphorylated in normal and disease conditions. To evaluate the effects of specific phosphorylation sites in the AT8 epitope, recombinant, pseudophosphorylated tau proteins were perfused into the isolated squid axoplasm preparation to determine their effects on axonal signaling pathways and FAT. Results from these studies suggest a mechanism where specific phosphorylation events differentially impact tau conformation, promoting activation of independent signaling pathways that differentially affect FAT. Implications of findings here to our understanding of tau function in health and disease conditions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Morris
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Ming-Ying Tsai
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Sarah Aloe
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | | | - Svenja König
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Gerardo Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Scott T. Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
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20
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Benítez MJ, Cuadros R, Jiménez JS. Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation of Tau Protein by the Catalytic Subunit of PKA, as Probed by Electrophoretic Mobility Retard. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 79:1143-1156. [PMID: 33386804 PMCID: PMC7990467 DOI: 10.3233/jad-201077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background: Tau is a microtubule associated protein that regulates the stability of microtubules and the microtubule-dependent axonal transport. Its hyperphosphorylated form is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies and the major component of the paired helical filaments that form the abnormal proteinaceous tangles found in these neurodegenerative diseases. It is generally accepted that the phosphorylation extent of tau is the result of an equilibrium in the activity of protein kinases and phosphatases. Disruption of the balance between both types of enzyme activities has been assumed to be at the origin of tau hyperphosphorylation and the subsequent toxicity and progress of the disease. Objective: We explore the possibility that, beside the phosphatase action on phosphorylated tau, the catalytic subunit of PKA catalyzes both tau phosphorylation and also tau dephosphorylation, depending on the ATP/ADP ratio. Methods: We use the shift in the relative electrophoretic mobility suffered by different phosphorylated forms of tau, as a sensor of the catalytic action of the enzyme. Results: The results are in agreement with the long-known thermodynamic reversibility of the phosphorylation reaction (ATP + Protein = ADP+Phospho-Protein) catalyzed by PKA and many other protein kinases. Conclusion: The results contribute to put the compartmentalized energy state of the neuron and the mitochondrial-functions disruption upstream of tau-related pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- María J Benítez
- Departamento de Química Física Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Cuadros
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan S Jiménez
- Departamento de Química Física Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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21
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Tesei G, Martins JM, Kunze MBA, Wang Y, Crehuet R, Lindorff-Larsen K. DEER-PREdict: Software for efficient calculation of spin-labeling EPR and NMR data from conformational ensembles. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008551. [PMID: 33481784 PMCID: PMC7857587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Owing to their plasticity, intrinsically disordered and multidomain proteins require descriptions based on multiple conformations, thus calling for techniques and analysis tools that are capable of dealing with conformational ensembles rather than a single protein structure. Here, we introduce DEER-PREdict, a software program to predict Double Electron-Electron Resonance distance distributions as well as Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement rates from ensembles of protein conformations. DEER-PREdict uses an established rotamer library approach to describe the paramagnetic probes which are bound covalently to the protein.DEER-PREdict has been designed to operate efficiently on large conformational ensembles, such as those generated by molecular dynamics simulation, to facilitate the validation or refinement of molecular models as well as the interpretation of experimental data. The performance and accuracy of the software is demonstrated with experimentally characterized protein systems: HIV-1 protease, T4 Lysozyme and Acyl-CoA-binding protein. DEER-PREdict is open source (GPLv3) and available at github.com/KULL-Centre/DEERpredict and as a Python PyPI package pypi.org/project/DEERPREdict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Tesei
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - João M. Martins
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Micha B. A. Kunze
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yong Wang
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ramon Crehuet
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- CSIC-Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Kresten Lindorff-Larsen
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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22
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Hervás R, Oroz J. Mechanistic Insights into the Role of Molecular Chaperones in Protein Misfolding Diseases: From Molecular Recognition to Amyloid Disassembly. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21239186. [PMID: 33276458 PMCID: PMC7730194 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-dependent alterations in the proteostasis network are crucial in the progress of prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which are characterized by the presence of insoluble protein deposits in degenerating neurons. Because molecular chaperones deter misfolded protein aggregation, regulate functional phase separation, and even dissolve noxious aggregates, they are considered major sentinels impeding the molecular processes that lead to cell damage in the course of these diseases. Indeed, members of the chaperome, such as molecular chaperones and co-chaperones, are increasingly recognized as therapeutic targets for the development of treatments against degenerative proteinopathies. Chaperones must recognize diverse toxic clients of different orders (soluble proteins, biomolecular condensates, organized protein aggregates). It is therefore critical to understand the basis of the selective chaperone recognition to discern the mechanisms of action of chaperones in protein conformational diseases. This review aimed to define the selective interplay between chaperones and toxic client proteins and the basis for the protective role of these interactions. The presence and availability of chaperone recognition motifs in soluble proteins and in insoluble aggregates, both functional and pathogenic, are discussed. Finally, the formation of aberrant (pro-toxic) chaperone complexes will also be disclosed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Hervás
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA;
| | - Javier Oroz
- Rocasolano Institute for Physical Chemistry, Spanish National Research Council (IQFR-CSIC), Serrano 119, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-915619400
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23
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Siano G, Micaelli M, Scarlatti A, Quercioli V, Di Primio C, Cattaneo A. The Q336H MAPT Mutation Linked to Pick's Disease Leads to Increased Binding of Tau to the Microtubule Network via Altered Conformational and Phosphorylation Effects. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:569395. [PMID: 33343296 PMCID: PMC7738341 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.569395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by Tau aggregation. Genetic studies on familial cases allowed for the discovery of mutations in the MAPT gene that increase Tau propensity to detach from microtubules and to form insoluble cytoplasmic Tau aggregates. Recently, the rare mutation Q336H has been identified to be associated with Pick’s disease (PiD) and biochemical analyses demonstrated its ability to increase the microtubules (MTs) polymerization, thus revealing an opposite character compared to other Tau mutations studied so far. Here we investigated the biophysical and molecular properties of TauQ336H in living cells by the employment of the conformational Tau biosensor CST. We found that this mutation alters Tau conformation on microtubules, stabilizes its binding to tubulin, and is associated with a paradoxical lower level of Tau phosphorylation. Moreover, we found that this mutation impacts the cytoskeletal complexity by increasing the tubulin filament length and the number of branches. However, despite these apparently non-pathological traits, we observed the formation of intracellular inclusions confirming that Q336H leads to aggregation. Our results suggest that the Tau aggregation process might be triggered by molecular mechanisms other than Tau destabilization or post-translational modifications which are likely to be detrimental to neuronal function in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Siano
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Arianna Scarlatti
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Cristina Di Primio
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy.,Istituto di Neuroscienze, CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonino Cattaneo
- Laboratorio di Biologia BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
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24
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An update on the association between traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease: Focus on Tau pathology and synaptic dysfunction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:372-386. [PMID: 33171143 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
L.P. Li, J.W. Liang and H.J. Fu. An update on the association between traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease: Focus on Tau pathology and synaptic dysfunction. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REVXXX-XXX,2020.-Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are devastating conditions that have long-term consequences on individual's cognitive functions. Although TBI has been considered a risk factor for the development of AD, the link between TBI and AD is still in debate. Aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau and intercorrelated synaptic dysfunction, two key pathological elements in both TBI and AD, play a pivotal role in mediating neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits, providing a mechanistic link between these two diseases. In the first part of this review, we analyze the experimental literatures on tau pathology in various TBI models and review the distribution, biological features and mechanisms of tau pathology following TBI with implications in AD pathogenesis. In the second part, we review evidences of TBI-mediated structural and functional impairments in synapses, with a focus on the overlapped mechanisms underlying synaptic abnormalities in both TBI and AD. Finally, future perspectives are proposed for uncovering the complex relationship between TBI and neurodegeneration, and developing potential therapeutic avenues for alleviating cognitive deficits after TBI.
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25
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Xia Y, Prokop S, Gorion KMM, Kim JD, Sorrentino ZA, Bell BM, Manaois AN, Chakrabarty P, Davies P, Giasson BI. Tau Ser208 phosphorylation promotes aggregation and reveals neuropathologic diversity in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2020; 8:88. [PMID: 32571418 PMCID: PMC7310041 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-020-00967-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau protein abnormally aggregates in tauopathies, a diverse group of neurologic diseases that includes Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In early stages of disease, tau becomes hyperphosphorylated and mislocalized, which can contribute to its aggregation and toxicity. We demonstrate that tau phosphorylation at Ser208 (pSer208) promotes microtubule dysfunction and tau aggregation in cultured cells. Comparative assessment of the epitopes recognized by antibodies AT8, CP13, and 7F2 demonstrates that CP13 and 7F2 are specific for tau phosphorylation at Ser202 and Thr205, respectively, independently of the phosphorylation state of adjacent phosphorylation sites. Supporting the involvement of pSer208 in tau pathology, a novel monoclonal antibody 3G12 specific for tau phosphorylation at Ser208 revealed strong reactivity of tau inclusions in the brains of PS19 and rTg4510 transgenic mouse models of tauopathy. 3G12 also labelled neurofibrillary tangles in brains of patients with AD but revealed differential staining compared to CP13 and 7F2 for other types of tau pathologies such as in neuropil threads and neuritic plaques in AD, tufted astrocytes in progressive supranuclear palsy and astrocytic plaques in corticobasal degeneration. These results support the hypothesis that tau phosphorylation at Ser208 strongly contributes to unique types of tau aggregation and may be a reliable marker for the presence of mature neurofibrillary tangles.
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26
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Lu J, Zhang S, Ma X, Jia C, Liu Z, Huang C, Liu C, Li D. Structural basis of the interplay between α-synuclein and Tau in regulating pathological amyloid aggregation. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:7470-7480. [PMID: 32291284 PMCID: PMC7247300 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.012284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid aggregation of pathological proteins is closely associated with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, and α-synuclein (α-syn) deposition and Tau tangles are considered hallmarks of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, respectively. Intriguingly, α-syn and Tau have been found to co-deposit in the brains of individuals with dementia and parkinsonism, suggesting a potential role of cross-talk between these two proteins in neurodegenerative pathologies. Here we show that monomeric α-syn and the two variants of Tau, Tau23 and K19, synergistically promote amyloid fibrillation, leading to their co-aggregation in vitro NMR spectroscopy experiments revealed that α-syn uses its highly negatively charged C terminus to directly interact with Tau23 and K19. Deletion of the C terminus effectively abolished its binding to Tau23 and K19 as well as its synergistic effect on promoting their fibrillation. Moreover, an S129D substitution of α-syn, mimicking C-terminal phosphorylation of Ser129 in α-syn, which is commonly observed in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients with elevated α-syn phosphorylation levels, significantly enhanced the activity of α-syn in facilitating Tau23 and K19 aggregation. These results reveal the molecular basis underlying the direct interaction between α-syn and Tau. We proposed that this interplay might contribute to pathological aggregation of α-syn and Tau in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxia Lu
- Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Bio-X Institutes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shengnan Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 26 Qiuyue Road, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Xiaojuan Ma
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 26 Qiuyue Road, Shanghai 201210, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chunyu Jia
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 26 Qiuyue Road, Shanghai 201210, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhenying Liu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 26 Qiuyue Road, Shanghai 201210, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chengan Huang
- Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Bio-X Institutes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cong Liu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 26 Qiuyue Road, Shanghai 201210, China.
| | - Dan Li
- Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Bio-X Institutes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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27
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Hsp27 chaperones FUS phase separation under the modulation of stress-induced phosphorylation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2020; 27:363-372. [PMID: 32231288 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-020-0399-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Protein phase separation drives the assembly of membraneless organelles, but little is known about how these membraneless organelles are maintained in a metastable liquid- or gel-like phase rather than proceeding to solid aggregation. Here, we find that human small heat-shock protein 27 (Hsp27), a canonical chaperone that localizes to stress granules (SGs), prevents FUS from undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) via weak interactions with the FUS low complexity (LC) domain. Remarkably, stress-induced phosphorylation of Hsp27 alters its activity, leading Hsp27 to partition with FUS LC to preserve the liquid phase against amyloid fibril formation. NMR spectroscopy demonstrates that Hsp27 uses distinct structural mechanisms for both functions. Our work reveals a fine-tuned regulation of Hsp27 for chaperoning FUS into either a polydispersed state or a LLPS state and suggests an essential role for Hsp27 in stabilizing the dynamic phase of stress granules.
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28
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Ukmar-Godec T, Wegmann S, Zweckstetter M. Biomolecular condensation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2019; 99:202-214. [PMID: 31260737 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2019.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Cells contain multiple compartments dedicated to the regulation and control of biochemical reactions. Cellular compartments that are not surrounded by membranes can rapidly form and dissolve in response to changes in the cellular environment. The physicochemical processes that underlie the formation of non-membrane-bound compartments in vivo are connected to liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids in vitro. Recent evidence suggests that the protein tau, which plays an important role in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, phase separates in solution, forms tau phases with microtubules, and associates with phase-separated RNA-binding protein granules in cells. Here we review the experimental evidence that supports the ability of tau to phase separate in solution and form biomolecular condensates in cells. As for other disease-relevant proteins, the physiological and pathological functions of tau are tightly connected - through loss of normal function or gain of toxic function - and we therefore discuss how tau phase separation plays a role for both, and with respect to different cellular functions of tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Ukmar-Godec
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Göttingen, Waldweg 33, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Susanne Wegmann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Chariteplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Göttingen, Waldweg 33, 37073, Göttingen, Germany; Department for NMR-based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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29
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Wan W, Cao L, Kalionis B, Murthi P, Xia S, Guan Y. Iron Deposition Leads to Hyperphosphorylation of Tau and Disruption of Insulin Signaling. Front Neurol 2019; 10:607. [PMID: 31275224 PMCID: PMC6593079 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron deposition in the brain is an early issue in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the pathogenesis of iron-induced pathological changes in AD remains elusive. Insulin resistance in brains is an essential feature of AD. Previous studies determined that insulin resistance is involved in the development of pathologies in AD. Tau pathology is one of most important hallmarks in AD and is associated with the impairment of cognition and clinical grades of the disease. In the present study, we observed that ferrous (Fe2+) chloride led to aberrant phosphorylation of tau, and decreased tyrosine phosphorylation levels of insulin receptor β (IRβ), insulin signal substrate 1 (IRS-1) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase p85α (PI3K p85α), in primary cultured neurons. In the in vivo studies using mice with supplemented dietary iron, learning and memory was impaired. As well, hyperphosphorylation of tau and disrupted insulin signaling in the brain was induced in iron-overloaded mice. Furthermore, in our in vitro work we identified the activation of insulin signaling following exogenous supplementation of insulin. This was further attenuated by iron-induced hyperphosphorylation of tau in primary neurons. Together, these data suggest that dysfunctional insulin signaling participates in iron-induced abnormal phosphorylation of tau in AD. Our study highlights the promising role of insulin signaling in pathological lesions induced by iron overloading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Wan
- Department of Neurology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lan Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bill Kalionis
- Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Pregnancy Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Padma Murthi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Shijin Xia
- Shanghai Institute of Geriatrics, Huadong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yangtai Guan
- Department of Neurology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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30
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Abstract
The microtubule associated protein tau in a hyperphosphorylated form was identified as the building block of the filamentous aggregates found in the neurons of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. In the abnormal state, hyperphosphorylated tau from AD brains (AD P-tau) was unable to promote microtubule assembly and more importantly, it could inhibit the normal activity of tau and other MAPs. AD P-tau was able to disrupt preformed microtubules and, by binding to normal tau, turn the latter into an AD P-tau like molecule. AD P-tau toxic behavior was prevalent in the soluble form and it was lost upon dephosphorylation. Mutations on tau associated with disease, e.g., R406W in frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17, altered its conformation to make it a better substrate for kinases. Using phospho-mimetics, it was found that the minimum phospho-sites necessary to acquire such a toxic behavior of tau were at 199, 212, 231 and 262, and tau pseudophosphorylated at those sites in combination with R406W was named Pathological Human Tau (PH-Tau). PH-Tau expressed in cells had similar behavior to AD P-tau: disruption of the microtubule system, change in the normal subcellular localization, and gain of toxic function for cells. In animal models expressing PH-Tau, it was found that two putative mechanisms of neurodegeneration exist depending on the concentration of the toxic protein, both involving cognitive decline, due to synaptic dysfunction at lower concentration and neuronal death at higher. Studies investigating the mechanism of tau pathology and its transmission from neuron to neuron are currently ongoing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra D Alonso
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Leah S Cohen
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, USA
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Maiti S, Acharya B, Boorla VS, Manna B, Ghosh A, De S. Dynamic Studies on Intrinsically Disordered Regions of Two Paralogous Transcription Factors Reveal Rigid Segments with Important Biological Functions. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:1353-1369. [PMID: 30802457 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Long stretches of intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are abundantly present in eukaryotic transcription factors. Although their biological significance is well appreciated, the underlying structural and dynamic mechanisms of their function are still not clear. Using solution NMR spectroscopy, we have studied the structural and dynamic features of two paralogous HOX transcription factors, SCR and DFD, from Drosophila. Both proteins have a conserved DNA-binding homeodomain and a long stretch of functionally important IDR. Using NMR dynamics, we determined flexibility of each residue in these proteins. The flexibility of the residues in the disordered region is not uniform. In both proteins, the IDRs have short stretches of consecutive residues with relatively less flexibility, that is, higher rigidity. We show that one such rigid segment is specifically recognized by another co-transcription factor, thus highlighting the importance of these rigid segments in IDR-mediated protein-protein interactions. Using molecular dynamics simulation, we further show that the rigid segments sample less conformations compared to the rest of the residues in the disordered region. The restrained conformational sampling of these rigid residues should lower the loss in conformational entropy during their interactions with binding partners resulting in sequence specific binding. This work provides experimental evidence of a "rigid-segment" model of IDRs, where functionally important rigid segments are connected by highly flexible linkers. Furthermore, a comparative study of IDRs in paralogous proteins reveals that in spite of low-sequence conservation, the rigid and flexible segments are sequentially maintained to preserve related functions and regulations of these proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snigdha Maiti
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Bidisha Acharya
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Veda Sheersh Boorla
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Bharat Manna
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Amit Ghosh
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Soumya De
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India.
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Danis C, Dupré E, Hanoulle X, Landrieu I, Lasorsa A, Neves JF, Schneider R, Smet-Nocca C. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Insights into Tau Structure in Solution: Impact of Post-translational Modifications. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1184:35-45. [PMID: 32096026 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-32-9358-8_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein, some level of structure can still be defined, corresponding to short stretches of dynamic secondary structures and a preferential global fold described as an ensemble of conformations. These structures can be modified by Tau phosphorylation, and potentially other post-translational modifications. The analytical capacity of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides the advantage of offering a residue-specific view of these modifications, allowing to link specific sites to a particular structure. The cis or trans conformation of X-Proline peptide bonds is an additional characteristic parameter of Tau structure that is targeted and modified by prolyl cis/trans isomerases. The challenge in molecular characterization of Tau lies in being able to link structural parameters to functional consequences in normal functions and dysfunctions of Tau, including potential misfolding on the path to aggregation and/or perturbation of the interactions of Tau with its many molecular partners. Phosphorylation of Ser and Thr residues has the potential to impact the local and global structure of Tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Danis
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France
| | - Elian Dupré
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France
| | - Xavier Hanoulle
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France.
| | - Alessia Lasorsa
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France
| | - João Filipe Neves
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France
| | - Robert Schneider
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France
| | - Caroline Smet-Nocca
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576 - UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Lille, France
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Milles S, Salvi N, Blackledge M, Jensen MR. Characterization of intrinsically disordered proteins and their dynamic complexes: From in vitro to cell-like environments. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2018; 109:79-100. [PMID: 30527137 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, it has become increasingly clear that a large fraction of the human proteome is intrinsically disordered or contains disordered segments of significant length. These intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play important regulatory roles throughout biology, underlining the importance of understanding their conformational behavior and interaction mechanisms at the molecular level. Here we review recent progress in the NMR characterization of the structure and dynamics of IDPs in various functional states and environments. We describe the complementarity of different NMR parameters for quantifying the conformational propensities of IDPs in their isolated and phosphorylated states, and we discuss the challenges associated with obtaining structural models of dynamic protein-protein complexes involving IDPs. In addition, we review recent progress in understanding the conformational behavior of IDPs in cell-like environments such as in the presence of crowding agents, in membrane-less organelles and in the complex environment of the human cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrid Milles
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IBS, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Nicola Salvi
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IBS, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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Harmonization of pipeline for preclinical multicenter plasma protein and miRNA biomarker discovery in a rat model of post-traumatic epileptogenesis. Epilepsy Res 2018; 149:92-101. [PMID: 30553097 DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2018.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) is an international, multicenter, multidisciplinary study aimed at preventing epileptogenesis (EpiBioS4Rx: https://epibios.loni.usc.edu/). One of the study's major objectives is the discovery of diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive plasma protein and microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers that are sensitive, specific, and translatable to the human condition. Epilepsy due to structural brain abnormalities, secondary to neurological insults such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), currently represents ∼50% of all epilepsy cases. In the preclinical EpiBioS4Rx study, TBI was induced in adult male Sprague Dawley rats using a standardized protocol for lateral fluid-percussion injury. Whole blood was collected from the tail vein at baseline and 2, 9 and 30 days post-injury and processed for plasma separation. Biomaterial properties, sample preparation and integrity, and choice of analysis platform can significantly impact measured marker levels and, in turn, interpretation with respect to injury and/or other variables. We present here the results of procedural harmonization for the first 320 rats included in the EpiBioS4Rx study study, from three international research centers, and preliminary proteomic and miRNA analyses. We also discuss experimental considerations for establishing rigorous quality controls with the goal of harmonizing operating procedures across study sites, and delivering high-quality specimens for preclinical biomarker discovery in a rat model of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE).
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Oroz J, Chang BJ, Wysoczanski P, Lee CT, Pérez-Lara Á, Chakraborty P, Hofele RV, Baker JD, Blair LJ, Biernat J, Urlaub H, Mandelkow E, Dickey CA, Zweckstetter M. Structure and pro-toxic mechanism of the human Hsp90/PPIase/Tau complex. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4532. [PMID: 30382094 PMCID: PMC6208366 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06880-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular chaperone Hsp90 is critical for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and represents a promising drug target. Despite increasing knowledge on the structure of Hsp90, the molecular basis of substrate recognition and pro-folding by Hsp90/co-chaperone complexes remains unknown. Here, we report the solution structures of human full-length Hsp90 in complex with the PPIase FKBP51, as well as the 280 kDa Hsp90/FKBP51 complex bound to the Alzheimer’s disease-related protein Tau. We reveal that the FKBP51/Hsp90 complex, which synergizes to promote toxic Tau oligomers in vivo, is highly dynamic and stabilizes the extended conformation of the Hsp90 dimer resulting in decreased Hsp90 ATPase activity. Within the ternary Hsp90/FKBP51/Tau complex, Hsp90 serves as a scaffold that traps the PPIase and nucleates multiple conformations of Tau’s proline-rich region next to the PPIase catalytic pocket in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Our study defines a conceptual model for dynamic Hsp90/co-chaperone/client recognition. The chaperone Hsp90 plays a key role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Here the authors provide structural insights into substrate recognition and the pro-folding mechanism of Hsp90/co-chaperone complexes by studying the complex of Hsp90 with its co-chaperone FKBP51 and the substrate Tau bound Hsp90/FKBP51 ternary complex using a NMR based integrative approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Oroz
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Straße 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.,Instituto de Química-Física Rocasolano, IQFR-CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Bliss J Chang
- Department for NMR-based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Piotr Wysoczanski
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Straße 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.,Department for NMR-based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Chung-Tien Lee
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ángel Pérez-Lara
- Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Pijush Chakraborty
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Straße 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Romina V Hofele
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jeremy D Baker
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33613, USA
| | - Laura J Blair
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33613, USA
| | - Jacek Biernat
- DZNE, CAESAR Research Center, Ludwig-Erhard-Alle 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany
| | - Henning Urlaub
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Bioanalytics Group, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- DZNE, CAESAR Research Center, Ludwig-Erhard-Alle 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany
| | - Chad A Dickey
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33613, USA
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Straße 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany. .,Department for NMR-based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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Alonso AD, Cohen LS, Corbo C, Morozova V, ElIdrissi A, Phillips G, Kleiman FE. Hyperphosphorylation of Tau Associates With Changes in Its Function Beyond Microtubule Stability. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:338. [PMID: 30356756 PMCID: PMC6189415 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau is a neuronal microtubule associated protein whose main biological functions are to promote microtubule self-assembly by tubulin and to stabilize those already formed. Tau also plays an important role as an axonal microtubule protein. Tau is an amazing protein that plays a key role in cognitive processes, however, deposits of abnormal forms of tau are associated with several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease (AD), the most prevalent, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the most recently associated to abnormal tau. Tau post-translational modifications (PTMs) are responsible for its gain of toxic function. Alonso et al. (1996) were the first to show that the pathological tau isolated from AD brains has prion-like properties and can transfer its toxic function to the normal molecule. Furthermore, we reported that the pathological changes are associated with tau phosphorylation at Ser199 and 262 and Thr212 and 231. This pathological version of tau induces subcellular mislocalization in cultured cells and neurons, and translocates into the nucleus or accumulated in the perinuclear region of cells. We have generated a transgenic mouse model that expresses pathological human tau (PH-Tau) in neurons at two different concentrations (4% and 14% of the total endogenous tau). In this model, PH-Tau causes cognitive decline by at least two different mechanisms: one that involves the cytoskeleton with axonal disruption (at high concentration), and another in which the apparent neuronal morphology is not grossly affected, but the synaptic terminals are altered (at lower concentration). We will discuss the putative involvement of tau in proteostasis under these conditions. Understanding tau’s biological activity on and off the microtubules will help shed light to the mechanism of neurodegeneration and of normal neuronal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra D Alonso
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, United States.,Biology Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States.,Biochemistry Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Leah S Cohen
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, United States
| | - Christopher Corbo
- Department of Biology, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY, United States
| | - Viktoriya Morozova
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, United States.,Biology Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Abdeslem ElIdrissi
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, United States.,Biology Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Greg Phillips
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, United States.,Biology Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Frida E Kleiman
- Biochemistry Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
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Li J, Zhan Z, Du X, Wang J, Hong B, Xu B. Selection of Secondary Structures of Heterotypic Supramolecular Peptide Assemblies by an Enzymatic Reaction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:11716-11721. [PMID: 29971927 PMCID: PMC6400471 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201806992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In a model study to investigate the consequence of reactions of intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of proteins in the context of the formation of highly ordered structures, we found that enzymatic reactions control the secondary structures of peptides during assembly. Specifically, phosphorylation of an α-helix-dominant peptide results in mostly disordered conformations, which become β-strand-dominant after enzymatic dephosphorylation to regenerate the peptide. In the presence of another peptide largely with a β-strand conformation, direct coassembly of the peptides results in amorphous aggregates consisting of α-helix and β-strand peptides, but the enzymatically generated peptide coassemblies (from the phosphopeptide) mainly adopt a β-strand conformation and form ordered structures (e.g., nanofibers). These results indicate that enzymatic dephosphorylation instructs conformationally flexible peptides to adopt thermodynamically favorable conformations in homotypic or heterotypic supramolecular assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454 (USA),
| | - Ziqing Zhan
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454 (USA),
| | - Xuewen Du
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454 (USA),
| | - Jiaqing Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454 (USA),
| | - Brandon Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454 (USA),
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454 (USA),
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38
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Li J, Zhan Z, Du X, Wang J, Hong B, Xu B. Selection of Secondary Structures of Heterotypic Supramolecular Peptide Assemblies by an Enzymatic Reaction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201806992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Department of Chemistry Brandeis University 415 South Street Waltham MA 02454 USA
| | - Ziqing Zhan
- Department of Chemistry Brandeis University 415 South Street Waltham MA 02454 USA
| | - Xuewen Du
- Department of Chemistry Brandeis University 415 South Street Waltham MA 02454 USA
| | - Jiaqing Wang
- Department of Chemistry Brandeis University 415 South Street Waltham MA 02454 USA
| | - Brandon Hong
- Department of Chemistry Brandeis University 415 South Street Waltham MA 02454 USA
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry Brandeis University 415 South Street Waltham MA 02454 USA
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Cao L, Liang Y, Liu Y, Xu Y, Wan W, Zhu C. Pseudo-phosphorylation at AT8 epitopes regulates the tau truncation at aspartate 421. Exp Cell Res 2018; 370:103-115. [PMID: 29908160 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2018.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) includes hyperphosphorylation and truncation of tau. Phosphorylation at S422 is found to suppress truncation of tau at D421 that leading to the generation of ΔTau. However, the interrelation between hyperphosphorylation and generation of ΔTau in AD remains elusive. In current study, staurosporine (Stau) induced ΔTau generation by caspases in SH-SY5Y cells with tau overexpression was found to be accompanied by a dramatic dephosphorylation at S422 and the epitope of the diagnostic antibody AT8 (S199 + S202 + T205), but a moderate dephosphorylation of PHF1 (S396 + S404) epitope. Therefore, to explore the effect of AT8 epitope on tau truncation, the residues in AT8 epitope were mutated to produce "pseudo-phosphorylated" (AT8E) or "pseudo-unphosphorylated" (AT8A) tau constructs. With Stau treatment, the generation of ΔTau from tau-AT8E was significantly attenuated comparing with that from tau-AT8A, which was S422-independent in that addition of S422A mutation still preserved this effect. Interestingly, this modulatory effect was able to be reversed by addition of PHF1E mutation. Moreover, treating the crude tau extracts with recombinant caspase-3 in vitro, also showed that ΔTau level was suppressed by AT8E, and potentiated by AT8E + PHF1E. The results primarily revealed the modulating effects of phosphorylation on ΔTau generation which may have potential implications in tau pathological processes and therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology & Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology & Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunsheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology & Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuxia Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology & Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenbin Wan
- Department of Neurology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cuiqing Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology & Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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40
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Caballero B, Wang Y, Diaz A, Tasset I, Juste YR, Stiller B, Mandelkow EM, Mandelkow E, Cuervo AM. Interplay of pathogenic forms of human tau with different autophagic pathways. Aging Cell 2018; 17. [PMID: 29024336 PMCID: PMC5770880 DOI: 10.1111/acel.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of neuronal proteostasis, a common feature of the aging brain, is accelerated in neurodegenerative disorders, including different types of tauopathies. Aberrant turnover of tau, a microtubule-stabilizing protein, contributes to its accumulation and subsequent toxicity in tauopathy patients' brains. A direct toxic effect of pathogenic forms of tau on the proteolytic systems that normally contribute to their turnover has been proposed. In this study, we analyzed the contribution of three different types of autophagy, macroautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy, and endosomal microautophagy to the degradation of tau protein variants and tau mutations associated with this age-related disease. We have found that the pathogenic P301L mutation inhibits degradation of tau by any of the three autophagic pathways, whereas the risk-associated tau mutation A152T reroutes tau for degradation through a different autophagy pathway. We also found defective autophagic degradation of tau when using mutations that mimic common posttranslational modifications in tau or known to promote its aggregation. Interestingly, although most mutations markedly reduced degradation of tau through autophagy, the step of this process preferentially affected varies depending on the type of tau mutation. Overall, our studies unveil a complex interplay between the multiple modifications of tau and selective forms of autophagy that may determine its physiological degradation and its faulty clearance in the disease context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Caballero
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Yipeng Wang
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); 53175 Bonn Germany
- CAESAR Research Center; 53175 Bonn Germany
| | - Antonio Diaz
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Inmaculada Tasset
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Yves Robert Juste
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Barbara Stiller
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
| | - Eva-Maria Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); 53175 Bonn Germany
- CAESAR Research Center; 53175 Bonn Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); 53175 Bonn Germany
- CAESAR Research Center; 53175 Bonn Germany
| | - Ana Maria Cuervo
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
- Institute for Aging Studies; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Bronx NY 10461 USA
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41
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Di Primio C, Quercioli V, Siano G, Rovere M, Kovacech B, Novak M, Cattaneo A. The Distance between N and C Termini of Tau and of FTDP-17 Mutants Is Modulated by Microtubule Interactions in Living Cells. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:210. [PMID: 28713242 PMCID: PMC5492851 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The microtubule (MT)-associated protein Tau is a natively unfolded protein, involved in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, collectively called tauopathies, aggregating in neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). It is an open question how the conversion from a MT bound molecule to an aggregation-prone Tau species occurs and, also, if and how tauopathy-related mutations affect its behavior in the cell. To address these points, we exploited a genetically encoded FRET sensor based on the full length Tau protein, to monitor in real time Tau conformational changes in different conditions in live cells. By studying the FRET signal we found that soluble Tau molecules, detached from MTs, display an unfolded structure. On the contrary, we observed an increased FRET signal generated by Tau monomers bound to MT, indicating that the association with MTs induced a folding of Tau protein, decreasing the distance between its N and C termini. We exploited the FRET sensor to investigate the impact of FTDP-17 mutations and of phosphorylation-site mutations on Tau folding and mobility in live cells. We demonstrated that the FTDP-17 Tau mutations weaken the interaction of Tau with cellular MTs, shifting the equilibrium towards the soluble pool while, conversely, phosphorylation site mutations shift the equilibrium of Tau towards the MT-bound state and a more closed conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Giacomo Siano
- Bio@SNS Laboratory, Scuola Normale SuperiorePisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Rovere
- Bio@SNS Laboratory, Scuola Normale SuperiorePisa, Italy
| | - Branislav Kovacech
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Axon Neuroscience SEBratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Axon Neuroscience SEBratislava, Slovakia
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Zhao ZA, Ning YL, Li P, Yang N, Peng Y, Xiong RP, Zhao Y, Liu D, Zeng XJ, Chen JF, Zhou YG. Widespread hyperphosphorylated tau in the working memory circuit early after cortical impact injury of brain (Original study). Behav Brain Res 2017; 323:146-153. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Zabik NL, Imhof MM, Martic-Milne S. Structural evaluations of tau protein conformation: methodologies and approaches. Biochem Cell Biol 2017; 95:338-349. [PMID: 28278386 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2016-0227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-misfolding diseases are based on a common principle of aggregation initiated by intra- and inter-molecular contacts. The structural and conformational changes induced by biochemical transformations such as post-translational modifications (PTMs), often lead to protein unfolding and misfolding. Thus, these order-to-disorder or disorder-to-order transitions may regulate cellular function. Tau, a neuronal protein, regulates microtubule (MT) structure and overall cellular integrity. However, misfolded tau modified by PTMs results in MT destabilization, toxic tau aggregate formation, and ultimately cell death, leading to neurodegeneration. Currently, the lack of structural information surrounding tau severely limits understanding of neurodegeneration. This minireview focuses on the current methodologies and approaches aimed at probing tau conformation and the role of conformation in various aspects of tau biochemistry. The recent applications of nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, Förster resonance electron transfer, and molecular dynamics simulations toward structural analysis of conformational landscapes of tau will be described. The strategies developed for structural evaluation of tau may significantly improve our understanding of misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L Zabik
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Matthew M Imhof
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Sanela Martic-Milne
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
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Prokopovich DV, Whittaker JW, Muthee MM, Ahmed A, Larini L. Impact of Phosphorylation and Pseudophosphorylation on the Early Stages of Aggregation of the Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:2095-2103. [PMID: 28218850 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau regulates the stability of microtubules within neurons in the central nervous system. In turn, microtubules are responsible for the remodeling of the cytoskeleton that ultimately leads to the formation or pruning of new connections among neurons. As a consequence, dysfunction of tau is associated with many forms of dementia as well as Alzheimer's disease. In the brain, tau activity is regulated by its phosphorylation state. Phosphorylation is a post-translational modification of proteins that adds a phosphate group to the side chain of an amino acid. Phosphorylation at key locations in the tau sequence leads to a higher or lower affinity for microtubules. In Alzheimer's disease, tau is present in an abnormal phosphorylation state. However, studying the effect of phosphorylation experimentally has been extremely challenging as there is no viable way of exactly selecting the location and the number of phosphorylated sites. For this reason, researchers have turned to pseudophosphorylation. In this technique, actual phosphorylation is mimicked by mutating the selected amino acid into glutamate or aspartate. Whether this methodology is equivalent to actual phosphorylation is still open to debate. In this study, we will show that phosphorylation and pseudophosphorylation are not exactly equivalent. Although for larger aggregates the two techniques lead to similar structures, the kinetics of the process may be altered. In addition, very little is known about the impact that this may have on the early stages of aggregation, such as nucleation and conformational rearrangement. In this study, we show that the two methods may produce a similar ensemble of conformations, even though the kinetic and chemical details that lead to it are quite different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitriy V Prokopovich
- Department of Physics and ‡Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden , Camden, New Jersey 08102, United States
| | - John W Whittaker
- Department of Physics and ‡Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden , Camden, New Jersey 08102, United States
| | - Micaiah M Muthee
- Department of Physics and ‡Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden , Camden, New Jersey 08102, United States
| | - Azka Ahmed
- Department of Physics and ‡Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden , Camden, New Jersey 08102, United States
| | - Luca Larini
- Department of Physics and ‡Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden , Camden, New Jersey 08102, United States
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Danis C, Despres C, Bessa LM, Malki I, Merzougui H, Huvent I, Qi H, Lippens G, Cantrelle FX, Schneider R, Hanoulle X, Smet-Nocca C, Landrieu I. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for the Identification of Multiple Phosphorylations of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 28060278 DOI: 10.3791/55001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregates of the neuronal Tau protein are found inside neurons of Alzheimer's disease patients. Development of the disease is accompanied by increased, abnormal phosphorylation of Tau. In the course of the molecular investigation of Tau functions and dysfunctions in the disease, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is used to identify the multiple phosphorylations of Tau. We present here detailed protocols of recombinant production of Tau in bacteria, with isotopic enrichment for NMR studies. Purification steps that take advantage of Tau's heat stability and high isoelectric point are described. The protocol for in vitro phosphorylation of Tau by recombinant activated ERK2 allows for generating multiple phosphorylations. The protein sample is ready for data acquisition at the issue of these steps. The parameter setup to start recording on the spectrometer is considered next. Finally, the strategy to identify phosphorylation sites of modified Tau, based on NMR data, is explained. The benefit of this methodology compared to other techniques used to identify phosphorylation sites, such as immuno-detection or mass spectrometry (MS), is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Danis
- UMR8576, CNRS, Lille University; UMR-S1172, INSERM CNRS, Lille University
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46
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Avila J, Jiménez JS, Sayas CL, Bolós M, Zabala JC, Rivas G, Hernández F. Tau Structures. Front Aging Neurosci 2016; 8:262. [PMID: 27877124 PMCID: PMC5099159 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that plays an important role in axonal stabilization, neuronal development, and neuronal polarity. In this review, we focus on the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary tau structures. We describe the structure of tau from its specific residues until its conformation in dimers, oligomers, and larger polymers in physiological and pathological situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Avila
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-UAM)Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades NeurodegenerativasMadrid, Spain
| | - Juan S Jiménez
- Departamento de Química Física Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen L Sayas
- Centre for Biomedical Research of the Canary Islands, Institute for Biomedical Technologies, University of La Laguna Tenerife, Spain
| | - Marta Bolós
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-UAM)Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades NeurodegenerativasMadrid, Spain
| | - Juan C Zabala
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, IDIVAL-Universidad de Cantabria Santander, Spain
| | - Germán Rivas
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Madrid, Spain
| | - Felix Hernández
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-UAM)Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades NeurodegenerativasMadrid, Spain
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47
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Bhowmick A, Brookes DH, Yost SR, Dyson HJ, Forman-Kay JD, Gunter D, Head-Gordon M, Hura GL, Pande VS, Wemmer DE, Wright PE, Head-Gordon T. Finding Our Way in the Dark Proteome. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:9730-42. [PMID: 27387657 PMCID: PMC5051545 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b06543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The traditional structure-function paradigm has provided significant insights for well-folded proteins in which structures can be easily and rapidly revealed by X-ray crystallography beamlines. However, approximately one-third of the human proteome is comprised of intrinsically disordered proteins and regions (IDPs/IDRs) that do not adopt a dominant well-folded structure, and therefore remain "unseen" by traditional structural biology methods. This Perspective considers the challenges raised by the "Dark Proteome", in which determining the diverse conformational substates of IDPs in their free states, in encounter complexes of bound states, and in complexes retaining significant disorder requires an unprecedented level of integration of multiple and complementary solution-based experiments that are analyzed with state-of-the art molecular simulation, Bayesian probabilistic models, and high-throughput computation. We envision how these diverse experimental and computational tools can work together through formation of a "computational beamline" that will allow key functional features to be identified in IDP structural ensembles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmit Bhowmick
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - David H. Brookes
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Shane R. Yost
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - H. Jane Dyson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Julie D. Forman-Kay
- Molecular Structure and Function Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Daniel Gunter
- Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA, 94720
| | | | - Gregory L. Hura
- Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA, 94720
| | - Vijay S. Pande
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - David E. Wemmer
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Peter E. Wright
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Teresa Head-Gordon
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA, 94720
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48
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Lössl P, Brunner AM, Liu F, Leney AC, Yamashita M, Scheltema RA, Heck AJR. Deciphering the Interplay among Multisite Phosphorylation, Interaction Dynamics, and Conformational Transitions in a Tripartite Protein System. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2016; 2:445-55. [PMID: 27504491 PMCID: PMC4965854 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.6b00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Multisite phosphorylation is a common pathway to regulate protein function, activity, and interaction pattern in vivo, but routine biochemical analysis is often insufficient to identify the number and order of individual phosphorylation reactions and their mechanistic impact on the protein behavior. Here, we integrate complementary mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches to characterize a multisite phosphorylation-regulated protein system comprising Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) and its coactivators Aurora kinase A (Aur-A) and Bora, the interplay of which is essential for mitotic entry after DNA damage-induced cell cycle arrest. Native MS and cross-linking-MS revealed that Aur-A/Bora-mediated Plk1 activation is accompanied by the formation of Aur-A/Bora and Plk1/Bora heterodimers. We found that the Aur-A/Bora interaction is independent of the Bora phosphorylation state, whereas the Plk1/Bora interaction is dependent on extensive Bora multisite phosphorylation. Bottom-up and top-down proteomics analyses showed that Bora multisite phosphorylation proceeds via a well-ordered sequence of site-specific phosphorylation reactions, whereby we could reveal the involvement of up to 16 phosphorylated Bora residues. Ion mobility spectrometry-MS demonstrated that this multisite phosphorylation primes a substantial structural rearrangement of Bora, explaining the interdependence between extensive Bora multisite phosphorylation and Plk1/Bora complex formation. These results represent a first benchmark of our multipronged MS strategy, highlighting its potential to elucidate the mechanistic and structural implications of multisite protein phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Lössl
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Netherlands
Proteomics Center, Padualaan
8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea M. Brunner
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Netherlands
Proteomics Center, Padualaan
8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Fan Liu
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Netherlands
Proteomics Center, Padualaan
8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Aneika C. Leney
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Netherlands
Proteomics Center, Padualaan
8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Masami Yamashita
- Department
of Structural Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute
of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz
18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Richard A. Scheltema
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Netherlands
Proteomics Center, Padualaan
8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Albert J. R. Heck
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Netherlands
Proteomics Center, Padualaan
8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- E-mail:
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49
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NMR Meets Tau: Insights into Its Function and Pathology. Biomolecules 2016; 6:biom6020028. [PMID: 27338491 PMCID: PMC4919923 DOI: 10.3390/biom6020028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we focus on what we have learned from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies on the neuronal microtubule-associated protein Tau. We consider both the mechanistic details of Tau: the tubulin relationship and its aggregation process. Phosphorylation of Tau is intimately linked to both aspects. NMR spectroscopy has depicted accurate phosphorylation patterns by different kinases, and its non-destructive character has allowed functional assays with the same samples. Finally, we will discuss other post-translational modifications of Tau and its interaction with other cellular factors in relationship to its (dys)function.
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50
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Substitutions mimicking deimination and phosphorylation of 18.5-kDa myelin basic protein exert local structural effects that subtly influence its global folding. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1262-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Revised: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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