1
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Heid LF, Agerschou ED, Orr AA, Kupreichyk T, Schneider W, Wördehoff MM, Schwarten M, Willbold D, Tamamis P, Stoldt M, Hoyer W. Sequence-based identification of amyloidogenic β-hairpins reveals a prostatic acid phosphatase fragment promoting semen amyloid formation. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:417-430. [PMID: 38223341 PMCID: PMC10787225 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
β-Structure-rich amyloid fibrils are hallmarks of several diseases, including Alzheimer's (AD), Parkinson's (PD), and type 2 diabetes (T2D). While amyloid fibrils typically consist of parallel β-sheets, the anti-parallel β-hairpin is a structural motif accessible to amyloidogenic proteins in their monomeric and oligomeric states. Here, to investigate implications of β-hairpins in amyloid formation, potential β-hairpin-forming amyloidogenic segments in the human proteome were predicted based on sequence similarity with β-hairpins previously observed in Aβ, α-synuclein, and islet amyloid polypeptide, amyloidogenic proteins associated with AD, PD, and T2D, respectively. These three β-hairpins, established upon binding to the engineered binding protein β-wrapin AS10, are characterized by proximity of two sequence segments rich in hydrophobic and aromatic amino acids, with high β-aggregation scores according to the TANGO algorithm. Using these criteria, 2505 potential β-hairpin-forming amyloidogenic segments in 2098 human proteins were identified. Characterization of a test set of eight protein segments showed that seven assembled into Thioflavin T-positive aggregates and four formed β-hairpins in complex with AS10 according to NMR. One of those is a segment of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) comprising amino acids 185-208. PAP is naturally cleaved into fragments, including PAP(248-286) which forms functional amyloid in semen. We find that PAP(185-208) strongly decreases the protein concentrations required for fibril formation of PAP(248-286) and of another semen amyloid peptide, SEM1(86-107), indicating that it promotes nucleation of semen amyloids. In conclusion, β-hairpin-forming amyloidogenic protein segments could be identified in the human proteome with potential roles in functional or disease-related amyloid formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia F. Heid
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Emil Dandanell Agerschou
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Asuka A. Orr
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3122, United States
| | - Tatsiana Kupreichyk
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Walfried Schneider
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Michael M. Wördehoff
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Melanie Schwarten
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Dieter Willbold
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Phanourios Tamamis
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3122, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3033, United States
| | - Matthias Stoldt
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hoyer
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
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2
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Wen H, Ouyang H, Shang H, Da C, Zhang T. Helix-to-sheet transition of the Aβ42 peptide revealed using an enhanced sampling strategy and Markov state model. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:688-699. [PMID: 38292476 PMCID: PMC10825278 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.12.015] [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] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The self-assembly of Aβ peptides into toxic oligomers and fibrils is the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, the conformational transition from helix to sheet is considered a crucial step in the aggregation of Aβ peptides. However, the structural details of this process still remain unclear due to the heterogeneity and transient nature of the Aβ peptides. In this study, we developed an enhanced sampling strategy that combines artificial neural networks (ANN) with metadynamics to explore the conformational space of the Aβ42 peptides. The strategy consists of two parts: applying ANN to optimize CVs and conducting metadynamics based on the resulting CVs to sample conformations. The results showed that this strategy achieved better sampling performance in terms of the distribution of sampled conformations. The sampling efficiency is increased by 10-fold compared to our previous Hamiltonian Exchange Molecular Dynamics (MD) and by 1000-fold compared to ordinary MD. Based on the sampled conformations, we constructed a Markov state model to understand the detailed transition process. The intermediate states in this process are identified, and the connecting paths are analyzed. The conformational transitions in D23-K28 and M35-V40 are proven to be crucial for aggregation. These results are helpful in clarifying the mechanism and process of Aβ42 peptide aggregation. D23-K28 and M35-V40 can be identified as potential targets for screening and designing inhibitors of Aβ peptide aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huilin Wen
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
- The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, PR China
| | - Hao Ouyang
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Hao Shang
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Chaohong Da
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Tao Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
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3
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Dai Z, Ben-Younis A, Vlachaki A, Raleigh D, Thalassinos K. Understanding the structural dynamics of human islet amyloid polypeptide: Advancements in and applications of ion-mobility mass spectrometry. Biophys Chem 2024; 312:107285. [PMID: 38941872 PMCID: PMC11260546 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107285] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) forms amyloid deposits that contribute to β-cell death in pancreatic islets and are considered a hallmark of Type II diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Evidence suggests that the early oligomers of hIAPP formed during the aggregation process are the primary pathological agent in islet amyloid induced β-cell death. The self-assembly mechanism of hIAPP, however, remains elusive, largely due to limitations in conventional biophysical techniques for probing the distribution or capturing detailed structures of the early, structurally dynamic oligomers. The advent of Ion-mobility Mass Spectrometry (IM-MS) has enabled the characterisation of hIAPP early oligomers in the gas phase, paving the way towards a deeper understanding of the oligomerisation mechanism and the correlation of structural information with the cytotoxicity of the oligomers. The sensitivity and the rapid structural characterisation provided by IM-MS also show promise in screening hIAPP inhibitors, categorising their modes of inhibition through "spectral fingerprints". This review delves into the application of IM-MS to the dissection of the complex steps of hIAPP oligomerisation, examining the inhibitory influence of metal ions, and exploring the characterisation of hetero-oligomerisation with different hIAPP variants. We highlight the potential of IM-MS as a tool for the high-throughput screening of hIAPP inhibitors, and for providing insights into their modes of action. Finally, we discuss advances afforded by recent advancements in tandem IM-MS and the combination of gas phase spectroscopy with IM-MS, which promise to deliver a more sensitive and higher-resolution structural portrait of hIAPP oligomers. Such information may help facilitate a new era of targeted therapeutic strategies for islet amyloidosis in T2DM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijie Dai
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Bioscience, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Aisha Ben-Younis
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Bioscience, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Anna Vlachaki
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Daniel Raleigh
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Bioscience, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States.
| | - Konstantinos Thalassinos
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Bioscience, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
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4
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Guan Y, Mei J, Gao X, Wang C, Jia M, Ahmad S, Muhammad FN, Ai H. Prediction of the 3D conformation of a small peptide vaccine targeting Aβ42 oligomers. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:20087-20102. [PMID: 39007924 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp02078b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
The original etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the deposition of amyloid-beta (Aβ) proteins, which starts from the aggregation of the Aβ oligomers. The optimal therapeutic strategy targeting Aβ oligomer aggregation is the development of AD vaccines. Despite the fact that positive progress has been made for experimental attempts at AD vaccines, the physicochemical and even structural properties of these AD vaccines remain unclear. In this study, through immunoinformatic and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we first designed and simulated an alternative of vaccine TAPAS and found that the structure of the alternative can reproduce the 3D conformation of TAPAS determined experimentally. Meanwhile, immunoinformatic methods were used to analyze the physicochemical properties of TAPAS, including immunogenicity, antigenicity, thermal stability, and solubility, which confirm well the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, and validate the scheme reliability of immunoinformatic and MD simulations in designing and simulating the TAPAS vaccine. Using the same scheme, we predicted the 3D conformation of the optimized ACI-24 peptide vaccine, an Aβ peptide with the first 15 residues of Aβ42 (Aβ1-15). The vaccine was verified once to be effective against both full-length Aβ1-42 and truncated Aβ4-42 aggregates, but an experimental 3D structure was absent. We have also explored the immune mechanism of the vaccine at the molecular level and found that the optimized ACI-24 and its analogues can block the growth of either full-length Aβ1-42 or truncated Aβ4-42 pentamer by contacting the hydrophobic residues within the N-terminus and β1 region on the contact surface of either pentamer. Additionally, residues (D1, D7, S8, H13, and Q15) were identified as the key residues of the vaccine to contact either of the two Aβ oligomers. This work provides a feasible implementation scheme of immunoinformatic and MD simulations for the development of AD small peptide vaccines, validating the power of the scheme as a parallel tool to the experimental approaches and injecting molecular-level information into the understanding and design of anti-AD vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvning Guan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
| | - Jinfei Mei
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
| | - Xvzhi Gao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
| | - Chuanbo Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
| | - Mengke Jia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
| | - Fahad Nouman Muhammad
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
| | - Hongqi Ai
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, P. R. China.
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5
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Tanimoto S, Okumura H. Why Is Arginine the Only Amino Acid That Inhibits Polyglutamine Monomers from Taking on Toxic Conformations? ACS Chem Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39009034 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are devastating neurodegenerative disorders characterized by abnormal expansion of glutamine repeats within specific proteins. The aggregation of polyQ proteins is a critical pathological hallmark of these diseases. Arginine was identified as a promising inhibitory compound because it prevents polyQ-protein monomers from forming intra- and intermolecular β-sheet structures and hinders polyQ proteins from aggregating to form oligomers. Such an aggregation inhibitory effect was not observed in other amino acids. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of the aggregation inhibition and the factors that differentiate arginine from other amino acids, in terms of the inhibition of the polyQ-protein aggregation, remain poorly understood. Here, we performed replica-permutation molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which arginine inhibits the formation of the intramolecular β-sheet structure of a polyQ monomer. We found that the intramolecular β-sheet structure with more than four β-bridges of the polyQ monomer with arginine is more unstable than without any ligand and with lysine. We also found that arginine has 1.6-2.1 times more contact with polyQ than lysine. In addition, we revealed that arginine forms more hydrogen bonds with the main chain of the polyQ monomer than lysine. More hydrogen bonds formed between arginine and polyQ inhibit polyQ from forming the long intramolecular β-sheet structure. It is known that intramolecular β-sheet structure enhances intermolecular β-sheet structure between proteins. These effects are thought to be the reason for the inhibition of polyQ aggregation. This study provides insights into the molecular events underlying arginine's inhibition of polyQ-protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoichi Tanimoto
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8787, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hisashi Okumura
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8787, Aichi, Japan
- National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Institute for Molecular Science, Okazaki 444-8787, Aichi, Japan
- Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki 444-8787, Aichi, Japan
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6
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Coskuner-Weber O. Structures prediction and replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations of α-synuclein: A case study for intrinsically disordered proteins. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 276:133813. [PMID: 38996889 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, a variety of three-dimensional structure prediction tools, including AlphaFold2, AlphaFold3, I-TASSER, C-I-TASSER, Phyre2, ESMFold, and RoseTTAFold, have been employed in the investigation of intrinsically disordered proteins. However, a comprehensive validation of these tools specifically for intrinsically disordered proteins has yet to be conducted. In this study, we utilize AlphaFold2, AlphaFold3, I-TASSER, C-I-TASSER, Phyre2, ESMFold, and RoseTTAFold to predict the structure of a model intrinsically disordered α-synuclein protein. Additionally, extensive replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations of the intrinsically disordered protein are conducted. The resulting structures from both structure prediction tools and replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations are analyzed for radius of gyration, secondary and tertiary structure properties, as well as Cα and Hα chemical shift values. A comparison of the obtained results with experimental data reveals that replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations provide results in excellent agreement with experimental observations. However, none of the structure prediction tools utilized in this study can fully capture the structural characteristics of the model intrinsically disordered protein. This study shows that a cluster of ensembles are required for intrinsically disordered proteins. Artificial-intelligence based structure prediction tools such as AlphaFold3 and C-I-TASSER could benefit from stochastic sampling or Monte Carlo simulations for generating an ensemble of structures for intrinsically disordered proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orkid Coskuner-Weber
- Turkish-German University, Molecular Biotechnology, Sahinkaya Caddesi, No. 106, Beykoz, Istanbul 34820, Turkey.
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7
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Pagano K, De Rosa L, Tomaselli S, Molinari H, D'Andrea LD, Ragona L. Characterizing the Oligomers Distribution along the Aggregation Pathway of Amyloid Aβ1-40 by NMR. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202400594. [PMID: 38712990 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400594] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
This study delves into the early aggregation process of the Aβ1-40 amyloid peptide, elucidating the associated oligomers distribution. Motivated by the acknowledged role of small oligomers in the neurotoxic damage linked to Alzheimer's disease, we present an experimental protocol for preparing 26-O-acyl isoAβ1-40, a modified Aβ1-40 peptide facilitating rapid isomerization to the native amide form at neutral pH. This ensures seed-free solutions, minimizing experimental variability. Additionally, we demonstrate the efficacy of coupling NMR diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) with the Inverse Laplace Transform (ILT) reconstruction method, for effective characterization of early aggregation processes. This innovative approach efficiently maps oligomers distributions across a wide spectrum of initial peptide concentrations offering unique insights into the evolution of oligomers relative populations. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the efficacy of our approach assessing the impact of Epigallocathechin gallate, a known remodeling agent of amyloid fibrils, on the oligomeric distributions of aggregated Aβ1-40. The DOSY-ILT proposed approach stands as a robust and discriminating asset, providing a powerful strategy for rapidly gaining insight into potential inhibitors' impact on the aggregation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katiuscia Pagano
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" CNR, via Alfonso Corti, 12, Milano, Italy
| | - Lucia De Rosa
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, Napoli, Italy
| | - Simona Tomaselli
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" CNR, via Alfonso Corti, 12, Milano, Italy
| | - Henriette Molinari
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" CNR, via Alfonso Corti, 12, Milano, Italy
| | - Luca Domenico D'Andrea
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" CNR, Via Mario Bianco, 9, Milano, Italy
| | - Laura Ragona
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" CNR, via Alfonso Corti, 12, Milano, Italy
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8
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Ruzmetov T, Hung TI, Jonnalagedda SP, Chen SH, Fasihianifard P, Guo Z, Bhanu B, Chang CEA. Sampling Conformational Ensembles of Highly Dynamic Proteins via Generative Deep Learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.05.592587. [PMID: 38979147 PMCID: PMC11230202 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.05.592587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Proteins are inherently dynamic, and their conformational ensembles are functionally important in biology. Large-scale motions may govern protein structure-function relationship, and numerous transient but stable conformations of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can play a crucial role in biological function. Investigating conformational ensembles to understand regulations and disease-related aggregations of IDPs is challenging both experimentally and computationally. In this paper we first introduced an unsupervised deep learning-based model, termed Internal Coordinate Net (ICoN), which learns the physical principles of conformational changes from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation data. Second, we selected interpolating data points in the learned latent space that rapidly identify novel synthetic conformations with sophisticated and large-scale sidechains and backbone arrangements. Third, with the highly dynamic amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ42) monomer, our deep learning model provided a comprehensive sampling of Aβ42's conformational landscape. Analysis of these synthetic conformations revealed conformational clusters that can be used to rationalize experimental findings. Additionally, the method can identify novel conformations with important interactions in atomistic details that are not included in the training data. New synthetic conformations showed distinct sidechain rearrangements that are probed by our EPR and amino acid substitution studies. This approach is highly transferable and can be used for any available data for training. The work also demonstrated the ability for deep learning to utilize learned natural atomistic motions in protein conformation sampling.
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9
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Ruzmetov T, Hung TI, Jonnalagedda SP, Chen SH, Fasihianifard P, Guo Z, Bhanu B, Chang CEA. Sampling Conformational Ensembles of Highly Dynamic Proteins via Generative Deep Learning. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4301803. [PMID: 38978607 PMCID: PMC11230488 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4301803/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Proteins are inherently dynamic, and their conformational ensembles are functionally important in biology. Large-scale motions may govern protein structure-function relationship, and numerous transient but stable conformations of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can play a crucial role in biological function. Investigating conformational ensembles to understand regulations and disease-related aggregations of IDPs is challenging both experimentally and computationally. In this paper first an unsupervised deep learning-based model, termed Internal Coordinate Net (ICoN), is developed that learns the physical principles of conformational changes from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation data. Second, interpolating data points in the learned latent space are selected that rapidly identify novel synthetic conformations with sophisticated and large-scale sidechains and backbone arrangements. Third, with the highly dynamic amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ42) monomer, our deep learning model provided a comprehensive sampling of Aβ42's conformational landscape. Analysis of these synthetic conformations revealed conformational clusters that can be used to rationalize experimental findings. Additionally, the method can identify novel conformations with important interactions in atomistic details that are not included in the training data. New synthetic conformations showed distinct sidechain rearrangements that are probed by our EPR and amino acid substitution studies. The proposed approach is highly transferable and can be used for any available data for training. The work also demonstrated the ability for deep learning to utilize learned natural atomistic motions in protein conformation sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talant Ruzmetov
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | - Ta I Hung
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | | | - Si-Han Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | | | - Zhefeng Guo
- Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Bir Bhanu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | - Chia-En A Chang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
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10
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Varenyk Y, Theodorakis PE, Pham DQH, Li MS, Krupa P. Exploring Structural Insights of Aβ42 and α-Synuclein Monomers and Heterodimer: A Comparative Study Using Implicit and Explicit Solvent Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:4655-4669. [PMID: 38700150 PMCID: PMC11103699 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Protein misfolding, aggregation, and fibril formation play a central role in the development of severe neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The structural stability of mature fibrils in these diseases is of great importance, as organisms struggle to effectively eliminate amyloid plaques. To address this issue, it is crucial to investigate the early stages of fibril formation when monomers aggregate into small, toxic, and soluble oligomers. However, these structures are inherently disordered, making them challenging to study through experimental approaches. Recently, it has been shown experimentally that amyloid-β 42 (Aβ42) and α-synuclein (α-Syn) can coassemble. This has motivated us to investigate the interaction between their monomers as a first step toward exploring the possibility of forming heterodimeric complexes. In particular, our study involves the utilization of various Amber and CHARMM force-fields, employing both implicit and explicit solvent models in replica exchange and conventional simulation modes. This comprehensive approach allowed us to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these solvent models and force fields in comparison to experimental and theoretical findings, ensuring the highest level of robustness. Our investigations revealed that Aβ42 and α-Syn monomers can indeed form stable heterodimers, and the resulting heterodimeric model exhibits stronger interactions compared to the Aβ42 dimer. The binding of α-Syn to Aβ42 reduces the propensity of Aβ42 to adopt fibril-prone conformations and induces significant changes in its conformational properties. Notably, in AMBER-FB15 and CHARMM36m force fields with the use of explicit solvent, the presence of Aβ42 significantly increases the β-content of α-Syn, consistent with the experiments showing that Aβ42 triggers α-Syn aggregation. Our analysis clearly shows that although the use of implicit solvent resulted in too large compactness of monomeric α-Syn, structural properties of monomeric Aβ42 and the heterodimer were preserved in explicit-solvent simulations. We anticipate that our study sheds light on the interaction between α-Syn and Aβ42 proteins, thus providing the atom-level model required to assess the initial stage of aggregation mechanisms related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliia Varenyk
- Institute
of Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
- Department
of Theoretical Chemistry, University of
Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | | | - Dinh Q. H. Pham
- Institute
of Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute
of Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paweł Krupa
- Institute
of Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
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11
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Ruttenberg SM, Nowick JS. A turn for the worse: Aβ β-hairpins in Alzheimer's disease. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 105:117715. [PMID: 38615460 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117715] [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: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers are a cause of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). These soluble aggregates of the Aβ peptide have proven difficult to study due to their inherent metastability and heterogeneity. Strategies to isolate and stabilize homogenous Aβ oligomer populations have emerged such as mutations, covalent cross-linking, and protein fusions. These strategies along with molecular dynamics simulations have provided a variety of proposed structures of Aβ oligomers, many of which consist of molecules of Aβ in β-hairpin conformations. β-Hairpins are intramolecular antiparallel β-sheets composed of two β-strands connected by a loop or turn. Three decades of research suggests that Aβ peptides form several different β-hairpin conformations, some of which are building blocks of toxic Aβ oligomers. The insights from these studies are currently being used to design anti-Aβ antibodies and vaccines to treat AD. Research suggests that antibody therapies designed to target oligomeric Aβ may be more successful at treating AD than antibodies designed to target linear epitopes of Aβ or fibrillar Aβ. Aβ β-hairpins are good epitopes to use in antibody development to selectively target oligomeric Aβ. This review summarizes the research on β-hairpins in Aβ peptides and discusses the relevance of this conformation in AD pathogenesis and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Ruttenberg
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-2025, United States
| | - James S Nowick
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-2025, United States.
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12
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Kumar N, Khatua P, Sinha SK. Can local heating and molecular crowders disintegrate amyloid aggregates? Chem Sci 2024; 15:6095-6105. [PMID: 38665536 PMCID: PMC11040654 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00103f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The present study employs a blend of molecular dynamics simulations and a theoretical model to explore the potential disintegration mechanism of a matured Aβ octamer, aiming to offer a strategy to combat Alzheimer's disease. We investigate local heating and crowding effects on Aβ disintegration by selectively heating key Aβ segments and varying the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), respectively. Despite initiation of disruption, Aβ aggregates resist complete disintegration during local heating due to rapid thermal energy distribution to the surrounding water. Conversely, although SDS molecules effectively inhibit Aβ aggregation at higher concentration through micelle formation, they fail to completely disintegrate the aggregate due to the exceedingly high energy barrier. To address the sampling challenge posed by the formidable energy barrier, we have performed well-tempered metadynamics simulations. Simulations reveal a multi-step disintegration mechanism for the Aβ octamer, suggesting a probable sequence: octamer → pentamer/hexamer ⇌ tetramer → monomer, with a rate-determining step constituting 45 kJ mol-1 barrier during the octamer to pentamer/hexamer transition. Additionally, we have proposed a novel two-state mean-field model based on Ising spins that offers an insight into the kinetics of the Aβ growth process and external perturbation effects on disintegration. Thus, the current simulation study, coupled with the newly introduced mean-field model, offers an insight into the detailed mechanisms underlying the Aβ aggregation process, guiding potential strategies for effective disintegration of Aβ aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naresh Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Theoretical and Computational Biophysical Chemistry Group, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Rupnagar Punjab 140001 India +91-01881-232066
| | - Prabir Khatua
- Department of Chemistry, GITAM School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University) Bengaluru 562163 India
| | - Sudipta Kumar Sinha
- Department of Chemistry, Theoretical and Computational Biophysical Chemistry Group, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Rupnagar Punjab 140001 India +91-01881-232066
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13
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Nilsson BL, Celebi Torabfam G, Dias CL. Peptide Self-Assembly into Amyloid Fibrils: Unbiased All-Atom Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:3320-3328. [PMID: 38447080 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c07861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Protein self-assembly plays an important role in biological systems, accounting for the formation of mesoscopic structures that can be highly symmetric as in the capsid of viruses or disordered as in molecular condensates or exhibit a one-dimensional fibrillar morphology as in amyloid fibrils. Deposits of the latter in tissues of individuals with degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's has motivated extensive efforts to understand the sequence of molecular events accounting for their formation. These studies aim to identify on-pathway intermediates that may be the targets for therapeutic intervention. This detailed knowledge of fibril formation remains obscure, in part due to challenges with experimental analyses of these processes. However, important progress is being achieved for short amyloid peptides due to advances in our ability to perform completely unbiased all-atom simulations of the self-assembly process. This perspective discusses recent developments, their implications, and the hurdles that still need to be overcome to further advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley L Nilsson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
- Materials Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Gizem Celebi Torabfam
- Department of Physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102-1982, United States
| | - Cristiano L Dias
- Department of Physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102-1982, United States
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14
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Longhini AP, DuBose A, Lobo S, Vijayan V, Bai Y, Rivera EK, Sala-Jarque J, Nikitina A, Carrettiero DC, Unger MT, Sclafani OR, Fu V, Beckett ER, Vigers M, Buée L, Landrieu I, Shell S, Shea JE, Han S, Kosik KS. Precision proteoform design for 4R tau isoform selective templated aggregation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320456121. [PMID: 38568974 PMCID: PMC11009657 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320456121] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Prion-like spread of disease-specific tau conformers is a hallmark of all tauopathies. A 19-residue probe peptide containing a P301L mutation and spanning the R2/R3 splice junction of tau folds and stacks into seeding-competent fibrils and induces aggregation of 4R, but not 3R tau. These tau peptide fibrils propagate aggregated intracellular tau over multiple generations, have a high β-sheet content, a colocalized lipid signal, and adopt a well-defined U-shaped fold found in 4R tauopathy brain-derived fibrils. Fully atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to compute the free energy landscapes of the conformational ensemble of the peptide monomers. These identified an aggregation-prohibiting β-hairpin structure and an aggregation-competent U-fold unique to 4R tauopathy fibrils. Guided by MD simulations, we identified that the N-terminal-flanking residues to PHF6, which slightly vary between 4R and 3R isoforms, modulate seeding. Strikingly, when a single amino acid switch at position 305 replaced the serine of 4R tau with a lysine from the corresponding position in the first repeat of 3R tau, the seeding induced by the 19-residue peptide was markedly reduced. Conversely, a 4R tau mimic with three repeats, prepared by replacing those amino acids in the first repeat with those amino acids uniquely present in the second repeat, recovered aggregation when exposed to the 19-residue peptide. These peptide fibrils function as partial prions to recruit naive 4R tau-ten times the length of the peptide-and serve as a critical template for 4R tauopathy propagation. These results hint at opportunities for tau isoform-specific therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Longhini
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Austin DuBose
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Samuel Lobo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Vishnu Vijayan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Yeran Bai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp., Santa Barbara, CA93101
| | - Erica Keane Rivera
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Julia Sala-Jarque
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Arina Nikitina
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Daniel C. Carrettiero
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo09600-000, Brazil
| | - Matthew T. Unger
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Olivia R. Sclafani
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Valerie Fu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Emily R. Beckett
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Michael Vigers
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Luc Buée
- University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & CognitionLilleF-59000, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence Development of Innovative Strategies for a Transdisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer's Disease, Alzheimer & Tauopathies Team, LilleF-59000, France
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- Center National de la Recherche Scientifique Équipe de Recherche 9002–Integrative Structural Biology, LilleF-59000, France
- University of Lille, Inserm, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167–Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related DiseasesLilleF-59000, France
| | - Scott Shell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Joan E. Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Kenneth S. Kosik
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
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15
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Hirschbeck SS, Lindberg ET, Jang JH, Jacob MR, Lazar Cantrell KL, Do TD. Investigating a Novel Neurodegenerative Disease Toxic Mechanism Involving Lipid Binding Specificity of Amyloid Oligomers. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1523-1532. [PMID: 38488720 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Exploring the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of amyloid oligomers (AOs) presents a significant opportunity for discovering cures and developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, using a combination of ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) and X-ray crystallography (XRC), we showed that the peptide KVKVLWDVIEV, which is the G95W mutant of αB-Crystallin (90-100) and abbreviated as G6W, self-assembles up to a dodecamer that structurally resembles lipid transport proteins. The glycine to tryptophan mutation promotes not only larger oligomers and enhanced cytotoxicity in brain slices than the wild type but also a narrow hydrophobic cavity suitable for fatty acid or phospholipid binding. Here, we determine the plausibility of a novel cytotoxic mechanism where the G6W's structural motif could perturb lipid homeostasis by determining its lipid binding selectivity and specificity. We show that the G6W oligomers have a strong affinity toward unsaturated phospholipids with a preference toward phospholipids containing 16-C alkyl chains. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate how an unsaturated, 16-C phospholipid fits tightly inside and outside G6W's hydrophobic cavity. This binding is exclusive to the G6W peptide, as other amyloid oligomers with different atomic structures, including its wildtype αB-Crystallin (90-100) and several superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) peptides that are known to self-assemble into amyloid oligomers (SOD1P28K and SOD1WG-GW), do not experience the same strong binding affinity. While the existing chaperone-lipid hypothesis on amyloid toxicity suggests amyloid-lipid complexes perforate cell membranes, our work provides a new outlook, indicating that soluble amyloid oligomers disrupt lipid homeostasis via selective protein-ligand interactions. The toxic mechanisms may arise from the formation of unique amyloid oligomer structures assisted by lipid ligands or impaired lipid transports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah S Hirschbeck
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Edward T Lindberg
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Joshua H Jang
- Department of Chemistry, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California 93108, United States
| | - MaKenna R Jacob
- Department of Chemistry, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California 93108, United States
| | | | - Thanh D Do
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
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16
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Liang X, Andrikopoulos N, Tang H, Wang Y, Ding F, Ke PC. Nanoplastic Stimulates the Amyloidogenesis of Parkinson's Alpha-Synuclein NACore. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2308753. [PMID: 37988678 PMCID: PMC10994764 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Environmental plastic wastes are potential health hazards due to their prevalence as well as their versatility in initiating physical, chemical, and biological interactions and transformations. Indeed, recent research has implicated the adverse effects of micro- and nano-plastics, including their neurotoxicity, yet how plastic particulates may impact the aggregation pathway and toxicity of amyloid proteins pertinent to the pathologies of neurological diseases remains unknown. Here, electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) is employed to reveal the polymorphic oligomerization of NACore, a surrogate of alpha-synuclein that is associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. These data indicate that the production rate and population of the NACore oligomers are modulated by their exposure to a polystyrene nanoplastic, and these cellular assays further reveal an elevated NACore toxicity in microglial cells elicited by the nanoplastic. These simulations confirm that the nanoplastic-NACore association is promoted by their hydrophobic interactions. These findings are corroborated by an impairment in zebrafish hatching, survival, and development in vivo upon their embryonic exposure to the nanoplastic. Together, this study has uncovered the dynamics and mechanism of amyloidogenesis elevated by a nanoplastic trigger, shedding a new light on the neurological burden of plastic pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiufang Liang
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Guangzhou International Campus, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
- Nanomedicine Center, The Great Bay Area National Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, 136 Kaiyuan Avenue, Guangzhou, 510700, China
| | - Nicholas Andrikopoulos
- Nanomedicine Center, The Great Bay Area National Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, 136 Kaiyuan Avenue, Guangzhou, 510700, China
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Huayuan Tang
- College of Mechanics and Materials, Hohai University, Nanjing, 211100, China
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Yue Wang
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Guangzhou International Campus, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
- Nanomedicine Center, The Great Bay Area National Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, 136 Kaiyuan Avenue, Guangzhou, 510700, China
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Pu Chun Ke
- Nanomedicine Center, The Great Bay Area National Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, 136 Kaiyuan Avenue, Guangzhou, 510700, China
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
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17
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Sari L, Bali S, Joachimiak LA, Lin MM. Hairpin trimer transition state of amyloid fibril. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2756. [PMID: 38553453 PMCID: PMC10980705 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46446-x] [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: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein fibril self-assembly is a universal transition implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Although fibril structure/growth are well characterized, fibril nucleation is poorly understood. Here, we use a computational-experimental approach to resolve fibril nucleation. We show that monomer hairpin content quantified from molecular dynamics simulations is predictive of experimental fibril formation kinetics across a tau motif mutant library. Hairpin trimers are predicted to be fibril transition states; one hairpin spontaneously converts into the cross-beta conformation, templating subsequent fibril growth. We designed a disulfide-linked dimer mimicking the transition state that catalyzes fibril formation, measured by ThT fluorescence and TEM, of wild-type motif - which does not normally fibrillize. A dimer compatible with extended conformations but not the transition-state fails to nucleate fibril at any concentration. Tau repeat domain simulations show how long-range interactions sequester this motif in a mutation-dependent manner. This work implies that different fibril morphologies could arise from disease-dependent hairpin seeding from different loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levent Sari
- Green Center for Systems Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Sofia Bali
- Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lukasz A Joachimiak
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Milo M Lin
- Green Center for Systems Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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18
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Chen J, Fasihianifard P, Raz AAP, Hickey BL, Moreno JL, Chang CEA, Hooley RJ, Zhong W. Selective recognition and discrimination of single isomeric changes in peptide strands with a host : guest sensing array. Chem Sci 2024; 15:1885-1893. [PMID: 38303931 PMCID: PMC10829040 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc06087j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
An indirect competitive binding mechanism can be exploited to allow a combination of cationic fluorophores and water-soluble synthetic receptors to selectively recognize and discriminate peptide strands containing a single isomeric residue in the backbone. Peptide isomerization occurs in long-lived proteins and has been linked with diseases such as Alzheimer's, cataracts and cancer, so isomers are valuable yet underexplored targets for selective recognition. Planar cationic fluorophores can selectively bind hydrophobic, Trp-containing peptide strands in solution, and when paired with receptors that provide a competitive host for the fluorophore, can form a differential sensing array that enables selective discrimination of peptide isomers. Residue variations such as D- and L-Asp, D- and L-isoAsp, D-Ser and D-Glu can all be recognized, simply by their effects on the folded structure of the flexible peptide. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to determine the most favorable conformation of the peptide : fluorophore conjugate, indicating that favorable π-stacking with internal tryptophan residues in a folded binding pocket enables micromolar binding affinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyi Chen
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Parisa Fasihianifard
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Alexie Andrea P Raz
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Briana L Hickey
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Jose L Moreno
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Chia-En A Chang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Richard J Hooley
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Wenwan Zhong
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
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19
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Wu R, Svingou D, Metternich JB, Benzenberg LR, Zenobi R. Transition Metal Ion FRET-Based Probe to Study Cu(II)-Mediated Amyloid- β Ligand Binding. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:2102-2112. [PMID: 38225538 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c11533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Recent therapeutic strategies suggest that small peptides can act as aggregation inhibitors of monomeric amyloid-β (Αβ) by inducing structural rearrangements upon complexation. However, characterizing the binding events in such dynamic and transient noncovalent complexes, especially in the presence of natively occurring metal ions, remains a challenge. Here, we deploy a combined transition metal ion Förster resonance energy transfer (tmFRET) and native ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) approach to characterize the structure of mass- and charge-selected Aβ complexes with Cu(II) ions (a quencher) and a potential aggregation inhibitor, a small neuropeptide named leucine enkephalin (LE). We show conformational changes of monomeric Αβ species upon Cu(II)-binding, indicating an uncoiled N-terminus and a close interaction between the C-terminus and the central hydrophobic region. Furthermore, we introduce LE labeled at the N-terminus with a metal-chelating agent, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA). This allows us to employ tmFRET to probe the binding even in low-abundance and transient Aβ-inhibitor-metal ion complexes. Complementary intramolecular distance and global shape information from tmFRET and native IM-MS, respectively, confirmed Cu(II) displacement toward the N-terminus of Αβ, which discloses the binding region and the inhibitor's orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ri Wu
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Despoina Svingou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jonas B Metternich
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas R Benzenberg
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Renato Zenobi
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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20
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Okumura H. Perspective for Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of Amyloid-β Aggregates. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:10931-10940. [PMID: 38109338 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c06051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
The cause of Alzheimer's disease is related to aggregates such as oligomers and amyloid fibrils consisting of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies have been conducted to understand the molecular mechanism of the formation and disruption of Aβ aggregates. In this Perspective, the MD simulation studies are classified into four categories, focusing on the target systems: aggregation of Aβ peptides in bulk solution, Aβ aggregation at the interface, aggregation inhibitor against Aβ peptides, and nonequilibrium MD simulation of Aβ aggregates. MD simulation studies in these categories are first reviewed. Future perspectives in each category are then presented. Finally, the overall perspective is presented on how MD simulations of Aβ aggregates can be utilized for developing Alzheimer's disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisashi Okumura
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
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21
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Longhini AP, DuBose A, Lobo S, Vijayan V, Bai Y, Rivera EK, Sala-Jarque J, Nikitina A, Carrettiero DC, Unger M, Sclafani O, Fu V, Vigers M, Buee L, Landrieu I, Shell S, Shea JE, Han S, Kosik KS. Precision Proteoform Design for 4R Tau Isoform Selective Templated Aggregation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.31.555649. [PMID: 37693456 PMCID: PMC10491155 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.31.555649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Prion-like spread of disease-specific tau conformers is a hallmark of all tauopathies. A 19-residue probe peptide containing a P301L mutation and spanning the R2/R3 splice junction of tau, folds and stacks into seeding-competent fibrils and induces aggregation of 4R, but not 3R tau. These tau peptide fibrils propagate aggregated intracellular tau over multiple generations, have a high β-sheet content, a colocalized lipid signal, and adopt a well-defined U-shaped fold found in 4R tauopathy brain-derived fibrils. Fully atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to compute the free energy landscapes of the conformational ensemble of the peptide monomers. These identified an aggregation-prohibiting β-hairpin structure and an aggregation-competent U-fold unique to 4R tauopathy fibrils. Guided by MD simulations, we identified that the N-terminal-flanking residues to PHF6, which slightly vary between 4R and 3R isoforms, modulate seeding. Strikingly, when a single amino acid switch at position 305 replaced the serine of 4R tau with a lysine from the corresponding position in the first repeat of 3R tau, the seeding induced by the 19-residue peptide was markedly reduced. Conversely, a 4R tau mimic with three repeats, prepared by replacing those amino acids in the first repeat with those amino acids uniquely present in the second repeat, recovered aggregation when exposed to the 19-residue peptide. These peptide fibrils function as partial prions to recruit naïve 4R tau-ten times the length of the peptide-and serve as a critical template for 4R tauopathy propagation. These results hint at opportunities for tau isoform-specific therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Longhini
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Austin DuBose
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Samuel Lobo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Vishnu Vijayan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Yeran Bai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp., Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
| | - Erica Keane Rivera
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Julia Sala-Jarque
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Arina Nikitina
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Daniel C. Carrettiero
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
| | - Matthew Unger
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Olivia Sclafani
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Valerie Fu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Michael Vigers
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Luc Buee
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, LilNCog – Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, F-59000 Lille, France
- LabEx DISTALZ, Alzheimer & Tauopathies Team, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- CNRS EMR9002 – BSI - Integrative Structural Biology F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Scott Shell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Joan E. Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, F-59000 Lille, France. Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Lead Contacts
| | - Kenneth S. Kosik
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Lead Contacts
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22
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Heid LF, Kupreichyk T, Schützmann MP, Schneider W, Stoldt M, Hoyer W. Nucleation of α-Synuclein Amyloid Fibrils Induced by Cross-Interaction with β-Hairpin Peptides Derived from Immunoglobulin Light Chains. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16132. [PMID: 38003322 PMCID: PMC10671648 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216132] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterologous interactions between different amyloid-forming proteins, also called cross-interactions, may have a critical impact on disease-related amyloid formation. β-hairpin conformers of amyloid-forming proteins have been shown to affect homologous interactions in the amyloid self-assembly process. Here, we applied two β-hairpin-forming peptides derived from immunoglobulin light chains as models to test how heterologous β-hairpins modulate the fibril formation of Parkinson's disease-associated protein α-synuclein (αSyn). The peptides SMAhp and LENhp comprise β-strands C and C' of the κ4 antibodies SMA and LEN, which are associated with light chain amyloidosis and multiple myeloma, respectively. SMAhp and LENhp bind with high affinity to the β-hairpin-binding protein β-wrapin AS10 according to isothermal titration calorimetry and NMR spectroscopy. The addition of SMAhp and LENhp affects the kinetics of αSyn aggregation monitored by Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, with the effect depending on assay conditions, salt concentration, and the applied β-hairpin peptide. In the absence of agitation, substoichiometric concentrations of the hairpin peptides strongly reduce the lag time of αSyn aggregation, suggesting that they support the nucleation of αSyn amyloid fibrils. The effect is also observed for the aggregation of αSyn fragments lacking the N-terminus or the C-terminus, indicating that the promotion of nucleation involves the interaction of hairpin peptides with the hydrophobic non-amyloid-β component (NAC) region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia F. Heid
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tatsiana Kupreichyk
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct, Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Marie P. Schützmann
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Walfried Schneider
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Matthias Stoldt
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct, Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hoyer
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7) and JuStruct, Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
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