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Anti-Prion Systems in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Turn an Avalanche of Prions into a Flurry. Viruses 2022; 14:v14091945. [PMID: 36146752 PMCID: PMC9503967 DOI: 10.3390/v14091945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are infectious proteins, mostly having a self-propagating amyloid (filamentous protein polymer) structure consisting of an abnormal form of a normally soluble protein. These prions arise spontaneously in the cell without known reason, and their effects were generally considered to be fatal based on prion diseases in humans or mammals. However, the wide array of prion studies in yeast including filamentous fungi revealed that their effects can range widely, from lethal to very mild (even cryptic) or functional, depending on the nature of the prion protein and the specific prion variant (or strain) made by the same prion protein but with a different conformation. This prion biology is affected by an array of molecular chaperone systems, such as Hsp40, Hsp70, Hsp104, and combinations of them. In parallel with the systems required for prion propagation, yeast has multiple anti-prion systems, constantly working in the normal cell without overproduction of or a deficiency in any protein, which have negative effects on prions by blocking their formation, curing many prions after they arise, preventing prion infections, and reducing the cytotoxicity produced by prions. From the protectors of nascent polypeptides (Ssb1/2p, Zuo1p, and Ssz1p) to the protein sequesterase (Btn2p), the disaggregator (Hsp104), and the mysterious Cur1p, normal levels of each can cure the prion variants arising in its absence. The controllers of mRNA quality, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay proteins (Upf1, 2, 3), can cure newly formed prion variants by association with a prion-forming protein. The regulator of the inositol pyrophosphate metabolic pathway (Siw14p) cures certain prion variants by lowering the levels of certain organic compounds. Some of these proteins have other cellular functions (e.g., Btn2), while others produce an anti-prion effect through their primary role in the normal cell (e.g., ribosomal chaperones). Thus, these anti-prion actions are the innate defense strategy against prions. Here, we outline the anti-prion systems in yeast that produce innate immunity to prions by a multi-layered operation targeting each step of prion development.
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Antiprion systems in yeast cooperate to cure or prevent the generation of nearly all [ PSI+] and [URE3] prions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205500119. [PMID: 35787049 PMCID: PMC9282430 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205500119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
[PSI+] and [URE3] are prions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on amyloids of Sup35p and Ure2p, respectively. In normal cells, antiprion systems block prion formation, cure many prions that arise, prevent infection by prions, and prevent toxicity of those prions that escape the other systems. The upf1Δ, ssz1Δ, and hsp104T160M single mutants each develop [PSI+] at 10- to 15-fold, but the triple mutant spontaneously generates [PSI+] at up to ∼5,000-fold the wild-type rate. Most such [PSI+] variants are cured by restoration of any one of the three defective antiprion systems, defining a previously unknown type of [PSI+] variant and proving that these three antiprion systems act independently. Generation of [PSI+] variants stable in wild-type cells is also increased in upf1Δ ssz1Δ hsp104T160M strains 25- to 500-fold. Btn2 and Cur1 each cure 90% of [URE3] prions generated in their absence, but we find that btn2Δ or cur1Δ diminishes the frequency of [PSI+] generation in an otherwise wild-type strain. Most [PSI+] isolates in a wild-type strain are destabilized on transfer to a btn2Δ or cur1Δ host. Single upf1Δ or hsp104T160M mutants show the effects of btn2Δ or cur1Δ but not upf1Δ ssz1Δ hsp104T160M or ssz1Δ hsp104T160M strains. The disparate action of Btn2 on [URE3] and [PSI+] may be a result of [PSI+]'s generally higher seed number and lower amyloid structural stability compared with [URE3]. Thus, prion generation is not a rare event, but the escape of a nascent prion from the surveillance by the antiprion systems is indeed rare.
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Seuma M, Bolognesi B. Understanding and evolving prions by yeast multiplexed assays. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2022; 75:101941. [PMID: 35777350 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2022.101941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Yeast genetics made it possible to derive the first fundamental insights into prion composition, conformation, and propagation. Fast-forward 30 years and the same model organism is now proving an extremely powerful tool to comprehensively explore the impact of mutations in prion sequences on their function, toxicity, and physical properties. Here, we provide an overview of novel multiplexed strategies where deep mutagenesis is combined to a range of tailored selection assays in yeast, which are particularly amenable for investigating prions and prion-like sequences. By mimicking evolution in a flask, these multiplexed approaches are revealing mechanistic insights on the consequences of prion self-assembly, while also reporting on the structure prion sequences adopt in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireia Seuma
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. https://twitter.com/@mseumaar
| | - Benedetta Bolognesi
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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Puri A, Singh P, Kumar N, Kumar R, Sharma D. Tah1, A Key Component of R2TP Complex that Regulates Assembly of snoRNP, is Involved in De Novo Generation and Maintenance of Yeast Prion [URE3]. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:166976. [PMID: 33811921 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.166976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The cellular chaperone machinery plays key role in the de novo formation and propagation of yeast prions (infectious protein). Though the role of Hsp70s in the prion maintenance is well studied, how Hsp90 chaperone machinery affects yeast prions remains unclear. In the current study, we examined the role of Hsp90 and its co-chaperones on yeast prions [PSI+] and [URE3]. We show that the overproduction of Hsp90 co-chaperone Tah1, cures [URE3] which is a prion form of native protein Ure2 in yeast. The Hsp90 co-chaperone Tah1 is involved in the assembly of small nucleolar ribonucleoproteins (snoRNP) and chromatin remodelling complexes. We found that Tah1 deletion improves the frequency of de novo appearance of [URE3]. The Tah1 was found to interact with Hsp70. The lack of Tah1 not only represses antagonizing effect of Ssa1 Hsp70 on [URE3] but also improves the prion strength suggesting role of Tah1 in both fibril growth and replication. We show that the N-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat domain of Tah1 is indispensable for [URE3] curing. Tah1 interacts with Ure2, improves its solubility in [URE3] strains, and affects the kinetics of Ure2 fibrillation in vitro. Its inhibitory role on Ure2 fibrillation is proposed to influence [URE3] propagation. The present study shows a novel role of Tah1 in yeast prion propagation, and that Hsp90 not only promotes its role in ribosomal RNA processing but also in the prion maintenance. SUMMARY: Prions are self-perpetuating infectious proteins. What initiates the misfolding of a protein into its prion form is still not clear. The understanding of cellular factors that facilitate or antagonize prions is crucial to gain insight into the mechanism of prion formation and propagation. In the current study, we reveal that Tah1 is a novel modulator of yeast prion [URE3]. The Hsp90 co-chaperone Tah1, is required for the formation of small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein complex. We show that the absence of Tah1 improves the induction of [URE3] prion. The overexpressed Tah1 cures [URE3], and this function is promoted by Hsp90 chaperones. The current study thus provides a novel cellular factor and the underlying mechanism, involved in the prion formation and propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradhika Puri
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Microbial Technology, India
| | - Priyanka Singh
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Microbial Technology, India
| | - Navinder Kumar
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Microbial Technology, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bhatinda, India
| | - Deepak Sharma
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Microbial Technology, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research, India.
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Fomicheva A, Ross ED. From Prions to Stress Granules: Defining the Compositional Features of Prion-Like Domains That Promote Different Types of Assemblies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031251. [PMID: 33513942 PMCID: PMC7865556 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress granules are ribonucleoprotein assemblies that form in response to cellular stress. Many of the RNA-binding proteins found in stress granule proteomes contain prion-like domains (PrLDs), which are low-complexity sequences that compositionally resemble yeast prion domains. Mutations in some of these PrLDs have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia, and are associated with persistent stress granule accumulation. While both stress granules and prions are macromolecular assemblies, they differ in both their physical properties and complexity. Prion aggregates are highly stable homopolymeric solids, while stress granules are complex dynamic biomolecular condensates driven by multivalent homotypic and heterotypic interactions. Here, we use stress granules and yeast prions as a paradigm to examine how distinct sequence and compositional features of PrLDs contribute to different types of PrLD-containing assemblies.
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Wang W, Ventura S. Prion domains as a driving force for the assembly of functional nanomaterials. Prion 2020; 14:170-179. [PMID: 32597308 PMCID: PMC7518758 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2020.1785659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloids display a highly ordered fibrillar structure. Many of these assemblies appear associated with human disease. However, the controllable, stable, tunable, and robust nature of amyloid fibrils can be exploited to build up remarkable nanomaterials with a wide range of applications in biomedicine and biotechnology. Functional prions constitute a particular class of amyloids. These transmissible proteins exhibit a modular architecture, with a disordered prion domain responsible for the assembly and one or more globular domains that account for the activity. Importantly, the original globular protein can be replaced with any protein of interest, without compromising the fibrillation potential. These genetic fusions form fibrils in which the globular domain remains folded, rendering functional nanostructures. However, in some cases, steric hindrance restricts the activity of these fibrils. This limitation can be solved by dissecting prion domains into shorter sequences that keep their self-assembling properties while allowing better access to the active protein in the fibrillar state. In this review, we will discuss the properties of prion-like functional nanomaterials and the amazing applications of these biocompatible fibrillar arrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Wang
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
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Wickner RB, Edskes HK, Son M, Wu S, Niznikiewicz M. How Do Yeast Cells Contend with Prions? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21134742. [PMID: 32635197 PMCID: PMC7369894 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21134742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious proteins (prions) include an array of human (mammalian) and yeast amyloid diseases in which a protein or peptide forms a linear β-sheet-rich filament, at least one functional amyloid prion, and two functional infectious proteins unrelated to amyloid. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, at least eight anti-prion systems deal with pathogenic amyloid yeast prions by (1) blocking their generation (Ssb1,2, Ssz1, Zuo1), (2) curing most variants as they arise (Btn2, Cur1, Hsp104, Upf1,2,3, Siw14), and (3) limiting the pathogenicity of variants that do arise and propagate (Sis1, Lug1). Known mechanisms include facilitating proper folding of the prion protein (Ssb1,2, Ssz1, Zuo1), producing highly asymmetric segregation of prion filaments in mitosis (Btn2, Hsp104), competing with the amyloid filaments for prion protein monomers (Upf1,2,3), and regulation of levels of inositol polyphosphates (Siw14). It is hoped that the discovery of yeast anti-prion systems and elucidation of their mechanisms will facilitate finding analogous or homologous systems in humans, whose manipulation may be useful in treatment.
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Nil Z, Hervás R, Gerbich T, Leal P, Yu Z, Saraf A, Sardiu M, Lange JJ, Yi K, Unruh J, Slaughter B, Si K. Amyloid-like Assembly Activates a Phosphatase in the Developing Drosophila Embryo. Cell 2020; 178:1403-1420.e21. [PMID: 31491385 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Prion-like proteins can assume distinct conformational and physical states in the same cell. Sequence analysis suggests that prion-like proteins are prevalent in various species; however, it remains unclear what functional space they occupy in multicellular organisms. Here, we report the identification of a prion-like protein, Herzog (CG5830), through a multimodal screen in Drosophila melanogaster. Herzog functions as a membrane-associated phosphatase and controls embryonic patterning, likely being involved in TGF-β/BMP and FGF/EGF signaling pathways. Remarkably, monomeric Herzog is enzymatically inactive and becomes active upon amyloid-like assembly. The prion-like domain of Herzog is necessary for both its assembly and membrane targeting. Removal of the prion-like domain impairs activity, while restoring assembly on the membrane using a heterologous prion-like domain and membrane-targeting motif can restore phosphatase activity. This study provides an example of a prion-like domain that allows an enzyme to gain essential functionality via amyloid-like assembly to control animal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zelha Nil
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Rubén Hervás
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Therese Gerbich
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Paulo Leal
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Zulin Yu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Anita Saraf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Mihaela Sardiu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jeffrey J Lange
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Kexi Yi
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jay Unruh
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Brian Slaughter
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Kausik Si
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000E 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
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9
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Du Z, Valtierra S, Cardona LR, Dunne SF, Luan CH, Li L. Identifying Anti-prion Chemical Compounds Using a Newly Established Yeast High-Throughput Screening System. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:1664-1680.e4. [PMID: 31668517 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Prion-like protein aggregation underlies the pathology of a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. At present, few high-throughput screening (HTS) systems are available for anti-prion small-molecule identification. Here we describe an innovative phenotypic HTS system in yeast that allows for efficient identification of chemical compounds that eliminate the yeast prion [SWI+]. We show that some identified anti-[SWI+] compounds can destabilize other non-[SWI+] prions, and their antagonizing effects can be prion- and/or variant specific. Intriguingly, among the identified hits are several previously identified anti-PrPSc compounds and a couple of US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs for AD treatment, validating the efficacy of this HTS system. Moreover, a few hits can reduce proteotoxicity induced by expression of several pathogenic mammalian proteins. Thus, we have established a useful HTS system for identifying compounds that can potentially antagonize prionization and human proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Du
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - Stephanie Valtierra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Luzivette Robles Cardona
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Sara Fernandez Dunne
- High Throughput Analysis Laboratory and Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60628, USA
| | - Chi-Hao Luan
- High Throughput Analysis Laboratory and Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60628, USA
| | - Liming Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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Wang W, Navarro S, Azizyan RA, Baño-Polo M, Esperante SA, Kajava AV, Ventura S. Prion soft amyloid core driven self-assembly of globular proteins into bioactive nanofibrils. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:12680-12694. [PMID: 31237592 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr01755k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Amyloids have been exploited to build amazing bioactive materials. In most cases, short synthetic peptides constitute the functional components of such materials. The controlled assembly of globular proteins into active amyloid nanofibrils is still challenging, because the formation of amyloids implies a conformational conversion towards a β-sheet-rich structure, with a concomitant loss of the native fold and the inactivation of the protein. There is, however, a remarkable exception to this rule: yeast prions. They are singular proteins able to switch between a soluble and an amyloid state. In both states, the structure of their globular domains remains essentially intact. The transit between these two conformations is encoded in prion domains (PrDs): long and disordered sequences to which the active globular domains are appended. PrDs are much larger than typical self-assembling peptides. This seriously limits their use for nanotechnological applications. We have recently shown that these domains contain soft amyloid cores (SACs) that suffice to nucleate their self-assembly reaction. Here we genetically fused a model SAC with different globular proteins. We demonstrate that this very short sequence acts as a minimalist PrD, driving the selective and slow assembly of the initially soluble fusion proteins into amyloid fibrils in which the globular proteins retain their native structure and display high activity. Overall, we provide here a novel, modular and straightforward strategy to build active protein-based nanomaterials at a preparative scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Wang
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Susanna Navarro
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Rafayel A Azizyan
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier, UMR 5237 CNRS, Université Montpellier, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
| | - Manuel Baño-Polo
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Sebastian A Esperante
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Andrey V Kajava
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier, UMR 5237 CNRS, Université Montpellier, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
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11
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Wickner RB. Genetics is the logic of life (at least of mine). FEMS Yeast Res 2019; 19:5133409. [PMID: 30329039 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foy115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
I retrace my path from math to medicine to biochemistry to yeast genetics, my focus on infectious diseases of yeast and finally prions. My discovery of yeast prions relied on my particular focus on the logical relations of non-chromosomal genetic elements and the chromosomal genes involved in their propagation and expression. Pursuing an understanding of yeast prions involved structural biology based on genetics, solid-state NMR, population genetics and more genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed B Wickner
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 8 Center Drive MSC 0830 Bldg. 8, Room 225, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892-0830 USA
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12
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Avni A, Swasthi HM, Majumdar A, Mukhopadhyay S. Intrinsically disordered proteins in the formation of functional amyloids from bacteria to humans. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2019; 166:109-143. [PMID: 31521230 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Amyloids are nanoscopic ordered self-assemblies of misfolded proteins that are formed via aggregation of partially unfolded or intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and are commonly linked to devastating human diseases. An enlarging body of recent research has demonstrated that certain amyloids can be beneficial and participate in a wide range of physiological functions from bacteria to humans. These amyloids are termed as functional amyloids. Like disease-associated amyloids, a vast majority of functional amyloids are derived from a range of IDPs or hybrid proteins containing ordered domains and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). In this chapter, we describe an account of recent studies on the aggregation behavior of IDPs resulting in the formation of functional amyloids in a diverse range of organisms from bacteria to human. We also discuss the strategies that are used by these organisms to regulate the spatiotemporal amyloid assembly in their physiological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anamika Avni
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Hema M Swasthi
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Anupa Majumdar
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Samrat Mukhopadhyay
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Punjab, India.
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14
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Abstract
Yeast prions have become important models for the study of the basic mechanisms underlying human amyloid diseases. Yeast prions are pathogenic (unlike the [Het-s] prion of Podospora anserina), and most are amyloid-based with the same in-register parallel β-sheet architecture as most of the disease-causing human amyloids studied. Normal yeast cells eliminate the large majority of prion variants arising, and several anti-prion/anti-amyloid systems that eliminate them have been identified. It is likely that mammalian cells also have anti-amyloid systems, which may be useful in the same way humoral, cellular, and innate immune systems are used to treat or prevent bacterial and viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed B Wickner
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830.
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15
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Bacterial Amyloids: Biogenesis and Biomaterials. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1174:113-159. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-9791-2_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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16
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Yoo BK, Xiao Y, McElheny D, Ishii Y. E22G Pathogenic Mutation of β-Amyloid (Aβ) Enhances Misfolding of Aβ40 by Unexpected Prion-like Cross Talk between Aβ42 and Aβ40. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:2781-2784. [PMID: 29425039 PMCID: PMC6408951 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Cross-seeding of misfolded amyloid proteins is postulated to induce cross-species infection of prion diseases. In sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), misfolding of 42-residue β-amyloid (Aβ) is widely considered to trigger amyloid plaque deposition. Despite increasing evidence that misfolded Aβ mimics prions, interactions of misfolded 42-residue Aβ42 with more abundant 40-residue Aβ40 in AD are elusive. This study presents in vitro evidence that a heterozygous E22G pathogenic ("Arctic") mutation of Aβ40 can enhance misfolding of Aβ via cross-seeding from wild-type (WT) Aβ42 fibril. Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence analysis suggested that misfolding of E22G Aβ40 was enhanced by adding 5% (w/w) WT Aβ42 fibril as "seed", whereas WT Aβ40 was unaffected by Aβ42 fibril seed. 13C SSNMR analysis revealed that such cross-seeding prompted formation of E22G Aβ40 fibril that structurally mimics the seed Aβ42 fibril, suggesting unexpected cross talk of Aβ isoforms that potentially promotes early onset of AD. The SSNMR approach is likely applicable to elucidate structural details of heterogeneous amyloid fibrils produced in cross-seeding for amyloids linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Yoo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Yiling Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Dan McElheny
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Yoshitaka Ishii
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259 Nagatsuta, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
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17
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Upadhyay A, Mishra A. Amyloids of multiple species: are they helpful in survival? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1363-1386. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 01/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arun Upadhyay
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Unit; Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur; Rajasthan 342011 India
| | - Amit Mishra
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Unit; Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur; Rajasthan 342011 India
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18
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Sevillano AM, Fernández-Borges N, Younas N, Wang F, R. Elezgarai S, Bravo S, Vázquez-Fernández E, Rosa I, Eraña H, Gil D, Veiga S, Vidal E, Erickson-Beltran ML, Guitián E, Silva CJ, Nonno R, Ma J, Castilla J, R. Requena J. Recombinant PrPSc shares structural features with brain-derived PrPSc: Insights from limited proteolysis. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1006797. [PMID: 29385212 PMCID: PMC5809102 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Very solid evidence suggests that the core of full length PrPSc is a 4-rung β-solenoid, and that individual PrPSc subunits stack to form amyloid fibers. We recently used limited proteolysis to map the β-strands and connecting loops that make up the PrPSc solenoid. Using high resolution SDS-PAGE followed by epitope analysis, and mass spectrometry, we identified positions ~116/118, 133-134, 141, 152-153, 162, 169 and 179 (murine numbering) as Proteinase K (PK) cleavage sites in PrPSc. Such sites likely define loops and/or borders of β-strands, helping us to predict the threading of the β-solenoid. We have now extended this approach to recombinant PrPSc (recPrPSc). The term recPrPSc refers to bona fide recombinant prions prepared by PMCA, exhibiting infectivity with attack rates of ~100%. Limited proteolysis of mouse and bank vole recPrPSc species yielded N-terminally truncated PK-resistant fragments similar to those seen in brain-derived PrPSc, albeit with varying relative yields. Along with these fragments, doubly N- and C-terminally truncated fragments, in particular ~89/97-152, were detected in some recPrPSc preparations; similar fragments are characteristic of atypical strains of brain-derived PrPSc. Our results suggest a shared architecture of recPrPSc and brain PrPSc prions. The observed differences, in particular the distinct yields of specific PK-resistant fragments, are likely due to differences in threading which result in the specific biochemical characteristics of recPrPSc. Furthermore, recombinant PrPSc offers exciting opportunities for structural studies unachievable with brain-derived PrPSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro M. Sevillano
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- * E-mail: (AMS); (JRR)
| | | | - Neelam Younas
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Fei Wang
- Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
| | | | - Susana Bravo
- Proteomics Lab, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | - Isaac Rosa
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | | | - Sonia Veiga
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Enric Vidal
- Priocat Laboratory, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | | | - Esteban Guitián
- Mass spectrometry Core Facility, RIAIDT, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Christopher J. Silva
- USDA, ARS Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California, United States of America
| | - Romolo Nonno
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Jiyan Ma
- Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
| | | | - Jesús R. Requena
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- * E-mail: (AMS); (JRR)
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19
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PrP P102L and Nearby Lysine Mutations Promote Spontaneous In Vitro Formation of Transmissible Prions. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.01276-17. [PMID: 28835493 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01276-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of fibrillar protein aggregates is a hallmark of many diseases. While numerous proteins form fibrils by prion-like seeded polymerization in vitro, only some are transmissible and pathogenic in vivo To probe the structural features that confer transmissibility to prion protein (PrP) fibrils, we have analyzed synthetic PrP amyloids with or without the human prion disease-associated P102L mutation. The formation of infectious prions from PrP molecules in vitro has required cofactors and/or unphysiological denaturing conditions. Here, we demonstrate that, under physiologically compatible conditions without cofactors, the P102L mutation in recombinant hamster PrP promoted prion formation when seeded by minute amounts of scrapie prions in vitro Surprisingly, combination of the P102L mutation with charge-neutralizing substitutions of four nearby lysines promoted spontaneous prion formation. When inoculated into hamsters, both of these types of synthetic prions initiated substantial accumulation of prion seeding activity and protease-resistant PrP without transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) clinical signs or notable glial activation. Our evidence suggests that PrP's centrally located proline and lysine residues act as conformational switches in the in vitro formation of transmissible PrP amyloids.IMPORTANCE Many diseases involve the damaging accumulation of specific misfolded proteins in thread-like aggregates. These threads (fibrils) are capable of growing on the ends by seeding the refolding and incorporation of the normal form of the given protein. In many cases such aggregates can be infectious and propagate like prions when transmitted from one individual host to another. Some transmitted aggregates can cause fatal disease, as with human iatrogenic prion diseases, while other aggregates appear to be relatively innocuous. The factors that distinguish infectious and pathogenic protein aggregates from more innocuous ones are poorly understood. Here we have compared the combined effects of prion seeding and mutations of prion protein (PrP) on the structure and transmission properties of synthetic PrP aggregates. Our results highlight the influence of specific sequence features in the normally unstructured region of PrP that influence the infectious and neuropathogenic properties of PrP-derived aggregates.
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20
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Schwarzman AL, Sarantseva SV. Transmission of pathogenic protein aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease. Mol Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893317030141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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21
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Sudhakaran IP, Ramaswami M. Long-term memory consolidation: The role of RNA-binding proteins with prion-like domains. RNA Biol 2017; 14:568-586. [PMID: 27726526 PMCID: PMC5449092 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2016.1244588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term and short-term memories differ primarily in the duration of their retention. At a molecular level, long-term memory (LTM) is distinguished from short-term memory (STM) by its requirement for new gene expression. In addition to transcription (nuclear gene expression) the translation of stored mRNAs is necessary for LTM formation. The mechanisms and functions for temporal and spatial regulation of mRNAs required for LTM is a major contemporary problem, of interest from molecular, cell biological, neurobiological and clinical perspectives. This review discusses primary evidence in support for translational regulatory events involved in LTM and a model in which different phases of translation underlie distinct phases of consolidation of memories. However, it focuses largely on mechanisms of memory persistence and the role of prion-like domains in this defining aspect of long-term memory. We consider primary evidence for the concept that Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding (CPEB) protein enables the persistence of formed memories by transforming in prion-like manner from a soluble monomeric state to a self-perpetuating and persistent polymeric translationally active state required for maintaining persistent synaptic plasticity. We further discuss prion-like domains prevalent on several other RNA-binding proteins involved in neuronal translational control underlying LTM. Growing evidence indicates that such RNA regulatory proteins are components of mRNP (RiboNucleoProtein) granules. In these proteins, prion-like domains, being intrinsically disordered, could mediate weak transient interactions that allow the assembly of RNP granules, a source of silenced mRNAs whose translation is necessary for LTM. We consider the structural bases for RNA granules formation as well as functions of disordered domains and discuss how these complicate the interpretation of existing experimental data relevant to general mechanisms by which prion-domain containing RBPs function in synapse specific plasticity underlying LTM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indulekha P. Sudhakaran
- National Center for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, India
- Manipal University, Manipal, India
| | - Mani Ramaswami
- National Center for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, India
- School of Genetics and Microbiology and School of Natural Sciences, Smurfit Institute of Genetics and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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22
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Afsar Minhas FUA, Ross ED, Ben-Hur A. Amino acid composition predicts prion activity. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005465. [PMID: 28394888 PMCID: PMC5402983 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many prion-forming proteins contain glutamine/asparagine (Q/N) rich domains, and there are conflicting opinions as to the role of primary sequence in their conversion to the prion form: is this phenomenon driven primarily by amino acid composition, or, as a recent computational analysis suggested, dependent on the presence of short sequence elements with high amyloid-forming potential. The argument for the importance of short sequence elements hinged on the relatively-high accuracy obtained using a method that utilizes a collection of length-six sequence elements with known amyloid-forming potential. We weigh in on this question and demonstrate that when those sequence elements are permuted, even higher accuracy is obtained; we also propose a novel multiple-instance machine learning method that uses sequence composition alone, and achieves better accuracy than all existing prion prediction approaches. While we expect there to be elements of primary sequence that affect the process, our experiments suggest that sequence composition alone is sufficient for predicting protein sequences that are likely to form prions. A web-server for the proposed method is available at http://faculty.pieas.edu.pk/fayyaz/prank.html, and the code for reproducing our experiments is available at http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.167136. The determinants of prion formation in proteins that are rich in glutamine and asparagine are still under debate: is the process driven by primary sequence or by amino acid composition? In 2015 Sabate et al. published a paper suggesting that the process is triggered by short amyloid-prone sequences. Their argument was based on the success of their pWALTZ classifier, which uses a database of short peptides with known amyloid forming propensities. To explore the validity of their argument we compared their original scoring matrices with shuffled scoring matrices, and found no decrease in accuracy, suggesting that the success of pWALTZ is the result of the ability of the scoring matrices to capture amino acid composition. Furthermore, we propose a novel machine learning approach with accuracy that is superior to all published prion prediction methods that are currently available, and uses sequence composition alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fayyaz ul Amir Afsar Minhas
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
- * E-mail: (FuAAM); (ABH)
| | - Eric D. Ross
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Asa Ben-Hur
- Department of Computer Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail: (FuAAM); (ABH)
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23
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Kryndushkin D, Edskes HK, Shewmaker FP, Wickner RB. Prions. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2017; 2017:2017/2/pdb.top077586. [PMID: 28148884 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top077586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Infectious proteins (prions) are usually self-templating filamentous protein polymers (amyloids). Yeast prions are genes composed of protein and, like the multiple alleles of DNA-based genes, can have an array of "variants," each a distinct self-propagating amyloid conformation. Like the lethal mammalian prions and amyloid diseases, yeast prions may be lethal, or only mildly detrimental, and show an array of phenotypes depending on the protein involved and the prion variant. Yeast prions are models for both rare mammalian prion diseases and for several very common amyloidoses such as Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson's disease. Here, we describe their detection and characterization using genetic, cell biological, biochemical, and physical methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Kryndushkin
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814
| | - Herman K Edskes
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830
| | - Frank P Shewmaker
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814
| | - Reed B Wickner
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830
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24
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Gallardo R, Ramakers M, De Smet F, Claes F, Khodaparast L, Khodaparast L, Couceiro JR, Langenberg T, Siemons M, Nyström S, Young LJ, Laine RF, Young L, Radaelli E, Benilova I, Kumar M, Staes A, Desager M, Beerens M, Vandervoort P, Luttun A, Gevaert K, Bormans G, Dewerchin M, Van Eldere J, Carmeliet P, Vande Velde G, Verfaillie C, Kaminski CF, De Strooper B, Hammarström P, Nilsson KPR, Serpell L, Schymkowitz J, Rousseau F. De novo design of a biologically active amyloid. Science 2016; 354:354/6313/aah4949. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aah4949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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25
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MacLea KS. What Makes a Prion: Infectious Proteins From Animals to Yeast. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 329:227-276. [PMID: 28109329 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2016.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
While philosophers in ancient times had many ideas for the cause of contagion, the modern study of infective agents began with Fracastoro's 1546 proposal that invisible "spores" spread infectious disease. However, firm categorization of the pathogens of the natural world would need to await a mature germ theory that would not arise for 300 years. In the 19th century, the earliest pathogens described were bacteria and other cellular microbes. By the close of that century, the work of Ivanovsky and Beijerinck introduced the concept of a virus, an infective particle smaller than any known cell. Extending into the early-mid-20th century there was an explosive growth in pathogenic microbiology, with a cellular or viral cause identified for nearly every transmissible disease. A few occult pathogens remained to be discovered, including the infectious proteins (prions) proposed by Prusiner in 1982. This review discusses the prions identified in mammals, yeasts, and other organisms, focusing on the amyloid-based prions. I discuss the essential biochemical properties of these agents and the application of this knowledge to diseases of protein misfolding and aggregation, as well as the utility of yeast as a model organism to study prion and amyloid proteins that affect human and animal health. Further, I summarize the ideas emerging out of these studies that the prion concept may go beyond proteinaceous infectious particles and that prions may be a subset of proteins having general nucleating or seeding functions involved in noninfectious as well as infectious pathogenic protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- K S MacLea
- University of New Hampshire, Manchester, NH, United States.
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26
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Abstract
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can harbor a number of distinct prions. Most of the yeast prion proteins contain a glutamine/asparagine (Q/N) rich region that drives prion formation. Prion-like domains, defined as regions with high compositional similarity to yeast prion domains, are common in eukaryotic proteomes, and mutations in various human proteins containing prion-like domains have been linked to degenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here, we discuss a recent study in which we utilized two strategies to generate prion activity in non-prion Q/N-rich domains. First, we made targeted mutations in four non-prion Q/N-rich domains, replacing predicted prion-inhibiting amino acids with prion-promoting amino acids. All four mutants formed foci when expressed in yeast, and two acquired bona fide prion activity. Prion activity could be generated with as few as two mutations, suggesting that many non-prion Q/N-rich proteins may be just a small number of mutations from acquiring aggregation or prion activity. Second, we created tandem repeats of short prion-prone segments, and observed length-dependent prion activity. These studies demonstrate the considerable progress that has been made in understanding the sequence basis for aggregation of prion and prion-like domains, and suggest possible mechanisms by which new prion domains could evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kacy R Paul
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ; Colorado State University ; Fort Collins , CO USA
| | - Eric D Ross
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ; Colorado State University ; Fort Collins , CO USA
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27
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Abstract
Yeast and fungal prions are infectious proteins, most being self-propagating amyloids of normally soluble proteins. Their effects range from a very mild detriment to lethal, with specific effects dependent on the prion protein and the specific prion variant ("prion strain"). The prion amyloids of Sup35p, Ure2p, and Rnq1p are in-register, parallel, folded β-sheets, an architecture that naturally suggests a mechanism by which a protein can template its conformation, just as DNA or RNA templates its sequence. Prion propagation is critically affected by an array of chaperone systems, most notably the Hsp104/Hsp70/Hsp40 combination, which is responsible for generating new prion seeds from old filaments. The Btn2/Cur1 antiprion system cures most [URE3] prions that develop, and the Ssb antiprion system blocks [PSI+] generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed B Wickner
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830
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28
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Zhang Y, Man VH, Roland C, Sagui C. Amyloid Properties of Asparagine and Glutamine in Prion-like Proteins. ACS Chem Neurosci 2016; 7:576-87. [PMID: 26911543 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.5b00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Sequences rich in glutamine (Q) and asparagine (N) are intrinsically disordered in monomeric form, but can aggregate into highly ordered amyloids, as seen in Q/N-rich prion domains (PrDs). Amyloids are fibrillar protein aggregates rich in β-sheet structures that can self-propagate through protein-conformational chain reactions. Here, we present a comprehensive theoretical study of N/Q-rich peptides, including sequences found in the yeast Sup35 PrD, in parallel and antiparallel β-sheet aggregates, and probe via fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations all their possible steric-zipper interfaces in order to determine their protofibril structure and their relative stability. Our results show that polyglutamine aggregates are more stable than polyasparagine aggregates. Enthalpic contributions to the free energy favor the formation of polyQ protofibrils, while entropic contributions favor the formation of polyN protofibrils. The considerably larger phase space that disordered polyQ must sample on its way to aggregation probably is at the root of the associated slower kinetics observed experimentally. When other amino acids are present, such as in the Sup35 PrD, their shorter side chains favor steric-zipper formation for N but not Q, as they preclude the in-register association of the long Q side chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhang
- Department of Physics, and
Center for High Performance Simulations (CHiPS), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Viet Hoang Man
- Department of Physics, and
Center for High Performance Simulations (CHiPS), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Christopher Roland
- Department of Physics, and
Center for High Performance Simulations (CHiPS), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Celeste Sagui
- Department of Physics, and
Center for High Performance Simulations (CHiPS), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
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29
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Wickner RB, Edskes HK, Gorkovskiy A, Bezsonov EE, Stroobant EE. Yeast and Fungal Prions: Amyloid-Handling Systems, Amyloid Structure, and Prion Biology. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2016; 93:191-236. [PMID: 26915272 DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2015.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Yeast prions (infectious proteins) were discovered by their outré genetic properties and have become important models for an array of human prion and amyloid diseases. A single prion protein can become any of many distinct amyloid forms (called prion variants or strains), each of which is self-propagating, but with different biological properties (eg, lethal vs mild). The folded in-register parallel β sheet architecture of the yeast prion amyloids naturally suggests a mechanism by which prion variant information can be faithfully transmitted for many generations. The yeast prions rely on cellular chaperones for their propagation, but can be cured by various chaperone imbalances. The Btn2/Cur1 system normally cures most variants of the [URE3] prion that arise. Although most variants of the [PSI+] and [URE3] prions are toxic or lethal, some are mild in their effects. Even the most mild forms of these prions are rare in the wild, indicating that they too are detrimental to yeast. The beneficial [Het-s] prion of Podospora anserina poses an important contrast in its structure, biology, and evolution to the yeast prions characterized thus far.
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Affiliation(s)
- R B Wickner
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - H K Edskes
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - A Gorkovskiy
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - E E Bezsonov
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - E E Stroobant
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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30
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Sharma A, Bruce KL, Chen B, Gyoneva S, Behrens SH, Bommarius AS, Chernoff YO. Contributions of the Prion Protein Sequence, Strain, and Environment to the Species Barrier. J Biol Chem 2015; 291:1277-88. [PMID: 26565023 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.684100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid propagation requires high levels of sequence specificity so that only molecules with very high sequence identity can form cross-β-sheet structures of sufficient stringency for incorporation into the amyloid fibril. This sequence specificity presents a barrier to the transmission of prions between two species with divergent sequences, termed a species barrier. Here we study the relative effects of protein sequence, seed conformation, and environment on the species barrier strength and specificity for the yeast prion protein Sup35p from three closely related species of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto group; namely, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces bayanus, and Saccharomyces paradoxus. Through in vivo plasmid shuffle experiments, we show that the major characteristics of the transmission barrier and conformational fidelity are determined by the protein sequence rather than by the cellular environment. In vitro data confirm that the kinetics and structural preferences of aggregation of the S. paradoxus and S. bayanus proteins are influenced by anions in accordance with their positions in the Hofmeister series, as observed previously for S. cerevisiae. However, the specificity of the species barrier is primarily affected by the sequence and the type of anion present during the formation of the initial seed, whereas anions present during the seeded aggregation process typically influence kinetics rather than the specificity of prion conversion. Therefore, our work shows that the protein sequence and the conformation variant (strain) of the prion seed are the primary determinants of cross-species prion specificity both in vivo and in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Sharma
- From the Schools of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and
| | - Kathryn L Bruce
- Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 and
| | - Buxin Chen
- Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 and
| | - Stefka Gyoneva
- Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 and
| | - Sven H Behrens
- From the Schools of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and
| | | | - Yury O Chernoff
- Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 and the Laboratory of Amyloid Biology and Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
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31
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Abstract
A prion is an infectious protein horizontally transmitting a disease or trait without a required nucleic acid. Yeast and fungal prions are nonchromosomal genes composed of protein, generally an altered form of a protein that catalyzes the same alteration of the protein. Yeast prions are thus transmitted both vertically (as genes composed of protein) and horizontally (as infectious proteins, or prions). Formation of amyloids (linear ordered β-sheet-rich protein aggregates with β-strands perpendicular to the long axis of the filament) underlies most yeast and fungal prions, and a single prion protein can have any of several distinct self-propagating amyloid forms with different biological properties (prion variants). Here we review the mechanism of faithful templating of protein conformation, the biological roles of these prions, and their interactions with cellular chaperones, the Btn2 and Cur1 aggregate-handling systems, and other cellular factors governing prion generation and propagation. Human amyloidoses include the PrP-based prion conditions and many other, more common amyloid-based diseases, several of which show prion-like features. Yeast prions increasingly are serving as models for the understanding and treatment of many mammalian amyloidoses. Patients with different clinical pictures of the same amyloidosis may be the equivalent of yeasts with different prion variants.
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Abstract
A prion is an infectious protein horizontally transmitting a disease or trait without a required nucleic acid. Yeast and fungal prions are nonchromosomal genes composed of protein, generally an altered form of a protein that catalyzes the same alteration of the protein. Yeast prions are thus transmitted both vertically (as genes composed of protein) and horizontally (as infectious proteins, or prions). Formation of amyloids (linear ordered β-sheet-rich protein aggregates with β-strands perpendicular to the long axis of the filament) underlies most yeast and fungal prions, and a single prion protein can have any of several distinct self-propagating amyloid forms with different biological properties (prion variants). Here we review the mechanism of faithful templating of protein conformation, the biological roles of these prions, and their interactions with cellular chaperones, the Btn2 and Cur1 aggregate-handling systems, and other cellular factors governing prion generation and propagation. Human amyloidoses include the PrP-based prion conditions and many other, more common amyloid-based diseases, several of which show prion-like features. Yeast prions increasingly are serving as models for the understanding and treatment of many mammalian amyloidoses. Patients with different clinical pictures of the same amyloidosis may be the equivalent of yeasts with different prion variants.
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Zhang M, Zhao J, Zheng J. Molecular understanding of a potential functional link between antimicrobial and amyloid peptides. SOFT MATTER 2014; 10:7425-7451. [PMID: 25105988 DOI: 10.1039/c4sm00907j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial and amyloid peptides do not share common sequences, typical secondary structures, or normal biological activity but both the classes of peptides exhibit membrane-disruption ability to induce cell toxicity. Different membrane-disruption mechanisms have been proposed for antimicrobial and amyloid peptides, individually, some of which are not exclusive to either peptide type, implying that certain common principles may govern the folding and functions of different cytolytic peptides and associated membrane disruption mechanisms. Particularly, some antimicrobial and amyloid peptides have been identified to have dual complementary amyloid and antimicrobial properties, suggesting a potential functional link between amyloid and antimicrobial peptides. Given that some similar structural and membrane-disruption characteristics exist between the two classes of peptides, this review summarizes major findings, recent advances, and future challenges related to antimicrobial and amyloid peptides and strives to illustrate the similarities, differences, and relationships in the sequences, structures, and membrane interaction modes between amyloid and antimicrobial peptides, with a special focus on direct interactions of the peptides with the membranes. We hope that this review will stimulate further research at the interface of antimicrobial and amyloid peptides - which has been studied less intensively than either type of peptides - to decipher a possible link between both amyloid pathology and antimicrobial activity, which can guide drug design and peptide engineering to influence peptide-membrane interactions important in human health and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhen Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, USA.
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Hao D, Li C, Zhang S, Lu J, Jiang Y, Wang S, Zhou M. Network-based analysis of genotype-phenotype correlations between different inheritance modes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 30:3223-31. [PMID: 25078399 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btu482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
MOTIVATION Recent studies on human disease have revealed that aberrant interaction between proteins probably underlies a substantial number of human genetic diseases. This suggests a need to investigate disease inheritance mode using interaction, and based on which to refresh our conceptual understanding of a series of properties regarding inheritance mode of human disease. RESULTS We observed a strong correlation between the number of protein interactions and the likelihood of a gene causing any dominant diseases or multiple dominant diseases, whereas no correlation was observed between protein interaction and the likelihood of a gene causing recessive diseases. We found that dominant diseases are more likely to be associated with disruption of important interactions. These suggest inheritance mode should be understood using protein interaction. We therefore reviewed the previous studies and refined an interaction model of inheritance mode, and then confirmed that this model is largely reasonable using new evidences. With these findings, we found that the inheritance mode of human genetic diseases can be predicted using protein interaction. By integrating the systems biology perspectives with the classical disease genetics paradigm, our study provides some new insights into genotype-phenotype correlations. CONTACT haodapeng@ems.hrbmu.edu.cn or biofomeng@hotmail.com SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dapeng Hao
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA
| | - Chuanxing Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA
| | - Shaojun Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA
| | - Jianping Lu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA
| | - Yongshuai Jiang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA
| | - Shiyuan Wang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA
| | - Meng Zhou
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, P.R. China and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle 98109, USA
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Stein KC, True HL. Extensive diversity of prion strains is defined by differential chaperone interactions and distinct amyloidogenic regions. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004337. [PMID: 24811344 PMCID: PMC4014422 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 03/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloidogenic proteins associated with a variety of unrelated diseases are typically capable of forming several distinct self-templating conformers. In prion diseases, these different structures, called prion strains (or variants), confer dramatic variation in disease pathology and transmission. Aggregate stability has been found to be a key determinant of the diverse pathological consequences of different prion strains. Yet, it remains largely unclear what other factors might account for the widespread phenotypic variation seen with aggregation-prone proteins. Here, we examined a set of yeast prion variants of the [RNQ+] prion that differ in their ability to induce the formation of another yeast prion called [PSI+]. Remarkably, we found that the [RNQ+] variants require different, non-contiguous regions of the Rnq1 protein for both prion propagation and [PSI+] induction. This included regions outside of the canonical prion-forming domain of Rnq1. Remarkably, such differences did not result in variation in aggregate stability. Our analysis also revealed a striking difference in the ability of these [RNQ+] variants to interact with the chaperone Sis1. Thus, our work shows that the differential influence of various amyloidogenic regions and interactions with host cofactors are critical determinants of the phenotypic consequences of distinct aggregate structures. This helps reveal the complex interdependent factors that influence how a particular amyloid structure may dictate disease pathology and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C. Stein
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Heather L. True
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
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Lembré P, Di Martino P, Vendrely C. Amyloid peptides derived from CsgA and FapC modify the viscoelastic properties of biofilm model matrices. BIOFOULING 2014; 30:415-426. [PMID: 24592895 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2014.880112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial biofilm is a complex environment of cells, which secrete a matrix made of various components, mainly polysaccharides and proteins. An understanding of the precise role of these components in the stability and dynamics of biofilm architecture would be a great advantage for the improvement of anti-biofilm strategies. Here, artificial biofilm matrices made of polysaccharides and auto-assembled peptides were designed, and the influence of bacterial amyloid proteins on the mechanical properties of the biofilm matrix was studied. The model polysaccharides methylcellulose and alginate and peptides derived from the amyloid proteins curli and FapC found in biofilms of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas, respectively, were used. Rheological measurements showed that the amyloid peptides do not prevent the gelation of the polysaccharides but influence deformation of the matrices under shear stress and modify the gel elastic response. Hence the secretion of amyloids could be for the biofilm a way of adapting to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Lembré
- a Laboratoire ERRMECe-EA1391 , Institut des matériaux-FD4122, Université de Cergy-Pontoise , Cergy-Pontoise Cedex , France
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Pampeno C, Derkatch IL, Meruelo D. Interaction of human laminin receptor with Sup35, the [PSI⁺] prion-forming protein from S. cerevisiae: a yeast model for studies of LamR interactions with amyloidogenic proteins. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86013. [PMID: 24416454 PMCID: PMC3885751 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2012] [Accepted: 12/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The laminin receptor (LamR) is a cell surface receptor for extracellular matrix laminin, whereas the same protein within the cell interacts with ribosomes, nuclear proteins and cytoskeletal fibers. LamR has been shown to be a receptor for several bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, LamR interacts with both cellular and infectious forms of the prion protein, PrP(C) and PrP(Sc). Indeed, LamR is a receptor for PrP(C). Whether LamR interacts with PrP(Sc) exclusively in a capacity of the PrP receptor, or LamR specifically recognizes prion determinants of PrP(Sc), is unclear. In order to explore whether LamR has a propensity to interact with prions and amyloids, we examined LamR interaction with the yeast prion-forming protein, Sup35. Sup35 is a translation termination factor with no homology or functional relationship to PrP. Plasmids expressing LamR or LamR fused with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) were transformed into yeast strain variants differing by the presence or absence of the prion conformation of Sup35, respectively [PSI⁺] and [psi⁻]. Analyses by immunoprecipitation, centrifugal fractionation and fluorescent microscopy reveal interaction between LamR and Sup35 in [PSI⁺] strains. The presence of [PSI⁺] promotes LamR co-precipitation with Sup35 as well as LamR aggregation. In [PSI⁺] cells, LamR tagged with GFP or mCherry forms bright fluorescent aggregates that co-localize with visible [PSI⁺] foci. The yeast prion model will facilitate studying the interaction of LamR with amyloidogenic prions in a safe and easily manipulated system that may lead to a better understanding and treatment of amyloid diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Pampeno
- Gene Therapy Center, Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Irina L. Derkatch
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Daniel Meruelo
- Gene Therapy Center, Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
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Na I, Reddy KD, Breydo L, Xue B, Uversky VN. A putative role of the Sup35p C-terminal domain in the cytoskeleton organization during yeast mitosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 10:925-40. [DOI: 10.1039/c3mb70515c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Based on structural analysis of several effectors and partners, Sup35pC is proposed to serve as actin modulator during mitosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Insung Na
- Department of Molecular Medicine
- Morsani College of Medicine
- University of South Florida
- Tampa, USA
| | - Krishna D. Reddy
- Department of Molecular Medicine
- Morsani College of Medicine
- University of South Florida
- Tampa, USA
| | - Leonid Breydo
- Department of Molecular Medicine
- Morsani College of Medicine
- University of South Florida
- Tampa, USA
| | - Bin Xue
- Department of Cell Biology
- Microbiology, and Molecular Biology
- College of Arts and Science
- University of South Florida
- Tampa, USA
| | - Vladimir N. Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine
- Morsani College of Medicine
- University of South Florida
- Tampa, USA
- USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute
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Marchante R, Rowe M, Zenthon J, Howard MJ, Tuite MF. Structural definition is important for the propagation of the yeast [PSI+] prion. Mol Cell 2013; 50:675-85. [PMID: 23746351 PMCID: PMC3679450 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2013.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2013] [Revised: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Prions are propagated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with remarkable efficiency, yet we know little about the structural basis of sequence variations in the prion protein that support or prohibit propagation of the prion conformation. We show that certain single-amino-acid substitutions in the prion protein Sup35 impact negatively on the maintenance of the associated prion-based [PSI(+)] trait by combining in vivo phenotypic analysis with solution NMR structural studies. A clear correlation is observed between mutationally induced conformational differences in one of the oligopeptide repeats (R2) in the N terminus of Sup35 and the relative ability to propagate [PSI(+)]. Strikingly, substitution of one of a Gly-Gly pair with highly charged residues that significantly increase structural definition of R2 lead to a severe [PSI(+)] propagation defect. These findings offer a molecular explanation for the dominant-negative effects of such psi-no-more (PNM) mutations and demonstrate directly the importance of localized structural definition in prion propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Marchante
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK
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40
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Tariq M, Wegrzyn R, Anwar S, Bukau B, Paro R. Drosophila GAGA factor polyglutamine domains exhibit prion-like behavior. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:374. [PMID: 23731888 PMCID: PMC3701498 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2012] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Drosophila GAGA factor (GAF) participates in nucleosome remodeling to activate genes, acts as an antirepressor and is associated with heterochromatin, contributing to gene repression. GAF functions are intimately associated to chromatin-based epigenetic control, linking basic transcriptional regulation to heritable long-term maintenance of gene expression. These diverse functions require GAF to interact with different partners in different multiprotein complexes. The two isoforms of GAF depict highly conserved glutamine-rich C-terminal domains (Q domain), which have been implicated in complex formation. RESULTS Here we show that the Q domains exhibit prion-like properties. In an established yeast test system the two GAF Q domains convey prion activities comparable to well known yeast prions. The Q domains stably maintain two distinct conformational states imposing functional constraints on the fused yeast reporter protein. The prion-like phenotype can be reversibly cured in the presence of guanidine HCl or by over-expression of the Hsp104 chaperone protein. Additionally, when fused to GFP, the Q domains form aggregates in yeast cells. CONCLUSION We conclude that prion-like behavior of the GAF Q domain suggests that this C-terminal structure may perform stable conformational switches. Such a self-perpetuating change in the conformation could assist GAF executing its diverse epigenetic functions of gene control in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Tariq
- Department of Biology, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore 54792, Pakistan
| | - Renee Wegrzyn
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Saima Anwar
- Department of Biology, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore 54792, Pakistan
| | - Bernd Bukau
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Renato Paro
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, Basel 4058, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, Basel 4056, Switzerland
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Espinosa Angarica V, Ventura S, Sancho J. Discovering putative prion sequences in complete proteomes using probabilistic representations of Q/N-rich domains. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:316. [PMID: 23663289 PMCID: PMC3654983 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Prion proteins conform a special class among amyloids due to their ability to transmit aggregative folds. Prions are known to act as infectious agents in neurodegenerative diseases in animals, or as key elements in transcription and translation processes in yeast. It has been suggested that prions contain specific sequential domains with distinctive amino acid composition and physicochemical properties that allow them to control the switch between soluble and β-sheet aggregated states. Those prion-forming domains are low complexity segments enriched in glutamine/asparagine and depleted in charged residues and prolines. Different predictive methods have been developed to discover novel prions by either assessing the compositional bias of these stretches or estimating the propensity of protein sequences to form amyloid aggregates. However, the available algorithms hitherto lack a thorough statistical calibration against large sequence databases, which makes them unable to accurately predict prions without retrieving a large number of false positives. Results Here we present a computational strategy to predict putative prion-forming proteins in complete proteomes using probabilistic representations of prionogenic glutamine/asparagine rich regions. After benchmarking our predictive model against large sets of non-prionic sequences, we were able to filter out known prions with high precision and accuracy, generating prediction sets with few false positives. The algorithm was used to scan all the proteomes annotated in public databases for the presence of putative prion proteins. We analyzed the presence of putative prion proteins in all taxa, from viruses and archaea to plants and higher eukaryotes, and found that most organisms encode evolutionarily unrelated proteins with susceptibility to behave as prions. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first wide-ranging study aiming to predict prion domains in complete proteomes. Approaches of this kind could be of great importance to identify potential targets for further experimental testing and to try to reach a deeper understanding of prions’ functional and regulatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Espinosa Angarica
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, Zaragoza 50009, Spain
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Hall D, Dos Remedios CG. Foreword to the biophysics of protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions in dilute and crowded media-a special issue in honor of Allen Minton's 70th birthday. Biophys Rev 2013; 5:57-60. [PMID: 28510162 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-013-0118-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Hall
- Institute of Basic Medical Science University of Tsukuba, Lab 225-B, Building D. 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 305-8577, Japan.
| | - Cristobal G Dos Remedios
- Department of Anatomy, Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Room S468 Anderson Stuart Building (F13), 2006, Sydney, Australia
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Wickner RB, Edskes HK, Bateman DA, Kelly AC, Gorkovskiy A, Dayani Y, Zhou A. Amyloids and yeast prion biology. Biochemistry 2013; 52:1514-27. [PMID: 23379365 DOI: 10.1021/bi301686a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The prions (infectious proteins) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are proteins acting as genes, by templating their conformation from one molecule to another in analogy to DNA templating its sequence. Most yeast prions are amyloid forms of normally soluble proteins, and a single protein sequence can have any of several self-propagating forms (called prion strains or variants), analogous to the different possible alleles of a DNA gene. A central issue in prion biology is the structural basis of this conformational templating process. The in-register parallel β sheet structure found for several infectious yeast prion amyloids naturally suggests an explanation for this conformational templating. While most prions are plainly diseases, the [Het-s] prion of Podospora anserina may be a functional amyloid, with important structural implications. Yeast prions are important models for human amyloid diseases in general, particularly because new evidence is showing infectious aspects of several human amyloidoses not previously classified as prions. We also review studies of the roles of chaperones, aggregate-collecting proteins, and other cellular components using yeast that have led the way in improving the understanding of similar processes that must be operating in many human amyloidoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed B Wickner
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830, USA.
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Malinovska L, Kroschwald S, Alberti S. Protein disorder, prion propensities, and self-organizing macromolecular collectives. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2013; 1834:918-31. [PMID: 23328411 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2013.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2012] [Revised: 12/12/2012] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells are partitioned into functionally distinct self-organizing compartments. But while the biogenesis of membrane-surrounded compartments is beginning to be understood, the organizing principles behind large membrane-less structures, such as RNA-containing granules, remain a mystery. Here, we argue that protein disorder is an essential ingredient for the formation of such macromolecular collectives. Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) do not fold into a well-defined structure but rather sample a range of conformational states, depending on the local conditions. In addition to being structurally versatile, IDRs promote multivalent and transient interactions. This unique combination of features turns intrinsically disordered proteins into ideal agents to orchestrate the formation of large macromolecular assemblies. The presence of conformationally flexible regions, however, comes at a cost, for many intrinsically disordered proteins are aggregation-prone and cause protein misfolding diseases. This association with disease is particularly strong for IDRs with prion-like amino acid composition. Here, we examine how disease-causing and normal conformations are linked, and discuss the possibility that the dynamic order of the cytoplasm emerges, at least in part, from the collective properties of intrinsically disordered prion-like domains. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The emerging dynamic view of proteins: Protein plasticity in allostery, evolution and self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Malinovska
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
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45
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Hall D, Edskes H. Computational modeling of the relationship between amyloid and disease. Biophys Rev 2012; 4:205-222. [PMID: 23495357 PMCID: PMC3595053 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-012-0091-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 06/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid is a title conferred upon a special type of linear protein aggregate that exhibits a common set of structural features and dye binding capabilities. The formation of amyloid is associated with over twenty-seven distinct human diseases which are collectively referred to as the amyloidoses. Although there is great diversity amongst the amyloidoses with regard to the polypeptide monomeric precursor, targeted tissues and the nature and time course of disease development, the common underlying link of a structurally similar amyloid aggregate has prompted the search for a unified theory of disease progression in which amyloid production is the central element. Computational modeling has allowed the formulation and testing of scientific hypotheses for exploring this relationship. However, the majority of computational studies on amyloid aggregation are pitched at the atomistic level of description, in simple ideal solution environments, with simulation time scales of the order of microseconds and system sizes limited to a hundred monomers (or less). The experimental reality is that disease related amyloid aggregation processes occur in extremely complex reaction environments (i.e. the human body), over time-scales of months to years with monitoring of the reaction achieved using extremely coarse or indirect experimental markers that yield little or no atomistic insight. Clearly a substantial gap exists between computational and experimental communities with a deficit of 'useful' computational methodology that can be directly related to available markers of disease progression. This Review will place its focus on the development of these latter types of computational models and discuss them in relation to disease onset and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Hall
- Institute of Basic Medical Science, University of Tsukuba, Lab 225-B, Building D. 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken 305-8577 Japan
| | - Herman Edskes
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0830 USA
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Abstract
The concept of a prion as an infectious self-propagating protein isoform was initially proposed to explain certain mammalian diseases. It is now clear that yeast also has heritable elements transmitted via protein. Indeed, the "protein only" model of prion transmission was first proven using a yeast prion. Typically, known prions are ordered cross-β aggregates (amyloids). Recently, there has been an explosion in the number of recognized prions in yeast. Yeast continues to lead the way in understanding cellular control of prion propagation, prion structure, mechanisms of de novo prion formation, specificity of prion transmission, and the biological roles of prions. This review summarizes what has been learned from yeast prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan W Liebman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA.
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Malinovska L, Kroschwald S, Munder MC, Richter D, Alberti S. Molecular chaperones and stress-inducible protein-sorting factors coordinate the spatiotemporal distribution of protein aggregates. Mol Biol Cell 2012; 23:3041-56. [PMID: 22718905 PMCID: PMC3418301 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e12-03-0194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The deposition of misfolded proteins in cytoplasmic protein bodies requires the concerted action of stress-inducible protein-sorting factors and molecular chaperones. Protein sequestration during acute stress is a cellular strategy that adjusts the flux of misfolded proteins to the capacities of the protein quality control system. Acute stress causes a rapid redistribution of protein quality control components and aggregation-prone proteins to diverse subcellular compartments. How these remarkable changes come about is not well understood. Using a phenotypic reporter for a synthetic yeast prion, we identified two protein-sorting factors of the Hook family, termed Btn2 and Cur1, as key regulators of spatial protein quality control in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Btn2 and Cur1 are undetectable under normal growth conditions but accumulate in stressed cells due to increased gene expression and reduced proteasomal turnover. Newly synthesized Btn2 can associate with the small heat shock protein Hsp42 to promote the sorting of misfolded proteins to a peripheral protein deposition site. Alternatively, Btn2 can bind to the chaperone Sis1 to facilitate the targeting of misfolded proteins to a juxtanuclear compartment. Protein redistribution by Btn2 is accompanied by a gradual depletion of Sis1 from the cytosol, which is mediated by the sorting factor Cur1. On the basis of these findings, we propose a dynamic model that explains the subcellular distribution of misfolded proteins as a function of the cytosolic concentrations of molecular chaperones and protein-sorting factors. Our model suggests that protein aggregation is not a haphazard process but rather an orchestrated cellular response that adjusts the flux of misfolded proteins to the capacities of the protein quality control system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Malinovska
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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Genomic clustering and homology between HET-S and the NWD2 STAND protein in various fungal genomes. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34854. [PMID: 22493719 PMCID: PMC3321046 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prions are infectious proteins propagating as self-perpetuating amyloid polymers. The [Het-s] prion of Podospora anserina is involved in a cell death process associated with non-self recognition. The prion forming domain (PFD) of HET-s adopts a β-solenoid amyloid structure characterized by the two fold repetition of an elementary triangular motif. [Het-s] induces cell death when interacting with HET-S, an allelic variant of HET-s. When templated by [Het-s], HET-S undergoes a trans-conformation, relocates to the cell membrane and induces toxicity. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, comparing HET-s homologs from different species, we devise a consensus for the HET-s elementary triangular motif. We use this motif to screen genomic databases and find a match to the N-terminus of NWD2, a STAND protein, encoded by the gene immediately adjacent to het-S. STAND proteins are signal transducing ATPases which undergo ligand-induced oligomerisation. Homology modelling predicts that the NWD2 N-terminal region adopts a HET-s-like fold. We propose that upon NWD2 oligomerisation, these N-terminal extensions adopt the β-solenoid fold and template HET-S to adopt the amyloid fold and trigger toxicity. We extend this model to a putative prion, the σ infectious element in Nectria haematococca, because the s locus controlling propagation of σ also encodes a STAND protein and displays analogous features. Comparative genomic analyses indicate evolutionary conservation of these STAND/prion-like gene pairs, identify a number of novel prion candidates and define, in addition to the HET-s PFD motif, two distinct, novel putative PFD-like motifs. Conclusions/Significance We suggest the existence, in the fungal kingdom, of a widespread and evolutionarily conserved mode of signal transduction based on the transmission of an amyloid-fold from a NOD-like STAND receptor protein to an effector protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed B Wickner
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830, USA.
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