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Kandola T, Venkatesan S, Zhang J, Lerbakken BT, Von Schulze A, Blanck JF, Wu J, Unruh JR, Berry P, Lange JJ, Box AC, Cook M, Sagui C, Halfmann R. Pathologic polyglutamine aggregation begins with a self-poisoning polymer crystal. eLife 2023; 12:RP86939. [PMID: 37921648 PMCID: PMC10624427 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A long-standing goal of amyloid research has been to characterize the structural basis of the rate-determining nucleating event. However, the ephemeral nature of nucleation has made this goal unachievable with existing biochemistry, structural biology, and computational approaches. Here, we addressed that limitation for polyglutamine (polyQ), a polypeptide sequence that causes Huntington's and other amyloid-associated neurodegenerative diseases when its length exceeds a characteristic threshold. To identify essential features of the polyQ amyloid nucleus, we used a direct intracellular reporter of self-association to quantify frequencies of amyloid appearance as a function of concentration, conformational templates, and rational polyQ sequence permutations. We found that nucleation of pathologically expanded polyQ involves segments of three glutamine (Q) residues at every other position. We demonstrate using molecular simulations that this pattern encodes a four-stranded steric zipper with interdigitated Q side chains. Once formed, the zipper poisoned its own growth by engaging naive polypeptides on orthogonal faces, in a fashion characteristic of polymer crystals with intramolecular nuclei. We further show that self-poisoning can be exploited to block amyloid formation, by genetically oligomerizing polyQ prior to nucleation. By uncovering the physical nature of the rate-limiting event for polyQ aggregation in cells, our findings elucidate the molecular etiology of polyQ diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tej Kandola
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- The Open UniversityMilton KeynesUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Jiahui Zhang
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State UniversityRaleighUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Jianzheng Wu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
| | - Jay R Unruh
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Paula Berry
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Jeffrey J Lange
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Andrew C Box
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Malcolm Cook
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Celeste Sagui
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State UniversityRaleighUnited States
| | - Randal Halfmann
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
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2
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Kandola T, Venkatesan S, Zhang J, Lerbakken B, Schulze AV, Blanck JF, Wu J, Unruh J, Berry P, Lange JJ, Box A, Cook M, Sagui C, Halfmann R. Pathologic polyglutamine aggregation begins with a self-poisoning polymer crystal. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.20.533418. [PMID: 36993401 PMCID: PMC10055281 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.20.533418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
A long-standing goal of amyloid research has been to characterize the structural basis of the rate-determining nucleating event. However, the ephemeral nature of nucleation has made this goal unachievable with existing biochemistry, structural biology, and computational approaches. Here, we addressed that limitation for polyglutamine (polyQ), a polypeptide sequence that causes Huntington's and other amyloid-associated neurodegenerative diseases when its length exceeds a characteristic threshold. To identify essential features of the polyQ amyloid nucleus, we used a direct intracellular reporter of self-association to quantify frequencies of amyloid appearance as a function of concentration, conformational templates, and rational polyQ sequence permutations. We found that nucleation of pathologically expanded polyQ involves segments of three glutamine (Q) residues at every other position. We demonstrate using molecular simulations that this pattern encodes a four-stranded steric zipper with interdigitated Q side chains. Once formed, the zipper poisoned its own growth by engaging naive polypeptides on orthogonal faces, in a fashion characteristic of polymer crystals with intramolecular nuclei. We further show that self-poisoning can be exploited to block amyloid formation, by genetically oligomerizing polyQ prior to nucleation. By uncovering the physical nature of the rate-limiting event for polyQ aggregation in cells, our findings elucidate the molecular etiology of polyQ diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tej Kandola
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- The Open University, Milton Keyes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | | | - Jiahui Zhang
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | | | - Alex Von Schulze
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jillian F Blanck
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jianzheng Wu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Jay Unruh
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Paula Berry
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jeffrey J Lange
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Andrew Box
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Malcolm Cook
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Celeste Sagui
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Randal Halfmann
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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3
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Evidence of distinct α-synuclein strains underlying disease heterogeneity. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:73-86. [PMID: 32440702 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02163-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Synucleinopathies are a group of neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding and self-templating of the protein α-synuclein, or the formation of α-synuclein prions. Each disorder differs by age of onset, presenting clinical symptoms, α-synuclein inclusion morphology, and neuropathological distribution. Explaining this disease-specific variability, the strain hypothesis postulates that each prion disease is encoded by a distinct conformation of the misfolded protein, and therefore, each synucleinopathy is caused by a unique α-synuclein structure. This review discusses the current data supporting the role of α-synuclein strains in disease heterogeneity. Several in vitro and in vivo models exist for evaluating strain behavior, however, as the focus of this article is to compare strains across synucleinopathy patients, our discussion predominantly focuses on the two models most commonly used for this purpose: the α-syn140*A53T-YFP cell line and the TgM83+/- mouse model. Here we define each strain based on biochemical stability, ability to propagate in α-syn140-YFP cell lines, and incubation period, inclusion morphology and distribution, and neurological signs in TgM83+/- mice.
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4
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Louka A, Zacco E, Temussi PA, Tartaglia GG, Pastore A. RNA as the stone guest of protein aggregation. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:11880-11889. [PMID: 33068411 PMCID: PMC7708036 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of prions as infectious aggregates dates several decades. From its original formulation, the definition of a prion has progressively changed to the point that many aggregation-prone proteins are now considered bona fide prions. RNA molecules, not included in the original 'protein-only hypothesis', are also being recognized as important factors contributing to the 'prion behaviour', that implies the transmissibility of an aberrant fold. In particular, an association has recently emerged between aggregation and the assembly of prion-like proteins in RNA-rich complexes, associated with both physiological and pathological events. Here, we discuss the historical rising of the concept of prion-like domains, their relation to RNA and their role in protein aggregation. As a paradigmatic example, we present the case study of TDP-43, an RNA-binding prion-like protein associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Through this example, we demonstrate how the current definition of prions has incorporated quite different concepts making the meaning of the term richer and more stimulating. An important message that emerges from our analysis is the dual role of RNA in protein aggregation, making RNA, that has been considered for many years a 'silent presence' or the 'stone guest' of protein aggregation, an important component of the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Louka
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Elsa Zacco
- Center for Human Technologies, Central RNA laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16152, Italy
| | - Piero Andrea Temussi
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- University “Federico II’’ Napoli, via Cynthia, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Center for Human Technologies, Central RNA laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16152, Italy
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08003, Spain and ICREA, 23 Passeig Lluıs Companys, Barcelona 08010, Spain
- Charles Darwin department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
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5
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Bousset L, Luckgei N, Kabani M, Gardiennet C, Schütz AK, Melki R, Meier BH, Böckmann A. Prion Amyloid Polymorphs - The Tag Might Change It All. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:190. [PMID: 32850974 PMCID: PMC7423878 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sup35p is a protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It can propagate using a prion-like mechanism, which means that it can recruit non-prion soluble Sup35p into insoluble fibrils. Sup35p is a large protein showing three distinct domains, N, M and an extended globular domain. We have previously studied the conformations of the full-length and truncated NM versions carrying poly-histidine tags on the N-terminus. Comparison with structural data from C-terminally poly-histidine tagged NM from the literature surprisingly revealed discrepancies. Here we investigated fibrils from the untagged, as well as a C-terminally poly-histidine tagged NM construct, using solid-state NMR. We find that the conformation of untagged NM is very close to the N-terminally tagged NM and confirms our previous findings. The C-terminal poly-histidine tag, in contrast, drastically changes the NM fibril structure, and yields data consistent with results obtained previously on this construct. We conclude that the C-terminally located Sup35p globular domain influences the structure of the fibrillar core at the N domain, as previously shown. We further conclude, based on the present data, that small tags on NM C-terminus have a substantial, despite different, impact. Modifications at this remote localization thus shows an unexpected influence on the fibril structure, and importantly also its propensity to induce [PSI+].
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Bousset
- Institut Francois Jacob (MIRCen), CEA and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CNRS, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Nina Luckgei
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086 CNRS, Universite de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Mehdi Kabani
- Institut Francois Jacob (MIRCen), CEA and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CNRS, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Carole Gardiennet
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086 CNRS, Universite de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Anne K Schütz
- ETH Zürich, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ronald Melki
- Institut Francois Jacob (MIRCen), CEA and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CNRS, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Beat H Meier
- ETH Zürich, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja Böckmann
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086 CNRS, Universite de Lyon, Lyon, France
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6
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Holec SA, Block AJ, Bartz JC. The role of prion strain diversity in the development of successful therapeutic treatments. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 175:77-119. [PMID: 32958242 PMCID: PMC8939712 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Prions are a self-propagating misfolded conformation of a cellular protein. Prions are found in several eukaryotic organisms with mammalian prion diseases encompassing a wide range of disorders. The first recognized prion disease, the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), affect several species including humans. Alzheimer's disease, synucleinopathies, and tauopathies share a similar mechanism of self-propagation of the prion form of the disease-specific protein reminiscent of the infection process of TSEs. Strain diversity in prion disease is characterized by differences in the phenotype of disease that is hypothesized to be encoded by strain-specific conformations of the prion form of the disease-specific protein. Prion therapeutics that target the prion form of the disease-specific protein can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of prions, consistent with the hypothesis that prion strains exist as a dynamic mixture of a dominant strain in combination with minor substrains. To overcome this obstacle, therapies that reduce or eliminate the template of conversion are efficacious, may reverse neuropathology, and do not result in the emergence of drug resistance. Recent advancements in preclinical diagnosis of prion infection may allow for a combinational approach that treats the prion form and the precursor protein to effectively treat prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A.M. Holec
- Institute for Applied Life Sciences and Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States,Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Alyssa J. Block
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Jason C. Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States,Corresponding author:
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7
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Danilov LG, Matveenko AG, Ryzhkova VE, Belousov MV, Poleshchuk OI, Likholetova DV, Sokolov PA, Kasyanenko NA, Kajava AV, Zhouravleva GA, Bondarev SA. Design of a New [ PSI +]-No-More Mutation in SUP35 With Strong Inhibitory Effect on the [ PSI +] Prion Propagation. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:274. [PMID: 31803017 PMCID: PMC6877606 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of [PSI+]-no-more (PNM) mutations, eliminating [PSI+] prion, were previously described in SUP35. In this study, we designed and analyzed a new PNM mutation based on the parallel in-register β-structure of Sup35 prion fibrils suggested by the known experimental data. In such an arrangement, substitution of non-charged residues by charged ones may destabilize the fibril structure. We introduced Q33K/A34K amino acid substitutions into the Sup35 protein, corresponding allele was called sup35-M0. The mutagenized residues were chosen based on ArchCandy in silico prediction of high inhibitory effect on the amyloidogenic potential of Sup35. The experiments confirmed that Sup35-M0 leads to the elimination of [PSI+] with high efficiency. Our data suggested that the elimination of the [PSI+] prion is associated with the decreased aggregation properties of the protein. The new mutation can induce the prion with very low efficiency and is able to propagate only weak [PSI+] prion variants. We also showed that Sup35-M0 protein co-aggregates with the wild-type Sup35 in vivo. Moreover, our data confirmed the utility of the strategy of substitution of non-charged residues by charged ones to design new mutations to inhibit a prion formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavrentii G Danilov
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrew G Matveenko
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Varvara E Ryzhkova
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Mikhail V Belousov
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga I Poleshchuk
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Daria V Likholetova
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Petr A Sokolov
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Polymer Physics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Nina A Kasyanenko
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Polymer Physics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey V Kajava
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier (CRBM), UMR 5237 CNRS, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Institut de Biologie Computationnelle (IBC), Universitè Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Galina A Zhouravleva
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Stanislav A Bondarev
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
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8
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Manjrekar J, Shah H. Protein-based inheritance. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2019; 97:138-155. [PMID: 31344459 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2019.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms of inheritance have come to occupy a prominent place in our understanding of living systems, primarily eukaryotes. There has been considerable and lively discussion of the possible evolutionary significance of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. One particular type of epigenetic inheritance that has not figured much in general discussions is that based on conformational changes in proteins, where proteins with altered conformations can act as templates to propagate their own structure. An increasing number of such proteins - prions and prion-like - are being discovered. Phenotypes due to the structurally altered proteins are transmitted along with their structures. This review discusses the properties and implications of "classical" amyloid-forming prions, as well as the broader class of proteins with intrinsically disordered domains, which are proving to have fascinating properties that appear to play important roles in cell organisation and function, especially during stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Manjrekar
- Microbiology Department and Biotechnology Centre, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, 390002, India.
| | - Hiral Shah
- Microbiology Department and Biotechnology Centre, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, 390002, India
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9
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Laor D, Sade D, Shaham-Niv S, Zaguri D, Gartner M, Basavalingappa V, Raveh A, Pichinuk E, Engel H, Iwasaki K, Yamamoto T, Noothalapati H, Gazit E. Fibril formation and therapeutic targeting of amyloid-like structures in a yeast model of adenine accumulation. Nat Commun 2019; 10:62. [PMID: 30622276 PMCID: PMC6325136 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07966-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The extension of the amyloid hypothesis to include non-protein metabolite assemblies invokes a paradigm for the pathology of inborn error of metabolism disorders. However, a direct demonstration of the assembly of metabolite amyloid-like structures has so far been provided only in vitro. Here, we established an in vivo model of adenine self-assembly in yeast, in which toxicity is associated with intracellular accumulation of the metabolite. Using a strain blocked in the enzymatic pathway downstream to adenine, we observed a non-linear dose-dependent growth inhibition. Both the staining with an indicative amyloid dye and anti-adenine assemblies antibodies demonstrated the accumulation of adenine amyloid-like structures, which were eliminated by lowering the supplied adenine levels. Treatment with a polyphenol inhibitor reduced the occurrence of amyloid-like structures while not affecting the dramatic increase in intracellular adenine concentration, resulting in inhibition of cytotoxicity, further supporting the notion that toxicity is triggered by adenine assemblies. Small molecule metabolites like phenylalanine can form amyloid-like structures but so far this has only been demonstrated in vitro. Here the authors generate a yeast in vivo model of adenine self-assembly and characterize the adenine assemblies in cells by indicative amyloid dye and anti-adenine assemblies antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Laor
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dorin Sade
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shira Shaham-Niv
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dor Zaguri
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Myra Gartner
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Vasantha Basavalingappa
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Avi Raveh
- BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Edward Pichinuk
- BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hamutal Engel
- BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Keita Iwasaki
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Matsue, 690-8504, Japan
| | - Tatsuyuki Yamamoto
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Matsue, 690-8504, Japan.,Raman Center for Medical and Biological Applications, Shimane University, Matsue, 690-8504, Japan
| | - Hemanth Noothalapati
- Raman Center for Medical and Biological Applications, Shimane University, Matsue, 690-8504, Japan
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel. .,BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel. .,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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10
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Prion Replication in the Mammalian Cytosol: Functional Regions within a Prion Domain Driving Induction, Propagation, and Inheritance. Mol Cell Biol 2018; 38:MCB.00111-18. [PMID: 29784771 PMCID: PMC6048315 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00111-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions of lower eukaryotes are transmissible protein particles that propagate by converting homotypic soluble proteins into growing protein assemblies. Prion activity is conferred by so-called prion domains, regions of low complexity that are often enriched in glutamines and asparagines (Q/N). Prions of lower eukaryotes are transmissible protein particles that propagate by converting homotypic soluble proteins into growing protein assemblies. Prion activity is conferred by so-called prion domains, regions of low complexity that are often enriched in glutamines and asparagines (Q/N). The compositional similarity of fungal prion domains with intrinsically disordered domains found in many mammalian proteins raises the question of whether similar sequence elements can drive prion-like phenomena in mammals. Here, we define sequence features of the prototype Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sup35 prion domain that govern prion activities in mammalian cells by testing the ability of deletion mutants to assemble into self-perpetuating particles. Interestingly, the amino-terminal Q/N-rich tract crucially important for prion induction in yeast was dispensable for the prion life cycle in mammalian cells. Spontaneous and template-assisted prion induction, growth, and maintenance were preferentially driven by the carboxy-terminal region of the prion domain that contains a putative soft amyloid stretch recently proposed to act as a nucleation site for prion assembly. Our data demonstrate that preferred prion nucleation domains can differ between lower and higher eukaryotes, resulting in the formation of prions with strikingly different amyloid cores.
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11
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Pei F, DiSalvo S, Sindi SS, Serio TR. A dominant-negative mutant inhibits multiple prion variants through a common mechanism. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1007085. [PMID: 29084237 PMCID: PMC5679637 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions adopt alternative, self-replicating protein conformations and thereby determine novel phenotypes that are often irreversible. Nevertheless, dominant-negative prion mutants can revert phenotypes associated with some conformations. These observations suggest that, while intervention is possible, distinct inhibitors must be developed to overcome the conformational plasticity of prions. To understand the basis of this specificity, we determined the impact of the G58D mutant of the Sup35 prion on three of its conformational variants, which form amyloids in S. cerevisiae. G58D had been previously proposed to have unique effects on these variants, but our studies suggest a common mechanism. All variants, including those reported to be resistant, are inhibited by G58D but at distinct doses. G58D lowers the kinetic stability of the associated amyloid, enhancing its fragmentation by molecular chaperones, promoting Sup35 resolubilization, and leading to amyloid clearance particularly in daughter cells. Reducing the availability or activity of the chaperone Hsp104, even transiently, reverses curing. Thus, the specificity of inhibition is determined by the sensitivity of variants to the mutant dosage rather than mode of action, challenging the view that a unique inhibitor must be developed to combat each variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fen Pei
- The University of Arizona, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Susanne DiSalvo
- Brown University, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Suzanne S. Sindi
- University of California, Merced, Applied Mathematics, School of Natural Sciences, Merced, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SS); (TRS)
| | - Tricia R. Serio
- The University of Arizona, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SS); (TRS)
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12
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Abstract
Prions are infectious protein polymers that have been found to cause fatal diseases in mammals. Prions have also been identified in fungi (yeast and filamentous fungi), where they behave as cytoplasmic non-Mendelian genetic elements. Fungal prions correspond in most cases to fibrillary β-sheet-rich protein aggregates termed amyloids. Fungal prion models and, in particular, yeast prions were instrumental in the description of fundamental aspects of prion structure and propagation. These models established the "protein-only" nature of prions, the physical basis of strain variation, and the role of a variety of chaperones in prion propagation and amyloid aggregate handling. Yeast and fungal prions do not necessarily correspond to harmful entities but can have adaptive roles in these organisms.
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13
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Abstract
The AAA+ disaggregase Hsp104 is essential for the maintenance and inheritance of nearly all known prions of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Uniquely for [PSI+], the prion form of the Sup35 protein, there seem to be two activities, involving differing co-chaperones, by which Hsp104 affects the inheritance of [PSI+], the prion form of the Sup35 protein. Each pathway is also involved in protection against ageing, one through disaggregation of damaged proteins and the other through their retention in the mother cell during budding. Mutations in both Hsp104 and Sup35 affect prion inheritance by one or other of these pathways, as does manipulation of either Hsp104 enzyme activity or expression, in both vegetative (budding) divisions and in sporulation. Based on our recent finding (Ness et al. in Molec Microbiol 104:125–143, 2017) we suggest that the management of the heritable prion forms of Sup35 in [PSI+] cells in sporulation may be a marker for a role for Hsp104 in rejuvenation during sporulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Cox
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NJ, UK. .,Linacre College, Oxford University, St. Cross Rd, Oxford, OX1 3JA, UK.
| | - Mick Tuite
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NJ, UK
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Tikhodeyev ON, Tarasov OV, Bondarev SA. Allelic variants of hereditary prions: The bimodularity principle. Prion 2017; 11:4-24. [PMID: 28281926 PMCID: PMC5360123 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1283463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern biology requires modern genetic concepts equally valid for all discovered mechanisms of inheritance, either "canonical" (mediated by DNA sequences) or epigenetic. Applying basic genetic terms such as "gene" and "allele" to protein hereditary factors is one of the necessary steps toward these concepts. The basic idea that different variants of the same prion protein can be considered as alleles has been previously proposed by Chernoff and Tuite. In this paper, the notion of prion allele is further developed. We propose the idea that any prion allele is a bimodular hereditary system that depends on a certain DNA sequence (DNA determinant) and a certain epigenetic mark (epigenetic determinant). Alteration of any of these 2 determinants may lead to establishment of a new prion allele. The bimodularity principle is valid not only for hereditary prions; it seems to be universal for any epigenetic hereditary factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg N. Tikhodeyev
- Department of Genetics & Biotechnology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Oleg V. Tarasov
- Department of Genetics & Biotechnology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
- Saint-Petersburg Scientific Center of RAS, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Stanislav A. Bondarev
- Department of Genetics & Biotechnology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
- The Laboratory of Amyloid Biology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
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15
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Distinct Prion Domain Sequences Ensure Efficient Amyloid Propagation by Promoting Chaperone Binding or Processing In Vivo. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1006417. [PMID: 27814358 PMCID: PMC5096688 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are a group of proteins that can adopt a spectrum of metastable conformations in vivo. These alternative states change protein function and are self-replicating and transmissible, creating protein-based elements of inheritance and infectivity. Prion conformational flexibility is encoded in the amino acid composition and sequence of the protein, which dictate its ability not only to form an ordered aggregate known as amyloid but also to maintain and transmit this structure in vivo. But, while we can effectively predict amyloid propensity in vitro, the mechanism by which sequence elements promote prion propagation in vivo remains unclear. In yeast, propagation of the [PSI+] prion, the amyloid form of the Sup35 protein, has been linked to an oligopeptide repeat region of the protein. Here, we demonstrate that this region is composed of separable functional elements, the repeats themselves and a repeat proximal region, which are both required for efficient prion propagation. Changes in the numbers of these elements do not alter the physical properties of Sup35 amyloid, but their presence promotes amyloid fragmentation, and therefore maintenance, by molecular chaperones. Rather than acting redundantly, our observations suggest that these sequence elements make complementary contributions to prion propagation, with the repeat proximal region promoting chaperone binding to and the repeats promoting chaperone processing of Sup35 amyloid. Protein misfolding and assembly into ordered aggregates known as amyloid has emerged as a novel mechanism for regulation of protein function. In the case of prion proteins, the resulting amyloid is transmissible, creating protein-based elements of infectivity and inheritance. These unusual properties are linked to the amino acid composition and sequence of the protein, which confer both conformational flexibility and persistence in vivo, the latter of which occurs through mechanisms that are currently poorly understood. Here, we address this open question by studying a region of the yeast prion Sup35 that has been genetically linked to persistence. We find that this region is composed of two separable elements that are both required for efficient persistence of the amyloid. These elements do not contribute to amyloid stability. Rather, they promote distinct aspects of its functional interactions with molecular chaperones, which are required for efficient conformational self-replication and transmission.
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16
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Abstract
Although prions were first discovered through their link to severe brain degenerative diseases in animals, the emergence of prions as regulators of the phenotype of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina has revealed a new facet of prion biology. In most cases, fungal prions are carried without apparent detriment to the host cell, representing a novel form of epigenetic inheritance. This raises the question of whether or not yeast prions are beneficial survival factors or actually gives rise to a "disease state" that is selected against in nature. To date, most studies on the impact of fungal prions have focused on laboratory-cultivated "domesticated" strains of S. cerevisiae. At least eight prions have now been described in this species, each with the potential to impact on a wide range of cellular processes. The discovery of prions in nondomesticated strains of S. cerevisiae and P. anserina has confirmed that prions are not simply an artifact of "domestication" of this species. In this review, I describe what we currently know about the phenotypic impact of fungal prions. I then describe how the interplay between host genotype and the prion-mediated changes can generate a wide array of phenotypic diversity. How such prion-generated diversity may be of benefit to the host in survival in a fluctuating, often hazardous environment is then outlined. Prion research has now entered a new phase in which we must now consider their biological function and evolutionary significance in the natural world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mick F Tuite
- Kent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, United Kingdom.
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17
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Huang YW, Chang YC, Diaz-Avalos R, King CY. W8, a new Sup35 prion strain, transmits distinctive information with a conserved assembly scheme. Prion 2016; 9:207-27. [PMID: 26038983 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2015.1039217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion strains are different self-propagating conformers of the same infectious protein. Three strains of the [PSI] prion, infectious forms of the yeast Sup35 protein, have been previously characterized in our laboratory. Here we report the discovery of a new [PSI] strain, named W8. We demonstrate its robust cellular propagation as well as the protein-only transmission. To reveal strain-specific sequence requirement, mutations that interfered with the propagation of W8 were identified by consecutive substitution of residues 5-55 of Sup35 by proline and insertion of glycine at alternate sites in this segment. Interestingly, propagating W8 with single mutations at residues 5-7 and around residue 43 caused the strain to transmute. In contrast to the assertion that [PSI] existed as a dynamic cloud of sub-structures, no random drift in transmission characteristics was detected in mitotically propagated W8 populations. Electron diffraction and mass-per-length measurements indicate that, similar to the 3 previously characterized strains, W8 fibers are composed of about 1 prion molecule per 4.7-Å cross-β repeat period. Thus differently folded single Sup35 molecules, not dimeric and trimeric assemblies, form the basic repeating units to build the 4 [PSI] strains.
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Key Words
- 5-FOA, 5-fluoroorotic acid
- Aβ, amyloid β-protein
- GFP, green fluorescent protein
- PrP, prion protein
- SC, synthetic complete
- STEM, scanning transmission electron microscopy
- YPD, yeast extract, peptone, dextrose
- amyloid, prion strain, [PSI+], SUP35, yeast
- mpl, mass per length
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Wen Huang
- a Molecular and Cell Biology; Taiwan International Graduate Program; Academia Sinica and National Defense Medical Center ; Taipei , Taiwan
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18
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Yeast prions: Paramutation at the protein level? Semin Cell Dev Biol 2015; 44:51-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2015.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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19
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Gasset-Rosa F, Giraldo R. Engineered bacterial hydrophobic oligopeptide repeats in a synthetic yeast prion, [REP-PSI (+)]. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:311. [PMID: 25954252 PMCID: PMC4404881 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The yeast translation termination factor Sup35p, by aggregating as the [PSI (+)] prion, enables ribosomes to read-through stop codons, thus expanding the diversity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome. Yeast prions are functional amyloids that replicate by templating their conformation on native protein molecules, then assembling as large aggregates and fibers. Prions propagate epigenetically from mother to daughter cells by fragmentation of such assemblies. In the N-terminal prion-forming domain, Sup35p has glutamine/asparagine-rich oligopeptide repeats (OPRs), which enable propagation through chaperone-elicited shearing. We have engineered chimeras by replacing the polar OPRs in Sup35p by up to five repeats of a hydrophobic amyloidogenic sequence from the synthetic bacterial prionoid RepA-WH1. The resulting hybrid, [REP-PSI (+)], (i) was functional in a stop codon read-through assay in S. cerevisiae; (ii) generates weak phenotypic variants upon both its expression or transformation into [psi (-)] cells; (iii) these variants correlated with high molecular weight aggregates resistant to SDS during electrophoresis; and (iv) according to fluorescence microscopy, the fusion of the prion domains from the engineered chimeras to the reporter protein mCherry generated perivacuolar aggregate foci in yeast cells. All these are signatures of bona fide yeast prions. As assessed through biophysical approaches, the chimeras assembled as oligomers rather than as the fibers characteristic of [PSI (+)]. These results suggest that it is the balance between polar and hydrophobic residues in OPRs what determines prion conformational dynamics. In addition, our findings illustrate the feasibility of enabling new propagation traits in yeast prions by engineering OPRs with heterologous amyloidogenic sequence repeats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rafael Giraldo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
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20
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Bondarev SA, Zhouravleva GA, Belousov MV, Kajava AV. Structure-based view on [PSI(+)] prion properties. Prion 2015; 9:190-9. [PMID: 26030475 PMCID: PMC4601339 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2015.1044186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Yeast [PSI(+)] prion is one of the most suitable and well characterized system for the investigation of the prion phenomenon. However, until recently, the lack of data on the 3D arrangement of Sup35p prion fibrils hindered progress in this area. The recent arrival in this field of new experimental techniques led to the parallel and in-register superpleated β-structure as a consensus model for Sup35p fibrils. Here, we analyzed the effect of amino acid substitutions of the Sup35 protein through the prism of this structural model. Application of a newly developed computational approach, called ArchCandy, gives us a better understanding of the effect caused by mutations on the fibril forming potential of Sup35 protein. This bioinformatics tool can be used for the design of new mutations with desired modification of prion properties. Thus, we provide examples of how today, having progress toward elucidation of the structural arrangement of Sup35p fibrils, researchers can advance more efficiently to a better understanding of prion [PSI(+)] stability and propagation.
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Key Words
- Asu mutations, antisupressor mutations
- EM, electron microscopy
- NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance
- PNM, [PSI+] no more
- STEM, scanning transmission electron microscopy
- amyloid, prion, protein misfolding, protein structure, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, superpleated β-structure, [PSI+]
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav A Bondarev
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology; St. Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Galina A Zhouravleva
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology; St. Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Mikhail V Belousov
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology; St. Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey V Kajava
- Centre de Recherches de Biochimie Macromoléculaire; CNRS; Université Montpellier; Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
- University ITMO; St. Petersburg, Russia
- Institut de Biologie Computationnelle; Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
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21
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Luckgei N, Schütz AK, Habenstein B, Bousset L, Sourigues Y, Melki R, Meier BH, Böckmann A. Solid-state NMR sequential assignments of the amyloid core of Sup35pNM. BIOMOLECULAR NMR ASSIGNMENTS 2014; 8:365-370. [PMID: 23934139 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-013-9518-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Sup35pNM represents the N-terminal and middle (M) domains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae prion Sup35p. This fragment is commonly used for structural and functional studies of Sup35p. We here present a solid-state NMR study of fibrils formed by this fragment and show that sequential assignments can be obtained for the rigid and well-ordered parts of the protein using 3D spectroscopy. We describe in detail the sequential assignment of the 22 residues yielding strong, narrow signals with chemical shifts that correspond mostly to β-sheet secondary-structured amino acids that form the fibril core.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Luckgei
- Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Protéines, UMR 5086 CNRS/Université de Lyon, 1, 7 passage du Vercors, 69367, Lyon, France
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22
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Functional diversification of hsp40: distinct j-protein functional requirements for two prions allow for chaperone-dependent prion selection. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004510. [PMID: 25058638 PMCID: PMC4109904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Yeast prions are heritable amyloid aggregates of functional yeast proteins; their propagation to subsequent cell generations is dependent upon fragmentation of prion protein aggregates by molecular chaperone proteins. Mounting evidence indicates the J-protein Sis1 may act as an amyloid specificity factor, recognizing prion and other amyloid aggregates and enabling Ssa and Hsp104 to act in prion fragmentation. Chaperone interactions with prions, however, can be affected by variations in amyloid-core structure resulting in distinct prion variants or ‘strains’. Our genetic analysis revealed that Sis1 domain requirements by distinct variants of [PSI+] are strongly dependent upon overall variant stability. Notably, multiple strong [PSI+] variants can be maintained by a minimal construct of Sis1 consisting of only the J-domain and glycine/phenylalanine-rich (G/F) region that was previously shown to be sufficient for cell viability and [RNQ+] prion propagation. In contrast, weak [PSI+] variants are lost under the same conditions but maintained by the expression of an Sis1 construct that lacks only the G/F region and cannot support [RNQ+] propagation, revealing mutually exclusive requirements for Sis1 function between these two prions. Prion loss is not due to [PSI+]-dependent toxicity or dependent upon a particular yeast genetic background. These observations necessitate that Sis1 must have at least two distinct functional roles that individual prions differentially require for propagation and which are localized to the glycine-rich domains of the Sis1. Based on these distinctions, Sis1 plasmid-shuffling in a [PSI+]/[RNQ+] strain permitted J-protein-dependent prion selection for either prion. We also found that, despite an initial report to the contrary, the human homolog of Sis1, Hdj1, is capable of [PSI+] prion propagation in place of Sis1. This conservation of function is also prion-variant dependent, indicating that only one of the two Sis1-prion functions may have been maintained in eukaryotic chaperone evolution. Multiple neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are associated with the accumulation of fibrous protein aggregates collectively termed ‘amyloid.’ In the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, multiple proteins form intracellular amyloid aggregates known as yeast prions. Yeast prions minimally require a core set of chaperone proteins for stable propagation in yeast, including the J-protein Sis1, which appears to be required for the propagation of all yeast prions and functioning similarly in each case. Here we present evidence which challenges the notion of a universal function for Sis1 in prion propagation and asserts instead that Sis1's function in the maintenance of at least two prions, [RNQ+] and [PSI+], is distinct and mutually exclusive for some prion variants. We also find that the human homolog of Sis1, called Hdj1, has retained the ability to support some, but not all yeast prions, indicating a partial conservation of function. Because yeast chaperones have the ability to both bind and fragment amyloids in vivo, further investigations into these prion-specific properties of Sis1 and Hdj1 will likely lead to new insights into the biological management of protein misfolding.
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23
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Kinkhabwala A, Khmelinskii A, Knop M. Analytical model for macromolecular partitioning during yeast cell division. BMC BIOPHYSICS 2014; 7:10. [PMID: 25737777 PMCID: PMC4347614 DOI: 10.1186/s13628-014-0010-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Asymmetric cell division, whereby a parent cell generates two sibling cells with unequal content and thereby distinct fates, is central to cell differentiation, organism development and ageing. Unequal partitioning of the macromolecular content of the parent cell - which includes proteins, DNA, RNA, large proteinaceous assemblies and organelles - can be achieved by both passive (e.g. diffusion, localized retention sites) and active (e.g. motor-driven transport) processes operating in the presence of external polarity cues, internal asymmetries, spontaneous symmetry breaking, or stochastic effects. However, the quantitative contribution of different processes to the partitioning of macromolecular content is difficult to evaluate. RESULTS Here we developed an analytical model that allows rapid quantitative assessment of partitioning as a function of various parameters in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This model exposes quantitative degeneracies among the physical parameters that govern macromolecular partitioning, and reveals regions of the solution space where diffusion is sufficient to drive asymmetric partitioning and regions where asymmetric partitioning can only be achieved through additional processes such as motor-driven transport. Application of the model to different macromolecular assemblies suggests that partitioning of protein aggregates and episomes, but not prions, is diffusion-limited in yeast, consistent with previous reports. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to computationally intensive stochastic simulations of particular scenarios, our analytical model provides an efficient and comprehensive overview of partitioning as a function of global and macromolecule-specific parameters. Identification of quantitative degeneracies among these parameters highlights the importance of their careful measurement for a given macromolecular species in order to understand the dominant processes responsible for its observed partitioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Kinkhabwala
- Abteilung Systemische Zellbiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für molekulare Physiologie, Otto-Hahn-Str. 11, Dortmund 44227, Germany
| | - Anton Khmelinskii
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH) and Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), DKFZ-ZMBH-Allianz, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Michael Knop
- Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH) and Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), DKFZ-ZMBH-Allianz, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
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24
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Rubin J, Khosravi H, Bruce KL, Lydon ME, Behrens SH, Chernoff YO, Bommarius AS. Ion-specific effects on prion nucleation and strain formation. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:30300-30308. [PMID: 23990463 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.467829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Ordered, fibrous, self-seeding aggregates of misfolded proteins known as amyloids are associated with important diseases in mammals and control phenotypic traits in fungi. A given protein may adopt multiple amyloid conformations, known as variants or strains, each of which leads to a distinct disease pattern or phenotype. Here, we study the effect of Hofmeister ions on amyloid nucleation and strain generation by the prion domain-containing fragment (Sup35NM) of a yeast protein Sup35p. Strongly hydrated anions (kosmotropes) initiate nucleation quickly and cause rapid fiber elongation, whereas poorly hydrated anions (chaotropes) delay nucleation and mildly affect the elongation rate. For the first time, we demonstrate that kosmotropes favor formation of amyloid strains that are characterized by lower thermostability and higher frangibility in vitro and stronger phenotypic and proliferation patterns effectively in vivo as compared with amyloids formed in chaotropes. These phenomena point to inherent differences in the biochemistry of Hofmeister ions. Our work shows that the ionic composition of a solution not only influences the kinetics of amyloid nucleation but also determines the amyloid strain that is preferentially formed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Rubin
- From the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,; Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience
| | - Hasan Khosravi
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience,; School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and
| | - Kathryn L Bruce
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience,; School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | | | - Sven H Behrens
- From the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,; Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience
| | - Yury O Chernoff
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience,; School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332.
| | - Andreas S Bommarius
- From the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,; Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience,; School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and.
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25
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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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26
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Exploring the basis of [PIN(+)] variant differences in [PSI(+)] induction. J Mol Biol 2013; 425:3046-59. [PMID: 23770111 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Revised: 05/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Certain soluble proteins can form amyloid-like prion aggregates. Indeed, the same protein can make different types of aggregates, called variants. Each variant is heritable because it attracts soluble homologous protein to join its aggregate, which is then broken into seeds (propagons) and transmitted to daughter cells. [PSI(+)] and [PIN(+)] are respectively prion forms of Sup35 and Rnq1. Curiously, [PIN(+)] enhances the de novo induction of [PSI(+)]. Different [PIN(+)] variants do this to dramatically different extents. Here, we investigate the mechanism underlying this effect. Consistent with a heterologous prion cross-seeding model, different [PIN(+)] variants preferentially promoted the appearance of different variants of [PSI(+)]. However, we did not detect this specificity in vitro. Also, [PIN(+)] variant cross-seeding efficiencies were not proportional to the level of Rnq1 coimmunocaptured with Sup35 or to the number of [PIN(+)] propagons characteristic for that variant. This leads us to propose that [PIN(+)] variants differ in the cross-seeding quality of their seeds, following the Sup35/[PIN(+)] binding step.
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27
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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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28
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Bett C, Fernández-Borges N, Kurt TD, Lucero M, Nilsson KPR, Castilla J, Sigurdson CJ. Structure of the β2-α2 loop and interspecies prion transmission. FASEB J 2012; 26:2868-76. [PMID: 22490928 DOI: 10.1096/fj.11-200923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Prions are misfolded, aggregated conformers of the prion protein that can be transmitted between species. The precise determinants of interspecies transmission remain unclear, although structural similarity between the infectious prion and host prion protein is required for efficient conversion to the misfolded conformer. The β2-α2 loop region of endogenous prion protein, PrP(C), has been implicated in barriers to prion transmission. We recently discovered that conversion was efficient when incoming and host prion proteins had similar β2-α2 loop structures; however, the roles of primary vs. secondary structural homology could not be distinguished. Here we uncouple the effect of primary and secondary structural homology of the β2-α2 loop on prion conversion. We inoculated prions from animals having a disordered or an ordered β2-α2 loop into mice having a disordered loop or an ordered loop due to a single residue substitution (D167S). We found that prion conversion was driven by a homologous primary structure and occurred independently of a homologous secondary structure. Similarly, cell-free conversion using PrP(C) from mice with disordered or ordered loops and prions from 5 species correlated with primary but not secondary structural homology of the loop. Thus, our findings support a model in which efficient interspecies prion conversion is determined by small stretches of the primary sequence rather than the secondary structure of PrP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus Bett
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Jones EM, Wu B, Surewicz K, Nadaud PS, Helmus JJ, Chen S, Jaroniec CP, Surewicz WK. Structural polymorphism in amyloids: new insights from studies with Y145Stop prion protein fibrils. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:42777-42784. [PMID: 22002245 PMCID: PMC3234922 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.302539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2011] [Revised: 10/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The C-terminally-truncated human prion protein variant Y145Stop (or PrP23-144), associated with a familial prion disease, provides a valuable model for studying the fundamental properties of protein amyloids. In previous solid-state NMR experiments, we established that the β-sheet core of the PrP23-144 amyloid is composed of two β-strand regions encompassing residues ∼113-125 and ∼130-140. The former segment contains a highly conserved hydrophobic palindrome sequence, (113)AGAAAAGA(120), which has been considered essential to PrP conformational conversion. Here, we examine the role of this segment in fibrillization of PrP23-144 using a deletion variant, Δ113-120 PrP23-144, in which the palindrome sequence is missing. Surprisingly, we find that deletion of the palindrome sequence affects neither the amyloidogenicity nor the polymerization kinetics of PrP23-144, although it does alter amyloid conformation and morphology. Using two-dimensional and three-dimensional solid-state NMR methods, we find that Δ113-120 PrP23-144 fibrils contain an altered β-core extended N-terminally to residue ∼106, encompassing residues not present in the core of wild-type PrP23-144 fibrils. The C-terminal β-strand of the core, however, is similar in both fibril types. Collectively, these data indicate that amyloid cores of PrP23-144 variants contain "essential" (i.e. nucleation-determining) and "nonessential" regions, with the latter being "movable" in amino acid sequence space. These findings reveal an intriguing new mechanism for structural polymorphism in amyloids and suggest a potential means for modulating the physicochemical properties of amyloid fibrils without compromising their polymerization characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Jones
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Bo Wu
- Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | - Krystyna Surewicz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Philippe S Nadaud
- Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | - Jonathan J Helmus
- Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | - Shugui Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | | | - Witold K Surewicz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
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Inter-allelic prion propagation reveals conformational relationships among a multitude of [PSI] strains. PLoS Genet 2011; 7:e1002297. [PMID: 21980301 PMCID: PMC3183073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2011] [Accepted: 07/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Immense diversity of prion strains is observed, but its underlying mechanism is less clear. Three [PSI] prion strains--named VH, VK, and VL--were previously isolated in the wild-type yeast genetic background. Here we report the generation and characterization of eight new [PSI] isolates, obtained by propagating the wild-type strains with Sup35 proteins containing single amino-acid alterations. The VH strain splits into two distinct strains when propagated in each of the three genetic backgrounds, harboring respectively single mutations of N21L, R28P, and Gi47 (i.e. insertion of a glycine residue at position 47) on the Sup35 N-terminal prion-forming segment. The six new strains exhibit complex inter-conversion patterns, and one of them continuously mutates into another. However, when they are introduced back into the wild-type background, all 6 strains revert to the VH strain. We obtain two more [PSI] isolates by propagating VK and VL with the Gi47 and N21L backgrounds, respectively. The two isolates do not transmit to other mutant backgrounds but revert to their parental strains in the wild-type background. Our data indicate that a large number of [PSI] strains can be built on three basic Sup35 amyloid structures. It is proposed that the three basic structures differ by chain folding topologies, and sub-strains with the same topology differ in distinct ways by local structural adjustments. This "large number of variations on a small number of basic themes" may also be operative in generating strain diversities in other prion elements. It thus suggests a possible general scheme to classify a multitude of prion strains.
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DiSalvo S, Serio TR. Insights into prion biology: integrating a protein misfolding pathway with its cellular environment. Prion 2011; 5:76-83. [PMID: 21654204 DOI: 10.4161/pri.5.2.16413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein misfolding and assembly into ordered, self-templating aggregates (amyloid) has emerged as a novel mechanism for regulating protein function. For a subclass of amyloidogenic proteins known as prions, this process induces transmissible changes in normal cellular physiology, ranging from neurodegenerative disease in animals and humans to new traits in fungi. The severity and stability of these altered phenotypic states can be attenuated by the conformation or amino-acid sequence of the prion, but in most of these cases, the protein retains the ability to form amyloid in vitro. Thus, our ability to link amyloid formation in vitro with its biological consequences in vivo remains a challenge. In two recent studies, we have begun to address this disconnect by assessing the effects of the cellular environment on traits associated with the misfolding of the yeast prion Sup35. Remarkably, the effects of quality control pathways and of limitations on protein transfer in vivo amplify the effects of even slight differences in the efficiency of Sup35 misfolding, leading to dramatic changes in the associated phenotype. Together, our studies suggest that the interplay between protein misfolding pathways and their cellular context is a crucial contributor to prion biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne DiSalvo
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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