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Ali A, Holman AP, Rodriguez A, Matveyenka M, Kurouski D. Tubulin-binding region alters tau-lipid interactions and changes toxicity of tau fibrils formed in the presence of phosphatidylserine lipids. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e5078. [PMID: 38895991 PMCID: PMC11187861 DOI: 10.1002/pro.5078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease that affects over six million Americans. The abnormal aggregation of amyloid β peptide and Tau protein is the expected molecular cause of the loss of neurons in brains of AD patients. A growing body of evidence indicates that lipids can alter the aggregation rate of amyloid β peptide and modify the toxicity of amyloid β aggregates. However, the role of lipids in Tau aggregation remains unclear. In this study, we utilized a set of biophysical methods to determine the extent to which phospatidylserine (PS) altered the aggregation properties of Tau isoforms with one (1N4R) and two (2N4R) N terminal inserts that enhance the binding of Tau to tubulin. We found that the length and saturation of fatty acids (FAs) in PS altered the aggregation rate of 2N4R isoform, while no changes in the aggregation rate of 1N4R were observed. These results indicate that N terminal inserts play an important role in protein-lipid interactions. We also found that PS could change the toxicity of 1N4R and 2N4R Tau fibrils, as well as alter molecular mechanisms by which these aggregates exert cytotoxicity to neurons. Finally, we found that although Tau fibrils formed in the presence and absence of PS endocytosed by cells, only fibril species that were formed in the presence of PS exert strong impairment of the cell mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid Ali
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Aidan P. Holman
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
- Department of EntomologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Axell Rodriguez
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Mikhail Matveyenka
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
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2
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Ali A, Dou T, Holman AP, Hung A, Osborne L, Pickett D, Rodriguez A, Zhaliazka K, Kurouski D. The influence of zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids on protein aggregation. Biophys Chem 2024; 306:107174. [PMID: 38211368 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
The progressive aggregation of misfolded proteins is the underlying molecular cause of numerous pathologies including Parkinson's disease and injection and transthyretin amyloidosis. A growing body of evidence indicates that protein deposits detected in organs and tissues of patients diagnosed with such pathologies contain fragments of lipid membranes. In vitro experiments also showed that lipid membranes could strongly change the aggregation rate of amyloidogenic proteins, as well as alter the secondary structure and toxicity of oligomers and fibrils formed in their presence. In this review, the effect of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) composed of zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids on the aggregation rate of insulin, lysozyme, transthyretin (TTR) and α- synuclein (α-syn) will be discussed. The manuscript will also critically review the most recent findings on the lipid-induced changes in the secondary structure of protein oligomers and fibrils, as well as reveal the extent to which lipids could alter the toxicity of protein aggregates formed in their presence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid Ali
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Tianyi Dou
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Aidan P Holman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States; Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Andrew Hung
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Luke Osborne
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Davis Pickett
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Axell Rodriguez
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Kiryl Zhaliazka
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States.
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3
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Xiong J, Pang X, Song X, Yang L, Pang C. The coherence between PSMC6 and α-ring in the 26S proteasome is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 16:1330853. [PMID: 38357597 PMCID: PMC10864545 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1330853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a heterogeneous age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder. Its hallmarks involve abnormal proteostasis, which triggers proteotoxicity and induces neuronal dysfunction. The 26S proteasome is an ATP-dependent proteolytic nanomachine of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and contributes to eliminating these abnormal proteins. This study focused on the relationship between proteasome and AD, the hub genes of proteasome, PSMC6, and 7 genes of α-ring, are selected as targets to study. The following three characteristics were observed: 1. The total number of proteasomes decreased with AD progression because the proteotoxicity damaged the expression of proteasome proteins, as evidenced by the downregulation of hub genes. 2. The existing proteasomes exhibit increased activity and efficiency to counterbalance the decline in total proteasome numbers, as evidenced by enhanced global coordination and reduced systemic disorder of proteasomal subunits as AD advances. 3. The synergy of PSMC6 and α-ring subunits is associated with AD. Synergistic downregulation of PSMC6 and α-ring subunits reflects a high probability of AD risk. Regarding the above discovery, the following hypothesis is proposed: The aggregation of pathogenic proteins intensifies with AD progression, then proteasome becomes more active and facilitates the UPS selectively targets the degradation of abnormal proteins to maintain CNS proteostasis. In this paper, bioinformatics and support vector machine learning methods are applied and combined with multivariate statistical analysis of microarray data. Additionally, the concept of entropy was used to detect the disorder of proteasome system, it was discovered that entropy is down-regulated continually with AD progression against system chaos caused by AD. Another conception of the matrix determinant was used to detect the global coordination of proteasome, it was discovered that the coordination is enhanced to maintain the efficiency of degradation. The features of entropy and determinant suggest that active proteasomes resist the attack caused by AD like defenders, on the one hand, to protect themselves (entropy reduces), and on the other hand, to fight the enemy (determinant reduces). It is noted that these are results from biocomputing and need to be supported by further biological experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Xiong
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xinping Pang
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xianghu Song
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lin Yang
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chaoyang Pang
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
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Desale SE, Chidambaram H, Chinnathambi S. α-Linolenic Acid Induces Microglial Activation and Extracellular Tau Internalization. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:471-481. [PMID: 38512683 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is the brain condition that occurs due to the hyper-activation of brain's immune cells and microglia, over the stimulation of extracellular aggregated proteins such as amyloid plaques and by extracellular Tau as well. The phenotypic changes of microglia from inflammatory to anti-inflammatory can be triggered by many factors, which also includes dietary fatty acids. The classes of omega-3 fatty acids are the majorly responsible in maintaining the anti-inflammatory phenotype of microglia. The enhanced phagocytic ability of microglia might induce the clearance of extracellular aggregated proteins, such as amyloid beta and Tau. In this study, we emphasized on the effect of α-linolenic acid (ALA) on the activation of microglia and internalization of the extracellular Tau seed in microglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita Eknath Desale
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Hariharakrishnan Chidambaram
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Subashchandrabose Chinnathambi
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India.
- Department of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Institute of National Importance, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
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5
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Desale SE, Chidambaram H, Chinnathambi S. Biochemical and Biophysical Characterization of Tau and α-Linolenic Acid Vesicles In Vitro. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:193-203. [PMID: 38512668 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the abnormal accumulation of disordered protein, that is, extracellular senile plaques of amyloid-β (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of Tau. Tau protein has gained the attention in recent years owing to the ability to propagate in a "prion-like" nature. The disordered protein Tau possesses a high positive charge, which allows its binding to anionic proteins and factors. The native disorder of proteins attends the β-sheet structure from its random-coiled conformation upon charge compensation by various polyanionic agents such as heparin, RNA, etc. Anionic lipids such as arachidonic acid (AA) and oleic acid (OA) are also one of the factors which can induce aggregation of Tau in physiological conditions. The free units of Tau protein can bind to lipid membranes through its repeat domain (RD), the anionic side chains of the membrane lipids induce aggregation of Tau by reducing the activation barrier. In this study, we investigated the role of α-linolenic acid (ALA) as an inducing agent for Tau aggregation in vitro conditions. Omega-3 fatty acids bear a capacity to reduce the pathology of Tau by downregulating the Tau phosphorylation pathway. We have studied by using various biochemical or biophysical methods the potency of ALA as an aggregating agent for Tau. We have implemented different techniques such as SDS-PAGE, transmission electron microscopy, CD spectroscopy to evaluated higher-order aggregates of Tau upon induction by ALA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita Eknath Desale
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Hariharakrishnan Chidambaram
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Subashchandrabose Chinnathambi
- Neurobiology Group, Division of Biochemical Sciences, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
- Department of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Institute of National Importance, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
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Nguyen PH, Derreumaux P. Recent Computational Advances Regarding Amyloid-β and Tau Membrane Interactions in Alzheimer's Disease. Molecules 2023; 28:7080. [PMID: 37894559 PMCID: PMC10609340 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28207080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The interactions of amyloid proteins with membranes have been subject to many experimental and computational studies, as these interactions contribute in part to neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we report on recent simulations that have focused on the adsorption and insertion modes of amyloid-β and tau proteins in membranes. The atomistic-resolution characterization of the conformational changes of these amyloid proteins upon lipid cell membrane and free lipid interactions is of interest to rationally design drugs targeting transient oligomers in Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H. Nguyen
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France;
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
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7
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Hu J, Sha W, Yuan S, Wu J, Huang Y. Aggregation, Transmission, and Toxicity of the Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau: A Complex Comprehension. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15023. [PMID: 37834471 PMCID: PMC10573976 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241915023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau is an intrinsically disordered protein containing a few short and transient secondary structures. Tau physiologically associates with microtubules (MTs) for its stabilization and detaches from MTs to regulate its dynamics. Under pathological conditions, tau is abnormally modified, detaches from MTs, and forms protein aggregates in neuronal and glial cells. Tau protein aggregates can be found in a number of devastating neurodegenerative diseases known as "tauopathies", such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), etc. However, it is still unclear how the tau protein is compacted into ordered protein aggregates, and the toxicity of the aggregates is still debated. Fortunately, there has been considerable progress in the study of tau in recent years, particularly in the understanding of the intercellular transmission of pathological tau species, the structure of tau aggregates, and the conformational change events in the tau polymerization process. In this review, we summarize the concepts of tau protein aggregation and discuss the views on tau protein transmission and toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
| | - Wenchi Sha
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
| | - Shuangshuang Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
| | - Jiarui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Yunpeng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; (J.H.); (W.S.); (S.Y.)
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
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8
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Yin HH, Han YL, Yan X, Guan YX. Hematoxylin modulates tau-RD protein fibrillization and ameliorates Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms in a yeast model. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 250:126140. [PMID: 37543268 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most serious neurodegenerative diseases with no effective treatment options available. The formation of insoluble amyloid fibrils of the hyperphosphorylated tau protein is intimately associated with AD, hence the tau protein has been a key target for AD drug development. In this work, hematoxylin was discovered as a dual functional compound, that is, acting in the inhibition of repeat domain of tau (tau-RD) protein fibrillogenesis and remodeling of pre-formed tau-RD fibrils in vitro. Meanwhile, hematoxylin was able to reduce the accumulation of tau-RD aggregates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Experimental and computational studies indicated that hematoxylin directly interacts with tau-RD protein through hydrophobic forces, hydrogen bonds, π-cation interactions, and π-π stackings. In addition, cellular viability assays showed that hematoxylin greatly reduced cytotoxicity induced by tau-RD aggregates. In summary, hematoxylin might be a promising candidate for further development as a potential therapeutic drug for AD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan-Huan Yin
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yin-Lei Han
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiao Yan
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Yi-Xin Guan
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Jash S, Banerjee S, Cheng S, Wang B, Qiu C, Kondo A, Ernerudh J, Zhou XZ, Lu KP, Sharma S. Cis P-tau is a central circulating and placental etiologic driver and therapeutic target of preeclampsia. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5414. [PMID: 37669931 PMCID: PMC10480164 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41144-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Preeclampsia (PE) is the leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality globally and may trigger dementia later in life in mothers and their offspring. However, the etiological drivers remain elusive. Cis P-tau is an early etiological driver and blood biomarker in pre-clinical Alzheimer's and after vascular or traumatic brain injury, which can be targeted by stereo-specific antibody, with clinical trials ongoing. Here we find significant cis P-tau in the placenta and serum of PE patients, and in primary human trophoblasts exposed to hypoxia or sera from PE patients due to Pin1 inactivation. Depletion of cis P-tau from PE patient sera by the antibody prevents their ability to disrupt trophoblast invasion and endovascular activity and to cause the PE-like pathological and clinical features in pregnant humanized tau mice. Our studies uncover that cis P-tau is a central circulating etiological driver and its stereo-specific antibody is valuable for early PE diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukanta Jash
- Departments of Pediatrics, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02905, USA
| | - Sayani Banerjee
- Departments of Pediatrics, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02905, USA
| | - Shibin Cheng
- Departments of Pediatrics, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02905, USA
| | - Bin Wang
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Chenxi Qiu
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Asami Kondo
- Division of Translational Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jan Ernerudh
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, SE 58183, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Linköping University, SE 58183, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Xiao Zhen Zhou
- Departments of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6G 2V4, Canada.
- Departments of Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6G 2V4, Canada.
- Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6G 2V4, Canada.
- Lawson Health Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6G 2V4, Canada.
| | - Kun Ping Lu
- Departments of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6G 2V4, Canada.
- Departments of Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6G 2V4, Canada.
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Western University, London, ON, N6G 2V4, Canada.
| | - Surendra Sharma
- Departments of Pediatrics, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02905, USA.
- Departments of Pathology, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02905, USA.
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10
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Eberle RJ, Coronado MA, Gering I, Sommerhage S, Korostov K, Stefanski A, Stühler K, Kraemer-Schulien V, Blömeke L, Bannach O, Willbold D. Tau protein aggregation associated with SARS-CoV-2 main protease. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288138. [PMID: 37603556 PMCID: PMC10441795 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary function of virus proteases is the proteolytic processing of the viral polyprotein. These enzymes can also cleave host cell proteins, which is important for viral pathogenicity, modulation of cellular processes, viral replication, the defeat of antiviral responses and modulation of the immune response. It is known that COVID-19 can influence multiple tissues or organs and that infection can damage the functionality of the brain in multiple ways. After COVID-19 infections, amyloid-β, neurogranin, tau and phosphorylated tau were detected extracellularly, implicating possible neurodegenerative processes. The present study describes the possible induction of tau aggregation by the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease (3CLpro) possibly relevant in neuropathology. Further investigations demonstrated that tau was proteolytically cleaved by the viral protease 3CL and, consequently, generated aggregates. However, more evidence is needed to confirm that COVID-19 is able to trigger neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Josef Eberle
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mônika Aparecida Coronado
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Ian Gering
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Simon Sommerhage
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Karolina Korostov
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Anja Stefanski
- Molecular Proteomics Laboratory (MPL), BMFZ, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kai Stühler
- Molecular Proteomics Laboratory (MPL), BMFZ, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Victoria Kraemer-Schulien
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Lara Blömeke
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Oliver Bannach
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- attyloid GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Willbold
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- JuStruct: Jülich Centre for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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11
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Ghadami S, Dellinger K. The lipid composition of extracellular vesicles: applications in diagnostics and therapeutic delivery. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1198044. [PMID: 37520326 PMCID: PMC10381967 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1198044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, with nanoscale sizes, biological origins, various functions, and unique lipid and protein compositions have been introduced as versatile tools for diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications. Numerous studies have reported the importance of the lipid composition of EVs and its influence on their mechanism of action. For example, changes in the lipidomic profile of EVs have been shown to influence the progression of various diseases, including ovarian malignancies and prostate cancer. In this review, we endeavored to examine differences in the lipid content of EV membranes derived from different cell types to characterize their capabilities as diagnostic tools and treatments for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's disease. We additionally discuss designing functionalized vesicles, whether synthetically by hybrid methods or by changing the lipid composition of natural EVs. Lastly, we provide an overview of current and potential biomedical applications and perspectives on the future of this growing field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristen Dellinger
- Department of Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, United States
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12
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Xiang L, Wang Y, Liu S, Liu B, Jin X, Cao X. Targeting Protein Aggregates with Natural Products: An Optional Strategy for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11275. [PMID: 37511037 PMCID: PMC10379780 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is one of the hallmarks of aging and aging-related diseases, especially for the neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and others. In these diseases, many pathogenic proteins, such as amyloid-β, tau, α-Syn, Htt, and FUS, form aggregates that disrupt the normal physiological function of cells and lead to associated neuronal lesions. Protein aggregates in NDs are widely recognized as one of the important targets for the treatment of these diseases. Natural products, with their diverse biological activities and rich medical history, represent a great treasure trove for the development of therapeutic strategies to combat disease. A number of in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that natural products, by virtue of their complex molecular scaffolds that specifically bind to pathogenic proteins and their aggregates, can inhibit the formation of aggregates, disrupt the structure of aggregates and destabilize them, thereby alleviating conditions associated with NDs. Here, we systematically reviewed studies using natural products to improve disease-related symptoms by reducing or inhibiting the formation of five pathogenic protein aggregates associated with NDs. This information should provide valuable insights into new directions and ideas for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzhi Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
| | - Yanan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
| | - Shenkui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
| | - Beidong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 41390 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Xuejiao Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
| | - Xiuling Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
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13
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El Mammeri N, Gampp O, Duan P, Hong M. Membrane-induced tau amyloid fibrils. Commun Biol 2023; 6:467. [PMID: 37117483 PMCID: PMC10147698 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04847-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The intrinsically disordered protein tau aggregates into β-sheet amyloid fibrils that spread in human brains afflicted with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Tau interaction with lipid membranes might play a role in the formation and spreading of these pathological aggregates. Here we investigate the conformation and assembly of membrane-induced tau aggregates using solid-state NMR and transmission electron microscopy. A tau construct that encompasses the microtubule-binding repeats and a proline-rich domain is reconstituted into cholesterol-containing phospholipid membranes. 2D 13C-13C correlation spectra indicate that tau converted from a random coil to a β-sheet conformation over weeks. Small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) cause different equilibrium conformations from large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and multilamellar vesicles (MLVs). Importantly, SUV-bound tau developed long fibrils that exhibit the characteristic β-sheet chemical shifts of Tyr310 in heparin-fibrillized tau. In comparison, LUVs and MLVs do not induce fibrils but cause different β-sheet aggregates. Lipid-protein correlation spectra indicate that these tau aggregates reside at the membrane-water interface, without inserting into the middle of the lipid bilayer. Removal of cholesterol from the SUVs abolished the fibrils, indicating that both membrane curvature and cholesterol are required for tau fibril formation. These results have implications for how lipid membranes might nucleate tau aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia El Mammeri
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Olivia Gampp
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Pu Duan
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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14
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Nguyen PH, Derreumaux P. An S-Shaped Aβ42 Cross-β Hexamer Embedded into a Lipid Bilayer Reveals Membrane Disruption and Permeability. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:936-946. [PMID: 36757886 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The interactions of amyloid oligomers with membranes are known to contribute to cellular toxicity. Numerous in vitro experimental studies reported on the insertion of oligomers of different sizes that can induce cell membrane disruption, extract lipids, and form ion-permeable transmembrane pores. The current repertoire of amyloid-beta (Aβ) membrane-inserted folds that was subject to high-resolution structure NMR spectroscopy and computer simulations is devoid of any cross-β fibrillar structure. In this study, we explored the dynamics of an S-shaped Aβ42 cross-β hexamer model inserted into a lipid bilayer membrane by two atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The initial model is characterized by the hydrophobic residues at the central hydrophobic core (residues 17-21, CHC) and the C-terminus (residues 30-42) embedded into the membrane. We observed major structural secondary, tertiary, and quaternary rearrangements leading to two distinct species, hexamer and two trimers, accompanied by membrane disruption and water permeation. The simulations show that some configurations, but not the majority, have the CHC and C-terminus hydrophobic residues exposed to the solvent. Overall, our computational results offer new perspectives to understand the relationship between Aβ42 assemblies and membrane permeability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, Université Paris Cité, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, Université Paris Cité, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
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15
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Tang J, Zou Y, Gong Y, Xu Z, Wan J, Wei G, Zhang Q. Molecular Mechanism in the Disruption of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy-Related R3-R4 Tau Protofibril by Quercetin and Gallic Acid: Similarities and Differences. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:897-908. [PMID: 36749931 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a unique progressive neurodegenerative tauopathy pathologically related to the aggregation of the tau protein to neurofibrillary tangles. Disrupting tau oligomers (protofibril) is a promising strategy to prevent CTE. Quercetin (QE) and gallic acid (GA), two polyphenol small molecules abundant in natural crops, were proved to inhibit recombinant tau and the R3 fragment of human full-length tau in vitro. However, their disruptive effect on CTE-related protofibril and the underlying molecular mechanism remain elusive. Cryo-electron microscopy resolution reveals that the R3-R4 fragment of tau forms the core of the CTE-related tau protofibril. In this study, we conducted extensive all-atom molecular dynamics simulations on CTE-related R3-R4 tau protofibril with and without QE/GA molecules. The results disclose that both QE and GA can disrupt the global structure of the protofibril, while GA shows a relatively strong effect. The binding sites, exact binding patterns, and disruptive modes for the two molecules show similarities and differences. Strikingly, both QE and GA can insert into the hydrophobic cavity of the protofibril, indicating they have the potential to compete for the space in the cavity with aggregation cofactors unique to CTE-related protofibril and thus impede the further aggregation of the tau protein. Due to relatively short time scale, our study captures the early disruptive mechanism of CTE-related R3-R4 tau protofibril by QE/GA. However, our research does provide valuable knowledge for the design of supplements or drugs to prevent or delay the development of CTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxing Tang
- School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, 399 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Zou
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, 886 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Yehong Gong
- School of Sports Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengdong Xu
- School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, 399 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaqian Wan
- School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, 399 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Sciences (Ministry of Education), Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingwen Zhang
- School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, 399 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
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16
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The interactions of amyloid β aggregates with phospholipid membranes and the implications for neurodegeneration. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:147-159. [PMID: 36629697 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Misfolding, aggregation and accumulation of Amyloid-β peptides (Aβ) in neuronal tissue and extracellular matrix are hallmark features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Soluble Aβ oligomers are involved in neuronal toxicity by interacting with the lipid membrane, compromising its integrity, and affecting the function of receptors. These facts indicate that the interaction between Aβ oligomers and cell membranes may be one of the central molecular level factors responsible for the onset of neurodegeneration. The present review provides a structural understanding of Aβ neurotoxicity via membrane interactions and contributes to understanding early events in Alzheimer's disease.
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17
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Barredo PA, Balanay MP. Recent Advances in Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Tau Fibrils and Oligomers. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:277. [PMID: 36984665 PMCID: PMC10052016 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13030277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The study of tau protein aggregation and interactions with other molecules or solvents using molecular dynamics simulations (MDs) is of interest to many researchers to propose new mechanism-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and other tauopathies. In this review, we present recent MD simulation studies of tau oligomers and fibrils such as tau-NPK, tau-PHF, tau-K18, and tau-R3-R4 monomers and dimers. All-atom simulations by replica exchange MDs and coarse-grained MDs in lipid bilayers and in solution were used. The simulations revealed different mechanisms in the binding of tau in bilayers and in solutions, depending on the peptide size. Phosphorylation is also an important factor in MD simulations. The use of steered MDs was also included to simulate the dissociation of tau fibrils. The exponential improvement in the computing power of computers has led to an increasing number of scientists and engineers using a cost-effective, high-performance computing platform to study how the tau protein interacts and the effects of changing its structure, such as the phosphorylation of tau fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prechiel A. Barredo
- Department of Chemistry, Mindanao State University, Marawi City 9700, Philippines
| | - Mannix P. Balanay
- Department of Chemistry, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
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18
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Impaired Extracellular Proteostasis in Patients with Heart Failure. Arch Med Res 2023; 54:211-222. [PMID: 36797157 DOI: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2023.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Proteostasis impairment and the consequent increase of amyloid burden in the myocardium have been associated with heart failure (HF) development and poor prognosis. A better knowledge of the protein aggregation process in biofluids could assist the development and monitoring of tailored interventions. AIM To compare the proteostasis status and protein's secondary structures in plasma samples of patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and age-matched individuals. METHODS A total of 42 participants were enrolled in 3 groups: 14 patients with HFpEF, 14 patients with HFrEF, and 14 age-matched individuals. Proteostasis-related markers were analyzed by immunoblotting techniques. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) was applied to assess changes in the protein's conformational profile. RESULTS Patients with HFrEF showed an elevated concentration of oligomeric proteic species and reduced clusterin levels. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis allowed the discrimination of HF patients from age-matched individuals in the protein amide I absorption region (1700-1600 cm-1), reflecting changes in protein conformation, with a sensitivity of 73 and a specificity of 81%. Further analysis of FTIR spectra showed significantly reduced random coils levels in both HF phenotypes. Also, compared to the age-matched group, the levels of structures related to fibril formation were significantly increased in patients with HFrEF, whereas the β-turns were significantly increased in patients with HFpEF. CONCLUSION Both HF phenotypes showed a compromised extracellular proteostasis and different protein conformational changes, suggesting a less efficient protein quality control system.
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19
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Wang D, Gu X, Ma X, Chen J, Zhang Q, Yu Z, Li J, Hu M, Tan X, Tang Y, Xu J, Xu M, Song Q, Song H, Jiang G, Tang Z, Gao X, Chen H. Nanopolyphenol rejuvenates microglial surveillance of multiple misfolded proteins through metabolic reprogramming. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023; 13:834-851. [PMID: 36873190 PMCID: PMC9978858 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglial surveillance plays an essential role in clearing misfolded proteins such as amyloid-beta, tau, and α-synuclein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases. However, due to the complex structure and ambiguous pathogenic species of the misfolded proteins, a universal approach to remove the misfolded proteins remains unavailable. Here, we found that a polyphenol, α-mangostin, reprogrammed metabolism in the disease-associated microglia through shifting glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation, which holistically rejuvenated microglial surveillance capacity to enhance microglial phagocytosis and autophagy-mediated degradation of multiple misfolded proteins. Nanoformulation of α-mangostin efficiently delivered α-mangostin to microglia, relieved the reactive status and rejuvenated the misfolded-proteins clearance capacity of microglia, which thus impressively relieved the neuropathological changes in both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease model mice. These findings provide direct evidences for the concept of rejuvenating microglial surveillance of multiple misfolded proteins through metabolic reprogramming, and demonstrate nanoformulated α-mangostin as a potential and universal therapy against neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayuan Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xiao Gu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xinyi Ma
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Qizhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zhihua Yu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Juan Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Meng Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xiaofang Tan
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yuyun Tang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Jianrong Xu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.,Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Minjun Xu
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Qingxiang Song
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Huahua Song
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Gan Jiang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Zaiming Tang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xiaoling Gao
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Hongzhuan Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.,Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
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20
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Oatman SR, Reddy JS, Quicksall Z, Carrasquillo MM, Wang X, Liu CC, Yamazaki Y, Nguyen TT, Malphrus K, Heckman M, Biswas K, Nho K, Baker M, Martens YA, Zhao N, Kim JP, Risacher SL, Rademakers R, Saykin AJ, DeTure M, Murray ME, Kanekiyo T, Dickson DW, Bu G, Allen M, Ertekin-Taner N. Genome-wide association study of brain biochemical phenotypes reveals distinct genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease related proteins. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:2. [PMID: 36609403 PMCID: PMC9825010 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00592-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neuropathologically characterized by amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The main protein components of these hallmarks include Aβ40, Aβ42, tau, phosphor-tau, and APOE. We hypothesize that genetic variants influence the levels and solubility of these AD-related proteins in the brain; identifying these may provide key insights into disease pathogenesis. METHODS Genome-wide genotypes were collected from 441 AD cases, imputed to the haplotype reference consortium (HRC) panel, and filtered for quality and frequency. Temporal cortex levels of five AD-related proteins from three fractions, buffer-soluble (TBS), detergent-soluble (Triton-X = TX), and insoluble (Formic acid = FA), were available for these same individuals. Variants were tested for association with each quantitative biochemical measure using linear regression, and GSA-SNP2 was used to identify enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Implicated variants and genes were further assessed for association with other relevant variables. RESULTS We identified genome-wide significant associations at seven novel loci and the APOE locus. Genes and variants at these loci also associate with multiple AD-related measures, regulate gene expression, have cell-type specific enrichment, and roles in brain health and other neuropsychiatric diseases. Pathway analysis identified significant enrichment of shared and distinct biological pathways. CONCLUSIONS Although all biochemical measures tested reflect proteins core to AD pathology, our results strongly suggest that each have unique genetic architecture and biological pathways that influence their specific biochemical states in the brain. Our novel approach of deep brain biochemical endophenotype GWAS has implications for pathophysiology of proteostasis in AD that can guide therapeutic discovery efforts focused on these proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie R. Oatman
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Joseph S. Reddy
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL USA
| | - Zachary Quicksall
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL USA
| | | | - Xue Wang
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL USA
| | - Chia-Chen Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Yu Yamazaki
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Thuy T. Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Kimberly Malphrus
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Michael Heckman
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL USA
| | - Kristi Biswas
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Kwangsik Nho
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
| | - Matthew Baker
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Yuka A. Martens
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Na Zhao
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Jun Pyo Kim
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
| | - Shannon L. Risacher
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
| | - Rosa Rademakers
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
- VIB-UA Center for Molecular Neurology, VIB, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Andrew J. Saykin
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
| | - Michael DeTure
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Melissa E. Murray
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Takahisa Kanekiyo
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL USA
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- VIB-UA Center for Molecular Neurology, VIB, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN USA
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Birdsall 3, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Dennis W. Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Guojun Bu
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Mariet Allen
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Birdsall 3, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
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21
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Nguyen PH, Sterpone F, Derreumaux P. Self-Assembly of Amyloid-Beta (Aβ) Peptides from Solution to Near In Vivo Conditions. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:10317-10326. [PMID: 36469912 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the atomistic resolution changes during the self-assembly of amyloid peptides or proteins is important to develop compounds or conditions to alter the aggregation pathways and suppress the toxicity and potentially aid in the development of drugs. However, the complexity of protein aggregation and the transient order/disorder of oligomers along the pathways to fibril are very challenging. In this Perspective, we discuss computational studies of amyloid polypeptides carried out under various conditions, including conditions closely mimicking in vivo and point out the challenges in obtaining physiologically relevant results, focusing mainly on the amyloid-beta Aβ peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Fabio Sterpone
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005, Paris, France
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22
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Mahakud AK, Shaikh J, Rifa Iqbal VV, Gupta A, Tiwari A, Saleem M. Amyloids on Membrane Interfaces: Implications for Neurodegeneration. J Membr Biol 2022; 255:705-722. [PMID: 35670831 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-022-00245-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Membrane interfaces are vital for various cellular processes, and their involvement in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease has taken precedence in recent years. The amyloidogenic proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases interact with the neuronal membrane through various means, which has implications for both the onset and progression of the disease. The parameters that regulate the interaction between the membrane and the amyloids remain poorly understood. The review focuses on the various aspects of membrane interactions of amyloids, particularly amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and Tau involved in Alzheimer's and α-synuclein involved in Parkinson's disease. The genetic, cell biological, biochemical, and biophysical studies that form the basis for our current understanding of the membrane interactions of Aβ peptides, Tau, and α-synuclein are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaresh Kumar Mahakud
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Jafarulla Shaikh
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - V V Rifa Iqbal
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Abhinav Gupta
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Anuj Tiwari
- Department of Life Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India
| | - Mohammed Saleem
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India. .,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India.
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23
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Cheng KH, Graf A, Lewis A, Pham T, Acharya A. Exploring Membrane Binding Targets of Disordered Human Tau Aggregates on Lipid Rafts Using Multiscale Molecular Dynamics Simulations. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12111098. [PMID: 36363654 PMCID: PMC9695534 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12111098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The self-aggregation of tau, a microtubule-binding protein, has been linked to the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. Recent studies indicate that the disordered tau aggregates, or oligomers, are more toxic than the ordered fibrils found in the intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of tau. At present, details of tau oligomer interactions with lipid rafts, a model of neuronal membranes, are not known. Using molecular dynamics simulations, the lipid-binding events, membrane-damage, and protein folding of tau oligomers on various lipid raft surfaces were investigated. Tau oligomers preferred to bind to the boundary domains (Lod) created by the coexisting liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) domains in the lipid rafts. Additionally, stronger binding of tau oligomers to the ganglioside (GM1) and phosphatidylserine (PS) domains, and subsequent protein-induced lipid chain order disruption and beta-sheet formation were detected. Our results suggest that GM1 and PS domains, located exclusively in the outer and inner leaflets, respectively, of the neuronal membranes, are specific membrane domain targets, whereas the Lod domains are non-specific targets, of tau oligomers binding to neurons. The molecular details of these specific and non-specific tau bindings to lipid rafts may provide new insights into understanding membrane-associated tauopathies leading to Alzheimer's Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwan H. Cheng
- Neuroscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
- Physics Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Angela Graf
- Physics Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Amber Lewis
- Neuroscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Thuong Pham
- Physics Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Aakriti Acharya
- Physics Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
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24
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Aβ and Tau Interact with Metal Ions, Lipid Membranes and Peptide-Based Amyloid Inhibitors: Are These Common Features Relevant in Alzheimer’s Disease? Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27165066. [PMID: 36014310 PMCID: PMC9414153 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27165066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last two decades, the amyloid hypothesis, i.e., the abnormal accumulation of toxic Aβ assemblies in the brain, has been considered the mainstream concept sustaining research in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). However, the course of cognitive decline and AD development better correlates with tau accumulation rather than amyloid peptide deposition. Moreover, all clinical trials of amyloid-targeting drug candidates have been unsuccessful, implicitly suggesting that the amyloid hypothesis needs significant amendments. Accumulating evidence supports the existence of a series of potentially dangerous relationships between Aβ oligomeric species and tau protein in AD. However, the molecular determinants underlying pathogenic Aβ/tau cross interactions are not fully understood. Here, we discuss the common features of Aβ and tau molecules, with special emphasis on: (i) the critical role played by metal dyshomeostasis in promoting both Aβ and tau aggregation and oxidative stress, in AD; (ii) the effects of lipid membranes on Aβ and tau (co)-aggregation at the membrane interface; (iii) the potential of small peptide-based inhibitors of Aβ and tau misfolding as therapeutic tools in AD. Although the molecular mechanism underlying the direct Aβ/tau interaction remains largely unknown, the arguments discussed in this review may help reinforcing the current view of a synergistic Aβ/tau molecular crosstalk in AD and stimulate further research to mechanism elucidation and next-generation AD therapeutics.
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25
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Nguyen PH, Derreumaux P. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Tau Amyloid Fibril Core Dimer at the Surface of a Lipid Bilayer Model: I. In Alzheimer's Disease. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4849-4856. [PMID: 35759677 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c02836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A tau R3-R4 domain spanning residues 306-378 was shown to form an amyloid fibril core of a full-length tau in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Recently, we studied the dynamics of a tau R3-R4 monomer at the surface of a lipid bilayer model and revealed deep insertion of the amino acids spanning the PHF6 motif (residues 306-311) and its flanking residues. Here, we explore the membrane-associated conformational ensemble of a tau R3-R4 dimer by means of atomistic molecular dynamics. Similar to the monomer simulation, the R3-R4 dimer has the propensity to form β-hairpin-like conformation. Unlike the monomer, the dimer shows insertion of the C-terminal R4 region and transient adsorption of the PHF6 motif. Taken together, these results reveal the multiplicity of adsorption and insertion modes of tau into membranes depending on its oligomer size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
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26
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Tuck BJ, Miller LVC, Katsinelos T, Smith AE, Wilson EL, Keeling S, Cheng S, Vaysburd MJ, Knox C, Tredgett L, Metzakopian E, James LC, McEwan WA. Cholesterol determines the cytosolic entry and seeded aggregation of tau. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110776. [PMID: 35508140 PMCID: PMC9108550 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Assemblies of tau can transit between neurons, seeding aggregation in a prion-like manner. To accomplish this, tau must cross cell-limiting membranes, a process that is poorly understood. Here, we establish assays for the study of tau entry into the cytosol as a phenomenon distinct from uptake, in real time, and at physiological concentrations. The entry pathway of tau is cell type specific and, in neurons, highly sensitive to cholesterol. Depletion of the cholesterol transporter Niemann-Pick type C1 or extraction of membrane cholesterol renders neurons highly permissive to tau entry and potentiates seeding even at low levels of exogenous tau assemblies. Conversely, cholesterol supplementation reduces entry and almost completely blocks seeded aggregation. Our findings establish entry as a rate-limiting step to seeded aggregation and demonstrate that dysregulated cholesterol, a feature of several neurodegenerative diseases, potentiates tau aggregation by promoting entry of tau assemblies into the cell interior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Tuck
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK.
| | - Lauren V C Miller
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Taxiarchis Katsinelos
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Annabel E Smith
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Emma L Wilson
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Sophie Keeling
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Shi Cheng
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Marina J Vaysburd
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Claire Knox
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Lucy Tredgett
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Emmanouil Metzakopian
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Leo C James
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - William A McEwan
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK.
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27
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Nguyen PH, Derreumaux P. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Tau R3-R4 Domain Monomer in the Bulk Solution and at the Surface of a Lipid Bilayer Model. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:3431-3438. [PMID: 35476504 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The aggregation of the tau protein plays a significant role in Alzheimer's disease, and the tau R3-R4 domain spanning residues 306-378 was shown to form the amyloid fibril core of a full-length tau. The conformations of the tau R3-R4 monomer in the bulk solution and at the surface of membranes are unknown. In this study, we address these questions by means of atomistic molecular dynamics. The simulations in the bulk solution show a very heterogeneous ensemble of conformations with low β and helical contents. The tau R3-R4 monomer has the propensity to form transient β-hairpins within the R3 repeat and between the R3 and R4 repeats and parallel β-sheets spanning the R3 and R4 repeats. The simulations also show that the surface of the membrane does not induce β-sheet insertion and leads to an ensemble of structures very different from those in the bulk solution. They also reveal the dynamical properties of the membrane-bound state of the tau R3-R4 monomer, enabling insertion of the residues 306-318 and 376-378.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, Université Paris Cité, UPR 9080, Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, 13 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
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28
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Yao QQ, Wen J, Perrett S, Wu S. Distinct lipid membrane-mediated pathways of Tau assembly revealed by single-molecule analysis. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:4604-4613. [PMID: 35260870 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr05960b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The conversion of intrinsically disordered Tau to highly ordered amyloid aggregates is associated with a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases termed tauopathies. The presence of lipid bilayer membranes is a critical factor that accelerates the abnormal aggregation of Tau protein. However, the lipid membrane-induced conformational changes of Tau and the mechanism for the accelerated fibrillation remain elusive. In this study, single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) were applied to detect the conformational changes and intermolecular interactions of full-length Tau in the presence of different concentrations of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylserine (DMPS) vesicles. The results show that the conformation of Tau becomes expanded with opening of the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of Tau upon binding to DMPS. At low DMPS concentrations, Tau forms oligomers with a partially extended conformation which facilitates the amyloid fibrillization process. At high DMPS concentrations, Tau monomer binds to lipid membranes in a fully expanded conformation at low density thus inhibiting intermolecular aggregation. Our study reveals the underlying mechanisms by which lipid membranes influence amyloid formation of Tau, providing a foundation for further understanding of the pathogenesis and physiology of the interplay between Tau protein and lipid membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong-Qiong Yao
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jitao Wen
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Sarah Perrett
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Si Wu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
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29
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Nguyen TH, Nguyen PH, Ngo ST, Derreumaux P. Effect of Cholesterol Molecules on Aβ1-42 Wild-Type and Mutants Trimers. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27041395. [PMID: 35209177 PMCID: PMC8879133 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27041395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease displays aggregates of the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide in the brain, and there is increasing evidence that cholesterol may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Though many experimental and theoretical studies have focused on the interactions of Aβ oligomers with membrane models containing cholesterol, an understanding of the effect of free cholesterol on small Aβ42 oligomers is not fully established. To address this question, we report on replica exchange with a solute tempering simulation of an Aβ42 trimer with cholesterol and compare it with a previous replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation. We show that the binding hot spots of cholesterol are rather complex, involving hydrophobic residues L17–F20 and L30–M35 with a non-negligible contribution of loop residues D22–K28 and N-terminus residues. We also examine the effects of cholesterol on the trimers of the disease-causing A21G and disease-protective A2T mutations by molecular dynamics simulations. We show that these two mutations moderately impact cholesterol-binding modes. In our REST2 simulations, we find that cholesterol is rarely inserted into aggregates but rather attached as dimers and trimers at the surface of Aβ42 oligomers. We propose that cholesterol acts as a glue to speed up the formation of larger aggregates; this provides a mechanistic link between cholesterol and Alzheimer’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; (T.H.N.); (S.T.N.)
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Phuong H. Nguyen
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, UPR 9080 CNRS, Université de Paris, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France;
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; (T.H.N.); (S.T.N.)
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, UPR 9080 CNRS, Université de Paris, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France;
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence:
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30
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Cao L, Kong Y, Ji B, Ren Y, Guan Y, Ni R. Positron Emission Tomography in Animal Models of Tauopathies. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 13:761913. [PMID: 35082657 PMCID: PMC8784812 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.761913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) plays an important role in Alzheimer's disease and primary tauopathy diseases. The abnormal accumulation of tau contributes to the development of neurotoxicity, inflammation, neurodegeneration, and cognitive deficits in tauopathy diseases. Tau synergically interacts with amyloid-beta in Alzheimer's disease leading to detrimental consequence. Thus, tau has been an important target for therapeutics development for Alzheimer's disease and primary tauopathy diseases. Tauopathy animal models recapitulating the tauopathy such as transgenic, knock-in mouse and rat models have been developed and greatly facilitated the understanding of disease mechanisms. The advance in PET and imaging tracers have enabled non-invasive detection of the accumulation and spread of tau, the associated microglia activation, metabolic, and neurotransmitter receptor alterations in disease animal models. In vivo microPET studies on mouse or rat models of tauopathy have provided significant insights into the phenotypes and time course of pathophysiology of these models and allowed the monitoring of treatment targeting at tau. In this study, we discuss the utilities of PET and recently developed tracers for evaluating the pathophysiology in tauopathy animal models. We point out the outstanding challenges and propose future outlook in visualizing tau-related pathophysiological changes in brain of tauopathy disease animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Cao
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Changes Technology Corporation Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Yanyan Kong
- PET Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Ji
- Department of Radiopharmacy and Molecular Imaging, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yutong Ren
- Guangdong Robotics Association, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yihui Guan
- PET Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruiqing Ni
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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31
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Nguyen PH, Tufféry P, Derreumaux P. Dynamics of Amyloid Formation from Simplified Representation to Atomistic Simulations. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2405:95-113. [PMID: 35298810 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1855-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid fibril formation is an intrinsic property of short peptides, non-disease proteins, and proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Aggregates of the Aβ and tau proteins, the α-synuclein protein, and the prion protein are observed in the brain of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and prion disease patients, respectively. Due to the transient short-range and long-range interactions of all species and their high aggregation propensities, the conformational ensemble of these devastating proteins, the exception being for the monomeric prion protein, remains elusive by standard structural biology methods in bulk solution and in lipid membranes. To overcome these limitations, an increasing number of simulations using different sampling methods and protein models have been performed. In this chapter, we first review our main contributions to the field of amyloid protein simulations aimed at understanding the early aggregation steps of short linear amyloid peptides, the conformational ensemble of the Aβ40/42 dimers in bulk solution, and the stability of Aβ aggregates in lipid membrane models. Then we focus on our studies on the interactions of amyloid peptides/inhibitors to prevent aggregation, and long amyloid sequences, including new results on a monomeric tau construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong Hoang Nguyen
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, CNRS, Université de Paris, UPR 9080, Paris, France
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Tufféry
- Université de Paris, BFA, UMR 8251, CNRS, ERL U1133, Inserm, RPBS, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, CNRS, Université de Paris, UPR 9080, Paris, France.
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
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32
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Limorenko G, Lashuel HA. Revisiting the grammar of Tau aggregation and pathology formation: how new insights from brain pathology are shaping how we study and target Tauopathies. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 51:513-565. [PMID: 34889934 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00127b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence continues to point towards Tau aggregation and pathology formation as central events in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and other Tauopathies. Despite significant advances in understanding the morphological and structural properties of Tau fibrils, many fundamental questions remain about what causes Tau to aggregate in the first place. The exact roles of cofactors, Tau post-translational modifications, and Tau interactome in regulating Tau aggregation, pathology formation, and toxicity remain unknown. Recent studies have put the spotlight on the wide gap between the complexity of Tau structures, aggregation, and pathology formation in the brain and the simplicity of experimental approaches used for modeling these processes in research laboratories. Embracing and deconstructing this complexity is an essential first step to understanding the role of Tau in health and disease. To help deconstruct this complexity and understand its implication for the development of effective Tau targeting diagnostics and therapies, we firstly review how our understanding of Tau aggregation and pathology formation has evolved over the past few decades. Secondly, we present an analysis of new findings and insights from recent studies illustrating the biochemical, structural, and functional heterogeneity of Tau aggregates. Thirdly, we discuss the importance of adopting new experimental approaches that embrace the complexity of Tau aggregation and pathology as an important first step towards developing mechanism- and structure-based therapies that account for the pathological and clinical heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease and Tauopathies. We believe that this is essential to develop effective diagnostics and therapies to treat these devastating diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina Limorenko
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Hilal A Lashuel
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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33
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Acosta DM, Mancinelli C, Bracken C, Eliezer D. Post-translational modifications within tau paired helical filament nucleating motifs perturb microtubule interactions and oligomer formation. J Biol Chem 2021; 298:101442. [PMID: 34838590 PMCID: PMC8741514 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-translationally modified tau is the primary component of tau neurofibrillary tangles, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Post-translational modifications within the tau microtubule binding domain (MBD), which encompasses two hexapeptide motifs that act as critical nucleating regions for tau aggregation, can potentially modulate tau aggregation as well as interactions with microtubules (MTs) and membranes. Here we characterize the effects of a recently discovered tau PTM, lysine succinylation, on tau-tubulin interactions, and compare these to the effects of two previously reported MBD modifications, lysine acetylation and tyrosine phosphorylation. As generation of site-specific PTMs in proteins is challenging, we used short synthetic peptides to quantify the effects on tubulin binding of three site-specific PTMs located within the PHF6* (residues 275-280) and PHF6 (residues 306-311) hexapeptide motifs: K280 acetylation, Y310 phosphorylation and K311 succinylation. We compared these effects to those observed for MBD PTM-mimetic point mutations K280Q, Y310E and K311E. Finally, we evaluated the effects of these PTM-mimetic mutations on MBD membrane binding and membrane-induced fibril and oligomer formation. We found that all three PTMs perturb tau MT binding, with Y310 phosphorylation exerting the strongest effect. PTM mimetic mutations partially recapitulated the effects of the PTMs on MT binding and also disrupted tau membrane binding and membrane induced oligomer and fibril formation. These results imply that these PTMs, including the novel and AD-specific succinylation of tau K311, may influence both the physiological and pathological interactions of tau and thus represent targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana M Acosta
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Program in Structural Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Chiara Mancinelli
- Department of Biochemistry and Program in Structural Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Clay Bracken
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Eliezer
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Program in Structural Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065.
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34
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Sen S, Kumar H, Udgaonkar JB. Microsecond Dynamics During the Binding-induced Folding of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167254. [PMID: 34537237 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases. The repeat domain fragment of tau, tau-K18, is known to undergo a disorder to order transition in the presence of lipid micelles and vesicles, in which helices form in each of the repeat domains. Here, the mechanism of helical structure formation, induced by a phospholipid mimetic, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at sub-micellar concentrations, has been studied using multiple biophysical probes. A study of the conformational dynamics of the disordered state, using photoinduced electron transfer coupled to fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (PET-FCS) has indicated the presence of an intermediate state, I, in equilibrium with the unfolded state, U. The cooperative binding of the ligand (L), SDS, to I has been shown to induce the formation of a compact, helical intermediate (IL5) within the dead time (∼37 µs) of a continuous flow mixer. Quantitative analysis of the PET-FCS data and the ensemble microsecond kinetic data, suggests that the mechanism of induction of helical structure can be described by a U ↔ I ↔ IL5 ↔ FL5 mechanism, in which the final helical state, FL5, forms from IL5 with a time constant of 50-200 µs. Finally, it has been shown that the helical conformation is an aggregation-competent state that can directly form amyloid fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreemantee Sen
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Pashan, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Harish Kumar
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Pashan, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Jayant B Udgaonkar
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Pashan, Pune 411 008, India.
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35
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Barredo PA, Fernandez MJF, Ambe CE, Balanay MP. Tau fibril with membrane lipids: Insight from computational modeling and simulations. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258692. [PMID: 34653235 PMCID: PMC8519458 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-binding protein tau has been the center of researches concerning Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to several clinical trials of β-amyloid therapies failing recently. The availability of the tau fibril structure from AD brain enables computational modeling studies to calculate binding affinities with different ligands. In this study, the tau paired helical filaments (PHF-Tau) (PDB ID: 5O3L) was used as receptor and interactions with the lipids: 3-alpha-cholesterol; 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; and C18:1 sphingomyelin, were explored with molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and natural bond orbital analysis. Docking sites upon solvation of the protein with transferable interatomic potential-3 points reveal the amphipathic nature of PHF-Tau and molecular dynamics simulations show that the embedded phosphocholine at the tail side gives high potential energy values with some amino acids forming H-bond interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prechiel A. Barredo
- Department of Chemistry, Iligan Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University, Iligan, Republic of the Philippines
| | - Marvin Jose F. Fernandez
- Department of Chemistry, Iligan Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University, Iligan, Republic of the Philippines
| | - Christopher E. Ambe
- Department of Chemistry, Iligan Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University, Iligan, Republic of the Philippines
| | - Mannix P. Balanay
- Department of Chemistry, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
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36
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Sallaberry CA, Voss BJ, Majewski J, Biernat J, Mandelkow E, Chi EY, Vander Zanden CM. Tau and Membranes: Interactions That Promote Folding and Condensation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:725241. [PMID: 34621743 PMCID: PMC8491580 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.725241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau misfolding and assembly is linked to a number of neurodegenerative diseases collectively described as tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease. Anionic cellular membranes, such as the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane, are sites that concentrate and neutralize tau, primarily due to electrostatic interactions with tau’s microtubule binding repeat domain (RD). In addition to electrostatic interactions with lipids, tau also has interactions with membrane proteins, which are important for tau’s cellular functions. Tau also interacts with lipid tails to facilitate direct translocation across the membrane and can form stable protein-lipid complexes involved in cell-to-cell transport. Concentrated tau monomers at the membrane surface can form reversible condensates, change secondary structures, and induce oligomers, which may eventually undergo irreversible crosslinking and fibril formation. These β-sheet rich tau structures are capable of disrupting membrane organization and are toxic in cell-based assays. Given the evidence for relevant membrane-based tau assembly, we review the emerging hypothesis that polyanionic membranes may serve as a site for phase-separated tau condensation. Membrane-mediated phase separation may have important implications for regulating tau folding/misfolding, and may be a powerful mechanism to spatially direct tau for native membrane-mediated functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad A Sallaberry
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
| | - Barbie J Voss
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
| | - Jaroslaw Majewski
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, United States.,Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Center for Biomedical Engineering, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.,Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | - Jacek Biernat
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.,Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (CAESAR) Center, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Eva Y Chi
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Center for Biomedical Engineering, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Crystal M Vander Zanden
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
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Kang SG, Han ZZ, Daude N, McNamara E, Wohlgemuth S, Molina-Porcel L, Safar JG, Mok SA, Westaway D. Pathologic tau conformer ensembles induce dynamic, liquid-liquid phase separation events at the nuclear envelope. BMC Biol 2021; 19:199. [PMID: 34503506 PMCID: PMC8428099 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01132-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The microtubule-associated protein tau forms aggregates in different neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. Prior work has shown that a single P301L mutation in tau gene, MAPT, can promote alternative tau folding pathways that correlate with divergent clinical diagnoses. Using progressive chemical denaturation, some tau preparations from the brain featured complex transitions starting at low concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) denaturant, indicating an ensemble of differently folded tau species called conformers. On the other hand, brain samples with abundant, tangle-like pathology had simple GdnHCl unfolding profile resembling the profile of fibrillized recombinant tau and suggesting a unitary conformer composition. In studies here we sought to understand tau conformer progression and potential relationships with condensed liquid states, as well as associated perturbations in cell biological processes. Results As starting material, we used brain samples from P301L transgenic mice containing tau conformer ensembles that unfolded at low GdnHCl concentrations and with signatures resembling brain material from P301L subjects presenting with language or memory problems. We seeded reporter cells expressing a soluble form of 4 microtubule-binding repeat tau fused to GFP or YFP reporter moieties, resulting in redistribution of dispersed fluorescence signals into focal assemblies that could fuse together and move within processes between adjacent cells. Nuclear envelope fluorescent tau signals and small fluorescent inclusions behaved as a demixed liquid phase, indicative of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS); these droplets exhibited spherical morphology, fusion events and could recover from photobleaching. Moreover, juxtanuclear tau assemblies were associated with disrupted nuclear transport and reduced cell viability in a stable cell line. Staining for thioflavin S (ThS) became more prevalent as tau-derived inclusions attained cross-sectional area greater than 3 μm2, indicating (i) a bipartite composition, (ii) in vivo progression of tau conformers, and (iii) that a mass threshold applying to demixed condensates may drive liquid-solid transitions. Conclusions Tau conformer ensembles characterized by denaturation at low GdnHCl concentration templated the production of condensed droplets in living cells. These species exhibit dynamic changes and develop in vivo, and the larger ThS-positive assemblies may represent a waystation to arrive at intracellular fibrillar tau inclusions seen in end-stage genetic tauopathies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01132-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Gyun Kang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2 M8, Canada
| | - Zhuang Zhuang Han
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2 M8, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Nathalie Daude
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2 M8, Canada
| | - Emily McNamara
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2 M8, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Serene Wohlgemuth
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2 M8, Canada
| | | | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Neurology and Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Sue-Ann Mok
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2 M8, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2 M8, Canada. .,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. .,Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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Tau N-Terminal Inserts Regulate Tau Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation and Condensates Maturation in a Neuronal Cell Model. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22189728. [PMID: 34575888 PMCID: PMC8468574 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22189728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to form membraneless condensates in neurons, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms and functions of tau LLPS and tau droplets remain to be elucidated. The human brain contains mainly 6 tau isoforms with different numbers of microtubule-binding repeats (3R, 4R) and N-terminal inserts (0N, 1N, 2N). However, little is known about the role of N-terminal inserts. Here we observed the dynamics of three tau isoforms with different N-terminal inserts in live neuronal cell line HT22. We validated tau LLPS in cytoplasm and found that 2N-tau forms liquid-like, hollow-shell droplets. Tau condensates became smaller in 1N-tau comparing with 2N-tau, while no obvious tau accumulated dots were shown in 0N-tau. The absence of N-terminal inserts significantly affected condensate colocalization of tau and p62. The results reveal insights into the tau LLPS assembly mechanism and functional effects of N-terminal inserts in tau.
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Membrane interaction and disulphide-bridge formation in the unconventional secretion of Tau. Biosci Rep 2021; 41:229358. [PMID: 34308969 PMCID: PMC8350431 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20210148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Misfolded, pathological tau protein propagates from cell to cell causing neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. The molecular mechanisms of this process have remained elusive. Unconventional secretion of tau takes place via several different routes, including direct penetration through the plasma membrane. Here, we show that tau secretion requires membrane interaction via disulphide bridge formation. Mutating residues that reduce tau interaction with membranes or formation of disulphide bridges decrease both tau secretion from cells, and penetration through artificial lipid membranes. Our results demonstrate that tau is indeed able to penetrate protein-free membranes in a process independent of active cellular processes and that both membrane interaction and disulphide bridge formation are needed for this process. QUARK-based de novo modelling of the second and third microtubule-binding repeat domains (MTBDs), in which the two cysteine residues of 4R isoforms of tau are located, supports the concept that this region of tau could form transient amphipathic helices for membrane interaction.
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40
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Azouz M, Feuillie C, Lafleur M, Molinari M, Lecomte S. Interaction of Tau construct K18 with model lipid membranes. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2021; 3:4244-4253. [PMID: 36132846 PMCID: PMC9417262 DOI: 10.1039/d1na00055a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, resulting from the aggregation of the tubulin associated unit protein (Tau), which holds a vital role in maintaining neuron integrity in a healthy brain. The development of such aggregates and their deposition in the brain seem to correlate with the onset of neurodegeneration processes. The misfolding and subsequent aggregation of the protein into paired helical filaments that further form the tangles, lead to dysfunction of the protein with neuronal loss and cognitive decline. The aggregation of the protein then seems to be a causative factor of the neurodegeneration associated with AD. The hypothesis of an involvement of the membrane in modulating the misfolding and assembly of Tau into paired helical filaments attracts increasing interests. To provide more insight about how lipids can modulate the interactions with Tau, we have conducted a comprehensive Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) study involving supported lipid bilayers of controlled compositions with the Tau microtubule-binding construct K18. Particularly, the effects of zwitterionic and negatively charged phospholipids on the interaction have been investigated. Deleterious solubilization effects have been evidenced on fluid zwitterionic membranes as well as an inability of K18 to fragment gel phases. The role of negative lipids in the aggregation of the peptide and the particular ability of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in inducing K18 fibrillization on membranes are also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Azouz
- Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-Objects, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, INP Bordeaux, UMR5248 allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 33600 Pessac France
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal Succursale Centre-Ville Montréal C.P. 6128 Québec Canada H3C 3J7
| | - Cécile Feuillie
- Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-Objects, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, INP Bordeaux, UMR5248 allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 33600 Pessac France
| | - Michel Lafleur
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal Succursale Centre-Ville Montréal C.P. 6128 Québec Canada H3C 3J7
| | - Michaël Molinari
- Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-Objects, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, INP Bordeaux, UMR5248 allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 33600 Pessac France
| | - Sophie Lecomte
- Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-Objects, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, INP Bordeaux, UMR5248 allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 33600 Pessac France
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41
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Fulcher JM, Makaju A, Moore RJ, Zhou M, Bennett DA, De Jager PL, Qian WJ, Paša-Tolić L, Petyuk VA. Enhancing Top-Down Proteomics of Brain Tissue with FAIMS. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:2780-2795. [PMID: 33856812 PMCID: PMC8672206 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Proteomic investigations of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease have provided valuable insights into neurodegenerative disorders. Thus far, these investigations have largely been restricted to bottom-up approaches, hindering the degree to which one can characterize a protein's "intact" state. Top-down proteomics (TDP) overcomes this limitation; however, it is typically limited to observing only the most abundant proteoforms and of a relatively small size. Therefore, fractionation techniques are commonly used to reduce sample complexity. Here, we investigate gas-phase fractionation through high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) within TDP. Utilizing a high complexity sample derived from Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain tissue, we describe how the addition of FAIMS to TDP can robustly improve the depth of proteome coverage. For example, implementation of FAIMS with external compensation voltage (CV) stepping at -50, -40, and -30 CV could more than double the mean number of non-redundant proteoforms, genes, and proteome sequence coverage compared to without FAIMS. We also found that FAIMS can influence the transmission of proteoforms and their charge envelopes based on their size. Importantly, FAIMS enabled the identification of intact amyloid beta (Aβ) proteoforms, including the aggregation-prone Aβ1-42 variant which is strongly linked to AD. Raw data and associated files have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the MassIVE data repository with data set identifier PXD023607.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Fulcher
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Aman Makaju
- Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Unit, Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, California 95134, United States
| | - Ronald J Moore
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Mowei Zhou
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Philip L De Jager
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational & Computational Neuroimmunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Wei-Jun Qian
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Ljiljana Paša-Tolić
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Vladislav A Petyuk
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
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Naveh Tassa S, Ben Zichri S, Lacham-Hartman S, Oren O, Slobodnik Z, Eremenko E, Toiber D, Jelinek R, Papo N. A Mechanism for the Inhibition of Tau Neurotoxicity: Studies with Artificial Membranes, Isolated Mitochondria, and Intact Cells. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:1563-1577. [PMID: 33904703 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It is currently believed that molecular agents that specifically bind to and neutralize the toxic proteins/peptides, amyloid β (Aβ42), tau, and the tau-derived peptide PHF6, hold the key to attenuating the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We thus tested our previously developed nonaggregating Aβ42 double mutant (Aβ42DM) as a multispecific binder for three AD-associated molecules, wild-type Aβ42, the tauK174Q mutant, and a synthetic PHF6 peptide. Aβ42DM acted as a functional inhibitor of these molecules in in vitro assays and in neuronal cell-based models of AD. The double mutant bound both cytotoxic tauK174Q and synthetic PHF6 and protected neuronal cells from the accumulation of tau in cell lysates and mitochondria. Aβ42DM also reduced toxic intracellular levels of calcium and the overall cell toxicity induced by overexpressed tau, synthetic PHF6, Aβ42, or a combination of PHF6and Aβ42. Aβ42DM inhibited PHF6-induced overall mitochondrial dysfunction: In particular, Aβ42DM inhibited PHF6-induced damage to submitochondrial particles (SMPs) and suppressed PHF6-induced elevation of the ζ-potential of inverted SMPs (proxy for the inner mitochondrial membrane, IMM). PHF6 reduced the lipid fluidity of cardiolipin/DOPC vesicles (that mimic the IMM) but not DOPC (which mimics the outer mitochondrial membrane), and this effect was inhibited by Aβ42DM. This inhibition may be explained by the conformational changes in PHF6 induced by Aβ42DM in solution and in membrane mimetics. On this basis, the paper presents a mechanistic explanation for the inhibitory activity of Aβ42DM against Aβ42- and tau-induced membrane permeability and cell toxicity and provides confirmatory evidence for its protective function in neuronal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Segev Naveh Tassa
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering and the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Shani Ben Zichri
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Shiran Lacham-Hartman
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering and the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Ofek Oren
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Zeev Slobodnik
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- The Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Ekaterina Eremenko
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- The Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Debra Toiber
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- The Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Raz Jelinek
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Niv Papo
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering and the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
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43
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Bok E, Leem E, Lee BR, Lee JM, Yoo CJ, Lee EM, Kim J. Role of the Lipid Membrane and Membrane Proteins in Tau Pathology. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:653815. [PMID: 33996814 PMCID: PMC8119898 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.653815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal accumulation of misfolded tau aggregates is a pathological hallmark of various tauopathies including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although tau is a cytosolic microtubule-associated protein enriched in neurons, it is also found in extracellular milieu, such as interstitial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood. Accumulating evidence showed that pathological tau spreads along anatomically connected areas in the brain through intercellular transmission and templated misfolding, thereby inducing neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction. In line with this, the spatiotemporal spreading of tau pathology is closely correlated with cognitive decline in AD patients. Although the secretion and uptake of tau involve multiple different pathways depending on tau species and cell types, a growing body of evidence suggested that tau is largely secreted in a vesicle-free forms. In this regard, the interaction of vesicle-free tau with membrane is gaining growing attention due to its importance for both of tau secretion and uptake as well as aggregation. Here, we review the recent literature on the mechanisms of the tau-membrane interaction and highlights the roles of lipids and proteins at the membrane in the tau-membrane interaction as well as tau aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene Bok
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Eunju Leem
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Bo-Ram Lee
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Ji Min Lee
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea.,School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Chang Jae Yoo
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Eun Mi Lee
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jaekwang Kim
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea
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44
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Ngo ST, Nguyen PH, Derreumaux P. Cholesterol Molecules Alter the Energy Landscape of Small Aβ1-42 Oligomers. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:2299-2307. [PMID: 33646777 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Small amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers are believed to be key pathogenic species in Alzheimer's disease (AD). One suggested toxicity mechanism is the detergent model where oligomers remove lipid molecules from the bilayer. Senile plaques of AD patients also accumulate a 1:1 ratio of cholesterol/Aβ. What are the dominant structures of small Aβ42 oligomers with cholesterol molecules in aqueous solution? Here, we answer this question by performing atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations of Aβ42 dimers and trimers. Our simulations demonstrate that the interactions with cholesterol molecules change completely the energy landscape of small Aβ42 oligomers. This result shows that simulations in the bulk solution cannot recapitulate aggregation in the brain extracellular space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics & Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Phuong H Nguyen
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, CNRS, Université de Paris, UPR 9080, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, 75000 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, CNRS, Université de Paris, UPR 9080, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, 75000 Paris, France.,Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Xiao S, Lu Y, Wu Q, Yang J, Chen J, Zhong S, Eliezer D, Tan Q, Wu C. Fisetin inhibits tau aggregation by interacting with the protein and preventing the formation of β-strands. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 178:381-393. [PMID: 33662414 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.02.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease which severely impacts the health of the elderly. Current treatments are only able to alleviate symptoms, but not prevent or cure the disease. The neurofibrillary tangles formed by tau protein aggregation are one of the defining characteristics of Alzheimer's disease, so tau protein has become a key target for the drug design. In this study, we show that fisetin, a plant-derived polyphenol compound, can inhibit aggregation of the tau fragment, K18, and can disaggregate tau K18 filaments in vitro. Meanwhile it is able to prevent the formation of tau aggregates in cells. Both experimental and computational studies indicate that fisetin could directly interact with tau K18 protein. The binding is mainly created by hydrogen bond and van der Waal force, prevents the formation of β-strands at the two hexapeptide motifs, and does not perturb the secondary structure or the tubulin binding ability of tau protein. In summary, fisetin might be a candidate for further development as a potential preventive or therapeutic drug for Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shifeng Xiao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China; Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Yafei Lu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China
| | - Qiuping Wu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China
| | - Jiaying Yang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China
| | - Jierui Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China
| | - Suyue Zhong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China
| | - David Eliezer
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Qiulong Tan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China.
| | - Chengchen Wu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China.
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Zeng Y, Yang J, Zhang B, Gao M, Su Z, Huang Y. The structure and phase of tau: from monomer to amyloid filament. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:1873-1886. [PMID: 33078207 PMCID: PMC11073437 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03681-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein involved in regulation of assembly and spatial organization of microtubule in neurons. However, in pathological conditions, tau monomers assemble into amyloid filaments characterized by the cross-β structures in a number of neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies. In this review, we summarize recent progression on the characterization of structures of tau monomer and filament, as well as the dynamic liquid droplet assembly. Our aim is to reveal how post-translational modifications, amino acid mutations, and interacting molecules modulate the conformational ensemble of tau monomer, and how they accelerate or inhibit tau assembly into aggregates. Structure-based aggregation inhibitor design is also discussed in the context of dynamics and heterogeneity of tau structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bailing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Meng Gao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhengding Su
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yongqi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Baker JD, Uhrich RL, Strovas TJ, Saxton AD, Kraemer BC. AlphaScreen Identifies MSUT2 Inhibitors for Tauopathy-Targeting Therapeutic Discovery. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2021; 26:400-409. [PMID: 32981422 PMCID: PMC8592089 DOI: 10.1177/2472555220958387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurological disorders characterized by intracellular tau deposits forming neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, or other disease-specific aggregates composed of the protein tau. Tauopathy disorders include frontotemporal lobar degeneration, corticobasal degeneration, Pick's disease, and the largest cause of dementia, Alzheimer's disease. The lack of disease-modifying therapeutic strategies to address tauopathies remains a critical unmet need in dementia care. Thus, novel broad-spectrum tau-targeted therapeutics could have a profound impact in multiple tauopathy disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Here we have designed a drug discovery paradigm to identify inhibitors of the pathological tau-enabling protein, MSUT2. We previously showed that activity of the RNA-binding protein MSUT2 drives tauopathy, including tau-mediated neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction, in mouse models. Thus, we hypothesized that MSUT2 inhibitors could be therapeutic for tauopathy disorders. Our pipeline for MSUT2 inhibitory compound identification included a primary AlphaScreen, followed by dose-response validation, a secondary fluorescence polarization orthogonal assay, a tertiary specificity screen, and a preliminary toxicity screen. Our work here serves as a proof-of-principle methodology for finding specific inhibitors of the poly(A) RNA-binding protein MSUT2 interaction. Here we identify 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-sulfonic acid (DIDS) as a potential tool compound for future work probing the mechanism of MSUT2-induced tau pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy D. Baker
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rikki L. Uhrich
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Timothy J. Strovas
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Aleen D. Saxton
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brian C. Kraemer
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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48
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Nguyen PH, Ramamoorthy A, Sahoo BR, Zheng J, Faller P, Straub JE, Dominguez L, Shea JE, Dokholyan NV, De Simone A, Ma B, Nussinov R, Najafi S, Ngo ST, Loquet A, Chiricotto M, Ganguly P, McCarty J, Li MS, Hall C, Wang Y, Miller Y, Melchionna S, Habenstein B, Timr S, Chen J, Hnath B, Strodel B, Kayed R, Lesné S, Wei G, Sterpone F, Doig AJ, Derreumaux P. Amyloid Oligomers: A Joint Experimental/Computational Perspective on Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Type II Diabetes, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Chem Rev 2021; 121:2545-2647. [PMID: 33543942 PMCID: PMC8836097 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 378] [Impact Index Per Article: 126.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation is observed in many amyloidogenic diseases affecting either the central nervous system or a variety of peripheral tissues. Structural and dynamic characterization of all species along the pathways from monomers to fibrils is challenging by experimental and computational means because they involve intrinsically disordered proteins in most diseases. Yet understanding how amyloid species become toxic is the challenge in developing a treatment for these diseases. Here we review what computer, in vitro, in vivo, and pharmacological experiments tell us about the accumulation and deposition of the oligomers of the (Aβ, tau), α-synuclein, IAPP, and superoxide dismutase 1 proteins, which have been the mainstream concept underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), type II diabetes (T2D), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, respectively, for many years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong H Nguyen
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Bikash R Sahoo
- Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Peter Faller
- Institut de Chimie, UMR 7177, CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - John E Straub
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Laura Dominguez
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Joan-Emma Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
- Department of Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Molecular Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Buyong Ma
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Basic Science Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Sackler Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Saeed Najafi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics & Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Antoine Loquet
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Mara Chiricotto
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Pritam Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - James McCarty
- Chemistry Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225, United States
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute for Computational Science and Technology, SBI Building, Quang Trung Software City, Tan Chanh Hiep Ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Carol Hall
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yiming Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States
| | - Yifat Miller
- Department of Chemistry and The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 84105, Israel
| | | | - Birgit Habenstein
- Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nanoobjects, (UMR5248 CBMN), CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Stepan Timr
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Jiaxing Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Brianna Hnath
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
| | - Birgit Strodel
- Institute of Complex Systems: Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Sylvain Lesné
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Science, Multiscale Research Institute of Complex Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Fabio Sterpone
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Andrew J Doig
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- CNRS, UPR9080, Université de Paris, Laboratory of Theoretical Biochemistry, IBPC, Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, Paris 75005, France
- Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, 33000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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49
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Paul A, Viswanathan GK, Huber A, Arad E, Engel H, Jelinek R, Gazit E, Segal D. Inhibition of tau amyloid formation and disruption of its preformed fibrils by Naphthoquinone-Dopamine hybrid. FEBS J 2021; 288:4267-4290. [PMID: 33523571 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Misfolding and aggregation of tau protein, into pathological amyloids, are hallmarks of a group of neurodegenerative diseases collectively termed tauopathies and their modulation may be therapeutically valuable. Herein, we describe the synthesis and characterization of a dopamine-based hybrid molecule, naphthoquinone-dopamine (NQDA). Using thioflavin S assay, CD, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Congo Red birefringence, and large unilamellar vesicle leakage assays, we demonstrated its efficacy in inhibiting the in vitro aggregation of key tau-derived amyloidogenic fragments, PHF6 (VQIVYK) and PHF6* (VQIINK), prime drivers of aggregation of full-length tau in disease pathology. Isothermal titration calorimetry analysis revealed that the interaction between NQDA and PHF6 is spontaneous and has significant binding efficiency driven by both entropic and enthalpic processes. Furthermore, NQDA efficiently disassembled preformed fibrils of PHF6 and PHF6* into nontoxic species. Molecular dynamic simulations supported the in vitro results and provided a plausible mode of binding of NQDA with PHF6 fibril. NQDA was also capable of inhibiting the aggregation of full-length tau protein and disrupting its preformed fibrils in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. In a comparative study, the IC50 value (50% inhibition of fibril formation) of NQDA in inhibiting the aggregation of PHF6 (25 µm) was ~ 17 µm, which is lower than for other bona fide amyloid inhibitors, naphthoquinone-tryptophan, rosmarinic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, ~ 21, ~ 77, or ~ 19 µm, respectively. Comparable superiority of NQDA was observed for inhibition of PHF6*. These findings suggest that NQDA can be a useful scaffold for designing new therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashim Paul
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Guru KrishnaKumar Viswanathan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Adi Huber
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Elad Arad
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology & Department of Chemistry, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Hamutal Engel
- Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Raz Jelinek
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology & Department of Chemistry, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Daniel Segal
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel.,Sagol Interdisciplinary School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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50
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Single Molecule Characterization of Amyloid Oligomers. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26040948. [PMID: 33670093 PMCID: PMC7916856 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26040948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The misfolding and aggregation of polypeptide chains into β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils is associated with a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases. Growing evidence indicates that the oligomeric intermediates populated in the early stages of amyloid formation rather than the mature fibrils are responsible for the cytotoxicity and pathology and are potentially therapeutic targets. However, due to the low-populated, transient, and heterogeneous nature of amyloid oligomers, they are hard to characterize by conventional bulk methods. The development of single molecule approaches provides a powerful toolkit for investigating these oligomeric intermediates as well as the complex process of amyloid aggregation at molecular resolution. In this review, we present an overview of recent progress in characterizing the oligomerization of amyloid proteins by single molecule fluorescence techniques, including single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET), fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), single-molecule photobleaching and super-resolution optical imaging. We discuss how these techniques have been applied to investigate the different aspects of amyloid oligomers and facilitate understanding of the mechanism of amyloid aggregation.
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