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Kizhakkeduth ST, Abdul Vahid A, Oliyantakath Hassan MS, Parambil AK, Jain P, Vijayan V. Molecular Interactions between Tau Protein and TIA1: Distinguishing Physiological Condensates from Pathological Fibrils. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39370876 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The interaction of tau protein with other key proteins essential for stress granule formation determines their functional and pathological impact. In a biological framework, the synergy between Alzheimer's associated tau protein and the stress granule core protein TIA1 is widely recognized. However, the molecular details of this association remain unclear. In this study, we throw light on the importance of the state in which the TIA1 exists in mediating its association with the tau protein. Investigations were carried out on the three repeat constructs of tau (K19) and different structures formed by TIA1. Specifically, the condensate formed by TIA1 full-length (TIA1-FL) protein as well as fibril formed by low complexity domain of TIA1 (TIA1-LCD). The dynamics of K19 inside TIA1-FL condensates and the aggregation kinetics of K19 in the presence of TIA1-LCD fibrils were examined using various biophysical techniques. Relaxation-based solution NMR spectroscopic investigations suggest a weak interaction with TIA1 condensates and indicated a reduction in the dynamics of K19 within these TIA1 condensates. In contrast, a significant interaction was observed between K19, and TIA1-LCD fibrils primarily mediated through 321KCGS324 and 306VQIVYKPVDLSKV317. Our findings emphasize that the interaction between Tau and TIA1 varies depending on whether TIA1 is in its physiological condensate form or its pathological fibril state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safwa T Kizhakkeduth
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Arshad Abdul Vahid
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Muhammed Shafeek Oliyantakath Hassan
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Anagha K Parambil
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Parul Jain
- School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Vinesh Vijayan
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
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2
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Thompson M, Martín M, Olmo TS, Rajesh C, Koo PK, Bolognesi B, Lehner B. Massive experimental quantification of amyloid nucleation allows interpretable deep learning of protein aggregation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.13.603366. [PMID: 39071305 PMCID: PMC11275847 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.13.603366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a pathological hallmark of more than fifty human diseases and a major problem for biotechnology. Methods have been proposed to predict aggregation from sequence, but these have been trained and evaluated on small and biased experimental datasets. Here we directly address this data shortage by experimentally quantifying the amyloid nucleation of >100,000 protein sequences. This unprecedented dataset reveals the limited performance of existing computational methods and allows us to train CANYA, a convolution-attention hybrid neural network that accurately predicts amyloid nucleation from sequence. We adapt genomic neural network interpretability analyses to reveal CANYA's decision-making process and learned grammar. Our results illustrate the power of massive experimental analysis of random sequence-spaces and provide an interpretable and robust neural network model to predict amyloid nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike Thompson
- Systems and Synthetic Biology, Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mariano Martín
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Trinidad Sanmartín Olmo
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chandana Rajesh
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Peter K. Koo
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Benedetta Bolognesi
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ben Lehner
- Systems and Synthetic Biology, Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
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3
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Stroganova I, Toprakcioglu Z, Willenberg H, Knowles TPJ, Rijs AM. Unraveling the Structure and Dynamics of Ac-PHF6-NH 2 Tau Segment Oligomers. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:3391-3400. [PMID: 39215387 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00404] [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: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of the proteins tau and amyloid-β is a salient feature of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of neurodegenerative disorders. Upon aggregation, proteins transition from their soluble, monomeric, and functional state into insoluble, fibrillar deposits through a complex process involving a variety of intermediate species of different morphologies, including monomers, toxic oligomers, and insoluble fibrils. To control and direct peptide aggregation, a complete characterization of all species present and an understanding of the molecular processes along the aggregation pathway are essential. However, this is extremely challenging due to the transient nature of oligomers and the complexity of the reaction networks. Therefore, we have employed a combined approach that allows us to probe the structure and kinetics of oligomeric species, following them over time as they form fibrillar structures. Targeting the tau protein peptide segment Ac-PHF6-NH2, which is crucial for the aggregation of the full protein, soft nano-electrospray ionization combined with ion mobility mass spectrometry has been employed to study the kinetics of heparin-induced intact oligomer formation. The oligomers are identified and characterized using high-resolution ion mobility mass spectrometry, demonstrating that the addition of heparin does not alter the structure of the oligomeric species. The kinetics of fibril formation is monitored through a Thioflavin T fluorescence assay. Global fitting of the kinetic data indicates that secondary nucleation plays a key role in the aggregation of the Ac-PHF6-NH2 tau segment, while the primary nucleation rate is greatly accelerated by heparin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iuliia Stroganova
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Zenon Toprakcioglu
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Hannah Willenberg
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K
| | - Anouk M Rijs
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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4
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Freitas DP, Saavedra J, Cardoso I, Gomes CM. Biophysical Studies of Amyloid-Binding Fluorophores to Tau AD Core Fibrils Formed without Cofactors. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:9946. [PMID: 39337433 PMCID: PMC11432123 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25189946] [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: 08/27/2024] [Revised: 09/10/2024] [Accepted: 09/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein involved in several neurodegenerative diseases where a common hallmark is the appearance of tau aggregates in the brain. One common approach to elucidate the mechanisms behind the aggregation of tau has been to recapitulate in vitro the self-assembly process in a fast and reproducible manner. While the seeding of tau aggregation is prompted by negatively charged cofactors, the obtained fibrils are morphologically distinct from those found in vivo. The Tau AD core fragment (TADC, tau 306-378) has emerged as a new model and potential solution for the cofactor-free in vitro aggregation of tau. Here, we use TADC to further study this process combining multiple amyloid-detecting fluorophores and fibril bioimaging. We confirmed by transmission electron microscopy that this fragment forms fibrils after quiescent incubation at 37 °C. We then employed a panel of eight amyloid-binding fluorophores to query the formed species by acquiring their emission spectra. The results obtained showed that nearly all dyes detect TADC self-assembled species. However, the successful monitoring of TADC aggregation kinetics was limited to three fluorophores (X-34, Bis-ANS, and pFTAA) which yielded sigmoidal curves but different aggregation half-times, hinting to different species being detected. Altogether, this study highlights the potential of using multiple extrinsic fluorescent probes, alone or in combination, as tools to further clarify mechanisms behind the aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela P. Freitas
- BioISI—Instituto de Biosistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Joana Saavedra
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (J.S.); (I.C.)
- IBMC—Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel Cardoso
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (J.S.); (I.C.)
- IBMC—Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Cláudio M. Gomes
- BioISI—Instituto de Biosistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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5
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Dear AJ, Meisl G, Taylor CG, Palmiero UC, Stubbe SN, Liu Q, Arosio P, Linse S, Knowles TPJ, Andreasen M. Surface effects on functional amyloid formation. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:16172-16182. [PMID: 39135495 DOI: 10.1039/d4nr01496k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2024]
Abstract
Functional amyloids formed by the protein FapC in Pseudomonas bacteria are key structural components of Pseudomonas biofilms, which mediate chronic infections and also contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Here, we combine kinetic experiments with mechanistic modelling to probe the role of surfaces in FapC functional amyloid formation. We find that nucleation of new fibrils is predominantly heterogeneous in vitro, being catalysed by reaction vessel walls but not by the air/water interface. Removal of such interfaces by using microdroplets greatly slows heterogeneous nucleation and reveals a hitherto undetected fibril surface-catalysed "secondary nucleation" reaction step. We tune the degree of catalysis by varying the interface chemistry of the reaction vessel and by adding nanoparticles with tailored surface properties that catalyse fibril nucleation. In so doing, we discover that the rate of nucleation is controlled predominantly by the strength with which FapC binds to the catalytic sites on the interface, and by its surface area. Surprisingly, neither primary nucleation rate nor catalytic site binding strength appear closely correlated to the charge and hydrophilicity of the interface. This indicates the importance of considering experimental design in terms of surface chemistry of the reaction container while also highlighting the notion that fibril nucleation during protein aggregation is a heterogeneous process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Dear
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Georg Meisl
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Christopher G Taylor
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Umberto Capasso Palmiero
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Susanne Nordby Stubbe
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 3, Aarhus DK-8000, Denmark.
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 3, Aarhus DK-8000, Denmark.
| | - Paolo Arosio
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sara Linse
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Maria Andreasen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 3, Aarhus DK-8000, Denmark.
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6
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Dewison KM, Rowlinson B, Machin JM, Crossley JA, Thacker D, Wilkinson M, Ulamec SM, Khan GN, Ranson NA, van Oosten-Hawle P, Brockwell DJ, Radford SE. Residues 2 to 7 of α-synuclein regulate amyloid formation via lipid-dependent and lipid-independent pathways. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315006121. [PMID: 39133842 PMCID: PMC11348338 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315006121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyloid formation by α-synuclein (αSyn) occurs in Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Deciphering the residues that regulate αSyn amyloid fibril formation will not only provide mechanistic insight but may also reveal targets to prevent and treat disease. Previous investigations have identified several regions of αSyn to be important in the regulation of amyloid formation, including the non-amyloid-β component (NAC), P1 region (residues 36 to 42), and residues in the C-terminal domain. Recent studies have also indicated the importance of the N-terminal region of αSyn for both its physiological and pathological roles. Here, the role of residues 2 to 7 in the N-terminal region of αSyn is investigated in terms of their ability to regulate amyloid fibril formation in vitro and in vivo. Deletion of these residues (αSynΔN7) slows the rate of fibril formation in vitro and reduces the capacity of the protein to be recruited by wild-type (αSynWT) fibril seeds, despite cryo-EM showing a fibril structure consistent with those of full-length αSyn. Strikingly, fibril formation of αSynΔN7 is not induced by liposomes, despite the protein binding to liposomes with similar affinity to αSynWT. A Caenorhabditis elegans model also showed that αSynΔN7::YFP forms few puncta and lacks motility and lifespan defects typified by expression of αSynWT::YFP. Together, the results demonstrate the involvement of residues 2 to 7 of αSyn in amyloid formation, revealing a target for the design of amyloid inhibitors that may leave the functional role of the protein in membrane binding unperturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Dewison
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Rowlinson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan M. Machin
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Joel A. Crossley
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Dev Thacker
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Wilkinson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Sabine M. Ulamec
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - G. Nasir Khan
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Neil A. Ranson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | | | - David J. Brockwell
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Sheena E. Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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7
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Schweighauser M, Shi Y, Murzin AG, Garringer HJ, Vidal R, Murrell JR, Erro ME, Seelaar H, Ferrer I, van Swieten JC, Ghetti B, Scheres SH, Goedert M. Novel tau filament folds in individuals with MAPT mutations P301L and P301T. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.15.608062. [PMID: 39185206 PMCID: PMC11343192 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.15.608062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Mutations in MAPT, the microtubule-associated protein tau gene, give rise to cases of frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) with abundant filamentous tau inclusions in brain cells. Individuals with pathological MAPT variants exhibit behavioural changes, cognitive impairment and signs of parkinsonism. Missense mutations of residue P301, which are the most common MAPT mutations associated with FTDP-17, give rise to the assembly of mutant four-repeat tau into filamentous inclusions, in the absence of extracellular deposits. Here we report the cryo-EM structures of tau filaments from five individuals belonging to three unrelated families with mutation P301L and from one individual belonging to a family with mutation P301T. A novel three-lobed tau fold resembling the two-layered tau fold of Pick's disease was present in all cases with the P301L tau mutation. Two different tau folds were found in the case with mutation P301T, the less abundant of which was a variant of the three-lobed fold. The major P301T tau fold was V-shaped, with partial similarity to the four-layered tau folds of corticobasal degeneration and argyrophilic grain disease. These findings suggest that FTDP-17 with mutations in P301 should be considered distinct inherited tauopathies and that model systems with these mutations should be used with caution in the study of sporadic tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Schweighauser
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Yang Shi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Pathology of the First Affiliated Hospital and School of Brain Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Alexey G. Murzin
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Holly J. Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Jill R. Murrell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - M. Elena Erro
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, Brain Bank NavarraBiomed, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Harro Seelaar
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Isidro Ferrer
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Sjors H.W. Scheres
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors jointly supervised the work
| | - Michel Goedert
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- These authors jointly supervised the work
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8
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Fuxreiter M. Context-dependent, fuzzy protein interactions: Towards sequence-based insights. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 87:102834. [PMID: 38759297 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Predicting protein interactions in the cellular environment still remains a challenge in the AlphaFold era. Protein interactions, similarly to their structures, sample a continuum from ordered to disordered states, with specific partners in many bound configurations. A multiplicity of binding modes (MBM) enables transition between these states under different cellular conditions. This review focuses on how the cellular environment affects protein interactions, highlighting the molecular mechanisms, biophysical origin, and sequence-based principles of context-dependent, fuzzy interactions. It summarises experimental and computational approaches to address the challenge of interaction heterogeneity and its contribution to a wide range of biological functions. These insights will help in understanding complex cellular processes, involving conversions between protein assembly states, such as from liquid-like droplet state to the amyloid state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Fuxreiter
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
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9
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Nguyen BA, Singh V, Afrin S, Singh P, Pekala M, Ahmed Y, Pedretti R, Canepa J, Lemoff A, Kluve-Beckerman B, Wydorski PM, Chhapra F, Saelices L. Cryo-EM confirms a common fibril fold in the heart of four patients with ATTRwt amyloidosis. Commun Biol 2024; 7:905. [PMID: 39068302 PMCID: PMC11283564 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06588-6] [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: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
ATTR amyloidosis results from the conversion of transthyretin into amyloid fibrils that deposit in tissues causing organ failure and death. This conversion is facilitated by mutations in ATTRv amyloidosis, or aging in ATTRwt amyloidosis. ATTRv amyloidosis exhibits extreme phenotypic variability, whereas ATTRwt amyloidosis presentation is consistent and predictable. Previously, we found unique structural variabilities in cardiac amyloid fibrils from polyneuropathic ATTRv-I84S patients. In contrast, cardiac fibrils from five genotypically different patients with cardiomyopathy or mixed phenotypes are structurally homogeneous. To understand fibril structure's impact on phenotype, it is necessary to study the fibrils from multiple patients sharing genotype and phenotype. Here we show the cryo-electron microscopy structures of fibrils extracted from four cardiomyopathic ATTRwt amyloidosis patients. Our study confirms that they share identical conformations with minimal structural variability, consistent with their homogenous clinical presentation. Our study contributes to the understanding of ATTR amyloidosis biopathology and calls for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binh An Nguyen
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Virender Singh
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shumaila Afrin
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Preeti Singh
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Maja Pekala
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yasmin Ahmed
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Rose Pedretti
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jacob Canepa
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Barbara Kluve-Beckerman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pawel M Wydorski
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Farzeen Chhapra
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lorena Saelices
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA.
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA.
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10
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Planas-Iglesias J, Borko S, Swiatkowski J, Elias M, Havlasek M, Salamon O, Grakova E, Kunka A, Martinovic T, Damborsky J, Martinovic J, Bednar D. AggreProt: a web server for predicting and engineering aggregation prone regions in proteins. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:W159-W169. [PMID: 38801076 PMCID: PMC11223854 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae420] [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: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Recombinant proteins play pivotal roles in numerous applications including industrial biocatalysts or therapeutics. Despite the recent progress in computational protein structure prediction, protein solubility and reduced aggregation propensity remain challenging attributes to design. Identification of aggregation-prone regions is essential for understanding misfolding diseases or designing efficient protein-based technologies, and as such has a great socio-economic impact. Here, we introduce AggreProt, a user-friendly webserver that automatically exploits an ensemble of deep neural networks to predict aggregation-prone regions (APRs) in protein sequences. Trained on experimentally evaluated hexapeptides, AggreProt compares to or outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms on two independent benchmark datasets. The server provides per-residue aggregation profiles along with information on solvent accessibility and transmembrane propensity within an intuitive interface with interactive sequence and structure viewers for comprehensive analysis. We demonstrate AggreProt efficacy in predicting differential aggregation behaviours in proteins on several use cases, which emphasize its potential for guiding protein engineering strategies towards decreased aggregation propensity and improved solubility. The webserver is freely available and accessible at https://loschmidt.chemi.muni.cz/aggreprot/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Planas-Iglesias
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Simeon Borko
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Swiatkowski
- IT4Innovations, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Elias
- IT4Innovations, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Havlasek
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Salamon
- IT4Innovations, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - Ekaterina Grakova
- IT4Innovations, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - Antonín Kunka
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Martinovic
- IT4Innovations, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Damborsky
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Martinovic
- IT4Innovations, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - David Bednar
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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11
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Kimanius D, Jamali K, Wilkinson ME, Lövestam S, Velazhahan V, Nakane T, Scheres SHW. Data-driven regularization lowers the size barrier of cryo-EM structure determination. Nat Methods 2024; 21:1216-1221. [PMID: 38862790 PMCID: PMC11239489 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02304-8] [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: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Macromolecular structure determination by electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) is limited by the alignment of noisy images of individual particles. Because smaller particles have weaker signals, alignment errors impose size limitations on its applicability. Here, we explore how image alignment is improved by the application of deep learning to exploit prior knowledge about biological macromolecular structures that would otherwise be difficult to express mathematically. We train a denoising convolutional neural network on pairs of half-set reconstructions from the electron microscopy data bank (EMDB) and use this denoiser as an alternative to a commonly used smoothness prior. We demonstrate that this approach, which we call Blush regularization, yields better reconstructions than do existing algorithms, in particular for data with low signal-to-noise ratios. The reconstruction of a protein-nucleic acid complex with a molecular weight of 40 kDa, which was previously intractable, illustrates that denoising neural networks will expand the applicability of cryo-EM structure determination for a wide range of biological macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dari Kimanius
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK.
- CZ Imaging Institute, Redwood City, CA, USA.
| | - Kiarash Jamali
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
| | - Max E Wilkinson
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sofia Lövestam
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
| | - Vaithish Velazhahan
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Takanori Nakane
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK.
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12
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Gilbert MAG, Fatima N, Jenkins J, O'Sullivan TJ, Schertel A, Halfon Y, Wilkinson M, Morrema THJ, Geibel M, Read RJ, Ranson NA, Radford SE, Hoozemans JJM, Frank RAW. CryoET of β-amyloid and tau within postmortem Alzheimer's disease brain. Nature 2024; 631:913-919. [PMID: 38987603 PMCID: PMC11269202 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07680-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
A defining pathological feature of most neurodegenerative diseases is the assembly of proteins into amyloid that form disease-specific structures1. In Alzheimer's disease, this is characterized by the deposition of β-amyloid and tau with disease-specific conformations. The in situ structure of amyloid in the human brain is unknown. Here, using cryo-fluorescence microscopy-targeted cryo-sectioning, cryo-focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy lift-out and cryo-electron tomography, we determined in-tissue architectures of β-amyloid and tau pathology in a postmortem Alzheimer's disease donor brain. β-amyloid plaques contained a mixture of fibrils, some of which were branched, and protofilaments, arranged in parallel arrays and lattice-like structures. Extracellular vesicles and cuboidal particles defined the non-amyloid constituents of β-amyloid plaques. By contrast, tau inclusions formed parallel clusters of unbranched filaments. Subtomogram averaging a cluster of 136 tau filaments in a single tomogram revealed the polypeptide backbone conformation and filament polarity orientation of paired helical filaments within tissue. Filaments within most clusters were similar to each other, but were different between clusters, showing amyloid heterogeneity that is spatially organized by subcellular location. The in situ structural approaches outlined here for human donor tissues have applications to a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine A G Gilbert
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Nayab Fatima
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Joshua Jenkins
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Thomas J O'Sullivan
- Astbury Biostructure Laboratory CryoEM facility, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Andreas Schertel
- ZEISS Microscopy Customer Center Europe, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany
| | - Yehuda Halfon
- Astbury Biostructure Laboratory CryoEM facility, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Martin Wilkinson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Tjado H J Morrema
- Department of Pathology, Unit Neuropathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam Geibel
- ZEISS Microscopy Customer Center Europe, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany
| | - Randy J Read
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Neil A Ranson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sheena E Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Jeroen J M Hoozemans
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - René A W Frank
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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13
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Qi C, Kobayashi R, Kawakatsu S, Kametani F, Scheres SHW, Goedert M, Hasegawa M. Tau filaments with the chronic traumatic encephalopathy fold in a case of vacuolar tauopathy with VCP mutation D395G. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:86. [PMID: 38758288 PMCID: PMC7616110 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02741-x] [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: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Dominantly inherited mutation D395G in the gene encoding valosin-containing protein causes vacuolar tauopathy, a type of behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, with marked vacuolation and abundant filamentous tau inclusions made of all six brain isoforms. Here we report that tau inclusions were concentrated in layers II/III of the frontotemporal cortex in a case of vacuolar tauopathy. By electron cryomicroscopy, tau filaments had the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) fold. Tau inclusions of vacuolar tauopathy share this cortical location and the tau fold with CTE, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex, which are believed to be environmentally induced. Vacuolar tauopathy is the first inherited disease with the CTE tau fold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qi
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ryota Kobayashi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Shinobu Kawakatsu
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University, Aizuwakamatsu, Japan
| | - Fuyuki Kametani
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
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14
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Zheng H, Sun H, Cai Q, Tai HC. The Enigma of Tau Protein Aggregation: Mechanistic Insights and Future Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4969. [PMID: 38732197 PMCID: PMC11084794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094969] [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: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau protein misfolding and aggregation are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and over twenty neurodegenerative disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms of tau aggregation in vivo remain incompletely understood. There are two types of tau aggregates in the brain: soluble aggregates (oligomers and protofibrils) and insoluble filaments (fibrils). Compared to filamentous aggregates, soluble aggregates are more toxic and exhibit prion-like transmission, providing seeds for templated misfolding. Curiously, in its native state, tau is a highly soluble, heat-stable protein that does not form fibrils by itself, not even when hyperphosphorylated. In vitro studies have found that negatively charged molecules such as heparin, RNA, or arachidonic acid are generally required to induce tau aggregation. Two recent breakthroughs have provided new insights into tau aggregation mechanisms. First, as an intrinsically disordered protein, tau is found to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) both in vitro and inside cells. Second, cryo-electron microscopy has revealed diverse fibrillar tau conformations associated with different neurodegenerative disorders. Nonetheless, only the fibrillar core is structurally resolved, and the remainder of the protein appears as a "fuzzy coat". From this review, it appears that further studies are required (1) to clarify the role of LLPS in tau aggregation; (2) to unveil the structural features of soluble tau aggregates; (3) to understand the involvement of fuzzy coat regions in oligomer and fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hwan-Ching Tai
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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15
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Louros N, Rousseau F, Schymkowitz J. CORDAX web server: an online platform for the prediction and 3D visualization of aggregation motifs in protein sequences. Bioinformatics 2024; 40:btae279. [PMID: 38662570 PMCID: PMC11078773 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btae279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Proteins, the molecular workhorses of biological systems, execute a multitude of critical functions dictated by their precise three-dimensional structures. In a complex and dynamic cellular environment, proteins can undergo misfolding, leading to the formation of aggregates that take up various forms, including amorphous and ordered aggregation in the shape of amyloid fibrils. This phenomenon is closely linked to a spectrum of widespread debilitating pathologies, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type-II diabetes, and several other proteinopathies, but also hampers the engineering of soluble agents, as in the case of antibody development. As such, the accurate prediction of aggregation propensity within protein sequences has become pivotal due to profound implications in understanding disease mechanisms, as well as in improving biotechnological and therapeutic applications. RESULTS We previously developed Cordax, a structure-based predictor that utilizes logistic regression to detect aggregation motifs in protein sequences based on their structural complementarity to the amyloid cross-beta architecture. Here, we present a dedicated web server interface for Cordax. This online platform combines several features including detailed scoring of sequence aggregation propensity, as well as 3D visualization with several customization options for topology models of the structural cores formed by predicted aggregation motifs. In addition, information is provided on experimentally determined aggregation-prone regions that exhibit sequence similarity to predicted motifs, scores, and links to other predictor outputs, as well as simultaneous predictions of relevant sequence propensities, such as solubility, hydrophobicity, and secondary structure propensity. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The Cordax webserver is freely accessible at https://cordax.switchlab.org/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Louros
- Switch Laboratory, VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Switch Laboratory, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Switch Laboratory, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frederic Rousseau
- Switch Laboratory, VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Switch Laboratory, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Switch Laboratory, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joost Schymkowitz
- Switch Laboratory, VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Switch Laboratory, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Switch Laboratory, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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16
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Chitty C, Kuliga K, Xue WF. Atomic force microscopy 3D structural reconstruction of individual particles in the study of amyloid protein assemblies. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:761-771. [PMID: 38600027 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230857] [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: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Recent developments in atomic force microscopy (AFM) image analysis have made three-dimensional (3D) structural reconstruction of individual particles observed on 2D AFM height images a reality. Here, we review the emerging contact point reconstruction AFM (CPR-AFM) methodology and its application in 3D reconstruction of individual helical amyloid filaments in the context of the challenges presented by the structural analysis of highly polymorphous and heterogeneous amyloid protein structures. How individual particle-level structural analysis can contribute to resolving the amyloid polymorph structure-function relationships, the environmental triggers leading to protein misfolding and aggregation into amyloid species, the influences by the conditions or minor fluctuations in the initial monomeric protein structure on the speed of amyloid fibril formation, and the extent of the different types of amyloid species that can be formed, are discussed. Future perspectives in the capabilities of AFM-based 3D structural reconstruction methodology exploiting synergies with other recent AFM technology advances are also discussed to highlight the potential of AFM as an emergent general, accessible and multimodal structural biology tool for the analysis of individual biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Chitty
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
| | - Kinga Kuliga
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
| | - Wei-Feng Xue
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
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17
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Longhini AP, DuBose A, Lobo S, Vijayan V, Bai Y, Rivera EK, Sala-Jarque J, Nikitina A, Carrettiero DC, Unger MT, Sclafani OR, Fu V, Beckett ER, Vigers M, Buée L, Landrieu I, Shell S, Shea JE, Han S, Kosik KS. Precision proteoform design for 4R tau isoform selective templated aggregation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320456121. [PMID: 38568974 PMCID: PMC11009657 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320456121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Prion-like spread of disease-specific tau conformers is a hallmark of all tauopathies. A 19-residue probe peptide containing a P301L mutation and spanning the R2/R3 splice junction of tau folds and stacks into seeding-competent fibrils and induces aggregation of 4R, but not 3R tau. These tau peptide fibrils propagate aggregated intracellular tau over multiple generations, have a high β-sheet content, a colocalized lipid signal, and adopt a well-defined U-shaped fold found in 4R tauopathy brain-derived fibrils. Fully atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to compute the free energy landscapes of the conformational ensemble of the peptide monomers. These identified an aggregation-prohibiting β-hairpin structure and an aggregation-competent U-fold unique to 4R tauopathy fibrils. Guided by MD simulations, we identified that the N-terminal-flanking residues to PHF6, which slightly vary between 4R and 3R isoforms, modulate seeding. Strikingly, when a single amino acid switch at position 305 replaced the serine of 4R tau with a lysine from the corresponding position in the first repeat of 3R tau, the seeding induced by the 19-residue peptide was markedly reduced. Conversely, a 4R tau mimic with three repeats, prepared by replacing those amino acids in the first repeat with those amino acids uniquely present in the second repeat, recovered aggregation when exposed to the 19-residue peptide. These peptide fibrils function as partial prions to recruit naive 4R tau-ten times the length of the peptide-and serve as a critical template for 4R tauopathy propagation. These results hint at opportunities for tau isoform-specific therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Longhini
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Austin DuBose
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Samuel Lobo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Vishnu Vijayan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Yeran Bai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp., Santa Barbara, CA93101
| | - Erica Keane Rivera
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Julia Sala-Jarque
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Arina Nikitina
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Daniel C. Carrettiero
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo09600-000, Brazil
| | - Matthew T. Unger
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Olivia R. Sclafani
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Valerie Fu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Emily R. Beckett
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Michael Vigers
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Luc Buée
- University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & CognitionLilleF-59000, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence Development of Innovative Strategies for a Transdisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer's Disease, Alzheimer & Tauopathies Team, LilleF-59000, France
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- Center National de la Recherche Scientifique Équipe de Recherche 9002–Integrative Structural Biology, LilleF-59000, France
- University of Lille, Inserm, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167–Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related DiseasesLilleF-59000, France
| | - Scott Shell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Joan E. Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Kenneth S. Kosik
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
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18
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Mortelecque J, Zejneli O, Bégard S, Simões MC, ElHajjar L, Nguyen M, Cantrelle FX, Hanoulle X, Rain JC, Colin M, Gomes CM, Buée L, Landrieu I, Danis C, Dupré E. A selection and optimization strategy for single-domain antibodies targeting the PHF6 linear peptide within the tau intrinsically disordered protein. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107163. [PMID: 38484799 PMCID: PMC11007443 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107163] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The use of variable domain of the heavy-chain of the heavy-chain-only antibodies (VHHs) as disease-modifying biomolecules in neurodegenerative disorders holds promises, including targeting of aggregation-sensitive proteins. Exploitation of their clinical values depends however on the capacity to deliver VHHs with optimal physico-chemical properties for their specific context of use. We described previously a VHH with high therapeutic potential in a family of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. The activity of this promising parent VHH named Z70 relies on its binding within the central region of the tau protein. Accordingly, we carried out random mutagenesis followed by yeast two-hybrid screening to obtain optimized variants. The VHHs selected from this initial screen targeted the same epitope as VHH Z70 as shown using NMR spectroscopy and had indeed improved binding affinities according to dissociation constant values obtained by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The improved affinities can be partially rationalized based on three-dimensional structures and NMR data of three complexes consisting of an optimized VHH and a peptide containing the tau epitope. Interestingly, the ability of the VHH variants to inhibit tau aggregation and seeding could not be predicted from their affinity alone. We indeed showed that the in vitro and in cellulo VHH stabilities are other limiting key factors to their efficacy. Our results demonstrate that only a complete pipeline of experiments, here described, permits a rational selection of optimized VHH variants, resulting in the selection of VHH variants with higher affinities and/or acting against tau seeding in cell models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Mortelecque
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - Orgeta Zejneli
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Séverine Bégard
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Margarida C Simões
- BioISI - Instituto de Biosistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Lea ElHajjar
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - Marine Nguyen
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - François-Xavier Cantrelle
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - Xavier Hanoulle
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | | | - Morvane Colin
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Cláudio M Gomes
- BioISI - Instituto de Biosistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Luc Buée
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France.
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France.
| | - Clément Danis
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Elian Dupré
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France.
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19
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Abdul Vahid A, Oliyantakath Hassan MS, Sahayaraj AE, Babu AT, Kizhakkeduth ST, Vijayan V. Modulation of Primary and Secondary Processes in Tau Fibril Formation by Salt-Induced Dynamics. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1242-1253. [PMID: 38433380 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00852] [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: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The initial stages of amyloid fibrilization begin with the monomers populating aggregation-prone conformers. Characterization of such aggregation-prone conformers is crucial in the study of neurodegenerative diseases. The current study characterizes the aggregation pathway of two tau protein constructs that have been recently demonstrated to form Alzheimer's (AD) fibril structures with divalent ions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) fibril structures with monovalent ions. The results highlight the involvement of identical residues in both the primary and secondary processes of both AD and CTE fibril propagation. Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation experiments reveal increased flexibility of the motifs 321KCGS within R3 and 364PGGGN within R4 in the presence of MgCl2/NaCl, correlating with faster aggregation kinetics and indicating efficient primary nucleation. Notably, the seeded aggregation kinetics of the tau monomers in the presence and absence of metal ions are strikingly different. This correlates with the overall sign of the 15N-ΔR2 profile specifying the dominant mechanism involved in the process of aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arshad Abdul Vahid
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram695551,India
| | | | - Allwin Ebenezer Sahayaraj
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram695551,India
| | - Ann Teres Babu
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram695551,India
| | - Safwa T Kizhakkeduth
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram695551,India
| | - Vinesh Vijayan
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram695551,India
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20
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Powell WC, Nahum M, Pankratz K, Herlory M, Greenwood J, Poliyenko D, Holland P, Jing R, Biggerstaff L, Stowell MHB, Walczak MA. Post-Translational Modifications Control Phase Transitions of Tau. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.08.583040. [PMID: 38559065 PMCID: PMC10979912 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.08.583040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The self-assembly of Tau(297-391) into filaments, which mirror the structures observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains, raises questions about the role of AD-specific post-translational modifications (PTMs) in the formation of paired helical filaments (PHFs). To investigate this, we developed a synthetic approach to produce Tau(291-391) featuring N-acetyllysine, phosphoserine, phosphotyrosine, and N-glycosylation at positions commonly modified in post-mortem AD brains, thus facilitating the study of their roles in Tau pathology. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and a range of optical microscopy techniques, we discovered that these modifications generally hinder the in vitro assembly of Tau into PHFs. Interestingly, while acetylation's effect on Tau assembly displayed variability, either promoting or inhibiting phase transitions in the context of cofactor free aggregation, heparin-induced aggregation, and RNA-mediated liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), phosphorylation uniformly mitigated these processes. Our observations suggest that PTMs, particularly those situated outside the fibril's rigid core are pivotal in the nucleation of PHFs. Moreover, in scenarios involving heparin-induced aggregation leading to the formation of heterogeneous aggregates, most AD-specific PTMs, except for K311, appeared to decelerate the aggregation process. The impact of acetylation on RNA-induced LLPS was notably site-dependent, exhibiting both facilitative and inhibitory effects, whereas phosphorylation consistently reduced LLPS across all proteoforms examined. These insights underscore the complex interplay between site-specific PTMs and environmental factors in modulating Tau aggregation kinetics, enhancing our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of Tau pathology in AD and highlighting the critical role of PTMs located outside the ordered filament core in driving the self-assembly of Tau into PHF structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt C. Powell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - McKinley Nahum
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Karl Pankratz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Morgane Herlory
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - James Greenwood
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Darya Poliyenko
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Patrick Holland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Ruiheng Jing
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Luke Biggerstaff
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Michael H. B. Stowell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Maciej A. Walczak
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
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21
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Nguyen BA, Singh V, Afrin S, Singh P, Pekala M, Ahmed Y, Pedretti R, Canepa J, Lemoff A, Kluve-Beckerman B, Wydorski P, Chhapra F, Saelices L. Cryo-EM confirms a common fibril fold in the heart of four patients with ATTRwt amyloidosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.08.582936. [PMID: 38496656 PMCID: PMC10942412 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.08.582936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
ATTR amyloidosis results from the conversion of transthyretin into amyloid fibrils that deposit in tissues causing organ failure and death. This conversion is facilitated by mutations in ATTRv amyloidosis, or aging in ATTRwt amyloidosis. ATTRv amyloidosis exhibits extreme phenotypic variability, whereas ATTRwt amyloidosis presentation is consistent and predictable. Previously, we found an unprecedented structural variability in cardiac amyloid fibrils from polyneuropathic ATTRv-I84S patients. In contrast, cardiac fibrils from five genotypically-different patients with cardiomyopathy or mixed phenotypes are structurally homogeneous. To understand fibril structure's impact on phenotype, it is necessary to study the fibrils from multiple patients sharing genotype and phenotype. Here we show the cryo-electron microscopy structures of fibrils extracted from four cardiomyopathic ATTRwt amyloidosis patients. Our study confirms that they share identical conformations with minimal structural variability, consistent with their homogenous clinical presentation. Our study contributes to the understanding of ATTR amyloidosis biopathology and calls for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binh An Nguyen
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Virender Singh
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shumaila Afrin
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Preeti Singh
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Maja Pekala
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yasmin Ahmed
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Rose Pedretti
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jacob Canepa
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Barbara Kluve-Beckerman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pawel Wydorski
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Farzeen Chhapra
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lorena Saelices
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
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22
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Meisl G. The thermodynamics of neurodegenerative disease. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2024; 5:011303. [PMID: 38525484 PMCID: PMC10957229 DOI: 10.1063/5.0180899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
The formation of protein aggregates in the brain is a central aspect of the pathology of many neurodegenerative diseases. This self-assembly of specific proteins into filamentous aggregates, or fibrils, is a fundamental biophysical process that can easily be reproduced in the test tube. However, it has been difficult to obtain a clear picture of how the biophysical insights thus obtained can be applied to the complex, multi-factorial diseases and what this means for therapeutic strategies. While new, disease-modifying therapies are now emerging, for the most devastating disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, they still fall well short of offering a cure, and few drug design approaches fully exploit the wealth of mechanistic insights that has been obtained in biophysical studies. Here, I attempt to provide a new perspective on the role of protein aggregation in disease, by phrasing the problem in terms of a system that, under constant energy consumption, attempts to maintain a healthy, aggregate-free state against the thermodynamic driving forces that inexorably push it toward pathological aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Meisl
- WaveBreak Therapeutics Ltd., Chemistry of Health, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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23
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Farzadfard A, Kunka A, Mason TO, Larsen JA, Norrild RK, Dominguez ET, Ray S, Buell AK. Thermodynamic characterization of amyloid polymorphism by microfluidic transient incomplete separation. Chem Sci 2024; 15:2528-2544. [PMID: 38362440 PMCID: PMC10866369 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc05371g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyloid fibrils of proteins such as α-synuclein are a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases and much research has focused on their kinetics and mechanisms of formation. The question as to the thermodynamic stability of such structures has received much less attention. Here, we newly utilize the principle of transient incomplete separation of species in laminar flow in combination with chemical depolymerization for the quantification of amyloid fibril stability. The relative concentrations of fibrils and monomer at equilibrium are determined through an in situ separation of these species based on their different diffusivity inside a microfluidic capillary. The method is highly sample economical, using much less than a microliter of sample per data point and its only requirement is the presence of aromatic residues (W, Y) because of its label-free nature, which makes it widely applicable. Using this method, we investigate the differences in thermodynamic stability between different fibril polymorphs of α-synuclein and quantify these differences for the first time. Importantly, we show that fibril formation can be under kinetic or thermodynamic control and that a change in solution conditions can both stabilise and destabilise amyloid fibrils. Taken together, our results establish the thermodynamic stability as a well-defined and key parameter that can contribute towards a better understanding of the physiological roles of amyloid fibril polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azad Farzadfard
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University Gustav Wieds Vej 14 8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Antonin Kunka
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | - Thomas Oliver Mason
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | - Jacob Aunstrup Larsen
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | - Rasmus Krogh Norrild
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | - Elisa Torrescasana Dominguez
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | - Soumik Ray
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | - Alexander K Buell
- Protein Biophysics Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
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24
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Bali S, Singh R, Wydorski PM, Wosztyl A, Perez VA, Chen D, Rizo J, Joachimiak LA. Ensemble-based design of tau to inhibit aggregation while preserving biological activity. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3796916. [PMID: 38313287 PMCID: PMC10836093 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3796916/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases characterized by amyloid formation. Mutations associated with frontotemporal dementia increase tau aggregation propensity and disrupt its endogenous microtubule-binding activity. The structural relationship between aggregation propensity and biological activity remains unclear. We employed a multi-disciplinary approach, including computational modeling, NMR, cross-linking mass spectrometry, and cell models to design tau sequences that stabilize its structural ensemble. Our findings reveal that substitutions near the conserved 'PGGG' beta-turn motif can modulate local conformation, more stably engaging in interactions with the 306VQIVYK311 amyloid motif to decrease aggregation in vitro and in cells. Designed tau sequences maintain microtubule binding and explain why 3R isoforms of tau exhibit reduced pathogenesis over 4R isoforms. We propose a simple mechanism to reduce the formation of pathogenic species while preserving biological function, offering insights for therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Bali
- Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas
| | - Ruhar Singh
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas
| | - Pawel M Wydorski
- Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas
| | - Aleksandra Wosztyl
- Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
| | - Valerie A Perez
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas
| | - Dailu Chen
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas
| | - Josep Rizo
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
| | - Lukasz A Joachimiak
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
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25
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Wilkinson M, Xu Y, Thacker D, Taylor AIP, Fisher DG, Gallardo RU, Radford SE, Ranson NA. Structural evolution of fibril polymorphs during amyloid assembly. Cell 2023; 186:5798-5811.e26. [PMID: 38134875 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.025] [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: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) has provided unprecedented insights into amyloid fibril structures, including those associated with disease. However, these structures represent the endpoints of long assembly processes, and their relationship to fibrils formed early in assembly is unknown. Consequently, whether different fibril architectures, with potentially different pathological properties, form during assembly remains unknown. Here, we used cryo-EM to determine structures of amyloid fibrils at different times during in vitro fibrillation of a disease-related variant of human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP-S20G). Strikingly, the fibrils formed in the lag, growth, and plateau phases have different structures, with new forms appearing and others disappearing as fibrillation proceeds. A time course with wild-type hIAPP also shows fibrils changing with time, suggesting that this is a general property of IAPP amyloid assembly. The observation of transiently populated fibril structures has implications for understanding amyloid assembly mechanisms with potential new insights into amyloid progression in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Wilkinson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Yong Xu
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Dev Thacker
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Alexander I P Taylor
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Declan G Fisher
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Rodrigo U Gallardo
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Sheena E Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Neil A Ranson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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26
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Bali S, Singh R, Wydorski PM, Wosztyl A, Perez VA, Chen D, Rizo J, Joachimiak LA. Ensemble-based design of tau to inhibit aggregation while preserving biological activity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.13.571598. [PMID: 38168322 PMCID: PMC10760154 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.13.571598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases characterized by amyloid formation. Mutations associated with frontotemporal dementia increase tau aggregation propensity and disrupt its endogenous microtubule-binding activity. The structural relationship between aggregation propensity and biological activity remains unclear. We employed a multi-disciplinary approach, including computational modeling, NMR, cross-linking mass spectrometry, and cell models to design tau sequences that stabilize its structural ensemble. Our findings reveal that substitutions near the conserved 'PGGG' beta-turn motif can modulate local conformation, more stably engaging in interactions with the 306 VQIVYK 311 amyloid motif to decrease aggregation in vitro and in cells. Designed tau sequences maintain microtubule binding and explain why 3R isoforms of tau exhibit reduced pathogenesis over 4R isoforms. We propose a simple mechanism to reduce the formation of pathogenic species while preserving biological function, offering insights for therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases.
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27
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Yang Y, Murzin AG, Peak-Chew S, Franco C, Garringer HJ, Newell KL, Ghetti B, Goedert M, Scheres SHW. Cryo-EM structures of Aβ40 filaments from the leptomeninges of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:191. [PMID: 38049918 PMCID: PMC10694933 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01694-8] [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: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We used electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine the structures of Aβ40 filaments from the leptomeninges of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. In agreement with previously reported structures, which were solved to a resolution of 4.4 Å, we found three types of filaments. However, our new structures, solved to a resolution of 2.4 Å, revealed differences in the sequence assignment that redefine the fold of Aβ40 peptides and their interactions. Filaments are made of pairs of protofilaments, the ordered core of which comprises D1-G38. The different filament types comprise one, two or three protofilament pairs. In each pair, residues H14-G37 of both protofilaments adopt an extended conformation and pack against each other in an anti-parallel fashion, held together by hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds between main chains and side chains. Residues D1-H13 fold back on the adjacent parts of their own chains through both polar and non-polar interactions. There are also several additional densities of unknown identity. Sarkosyl extraction and aqueous extraction gave the same structures. By cryo-EM, parenchymal deposits of Aβ42 and blood vessel deposits of Aβ40 have distinct structures, supporting the view that Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy are different Aβ proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Alexey G Murzin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sew Peak-Chew
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Catarina Franco
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Holly J Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Kathy L Newell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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