1
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Zhu M, Xu H, Jin Y, Kong X, Xu B, Liu Y, Yu H. Synaptotagmin-1 undergoes phase separation to regulate its calcium-sensitive oligomerization. J Cell Biol 2024; 223:e202311191. [PMID: 38980206 PMCID: PMC11232894 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202311191] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1) is a calcium sensor that regulates synaptic vesicle fusion in synchronous neurotransmitter release. Syt1 interacts with negatively charged lipids and the SNARE complex to control the fusion event. However, it remains incompletely understood how Syt1 mediates Ca2+-trigged synaptic vesicle fusion. Here, we discovered that Syt1 undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to form condensates both in vitro and in living cells. Syt1 condensates play a role in vesicle attachment to the PM and efficiently recruit SNAREs and complexin, which may facilitate the downstream synaptic vesicle fusion. We observed that Syt1 condensates undergo a liquid-to-gel-like phase transition, reflecting the formation of Syt1 oligomers. The phase transition can be blocked or reversed by Ca2+, confirming the essential role of Ca2+ in Syt1 oligomer disassembly. Finally, we showed that the Syt1 mutations causing Syt1-associated neurodevelopmental disorder impair the Ca2+-driven phase transition. These findings reveal that Syt1 undergoes LLPS and a Ca2+-sensitive phase transition, providing new insights into Syt1-mediated vesicle fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Han Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yulei Jin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoxu Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Bingkuan Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yinghui Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haijia Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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2
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Huang S, Fu M, Gu A, Zhao R, Liu Z, Hua W, Mao Y, Wen W. mInsc coordinates Par3 and NuMA condensates for assembly of the spindle orientation machinery in asymmetric cell division. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 279:135126. [PMID: 39218187 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.135126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2024] [Revised: 08/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
As a fundamental process governing the self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells, asymmetric cell division is controlled by several conserved regulators, including the polarity protein Par3 and the microtubule-associated protein NuMA, which orchestrate the assembly and interplay of the Par3/Par6/mInsc/LGN complex at the apical cortex and the LGN/Gαi/NuMA/Dynein complex at the mitotic spindle to ensure asymmetric segregation of cell fate determinants. However, this model, which is well-supported by genetic studies, has been challenged by evidence of competitive interaction between NuMA and mInsc for LGN. Here, the solved crystal structure of the Par3/mInsc complex reveals that mInsc competes with Par6β for Par3, raising questions about how proteins assemble overlapping targets into functional macromolecular complexes. Unanticipatedly, we discover that Par3 can recruit both Par6β and mInsc by forming a dynamic condensate through phase separation. Similarly, the phase-separated NuMA condensate enables the coexistence of competitive NuMA and mInsc with LGN in the same compartment. Bridge by mInsc, Par3/Par6β and LGN/NuMA condensates coacervate, robustly enriching all five proteins both in vitro and within cells. These findings highlight the pivotal role of protein condensates in assembling multi-component signalosomes that incorporate competitive protein-protein interaction pairs, effectively overcoming stoichiometric constraints encountered in conventional protein complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijing Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Minjie Fu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Aihong Gu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ruiqian Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ziheng Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wei Hua
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wenyu Wen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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3
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Zhao R, Huang S, Li J, Gu A, Fu M, Hua W, Mao Y, Lei QY, Lu B, Wen W. Excessive STAU1 condensate drives mTOR translation and autophagy dysfunction in neurodegeneration. J Cell Biol 2024; 223:e202311127. [PMID: 38913026 PMCID: PMC11194678 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202311127] [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: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The double-stranded RNA-binding protein Staufen1 (STAU1) regulates a variety of physiological and pathological events via mediating RNA metabolism. STAU1 overabundance was observed in tissues from mouse models and fibroblasts from patients with neurodegenerative diseases, accompanied by enhanced mTOR signaling and impaired autophagic flux, while the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we find that endogenous STAU1 forms dynamic cytoplasmic condensate in normal and tumor cell lines, as well as in mouse Huntington's disease knockin striatal cells. STAU1 condensate recruits target mRNA MTOR at its 5'UTR and promotes its translation both in vitro and in vivo, and thus enhanced formation of STAU1 condensate leads to mTOR hyperactivation and autophagy-lysosome dysfunction. Interference of STAU1 condensate normalizes mTOR levels, ameliorates autophagy-lysosome function, and reduces aggregation of pathological proteins in cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases. These findings highlight the importance of balanced phase separation in physiological processes, suggesting that modulating STAU1 condensate may be a strategy to mitigate the progression of neurodegenerative diseases with STAU1 overabundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqian Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shijing Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingyu Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Aihong Gu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Minjie Fu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Hua
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qun-Ying Lei
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Boxun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenyu Wen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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4
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Jia X, Lin L, Guo S, Zhou L, Jin G, Dong J, Xiao J, Xie X, Li Y, He S, Wei Z, Yu C. CLASP-mediated competitive binding in protein condensates directs microtubule growth. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6509. [PMID: 39095354 PMCID: PMC11297316 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50863-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Microtubule organization in cells relies on targeting mechanisms. Cytoplasmic linker proteins (CLIPs) and CLIP-associated proteins (CLASPs) are key regulators of microtubule organization, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we reveal that the C-terminal domain of CLASP2 interacts with a common motif found in several CLASP-binding proteins. This interaction drives the dynamic localization of CLASP2 to distinct cellular compartments, where CLASP2 accumulates in protein condensates at the cell cortex or the microtubule plus end. These condensates physically contact each other via CLASP2-mediated competitive binding, determining cortical microtubule targeting. The phosphorylation of CLASP2 modulates the dynamics of the condensate-condensate interaction and spatiotemporally navigates microtubule growth. Moreover, we identify additional CLASP-interacting proteins that are involved in condensate contacts in a CLASP2-dependent manner, uncovering a general mechanism governing microtubule targeting. Our findings not only unveil a tunable multiphase system regulating microtubule organization, but also offer general mechanistic insights into intricate protein-protein interactions at the mesoscale level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyan Jia
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Assembling and Regulation, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Leishu Lin
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Assembling and Regulation, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Siqi Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Lulu Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Gaowei Jin
- Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Jiayuan Dong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Assembling and Regulation, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Jinman Xiao
- Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Xingqiao Xie
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Assembling and Regulation, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Yiming Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Sicong He
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Zhiyi Wei
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Assembling and Regulation, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
- Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
- Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
| | - Cong Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
- Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, and Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
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5
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Wang C, Zhang K, Cai B, Haller JE, Carnazza KE, Hu J, Zhao C, Tian Z, Hu X, Hall D, Qiang J, Hou S, Liu Z, Gu J, Zhang Y, Seroogy KB, Burré J, Fang Y, Liu C, Brunger AT, Li D, Diao J. VAMP2 chaperones α-synuclein in synaptic vesicle co-condensates. Nat Cell Biol 2024; 26:1287-1295. [PMID: 38951706 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-024-01456-1] [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: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
α-Synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation is closely associated with Parkinson's disease neuropathology. Physiologically, α-Syn promotes synaptic vesicle (SV) clustering and soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex assembly. However, the underlying structural and molecular mechanisms are uncertain and it is not known whether this function affects the pathological aggregation of α-Syn. Here we show that the juxtamembrane region of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2)-a component of the SNARE complex that resides on SVs-directly interacts with the carboxy-terminal region of α-Syn through charged residues to regulate α-Syn's function in clustering SVs and promoting SNARE complex assembly by inducing a multi-component condensed phase of SVs, α-Syn and other components. Moreover, VAMP2 binding protects α-Syn against forming aggregation-prone oligomers and fibrils in these condensates. Our results suggest a molecular mechanism that maintains α-Syn's function and prevents its pathological amyloid aggregation, the failure of which may lead to Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuchu Wang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Cai
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jillian E Haller
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kathryn E Carnazza
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jiaojiao Hu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chunyu Zhao
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiqi Tian
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Xiao Hu
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Daniel Hall
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jiali Qiang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shouqiao Hou
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenying Liu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinge Gu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yaoyang Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Kim B Seroogy
- Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jacqueline Burré
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yanshan Fang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Cong Liu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Axel T Brunger
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Dan Li
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jiajie Diao
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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6
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Gonzalez-Hernandez AJ, Munguba H, Levitz J. Emerging modes of regulation of neuromodulatory G protein-coupled receptors. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:635-650. [PMID: 38862331 PMCID: PMC11324403 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.05.008] [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: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
In the nervous system, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) control neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, and, ultimately, behavior through spatiotemporally precise initiation of a variety of signaling pathways. However, despite their critical importance, there is incomplete understanding of how these receptors are regulated to tune their signaling to specific neurophysiological contexts. A deeper mechanistic picture of neuromodulatory GPCR function is needed to fully decipher their biological roles and effectively harness them for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In this review, we highlight recent progress in identifying novel modes of regulation of neuromodulatory GPCRs, including G protein- and receptor-targeting mechanisms, receptor-receptor crosstalk, and unique features that emerge in the context of chemical synapses. These emerging principles of neuromodulatory GPCR tuning raise critical questions to be tackled at the molecular, cellular, synaptic, and neural circuit levels in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hermany Munguba
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joshua Levitz
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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7
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Liu Y, Gong XT, Wang KN, He S, Wang Y, Lin Q, Liu Z, Yu X, Liu B. Dual-targeted fluorescent probe for tracking polarity and phase transition processes during lipophagy. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2024; 11:3287-3297. [PMID: 38842407 DOI: 10.1039/d4mh00190g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells regulate various cellular processes through membrane-bound and membrane-less organelles, enabling active signal communication and material exchange. Lysosomes and lipid droplets are representative organelles, contributing to cell lipophagy when their interaction and metabolism are disrupted. Our limited understanding of the interacting behaviours and physicochemical properties of different organelles during lipophagy hinders accurate diagnosis and treatment of related diseases. In this contribution, we report a fluorescent probe, PTZ, engineered for dual-targeting of lipid droplets and lysosomes. PTZ can track liquid-liquid phase separation and respond to polarity shifts through ratiometric fluorescence emission, elucidating the lipophagy process from the perspective of organelle behavior and physicochemical properties. Leveraging on the multifunctionality of PTZ, we have successfully tracked the polarity and dynamic changes of lysosomes and lipid droplets during lipophagy. Furthermore, an unknown homogeneous transition of lipid droplets and lysosomes was discovered, which provided a new perspective for understanding lipophagy processes. And this work is expected to serve as a reference for diagnosis and treatment of lipophagy-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
| | - Xiao-Ting Gong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
- Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou 350207, China
| | - Kang-Nan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
| | - Simeng He
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Yumeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
| | - Qiaowen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
| | - Xiaoqiang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
- Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou 350207, China
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8
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Song SH, Augustine GJ. A role for synapsin tetramerization in synaptic vesicle clustering. J Physiol 2024. [PMID: 38979871 DOI: 10.1113/jp286177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Although synapsins have long been proposed to be key regulators of synaptic vesicle (SV) clustering, their mechanism of action has remained mysterious and somewhat controversial. Here, we review synapsins and their associations with each other and with SVs. We highlight the recent hypothesis that synapsin tetramerization is a mechanism for SV clustering. This hypothesis, which aligns with numerous experimental results, suggests that the larger size of synapsin tetramers, in comparison to dimers, allows tetramers to form optimal bridges between SVs that overcome the repulsive force associated with the negatively charged membrane of SVs and allow synapsins to form a reserve pool of SVs within presynaptic terminals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - George J Augustine
- Temasek Life sciences Laboratory, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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9
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Liu Y, Zhu Y, Xu W, Li P. A phase separation-fortified bi-specific adaptor for conditional tumor killing. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:1385-1397. [PMID: 38561483 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2490-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
A common approach in therapeutic protein development involves employing synthetic ligands with multivalency, enabling sophisticated control of signal transduction. Leveraging the emerging concept of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and its ability to organize cell surface receptors into functional compartments, we herein have designed modular ligands with phase-separation modalities to engineer programmable interreceptor communications and precise control of signal pathways, thus inducing the rapid, potent, and specific apoptosis of tumor cells. Despite their simplicity, these "triggers", named phase-separated Tumor Killers (hereafter referred to as psTK), are sufficient to yield interreceptor clustering of death receptors (represented by DR5) and tumor-associated receptors, with notable features: LLPS-mediated robust high-order organization, well-choreographed conditional activation, and broad-spectrum capacity to potently induce apoptosis in tumor cells. The development of novel therapeutic proteins with phase-separation modalities showcases the power of spatially reorganizing signal transduction. This approach facilitates the diversification of cell fate and holds promising potential for targeted therapies against challenging tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yuting Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Weifan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Pilong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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10
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Lee CT, Bell M, Bonilla-Quintana M, Rangamani P. Biophysical Modeling of Synaptic Plasticity. Annu Rev Biophys 2024; 53:397-426. [PMID: 38382115 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-072123-124954] [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: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Dendritic spines are small, bulbous compartments that function as postsynaptic sites and undergo intense biochemical and biophysical activity. The role of the myriad signaling pathways that are implicated in synaptic plasticity is well studied. A recent abundance of quantitative experimental data has made the events associated with synaptic plasticity amenable to quantitative biophysical modeling. Spines are also fascinating biophysical computational units because spine geometry, signal transduction, and mechanics work in a complex feedback loop to tune synaptic plasticity. In this sense, ideas from modeling cell motility can inspire us to develop multiscale approaches for predictive modeling of synaptic plasticity. In this article, we review the key steps in postsynaptic plasticity with a specific focus on the impact of spine geometry on signaling, cytoskeleton rearrangement, and membrane mechanics. We summarize the main experimental observations and highlight how theory and computation can aid our understanding of these complex processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Lee
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - Miriam Bell
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - Mayte Bonilla-Quintana
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - Padmini Rangamani
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
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11
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Yang X, Huang Y, Xia P. The property and function of proteins undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation in plants. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024. [PMID: 38808958 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
A wide variety of membrane-less organelles in cells play an essential role in regulating gene expression, RNA processing, plant growth and development, and helping organisms cope with changing external environments. In biology, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) usually refers to a reversible process in which one or more specific molecular components are spontaneously separated from the bulk environment, producing two distinct liquid phases: concentrated and dilute. LLPS may be a powerful cellular compartmentalisation mechanism whereby biocondensates formed via LLPS when biomolecules exceed critical or saturating concentrations in the environment where they are found will be generated. It has been widely used to explain the formation of membrane-less organelles in organisms. LLPS studies in the context of plant physiology are now widespread, but most of the research is still focused on non-plant systems; the study of phase separation in plants needs to be more thorough. Proteins and nucleic acids are the main components involved in LLPS. This review summarises the specific features and properties of biomolecules undergoing LLPS in plants. We describe in detail these biomolecules' structural characteristics, the mechanism of formation of condensates, and the functions of these condensates. Finally, We summarised the phase separation mechanisms in plant growth, development, and stress adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejiao Yang
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yang Huang
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Pengguo Xia
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
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12
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Xu C, Zhang Z, Hou D, Wang G, Li C, Ma X, Wang K, Luo H, Zhu M. Effects of exercise interventions on negative emotions, cognitive performance and drug craving in methamphetamine addiction. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1402533. [PMID: 38827441 PMCID: PMC11140390 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1402533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Methamphetamine is currently one of the most commonly used addictive substances with strong addiction and a high relapse rate. This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of physical activity in improving negative emotions, cognitive impairment, and drug craving in people with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). Methods A total of 17 studies out of 133 found from Embase and PubMed were identified, reporting results from 1836 participants from MUD populations. Original research using clearly described physical activity as interventions and reporting quantifiable outcomes of negative mood, cognitive function and drug craving level in people with MUD were eligible for inclusion. We included prospective studies, randomized controlled trials, or intervention studies, focusing on the neurological effects of physical activity on MUD. Results Taken together, the available clinical evidence showed that physical activity-based interventions may be effective in managing MUD-related withdrawal symptoms. Discussion Physical exercise may improve drug rehabilitation efficiency by improving negative emotions, cognitive behaviors, and drug cravings. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024530359.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conghui Xu
- School of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Technological Innovation Centre of Drug Addiction Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Zunyue Zhang
- School of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Technological Innovation Centre of Drug Addiction Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Dezhi Hou
- School of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Department of General Surgery I, First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Guangqing Wang
- Department of Rehabilitation Education and Corrections, Drug Rehabilitation Administration of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Congbin Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Education and Corrections, Drug Rehabilitation Administration of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Xingfeng Ma
- Department of Rehabilitation Education and Corrections, Drug Rehabilitation Administration of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Kunhua Wang
- School of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Technological Innovation Centre of Drug Addiction Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Huayou Luo
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Mei Zhu
- Department of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
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13
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Stamenkovic V, Lautz JD, Harsh FM, Smith SEP. SRC family kinase inhibition rescues molecular and behavioral phenotypes, but not protein interaction network dynamics, in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:1392-1405. [PMID: 38297084 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02418-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Glutamatergic synapses encode information from extracellular inputs using dynamic protein interaction networks (PINs) that undergo widespread reorganization following synaptic activity, allowing cells to distinguish between signaling inputs and generate coordinated cellular responses. Here, we investigate how Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein (FMRP) deficiency disrupts signal transduction through a glutamatergic synapse PIN downstream of NMDA receptor or metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) stimulation. In cultured cortical neurons or acute cortical slices from P7, P17 and P60 FMR1-/y mice, the unstimulated protein interaction network state resembled that of wildtype littermates stimulated with mGluR agonists, demonstrating resting state pre-activation of mGluR signaling networks. In contrast, interactions downstream of NMDAR stimulation were similar to WT. We identified the Src family kinase (SFK) Fyn as a network hub, because many interactions involving Fyn were pre-activated in FMR1-/y animals. We tested whether targeting SFKs in FMR1-/y mice could modify disease phenotypes, and found that Saracatinib (SCB), an SFK inhibitor, normalized elevated basal protein synthesis, novel object recognition memory and social behavior in FMR1-/y mice. However, SCB treatment did not normalize the PIN to a wild-type-like state in vitro or in vivo, but rather induced extensive changes to protein complexes containing Shank3, NMDARs and Fyn. We conclude that targeting abnormal nodes of a PIN can identify potential disease-modifying drugs, but behavioral rescue does not correlate with PIN normalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Stamenkovic
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jonathan D Lautz
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Felicia M Harsh
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stephen E P Smith
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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14
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Eljebbawi A, Hutin S, Zubieta C, Stahl Y. Environmental signals driving liquid-liquid phase separation - a molecular memory in plants? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1391043. [PMID: 38736449 PMCID: PMC11082374 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1391043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Ali Eljebbawi
- Institute for Developmental Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stephanie Hutin
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale, Université Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat à l’énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Institut National de Recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble, Grenoble, France
| | - Chloe Zubieta
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale, Université Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat à l’énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Institut National de Recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble, Grenoble, France
| | - Yvonne Stahl
- Institute for Developmental Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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15
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Qiu H, Wu X, Ma X, Li S, Cai Q, Ganzella M, Ge L, Zhang H, Zhang M. Short-distance vesicle transport via phase separation. Cell 2024; 187:2175-2193.e21. [PMID: 38552623 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.003] [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: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
In addition to long-distance molecular motor-mediated transport, cellular vesicles also need to be moved at short distances with defined directions to meet functional needs in subcellular compartments but with unknown mechanisms. Such short-distance vesicle transport does not involve molecular motors. Here, we demonstrate, using synaptic vesicle (SV) transport as a paradigm, that phase separation of synaptic proteins with vesicles can facilitate regulated, directional vesicle transport between different presynaptic bouton sub-compartments. Specifically, a large coiled-coil scaffold protein Piccolo, in response to Ca2+ and via its C2A domain-mediated Ca2+ sensing, can extract SVs from the synapsin-clustered reserve pool condensate and deposit the extracted SVs onto the surface of the active zone protein condensate. We further show that the Trk-fused gene, TFG, also participates in COPII vesicle trafficking from ER to the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment via phase separation. Thus, phase separation may play a general role in short-distance, directional vesicle transport in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Qiu
- Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiandeng Wu
- Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shulin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Beijing, China; Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China; School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Qixu Cai
- Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Marcelo Ganzella
- Department of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Liang Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Beijing, China; Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China; School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mingjie Zhang
- Greater Bay Biomedical Innocenter, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518036, China; School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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16
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Huang H, Liu X, Wang L, Wang F. Whole-brain connections of glutamatergic neurons in the mouse lateral habenula in both sexes. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:37. [PMID: 38654275 PMCID: PMC11036720 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00611-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The lateral habenula (LHb) is an epithalamus nucleus that is evolutionarily conserved and involved in various physiological functions, such as encoding value signals, integrating emotional information, and regulating related behaviors. The cells in the LHb are predominantly glutamatergic and have heterogeneous functions in response to different stimuli. The circuitry connections of the LHb glutamatergic neurons play a crucial role in integrating a wide range of events. However, the circuitry connections of LHb glutamatergic neurons in both sexes have not been thoroughly investigated. METHODS In this study, we injected Cre-dependent retrograde trace virus and anterograde synaptophysin-labeling virus into the LHb of adult male and female Vglut2-ires-Cre mice, respectively. We then quantitatively analyzed the input and output of the LHb glutamatergic connections in both the ipsilateral and contralateral whole brain. RESULTS Our findings showed that the inputs to LHbvGlut2 neurons come from more than 30 brain subregions, including the cortex, striatum, pallidum, thalamus, hypothalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla, and cerebellum with no significant differences between males and females. The outputs of LHbvGlut2 neurons targeted eight large brain regions, primarily focusing on the midbrain and pons nuclei, with distinct features in presynaptic bouton across different brain subregions. While correlation and cluster analysis revealed differences in input and collateral projection features, the input-output connection pattern of LHbvGlut2 neurons in both sexes was highly similar. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the input and output connections of LHbvGlut2 neurons in male and female mice, shedding light on the anatomical architecture of these specific cell types in the mouse LHb. This structural understanding can help guide further investigations into the complex functions of the LHb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongren Huang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xue Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China.
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17
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Zhang Q, Lin Z, Du X, Zhou Z. Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation within Dense-Core Vesicles in Sympathetic Adrenal Chromaffin Cells. Neurosci Bull 2024:10.1007/s12264-024-01201-6. [PMID: 38589711 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01201-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Quanfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Zhaohan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xinyu Du
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhuan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100871, China.
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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18
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Lee G, Kim S, Hwang DE, Eom YG, Jang G, Park HY, Choi JM, Ko J, Shin Y. Thermodynamic modulation of gephyrin condensation by inhibitory synapse components. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313236121. [PMID: 38466837 PMCID: PMC10963017 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313236121] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Phase separation drives compartmentalization of intracellular contents into various biomolecular condensates. Individual condensate components are thought to differentially contribute to the organization and function of condensates. However, how intermolecular interactions among constituent biomolecules modulate the phase behaviors of multicomponent condensates remains unclear. Here, we used core components of the inhibitory postsynaptic density (iPSD) as a model system to quantitatively probe how the network of intra- and intermolecular interactions defines the composition and cellular distribution of biomolecular condensates. We found that oligomerization-driven phase separation of gephyrin, an iPSD-specific scaffold, is critically modulated by an intrinsically disordered linker region exhibiting minimal homotypic attractions. Other iPSD components, such as neurotransmitter receptors, differentially promote gephyrin condensation through distinct binding modes and affinities. We further demonstrated that the local accumulation of scaffold-binding proteins at the cell membrane promotes the nucleation of gephyrin condensates in neurons. These results suggest that in multicomponent systems, the extent of scaffold condensation can be fine-tuned by scaffold-binding factors, a potential regulatory mechanism for self-organized compartmentalization in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gyehyun Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungjoon Kim
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu42988, Republic of Korea
- Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Da-Eun Hwang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu-Gon Eom
- Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Gyubin Jang
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu42988, Republic of Korea
- Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Yoon Park
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455
| | - Jeong-Mo Choi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaewon Ko
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu42988, Republic of Korea
- Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongdae Shin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea
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19
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Oevel K, Hohensee S, Kumar A, Rosas-Brugada I, Bartolini F, Soykan T, Haucke V. Rho GTPase signaling and mDia facilitate endocytosis via presynaptic actin. eLife 2024; 12:RP92755. [PMID: 38502163 PMCID: PMC10950329 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurotransmission at synapses is mediated by the fusion and subsequent endocytosis of synaptic vesicle membranes. Actin has been suggested to be required for presynaptic endocytosis but the mechanisms that control actin polymerization and its mode of action within presynaptic nerve terminals remain poorly understood. We combine optical recordings of presynaptic membrane dynamics and ultrastructural analysis with genetic and pharmacological manipulations to demonstrate that presynaptic endocytosis is controlled by actin regulatory diaphanous-related formins mDia1/3 and Rho family GTPase signaling in mouse hippocampal neurons. We show that impaired presynaptic actin assembly in the near absence of mDia1/3 and reduced RhoA activity is partly compensated by hyperactivation of Rac1. Inhibition of Rac1 signaling further aggravates impaired presynaptic endocytosis elicited by loss of mDia1/3. Our data suggest that interdependent mDia1/3-Rho and Rac1 signaling pathways cooperatively act to facilitate synaptic vesicle endocytosis by controlling presynaptic F-actin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Oevel
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)BerlinGermany
| | - Svea Hohensee
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)BerlinGermany
| | - Atul Kumar
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical CenterNew York CityUnited States
| | | | - Francesca Bartolini
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical CenterNew York CityUnited States
| | - Tolga Soykan
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)BerlinGermany
| | - Volker Haucke
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)BerlinGermany
- Faculty of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
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20
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Ray S, Buell AK. Emerging experimental methods to study the thermodynamics of biomolecular condensate formation. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:091001. [PMID: 38445729 DOI: 10.1063/5.0190160] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The formation of biomolecular condensates in vivo is increasingly recognized to underlie a multitude of crucial cellular functions. Furthermore, the evolution of highly dynamic protein condensates into progressively less reversible assemblies is thought to be involved in a variety of disorders, from cancer over neurodegeneration to rare genetic disorders. There is an increasing need for efficient experimental methods to characterize the thermodynamics of condensate formation and that can be used in screening campaigns to identify and rationally design condensate modifying compounds. Theoretical advances in the field are also identifying the key parameters that need to be measured in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying interactions and driving forces. Here, we review recent progress in the development of efficient and quantitative experimental methods to study the driving forces behind and the temporal evolution of biomolecular condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumik Ray
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alexander K Buell
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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21
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Kaizuka T, Hirouchi T, Saneyoshi T, Shirafuji T, Collins MO, Grant SGN, Hayashi Y, Takumi T. FAM81A is a postsynaptic protein that regulates the condensation of postsynaptic proteins via liquid-liquid phase separation. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002006. [PMID: 38452102 PMCID: PMC10919877 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Proteome analyses of the postsynaptic density (PSD), a proteinaceous specialization beneath the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory synapses, have identified several thousands of proteins. While proteins with predictable functions have been well studied, functionally uncharacterized proteins are mostly overlooked. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 35 PSD proteome datasets, encompassing a total of 5,869 proteins. Employing a ranking methodology, we identified 97 proteins that remain inadequately characterized. From this selection, we focused our detailed analysis on the highest-ranked protein, FAM81A. FAM81A interacts with PSD proteins, including PSD-95, SynGAP, and NMDA receptors, and promotes liquid-liquid phase separation of those proteins in cultured cells or in vitro. Down-regulation of FAM81A in cultured neurons causes a decrease in the size of PSD-95 puncta and the frequency of neuronal firing. Our findings suggest that FAM81A plays a crucial role in facilitating the interaction and assembly of proteins within the PSD, and its presence is important for maintaining normal synaptic function. Additionally, our methodology underscores the necessity for further characterization of numerous synaptic proteins that still lack comprehensive understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Kaizuka
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Chuo, Kobe, Japan
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Chancellor’s Building, Edinburgh BioQuarter, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Taisei Hirouchi
- Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takeo Saneyoshi
- Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Shirafuji
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Chuo, Kobe, Japan
| | - Mark O. Collins
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- biOMICS Facility, Mass Spectrometry Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Seth G. N. Grant
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Chancellor’s Building, Edinburgh BioQuarter, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB), Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Yasunori Hayashi
- Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toru Takumi
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Chuo, Kobe, Japan
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Chuo, Kobe, Japan
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22
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Lee SE, Chang S. nArgBP2 together with GKAP and SHANK3 forms a dynamic layered structure. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1354900. [PMID: 38440150 PMCID: PMC10909995 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1354900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
nArgBP2, a protein whose disruption is implicated in intellectual disability, concentrates in excitatory spine-synapses. By forming a triad with GKAP and SHANK, it regulates spine structural rearrangement. We here find that GKAP and SHANK3 concentrate close to the synaptic contact, whereas nArgBP2 concentrates more centrally in the spine. The three proteins collaboratively form biomolecular condensates in living fibroblasts, exhibiting distinctive layered localizations. nArgBP2 concentrates in the inner phase, SHANK3 in the outer phase, and GKAP partially in both. Upon co-expression of GKAP and nArgBP2, they evenly distribute within condensates, with a notable peripheral localization of SHANK3 persisting when co-expressed with either GKAP or nArgBP2. Co-expression of SHANK3 and GKAP with CaMKIIα results in phase-in-phase condensates, with CaMKIIα at the central locus and SHANK3 and GKAP exhibiting peripheral localization. Additional co-expression of nArgBP2 maintains the layered organizational structure within condensates. Subsequent CaMKIIα activation disperses a majority of the condensates, with an even distribution of all proteins within the extant deformed condensates. Our findings suggest that protein segregation via phase separation may contribute to establishing layered organization in dendritic spines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Eun Lee
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sunghoe Chang
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
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23
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Rosa E Silva I, Smetana JHC, de Oliveira JF. A comprehensive review on DDX3X liquid phase condensation in health and neurodevelopmental disorders. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 259:129330. [PMID: 38218270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129330] [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: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
DEAD-box helicases are global regulators of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), a process that assembles membraneless organelles inside cells. An outstanding member of the DEAD-box family is DDX3X, a multi-functional protein that plays critical roles in RNA metabolism, including RNA transcription, splicing, nucleocytoplasmic export, and translation. The diverse functions of DDX3X result from its ability to bind and remodel RNA in an ATP-dependent manner. This capacity enables the protein to act as an RNA chaperone and an RNA helicase, regulating ribonucleoprotein complex assembly. DDX3X and its orthologs from mouse, yeast (Ded1), and C. elegans (LAF-1) can undergo LLPS, driving the formation of neuronal granules, stress granules, processing bodies or P-granules. DDX3X has been related to several human conditions, including neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. Although the research into the pathogenesis of aberrant biomolecular condensation in neurodegenerative diseases is increasing rapidly, the role of LLPS in neurodevelopmental disorders is underexplored. This review summarizes current findings relevant for DDX3X phase separation in neurodevelopment and examines how disturbances in the LLPS process can be related to neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Rosa E Silva
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
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24
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Yang Q, Liu H, Zhong D, Li Z, Li J, Xiao K, Liu W. Tanc1/2 TPR domain interacts with Myo18a C-terminus and undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2024; 1871:119650. [PMID: 38092135 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Tanc1 and its homologous protein Tanc2 are critical synaptic scaffold proteins which regulate synaptic spine densities and excitatory synapse strength. Recent studies indicated TANC1 and TANC2 are candidate genes of several neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). In this study, we identified and characterized a novel interaction between Tanc1/2 and Myo18a, mediated by the Tanc1/2 TPR domains and Myo18a coiled-coil domain and C-extension (CCex). Sequence analysis and size exclusion chromatography experiments reveal that high salt disrupts the interaction between Myo18a and Tanc1/2, indicating that the interaction is primarily driven by charge-charge interactions. More importantly, we found that the Tanc1-TPR/Myo18a CCex interaction could undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in both cultured cells and test tubes, which provides the biochemical basis and potential molecular mechanisms for the LLPS-mediated interactions between Myo18a and Tanc1/2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Yang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University-The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China
| | - Haiyang Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University-The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Greater Bay Biomedical Innocenter, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Dengqin Zhong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University-The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China
| | - Zhiwei Li
- Division of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jianchao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Division of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Kang Xiao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University-The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China; HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Research Institute, Futian, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Wei Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University-The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Peking University-The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China.
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25
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Clavet-Fournier V, Lee C, Wegner W, Brose N, Rhee J, Willig KI. Pre- and postsynaptic nanostructures increase in size and complexity after induction of long-term potentiation. iScience 2024; 27:108679. [PMID: 38213627 PMCID: PMC10783556 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Synapses, specialized contact sites between neurons, are the fundamental elements of neuronal information transfer. Synaptic plasticity involves changes in synaptic morphology and the number of neurotransmitter receptors, and is thought to underlie learning and memory. However, it is not clear how these structural and functional changes are connected. We utilized time-lapse super-resolution STED microscopy of organotypic hippocampal brain slices and cultured neurons to visualize structural changes of the synaptic nano-organization of the postsynaptic scaffolding protein PSD95, the presynaptic scaffolding protein Bassoon, and the GluA2 subunit of AMPA receptors by chemically induced long-term potentiation (cLTP) at the level of single synapses. We found that the nano-organization of all three proteins increased in complexity and size after cLTP induction. The increase was largely synchronous, peaking at ∼60 min after stimulation. Therefore, both the size and complexity of individual pre- and post-synaptic nanostructures serve as substrates for tuning and determining synaptic strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Clavet-Fournier
- Group of Optical Nanoscopy in Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
- Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, und Molecular Biosciences (GGNB), Göttingen, Germany
| | - ChungKu Lee
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Synaptic Physiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Waja Wegner
- Group of Optical Nanoscopy in Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nils Brose
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - JeongSeop Rhee
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Synaptic Physiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katrin I. Willig
- Group of Optical Nanoscopy in Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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26
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Wu H, Chen X, Shen Z, Li H, Liang S, Lu Y, Zhang M. Phosphorylation-dependent membraneless organelle fusion and fission illustrated by postsynaptic density assemblies. Mol Cell 2024; 84:309-326.e7. [PMID: 38096828 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.11.011] [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: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Membraneless organelles formed by phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids play diverse cellular functions. Whether and, if yes, how membraneless organelles in ways analogous to membrane-based organelles also undergo regulated fusion and fission is unknown. Here, using a partially reconstituted mammalian postsynaptic density (PSD) condensate as a paradigm, we show that membraneless organelles can undergo phosphorylation-dependent fusion and fission. Without phosphorylation of the SAPAP guanylate kinase domain-binding repeats, the upper and lower layers of PSD protein mixtures form two immiscible sub-compartments in a phase-in-phase organization. Phosphorylation of SAPAP leads to fusion of the two sub-compartments into one condensate accompanied with an increased Stargazin density in the condensate. Dephosphorylation of SAPAP can reverse this event. Preventing SAPAP phosphorylation in vivo leads to increased separation of proteins from the lower and upper layers of PSD sub-compartments. Thus, analogous to membrane-based organelles, membraneless organelles can also undergo regulated fusion and fission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haowei Wu
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xudong Chen
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zeyu Shen
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hao Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine and Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Shiqi Liang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine and Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Youming Lu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine and Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Mingjie Zhang
- Greater Bay Biomedical Innocenter, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518036, China; School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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27
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Hu Y, Tao W. Current perspectives on microglia-neuron communication in the central nervous system: Direct and indirect modes of interaction. J Adv Res 2024:S2090-1232(24)00006-7. [PMID: 38195039 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2024.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The incessant communication that takes place between microglia and neurons is essential the development, maintenance, and pathogenesis of the central nervous system (CNS). As mobile phagocytic cells, microglia serve a critical role in surveilling and scavenging the neuronal milieu to uphold homeostasis. AIM OF REVIEW This review aims to discuss the various mechanisms that govern the interaction between microglia and neurons, from the molecular to the organ system level, and to highlight the importance of these interactions in the development, maintenance, and pathogenesis of the CNS. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW Recent research has revealed that microglia-neuron interaction is vital for regulating fundamental neuronal functions, such as synaptic pruning, axonal remodeling, and neurogenesis. The review will elucidate the intricate signaling pathways involved in these interactions, both direct and indirect, to provide a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of brain function. Furthermore, gaining insights into these signals could lead to the development of innovative therapies for neural disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Hu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, and National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 220023, China; School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Weiwei Tao
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, and National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 220023, China; School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China.
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28
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Ramírez de Mingo D, López-García P, Vaquero ME, Hervás R, Laurents DV, Carrión-Vázquez M. Phase separation modulates the functional amyloid assembly of human CPEB3. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 231:102540. [PMID: 37898314 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102540] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
How functional amyloids are regulated to restrict their activity is poorly understood. The cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 3 (CPEB3) is an RNA-binding protein that adopts an amyloid state key for memory persistence. Its monomer represses the translation of synaptic target mRNAs while phase separated, whereas its aggregated state acts as a translational activator. Here, we have explored the sequence-driven molecular determinants behind the functional aggregation of human CPEB3 (hCPEB3). We found that the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of hCPEB3 encodes both an amyloidogenic and a phase separation domain, separated by a poly-A-rich region. The hCPEB3 amyloid core is composed by a hydrophobic region instead of the Q-rich stretch found in the Drosophila orthologue. The hCPEB3 phase separation domain relies on hydrophobic interactions with ionic strength dependence, and its droplet ageing process leads to a liquid-to-solid transition with the formation of a non-fibril-based hydrogel surrounded by starburst droplets. Furthermore, we demonstrate the differential behavior of the protein depending on its environment. Under physiological-like conditions, hCPEB3 can establish additional electrostatic interactions with ions, increasing the stability of its liquid droplets and driving a condensation-based amyloid pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paula López-García
- Instituto Cajal, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, Madrid 28002, Spain; PhD Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-Cajal Institute, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | | | - Rubén Hervás
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Douglas V Laurents
- Instituto de Química Física "Blas Cabrera", CSIC, C/ Serrano 119, Madrid 28006, Spain
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29
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Sołtys K, Tarczewska A, Bystranowska D. Modulation of biomolecular phase behavior by metal ions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2023; 1870:119567. [PMID: 37582439 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) appears to be a newly appreciated aspect of the cellular organization of biomolecules that leads to the formation of membraneless organelles (MLOs). MLOs generate distinct microenvironments where particular biomolecules are highly concentrated compared to those in the surrounding environment. Their thermodynamically driven formation is reversible, and their liquid nature allows them to fuse with each other. Dysfunctional biomolecular condensation is associated with human diseases. Pathological states of MLOs may originate from the mutation of proteins or may be induced by other factors. In most aberrant MLOs, transient interactions are replaced by stronger and more rigid interactions, preventing their dissolution, and causing their uncontrolled growth and dysfunction. For these reasons, there is great interest in identifying factors that modulate LLPS. In this review, we discuss an enigmatic and mostly unexplored aspect of this process, namely, the regulatory effects of metal ions on the phase behavior of biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Sołtys
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Aneta Tarczewska
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Dominika Bystranowska
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
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30
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Liau WS, Zhao Q, Bademosi A, Gormal RS, Gong H, Marshall PR, Periyakaruppiah A, Madugalle SU, Zajaczkowski EL, Leighton LJ, Ren H, Musgrove M, Davies J, Rauch S, He C, Dickinson BC, Li X, Wei W, Meunier FA, Fernández-Moya SM, Kiebler MA, Srinivasan B, Banerjee S, Clark M, Spitale RC, Bredy TW. Fear extinction is regulated by the activity of long noncoding RNAs at the synapse. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7616. [PMID: 37993455 PMCID: PMC10665438 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43535-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a multidimensional class of regulatory molecules that are involved in many aspects of brain function. Emerging evidence indicates that lncRNAs are localized to the synapse; however, a direct role for their activity in this subcellular compartment in memory formation has yet to be demonstrated. Using lncRNA capture-seq, we identified a specific set of lncRNAs that accumulate in the synaptic compartment within the infralimbic prefrontal cortex of adult male C57/Bl6 mice. Among these was a splice variant related to the stress-associated lncRNA, Gas5. RNA immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry and single-molecule imaging revealed that this Gas5 isoform, in association with the RNA binding proteins G3BP2 and CAPRIN1, regulates the activity-dependent trafficking and clustering of RNA granules. In addition, we found that cell-type-specific, activity-dependent, and synapse-specific knockdown of the Gas5 variant led to impaired fear extinction memory. These findings identify a new mechanism of fear extinction that involves the dynamic interaction between local lncRNA activity and RNA condensates in the synaptic compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Siang Liau
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Qiongyi Zhao
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Adekunle Bademosi
- Single Molecule Neuroscience Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Rachel S Gormal
- Single Molecule Neuroscience Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Hao Gong
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Paul R Marshall
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ambika Periyakaruppiah
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sachithrani U Madugalle
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Esmi L Zajaczkowski
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Laura J Leighton
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Haobin Ren
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mason Musgrove
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Joshua Davies
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Simone Rauch
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Chuan He
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bryan C Dickinson
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Xiang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Frédéric A Meunier
- Single Molecule Neuroscience Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sandra M Fernández-Moya
- Biomedical Centre, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Gene Regulation of Cell Identity, Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) and Program for Advancing Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine of Catalonia, P-CMR[C], L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael A Kiebler
- Biomedical Centre, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Michael Clark
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Robert C Spitale
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Timothy W Bredy
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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31
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Li Q, Song Q, Guo W, Cao Y, Cui X, Chen D, Shum HC. Synthetic Membraneless Droplets for Synaptic-Like Clustering of Lipid Vesicles. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202313096. [PMID: 37728515 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202313096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, the membraneless organelles (MLOs) formed via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are found to interact intimately with membranous organelles (MOs). One major mode is the clustering of MOs by MLOs, such as the formation of clusters of synaptic vesicles at nerve terminals mediated by the synapsin-rich MLOs. Aqueous droplets, including complex coacervates and aqueous two-phase systems, have been plausible MLO-mimics to emulate or elucidate biological processes. However, neither of them can cluster lipid vesicles (LVs) like MLOs. In this work, we develop a synthetic droplet assembled from a combination of two different interactions underlying the formation of these two droplets, namely, associative and segregative interactions, which we call segregative-associative (SA) droplets. The SA droplets cluster and disperse LVs recapitulating the key functional features of synapsin condensates, which can be attributed to the weak electrostatic interaction environment provided by SA droplets. This work suggests LLPS with combined segregative and associative interactions as a possible route for synaptic clustering of lipid vesicles and highlights SA droplets as plausible MLO-mimics and models for studying and mimicking related cellular dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingchuan Li
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials, Shandong University, 27 Shanda Nanlu, Jinan, Shandong, P.R.China
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China
| | - Qingchun Song
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xinyu Cui
- Department of Public Health, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157000, P. R. China
| | - Dairong Chen
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials, Shandong University, 27 Shanda Nanlu, Jinan, Shandong, P.R.China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China
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32
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Zhang L, Xu J, Li M, Chen X. The role of long noncoding RNAs in liquid-liquid phase separation. Cell Signal 2023; 111:110848. [PMID: 37557974 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2023.110848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are among the most well-characterized noncoding RNAs, have attracted much attention due to their regulatory functions and potential therapeutic options in many types of disease. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), the formation of droplet condensates, is involved in various cellular processes, but the molecular interactions of lncRNAs in LLPS are unclear. In this review, we describe the research development on LLPS, including descriptions of various methods established to identify LLPS, summarize the physiological and pathological functions of LLPS, identify the molecular interactions of lncRNAs in LLPS, and present the potential applications of leveraging LLPS in the clinic. The aim of this review is to update the knowledge on the association between LLPS and lncRNAs, which might provide a new direction for the treatment of LLPS-mediated disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Zhang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Jinjin Xu
- Department of Imaging Medicine, The People's Hospital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot 010017, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Muxuan Li
- The First Clinical Medical College of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Xiujuan Chen
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, Inner Mongolia, China.
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Shen Z, Sun D, Savastano A, Varga SJ, Cima-Omori MS, Becker S, Honigmann A, Zweckstetter M. Multivalent Tau/PSD-95 interactions arrest in vitro condensates and clusters mimicking the postsynaptic density. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6839. [PMID: 37891164 PMCID: PMC10611757 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42295-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease begins with mild memory loss and slowly destroys memory and thinking. Cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease has been associated with the localization of the microtubule-associated protein Tau at the postsynapse. However, the correlation between Tau at the postsynapse and synaptic dysfunction remains unclear. Here, we show that Tau arrests liquid-like droplets formed by the four postsynaptic density proteins PSD-95, GKAP, Shank, Homer in solution, as well as NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate)-receptor-associated protein clusters on synthetic membranes. Tau-mediated condensate/cluster arrest critically depends on the binding of multiple interaction motifs of Tau to a canonical GMP-binding pocket in the guanylate kinase domain of PSD-95. We further reveal that competitive binding of a high-affinity phosphorylated peptide to PSD-95 rescues the diffusional dynamics of an NMDA truncated construct, which contains the last five amino acids of the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B fused to the C-terminus of the tetrameric GCN4 coiled-coil domain, in postsynaptic density-like condensates/clusters. Taken together, our findings propose a molecular mechanism where Tau modulates the dynamic properties of the postsynaptic density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Shen
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daxiao Sun
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Adriana Savastano
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sára Joana Varga
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Maria-Sol Cima-Omori
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Becker
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of NMR-based Structural Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alf Honigmann
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, Biotechnologisches Zentrum (BIOTEC), Dresden, Germany
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of NMR-based Structural Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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Li D, Huang S, Chai Y, Zhao R, Gong J, Zhang QC, Ou G, Wen W. A paternal protein facilitates sperm RNA delivery to regulate zygotic development. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2023; 66:2342-2353. [PMID: 37160652 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2332-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Sperm contributes essential paternal factors, including the paternal genome, centrosome, and oocyte-activation signals, to sexual reproduction. However, it remains unresolved how sperm contributes its RNA molecules to regulate early embryonic development. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans paternal protein SPE-11 assembles into granules during meiotic divisions of spermatogenesis and later matures into a perinuclear structure where sperm RNAs localize. We reconstitute an SPE-11 liquid-phase scaffold in vitro and find that SPE-11 condensates incorporate the nematode RNA, which, in turn, promotes SPE-11 phase separation. Loss of SPE-11 does not affect sperm motility or fertilization but causes pleiotropic development defects in early embryos, and spe-11 mutant males reduce mRNA levels of genes crucial for an oocyte-to-embryo transition or embryonic development. These results reveal that SPE-11 undergoes phase separation and associates with sperm RNAs that are delivered to oocytes during fertilization, providing insights into how a paternal protein regulates early embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongdong Li
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences and MOE Key Laboratory for Protein Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shijing Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yongping Chai
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences and MOE Key Laboratory for Protein Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ruiqian Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jing Gong
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences and MOE Key Laboratory for Protein Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Qiangfeng Cliff Zhang
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences and MOE Key Laboratory for Protein Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Guangshuo Ou
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences and MOE Key Laboratory for Protein Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Wenyu Wen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, National Center for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Huang C, Wang R, Wang Y, Liu H, Chen XT, Gu X, Wang HL. Sialic Acid Enhanced the Antistress Capability under Challenging Situations by Increasing Synaptic Transmission. J Nutr 2023; 153:2561-2570. [PMID: 37543214 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.08.006] [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: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In early life, sialic acid (SA) plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment and neuronal function. However, it remains unclear whether and how SA supplementation in early life promotes behavioral response to stress in adolescence. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the effects and mechanisms of SA on the antistress capability under challenging situations. METHODS In this study, C57BL/6 mice were daily supplemented with 1 μL SA solution/g body weight at the dose of 10 mg/kg/d from postnatal day (PND) 5-45. The antistress behaviors, including open field, elevated plus maze, forced swimming test, and tail suspension test, were performed at PND 46, PND 48, PND 50, and PND 52 to detect the antistress ability of SA, respectively. RESULTS Our results showed that SA-treated mice were more active in facing challenging situations. The fiber photometry experiment showed that SA promoted the excitatory neuronal response in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which was extensively interconnected to stress. Besides, electrophysiological results revealed SA enhanced synaptic transmission rather than neuronal excitability of mPFC excitatory neurons. It was also supported by the increasing spine density of mPFC excitatory neurons. At the molecular amount, the SA elevated the transmitter release-related proteins of mPFC, including Synapsin 1 and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGlut 1). Furthermore, SA supplementation enhanced synaptic transmission mainly by altering the kinetics of synaptic transmission. CONCLUSIONS The SA supplementation enhanced the response capability to stress under challenging situations, and the enhanced synaptic transmission of mPFC excitatory neurons may be the neurological basis of active response under challenging situations. In general, our findings suggested that SA supplementation in early life can promote stress resistance in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengqing Huang
- Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, Ministry of Education, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongrong Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, Ministry of Education, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Haoyu Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang-Tao Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaozhen Gu
- Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, Ministry of Education, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hui-Li Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, Ministry of Education, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
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Niu M, Zong C. Reply to: Methodological concerns and lack of evidence for single-synapse RNA-seq. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:1225-1228. [PMID: 37500916 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01878-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Muchun Niu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chenghang Zong
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- McNair Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Tullis JE, Larsen ME, Rumian NL, Freund RK, Boxer EE, Brown CN, Coultrap SJ, Schulman H, Aoto J, Dell'Acqua ML, Bayer KU. LTP induction by structural rather than enzymatic functions of CaMKII. Nature 2023; 621:146-153. [PMID: 37648853 PMCID: PMC10482691 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06465-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Learning and memory are thought to require hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), and one of the few central dogmas of molecular neuroscience that has stood undisputed for more than three decades is that LTP induction requires enzymatic activity of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)1-3. However, as we delineate here, the experimental evidence is surprisingly far from conclusive. All previous interventions inhibiting enzymatic CaMKII activity and LTP4-8 also interfere with structural CaMKII roles, in particular binding to the NMDA-type glutamate receptor subunit GluN2B9-14. Thus, we here characterized and utilized complementary sets of new opto-/pharmaco-genetic tools to distinguish between enzymatic and structural CaMKII functions. Several independent lines of evidence demonstrated LTP induction by a structural function of CaMKII rather than by its enzymatic activity. The sole contribution of kinase activity was autoregulation of this structural role via T286 autophosphorylation, which explains why this distinction has been elusive for decades. Directly initiating the structural function in a manner that circumvented this T286 role was sufficient to elicit robust LTP, even when enzymatic CaMKII activity was blocked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan E Tullis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Matthew E Larsen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Nicole L Rumian
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Ronald K Freund
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Emma E Boxer
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Carolyn Nicole Brown
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Steven J Coultrap
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Howard Schulman
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jason Aoto
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Mark L Dell'Acqua
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - K Ulrich Bayer
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
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38
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Toledo PL, Gianotti AR, Vazquez DS, Ermácora MR. Protein nanocondensates: the next frontier. Biophys Rev 2023; 15:515-530. [PMID: 37681092 PMCID: PMC10480383 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01105-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, myriads of studies have highlighted the central role of protein condensation in subcellular compartmentalization and spatiotemporal organization of biological processes. Conceptually, protein condensation stands at the highest level in protein structure hierarchy, accounting for the assembly of bodies ranging from thousands to billions of molecules and for densities ranging from dense liquids to solid materials. In size, protein condensates range from nanocondensates of hundreds of nanometers (mesoscopic clusters) to phase-separated micron-sized condensates. In this review, we focus on protein nanocondensation, a process that can occur in subsaturated solutions and can nucleate dense liquid phases, crystals, amorphous aggregates, and fibers. We discuss the nanocondensation of proteins in the light of general physical principles and examine the biophysical properties of several outstanding examples of nanocondensation. We conclude that protein nanocondensation cannot be fully explained by the conceptual framework of micron-scale biomolecular condensation. The evolution of nanocondensates through changes in density and order is currently under intense investigation, and this should lead to the development of a general theoretical framework, capable of encompassing the full range of sizes and densities found in protein condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela L. Toledo
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, 1876, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología, IMBICE, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Argentina
| | - Alejo R. Gianotti
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, 1876, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología, IMBICE, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Argentina
| | - Diego S. Vazquez
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, 1876, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología, IMBICE, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Argentina
| | - Mario R. Ermácora
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, 1876, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología, IMBICE, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Argentina
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Guo X, Zhu K, Zhu X, Zhao W, Miao Y. Two-dimensional molecular condensation in cell signaling and mechanosensing. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2023; 55:1064-1074. [PMID: 37475548 PMCID: PMC10423693 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2023132] [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: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Membraneless organelles (MLO) regulate diverse biological processes in a spatiotemporally controlled manner spanning from inside to outside of the cells. The plasma membrane (PM) at the cell surface serves as a central platform for forming multi-component signaling hubs that sense mechanical and chemical cues during physiological and pathological conditions. During signal transduction, the assembly and formation of membrane-bound MLO are dynamically tunable depending on the physicochemical properties of the surrounding environment and partitioning biomolecules. Biomechanical properties of MLO-associated membrane structures can control the microenvironment for biomolecular interactions and assembly. Lipid-protein complex interactions determine the catalytic region's assembly pattern and assembly rate and, thereby, the amplitude of activities. In this review, we will focus on how cell surface microenvironments, including membrane curvature, surface topology and tension, lipid-phase separation, and adhesion force, guide the assembly of PM-associated MLO for cell signal transductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangfu Guo
- School of ChemistryChemical Engineering and BiotechnologyNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore637457Singapore
| | - Kexin Zhu
- School of Biological SciencesNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore637551Singapore
| | - Xinlu Zhu
- School of Biological SciencesNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore637551Singapore
| | - Wenting Zhao
- School of ChemistryChemical Engineering and BiotechnologyNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore637457Singapore
- Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and ScienceNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore636921Singapore
| | - Yansong Miao
- School of Biological SciencesNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore637551Singapore
- Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and ScienceNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore636921Singapore
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Bygrave AM, Sengupta A, Jackert EP, Ahmed M, Adenuga B, Nelson E, Goldschmidt HL, Johnson RC, Zhong H, Yeh FL, Sheng M, Huganir RL. Btbd11 supports cell-type-specific synaptic function. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112591. [PMID: 37261953 PMCID: PMC10592477 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112591] [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: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Synapses in the brain exhibit cell-type-specific differences in basal synaptic transmission and plasticity. Here, we evaluated cell-type-specific specializations in the composition of glutamatergic synapses, identifying Btbd11 as an inhibitory interneuron-specific, synapse-enriched protein. Btbd11 is highly conserved across species and binds to core postsynaptic proteins, including Psd-95. Intriguingly, we show that Btbd11 can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation when expressed with Psd-95, supporting the idea that the glutamatergic postsynaptic density in synapses in inhibitory interneurons exists in a phase-separated state. Knockout of Btbd11 decreased glutamatergic signaling onto parvalbumin-positive interneurons. Further, both in vitro and in vivo, Btbd11 knockout disrupts network activity. At the behavioral level, Btbd11 knockout from interneurons alters exploratory behavior, measures of anxiety, and sensitizes mice to pharmacologically induced hyperactivity following NMDA receptor antagonist challenge. Our findings identify a cell-type-specific mechanism that supports glutamatergic synapse function in inhibitory interneurons-with implications for circuit function and animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei M Bygrave
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Ayesha Sengupta
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Ella P Jackert
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Mehroz Ahmed
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Beloved Adenuga
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Erik Nelson
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Hana L Goldschmidt
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Richard C Johnson
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Haining Zhong
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Felix L Yeh
- Department of Neuroscience, Genentech, Inc, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Morgan Sheng
- Department of Neuroscience, Genentech, Inc, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Richard L Huganir
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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41
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Cao K, Li S, Wang Y, Hu H, Xiang S, Zhang Q, Liu Y. Cellular uptake of nickel by NikR is regulated by phase separation. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112518. [PMID: 37210726 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112518] [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: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial cells were long thought to be "bags of enzymes" with minimal internal structures. In recent years, membrane-less organelles formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins or nucleic acids have been found to be involved in many important biological processes, although most of them were studied on eukaryotic cells. Here, we report that NikR, a bacterial nickel-responsive regulatory protein, exhibits LLPS both in solution and inside cells. Analyses of cellular nickel uptake and cell growth of E. coli confirm that LLPS enhances the regulatory function of NikR, while disruption of LLPS in cells promotes the expression of nickel transporter (nik) genes, which are negatively regulated by NikR. Mechanistic study shows that Ni(II) ions induces the accumulation of nik promoter DNA into the condensates formed by NikR. This result suggests that the formation of membrane-less compartments can be a regulatory mechanism of metal transporter proteins in bacterial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiming Cao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Shixuan Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Hongze Hu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Sijia Xiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Qianling Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
| | - Yangzhong Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
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42
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Rangachari V. Biomolecular condensates - extant relics or evolving microcompartments? Commun Biol 2023; 6:656. [PMID: 37344557 PMCID: PMC10284869 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04963-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Unprecedented discoveries during the past decade have unearthed the ubiquitous presence of biomolecular condensates (BCs) in diverse organisms and their involvement in a plethora of biological functions. A predominant number of BCs involve coacervation of RNA and proteins that demix from homogenous solutions by a process of phase separation well described by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), which results in a phase with higher concentration and density from the bulk solution. BCs provide a simple and effective means to achieve reversible spatiotemporal control of cellular processes and adaptation to environmental stimuli in an energy-independent manner. The journey into the past of this phenomenon provides clues to the evolutionary origins of life itself. Here I assemble some current and historic discoveries on LLPS to contemplate whether BCs are extant biological hubs or evolving microcompartments. I conclude that BCs in biology could be extant as a phenomenon but are co-evolving as functionally and compositionally complex microcompartments in cells alongside the membrane-bound organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayaraghavan Rangachari
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39402, USA.
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Yoshida T, Takenaka KI, Sakamoto H, Kojima Y, Sakano T, Shibayama K, Nakamura K, Hanawa-Suetsugu K, Mori Y, Hirabayashi Y, Hirose K, Takamori S. Compartmentalization of soluble endocytic proteins in synaptic vesicle clusters by phase separation. iScience 2023; 26:106826. [PMID: 37250768 PMCID: PMC10209458 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptic vesicle (SV) clusters, which reportedly result from synapsin's capacity to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), constitute the structural basis for neurotransmission. Although these clusters contain various endocytic accessory proteins, how endocytic proteins accumulate in SV clusters remains unknown. Here, we report that endophilin A1 (EndoA1), the endocytic scaffold protein, undergoes LLPS under physiologically relevant concentrations at presynaptic terminals. On heterologous expression, EndoA1 facilitates the formation of synapsin condensates and accumulates in SV-like vesicle clusters via synapsin. Moreover, EndoA1 condensates recruit endocytic proteins such as dynamin 1, amphiphysin, and intersectin 1, none of which are recruited in vesicle clusters by synapsin. In cultured neurons, like synapsin, EndoA1 is compartmentalized in SV clusters through LLPS, exhibiting activity-dependent dispersion/reassembly cycles. Thus, beyond its essential function in SV endocytosis, EndoA1 serves an additional structural function by undergoing LLPS, thereby accumulating various endocytic proteins in dynamic SV clusters in concert with synapsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomofumi Yoshida
- Laboratory of Neural Membrane Biology, Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan
| | - Koh-ichiro Takenaka
- Laboratory of Neural Membrane Biology, Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Sakamoto
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yusuke Kojima
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takumi Sakano
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Koyo Shibayama
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Koki Nakamura
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kyoko Hanawa-Suetsugu
- Laboratory of Neural Membrane Biology, Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan
| | - Yasunori Mori
- Laboratory of Neural Membrane Biology, Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan
| | - Yusuke Hirabayashi
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kenzo Hirose
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Shigeo Takamori
- Laboratory of Neural Membrane Biology, Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan
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Mattick JS, Amaral PP, Carninci P, Carpenter S, Chang HY, Chen LL, Chen R, Dean C, Dinger ME, Fitzgerald KA, Gingeras TR, Guttman M, Hirose T, Huarte M, Johnson R, Kanduri C, Kapranov P, Lawrence JB, Lee JT, Mendell JT, Mercer TR, Moore KJ, Nakagawa S, Rinn JL, Spector DL, Ulitsky I, Wan Y, Wilusz JE, Wu M. Long non-coding RNAs: definitions, functions, challenges and recommendations. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:430-447. [PMID: 36596869 PMCID: PMC10213152 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00566-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 483] [Impact Index Per Article: 483.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Genes specifying long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) occupy a large fraction of the genomes of complex organisms. The term 'lncRNAs' encompasses RNA polymerase I (Pol I), Pol II and Pol III transcribed RNAs, and RNAs from processed introns. The various functions of lncRNAs and their many isoforms and interleaved relationships with other genes make lncRNA classification and annotation difficult. Most lncRNAs evolve more rapidly than protein-coding sequences, are cell type specific and regulate many aspects of cell differentiation and development and other physiological processes. Many lncRNAs associate with chromatin-modifying complexes, are transcribed from enhancers and nucleate phase separation of nuclear condensates and domains, indicating an intimate link between lncRNA expression and the spatial control of gene expression during development. lncRNAs also have important roles in the cytoplasm and beyond, including in the regulation of translation, metabolism and signalling. lncRNAs often have a modular structure and are rich in repeats, which are increasingly being shown to be relevant to their function. In this Consensus Statement, we address the definition and nomenclature of lncRNAs and their conservation, expression, phenotypic visibility, structure and functions. We also discuss research challenges and provide recommendations to advance the understanding of the roles of lncRNAs in development, cell biology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Mattick
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- UNSW RNA Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Paulo P Amaral
- INSPER Institute of Education and Research, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Piero Carninci
- RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Susan Carpenter
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal Dynamics Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Runsheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Caroline Dean
- John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Marcel E Dinger
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- UNSW RNA Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine A Fitzgerald
- Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - Mitchell Guttman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Tetsuro Hirose
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Maite Huarte
- Department of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Center for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Institute of Health Research of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Rory Johnson
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Chandrasekhar Kanduri
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Philipp Kapranov
- Institute of Genomics, School of Medicine, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jeanne B Lawrence
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jeannie T Lee
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua T Mendell
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Timothy R Mercer
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kathryn J Moore
- Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - John L Rinn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - David L Spector
- Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbour, NY, USA
| | - Igor Ulitsky
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yue Wan
- Laboratory of RNA Genomics and Structure, Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jeremy E Wilusz
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Therapeutic Innovation Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mian Wu
- Translational Research Institute, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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45
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Ionescu A, Altman T, Perlson E. Looking for answers far away from the soma-the (un)known axonal functions of TDP-43, and their contribution to early NMJ disruption in ALS. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:35. [PMID: 37259156 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00623-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Axon degeneration and Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ) disruption are key pathologies in the fatal neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Despite accumulating evidence that axons and NMJs are impacted at a very early stage of the disease, current knowledge about the mechanisms leading to their degeneration remains elusive. Cytoplasmic mislocalization and accumulation of the protein TDP-43 are considered key pathological hallmarks of ALS, as they occur in ~ 97% of ALS patients, both sporadic and familial. Recent studies have identified pathological accumulation of TDP-43 in intramuscular nerves of muscle biopsies collected from pre-diagnosed, early symptomatic ALS patients. These findings suggest a gain of function for TDP-43 in axons, which might facilitate early NMJ disruption. In this review, we dissect the process leading to axonal TDP-43 accumulation and phosphorylation, discuss the known and hypothesized roles TDP-43 plays in healthy axons, and review possible mechanisms that connect TDP-43 pathology to the axon and NMJ degeneration in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Ionescu
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Room 605, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Topaz Altman
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Room 605, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eran Perlson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Room 605, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
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46
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Ma Q, Huang F, Guo W, Feng K, Huang T, Cai Y. Identification of Phase-Separation-Protein-Related Function Based on Gene Ontology by Using Machine Learning Methods. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1306. [PMID: 37374089 DOI: 10.3390/life13061306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Phase-separation proteins (PSPs) are a class of proteins that play a role in the process of liquid-liquid phase separation, which is a mechanism that mediates the formation of membranelle compartments in cells. Identifying phase separation proteins and their associated function could provide insights into cellular biology and the development of diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Here, PSPs and non-PSPs that have been experimentally validated in earlier studies were gathered as positive and negative samples. Each protein's corresponding Gene Ontology (GO) terms were extracted and used to create a 24,907-dimensional binary vector. The purpose was to extract essential GO terms that can describe essential functions of PSPs and build efficient classifiers to identify PSPs with these GO terms at the same time. To this end, the incremental feature selection computational framework and an integrated feature analysis scheme, containing categorical boosting, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, light gradient-boosting machine, extreme gradient boosting, and permutation feature importance, were used to build efficient classifiers and identify GO terms with classification-related importance. A set of random forest (RF) classifiers with F1 scores over 0.960 were established to distinguish PSPs from non-PSPs. A number of GO terms that are crucial for distinguishing between PSPs and non-PSPs were found, including GO:0003723, which is related to a biological process involving RNA binding; GO:0016020, which is related to membrane formation; and GO:0045202, which is related to the function of synapses. This study offered recommendations for future research aimed at determining the functional roles of PSPs in cellular processes by developing efficient RF classifiers and identifying the representative GO terms related to PSPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinglan Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - FeiMing Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM) & Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 200030, China
| | - KaiYan Feng
- Department of Computer Science, Guangdong AIB Polytechnic College, Guangzhou 510507, China
| | - Tao Huang
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yudong Cai
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
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47
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Zheng H, Wen W. Protein phase separation: new insights into cell division. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2023; 55:1042-1051. [PMID: 37249333 PMCID: PMC10415187 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2023093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
As the foundation for the development of multicellular organisms and the self-renewal of single cells, cell division is a highly organized event which segregates cellular components into two daughter cells equally or unequally, thus producing daughters with identical or distinct fates. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), an emerging biophysical concept, provides a new perspective for us to understand the mechanisms of a wide range of cellular events, including the organization of membrane-less organelles. Recent studies have shown that several key organelles in the cell division process are assembled into membrane-free structures via LLPS of specific proteins. Here, we summarize the regulatory functions of protein phase separation in centrosome maturation, spindle assembly and polarity establishment during cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongdan Zheng
- />Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan Hospitalthe Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical EpigeneticsState Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceNational Center for Neurological DisordersInstitutes of Biomedical SciencesSchool of Basic Medical SciencesFudan UniversityShanghai200032China
| | - Wenyu Wen
- />Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan Hospitalthe Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical EpigeneticsState Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceNational Center for Neurological DisordersInstitutes of Biomedical SciencesSchool of Basic Medical SciencesFudan UniversityShanghai200032China
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48
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Bessa-Neto D, Choquet D. Molecular mechanisms of AMPAR reversible stabilization at synapses. Mol Cell Neurosci 2023; 125:103856. [PMID: 37105372 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2023.103856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In the central nervous system, glutamatergic synapses play a central role in the regulation of excitatory neuronal transmission. With the membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family of proteins as their structuring scaffold, glutamatergic receptors serve as the powerhouse of glutamatergic synapses. Glutamatergic receptors can be categorized as metabotropic and ionotropic receptors. The latter are then categorized into N-methyl-d-aspartate, kainate receptors, and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-propionic acid receptors (AMPARs). Over the past two decades, genetic tagging technology and super-resolution microscopy have been of the utmost importance to unravel how the different receptors are organized at glutamatergic synapses. At the plasma membrane, receptors are highly mobile but show reduced mobility when at synaptic sites. This partial immobilization of receptors at synaptic sites is attributed to the stabilization/anchoring of receptors with the postsynaptic MAGUK proteins and auxiliary proteins, and presynaptic proteins. These partial immobilizations and localization of glutamatergic receptors within the synaptic sites are fundamental for proper basal transmission and synaptic plasticity. Perturbations of the stabilization of glutamatergic receptors are often associated with cognitive deficits. In this review, we describe the proposed mechanisms for synaptic localization and stabilization of AMPARs, the major players of fast excitatory transmission in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo Bessa-Neto
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, IINS, UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Daniel Choquet
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, IINS, UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, Bordeaux Imaging Center, BIC, UMS 3420, US 4, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
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49
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Piol D, Robberechts T, Da Cruz S. Lost in local translation: TDP-43 and FUS in axonal/neuromuscular junction maintenance and dysregulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuron 2023; 111:1355-1380. [PMID: 36963381 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
Key early features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are denervation of neuromuscular junctions and axonal degeneration. Motor neuron homeostasis relies on local translation through controlled regulation of axonal mRNA localization, transport, and stability. Yet the composition of the local transcriptome, translatome (mRNAs locally translated), and proteome during health and disease remains largely unexplored. This review covers recent discoveries on axonal translation as a critical mechanism for neuronal maintenance/survival. We focus on two RNA binding proteins, transactive response DNA binding protein-43 (TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma (FUS), whose mutations cause ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Emerging evidence points to their essential role in the maintenance of axons and synapses, including mRNA localization, transport, and local translation, and whose dysfunction may contribute to ALS. Finally, we describe recent advances in omics-based approaches mapping compartment-specific local RNA and protein compositions, which will be invaluable to elucidate fundamental local processes and identify key targets for therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Piol
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tessa Robberechts
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sandrine Da Cruz
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
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50
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Feng G, Liu X, Wang B, Li R, Chang Y, Guo N, Li Y, Chen T, Ma B. Exploring the mechanism of Chaihujia Longgu Muli decoction in the treatment of epilepsy in rats based on the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:3389-3399. [PMID: 36739316 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08301-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Chinese herbal formula Chaihujia Longgu Muli Decoction (CD) has a good antiepileptic effect, but its mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, in this study we explored the molecular mechanisms of CD against epilepsy. METHODS Twelve-day-old SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, model group, valproic acid group, and CD high, medium, and low groups. Except for the normal group, the other groups were given an intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) to establish epilepsy models, and the Racine score was applied for model judgment. After 14 consecutive days of dosing, the Morris water maze test was performed. Then, hippocampal Nissl staining and immunofluorescence staining were performed, and synaptic ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway proteins were detected. RESULTS In PTZ model rats, the passing times were reduced, and the escape latency was prolonged in the Morris water maze test. Nissl staining showed that some hippocampal neurons swelled and ruptured, Nissl bodies in the cytoplasm were significantly reduced, and neurons were lost. Immunofluorescence detection revealed that the expression of PSD95 and SYP was significantly reduced. Electron microscopy results revealed that the number of synapses in hippocampal neurons was significantly reduced and the postsynaptic membrane length was significantly reduced. Western blot analysis showed that the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway was activated, while SYP, SPD95, and PTEN expression was significantly decreased. After treatment with CD, neurobehavioral abnormalities and neuronal damage caused by epileptic seizures were improved. CONCLUSION CD exerted an antiepileptic effect by inhibiting the activation of the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Feng
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Xianghua Liu
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Baoying Wang
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Ruixing Li
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Yaxin Chang
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Nannan Guo
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Yawei Li
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Tiantian Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 450099, China
| | - Bingxiang Ma
- College of Pediatric Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450046, China. .,The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 450099, China. .,, No. 19, Renmin Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou, 450099, China.
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