1
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Rauscher R, Eggers C, Dimitrova-Paternoga L, Shankar V, Rosina A, Cristodero M, Paternoga H, Wilson DN, Leidel SA, Polacek N. Evolving precision: rRNA expansion segment 7S modulates translation velocity and accuracy in eukaryal ribosomes. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:4021-4036. [PMID: 38324474 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae067] [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: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribosome-enhanced translational miscoding of the genetic code causes protein dysfunction and loss of cellular fitness. During evolution, open reading frame length increased, necessitating mechanisms for enhanced translation fidelity. Indeed, eukaryal ribosomes are more accurate than bacterial counterparts, despite their virtually identical, conserved active centers. During the evolution of eukaryotic organisms ribosome expansions at the rRNA and protein level occurred, which potentially increases the options for translation regulation and cotranslational events. Here we tested the hypothesis that ribosomal RNA expansions can modulate the core function of the ribosome, faithful protein synthesis. We demonstrate that a short expansion segment present in all eukaryotes' small subunit, ES7S, is crucial for accurate protein synthesis as its presence adjusts codon-specific velocities and guarantees high levels of cognate tRNA selection. Deletion of ES7S in yeast enhances mistranslation and causes protein destabilization and aggregation, dramatically reducing cellular fitness. Removal of ES7S did not alter ribosome architecture but altered the structural dynamics of inter-subunit bridges thus affecting A-tRNA selection. Exchanging the yeast ES7S sequence with the human ES7S increases accuracy whereas shortening causes the opposite effect. Our study demonstrates that ES7S provided eukaryal ribosomes with higher accuracy without perturbing the structurally conserved decoding center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Rauscher
- Department for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cristian Eggers
- Department for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lyudmila Dimitrova-Paternoga
- Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Vaishnavi Shankar
- Department for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Alessia Rosina
- Department for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marina Cristodero
- Department for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Helge Paternoga
- Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel N Wilson
- Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian A Leidel
- Department for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Norbert Polacek
- Department for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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2
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Bocharova O, Makarava N, Pandit NP, Molesworth K, Baskakov IV. Multiple steps of prion strain adaptation to a new host. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1329010. [PMID: 38362022 PMCID: PMC10867973 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1329010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The transmission of prions across species is a critical aspect of their dissemination among mammalian hosts, including humans. This process often necessitates strain adaptation. In this study, we sought to investigate the mechanisms underlying prion adaptation while mitigating biases associated with the history of cross-species transmission of natural prion strains. To achieve this, we utilized the synthetic hamster prion strain S05. Propagation of S05 using mouse PrPC in Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification did not immediately overcome the species barrier. This finding underscores the involvement of factors beyond disparities in primary protein structures. Subsequently, we performed five serial passages to stabilize the incubation time to disease in mice. The levels of PrPSc increased with each passage, reaching a maximum at the third passage, and declining thereafter. This suggests that only the initial stage of adaptation is primarily driven by an acceleration in PrPSc replication. During the protracted adaptation to a new host, we observed significant alterations in the glycoform ratio and sialylation status of PrPSc N-glycans. These changes support the notion that qualitative modifications in PrPSc contribute to a more rapid disease progression. Furthermore, consistent with the decline in sialylation, a cue for "eat me" signaling, the newly adapted strain exhibited preferential colocalization with microglia. In contrast to PrPSc dynamics, the intensity of microglia activation continued to increase after the third passage in the new host. In summary, our study elucidates that the adaptation of a prion strain to a new host is a multi-step process driven by several factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Bocharova
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Narayan P. Pandit
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kara Molesworth
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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3
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Soukup J, Moško T, Kereïche S, Holada K. Large extracellular vesicles transfer more prions and infect cell culture better than small extracellular vesicles. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 687:149208. [PMID: 37949026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.149208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Prions are responsible for a number of lethal neurodegenerative and transmissible diseases in humans and animals. Extracellular vesicles, especially small exosomes, have been extensively studied in connection with various diseases. In contrast, larger microvesicles are often overlooked. In this work, we compared the ability of large extracellular vesicles (lEVs) and small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) to spread prions in cell culture. We utilized CAD5 cell culture model of prion infection and isolated lEVs by 20,000×g force and sEVs by 110,000×g force. The lEV fraction was enriched in β-1 integrin with a vesicle size starting at 100 nm. The fraction of sEVs was partially depleted of β-1 integrin with a mean size of 79 nm. Both fractions were enriched in prion protein, but the lEVs contained a higher prion-converting activity. In addition, lEV infection led to stronger prion signals in both cell cultures, as detected by cell and western blotting. These results were verified on N2a-PK1 cell culture. Our data suggest the importance of lEVs in the trafficking and spread of prions over extensively studied small EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Soukup
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Tibor Moško
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sami Kereïche
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Holada
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
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4
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Bocharova O, Makarava N, Pandit NP, Molesworth K, Baskakov IV. Multiple steps of prion strain adaptation to a new host. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.24.563743. [PMID: 37961127 PMCID: PMC10634783 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.24.563743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The transmission of prions across species is a critical aspect of their dissemination among mammalian hosts, including humans. This process often necessitates strain adaptation. In this study, we sought to investigate the mechanisms underlying prion adaptation while mitigating biases associated with the history of cross-species transmission of natural prion strains. To achieve this, we utilized the synthetic hamster prion strain S05. Propagation of S05 using mouse PrPC in Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification did not immediately overcome the species barrier. This finding underscores the involvement of factors beyond disparities in primary protein structures. Subsequently, we performed five serial passages to stabilize the incubation time to disease in mice. The levels of PrPSc increased with each passage, reaching a maximum at the third passage, and declining thereafter. This suggests that only the initial stage of adaptation is primarily driven by an acceleration in PrPSc replication. During the protracted adaptation to a new host, we observed significant alterations in the glycoform ratio and sialylation status of PrPSc N-glycans. These changes support the notion that qualitative modifications in PrPSc contribute to a more rapid disease progression. Furthermore, consistent with the decline in sialylation, a cue for "eat me" signaling, the newly adapted strain exhibited preferential colocalization with microglia. In contrast to PrPSc dynamics, the intensity of microglia activation continued to increase after the third passage in the new host. In summary, our study elucidates that the adaptation of a prion strain to a new host is a multi-step process driven by several factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Bocharova
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Narayan P. Pandit
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kara Molesworth
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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5
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Salvi M, Molinari F, Ciccarelli M, Testi R, Taraglio S, Imperiale D. Quantitative analysis of prion disease using an AI-powered digital pathology framework. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17759. [PMID: 37853094 PMCID: PMC10584956 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44782-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation of an abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) in the central nervous system. To identify PrPSc aggregates for diagnostic purposes, pathologists use immunohistochemical staining of prion protein antibodies on tissue samples. With digital pathology, artificial intelligence can now analyze stained slides. In this study, we developed an automated pipeline for the identification of PrPSc aggregates in tissue samples from the cerebellar and occipital cortex. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first framework to evaluate PrPSc deposition in digital images. We used two strategies: a deep learning segmentation approach using a vision transformer, and a machine learning classification approach with traditional classifiers. Our method was developed and tested on 64 whole slide images from 41 patients definitively diagnosed with prion disease. The results of our study demonstrated that our proposed framework can accurately classify WSIs from a blind test set. Moreover, it can quantify PrPSc distribution and localization throughout the brain. This could potentially be extended to evaluate protein expression in other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Overall, our pipeline highlights the potential of AI-assisted pathology to provide valuable insights, leading to improved diagnostic accuracy and efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Salvi
- Biolab, PoliTo(BIO)Med Lab, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy.
| | - Filippo Molinari
- Biolab, PoliTo(BIO)Med Lab, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy
| | - Mario Ciccarelli
- Biolab, PoliTo(BIO)Med Lab, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Testi
- SC Medicina Legale, ASL Città di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Daniele Imperiale
- SC Neurologia Ospedale Maria Vittoria & Centro Diagnosi Osservazione Malattie Prioniche, ASL Città di Torino, Turin, Italy
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6
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Makarava N, Baskakov IV. Role of sialylation of N-linked glycans in prion pathogenesis. Cell Tissue Res 2023; 392:201-214. [PMID: 35088180 PMCID: PMC9329487 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03584-2] [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: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian prion or PrPSc is a proteinaceous infectious agent that consists of a misfolded, self-replicating state of the prion protein or PrPC. PrPC and PrPSc are posttranslationally modified with N-linked glycans, which are sialylated at the terminal positions. More than 30 years have passed since the first characterization of the composition and structural diversity of N-linked glycans associated with the prion protein, yet the role of carbohydrate groups that constitute N-glycans and, in particular, their terminal sialic acid residues in prion disease pathogenesis remains poorly understood. A number of recent studies shed a light on the role of sialylation in the biology of prion diseases. This review article discusses several mechanisms by which terminal sialylation dictates the spread of PrPSc across brain regions and the outcomes of prion infection in an organism. In particular, relationships between the sialylation status of PrPSc and important strain-specific features including lymphotropism, neurotropism, and neuroinflammation are discussed. Moreover, emerging evidence pointing out the roles of sialic acid residues in prion replication, cross-species transmission, strain competition, and strain adaptation are reviewed. A hypothesis according to which selective, strain-specified recruitment of PrPC sialoglycoforms dictates unique strain-specific disease phenotypes is examined. Finally, the current article proposes that prion strains evolve as a result of a delicate balance between recruiting highly sialylated glycoforms to avoid an "eat-me" response by glia and limiting heavily sialylated glycoforms for enabling rapid prion replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Ilia V Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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7
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Makarava N, Katorcha E, Chang JCY, Lau JTY, Baskakov IV. Deficiency in ST6GAL1, one of the two α2,6-sialyltransferases, has only a minor effect on the pathogenesis of prion disease. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1058602. [PMID: 36452458 PMCID: PMC9702343 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1058602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolding of the normal cellular form of the prion protein or PrPC, into a disease-associated self-replicating state or PrPSc. PrPC and PrPSc are posttranslationally modified with N-linked glycans, in which the terminal positions occupied by sialic acids residues are attached to galactose predominantly via α2-6 linkages. The sialylation status of PrPSc is an important determinant of prion disease pathogenesis, as it dictates the rate of prion replication and controls the fate of prions in an organism. The current study tests whether a knockout of ST6Gal1, one of the two mammalian sialyltransferases that catalyze the sialylation of glycans via α2-6 linkages, reduces the sialylation status of PrPSc and alters prion disease pathogenesis. We found that a global knockout of ST6Gal1 in mice significantly reduces the α2-6 sialylation of the brain parenchyma, as determined by staining with Sambucus Nigra agglutinin. However, the sialylation of PrPSc remained stable and the incubation time to disease increased only modestly in ST6Gal1 knockout mice (ST6Gal1-KO). A lack of significant changes in the PrPSc sialylation status and prion pathogenesis is attributed to the redundancy in sialylation and, in particular, the plausible involvement of a second member of the sialyltransferase family that sialylate via α2-6 linkages, ST6Gal2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Elizaveta Katorcha
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jennifer Chen-Yu Chang
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Joseph T. Y. Lau
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Staderini M, Vanni S, Baldeschi AC, Giachin G, Zattoni M, Celauro L, Ferracin C, Bistaffa E, Moda F, Pérez DI, Martínez A, Martín MA, Martín-Cámara O, Cores Á, Bianchini G, Kammerer R, Menéndez JC, Legname G, Bolognesi ML. Bifunctional carbazole derivatives for simultaneous therapy and fluorescence imaging in prion disease murine cell models. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 245:114923. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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9
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Park S, Wang X, Xi W, Richardson R, Laue TM, Denis CL. The non-prion SUP35 preexists in large chaperone-containing molecular complexes. Proteins 2022; 90:869-880. [PMID: 34791707 PMCID: PMC8816864 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Prions, misfolded proteins that aggregate, cause an array of progressively deteriorating conditions to which, currently, there are no effective treatments. The presently accepted model indicates that the soluble non-prion forms of prion-forming proteins, such as the well-studied SUP35, do not exist in large aggregated molecular complexes. Here, we show using analytical ultracentrifugation with fluorescent detection that the non-prion form of SUP35 exists in a range of discretely sized soluble complexes (19S, 28S, 39S, 57S, and 70S-200S). Similar to the [PSI+] aggregated complexes, each of these [psi-] complexes associates at stoichiometric levels with a large variety of molecular chaperones: HSP70 proteins comprise the major component. Another yeast prion-forming protein, RNQ1 (known to promote the production of the prion SUP35 state), is also present in SUP35 complexes. These results establish that the non-prion SUP35, like its prion form, is predisposed to form large molecular complexes containing chaperones and other prion-forming proteins. These results agree with our previous studies on the huntingtin protein. That the normal forms for aggregation-prone proteins may preexist in large molecular complexes has important ramifications for the progression of diseases involving protein aggregation.
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Cazzaniga FA, Bistaffa E, De Luca CMG, Portaleone SM, Catania M, Redaelli V, Tramacere I, Bufano G, Rossi M, Caroppo P, Giovagnoli AR, Tiraboschi P, Di Fede G, Eleopra R, Devigili G, Elia AE, Cilia R, Fiorini M, Bongianni M, Salzano G, Celauro L, Quarta FG, Mammana A, Legname G, Tagliavini F, Parchi P, Zanusso G, Giaccone G, Moda F. PMCA-Based Detection of Prions in the Olfactory Mucosa of Patients With Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:848991. [PMID: 35401151 PMCID: PMC8990253 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.848991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by the conformational conversion of the prion protein (PrPC) into an abnormally folded form, named prion (or PrPSc). The combination of the polymorphism at codon 129 of the PrP gene (coding either methionine or valine) with the biochemical feature of the proteinase-K resistant PrP (generating either PrPSc type 1 or 2) gives rise to different PrPSc strains, which cause variable phenotypes of sCJD. The definitive diagnosis of sCJD and its classification can be achieved only post-mortem after PrPSc identification and characterization in the brain. By exploiting the Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, traces of PrPSc were found in the olfactory mucosa (OM) of sCJD patients, thus demonstrating that PrPSc is not confined to the brain. Here, we have optimized another technique, named protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) for detecting PrPSc in OM samples of sCJD patients. OM samples were collected from 27 sCJD and 2 genetic CJD patients (E200K). Samples from 34 patients with other neurodegenerative disorders were included as controls. Brains were collected from 26 sCJD patients and 16 of them underwent OM collection. Brain and OM samples were subjected to PMCA using the brains of transgenic mice expressing human PrPC with methionine at codon 129 as reaction substrates. The amplified products were analyzed by Western blot after proteinase K digestion. Quantitative PMCA was performed to estimate PrPSc concentration in OM. PMCA enabled the detection of prions in OM samples with 79.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Except for a few cases, a predominant type 1 PrPSc was generated, regardless of the tissues analyzed. Notably, all amplified PrPSc were less resistant to PK compared to the original strain. In conclusion, although the optimized PMCA did not consent to recognize sCJD subtypes from the analysis of OM collected from living patients, it enabled us to estimate for the first time the amount of prions accumulating in this biological tissue. Further assay optimizations are needed to faithfully amplify peripheral prions whose recognition could lead to a better diagnosis and selection of patients for future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Angelo Cazzaniga
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Edoardo Bistaffa
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Maria Giulia De Luca
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Sara Maria Portaleone
- Department of Health Sciences, Otolaryngology Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Catania
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Veronica Redaelli
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Irene Tramacere
- Department of Research and Clinical Development, Scientific Directorate, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Bufano
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Martina Rossi
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Paola Caroppo
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Giovagnoli
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Tiraboschi
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Eleopra
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Grazia Devigili
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Emanuele Elia
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cilia
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Fiorini
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Matilde Bongianni
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giulia Salzano
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Luigi Celauro
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Federico Giuseppe Quarta
- Department of Health Sciences, Otolaryngology Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Angela Mammana
- IRCCS, Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna (ISNB), Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Scientific Directorate, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Piero Parchi
- IRCCS, Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna (ISNB), Bologna, Italy.,Department of Diagnostic Experimental and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Zanusso
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Moda
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
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11
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Diaz-Espinoza R. Recent High-Resolution Structures of Amyloids Involved in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:782617. [PMID: 34867305 PMCID: PMC8641661 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.782617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids are highly ordered aggregates composed of proteins or peptides. They are involved in several pathologies, including hallmark neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s (PD). Individuals affected by these diseases accumulate in their brains amyloids inclusions composed of misfolded forms of a peptide (Aβ) and a protein (Tau) in AD and α-synuclein protein (α-Sn) in PD. Tau and α-Sn aggregates are also present in other neurodegenerative diseases. The insoluble nature and heterogeneity of amyloids have hampered their study at the molecular level. However, the use of solid state NMR and Cryogenic-electron microscopy along with fine-tuned modulation of the aggregation in vitro and improved isolation methods of brain-derived amyloids has allowed the elucidation of these elusive conformations at high resolution. In this work, we review the latest progress on the recent amyloid structures reported for Aβ, Tau, and α-Sn. The two-fold symmetry emerges as a convergent feature in the tridimensional arrangement of the protofilaments in the fibrillary structure of these pathological amyloids, with many of them exhibiting a Greek-key topology as part of their overall architecture. These specific features can serve as novel guides to seek potential molecular targets in drug design efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Diaz-Espinoza
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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12
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Cazzaniga FA, Bistaffa E, De Luca CMG, Bufano G, Indaco A, Giaccone G, Moda F. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Real-Time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay represents a major diagnostic advance. Eur J Histochem 2021; 65:3298. [PMID: 34657408 PMCID: PMC8529530 DOI: 10.4081/ejh.2021.3298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder with an incidence of 1.5 to 2 cases per million population/year. The disease is caused by a proteinaceous infectious agent, named prion (or PrPSc), which arises from the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). Once formed, PrPSc interacts with the normally folded PrPC coercing it to undergo similar structural rearrangement. The disease is highly heterogeneous from a clinical and neuropathological point of view. The origin of this variability lies in the aberrant structures acquired by PrPSc. At least six different sCJD phenotypes have been described and each of them is thought to be caused by a peculiar PrPSc strain. Definitive sCJD diagnosis requires brain analysis with the aim of identifying intracerebral accumulation of PrPSc which currently represents the only reliable biomarker of the disease. Clinical diagnosis of sCJD is very challenging and is based on the combination of several clinical, instrumental and laboratory tests representing surrogate disease biomarkers. Thanks to the advent of the ultrasensitive Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, PrPSc was found in several peripheral tissues of sCJD patients, sometimes even before the clinical onset of the disease. This discovery represents an important step forward for the clinical diagnosis of sCJD. In this manuscript, we present an overview of the current applications and future perspectives of RT-QuIC in the field of sCJD diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edoardo Bistaffa
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5-Neuropathology, Milan.
| | | | - Giuseppe Bufano
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5-Neuropathology, Milan, Italy.
| | - Antonio Indaco
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5-Neuropathology, Milan.
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5-Neuropathology, Milan, Italy.
| | - Fabio Moda
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5-Neuropathology, Milan, Italy.
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13
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Fridmanis J, Toleikis Z, Sneideris T, Ziaunys M, Bobrovs R, Smirnovas V, Jaudzems K. Aggregation Condition-Structure Relationship of Mouse Prion Protein Fibrils. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:9635. [PMID: 34502545 PMCID: PMC8431800 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are associated with conformational conversion of cellular prion protein into a misfolded pathogenic form, which resembles many properties of amyloid fibrils. The same prion protein sequence can misfold into different conformations, which are responsible for variations in prion disease phenotypes (prion strains). In this work, we use atomic force microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and magic-angle spinning NMR to devise structural models of mouse prion protein fibrils prepared in three different denaturing conditions. We find that the fibril core region as well as the structure of its N- and C-terminal parts is almost identical between the three fibrils. In contrast, the central part differs in length of β-strands and the arrangement of charged residues. We propose that the denaturant ionic strength plays a major role in determining the structure of fibrils obtained in a particular condition by stabilizing fibril core interior-facing glutamic acid residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jēkabs Fridmanis
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
| | - Zigmantas Toleikis
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Mantas Ziaunys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Raitis Bobrovs
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
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14
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The degree of astrocyte activation is predictive of the incubation time to prion disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:87. [PMID: 33980286 PMCID: PMC8114720 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01192-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and prion diseases, astrocytes acquire disease-associated reactive phenotypes. With growing appreciation of their role in chronic neurodegeneration, the questions whether astrocytes lose their ability to perform homeostatic functions in the reactive states and whether the reactive phenotypes are neurotoxic or neuroprotective remain unsettled. The current work examined region-specific changes in expression of genes, which report on astrocyte physiological functions and their reactive states, in C57Black/6J mice challenged with four prion strains via two inoculation routes. Unexpectedly, strong reverse correlation between the incubation time to the diseases and the degree of astrocyte activation along with disturbance in functional pathways was observed. The animal groups with the most severe astrocyte response and degree of activation showed the most rapid disease progression. The degree of activation tightly intertwined with the global transformation of the homeostatic state, characterized by disturbances in multiple gene sets responsible for normal physiological functions producing a neurotoxic, reactive phenotype as a net result. The neurotoxic reactive phenotype exhibited a universal gene signature regardless of the prion strain. The current work suggests that the degree of astrocyte activation along with the disturbance in their physiological pathways contribute to the faster progression of disease and perhaps even drive prion pathogenesis.
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15
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Bistaffa E, Marín-Moreno A, Espinosa JC, De Luca CMG, Cazzaniga FA, Portaleone SM, Celauro L, Legname G, Giaccone G, Torres JM, Moda F. PMCA-generated prions from the olfactory mucosa of patients with Fatal Familial Insomnia cause prion disease in mice. eLife 2021; 10:65311. [PMID: 33851575 PMCID: PMC8064759 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) is a genetic prion disease caused by the D178N mutation in the prion protein gene (PRNP) in coupling phase with methionine at PRNP 129. In 2017, we have shown that the olfactory mucosa (OM) collected from FFI patients contained traces of PrPSc detectable by Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA). Methods: In this work, we have challenged PMCA-generated products obtained from OM and brain homogenate of FFI patients in BvPrP-Tg407 transgenic mice expressing the bank vole prion protein to test their ability to induce prion pathology. Results: All inoculated mice developed mild spongiform changes, astroglial activation, and PrPSc deposition mainly affecting the thalamus. However, their neuropathological alterations were different from those found in the brain of BvPrP-Tg407 mice injected with raw FFI brain homogenate. Conclusions: Although with some experimental constraints, we show that PrPSc present in OM of FFI patients is potentially infectious. Funding: This work was supported in part by the Italian Ministry of Health (GR-2013-02355724 and Ricerca Corrente), MJFF, ALZ, Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Weston Brain Institute (BAND2015), and Euronanomed III (SPEEDY) to FM; by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant AGL2016-78054-R [AEI/FEDER, UE]) to JMT and JCE; AM-M was supported by a fellowship from the INIA (FPI-SGIT-2015-02).
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Bistaffa
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milan, Italy
| | - Alba Marín-Moreno
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), Valdeolmos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Espinosa
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), Valdeolmos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Chiara Maria Giulia De Luca
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milan, Italy.,Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Federico Angelo Cazzaniga
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Maria Portaleone
- ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, Department of Health Sciences, Otolaryngology Unit, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Celauro
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milan, Italy
| | - Juan Maria Torres
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), Valdeolmos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fabio Moda
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milan, Italy
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16
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Duran-Aniotz C, Moreno-Gonzalez I, Gamez N, Perez-Urrutia N, Vegas-Gomez L, Soto C, Morales R. Amyloid pathology arrangements in Alzheimer's disease brains modulate in vivo seeding capability. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:56. [PMID: 33785065 PMCID: PMC8008576 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01155-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) misfolding is one of the hallmark pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD can manifest with diverse symptomatology including variable rates of cognitive decline, duration of clinical disease, and other detrimental changes. Several reports suggest that conformational diversity in misfolded Aβ is a leading factor for clinical variability in AD, analogous to what it has been described for prion strains in prion diseases. Notably, prion strains generate diverse patterns of misfolded protein deposition in the brains of affected individuals. Here, we tested the in vivo prion-like transmission features of four AD brains displaying particular patterns of amyloidosis. AD brains induced different phenotypes in recipient mice, as evaluated by their specific seeding activity, as well as the total amount of Aβ deposited surrounding vascular structures and the reactivity of amyloid pathology to thioflavin S. Our results support the notion that AD-subtypes are encoded in disease-associated Aβ. Further research exploring whether AD include a spectrum of different clinical conditions or syndromes may pave the way to personalized diagnosis and treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Duran-Aniotz
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile
- Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Medicina, Av. San Carlos de Apoquindo, 2200, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga-IBIMA, 29010, Malaga, Spain
- Networking Research Center On Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia Y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nazaret Gamez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga-IBIMA, 29010, Malaga, Spain
| | - Nelson Perez-Urrutia
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Laura Vegas-Gomez
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga-IBIMA, 29010, Malaga, Spain
| | - Claudio Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Medicina, Av. San Carlos de Apoquindo, 2200, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, St. Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia Y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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17
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Yakubu UM, Catumbela CSG, Morales R, Morano KA. Understanding and exploiting interactions between cellular proteostasis pathways and infectious prion proteins for therapeutic benefit. Open Biol 2020; 10:200282. [PMID: 33234071 PMCID: PMC7729027 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several neurodegenerative diseases of humans and animals are caused by the misfolded prion protein (PrPSc), a self-propagating protein infectious agent that aggregates into oligomeric, fibrillar structures and leads to cell death by incompletely understood mechanisms. Work in multiple biological model systems, from simple baker's yeast to transgenic mouse lines, as well as in vitro studies, has illuminated molecular and cellular modifiers of prion disease. In this review, we focus on intersections between PrP and the proteostasis network, including unfolded protein stress response pathways and roles played by the powerful regulators of protein folding known as protein chaperones. We close with analysis of promising therapeutic avenues for treatment enabled by these studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unekwu M Yakubu
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX USA.,MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School at UTHealth, Houston, TX USA
| | - Celso S G Catumbela
- MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School at UTHealth, Houston, TX USA.,Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX USA.,Centro integrativo de biología y química aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Kevin A Morano
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX USA
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18
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Kramm C, Soto P, Nichols TA, Morales R. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion detection in blood from pre-symptomatic white-tailed deer harboring PRNP polymorphic variants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19763. [PMID: 33188252 PMCID: PMC7666123 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75681-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prionopathy affecting wild and farmed cervids. This disease is endemic in North America and has been recently identified in Europe. Ante-mortem CWD tests of pre-clinical cervids may be an important tool in helping control the spread of this disease. Unfortunately, current CWD diagnostic methods are not suitable for non-tissue type samples. We reported that CWD prions can be detected in blood of pre-clinical CWD-infected white-tailed deer (WTD) with high sensitivity and specificity using the Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) assay. However, that report only included animals homozygous for codon 96G, the most common polymorphic version of the prion protein within this animal species. Here, we report CWD prion detection using blood of naturally infected WTD coding one or two copies of the PrP-96S polymorphic variant. Our results, from a blinded screening, show 100% specificity and ~ 58% sensitivity for animals harboring one 96S codon, regardless of their stage within the pre-clinical phase. Detection efficiency for PrP-96S homozygous animals was substantially lower, suggesting that this allele affect peripheral prion replication/tropism. These results provide additional information on the influence of codon 96 polymorphisms and the ability of PMCA to detect CWD in the blood of pre-clinical WTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Kramm
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Los Andes, Las Condes, Av. San Carlos de Apoquindo 2200, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paulina Soto
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Tracy A Nichols
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- CIBQA, Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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19
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Makarava N, Chang JCY, Molesworth K, Baskakov IV. Posttranslational modifications define course of prion strain adaptation and disease phenotype. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:4382-4395. [PMID: 32484800 PMCID: PMC7410085 DOI: 10.1172/jci138677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttranslational modifications are a common feature of proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases including prion protein (PrPC), tau, and α-synuclein. Alternative self-propagating protein states or strains give rise to different disease phenotypes and display strain-specific subsets of posttranslational modifications. The relationships between strain-specific structure, posttranslational modifications, and disease phenotype are poorly understood. We previously reported that among hundreds of PrPC sialoglycoforms expressed by a cell, individual prion strains recruited PrPC molecules selectively, according to the sialylation status of their N-linked glycans. Here we report that transmission of a prion strain to a new host is accompanied by a dramatic shift in the selectivity of recruitment of PrPC sialoglycoforms, giving rise to a self-propagating scrapie isoform (PrPSc) with a unique sialoglycoform signature and disease phenotype. The newly emerged strain has the shortest incubation time to disease and is characterized by colocalization of PrPSc with microglia and a very profound proinflammatory response, features that are linked to a unique sialoglycoform composition of PrPSc. The current work provides experimental support for the hypothesis that strain-specific patterns of PrPSc sialoglycoforms formed as a result of selective recruitment dictate strain-specific disease phenotypes. This work suggests a causative relationship between a strain-specific structure, posttranslational modifications, and disease phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jennifer Chen-Yu Chang
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kara Molesworth
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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20
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Dorweiler JE, Oddo MJ, Lyke DR, Reilly JA, Wisniewski BT, Davis EE, Kuborn AM, Merrill SJ, Manogaran AL. The actin cytoskeletal network plays a role in yeast prion transmission and contributes to prion stability. Mol Microbiol 2020; 114:480-494. [PMID: 32426863 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Chaperone networks are required for the shearing and generation of transmissible propagons from pre-existing prion aggregates. However, other cellular networks needed for maintaining yeast prions are largely uncharacterized. Here, we establish a novel role for actin networks in prion maintenance. The [PIN+ ] prion, also known as [RNQ+ ], exists as stable variants dependent upon the chaperone machinery for the transmission of propagons to daughter cells during cell division and cytoplasmic transfer. Loss of the Hsp104 molecular chaperone leads to the growth of prion particles until they are too large to be transmitted. Here, we isolated a unique [PIN+ ] variant, which is unstable in actin mutants. This prion loss is observed over many generations, and coincides with the detection of both high molecular weight species of Rnq1 and large visible aggregates that are asymmetrically retained during cell division. Our data suggest that the irregular actin networks found in these mutants may influence propagon number by slowly permitting aggregate growth over time, resulting in the generation of nontransmissible large aggregates. Thus, we show the potential contribution of cytoskeletal networks in the transmission of prion propagons, which parallels models that have been proposed for cell-to-cell transmission of small amyloids in neurodegenerative protein aggregation diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane E Dorweiler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Mitchell J Oddo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Douglas R Lyke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Jacob A Reilly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Brett T Wisniewski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Emily E Davis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Abigail M Kuborn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Stephen J Merrill
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Anita L Manogaran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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21
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Ziaunys M, Sneideris T, Smirnovas V. Formation of distinct prion protein amyloid fibrils under identical experimental conditions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4572. [PMID: 32165692 PMCID: PMC7067779 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61663-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils is linked to multiple neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A better understanding of the way these aggregates form is vital for the development of drugs. A large detriment to amyloid research is the ability of amyloidogenic proteins to spontaneously aggregate into multiple structurally distinct fibrils (strains) with different stability and seeding properties. In this work we show that prion proteins are capable of forming more than one type of fibril under the exact same conditions by assessing their Thioflavin T (ThT) binding ability, morphology, secondary structure, stability and seeding potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mantas Ziaunys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
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22
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Makarava N, Chang JCY, Baskakov IV. Region-Specific Sialylation Pattern of Prion Strains Provides Novel Insight into Prion Neurotropism. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21030828. [PMID: 32012886 PMCID: PMC7037812 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21030828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian prions are unconventional infectious agents that invade and replicate in an organism by recruiting a normal form of a prion protein (PrPC) and converting it into misfolded, disease-associated state referred to as PrPSc. PrPC is posttranslationally modified with two N-linked glycans. Prion strains replicate by selecting substrates from a large pool of PrPC sialoglycoforms expressed by a host. Brain regions have different vulnerability to prion infection, however, molecular mechanisms underlying selective vulnerability is not well understood. Toward addressing this question, the current study looked into a possibility that sialylation of PrPSc might be involved in defining selective vulnerability of brain regions. The current work found that in 22L -infected animals, PrPSc is indeed sialylated in a region dependent manner. PrPSc in hippocampus and cortex was more sialylated than PrPSc from thalamus and stem. Similar trends were also observed in brain materials from RML- and ME7-infected animals. The current study established that PrPSc sialylation status is indeed region-specific. Together with previous studies demonstrating that low sialylation status accelerates prion replication, this work suggests that high vulnerability of certain brain region to prion infection could be attributed to their low sialylation status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (N.M.); (J.C.-Y.C.)
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jennifer Chen-Yu Chang
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (N.M.); (J.C.-Y.C.)
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (N.M.); (J.C.-Y.C.)
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Correspondence:
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23
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Heterogeneity and Architecture of Pathological Prion Protein Assemblies: Time to Revisit the Molecular Basis of the Prion Replication Process? Viruses 2019; 11:v11050429. [PMID: 31083283 PMCID: PMC6563208 DOI: 10.3390/v11050429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions are proteinaceous infectious agents responsible for a range of neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans. Prion particles are assemblies formed from a misfolded, β-sheet rich, aggregation-prone isoform (PrPSc) of the host-encoded cellular prion protein (PrPC). Prions replicate by recruiting and converting PrPC into PrPSc, by an autocatalytic process. PrPSc is a pleiomorphic protein as different conformations can dictate different disease phenotypes in the same host species. This is the basis of the strain phenomenon in prion diseases. Recent experimental evidence suggests further structural heterogeneity in PrPSc assemblies within specific prion populations and strains. Still, this diversity is rather seen as a size continuum of assemblies with the same core structure, while analysis of the available experimental data points to the existence of structurally distinct arrangements. The atomic structure of PrPSc has not been elucidated so far, making the prion replication process difficult to understand. All currently available models suggest that PrPSc assemblies exhibit a PrPSc subunit as core constituent, which was recently identified. This review summarizes our current knowledge on prion assembly heterogeneity down to the subunit level and will discuss its importance with regard to the current molecular principles of the prion replication process.
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24
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Pressure Reveals Unique Conformational Features in Prion Protein Fibril Diversity. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2802. [PMID: 30808892 PMCID: PMC6391531 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39261-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The prion protein (PrP) misfolds and assembles into a wide spectrum of self-propagating quaternary structures, designated PrPSc. These various PrP superstructures can be functionally different, conferring clinically distinctive symptomatology, neuropathology and infectious character to the associated prion diseases. However, a satisfying molecular basis of PrP structural diversity is lacking in the literature. To provide mechanistic insights into the etiology of PrP polymorphism, we have engineered a set of 6 variants of the human protein and obtained PrP amyloid fibrils. We show that pressure induces dissociation of the fibrils, albeit with different kinetics. In addition, by focusing on the generic properties of amyloid fibrils, such as the thioflavin T binding capacities and the PK-resistance, we reveal an unprecedented structure-barostability phenomenological relationship. We propose that the structural diversity of PrP fibrils encompass a multiplicity of packing defects (water-excluded cavities) in their hydrophobic cores, and that the resultant sensitivity to pressure should be considered as a general molecular criterion to accurately define fibril morphotypes. We anticipate that our insights into sequence-dependent fibrillation and conformational stability will shed light on the highly-nuanced prion strain phenomenon and open the opportunity to explain different PrP conformations in terms of volumetric physics.
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25
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Ladner-Keay CL, Ross L, Perez-Pineiro R, Zhang L, Bjorndahl TC, Cashman N, Wishart DS. A simple in vitro assay for assessing the efficacy, mechanisms and kinetics of anti-prion fibril compounds. Prion 2018; 12:280-300. [PMID: 30223704 PMCID: PMC6277192 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2018.1525254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are caused by the conversion of normal cellular prion proteins (PrP) into lethal prion aggregates. These prion aggregates are composed of proteinase K (PK) resistant fibrils and comparatively PK-sensitive oligomers. Currently there are no anti-prion pharmaceuticals available to treat or prevent prion disease. Methods of discovering anti-prion molecules rely primarily on relatively complex cell-based, tissue slice or animal-model assays that measure the effects of small molecules on the formation of PK-resistant prion fibrils. These assays are difficult to perform and do not detect the compounds that directly inhibit oligomer formation or alter prion conversion kinetics. We have developed a simple cell-free method to characterize the impact of anti-prion fibril compounds on both the oligomer and fibril formation. In particular, this assay uses shaking-induced conversion (ShIC) of recombinant PrP in a 96-well format and resolution enhanced native acidic gel electrophoresis (RENAGE) to generate, assess and detect PrP fibrils in a high throughput fashion. The end-point PrP fibrils from this assay can be further characterized by PK analysis and negative stain transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This cell-free, gel-based assay generates metrics to assess anti-prion fibril efficacy and kinetics. To demonstrate its utility, we characterized the action of seven well-known anti-prion molecules: Congo red, curcumin, GN8, quinacrine, chloropromazine, tetracycline, and TUDCA (taurourspdeoxycholic acid), as well as four suspected anti-prion compounds: trans-resveratrol, rosmarinic acid, myricetin and ferulic acid. These findings suggest that this in vitro assay could be useful in identifying and comprehensively assessing novel anti-prion fibril compounds. Abbreviations: PrP, prion protein; PK, proteinase K; ShIC, shaking-induced conversion; RENAGE, resolution enhanced native acidic gel electrophoresis; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; TUDCA, taurourspdeoxycholic acid; BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy; CWD, chronic wasting disease; CJD, Creutzfeldt Jakob disease; GSS, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome; FFI, fatal familial insomnia; PrPc, cellular prion protein; recPrPC, recombinant monomeric prion protein; PrPSc, infectious particle of misfolded prion protein; RT-QuIC, real-time quaking-induced conversion; PMCA, Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; EGCG, epigallocatechin gallate; GN8, 2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-N-[4-[4-(2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-acetylamino)-benzyl]-phenyl]-acetamide; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; ScN2A, scrapie infected neuroblastoma cells; IC50, inhibitory concentration for 50% reduction; recMoPrP 23-231, recombinant full-length mouse prion protein residues 23-231; EDTA; PICUP, photo-induced cross-linking of unmodified protein; BSA, bovine serum albumin;; PMSF, phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Li Ross
- Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Lun Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Trent C. Bjorndahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Neil Cashman
- Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - David S. Wishart
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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26
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Abstract
The cellular prion protein, PrPC, is a small, cell surface glycoprotein with a function that is currently somewhat ill defined. It is also the key molecule involved in the family of neurodegenerative disorders called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which are also known as prion diseases. The misfolding of PrPC to a conformationally altered isoform, designated PrPTSE, is the main molecular process involved in pathogenesis and appears to precede many other pathologic and clinical manifestations of disease, including neuronal loss, astrogliosis, and cognitive loss. PrPTSE is also believed to be the major component of the infectious "prion," the agent responsible for disease transmission, and preparations of this protein can cause prion disease when inoculated into a naïve host. Thus, understanding the biochemical and biophysical properties of both PrPC and PrPTSE, and ultimately the mechanisms of their interconversion, is critical if we are to understand prion disease biology. Although entire books could be devoted to research pertaining to the protein, herein we briefly review the state of knowledge of prion biochemistry, including consideration of prion protein structure, function, misfolding, and dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Gill
- School of Chemistry, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom; Division of Neurobiology, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrew R Castle
- Division of Neurobiology, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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27
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Kim C, Xiao X, Chen S, Haldiman T, Smirnovas V, Kofskey D, Warren M, Surewicz K, Maurer NR, Kong Q, Surewicz W, Safar JG. Artificial strain of human prions created in vitro. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2166. [PMID: 29867164 PMCID: PMC5986862 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04584-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanism that determines under physiological conditions transmissibility of the most common human prion disease, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is unknown. We report the synthesis of new human prion from the recombinant human prion protein expressed in bacteria in reaction seeded with sCJD MM1 prions and cofactor, ganglioside GM1. These synthetic human prions were infectious to transgenic mice expressing non-glycosylated human prion protein, causing neurologic dysfunction after 459 and 224 days in the first and second passage, respectively. The neuropathology, replication potency, and biophysical profiling suggest that a novel, particularly neurotoxic human prion strain was created. Distinct biological and structural characteristics of our synthetic human prions suggest that subtle changes in the structural organization of critical domains, some linked to posttranslational modifications of the pathogenic prion protein (PrPSc), play a crucial role as a determinant of human prion infectivity, host range, and targetting of specific brain structures in mice models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chae Kim
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Xiangzhu Xiao
- Departments of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Shugui Chen
- Departments of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- GlaxoSmithKline, 709 Swedeland Rd., King of Prussia, PA19406, UK
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Vitautas Smirnovas
- Departments of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Graiciuno 8, Vilnius, 02241, Lithuania
| | - Diane Kofskey
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Miriam Warren
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Krystyna Surewicz
- Departments of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Nicholas R Maurer
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Witold Surewicz
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Departments of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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28
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Wang X, Noroozian Z, Lynch M, Armstrong N, Schneider R, Liu M, Ghodrati F, Zhang AB, Yang YJ, Hall AC, Solarski M, Killackey SA, Watts JC. Strains of Pathological Protein Aggregates in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Discoveries (Craiova) 2017; 5:e78. [PMID: 32309596 PMCID: PMC7159837 DOI: 10.15190/d.2017.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence of protein aggregates in the brain is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Considerable evidence has revealed that the pathological protein aggregates in many neurodegenerative diseases are able to self-propagate, which may enable pathology to spread from cell-to-cell within the brain. This property is reminiscent of what occurs in prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A widely recognized feature of prion disorders is the existence of distinct strains of prions, which are thought to represent unique protein aggregate structures. A number of recent studies have pointed to the existence of strains of protein aggregates in other, more common neurodegenerative illnesses such as AD, PD, and related disorders. In this review, we outline the pathobiology of prion strains and discuss how the concept of protein aggregate strains may help to explain the heterogeneity inherent to many human neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinzhu Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Zeinab Noroozian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Sunnybrook Research Institute - Biological Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Madelaine Lynch
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Sunnybrook Research Institute - Biological Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nicholas Armstrong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Raphael Schneider
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mingzhe Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Sunnybrook Research Institute - Biological Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Farinaz Ghodrati
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ashley B Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yoo Jeong Yang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Amanda C Hall
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Solarski
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Samuel A Killackey
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joel C Watts
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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29
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Serra F, Müller J, Gray J, Lüthi R, Dudas S, Czub S, Seuberlich T. PrP-C1 fragment in cattle brains reveals features of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy associated PrP sc. Brain Res 2017; 1659:19-28. [PMID: 28119056 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Three different types of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) are known and supposedly caused by distinct prion strains: the classical (C-) BSE type that was typically found during the BSE epidemic, and two relatively rare atypical BSE types, termed H-BSE and L-BSE. The three BSE types differ in the molecular phenotype of the disease associated prion protein, namely the N-terminally truncated proteinase K (PK) resistant prion protein fragment (PrPres). In this study, we report and analyze yet another PrPres type (PrPres-2011), which was found in severely autolytic brain samples of two cows in the framework of disease surveillance in Switzerland in 2011. Analysis of brain tissues from these animals by PK titration and PK inhibitor assays ruled out the process of autolysis as the cause for the aberrant PrPres profile. Immunochemical characterization of the PrP fragments present in the 2011 cases by epitope mapping indicated that PrPres-2011 corresponds in its primary sequence to the physiologically occurring PrP-C1 fragment. However, high speed centrifugation, sucrose gradient assay and NaPTA precipitation revealed biochemical similarities between PrPres-2011 and the disease-associated prion protein found in BSE affected cattle in terms of detergent insolubility, PK resistance and PrP aggregation. Although it remains to be established whether PrPres-2011 is associated with a transmissible disease, our results point out the need of further research on the role the PrP-C1 aggregation and misfolding in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne Serra
- NeuroCenter, Division of Neurological Sciences, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Joachim Müller
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty and Medical Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - John Gray
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Lethbridge Laboratory, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ramona Lüthi
- NeuroCenter, Division of Neurological Sciences, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sandor Dudas
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Lethbridge Laboratory, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Stefanie Czub
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Lethbridge Laboratory, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Torsten Seuberlich
- NeuroCenter, Division of Neurological Sciences, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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30
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Paz SA, Vanden-Eijnden E, Abrams CF. Polymorphism at 129 dictates metastable conformations of the human prion protein N-terminal β-sheet. Chem Sci 2017; 8:1225-1232. [PMID: 28451263 PMCID: PMC5369536 DOI: 10.1039/c6sc03275c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We study the thermodynamic stability of the native state of the human prion protein using a new free-energy method, replica-exchange on-the-fly parameterization. This method is designed to overcome hidden-variable sampling limitations to yield nearly error-free free-energy profiles along a conformational coordinate. We confirm that all four (M129V, D178N) polymorphs have a ground-state conformation with three intact β-sheet hydrogen bonds. Additionally, they are observed to have distinct metastabilities determined by the side-chain at position 129. We rationalize these findings with reference to the prion "strain" hypothesis, which links the variety of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy phenotypes to conformationally distinct infectious prion forms and classifies distinct phenotypes of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease based solely on the 129 polymorphism. Because such metastable structures are not easily observed in structural experiments, our approach could potentially provide new insights into the conformational origins of prion diseases and other pathologies arising from protein misfolding and aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Alexis Paz
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Drexel University , Philadelphia , PA 19104 , USA .
| | - Eric Vanden-Eijnden
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences , New York University , New York , NY 10012 , USA
| | - Cameron F Abrams
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Drexel University , Philadelphia , PA 19104 , USA .
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31
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Cracco L, Notari S, Cali I, Sy MS, Chen SG, Cohen ML, Ghetti B, Appleby BS, Zou WQ, Caughey B, Safar JG, Gambetti P. Novel strain properties distinguishing sporadic prion diseases sharing prion protein genotype and prion type. Sci Rep 2017; 7:38280. [PMID: 28091514 PMCID: PMC5238384 DOI: 10.1038/srep38280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In most human sporadic prion diseases the phenotype is consistently associated with specific pairings of the genotype at codon 129 of the prion protein gene and conformational properties of the scrapie PrP (PrPSc) grossly identified types 1 and 2. This association suggests that the 129 genotype favours the selection of a distinct strain that in turn determines the phenotype. However, this mechanism cannot play a role in the phenotype determination of sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI) and a subtype of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) identified as sCJDMM2, which share 129 MM genotype and PrPSc type 2 but are associated with quite distinct phenotypes. Our detailed comparative study of the PrPSc conformers has revealed major differences between the two diseases, which preferentially involve the PrPSc component that is sensitive to digestion with proteases (senPrPSc) and to a lesser extent the resistant component (resPrPSc). We conclude that these variations are consistent with two distinct strains in sFI and sCJDMM2, and that the rarer sFI is the result of a variant strain selection pathway that might be favoured by a different brain site of initial PrPSc formation in the two diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Cracco
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Silvio Notari
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ignazio Cali
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Man-Sun Sy
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Shu G Chen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mark L Cohen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Neuropathology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Brian S Appleby
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Wen-Quan Zou
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, NIH/NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Pierluigi Gambetti
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
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32
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Katorcha E, Srivastava S, Klimova N, Baskakov IV. Sialylation of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) Anchors of Mammalian Prions Is Regulated in a Host-, Tissue-, and Cell-specific Manner. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:17009-19. [PMID: 27317661 PMCID: PMC5016106 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.732040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions or PrP(Sc) are proteinaceous infectious agents that consist of misfolded, self-replicating states of the prion protein or PrP(C) PrP(C) is posttranslationally modified with N-linked glycans and a sialylated glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Conformational conversion of PrP(C) gives rise to glycosylated and GPI-anchored PrP(Sc) The question of the sialylation status of GPIs within PrP(Sc) has been controversial. Previous studies that examined scrapie brains reported that both sialo- and asialo-GPIs were present in PrP(Sc), with the majority being asialo-GPIs. In contrast, recent work that employed cultured cells claimed that only PrP(C) with sialylo-GPIs could be recruited into PrP(Sc), whereas PrP(C) with asialo-GPIs inhibited conversion. To resolve this controversy, we analyzed the sialylation status of GPIs within PrP(Sc) generated in the brain, spleen, or cultured N2a or C2C12 myotube cells. We found that recruiting PrP(C) with both sialo- and asialo-GPIs is a common feature of PrP(Sc) The mixtures of sialo- and asialo-GPIs were observed in PrP(Sc) universally regardless of prion strain as well as host, tissue, or type of cells that produced PrP(Sc) Remarkably, the proportion of sialo- versus asialo-GPIs was found to be controlled by host, tissue, and cell type but not prion strain. In summary, this study found no strain-specific preferences for selecting PrP(C) with sialo- versus asialo-GPIs. Instead, this work suggests that the sialylation status of GPIs within PrP(Sc) is regulated in a cell-, tissue-, or host-specific manner and is likely to be determined by the specifics of GPI biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizaveta Katorcha
- From the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Saurabh Srivastava
- From the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Nina Klimova
- From the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Ilia V Baskakov
- From the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
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Baskakov IV, Katorcha E. Multifaceted Role of Sialylation in Prion Diseases. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:358. [PMID: 27551257 PMCID: PMC4976111 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian prion or PrP(Sc) is a proteinaceous infectious agent that consists of a misfolded, self-replicating state of a sialoglycoprotein called the prion protein, or PrP(C). Sialylation of the prion protein N-linked glycans was discovered more than 30 years ago, yet the role of sialylation in prion pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Recent years have witnessed extraordinary growth in interest in sialylation and established a critical role for sialic acids in host invasion and host-pathogen interactions. This review article summarizes current knowledge on the role of sialylation of the prion protein in prion diseases. First, we discuss the correlation between sialylation of PrP(Sc) glycans and prion infectivity and describe the factors that control sialylation of PrP(Sc). Second, we explain how glycan sialylation contributes to the prion replication barrier, defines strain-specific glycoform ratios, and imposes constraints for PrP(Sc) structure. Third, several topics, including a possible role for sialylation in animal-to-human prion transmission, prion lymphotropism, toxicity, strain interference, and normal function of PrP(C), are critically reviewed. Finally, a metabolic hypothesis on the role of sialylation in the etiology of sporadic prion diseases is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilia V. Baskakov
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimore, MD, USA
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