1
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Huang F, Yan J, Zhang X, Xu H, Lian J, Yang X, Wang C, Ding F, Sun Y. Computational insights into the aggregation mechanism and amyloidogenic core of aortic amyloid medin polypeptide. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2024; 244:114192. [PMID: 39226847 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.114192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Medin amyloid, prevalent in the vessel walls of 97 % of individuals over 50, contributes to arterial stiffening and cerebrovascular dysfunction, yet our understanding of its aggregation mechanism remains limited. Dividing the full-length 50-amino-acid medin peptide into five 10-residue segments, we conducted individual investigations on each segment's self-assembly dynamics via microsecond-timescale atomistic discrete molecular dynamics (DMD) simulations. Our findings showed that medin1-10 and medin11-20 segments predominantly existed as isolated unstructured monomers, unable to form stable oligomers. Medin31-40 exhibited moderate aggregation, forming dynamic β-sheet oligomers with frequent association and dissociation. Conversely, medin21-30 and medin41-50 segments demonstrated significant self-assembly capability, readily forming stable β-sheet-rich oligomers. Residue pairwise contact frequency analysis highlighted the critical roles of residues 22-26 and 43-49 in driving the self-assembly of medin21-30 and medin41-50, acting as the β-sheet core and facilitating β-strand formation in other regions within medin monomers, expecting to extend to oligomers and fibrils. Regions containing residues 22-26 and 43-49, with substantial self-assembly abilities and assistance in β-sheet formation, represent crucial targets for amyloid inhibitor drug design against aortic medial amyloidosis (AMA). In summary, our study not only offers deep insights into the mechanism of medin amyloid formation but also provides crucial theoretical and practical guidance for future treatments of AMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengjuan Huang
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering (NIIME), Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Jiajia Yan
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xiaohan Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Huan Xu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Jiangfang Lian
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering (NIIME), Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xi Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering (NIIME), Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chuang Wang
- School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States.
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States.
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2
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Ge X, Li L, Xie C. Medin synergized with vascular amyloid-beta deposits accelerates cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease: a potential biomarker. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1414. [PMID: 38051873 PMCID: PMC10883511 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.387995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Ge
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Li Li
- Center of Health Management, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Chunming Xie
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
- Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
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3
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Huang F, Fan X, Wang Y, Zou Y, Lian J, Wang C, Ding F, Sun Y. Computational insights into the cross-talk between medin and Aβ: implications for age-related vascular risk factors in Alzheimer's disease. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbad526. [PMID: 38271485 PMCID: PMC10810335 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of medin forming aortic medial amyloid is linked to arterial wall degeneration and cerebrovascular dysfunction. Elevated levels of arteriolar medin are correlated with an increased presence of vascular amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia. The cross-interaction between medin and Aβ results in the formation of heterologous fibrils through co-aggregation and cross-seeding processes both in vitro and in vivo. However, a comprehensive molecular understanding of the cross-interaction between medin and Aβ-two intrinsically disordered proteins-is critically lacking. Here, we employed atomistic discrete molecular dynamics simulations to systematically investigate the self-association, co-aggregation and also the phenomenon of cross-seeding between these two proteins. Our results demonstrated that both Aβ and medin were aggregation prone and their mixture tended to form β-sheet-rich hetero-aggregates. The formation of Aβ-medin hetero-aggregates did not hinder Aβ and medin from recruiting additional Aβ and medin peptides to grow into larger β-sheet-rich aggregates. The β-barrel oligomer intermediates observed in the self-aggregations of Aβ and medin were also present during their co-aggregation. In cross-seeding simulations, preformed Aβ fibrils could recruit isolated medin monomers to form elongated β-sheets. Overall, our comprehensive simulations suggested that the cross-interaction between Aβ and medin may contribute to their pathological aggregation, given the inherent amyloidogenic tendencies of both medin and Aβ. Targeting medin, therefore, could offer a novel therapeutic approach to preserving brain function during aging and AD by improving vascular health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengjuan Huang
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering, Lihuili Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xinjie Fan
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yu Zou
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jiangfang Lian
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering, Lihuili Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chuang Wang
- School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
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4
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Huang F, Fan X, Wang Y, Wang C, Zou Y, Lian J, Ding F, Sun Y. Unveiling Medin Folding and Dimerization Dynamics and Conformations via Atomistic Discrete Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:6376-6385. [PMID: 37782573 PMCID: PMC10752383 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Medin is a principal component of localized amyloid found in the vasculature of individuals over 50 years old. Its amyloid aggregation has been linked to endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation, contributing to the pathogenesis of various vascular diseases. Despite its significance, the structures of the medin monomer, oligomer, and fibril remain elusive, and the dynamic processes of medin aggregation are not fully understood. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the medin folding and dimerization dynamics and conformations using atomistic discrete molecular dynamics simulations. Our simulation results suggested that the folding initiation of the medin involved the formation of β-sheets around medin30-41 and medin42-50, with subsequent capping of other segments to their β-sheet edges. Medin monomers typically consisted of three or four β-strands, along with a dynamic N-terminal helix. Two isolated medin peptides readily aggregated into a β-sheet-rich dimer, displaying a strong aggregation propensity. Dimerization of medin not only enhanced the β-sheet conformations but also led to the formation of β-barrel oligomers. The aggregation tendencies of medin1-18 and medin19-29 were relatively weak. However, the segments of medin30-41 and medin42-50 played a crucial role as they primarily formed a β-sheet core and facilitated medin1-18 and medin19-29 to form intra- and interpeptide β-sheets. The findings highlight the critical role of the medin30-41 and medin42-50 regions in stabilizing the monomer structure and driving the medin amyloid aggregation. These regions could potentially serve as promising targets for designing antiamyloid inhibitors against amyloid aggregation of medin. Additionally, our study provides a full picture of the monomer conformations and dimerization dynamics for medin, which will help better understand the pathology of medin aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengjuan Huang
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering (NIIME), Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xinjie Fan
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chuang Wang
- School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yu Zou
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jiangfang Lian
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering (NIIME), Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
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5
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Milk Fat Globule Epidermal Growth Factor VIII Fragment Medin in Age-Associated Arterial Adverse Remodeling and Arterial Disease. Cells 2023; 12:cells12020253. [PMID: 36672188 PMCID: PMC9857039 DOI: 10.3390/cells12020253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Medin, a small 50-amino acid peptide, is an internal cleaved product from the second discoidin domain of milk fat globule epidermal growth factor VIII (MFG-E8) protein. Medin has been reported as the most common amylogenic protein in the upper part of the arterial system, including aortic, temporal, and cerebral arterial walls in the elderly. Medin has a high affinity to elastic fibers and is closely associated with arterial degenerative inflammation, elastic fiber fragmentation, calcification, and amyloidosis. In vitro, treating with the medin peptide promotes the inflammatory phenotypic shift of both endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies demonstrate that medin enhances the abundance of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species produced by both endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells and promotes vascular endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffening. Immunostaining and immunoblotting analyses of human samples indicate that the levels of medin are increased in the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysm/dissection, temporal arteritis, and cerebrovascular dementia. Thus, medin peptide could be targeted as a biomarker diagnostic tool or as a potential molecular approach to curbing the arterial degenerative inflammatory remodeling that accompanies aging and disease.
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6
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Wagner J, Degenhardt K, Veit M, Louros N, Konstantoulea K, Skodras A, Wild K, Liu P, Obermüller U, Bansal V, Dalmia A, Häsler LM, Lambert M, De Vleeschouwer M, Davies HA, Madine J, Kronenberg-Versteeg D, Feederle R, Del Turco D, Nilsson KPR, Lashley T, Deller T, Gearing M, Walker LC, Heutink P, Rousseau F, Schymkowitz J, Jucker M, Neher JJ. Medin co-aggregates with vascular amyloid-β in Alzheimer's disease. Nature 2022; 612:123-131. [PMID: 36385530 PMCID: PMC9712113 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05440-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Aggregates of medin amyloid (a fragment of the protein MFG-E8, also known as lactadherin) are found in the vasculature of almost all humans over 50 years of age1,2, making it the most common amyloid currently known. We recently reported that medin also aggregates in blood vessels of ageing wild-type mice, causing cerebrovascular dysfunction3. Here we demonstrate in amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice and in patients with Alzheimer's disease that medin co-localizes with vascular amyloid-β deposits, and that in mice, medin deficiency reduces vascular amyloid-β deposition by half. Moreover, in both the mouse and human brain, MFG-E8 is highly enriched in the vasculature and both MFG-E8 and medin levels increase with the severity of vascular amyloid-β burden. Additionally, analysing data from 566 individuals in the ROSMAP cohort, we find that patients with Alzheimer's disease have higher MFGE8 expression levels, which are attributable to vascular cells and are associated with increased measures of cognitive decline, independent of plaque and tau pathology. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that medin interacts directly with amyloid-β to promote its aggregation, as medin forms heterologous fibrils with amyloid-β, affects amyloid-β fibril structure, and cross-seeds amyloid-β aggregation both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, medin could be a therapeutic target for prevention of vascular damage and cognitive decline resulting from amyloid-β deposition in the blood vessels of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Wagner
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Graduate School of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karoline Degenhardt
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Graduate School of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marleen Veit
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Graduate School of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nikolaos Louros
- grid.511015.1Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium ,grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katerina Konstantoulea
- grid.511015.1Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium ,grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Angelos Skodras
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katleen Wild
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ping Liu
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Graduate School of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Obermüller
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vikas Bansal
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anupriya Dalmia
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lisa M. Häsler
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marius Lambert
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthias De Vleeschouwer
- grid.511015.1Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium ,grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hannah A. Davies
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK ,grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jillian Madine
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK ,grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Deborah Kronenberg-Versteeg
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Regina Feederle
- grid.4567.00000 0004 0483 2525Monoclonal Antibody Core Facility, Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany ,grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
| | - Domenico Del Turco
- grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - K. Peter R. Nilsson
- grid.5640.70000 0001 2162 9922Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Tammaryn Lashley
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Thomas Deller
- grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Marla Gearing
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Lary C. Walker
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Neurology and Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Peter Heutink
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Frederic Rousseau
- grid.511015.1Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium ,grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joost Schymkowitz
- grid.511015.1Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium ,grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mathias Jucker
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jonas J. Neher
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Ni YQ, Zhan JK, Liu YS. Roles and mechanisms of MFG-E8 in vascular aging-related diseases. Ageing Res Rev 2020; 64:101176. [PMID: 32971257 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The aging of the vasculature plays a crucial role in the pathological progression of various vascular aging-related diseases. As endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are essential parts in the inner and medial layers of vessel wall, respectively, the structural and functional alterations of ECs and VSMCs are the major causes of vascular aging. Milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) is a multifunctional glycoprotein which exerts a regulatory role in the intercellular interactions involved in a variety of biological and pathological processes. Emerging evidence suggests that MFG-E8 is a novel and outstanding modulator for vascular aging via targeting at ECs and VSMCs. In this review, we will summarise the cumulative roles and mechanisms of MFG-E8 in vascular aging and vascular aging-related diseases with special emphasis on the functions of ECs and VSMCs. In addition, we also aim to focus on the promising diagnostic function as a biomarker and the potential therapeutic application of MFG-E8 in vascular aging and the clinical evaluation of vascular aging-related diseases.
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8
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Younger S, Jang H, Davies HA, Niemiec MJ, Garcia JGN, Nussinov R, Migrino RQ, Madine J, Arce FT. Medin Oligomer Membrane Pore Formation: A Potential Mechanism of Vascular Dysfunction. Biophys J 2020; 118:2769-2782. [PMID: 32402244 PMCID: PMC7264854 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Medin, a 50-amino-acid cleavage product of the milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 protein, is one of the most common forms of localized amyloid found in the vasculature of individuals older than 50 years. Medin induces endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation, yet despite its prevalence in the human aorta and multiple arterial beds, little is known about the nature of its pathology. Medin oligomers have been implicated in the pathology of aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, and more recently, vascular dementia. Recent in vitro biomechanical measurements found increased oligomer levels in aneurysm patients with altered aortic wall integrity. Our results suggest an oligomer-mediated toxicity mechanism for medin pathology. Using lipid bilayer electrophysiology, we show that medin oligomers induce ionic membrane permeability by pore formation. Pore activity was primarily observed for preaggregated medin species from the growth-phase and rarely for lag-phase species. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of medin aggregates at different stages of aggregation revealed the gradual formation of flat domains resembling the morphology of supported lipid bilayers. Transmission electron microscopy images showed the coexistence of compact oligomers, largely consistent with the AFM data, and larger protofibrillar structures. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed the presence of largely disordered species and suggested the presence of β-sheets. This observation and the significantly lower thioflavin T fluorescence emitted by medin aggregates compared to amyloid-β fibrils, along with the absence of amyloid fibers in the AFM and transmission electron microscopy images, suggest that medin aggregation into pores follows a nonamyloidogenic pathway. In silico modeling by molecular dynamics simulations provides atomic-level structural detail of medin pores with the CNpNC barrel topology and diameters comparable to values estimated from experimental pore conductances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Younger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Hyunbum Jang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Hannah A Davies
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Martin J Niemiec
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Joe G N Garcia
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Raymond Q Migrino
- Office of Research, Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Phoenix, Arizona; Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Jillian Madine
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Fernando T Arce
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
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9
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Davies HA, Lee CF, Miller L, Liu LN, Madine J. Insights into the Origin of Distinct Medin Fibril Morphologies Induced by Incubation Conditions and Seeding. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19051357. [PMID: 29751581 PMCID: PMC5983645 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19051357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Incubation conditions are an important factor to consider when studying protein aggregation in vitro. Here, we employed biophysical methods and atomic force microscopy to show that agitation dramatically alters the morphology of medin, an amyloid protein deposited in the aorta. Agitation reduces the lag time for fibrillation by ~18-fold, suggesting that the rate of fibril formation plays a key role in directing the protein packing arrangement within fibrils. Utilising preformed sonicated fibrils as seeds, we probed the role of seeding on medin fibrillation and revealed three distinct fibril morphologies, with biophysical modelling explaining the salient features of experimental observations. We showed that nucleation pathways to distinct fibril morphologies may be switched on and off depending on the properties of the seeding fibrils and growth conditions. These findings may impact on the development of amyloid-based biomaterials and enhance understanding of seeding as a pathological mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A Davies
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
| | - Chiu Fan Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Leanne Miller
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, UK.
| | - Lu-Ning Liu
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
| | - Jillian Madine
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
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Wang Y, Feng X, Shen B, Ma J, Zhao W. Is Vascular Amyloidosis Intertwined with Arterial Aging, Hypertension and Atherosclerosis? Front Genet 2017; 8:126. [PMID: 29085385 PMCID: PMC5649204 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2017.00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular amyloidosis (VA) is a component of aging, but both VA and aging move forward together. Although, not all age-related molecules are involved with VA, some molecules are involved in a crosstalk between both of them. However, the cellular mechanism by which, vascular cells are phenotypically shifted to arterial remodeling, is not only involved in aging but also linked to VA. Additionally, patients with hypertension and atherosclerosis are susceptible to VA, while amyloidosis alone may provide fertile soil for the initiation and progression of subsequent hypertension and atherosclerosis. It is known that hypertension, atherosclerosis and amyloidosis can be viewed as accelerated aging. This review summarizes the available experimental and clinical evidence to help the reader to understand the advance and underlying mechanisms for VA involvement in and interaction with aging. Taken together, it is clear that VA, hypertension and atherosclerosis are closely intertwined with arterial aging as equal partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushi Wang
- Cardiovascular Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiaoxing Feng
- Cardiovascular Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Botao Shen
- Cardiovascular Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jing Ma
- Cardiovascular Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Waiou Zhao
- Cardiovascular Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Chiti F, Dobson CM. Protein Misfolding, Amyloid Formation, and Human Disease: A Summary of Progress Over the Last Decade. Annu Rev Biochem 2017; 86:27-68. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-061516-045115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1669] [Impact Index Per Article: 238.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023]
Abstract
Peptides and proteins have been found to possess an inherent tendency to convert from their native functional states into intractable amyloid aggregates. This phenomenon is associated with a range of increasingly common human disorders, including Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, type II diabetes, and a number of systemic amyloidoses. In this review, we describe this field of science with particular reference to the advances that have been made over the last decade in our understanding of its fundamental nature and consequences. We list the proteins that are known to be deposited as amyloid or other types of aggregates in human tissues and the disorders with which they are associated, as well as the proteins that exploit the amyloid motif to play specific functional roles in humans. In addition, we summarize the genetic factors that have provided insight into the mechanisms of disease onset. We describe recent advances in our knowledge of the structures of amyloid fibrils and their oligomeric precursors and of the mechanisms by which they are formed and proliferate to generate cellular dysfunction. We show evidence that a complex proteostasis network actively combats protein aggregation and that such an efficient system can fail in some circumstances and give rise to disease. Finally, we anticipate the development of novel therapeutic strategies with which to prevent or treat these highly debilitating and currently incurable conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Chiti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio,” Section of Biochemistry, Università di Firenze, 50134 Firenze, Italy
| | - Christopher M. Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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Davies HA, Rigden DJ, Phelan MM, Madine J. Probing Medin Monomer Structure and its Amyloid Nucleation Using 13C-Direct Detection NMR in Combination with Structural Bioinformatics. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45224. [PMID: 28327552 PMCID: PMC5361114 DOI: 10.1038/srep45224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aortic medial amyloid is the most prevalent amyloid found to date, but remarkably little is known about it. It is characterised by aberrant deposition of a 5.4 kDa protein called medin within the medial layer of large arteries. Here we employ a combined approach of ab initio protein modelling and 13C-direct detection NMR to generate a model for soluble monomeric medin comprising a stable core of three β-strands and shorter more labile strands at the termini. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that detachment of the short, C-terminal β-strand from the soluble fold exposes key amyloidogenic regions as a potential site of nucleation enabling dimerisation and subsequent fibril formation. This mechanism resembles models proposed for several other amyloidogenic proteins suggesting that despite variations in sequence and protomer structure these proteins may share a common pathway for amyloid nucleation and subsequent protofibril and fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A. Davies
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Daniel J. Rigden
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Marie M. Phelan
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Jillian Madine
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, L69 7ZB, UK
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Davies HA, Phelan MM, Madine J. 1H, 15N and 13C assignment of the amyloidogenic protein medin using fast-pulsing NMR techniques. BIOMOLECULAR NMR ASSIGNMENTS 2016; 10:75-77. [PMID: 26377205 PMCID: PMC4788682 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-015-9641-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Thirty-one proteins are known to form extracellular fibrillar amyloid in humans. Molecular information about many of these proteins in their monomeric, intermediate or fibrillar form and how they aggregate and interact to form the insoluble fibrils is sparse. This is because amyloid proteins are notoriously difficult to study in their soluble forms, due to their inherent propensity to aggregate. Using recent developments in fast NMR techniques, band-selective excitation short transient and band-selective optimized flip-angle short-transient heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence we have been able to assign a 5 kDa full-length amyloidogenic protein called medin. Medin is the key protein component of the most common form of localised amyloid with a proposed role in aortic aneurysm and dissection. This assignment will now enable the study of the early interactions that could influence initiation and progression of medin aggregation. The chemical shifts have been deposited in the BioMagRes-Bank accession Nos. 25399 and 26576.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Davies
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - M M Phelan
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - J Madine
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.
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