1
|
Přáda Brichtová E, Krupová M, Bouř P, Lindo V, Gomes Dos Santos A, Jackson SE. Glucagon-like peptide 1 aggregates into low-molecular-weight oligomers off-pathway to fibrillation. Biophys J 2023; 122:2475-2488. [PMID: 37138517 PMCID: PMC10323027 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The physical stability of peptide-based drugs is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a 31-amino acid peptide hormone, the analogs of which are frequently used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We investigated the physical stability of GLP-1 and its C-terminal amide derivative, GLP-1-Am, both of which aggregate into amyloid fibrils. While off-pathway oligomers have been proposed to explain the unusual aggregation kinetics observed previously for GLP-1 under specific conditions, these oligomers have not been studied in any detail. Such states are important as they may represent potential sources of cytotoxicity and immunogenicity. Here, we identified and isolated stable, low-molecular-weight oligomers of GLP-1 and GLP-1-Am, using size-exclusion chromatography. Under the conditions studied, isolated oligomers were shown to be resistant to fibrillation or dissociation. These oligomers contain between two and five polypeptide chains and they have a highly disordered structure as indicated by a variety of spectroscopic techniques. They are highly stable with respect to time, temperature, or agitation despite their noncovalent character, which was established using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These results provide evidence of stable, low-molecular-weight oligomers that are formed by an off-pathway mechanism which competes with amyloid fibril formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Přáda Brichtová
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Monika Krupová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, Czech Republic; Hylleraas Centre for Quantum Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Petr Bouř
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Viv Lindo
- AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sophie E Jackson
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Naito A, Kawamura I. Dynamic membrane interaction and amyloid fibril formation of glucagon, melittin and human calcitonin. Biophys Chem 2023; 298:107025. [PMID: 37127008 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2023.107025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Glucagon is a 29-amino acid peptide hormone secreted by pancreatic α-cells and interacts with specific receptors located in various organs. Glucagon tends to form gel-like fibril aggregates that are cytotoxic. It is important to reveal the glucagon-membrane interaction to understand activity and cytotoxicity of glucagon and glucagon oligomers. In this review, first glucagon-membrane interactions are described as morphological changes in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers containing glucagon in acidic and neutral conditions as compared to the case of melittin. Second, fibril formation by glucagon in acidic solution is discussed in light of morphological and structural changes. Third, kinetic analysis of glucagon fibril formation was performed using a two-step autocatalytic reaction mechanism, as investigated in the case of human calcitonin. The first step is a nuclear formation, and the second step is an autocatalytic fibril elongation. Forth, fibril formation of glucagon inside glucagon-DMPC bilayers in neutral solution under near physiological condition is described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Akira Naito
- Graduate School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan.
| | - Izuru Kawamura
- Graduate School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Liu Y, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Zou Y, Wei G, Ding F, Sun Y. Structural Perturbation of Monomers Determines the Amyloid Aggregation Propensity of Calcitonin Variants. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:308-320. [PMID: 36456917 PMCID: PMC9839651 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Human calcitonin (hCT) is a polypeptide hormone that participates in calcium-phosphorus metabolism. Irreversible aggregation of 32-amino acid hCT into β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils impairs physiological activity and increases the risk of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Amyloid-resistant hCT derivatives substituting critical amyloidogenic residues are of particular interest for clinical applications as therapeutic drugs against bone-related diseases. Uncovering the aggregation mechanism of hCT at the molecular level, therefore, is important for the design of amyloid-resistant hCT analogues. Here, we investigated the aggregation dynamics of hCT, non-amyloidogenic salmon calcitonin (sCT), and two hCT analogues with reduced aggregation tendency─TL-hCT and phCT─using long timescale discrete molecular dynamics simulations. Our results showed that hCT monomers mainly adopted unstructured conformations with dynamically formed helices around the central region. hCT self-assembled into helix-rich oligomers first, followed by a conformational conversion into β-sheet-rich oligomers with β-sheets formed by residues 10-30 and stabilized by aromatic and hydrophobic interactions. Our simulations confirmed that TL-hCT and phCT oligomers featured more helices and fewer β-sheets than hCT. Substitution of central aromatic residues with leucine in TL-hCT and replacing C-terminal hydrophobic residue with hydrophilic amino acid in phCT only locally suppressed β-sheet propensities in the central region and C-terminus, respectively. Having mutations in both central and C-terminal regions, sCT monomers and dynamically formed oligomers predominantly adopted helices, confirming that both central aromatic and C-terminal hydrophobic residues played important roles in the fibrillization of hCT. We also observed the formation of β-barrel intermediates, postulated as the toxic oligomers in amyloidosis, for hCT but not for sCT. Our computational study depicts a complete picture of the aggregation dynamics of hCT and the effects of mutations. The design of next-generation amyloid-resistant hCT analogues should consider the impact on both amyloidogenic regions and also take into account the amplification of transient β-sheet population in monomers upon aggregation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Liu
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yu Zou
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Guanghong Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Morel B, Conejero-Lara F. Preparation and Investigation of Crucial Oligomers in the Early Stages of Aβ40 and Aβ42 Aggregation. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2551:15-28. [PMID: 36310193 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2597-2_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid aggregation is a hallmark in many neuropathologies and other diseases of tremendous impact. It is increasingly evident that neuronal death associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is mainly produced by oligomers of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. Yet little is known about the detailed structural and biophysical mechanisms of their formation. This lack of complete understanding comes from the labile nature and handling complexity of the oligomers. Consequently, providing reproducible and robust protocols for oligomer preparation is of particular importance.In this study, we describe detailed methods for the preparation and isolation of micellar oligomers of Aβ that evolve towards larger and more stable oligomers enriched in beta-sheet structure and able to acquire a higher capacity to fibrillate. We also describe briefly some biophysical experiments allowing oligomer characterization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Morel
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | - Francisco Conejero-Lara
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología y Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Morel B, Carrasco-Jiménez MP, Jurado S, Conejero-Lara F. Rapid Conversion of Amyloid-Beta 1-40 Oligomers to Mature Fibrils through a Self-Catalytic Bimolecular Process. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:6370. [PMID: 34198692 PMCID: PMC8232289 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of fibrillar aggregates of the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) in the brain is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A clear understanding of the different aggregation steps leading to fibrils formation is a keystone in therapeutics discovery. In a recent study, we showed that Aβ40 and Aβ42 form dynamic micellar aggregates above certain critical concentrations, which mediate a fast formation of more stable oligomers, which in the case of Aβ40 are able to evolve towards amyloid fibrils. Here, using different biophysical techniques we investigated the role of different fractions of the Aβ aggregation mixture in the nucleation and fibrillation steps. We show that both processes occur through bimolecular interplay between low molecular weight species (monomer and/or dimer) and larger oligomers. Moreover, we report here a novel self-catalytic mechanism of fibrillation of Aβ40, in which early oligomers generate and deliver low molecular weight amyloid nuclei, which then catalyze the rapid conversion of the oligomers to mature amyloid fibrils. This fibrillation catalytic activity is not present in freshly disaggregated low-molecular weight Aβ40 and is, therefore, a property acquired during the aggregation process. In contrast to Aβ40, we did not observe the same self-catalytic fibrillation in Aβ42 spheroidal oligomers, which could neither be induced to fibrillate by the Aβ40 nuclei. Our results reveal clearly that amyloid fibrillation is a multi-component process, in which dynamic collisions between different interacting species favor the kinetics of amyloid nucleation and growth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Morel
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología e Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - María P Carrasco-Jiménez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Samuel Jurado
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología e Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco Conejero-Lara
- Departamento de Química Física, Instituto de Biotecnología e Unidad de Excelencia de Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Renawala HK, Chandrababu KB, Topp EM. Fibrillation of Human Calcitonin and Its Analogs: Effects of Phosphorylation and Disulfide Reduction. Biophys J 2020; 120:86-100. [PMID: 33220304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Some therapeutic peptides self-assemble in solution to form ordered, insoluble, β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils. This physical instability can result in reduced potency, cause immunogenic side effects, and limit options for formulation. Understanding the mechanisms of fibrillation is key to developing rational mitigation strategies. Here, amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange with mass spectrometric analysis (HDX-MS) coupled with proteolytic digestion was used to identify the early stage interactions leading to fibrillation of human calcitonin (hCT), a peptide hormone important in calcium metabolism. hCT fibrillation kinetics was sigmoidal, with lag, growth, and plateau phases as shown by thioflavin T and turbidity measurements. HDX-MS of fibrillating hCT (pH 7.4; 25°C) suggested early involvement of the N-terminal (1-11) and central (12-19) fragments in interactions during the lag phase, whereas C-terminal fragments (20-32 and 26-32) showed limited involvement during this period. The residue-level information was used to develop phosphorylated hCT analogs that showed modified fibrillation that depended on phosphorylation site. Phosphorylation in the central region resulted in complete inhibition of fibrillation for the phospho-Thr-13 hCT analog, whereas phosphorylation in the N-terminal and C-terminal regions inhibited but did not prevent fibrillation. Reduction of the Cys1-Cys7 disulfide bond resulted in faster fibrillation with involvement of different hCT residues as indicated by pulsed HDX-MS. Together, the results demonstrate that small structural changes have significant effects on hCT fibrillation and that understanding these effects can inform the rational development of fibrillation-resistant hCT analogs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harshil K Renawala
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Karthik B Chandrababu
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Elizabeth M Topp
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ye H, Li H, Gao Z. Y12 nitration of human calcitonin (hCT): A promising strategy to produce non-aggregation bioactive hCT. Nitric Oxide 2020; 104-105:11-19. [PMID: 32827754 DOI: 10.1016/j.niox.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Irreversible aggregation can extremely limit the bioavailability and therapeutic activity of peptide-based drugs. There is therefore an urgent demand of effective strategy to control peptide aggregation. Recently, we found that tyrosine nitration at certain sites of peptide can effectively inhibit its aggregation. This minor modification may be an ideal strategy to the rational design of peptide-based drugs with low aggregation propensity yet without loss of bioactivity. Human calcitonin (hCT) is such a peptide hormone known for its hypocalcaemic effect but has limited pharmaceutical potential due to a high tendency to aggregate. In this study, by using multiple techniques including Fluorescence, TEM, Nu-PAGE and CD, we demonstrated that Y12 nitration of hCT would significantly inhibit its self-assembles, and we also found that this modification would not only reduce the cytotoxicity induced by peptide aggregation, but also had little effect on its potency. This finding may provide a novel strategy for clinically application of hCT instead of sCT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huixian Ye
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry and Materia Medica, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, Jiangxi, 343009, China
| | - Hailing Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry and Materia Medica, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Zhonghong Gao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry and Materia Medica, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Haya K, Makino Y, Kikuchi-Kinoshita A, Kawamura I, Naito A. 31P and 13C solid-state NMR analysis of morphological changes of phospholipid bilayers containing glucagon during fibril formation of glucagon under neutral condition. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1862:183290. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
9
|
Yamane I, Momose A, Fujita H, Yoshimoto E, Kikuchi-Kinoshita A, Kawamura I, Naito A. Fibrillation mechanism of glucagon in the presence of phospholipid bilayers as revealed by 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Chem Phys Lipids 2019; 219:36-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2019.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
10
|
Ahmed I, Jones EM. Importance of micelle‐like multimers in the atypical aggregation kinetics of N‐terminal serum amyloid A peptides. FEBS Lett 2019; 593:518-526. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ikhlaus Ahmed
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo CA USA
| | - Eric M. Jones
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Identification and nanomechanical characterization of the fundamental single-strand protofilaments of amyloid α-synuclein fibrils. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:7230-7235. [PMID: 29941606 PMCID: PMC6048494 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1721220115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation and spreading of amyloid aggregates from the presynaptic protein α-synuclein in the brain play central roles in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Here, we use high-resolution atomic force microscopy to investigate the early oligomerization events of α-synuclein with single monomer angstrom resolution. We identify, visualize, and characterize directly the smallest elementary unit in the hierarchical assembly of amyloid fibrils, termed here single-strand protofilaments. We show that protofilaments form from the direct molecular assembly of unfolded monomeric α-synuclein polypeptide chains. To unravel protofilaments' internal structure and elastic properties, we manipulated nanomechanically these species by atomic force spectroscopy. The single-molecule scale identification and characterization of the fundamental unit of amyloid assemblies provide insights into early events underlying their formation and shed light on opportunities for therapeutic intervention at the early stages of aberrant protein self-assembly.
Collapse
|
12
|
Wang J, Yamamoto T, Bai J, Cox SJ, Korshavn KJ, Monette M, Ramamoorthy A. Real-time monitoring of the aggregation of Alzheimer's amyloid-β via 1H magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. Chem Commun (Camb) 2018; 54:2000-2003. [PMID: 29411841 DOI: 10.1039/c8cc00167g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Proton magic-angle-spinning NMR used for real-time analysis of amyloid aggregation reveals that mechanical rotation of Aβ1-40 monomers increases the rate of formation of aggregates, and that the increasing lag-time with peptide concentration suggests the formation of growth-incompetent species. EGCG's ability to shift off-pathway aggregation is also demonstrated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jian Wang
- Biophysics Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Morel B, Carrasco MP, Jurado S, Marco C, Conejero-Lara F. Dynamic micellar oligomers of amyloid beta peptides play a crucial role in their aggregation mechanisms. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:20597-20614. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cp02685h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Aβ40 and Aβ42 peptides form micellar precursors of amyloid nuclei contributing to important differences in their aggregation pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Morel
- Departamento de Química Física e Instituto de Biotecnología
- Facultad de Ciencias
- Universidad de Granada
- 18071 Granada
- Spain
| | - Maria Paz Carrasco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I
- Facultad de Ciencias
- Universidad de Granada
- 18071 Granada
- Spain
| | - Samuel Jurado
- Departamento de Química Física e Instituto de Biotecnología
- Facultad de Ciencias
- Universidad de Granada
- 18071 Granada
- Spain
| | - Carmen Marco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I
- Facultad de Ciencias
- Universidad de Granada
- 18071 Granada
- Spain
| | - Francisco Conejero-Lara
- Departamento de Química Física e Instituto de Biotecnología
- Facultad de Ciencias
- Universidad de Granada
- 18071 Granada
- Spain
| |
Collapse
|