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Miyagi M, Nakazawa T. Significance of Histidine Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry in Protein Structural Biology. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:37. [PMID: 38248468 PMCID: PMC10813008 DOI: 10.3390/biology13010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Histidine residues play crucial roles in shaping the function and structure of proteins due to their unique ability to act as both acids and bases. In other words, they can serve as proton donors and acceptors at physiological pH. This exceptional property is attributed to the side-chain imidazole ring of histidine residues. Consequently, determining the acid-base dissociation constant (Ka) of histidine imidazole rings in proteins often yields valuable insights into protein functions. Significant efforts have been dedicated to measuring the pKa values of histidine residues in various proteins, with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy being the most commonly used technique. However, NMR-based methods encounter challenges in assigning signals to individual imidazole rings and require a substantial amount of proteins. To address these issues associated with NMR-based approaches, a mass-spectrometry-based method known as histidine hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (His-HDX-MS) has been developed. This technique not only determines the pKa values of histidine imidazole groups but also quantifies their solvent accessibility. His-HDX-MS has proven effective across diverse proteins, showcasing its utility. This review aims to clarify the fundamental principles of His-HDX-MS, detail the experimental workflow, explain data analysis procedures and provide guidance for interpreting the obtained results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Miyagi
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4988, USA
| | - Takashi Nakazawa
- Department of Chemistry, Nara Women’s University, Nara 630-8506, Japan
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2
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Essential Components of Synthetic Infectious Prion Formation De Novo. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12111694. [DOI: 10.3390/biom12111694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a class of neurodegenerative diseases that are uniquely infectious. Whilst their general replication mechanism is well understood, the components required for the formation and propagation of highly infectious prions are poorly characterized. The protein-only hypothesis posits that the prion protein (PrP) is the only component of the prion; however, additional co-factors are required for its assembly into infectious prions. These can be provided by brain homogenate, but synthetic lipids and non-coding RNA have also been used in vitro. Here, we review a range of experimental approaches, which generate PrP amyloid assemblies de novo. These synthetic PrP assemblies share some, but not necessarily all, properties of genuine infectious prions. We will discuss the different experimental approaches, how a prion is defined, the non-protein requirements of a prion, and provide an overview of the current state of prion amplification and generation in vitro.
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3
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Hromadkova L, Siddiqi MK, Liu H, Safar JG. Populations of Tau Conformers Drive Prion-like Strain Effects in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. Cells 2022; 11:2997. [PMID: 36230957 PMCID: PMC9562632 DOI: 10.3390/cells11192997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent findings of diverse populations of prion-like conformers of misfolded tau protein expand the prion concept to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and monogenic frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-MAPT P301L, and suggest that distinct strains of misfolded proteins drive the phenotypes and progression rates in many neurodegenerative diseases. Notable progress in the previous decades has generated many lines of proof arguing that yeast, fungal, and mammalian prions determine heritable as well as infectious traits. The extraordinary phenotypic diversity of human prion diseases arises from structurally distinct prion strains that target, at different progression speeds, variable brain structures and cells. Although human prion research presents beneficial lessons and methods to study the mechanism of strain diversity of protein-only pathogens, the fundamental molecular mechanism by which tau conformers are formed and replicate in diverse tauopathies is still poorly understood. In this review, we summarize up to date advances in identification of diverse tau conformers through biophysical and cellular experimental paradigms, and the impact of heterogeneity of pathological tau strains on personalized structure- and strain-specific therapeutic approaches in major tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Hromadkova
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | | | - He Liu
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Jiri G. Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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4
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Ma J, Zhang J, Yan R. Recombinant Mammalian Prions: The “Correctly” Misfolded Prion Protein Conformers. Viruses 2022; 14:v14091940. [PMID: 36146746 PMCID: PMC9504972 DOI: 10.3390/v14091940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Generating a prion with exogenously produced recombinant prion protein is widely accepted as the ultimate proof of the prion hypothesis. Over the years, a plethora of misfolded recPrP conformers have been generated, but despite their seeding capability, many of them have failed to elicit a fatal neurodegenerative disorder in wild-type animals like a naturally occurring prion. The application of the protein misfolding cyclic amplification technique and the inclusion of non-protein cofactors in the reaction mixture have led to the generation of authentic recombinant prions that fully recapitulate the characteristics of native prions. Together, these studies reveal that recPrP can stably exist in a variety of misfolded conformations and when inoculated into wild-type animals, misfolded recPrP conformers cause a wide range of outcomes, from being completely innocuous to lethal. Since all these recPrP conformers possess seeding capabilities, these results clearly suggest that seeding activity alone is not equivalent to prion activity. Instead, authentic prions are those PrP conformers that are not only heritable (the ability to seed the conversion of normal PrP) but also pathogenic (the ability to cause fatal neurodegeneration). The knowledge gained from the studies of the recombinant prion is important for us to understand the pathogenesis of prion disease and the roles of misfolded proteins in other neurodegenerative disorders.
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5
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Schaefer A, Naser D, Siebeneichler B, Tarasca MV, Meiering EM. Methodological advances and strategies for high resolution structure determination of cellular protein aggregates. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102197. [PMID: 35760099 PMCID: PMC9396402 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of proteins is at the nexus of molecular processes crucial to aging, disease, and employing proteins for biotechnology and medical applications. There has been much recent progress in determining the structural features of protein aggregates that form in cells; yet, owing to prevalent heterogeneity in aggregation, many aspects remain obscure and often experimentally intractable to define. Here we review recent results of structural studies for cell-derived aggregates of normally globular proteins, with a focus on high resolution methods for their analysis and prediction. Complementary results obtained by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and microspectroscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, and amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange measured by NMR and mass spectrometry (MS), applied to bacterial inclusion bodies and disease inclusions, are uncovering novel information on in-cell aggregation patterns as well as great diversity in the structural features of useful and aberrant protein aggregates. Using these advances as a guide, this review aims to advise the reader on which combination of approaches may be the most appropriate to apply to their unique system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schaefer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo Waterloo ON Canada
| | - Dalia Naser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo Waterloo ON Canada
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6
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Artikis E, Kraus A, Caughey B. Structural biology of ex vivo mammalian prions. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102181. [PMID: 35752366 PMCID: PMC9293645 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The structures of prion protein (PrP)–based mammalian prions have long been elusive. However, cryo-EM has begun to reveal the near-atomic resolution structures of fully infectious ex vivo mammalian prion fibrils as well as relatively innocuous synthetic PrP amyloids. Comparisons of these various types of PrP fibrils are now providing initial clues to structural features that correlate with pathogenicity. As first indicated by electron paramagnetic resonance and solid-state NMR studies of synthetic amyloids, all sufficiently resolved PrP fibrils of any sort (n > 10) have parallel in-register intermolecular β-stack architectures. Cryo-EM has shown that infectious brain-derived prion fibrils of the rodent-adapted 263K and RML scrapie strains have much larger ordered cores than the synthetic fibrils. These bona fide prion strains share major structural motifs, but the conformational details and the overall shape of the fibril cross sections differ markedly. Such motif variations, as well as differences in sequence within the ordered polypeptide cores, likely contribute to strain-dependent templating. When present, N-linked glycans and glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors project outward from the fibril surface. For the mouse RML strain, these posttranslational modifications have little effect on the core structure. In the GPI-anchored prion structures, a linear array of GPI anchors along the twisting fibril axis appears likely to bind membranes in vivo, and as such, may account for pathognomonic membrane distortions seen in prion diseases. In this review, we focus on these infectious prion structures and their implications regarding prion replication mechanisms, strains, transmission barriers, and molecular pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efrosini Artikis
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
| | - Allison Kraus
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA.
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7
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Kim C, Haldiman T, Kang SG, Hromadkova L, Han ZZ, Chen W, Lissemore F, Lerner A, de Silva R, Cohen ML, Westaway D, Safar JG. Distinct populations of highly potent TAU seed conformers in rapidly progressing Alzheimer's disease. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabg0253. [PMID: 34985969 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abg0253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Chae Kim
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sang-Gyun Kang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Lenka Hromadkova
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Zhuang Zhuang Han
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Frances Lissemore
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Alan Lerner
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Mark L Cohen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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8
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Miyagi M, Tanaka K, Watanabe S, Kondo J, Kishimoto T. Identifying Protein-Drug Interactions in Cell Lysates Using Histidine Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange. Anal Chem 2021; 93:14985-14995. [PMID: 34735131 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c02283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Identifying the targets of a drug is critical to understand the mechanism of action and predicts possible side effects. The conventional approach is capturing interacting proteins by affinity purification. However, it requires drugs to be immobilized to a solid support or derivatized with chemical moieties used for pulling down interacting proteins. Such covalent modifications to drugs may mask a critical recognition site for or alter the binding affinity to their targets. To overcome the drawback, several methods that do not require covalent modifications to drugs have been developed. These methods identify targets by detecting proteins whose thermodynamic stability is enhanced in the presence of drugs. Although the utility of these methods has been demonstrated, the difficulty in identifying low abundant targets is the common problem of these methods. We have developed a new target identification method that increases the likelihood of identifying low abundant targets. The method uses histidine-hydrogen deuterium exchange (His-HDX) as a readout technique to probe the changes in protein stability induced by drugs. The workflow involves incubating cell lysates in various concentrations of a protein denaturant in the presence and absence of a drug in D2O followed by digestion of the proteins, enrichment of His-containing peptides, and analysis of the enriched His-peptides by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The developed method was successfully applied to identify the interaction between endogenously expressed MAPK14 and its inhibitor in HEK293 cell lysates. The implementation of selective enrichment of histidine-containing peptides in the workflow was a key that enabled identifying the MAPK14-inhibitor interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Miyagi
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Kohei Tanaka
- Sohyaku Innovative Research Division, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Yokohama, Kanagawa 227-0033, Japan
| | - Shinko Watanabe
- Sohyaku Innovative Research Division, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Yokohama, Kanagawa 227-0033, Japan
| | - Jun Kondo
- Sohyaku Innovative Research Division, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Yokohama, Kanagawa 227-0033, Japan
| | - Taro Kishimoto
- Sohyaku Innovative Research Division, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Yokohama, Kanagawa 227-0033, Japan
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9
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Siddiqi MK, Kim C, Haldiman T, Kacirova M, Wang B, Bohon J, Chance MR, Kiselar J, Safar JG. Structurally distinct external solvent-exposed domains drive replication of major human prions. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009642. [PMID: 34138981 PMCID: PMC8211289 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a limited understanding of structural attributes that encode the iatrogenic transmissibility and various phenotypes of prions causing the most common human prion disease, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Here we report the detailed structural differences between major sCJD MM1, MM2, and VV2 prions determined with two complementary synchrotron hydroxyl radical footprinting techniques—mass spectrometry (MS) and conformation dependent immunoassay (CDI) with a panel of Europium-labeled antibodies. Both approaches clearly demonstrate that the phenotypically distant prions differ in a major way with regard to their structural organization, and synchrotron-generated hydroxyl radicals progressively inhibit their seeding potency in a strain and structure-specific manner. Moreover, the seeding rate of sCJD prions is primarily determined by strain-specific structural organization of solvent-exposed external domains of human prion particles that control the seeding activity. Structural characteristics of human prion strains suggest that subtle changes in the organization of surface domains play a critical role as a determinant of human prion infectivity, propagation rate, and targeting of specific brain structures. Sporadic human prion diseases are conceivably the most heterogenous neurodegenerative disorders and a growing body of research indicates that they are caused by distinct strains of prions. By parallel monitoring their replication potency and progressive hydroxyl radical modification of amino acid side chains during synchrotron irradiation, we identified major differences in the structural organization that correlate with distinct inactivation susceptibility of a given human prion strain. Furthermore, our data demonstrated, for the first time, that seeding activity of different strains of infectious brain-derived human prions is primarily function of distinct solvent-exposed structural domains, and implicate them in the initial binding of cellular isoform of prion protein (PrPC) as a critical step in human prion replication and infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chae Kim
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Miroslava Kacirova
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Benlian Wang
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case Center for Synchrotron Biosciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, United States of America
| | - Jen Bohon
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case Center for Synchrotron Biosciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, United States of America
| | - Mark R Chance
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case Center for Synchrotron Biosciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, United States of America
| | - Janna Kiselar
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case Center for Synchrotron Biosciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, United States of America
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.,Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
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10
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Tadi S, Misra SK, Sharp JS. Inline Liquid Chromatography-Fast Photochemical Oxidation of Proteins for Targeted Structural Analysis of Conformationally Heterogeneous Mixtures. Anal Chem 2021; 93:3510-3516. [PMID: 33560821 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Structural analysis of proteins in a conformationally heterogeneous mixture has long been a difficult problem in structural biology. In structural analysis by covalent labeling mass spectrometry, conformational heterogeneity results in data reflecting a weighted average of all conformers, complicating data analysis and potentially causing misinterpretation of results. Here, we describe a method coupling size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) with hydroxyl radical protein footprinting using inline fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP). Using a controlled synthetic mixture of holomyoglobin and apomyoglobin, we validate that we can achieve accurate footprints of each conformer using LC-FPOP when compared to offline FPOP of each pure conformer. We then applied LC-FPOP to analyze the adalimumab heat-shock aggregation process. We found that the LC-FPOP footprint of unaggregated adalimumab was consistent with a previously published footprint of the native IgG. The LC-FPOP footprint of the aggregation product indicated that heat-shock aggregation primarily protected the hinge region, suggesting that this region is involved with the heat-shock aggregation process of this molecule. LC-FPOP offers a new method to probe dynamic conformationally heterogeneous mixtures that can be separated by SEC such as biopharmaceutical aggregates and to obtain accurate information on the topography of each conformer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joshua S Sharp
- GenNext Technologies, Inc., Half Moon Bay, California 94037, United States
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11
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Overduin M, Wille H, Westaway D. Multisite interactions of prions with membranes and native nanodiscs. Chem Phys Lipids 2021; 236:105063. [PMID: 33600804 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2021.105063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Although prions are known as protein-only infectious particles, they exhibit lipid specificities, cofactor dependencies and membrane-dependent activities. Such membrane interactions play key roles in how prions are processed, presented and regulated, and hence have significant functional consequences. The expansive literature related to prion protein interactions with lipids and native nanodiscs is discussed, and provides a unique opportunity to re-evaluate the molecular composition and mechanisms of its infectious and cellular states. A family of crystal and solution structures of prions are analyzed here for the first time using the membrane optimal docking area (MODA) program, revealling the presence of structured binding elements that could mediate specific lipid recognition. A set of motifs centerred around W99, L125, Y169 and Y226 are consistently predicted as being membrane interactive and form an exposed surface which includes α helical, β strand and loop elements involving the prion protein (PrP) structural domain, while the scrapie form is radically different and doubles the size of the membrane interactive site into an extensible surface. These motifs are highly conserved throughout mammalian evolution, suggesting that prions have long been intrinsically attached to membranes at central and N- and C-terminal points, providing several opportunities for stable and specific bilayer interactions as well as multiple complexed orientations. Resistance or susceptibility to prion disease correlates with increased or decreased membrane binding propensity by mutant forms, respectively, indicating a protective role by lipids. The various prion states found in vivo are increasingly resolvable using native nanodiscs formed by styrene maleic acid (SMA) and stilbene maleic acid (STMA) copolymers rather than classical detergents, allowing the endogenous states to be tackled. These copolymers spontaneously fragment intact membranes into water-soluble discs holding a section of native bilayer, and can accommodate prion multimers and mini-fibrils. Such nanodiscs have also proven useful for understanding how β amyloid and α synuclein proteins contribute to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, providing further biomedical applications. Structural and functional insights of such proteins in styrene maleic acid lipid particles (SMALPs) can be resolved at high resolution by methods including cryo-electron microscopy (cEM), motivating continued progress in polymer design to resolve biological and pathological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Overduin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Holger Wille
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - David Westaway
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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12
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Noor A, Zafar S, Zerr I. Neurodegenerative Proteinopathies in the Proteoform Spectrum-Tools and Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:1085. [PMID: 33499319 PMCID: PMC7865347 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031085] [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: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteinopathy refers to a group of disorders defined by depositions of amyloids within living tissue. Neurodegenerative proteinopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and others, constitute a large fraction of these disorders. Amyloids are highly insoluble, ordered, stable, beta-sheet rich proteins. The emerging theory about the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative proteinopathies suggests that the primary amyloid-forming proteins, also known as the prion-like proteins, may exist as multiple proteoforms that contribute differentially towards the disease prognosis. It is therefore necessary to resolve these disorders on the level of proteoforms rather than the proteome. The transient and hydrophobic nature of amyloid-forming proteins and the minor post-translational alterations that lead to the formation of proteoforms require the use of highly sensitive and specialized techniques. Several conventional techniques, like gel electrophoresis and conventional mass spectrometry, have been modified to accommodate the proteoform theory and prion-like proteins. Several new ones, like imaging mass spectrometry, have also emerged. This review aims to discuss the proteoform theory of neurodegenerative disorders along with the utility of these proteomic techniques for the study of highly insoluble proteins and their associated proteoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneeqa Noor
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (A.N.); (I.Z.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Saima Zafar
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (A.N.); (I.Z.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Department, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, H-12, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (A.N.); (I.Z.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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13
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Pan C, Yang J, Zhang X, Chen Y, Wei S, Yu G, Pan YH, Ma J, Yuan C. Oral Ingestion of Synthetically Generated Recombinant Prion Is Sufficient to Cause Prion Disease in Wild-Type Mice. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9080653. [PMID: 32823763 PMCID: PMC7459977 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9080653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion disease is a group of transmissible neurodegenerative disorders affecting humans and animals. The prion hypothesis postulates that PrPSc, the pathogenic conformer of host-encoded prion protein (PrP), is the unconventional proteinaceous infectious agent called prion. Supporting this hypothesis, highly infectious prion has been generated in vitro with recombinant PrP plus defined non-protein cofactors and the synthetically generated prion (recPrPSc) is capable of causing prion disease in wild-type mice through intracerebral (i.c.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation. Given that many of the naturally occurring prion diseases are acquired through oral route, demonstrating the capability of recPrPSc to cause prion disease via oral transmission is important, but has never been proven. Here we showed for the first time that oral ingestion of recPrPSc is sufficient to cause prion disease in wild-type mice, which was supported by the development of fatal neurodegeneration in exposed mice, biochemical and histopathological analyses of diseased brains, and second round transmission. Our results demonstrate the oral transmissibility of recPrPSc and provide the missing evidence to support that the in vitro generated recPrPSc recapitulates all the important properties of naturally occurring prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenhua Pan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; (C.P.); (J.Y.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.-H.P.)
| | - Junwei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; (C.P.); (J.Y.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.-H.P.)
| | - Xiangyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; (C.P.); (J.Y.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.-H.P.)
| | - Ying Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; (C.P.); (J.Y.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.-H.P.)
| | - Shunxiong Wei
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; (C.P.); (J.Y.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.-H.P.)
| | - Guohua Yu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for the Prevention and Control of Animal Infectious Diseases and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Longyan University, Longyan 364012, China;
| | - Yi-Hsuan Pan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; (C.P.); (J.Y.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.-H.P.)
| | - Jiyan Ma
- Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
- Correspondence: (J.M.); (C.Y.)
| | - Chonggang Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; (C.P.); (J.Y.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (Y.-H.P.)
- Correspondence: (J.M.); (C.Y.)
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14
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Daude N, Kim C, Kang SG, Eskandari-Sedighi G, Haldiman T, Yang J, Fleck SC, Gomez-Cardona E, Han ZZ, Borrego-Ecija S, Wohlgemuth S, Julien O, Wille H, Molina-Porcel L, Gelpi E, Safar JG, Westaway D. Diverse, evolving conformer populations drive distinct phenotypes in frontotemporal lobar degeneration caused by the same MAPT-P301L mutation. Acta Neuropathol 2020; 139:1045-1070. [PMID: 32219515 PMCID: PMC7244472 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02148-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Tau protein accumulation is a common denominator of major dementias, but this process is inhomogeneous, even when triggered by the same germline mutation. We considered stochastic misfolding of human tau conformers followed by templated conversion of native monomers as an underlying mechanism and derived sensitive conformational assays to test this concept. Assessments of brains from aged TgTauP301L transgenic mice revealed a prodromal state and three distinct signatures for misfolded tau. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-MAPT-P301L patients with different clinical phenotypes also displayed three signatures, two resembling those found in TgTauP301L mice. As physicochemical and cell bioassays confirmed diverse tau strains in the mouse and human brain series, we conclude that evolution of diverse tau conformers is intrinsic to the pathogenesis of this uni-allelic form of tauopathy. In turn, effective therapeutic interventions in FTLD will need to address evolving repertoires of misfolded tau species rather than singular, static molecular targets.
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15
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Glynn C, Sawaya MR, Ge P, Gallagher-Jones M, Short CW, Bowman R, Apostol M, Zhou ZH, Eisenberg DS, Rodriguez JA. Cryo-EM structure of a human prion fibril with a hydrophobic, protease-resistant core. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2020; 27:417-423. [PMID: 32284600 PMCID: PMC7338044 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-020-0403-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Self-templating assemblies of the human prion protein are clinically associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Here we present the cryo-EM structure of a denaturant- and protease-resistant fibril formed in vitro spontaneously by a 9.7-kDa unglycosylated fragment of the human prion protein. This human prion fibril contains two protofilaments intertwined with screw symmetry and linked by a tightly packed hydrophobic interface. Each protofilament consists of an extended beta arch formed by residues 106 to 145 of the prion protein, a hydrophobic and highly fibrillogenic disease-associated segment. Such structures of prion polymorphs serve as blueprints on which to evaluate the potential impact of sequence variants on prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calina Glynn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael R Sawaya
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peng Ge
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marcus Gallagher-Jones
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Connor W Short
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ronquiajah Bowman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marcin Apostol
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- ADRx, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Z Hong Zhou
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David S Eisenberg
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jose A Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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16
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Duque Velásquez C, Kim C, Haldiman T, Kim C, Herbst A, Aiken J, Safar JG, McKenzie D. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion strains evolve via adaptive diversification of conformers in hosts expressing prion protein polymorphisms. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:4985-5001. [PMID: 32111742 PMCID: PMC7152757 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.012546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is caused by an unknown spectrum of prions and has become enzootic in populations of cervid species that express cellular prion protein (PrPC) molecules varying in amino acid composition. These PrPC polymorphisms can affect prion transmission, disease progression, neuropathology, and emergence of new prion strains, but the mechanistic steps in prion evolution are not understood. Here, using conformation-dependent immunoassay, conformation stability assay, and protein-misfolding cyclic amplification, we monitored the conformational and phenotypic characteristics of CWD prions passaged through deer and transgenic mice expressing different cervid PrPC polymorphisms. We observed that transmission through hosts with distinct PrPC sequences diversifies the PrPCWD conformations and causes a shift toward oligomers with defined structural organization, replication rate, and host range. When passaged in host environments that restrict prion replication, distinct co-existing PrPCWD conformers underwent competitive selection, stabilizing a new prion strain. Nonadaptive conformers exhibited unstable replication and accumulated only to low levels. These results suggest a continuously evolving diversity of CWD conformers and imply a critical interplay between CWD prion plasticity and PrPC polymorphisms during prion strain evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Duque Velásquez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Chae Kim
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Chiye Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Allen Herbst
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M8, Canada
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Judd Aiken
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M8, Canada
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M8, Canada
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17
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Ma Y, Ma J. Immunotherapy against Prion Disease. Pathogens 2020; 9:E216. [PMID: 32183309 PMCID: PMC7157205 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9030216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The term "prion disease" encompasses a group of neurodegenerative diseases affecting both humans and animals. Currently, there is no effective therapy and all forms of prion disease are invariably fatal. Because of (a) the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans; (b) the heated debate about the prion hypothesis; and (c) the availability of a natural prion disease in rodents, the understanding of the pathogenic process in prion disease is much more advanced compared to that of other neurodegenerative disorders, which inspired many attempts to develop therapeutic strategies against these fatal diseases. In this review, we focus on immunotherapy against prion disease. We explain our rationale for immunotherapy as a plausible therapeutic choice, review previous trials using either active or passive immunization, and discuss potential strategies for overcoming the hurdles in developing a successful immunotherapy. We propose that immunotherapy is a plausible and practical therapeutic strategy and advocate more studies in this area to develop effective measures to control and treat these devastating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiyan Ma
- Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Institute, 333 Bostwick Avenue N.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA;
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18
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Hackl S, Becker CFW. Prion protein-Semisynthetic prion protein (PrP) variants with posttranslational modifications. J Pept Sci 2019; 25:e3216. [PMID: 31713950 PMCID: PMC6899880 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the pathophysiologic events in prion diseases is challenging, and the role of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) such as glypidation and glycosylation remains elusive due to the lack of homogeneous protein preparations. So far, experimental studies have been limited in directly analyzing the earliest events of the conformational change of cellular prion protein (PrPC ) into scrapie prion protein (PrPSc ) that further propagates PrPC misfolding and aggregation at the cellular membrane, the initial site of prion infection, and PrP misfolding, by a lack of suitably modified PrP variants. PTMs of PrP, especially attachment of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor, have been shown to be crucially involved in the PrPSc formation. To this end, semisynthesis offers a unique possibility to understand PrP behavior invitro and invivo as it provides access to defined site-selectively modified PrP variants. This approach relies on the production and chemoselective linkage of peptide segments, amenable to chemical modifications, with recombinantly produced protein segments. In this article, advances in understanding PrP conversion using semisynthesis as a tool to obtain homogeneous posttranslationally modified PrP will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Hackl
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian F W Becker
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
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19
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Caughey B, Kraus A. Transmissibility versus Pathogenicity of Self-Propagating Protein Aggregates. Viruses 2019; 11:E1044. [PMID: 31717531 PMCID: PMC6893620 DOI: 10.3390/v11111044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The prion-like spreading and accumulation of specific protein aggregates appear to be central to the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Accumulating evidence indicates that inoculation of tissue extracts from diseased individuals into suitable experimental animals can in many cases induce the aggregation of the disease-associated protein, as well as related pathological lesions. These findings, together with the history of the prion field, have raised the questions about whether such disease-associated protein aggregates are transmissible between humans by casual or iatrogenic routes, and, if so, do they propagate enough in the new host to cause disease? These practical considerations are important because real, and perhaps even only imagined, risks of human-to-human transmission of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's may force costly changes in clinical practice that, in turn, are likely to have unintended consequences. The prion field has taught us that a single protein, PrP, can aggregate into forms that can propagate exponentially in vitro, but range from being innocuous to deadly when injected into experimental animals in ways that depend strongly on factors such as conformational subtleties, routes of inoculation, and host responses. In assessing the hazards posed by various disease-associated, self-propagating protein aggregates, it is imperative to consider both their actual transmissibilities and the pathological consequences of their propagation, if any, in recipient hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
| | - Allison Kraus
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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20
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Asuru A, Farquhar ER, Sullivan M, Abel D, Toomey J, Chance MR, Bohon J. The XFP (17-BM) beamline for X-ray footprinting at NSLS-II. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2019; 26:1388-1399. [PMID: 31274468 PMCID: PMC6613119 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577519003576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Hydroxyl-radical mediated synchrotron X-ray footprinting (XF) is a powerful solution-state technique in structural biology for the study of macromolecular structure and dynamics of proteins and nucleic acids, with several synchrotron resources available to serve the XF community worldwide. The XFP (Biological X-ray Footprinting) beamline at the NSLS-II was constructed on a three-pole wiggler source at 17-BM to serve as the premier beamline for performing this technique, providing an unparalleled combination of high flux density broadband beam, flexibility in beam morphology, and sample handling capabilities specifically designed for XF experiments. The details of beamline design, beam measurements, and science commissioning results for a standard protein using the two distinct XFP endstations are presented here. XFP took first light in 2016 and is now available for general user operations through peer-reviewed proposals. Currently, beam sizes from 450 µm × 120 µm to 2.7 mm × 2.7 mm (FWHM) are available, with a flux of 1.6 × 1016 photons s-1 (measured at 325 mA ring current) in a broadband (∼5-16 keV) beam. This flux is expected to rise to 2.5 × 1016 photons s-1 at the full NSLS-II design current of 500 mA, providing an incident power density of >500 W mm-2 at full focus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Awuri Asuru
- Center for Synchrotron Bioscience, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Systems Biology Graduate Program, Medical Scientist Training Program, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Erik R. Farquhar
- Center for Synchrotron Bioscience, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Michael Sullivan
- Center for Synchrotron Bioscience, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Donald Abel
- Center for Synchrotron Bioscience, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - John Toomey
- Center for Synchrotron Bioscience, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Mark R. Chance
- Center for Synchrotron Bioscience, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Jen Bohon
- Center for Synchrotron Bioscience, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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21
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Burke CM, Walsh DJ, Steele AD, Agrimi U, Di Bari MA, Watts JC, Supattapone S. Full restoration of specific infectivity and strain properties from pure mammalian prion protein. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007662. [PMID: 30908557 PMCID: PMC6448948 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein-only hypothesis predicts that infectious mammalian prions are composed solely of PrPSc, a misfolded conformer of the normal prion protein, PrPC. However, protein-only PrPSc preparations lack significant levels of prion infectivity, leading to the alternative hypothesis that cofactor molecules are required to form infectious prions. Here, we show that prions with parental strain properties and full specific infectivity can be restored from protein-only PrPSc in vitro. The restoration reaction is rapid, potent, and requires bank vole PrPC substrate, post-translational modifications, and cofactor molecules. To our knowledge, this represents the first report in which the essential properties of an infectious mammalian prion have been restored from pure PrP without adaptation. These findings provide evidence for a unified hypothesis of prion infectivity in which the global structure of protein-only PrPSc accurately stores latent infectious and strain information, but cofactor molecules control a reversible switch that unmasks biological infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra M. Burke
- Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Darthmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Daniel J. Walsh
- Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Darthmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Alexander D. Steele
- Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Darthmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Umberto Agrimi
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Angelo Di Bari
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Joel C. Watts
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Surachai Supattapone
- Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Darthmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
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22
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Baskakov IV, Caughey B, Requena JR, Sevillano AM, Surewicz WK, Wille H. The prion 2018 round tables (I): the structure of PrP Sc. Prion 2019; 13:46-52. [PMID: 30646817 PMCID: PMC6422368 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2019.1569450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the structure of PrPSc is without doubt a sine qua non to understand not only PrPSc propagation, but also critical features of that process such as the strain phenomenon and transmission barriers. While elucidation of the PrPSc structure has been full of difficulties, we now have a large amount of structural information that allows us to begin to understand it. This commentary article summarizes a round table that took place within the Prion 2018 meeting held in Santiago de Compostela to discuss the state of the art in this matter. Two alternative models of PrPSc exist: the PIRIBS and the 4-rung β-solenoid models. Both of them have relevant features. The 4-rung β-solenoid model agrees with experimental constraints of brain derived PrPSc obtained from cryo-EM and X-ray fiber diffraction studies. Furthermore, it allows facile accommodation of the bulky glycans that decorate brain-derived PrPSc. On the other hand, the infectious PrP23-144 amyloid exhibits a PIRIBS architecture. Perhaps, both types of structure co-exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Jesús R. Requena
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Alejandro M. Sevillano
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Witold K. Surewicz
- Departments of Pathology, and of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Holger Wille
- Department of Biochemistry and Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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