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Di Lorenzo D. Tau Protein and Tauopathies: Exploring Tau Protein-Protein and Microtubule Interactions, Cross-Interactions and Therapeutic Strategies. ChemMedChem 2024; 19:e202400180. [PMID: 39031682 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202400180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Tau, a microtubule-associated protein (MAP), is essential to maintaining neuronal stability and function in the healthy brain. However, aberrant modifications and pathological aggregations of Tau are implicated in various neurodegenerative disorders, collectively known as tauopathies. The most common Tauopathy is Alzheimer's Disease (AD) counting nowadays more than 60 million patients worldwide. This comprehensive review delves into the multifaceted realm of Tau protein, puzzling out its intricate involvement in both physiological and pathological roles. Emphasis is put on Tau Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs), depicting its interaction with tubulin, microtubules and its cross-interaction with other proteins such as Aβ1-42, α-synuclein, and the chaperone machinery. In the realm of therapeutic strategies, an overview of diverse possibilities is presented with their relative clinical progresses. The focus is mostly addressed to Tau protein aggregation inhibitors including recent small molecules, short peptides and peptidomimetics with specific focus on compounds that showed a double anti aggregative activity on both Tau protein and Aβ amyloid peptide. This review amalgamates current knowledge on Tau protein and evolving therapeutic strategies, providing a comprehensive resource for researchers seeking to deepen their understanding of the Tau protein and for scientists involved in the development of new peptide-based anti-aggregative Tau compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Di Lorenzo
- Department of Chemistry, Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany
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2
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Parra Bravo C, Naguib SA, Gan L. Cellular and pathological functions of tau. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024; 25:845-864. [PMID: 39014245 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-024-00753-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Tau protein is involved in various cellular processes, including having a canonical role in binding and stabilization of microtubules in neurons. Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases marked by the abnormal accumulation of tau protein aggregates in neurons, as seen, for example, in conditions such as frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer disease. Mutations in tau coding regions or that disrupt tau mRNA splicing, tau post-translational modifications and cellular stress factors (such as oxidative stress and inflammation) increase the tendency of tau to aggregate and interfere with its clearance. Pathological tau is strongly implicated in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, and the propagation of tau aggregates is associated with disease severity. Recent technological advancements, including cryo-electron microscopy and disease models derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, have increased our understanding of tau-related pathology in neurodegenerative conditions. Substantial progress has been made in deciphering tau aggregate structures and the molecular mechanisms that underlie protein aggregation and toxicity. In this Review, we discuss recent insights into the diverse cellular functions of tau and the pathology of tau inclusions and explore the potential for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Parra Bravo
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah A Naguib
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Li Gan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA.
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Acosta K, Brue CR, Kim HJ, Holubovska P, Mayne L, Murakami K, Rhoades E. Structural Insights into the Role of the Proline Rich Region in Tau Function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.20.614010. [PMID: 39386529 PMCID: PMC11463496 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.20.614010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2024]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that plays an important role in modulating axonal microtubules in neurons. Intracellular tau aggregates are found in a broad class of disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, termed tauopathies. Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein, and its structural disorder appears to be critical to its microtubule-related functions. Tubulin binding sites are found in tau's proline-rich region (PRR), microtubule binding repeats (MTBR: R1-R4), and pseudo-repeat, R'. While many post-translational modifications have been identified on tau, phosphorylation sites, which both regulate tubulin dimer and microtubule interactions and are correlated with disease, cluster with high frequency within the PRR. Here, we use fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and structural mass spectrometry techniques to characterize the impact of phosphomimic mutations in the PRR on tubulin dimer binding and probe the structure of the PRR-tubulin dimer complex. We find that phosphomimics cumulatively diminish tubulin dimer binding and slow microtubule polymerization. Additionally, we map two ∼15 residue regions of the PRR as primary tubulin dimer binding sites and propose a model in which PRR enhances lateral interactions between tubulin dimers, complementing the longitudinal interactions observed for MTBR. Together these measurements provide insight into the previously overlooked relevance of tau's PRR in functional interactions with tubulin. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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Höhler M, Alcázar-Román AR, Schenk K, Aguirre-Huamani MP, Braun C, Zrieq R, Mölleken K, Hegemann JH, Fleig U. Direct targeting of host microtubule and actin cytoskeletons by a chlamydial pathogenic effector protein. J Cell Sci 2024; 137:jcs263450. [PMID: 39099397 PMCID: PMC11444262 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.263450] [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: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
To propagate within a eukaryotic cell, pathogenic bacteria hijack and remodulate host cell functions. The Gram-negative obligate intracellular Chlamydiaceae, which pose a serious threat to human and animal health, attach to host cells and inject effector proteins that reprogram host cell machineries. Members of the conserved chlamydial TarP family have been characterized as major early effectors that bind to and remodel the host actin cytoskeleton. We now describe a new function for the Chlamydia pneumoniae TarP member CPn0572, namely the ability to bind and alter the microtubule cytoskeleton. Thus, CPn0572 is unique in being the only prokaryotic protein that directly modulates both dynamic cytoskeletons of a eukaryotic cell. Ectopically expressed GFP-CPn0572 associates in a dose-independent manner with either cytoskeleton singly or simultaneously. In vitro, CPn0572 binds directly to microtubules. Expression of a microtubule-only CPn0572 variant resulted in the formation of an aberrantly thick, stabilized microtubule network. Intriguingly, during infection, secreted CPn0572 also colocalized with altered microtubules, suggesting that this protein also affects microtubule dynamics during infection. Our analysis points to a crosstalk between actin and microtubule cytoskeletons via chlamydial CPn0572.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Höhler
- Eukaryotic Microbiology, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Katharina Schenk
- Eukaryotic Microbiology, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Corinna Braun
- Institute of Functional Microbial Genomics, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rafat Zrieq
- Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha'il, Ha'il City 2440, Saudi Arabia
- Applied Science Research Centre, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan
| | - Katja Mölleken
- Institute of Functional Microbial Genomics, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Johannes H Hegemann
- Institute of Functional Microbial Genomics, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ursula Fleig
- Eukaryotic Microbiology, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Yu K, Yao KR, Aguinaga MA, Choquette JM, Liu C, Wang Y, Liao D. G272V and P301L Mutations Induce Isoform Specific Tau Mislocalization to Dendritic Spines and Synaptic Dysfunctions in Cellular Models of 3R and 4R Tau Frontotemporal Dementia. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1215232024. [PMID: 38858079 PMCID: PMC11236579 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1215-23.2024] [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: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau pathologies are detected in the brains of some of the most common neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Tau proteins are expressed in six isoforms with either three or four microtubule-binding repeats (3R tau or 4R tau) due to alternative RNA splicing. AD, LBD, and CTE brains contain pathological deposits of both 3R and 4R tau. FTD patients can exhibit either 4R tau pathologies in most cases or 3R tau pathologies less commonly in Pick's disease, which is a subfamily of FTD. Here, we report the isoform-specific roles of tau in FTD. The P301L mutation, linked to familial 4R tau FTD, induces mislocalization of 4R tau to dendritic spines in primary hippocampal cultures that were prepared from neonatal rat pups of both sexes. Contrastingly, the G272V mutation, linked to familial Pick's disease, induces phosphorylation-dependent mislocalization of 3R tau but not 4R tau proteins to dendritic spines. The overexpression of G272V 3R tau but not 4R tau proteins leads to the reduction of dendritic spine density and suppression of mEPSCs in 5-week-old primary rat hippocampal cultures. The decrease in mEPSC amplitude caused by G272V 3R tau is dynamin-dependent whereas that caused by P301L 4R tau is dynamin-independent, indicating that the two tau isoforms activate different signaling pathways responsible for excitatory synaptic dysfunction. Our 3R and 4R tau studies here will shed new light on diverse mechanisms underlying FTD, AD, LBD, and CTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Yu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
- Department of General Practice, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu 610083, China
| | - Katherine R Yao
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Miguel A Aguinaga
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Jessica M Choquette
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Chengliang Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Yuxin Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Dezhi Liao
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
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Paul S, Biswas P. Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of the Self-Assembly of Tau-Derived PHF6 and Its Inhibition by Oleuropein Aglycone from Extra Virgin Olive Oil. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:5630-5641. [PMID: 38814052 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c02393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other taupathies are neurodegenerative disorders associated with the amyloid deposition of the Tau protein in the brain. This amyloid formation may be inhibited by small molecules, which is recognized as one of the best therapeutic strategies to stop the progression of the disease. This work focuses on the small nucleating segment, hexapeptide-paired helical filament 6 (PHF6), responsible for Tau aggregation. Using computational modeling and classical molecular dynamics simulations, we show that PHF6 monomers collapse in water to form β-sheet rich structures, and the main olive oil polyphenol oleuropein aglycone (OleA) prevents peptide aggregation significantly. We gradually increase the ratio of the PHF6-OleA from 1:1 to 1:3 and find that for the 1:1 ratio, the peptide monomers are prone to form aggregated structures, while for the 1:2 ratio, the formation of the extended β-sheet structure is significantly less. For a 1:3 ratio of protein/OleA, the peptide residues are sufficiently crowded by OleA molecules through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and π-π stacking; hence, the peptide chains prefer to exist in a monomeric random coil conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srijita Paul
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
| | - Parbati Biswas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
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Martinho M, Allegro D, Etienne E, Lohberger C, Bonucci A, Belle V, Barbier P. Structural Flexibility of Tau in Its Interaction with Microtubules as Viewed by Site-Directed Spin Labeling EPR Spectroscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:55-75. [PMID: 38512660 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_3] [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: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that belongs to the Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) family. IDPs or Intrinsically Disordered Regions (IDRs) play key roles in protein interaction networks and their dysfunctions are often related to severe diseases. Defined by their lack of stable secondary and tertiary structures in physiological conditions while being functional, these proteins use their inherent structural flexibility to adapt to and interact with various binding partners. Knowledges on the structural dynamics of IDPs and their different conformers are crucial to finely decipher fundamental biological processes controlled by mechanisms such as conformational adaptations or switches, induced fit, or conformational selection events. Different mechanisms of binding have been proposed: among them, the so-called folding-upon-binding in which the IDP adopts a certain conformation upon interacting with a partner protein, or the formation of a "fuzzy" complex in which the IDP partly keeps its dynamical character at the surface of its partner. The dynamical nature and physicochemical properties of unbound as well as bound IDPs make this class of proteins particularly difficult to characterize by classical bio-structural techniques and require specific approaches for the fine description of their inherent dynamics.Among other techniques, Site-Directed Spin Labeling combined with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (SDSL-EPR) spectroscopy has gained much interest in this last decade for the study of IDPs. SDSL-EPR consists in grafting a paramagnetic label (mainly a nitroxide radical) at selected site(s) of the macromolecule under interest followed by its observation using and/or combining different EPR strategies. These nitroxide spin labels detected by continuous wave (cw) EPR spectroscopy are used as perfect reporters or "spy spins" of their local environment, being able to reveal structural transitions, folding/unfolding events, etc. Another approach is based on the measurement of inter-label distance distributions in the 1.5-8.0 nm range using pulsed dipolar EPR experiments, such as Double Electron-Electron Resonance (DEER) spectroscopy. The technique is then particularly well suited to study the behavior of Tau in its interaction with its physiological partner: microtubules (MTs). In this chapter we provide a detailed experimental protocol for the labeling of Tau protein and its EPR study while interacting with preformed (Paclitaxel-stabilized) MTs, or using Tau as MT inducer. We show how the choice of nitroxide label can be crucial to obtain functional information on Tau/tubulin complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diane Allegro
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, Marseille, France
| | | | - Cynthia Lohberger
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Pascale Barbier
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, Marseille, France.
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Nogales E, Kellogg E. Structure challenges in the multivalency of Tau-microtubule interactions. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2024; 81:53-56. [PMID: 37702417 PMCID: PMC10873104 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Structural studies aiming to visualize the interaction of Tau with microtubules (MTs) face several challenges, the main concerning the fact that Tau has multiple MT-interacting regions. In particular, the four (or three) pseudo-repeats of Tau bind to identical elements along the MT lattice but do it through non-identical residues. In addition, any given Tau molecule can use all its repeats or just one for its engagement with MTs. Finally, the binding of one Tau is not necessarily in register with respect to the next one. The mismatch in the MT and Tau repeats, therefore, challenges conventional modes of image analysis when visualizing these samples using cryo-electron microscopy. This commentary is dedicated to those challenges and ways to circumvent them while aiming for an atomic description of the Tau-tubulin interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Nogales
- Molecular and Cell Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrative Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Kellogg
- Structural Biology Department, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
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Kalyaanamoorthy S, Opare SK, Xu X, Ganesan A, Rao PPN. Post-Translational Modifications in Tau and Their Roles in Alzheimer's Pathology. Curr Alzheimer Res 2024; 21:24-49. [PMID: 38623984 DOI: 10.2174/0115672050301407240408033046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau (also known as tau) has been shown to accumulate into paired helical filaments and neurofibrillary tangles, which are known hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Decades of research have shown that tau protein undergoes extensive post-translational modifications (PTMs), which can alter the protein's structure, function, and dynamics and impact the various properties such as solubility, aggregation, localization, and homeostasis. There is a vast amount of information describing the impact and role of different PTMs in AD pathology and neuroprotection. However, the complex interplay between these PTMs remains elusive. Therefore, in this review, we aim to comprehend the key post-translational modifications occurring in tau and summarize potential connections to clarify their impact on the physiology and pathophysiology of tau. Further, we describe how different computational modeling methods have helped in understanding the impact of PTMs on the structure and functions of the tau protein. Finally, we highlight the tau PTM-related therapeutics strategies that are explored for the development of AD therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stanley Kojo Opare
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xiaoxiao Xu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aravindhan Ganesan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Praveen P N Rao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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He C, Gu J, Wang D, Wang K, Wang Y, You Q, Wang L. Small molecules targeting molecular chaperones for tau regulation: Achievements and challenges. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 261:115859. [PMID: 37839344 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Abnormal post-translational modification of microtubule-associated protein Tau (MAPT) is a prominent pathological feature in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous research has focused on designing small molecules to target Tau modification, aiming to restore microtubule stability and regulate Tau levels in vivo. However, progress has been hindered, and no effective Tau-targeted drugs have been successfully marketed, which urgently requires more strategies. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), especially Hsp90 and Hsp70, have been found to play a crucial role in Tau maturation and degradation. This review explores innovative approaches using small molecules that interact with the chaperone system to regulate Tau levels. We provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms involving HSPs and their co-chaperones in the Tau regulation cycle. Additionally, we analyze small molecules targeting these chaperone systems to modulate Tau function. By understanding the characteristics of the molecular chaperone system and its specific impact on Tau, we aim to provide a perspective that seeks to regulate Tau levels through the manipulation of the molecular chaperone system and ultimately develop effective treatments for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxi He
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Jinying Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Danni Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Keran Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Yuxuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Qidong You
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
| | - Lei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
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Bhargava S, Kulkarni R, Dewangan B, Kulkarni N, Jiaswar C, Kumar K, Kumar A, Bodhe PR, Kumar H, Sahu B. Microtubule stabilising peptides: new paradigm towards management of neuronal disorders. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:2192-2205. [PMID: 37974959 PMCID: PMC10650357 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00012e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal cells made of soma, axon, and dendrites are highly compartmentalized and possess a specialized transport system that can convey long-distance electrical signals for the cross-talk. The transport system is made up of microtubule (MT) polymers and MT-binding proteins. MTs play vital and diverse roles in various cellular processes. Therefore, defects and dysregulation of MTs and their binding proteins lead to many neurological disorders as exemplified by Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and many others. MT-stabilising agents (MSAs) altering the MT-associated protein connections have shown great potential for several neurodegenerative disorders. Peptides are an important class of molecules with high specificity, biocompatibility and are devoid of side effects. In the past, peptides have been explored in various neuronal disorders as therapeutics. Davunetide, a MT-stabilising octapeptide, has entered into phase II clinical trials for schizophrenia. Numerous examples of peptides emerging as MSAs reflect the emergence of a new paradigm for peptides which can be explored further as drug candidates for neuronal disorders. Although small molecule-based MSAs have been reviewed in the past, there is no systematic review in recent years focusing on peptides as MSAs apart from davunetide in 2013. Therefore, a systematic updated review on MT stabilising peptides may shed light on many hidden aspects and enable researchers to develop new therapies for diseases related to the CNS. In this review we have summarised the recent examples of peptides as MSAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubhangi Bhargava
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Riya Kulkarni
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Bhaskar Dewangan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Neeraj Kulkarni
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Chirag Jiaswar
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Kunal Kumar
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Amit Kumar
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Praveen Reddy Bodhe
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Hemant Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
| | - Bichismita Sahu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad India
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12
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Ortmann S, Marx J, Lampe C, Handrick V, Ehnert TM, Zinecker S, Reimers M, Bonas U, Erickson JL. A conserved microtubule-binding region in Xanthomonas XopL is indispensable for induced plant cell death reactions. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011263. [PMID: 37578981 PMCID: PMC10449215 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic Xanthomonas bacteria cause disease on more than 400 plant species. These Gram-negative bacteria utilize the type III secretion system to inject type III effector proteins (T3Es) directly into the plant cell cytosol where they can manipulate plant pathways to promote virulence. The host range of a given Xanthomonas species is limited, and T3E repertoires are specialized during interactions with specific plant species. Some effectors, however, are retained across most strains, such as Xanthomonas Outer Protein L (XopL). As an 'ancestral' effector, XopL contributes to the virulence of multiple xanthomonads, infecting diverse plant species. XopL homologs harbor a combination of a leucine-rich-repeat (LRR) domain and an XL-box which has E3 ligase activity. Despite similar domain structure there is evidence to suggest that XopL function has diverged, exemplified by the finding that XopLs expressed in plants often display bacterial species-dependent differences in their sub-cellular localization and plant cell death reactions. We found that XopL from X. euvesicatoria (XopLXe) directly associates with plant microtubules (MTs) and causes strong cell death in agroinfection assays in N. benthamiana. Localization of XopLXe homologs from three additional Xanthomonas species, of diverse infection strategy and plant host, revealed that the distantly related X. campestris pv. campestris harbors a XopL (XopLXcc) that fails to localize to MTs and to cause plant cell death. Comparative sequence analyses of MT-binding XopLs and XopLXcc identified a proline-rich-region (PRR)/α-helical region important for MT localization. Functional analyses of XopLXe truncations and amino acid exchanges within the PRR suggest that MT-localized XopL activity is required for plant cell death reactions. This study exemplifies how the study of a T3E within the context of a genus rather than a single species can shed light on how effector localization is linked to biochemical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Ortmann
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry of Plant Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry, Halle, Germany
| | - Jolina Marx
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Christina Lampe
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Vinzenz Handrick
- Department of Biochemistry of Plant Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry, Halle, Germany
| | - Tim-Martin Ehnert
- Department of Biochemistry of Plant Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry, Halle, Germany
| | - Sarah Zinecker
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Matthias Reimers
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Ulla Bonas
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Jessica Lee Erickson
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry of Plant Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry, Halle, Germany
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13
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Cario A, Berger CL. Tau, microtubule dynamics, and axonal transport: New paradigms for neurodegenerative disease. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2200138. [PMID: 37489532 PMCID: PMC10630968 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
The etiology of Tauopathies, a diverse class of neurodegenerative diseases associated with the Microtubule Associated Protein (MAP) Tau, is usually described by a common mechanism in which Tau dysfunction results in the loss of axonal microtubule stability. Here, we reexamine and build upon the canonical disease model to encompass other Tau functions. In addition to regulating microtubule dynamics, Tau acts as a modulator of motor proteins, a signaling hub, and a scaffolding protein. This diverse array of functions is related to the dynamic nature of Tau isoform expression, post-translational modification (PTM), and conformational flexibility. Thus, there is no single mechanism that can describe Tau dysfunction. The effects of specific pathogenic mutations or aberrant PTMs need to be examined on all of the various functions of Tau in order to understand the unique etiology of each disease state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa Cario
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Christopher L. Berger
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
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14
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Rajbanshi B, Guruacharya A, Mandell JW, Bloom GS. Localization, induction, and cellular effects of tau phosphorylated at threonine 217. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19:2874-2887. [PMID: 36633254 PMCID: PMC10336182 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Tau phosphorylation at T217 is a promising Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker, but its functional consequences were unknown. METHODS Human brain and cultured mouse neurons were analyzed by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence for total tau, taupT217 , taupT181 , taupT231 , and taupS396/pS404 . Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) super resolution microscopy was used to localize taupT217 in cultured neurons. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tau was expressed in fibroblasts as wild type and T217E pseudo-phosphorylated tau, and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) reported tau turnover rates on microtubules. RESULTS In the brain, taupT217 appears in neurons at Braak stages I and II, becomes more prevalent later, and co-localizes partially with other phospho-tau epitopes. In cultured neurons, taupT217 is increased by extracellular tau oligomers (xcTauOs) and is associated with developing post-synaptic sites. FRAP recovery was fastest for EGFP-tauT217E . CONCLUSION TaupT217 increases in the brain as AD progresses and is induced by xcTauOs. Post-synaptic taupT217 suggests a role for T217 phosphorylation in synapse impairment. T217 phosphorylation reduces tau's affinity for microtubules. HIGHLIGHTS Validation of anti-tau phosphorylated at threonine-217 (taupT217 ) specificity is essential due to epitope redundancy. taupT217 increases as Alzheimer's disease progresses and is found throughout diseased neurons. taupT217 is associated with developing post-synaptic sites in cultured neurons. Extracellular oligomers of tau, but not amyloid beta, increase intracellular taupT217 . T217E pseudo-phosphorylation reduces tau's affinity for microtubules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binita Rajbanshi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | - James W. Mandell
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - George S. Bloom
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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15
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Xia Y, Bell BM, Giasson BI. Tau Lysine Pseudomethylation Regulates Microtubule Binding and Enhances Prion-like Tau Aggregation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098286. [PMID: 37175990 PMCID: PMC10179186 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) can be classified as tauopathies, which are a group of neurodegenerative diseases that develop toxic tau aggregates in specific brain regions. These pathological tau inclusions are altered by various post-translational modifications (PTMs) that include phosphorylation, acetylation, and methylation. Tau methylation has emerged as a target of interest for its potential involvement in tau pathomechanisms. Filamentous tau aggregates isolated from patients with AD are methylated at multiple lysine residues, although the exact methyltransferases have not been identified. One strategy to study the site-specific effects of methylation is to create methylation mimetics using a KFC model, which replaces lysine (K) with a hydrophobic group such as phenylalanine (F) to approximate the effects of lysine methylation (C or methyl group). In this study, tau methylmimetics were used to model several functional aspects of tau methylation such as effects on microtubule binding and tau aggregation in cell models. Overall, several tau methylmimetics displayed impaired microtubule binding, and tau methylmimetics enhanced prion-like seeded aggregation in the context of the FTD tau mutation P301L. Like other PTMs, tau methylation is a contributing factor to tau pathogenesis and could be a potential therapeutic drug target for the treatment of different tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxing Xia
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Brach M Bell
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Benoit I Giasson
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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16
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Moses D, Mehta V, Salavati R. The discovery and characterization of two novel structural motifs on the carboxy-terminal domain of kinetoplastid RNA editing ligases. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:188-199. [PMID: 36400447 PMCID: PMC9891256 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079431.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Parasitic protozoans of the Trypanosoma and Leishmania species have a uniquely organized mitochondrial genome, the kinetoplast. Most kinetoplast-transcribed mRNAs are cryptic and encode multiple subunits for the electron transport chain following maturation through a uridine insertion/deletion process called RNA editing. This process is achieved through an enzyme cascade by an RNA editing catalytic complex (RECC), where the final ligation step is catalyzed by the kinetoplastid RNA editing ligases, KREL1 and KREL2. While the amino-terminal domain (NTD) of these proteins is highly conserved with other DNA ligases and mRNA capping enzymes, with five recognizable motifs, the functional role of their diverged carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) has remained elusive. In this manuscript, we assayed recombinant KREL1 in vitro to unveil critical residues from its CTD to be involved in protein-protein interaction and dsRNA ligation activity. Our data show that the α-helix (H)3 of KREL1 CTD interacts with the αH1 of its editosome protein partner KREPA2. Intriguingly, the OB-fold domain and the zinc fingers on KREPA2 do not appear to influence the RNA ligation activity of KREL1. Moreover, a specific KWKE motif on the αH4 of KREL1 CTD is found to be implicated in ligase auto-adenylylation analogous to motif VI in DNA ligases. In summary, we present in the KREL1 CTD a motif VI for auto-adenylylation and a KREPA2 binding motif for RECC integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Moses
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, H9X 3V9 Quebec, Canada
| | - Vaibhav Mehta
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, H9X 3V9 Quebec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, H3G 1Y6 Quebec, Canada
| | - Reza Salavati
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, H9X 3V9 Quebec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, H3G 1Y6 Quebec, Canada
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17
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Cario A, Wickramasinghe SP, Rhoades E, Berger CL. The N-terminal disease-associated R5L Tau mutation increases microtubule shrinkage rate due to disruption of microtubule-bound Tau patches. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102526. [PMID: 36162501 PMCID: PMC9589210 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of the neuronal microtubule cytoskeleton is achieved through the coordination of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). MAP-Tau, the most abundant MAP in the axon, functions to modulate motor motility, participate in signaling cascades, as well as directly mediate microtubule dynamics. Tau misregulation is associated with a class of neurodegenerative diseases, known as tauopathies, including progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Many disease-associated mutations in Tau are found in the C-terminal microtubule-binding domain. These mutations decrease microtubule-binding affinity and are proposed to reduce microtubule stability, leading to disease. N-terminal disease-associated mutations also exist, but the mechanistic details of their downstream effects are not as clear. Here, we investigate the effect of the progressive supranuclear palsy–associated N-terminal R5L mutation on Tau-mediated microtubule dynamics using an in vitro reconstituted system. We show that the R5L mutation does not alter Tau interactions with tubulin by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we determined that the R5L mutation has no effect on microtubule growth rate, catastrophe frequency, or rescue frequency. Rather, the R5L mutation increases microtubule shrinkage rate. We determine this is due to disruption of Tau patches, larger order Tau complexes known to form on the GDP-microtubule lattice. Altogether, these results provide insight into the role of Tau patches in mediating microtubule dynamics and suggesting a novel mechanism by which mutations in the N-terminal projection domain reduce microtubule stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa Cario
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
| | - Sanjula P Wickramasinghe
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth Rhoades
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Christopher L Berger
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405.
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18
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Ahmad A, Uversky VN, Khan RH. Aberrant liquid-liquid phase separation and amyloid aggregation of proteins related to neurodegenerative diseases. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 220:703-720. [PMID: 35998851 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.08.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence has shown that the processes of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) or liquid-liquid phase transitions (LLPTs) are a crucial and prevalent phenomenon that underlies the biogenesis of numerous membrane-less organelles (MLOs) and biomolecular condensates within the cells. Findings show that processes associated with LLPS play an essential role in physiology and disease. In this review, we discuss the physical and biomolecular factors that contribute to the development of LLPS, the associated functions, as well as their consequences for cell physiology and neurological disorders. Additionally, the finding of mis-regulated proteins, which have long been linked to aggregates in neuropathology, are also known to induce LLPS/LLPTs, prompting a lot of interest in understanding the connection between aberrant phase separation and disorder conditions. Moreover, the methods used in recent and ongoing studies in this field are also explored, as is the possibility that these findings will encourage new lines of inquiry into the molecular causes of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azeem Ahmad
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P. 202002, India
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy pereulok, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia.
| | - Rizwan Hasan Khan
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P. 202002, India.
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19
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Wischhof L, Adhikari A, Mondal M, Marsal-Cots A, Biernat J, Mandelkow EM, Mandelkow E, Ehninger D, Nicotera P, Bano D. Unbiased proteomic profiling reveals the IP3R modulator AHCYL1/IRBIT as a novel interactor of microtubule-associated protein tau. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101774. [PMID: 35218773 PMCID: PMC8956953 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubule-associated protein tau is a naturally unfolded protein that can modulate a vast array of physiological processes through direct or indirect binding with molecular partners. Aberrant tau homeostasis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we performed an unbiased high-content protein profiling assay by incubating recombinant human tau on microarrays containing thousands of human polypeptides. Among the putative tau-binding partners, we identify SAH hydrolase-like protein 1/inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R)-binding protein (AHCYL1/IRBIT), a member of the SAH hydrolase family and a previously described modulator of IP3R activity. Using coimmunoprecipitation assays, we show that endogenous as well as overexpressed tau can physically interact with AHCYL1/IRBIT in brain tissues and cultured cells. Proximity ligation assay experiments demonstrate that tau overexpression may modify the close localization of AHCYL1/IRBIT to IP3R at the endoplasmic reticulum. Together, our experimental evidence indicates that tau interacts with AHCYL1/IRBIT and potentially modulates AHCYL1/IRBIT function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Wischhof
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Aasha Adhikari
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | | | | | - Jacek Biernat
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany; CAESAR Research Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Eva Maria Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany; CAESAR Research Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany; CAESAR Research Center, Bonn, Germany; Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Dan Ehninger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Daniele Bano
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.
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20
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Islam M, Shen F, Regmi D, Du D. Therapeutic strategies for tauopathies and drug repurposing as a potential approach. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 198:114979. [PMID: 35219701 PMCID: PMC9159505 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.114979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the deposition of abnormal tau in the brain. To date, there are no disease-modifying therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for the treatment of tauopathies. In the past decades, extensive efforts have been provided to develop disease-modifying therapies to treat tauopathies. Specifically, exploring existing drugs with the intent of repurposing for the treatment of tauopathies affords a reasonable alternative to discover potent drugs for treating these formidable diseases. Drug repurposing will not only reduce formulation and development stage effort and cost but will also take a key advantage of the established toxicological studies, which is one of the main causes of clinical trial failure of new molecules. In this review, we provide an overview of the current treatment strategies for tauopathies and the recent progress in drug repurposing as an alternative approach to treat tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majedul Islam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, United States.
| | - Fengyun Shen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, United States
| | - Deepika Regmi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, United States
| | - Deguo Du
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, United States.
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21
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Baggett DW, Nath A. Structure-Activity Relationships of Novel Tau Ligands: Passive Fibril Binders and Active Aggregation Inhibitors. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:701-708. [PMID: 35147406 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are core components of many biological processes and are central players in several pathologies. Despite being important drug targets, attempts to design small-molecule ligands that would help understand and attenuate their behavior are frustrated by the structural diversity exhibited by these flexible proteins. To accommodate the dynamic nature of IDPs, we developed a procedure that efficiently identifies active small-molecule ligands for disordered proteins. By exploring the chemical space around these ligands, we refined their effect on aggregation and identified molecular features critical for activity and affinity. Notably, the discovery of this new family of disordered protein ligands was achieved more quickly and with less expense than conventional high-throughput screening (HTS) or docking alone would have allowed. The resulting ligands include tau aggregation inhibitors as well as at least one compound that binds fibrils potently but does not appear to perturb the extent of kinetics of aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Baggett
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Box 357610, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Abhinav Nath
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Box 357610, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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22
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Ruiz-Gabarre D, Carnero-Espejo A, Ávila J, García-Escudero V. What's in a Gene? The Outstanding Diversity of MAPT. Cells 2022; 11:840. [PMID: 35269461 PMCID: PMC8909800 DOI: 10.3390/cells11050840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau protein is a microtubule-associated protein encoded by the MAPT gene that carries out a myriad of physiological functions and has been linked to certain pathologies collectively termed tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, etc. Alternative splicing is a physiological process by which cells generate several transcripts from one single gene and may in turn give rise to different proteins from the same gene. MAPT transcripts have been proven to be subjected to alternative splicing, generating six main isoforms in the central nervous system. Research throughout the years has demonstrated that the splicing landscape of the MAPT gene is far more complex than that, including at least exon skipping events, the use of 3' and 5' alternative splice sites and, as has been recently discovered, also intron retention. In addition, MAPT alternative splicing has been showed to be regulated spatially and developmentally, further evidencing the complexity of the gene's splicing regulation. It is unclear what would drive the need for the existence of so many isoforms encoded by the same gene, but a wide range of functions have been ascribed to these Tau isoforms, both in physiology and pathology. In this review we offer a comprehensive up-to-date exploration of the mechanisms leading to the outstanding diversity of isoforms expressed from the MAPT gene and the functions in which such isoforms are involved, including their potential role in the onset and development of tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ruiz-Gabarre
- Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (D.R.-G.); (A.C.-E.)
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (UAM-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Carnero-Espejo
- Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (D.R.-G.); (A.C.-E.)
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Ávila
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (UAM-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28031 Madrid, Spain
| | - Vega García-Escudero
- Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (D.R.-G.); (A.C.-E.)
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (UAM-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), 28029 Madrid, Spain
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23
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The pathogenic R5L mutation disrupts formation of Tau complexes on the microtubule by altering local N-terminal structure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2114215119. [PMID: 35135879 PMCID: PMC8851524 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114215119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein (MAP) Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) primarily expressed in axons, where it functions to regulate microtubule dynamics, modulate motor protein motility, and participate in signaling cascades. Tau misregulation and point mutations are linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Pick's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Many disease-associated mutations in Tau occur in the C-terminal microtubule-binding domain of the protein. Effects of C-terminal mutations in Tau have led to the widely accepted disease-state theory that missense mutations in Tau reduce microtubule-binding affinity or increase Tau propensity to aggregate. Here, we investigate the effect of an N-terminal arginine to leucine mutation at position 5 in Tau (R5L), associated with PSP, on Tau-microtubule interactions using an in vitro reconstituted system. Contrary to the canonical disease-state theory, we determine that the R5L mutation does not reduce Tau affinity for the microtubule using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Rather, the R5L mutation decreases the ability of Tau to form larger-order complexes, or Tau patches, at high concentrations of Tau. Using NMR, we show that the R5L mutation results in a local structural change that reduces interactions of the projection domain in the presence of microtubules. Altogether, these results challenge both the current paradigm of how mutations in Tau lead to disease and the role of the projection domain in modulating Tau behavior on the microtubule surface.
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24
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Tau mRNA Metabolism in Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Tangle Journey. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10020241. [PMID: 35203451 PMCID: PMC8869323 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau proteins are known to be mainly involved in regulation of microtubule dynamics. Besides this function, which is critical for axonal transport and signal transduction, tau proteins also have other roles in neurons. Moreover, tau proteins are turned into aggregates and consequently trigger many neurodegenerative diseases termed tauopathies, of which Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the figurehead. Such pathological aggregation processes are critical for the onset of these diseases. Among the various causes of tau protein pathogenicity, abnormal tau mRNA metabolism, expression and dysregulation of tau post-translational modifications are critical steps. Moreover, the relevance of tau function to general mRNA metabolism has been highlighted recently in tauopathies. In this review, we mainly focus on how mRNA metabolism impacts the onset and development of tauopathies. Thus, we intend to portray how mRNA metabolism of, or mediated by, tau is associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
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25
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Gadhavi J, Shah S, Sinha T, Jain A, Gupta S. Charge neutralization of lysine via carbamylation reveals hidden aggregation hot-spots in tau protein flanking regions. FEBS J 2021; 289:2562-2577. [PMID: 34796642 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Tau protein is found abundantly in neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The longest human tau isoform (2N4R) has 44 lysine residues. Several lysine-based post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as glycation, acetylation, ubiquitination, and sumoylation have been implicated not only in AD, but also in other tauopathies. Carbamylation is one such lysine neutralizing age-related nonenzymatic PTM which can modulate the aggregation propensity of tau. In this work, we have studied the aggregation potential of lysine-rich regions of tau upon carbamylation which do not aggregate in their native form. Using an array of biophysical and microscopic analyses, such as ThT kinetic assay, fluorescence microscopy, Congo red staining, and scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrate that peptides derived from four of five such regions exhibit robust fibrillar amyloid formation. These regions are found in the N-terminal projection domain that encompasses proline-rich domain (148-153 and 223-230), repeat domain R1 (253-260), as well as fibrillary core region (368-378), and can be described as hidden aggregation hot-spots which become activated upon carbamylation. We have further compared the impact of carbamylation with acetylation on the aggregation propensity of lysine-rich peptide (254 KKVAVV259 ) using biophysical experiments and molecular dynamics simulations and deduced that carbamylation is a much stronger driver of aggregation than acetylation. Our findings may offer more insight into amyloid fibrils' interaction with hidden aggregation-prone nucleating sequences that act as hot-spots for inducing tau fibrillation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshna Gadhavi
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India
| | - Sumedha Shah
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India
| | - Tulika Sinha
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, India
| | - Alok Jain
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, India
| | - Sharad Gupta
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India
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26
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Sen S, Kumar H, Udgaonkar JB. Microsecond Dynamics During the Binding-induced Folding of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167254. [PMID: 34537237 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Tau is an intrinsically disordered protein implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases. The repeat domain fragment of tau, tau-K18, is known to undergo a disorder to order transition in the presence of lipid micelles and vesicles, in which helices form in each of the repeat domains. Here, the mechanism of helical structure formation, induced by a phospholipid mimetic, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at sub-micellar concentrations, has been studied using multiple biophysical probes. A study of the conformational dynamics of the disordered state, using photoinduced electron transfer coupled to fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (PET-FCS) has indicated the presence of an intermediate state, I, in equilibrium with the unfolded state, U. The cooperative binding of the ligand (L), SDS, to I has been shown to induce the formation of a compact, helical intermediate (IL5) within the dead time (∼37 µs) of a continuous flow mixer. Quantitative analysis of the PET-FCS data and the ensemble microsecond kinetic data, suggests that the mechanism of induction of helical structure can be described by a U ↔ I ↔ IL5 ↔ FL5 mechanism, in which the final helical state, FL5, forms from IL5 with a time constant of 50-200 µs. Finally, it has been shown that the helical conformation is an aggregation-competent state that can directly form amyloid fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreemantee Sen
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Pashan, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Harish Kumar
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Pashan, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Jayant B Udgaonkar
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Pashan, Pune 411 008, India.
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27
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Gómez-López VM, Viramontes-Pintos A, Ontiveros-Torres MÁ, Garcés-Ramírez L, de la Cruz F, Villanueva-Fierro I, Bravo-Muñoz M, Harrington CR, Martínez-Robles S, Yescas P, Guadarrama-Ortíz P, Hernandes-Alejandro M, Montiel-Sosa F, Pacheco-Herrero M, Luna-Muñoz J. Tau Protein Phosphorylated at Threonine-231 is Expressed Abundantly in the Cerebellum in Prion Encephalopathies. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 81:769-785. [PMID: 33814431 PMCID: PMC8203236 DOI: 10.3233/jad-201308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background: Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are rare neurodegenerative disorders that affect animals and humans. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, and Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans belong to this group. The causative agent of TSEs is called “prion”, which corresponds to a pathological form (PrPSc) of a normal cellular protein (PrPC) expressed in nerve cells. PrPSc is resistant to degradation and can induce abnormal folding of PrPC, and TSEs are characterized by extensive spongiosis and gliosis and the presence of PrPSc amyloid plaques. CJD presents initially with clinical symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In AD, tau aggregates and amyloid-β protein plaques are associated with memory loss and cognitive impairment in patients. Objective: In this work, we study the role of tau and its relationship with PrPSc plaques in CJD. Methods: Multiple immunostainings with specific antibodies were carried out and analyzed by confocal microscopy. Results: We found increased expression of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9), and an exacerbated apoptosis in the granular layer in cases with prion disease. In these cases, tau protein phosphorylated at Thr-231 was overexpressed in the axons and dendrites of Purkinje cells and the extensions of parallel fibers in the cerebellum. Conclusion: We conclude that phosphorylation of tau may be a response to a toxic and inflammatory environment generated by the pathological form of prion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vıctor Manuel Gómez-López
- National Dementia BioBank. Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Cuautitlán, UNAM, Estado de México, México.,Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, CINVESTAV, CDMX, México
| | - Amparo Viramontes-Pintos
- National Dementia BioBank. Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Cuautitlán, UNAM, Estado de México, México
| | | | - Linda Garcés-Ramírez
- Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento Fisiología, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CDMX, México
| | - Fidel de la Cruz
- Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento Fisiología, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CDMX, México
| | | | - Marely Bravo-Muñoz
- National Dementia BioBank. Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Cuautitlán, UNAM, Estado de México, México
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Sandra Martínez-Robles
- National Dementia BioBank. Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Cuautitlán, UNAM, Estado de México, México
| | - Petra Yescas
- Genética, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, "Manuel Velazco Suerez" CDMX, México
| | - Parménides Guadarrama-Ortíz
- Departamento de Neurocirugía, Centro Especializado en Neurocirugía y Neurociencias, México, (CENNM), CDMX, México
| | - Mario Hernandes-Alejandro
- Departamento de Bioingeniería, Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Biotecnología del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Gustavo A. Madero, México
| | - Francisco Montiel-Sosa
- National Dementia BioBank. Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Cuautitlán, UNAM, Estado de México, México
| | - Mar Pacheco-Herrero
- Neuroscience Research Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
| | - José Luna-Muñoz
- National Dementia BioBank. Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Cuautitlán, UNAM, Estado de México, México.,National Brain Bank. Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
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28
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Khan MI, Gilpin K, Hasan F, Mahmud KAHA, Adnan A. Effect of Strain Rate on Single Tau, Dimerized Tau and Tau-Microtubule Interface: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study. Biomolecules 2021; 11:1308. [PMID: 34572521 PMCID: PMC8472149 DOI: 10.3390/biom11091308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Microtubule-associated protein (MAP) tau is a cross-linking molecule that provides structural stability to axonal microtubules (MT). It is considered a potential biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia, and other neurological disorders. It is also a signature protein for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) assessment. In the case of TBI, extreme dynamic mechanical energies can be felt by the axonal cytoskeletal members. As such, fundamental understandings of the responses of single tau protein, polymerized tau protein, and tau-microtubule interfaces under high-rate mechanical forces are important. This study attempts to determine the high-strain rate mechanical behavior of single tau, dimerized tau, and tau-MT interface using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The results show that a single tau protein is a highly stretchable soft polymer. During deformation, first, it significantly unfolds against van der Waals and electrostatic bonds. Then it stretches against strong covalent bonds. We found that tau acts as a viscoelastic material, and its stiffness increases with the strain rate. The unfolding stiffness can be ~50-500 MPa, while pure stretching stiffness can be >2 GPa. The dimerized tau model exhibits similar behavior under similar strain rates, and tau sliding from another tau is not observed until it is stretched to >7 times of original length, depending on the strain rate. The tau-MT interface simulations show that very high strain and strain rates are required to separate tau from MT suggesting Tau-MT bonding is stronger than MT subunit bonding between themselves. The dimerized tau-MT interface simulations suggest that tau-tau bonding is stronger than tau-MT bonding. In summary, this study focuses on the structural response of individual cytoskeletal components, namely microtubule (MT) and tau protein. Furthermore, we consider not only the individual response of a component, but also their interaction with each other (such as tau with tau or tau with MT). This study will eventually pave the way to build a bottom-up multiscale brain model and analyze TBI more comprehensively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Ishak Khan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; (M.I.K.); (F.H.); (K.A.H.A.M.)
| | - Kathleen Gilpin
- Academic Partnership and Engagement Experiment (APEX), Wright State Applied Research Corporation, Beavercreek, OH 45431, USA;
| | - Fuad Hasan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; (M.I.K.); (F.H.); (K.A.H.A.M.)
| | - Khandakar Abu Hasan Al Mahmud
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; (M.I.K.); (F.H.); (K.A.H.A.M.)
| | - Ashfaq Adnan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; (M.I.K.); (F.H.); (K.A.H.A.M.)
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29
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Sinsky J, Pichlerova K, Hanes J. Tau Protein Interaction Partners and Their Roles in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Tauopathies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:9207. [PMID: 34502116 PMCID: PMC8431036 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau protein plays a critical role in the assembly, stabilization, and modulation of microtubules, which are important for the normal function of neurons and the brain. In diseased conditions, several pathological modifications of tau protein manifest. These changes lead to tau protein aggregation and the formation of paired helical filaments (PHF) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), which are common hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. The accumulation of PHFs and NFTs results in impairment of physiological functions, apoptosis, and neuronal loss, which is reflected as cognitive impairment, and in the late stages of the disease, leads to death. The causes of this pathological transformation of tau protein haven't been fully understood yet. In both physiological and pathological conditions, tau interacts with several proteins which maintain their proper function or can participate in their pathological modifications. Interaction partners of tau protein and associated molecular pathways can either initiate and drive the tau pathology or can act neuroprotective, by reducing pathological tau proteins or inflammation. In this review, we focus on the tau as a multifunctional protein and its known interacting partners active in regulations of different processes and the roles of these proteins in Alzheimer's disease and tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jozef Hanes
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10 Bratislava, Slovakia; (J.S.); (K.P.)
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30
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Abstract
Actin filaments and microtubules are cytoskeletal polymers that participate in many vital cell functions including division, morphogenesis, phagocytosis, and motility. Despite the persistent dogma that actin filament and microtubule networks are distinct in localization, structure, and function, a growing body of evidence shows that these elements are choreographed through intricate mechanisms sensitive to either polymer. Many proteins and cellular signals that mediate actin–microtubule interactions have already been identified. However, the impact of these regulators is typically assessed with actin filament or microtubule polymers alone, independent of the other system. Further, unconventional modes and regulators coordinating actin–microtubule interactions are still being discovered. Here we examine several methods of actin–microtubule crosstalk with an emphasis on the molecular links between both polymer systems and their higher-order interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan L Pimm
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210
| | - Jessica L Henty-Ridilla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210.,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210
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31
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Jana B, Barman S, Roy R, Das G, Mukherjee N, Adak A, Ghosh S. Fluorine Substituted Proline Enhances the Tubulin Binding Potential of a Tetrapeptide at the GTP Binding Pocket Causing the Inhibition of Microtubule Motility and an Antimitotic Effect. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:8768-8780. [PMID: 34328335 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c04323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The microtubule is regarded as the key target for designing anticancer and neurotherapeutic drugs due to its functional importance in eukaryotic cells including neurons. The microtubule is a dynamic hollow polymer tube consisting of α,β-tubulin heterodimer. Polymerization of α,β-tubulin heterodimer resulted in microtubule formation. GTP plays a crucial role in microtubule polymerization. It binds at the exchangeable binding site of the β-tubulin heterodimer, and it is one of the most crucial therapeutic hot spots for designing anticancer therapeutics. In this manuscript, we have shown using an in silico strategy and various in vitro and cellular experiments that the binding affinity to the tubulin and cancer therapeutic potential of an exchangeable GTP/GDP binding antimitotic tetrapeptide (SP: Ser-Leu-Arg-Pro) is increased through changing proline with the multifluorine substituted proline. This study showcases the importance of the proline amino acid and its pyrrolidine ring in the regulation of binding with tubulin at the GTP binding pocket.
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Affiliation(s)
- Batakrishna Jana
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 032, India
| | - Surajit Barman
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 032, India
| | - Rajsekhar Roy
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 62, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar, Rajasthan 342037, India
| | - Gaurav Das
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 032, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
| | - Nabanita Mukherjee
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 62, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar, Rajasthan 342037, India
| | - Anindyasundar Adak
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 032, India
| | - Surajit Ghosh
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 032, India.,Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 62, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar, Rajasthan 342037, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
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32
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Rai SK, Savastano A, Singh P, Mukhopadhyay S, Zweckstetter M. Liquid-liquid phase separation of tau: From molecular biophysics to physiology and disease. Protein Sci 2021; 30:1294-1314. [PMID: 33930220 PMCID: PMC8197432 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensation via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins/regions (IDPs/IDRs), with and without nucleic acids, has drawn widespread interest due to the rapidly unfolding role of phase-separated condensates in a diverse range of cellular functions and human diseases. Biomolecular condensates form via transient and multivalent intermolecular forces that sequester proteins and nucleic acids into liquid-like membrane-less compartments. However, aberrant phase transitions into gel-like or solid-like aggregates might play an important role in neurodegenerative and other diseases. Tau, a microtubule-associated neuronal IDP, is involved in microtubule stabilization, regulates axonal outgrowth and transport in neurons. A growing body of evidence indicates that tau can accomplish some of its cellular activities via LLPS. However, liquid-to-solid transition resulting in the abnormal aggregation of tau is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. The physical chemistry of tau is crucial for governing its propensity for biomolecular condensation which is governed by various intermolecular and intramolecular interactions leading to simple one-component and complex multi-component condensates. In this review, we aim at capturing the current scientific state in unveiling the intriguing molecular mechanism of phase separation of tau. We particularly focus on the amalgamation of existing and emerging biophysical tools that offer unique spatiotemporal resolutions on a wide range of length- and time-scales. We also discuss the link between quantitative biophysical measurements and novel biological insights into biomolecular condensation of tau. We believe that this account will provide a broad and multidisciplinary view of phase separation of tau and its association with physiology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep K. Rai
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical SciencesIndian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)MohaliIndia
| | - Adriana Savastano
- Research group Translational Structural BiologyGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)GöttingenGermany
| | - Priyanka Singh
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical SciencesIndian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)MohaliIndia
| | - Samrat Mukhopadhyay
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical SciencesIndian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)MohaliIndia
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- Research group Translational Structural BiologyGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)GöttingenGermany
- Department for NMR‐based Structural BiologyMax Planck Institute for Biophysical ChemistryGöttingenGermany
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33
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Bachmann S, Bell M, Klimek J, Zempel H. Differential Effects of the Six Human TAU Isoforms: Somatic Retention of 2N-TAU and Increased Microtubule Number Induced by 4R-TAU. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:643115. [PMID: 34113229 PMCID: PMC8185039 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.643115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the adult human brain, six isoforms of the microtubule-associated protein TAU are expressed, which result from alternative splicing of exons 2, 3, and 10 of the MAPT gene. These isoforms differ in the number of N-terminal inserts (0N, 1N, 2N) and C-terminal repeat domains (3R or 4R) and are differentially expressed depending on the brain region and developmental stage. Although all TAU isoforms can aggregate and form neurofibrillary tangles, some tauopathies, such as Pick's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, are characterized by the accumulation of specific TAU isoforms. The influence of the individual TAU isoforms in a cellular context, however, is understudied. In this report, we investigated the subcellular localization of the human-specific TAU isoforms in primary mouse neurons and analyzed TAU isoform-specific effects on cell area and microtubule dynamics in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Our results show that 2N-TAU isoforms are particularly retained from axonal sorting and that axonal enrichment is independent of the number of repeat domains, but that the additional repeat domain of 4R-TAU isoforms results in a general reduction of cell size and an increase of microtubule counts in cells expressing these specific isoforms. Our study points out that individual TAU isoforms may influence microtubule dynamics differentially both by different sorting patterns and by direct effects on microtubule dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bachmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Bell
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jennifer Klimek
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hans Zempel
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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34
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Hosoya Y, Ohkanda J. Intrinsically Disordered Proteins as Regulators of Transient Biological Processes and as Untapped Drug Targets. Molecules 2021; 26:2118. [PMID: 33917117 PMCID: PMC8067799 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26082118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are critical players in the dynamic control of diverse cellular processes, and provide potential new drug targets because their dysregulation is closely related to many diseases. This review focuses on several medicinal studies that have identified low-molecular-weight inhibitors of IDPs. In addition, clinically relevant liquid-liquid phase separations-which critically involve both intermolecular interactions between IDPs and their posttranslational modification-are analyzed to understand the potential of IDPs as new drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Junko Ohkanda
- Academic Assembly, Institute of Agriculture, Shinshu University, 8304 Minami-Minowa, Kami-Ina, Nagano 399-4598, Japan;
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35
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Dixit H, Kumar C S, Chaudhary R, Thaker D, Gadewal N, Dasgupta D. Role of Phosphorylation and Hyperphosphorylation of Tau in Its Interaction with βα Dimeric Tubulin Studied from a Bioinformatics Perspective. Avicenna J Med Biotechnol 2021; 13:24-34. [PMID: 33680370 PMCID: PMC7903436 DOI: 10.18502/ajmb.v13i1.4579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Tau is a disordered Microtubule Associated Protein (MAP) which prefers to bind and stabilize microtubules. Phosphorylation of tau in particular enhances tautubulin interaction which otherwise detaches from tubulin during hyperphosphorylation. The reason behind their destabilization, detachment and the role of β subunit (from microtubule) and the projection domain (Tau) in microtubule stability remains elusive till date. Thus, a complete 3D structural investigation of tau protein is much needed to address these queries as the existing crystal structures are in fragments and quite limited. Methods: In this study, the modelled human tau protein was subjected to phosphorylation and hyperphosphorylation which were later considered for docking with micro-tubules (βα subunits-inter dimer) and vinblastine. Results: Phosphorylated tau protein interacts with both α- and β subunits. But stronger bonding was with α- compared to β subunits. Regarding β subunit, proline rich loop and projection domain actively participated in tau binding. Interestingly, hyperphosphorylation of tau increases MAP domain flexibility which ultimately results in tau detachment, the main reason behind tangle formation in Alzheimer’s disease. Conclusion: This study being the first of its kind emphasizes the role of projection domain and proline rich region of β-subunit in stabilizing the tau-tubulin interaction and also the effect of hyperphosphorylation in protein-protein and protein-drug binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hrushikesh Dixit
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Selvaa Kumar C
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Ruchi Chaudhary
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Divya Thaker
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Nikhil Gadewal
- Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Debjani Dasgupta
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, India
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36
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Savastano A, Flores D, Kadavath H, Biernat J, Mandelkow E, Zweckstetter M. Die krankheitsassoziierte Tau‐Phosphorylierung behindert die Tubulinpolymerisation in Tau‐Kondensaten. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202011157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Savastano
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Von-Siebold-Straße 3a 37075 Göttingen Deutschland
| | - David Flores
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Von-Siebold-Straße 3a 37075 Göttingen Deutschland
| | - Harindranath Kadavath
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Von-Siebold-Straße 3a 37075 Göttingen Deutschland
| | - Jacek Biernat
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Venusberg-Campus 1 53127 Bonn Deutschland
- Research Center CAESAR Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2 53175 Bonn Deutschland
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Venusberg-Campus 1 53127 Bonn Deutschland
- Research Center CAESAR Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2 53175 Bonn Deutschland
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Von-Siebold-Straße 3a 37075 Göttingen Deutschland
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie Am Faßberg 11 37077 Göttingen Deutschland
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37
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Savastano A, Flores D, Kadavath H, Biernat J, Mandelkow E, Zweckstetter M. Disease-Associated Tau Phosphorylation Hinders Tubulin Assembly within Tau Condensates. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:726-730. [PMID: 33017094 PMCID: PMC7839466 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202011157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Cellular condensation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) allows dynamic compartmentalization and regulation of biological processes. The IDP tau, which promotes the assembly of microtubules and is hyperphosphorylated in Alzheimer's disease, undergoes LLPS in solution and on the surface of microtubules. Little is known, however, about the influence of tau phosphorylation on its ability to nucleate microtubule bundles in conditions of tau LLPS. Herein, we show that unmodified tau as well as tau phosphorylated at disease-associated epitopes condense into liquid-like droplets. Although tubulin partitioned into and reached high concentrations inside all tau droplets, it was unable to grow into microtubules form the inside of droplets formed by tau phosphorylated at the AT180 epitope (T231/S235). In contrast, neither phosphorylation of tau in the repeat domain nor at its tyrosine residues inhibited the assembly of tubulin from tau droplets. Because LLPS of IDPs has been shown to promote different types of cytoskeletal assembly, our study suggests that IDP phosphorylation might be a broadly used mechanism for the modulation of condensate-mediated cytoskeletal assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Savastano
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Von-Siebold-Str. 3a37075GöttingenGermany
| | - David Flores
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Von-Siebold-Str. 3a37075GöttingenGermany
| | - Harindranath Kadavath
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Von-Siebold-Str. 3a37075GöttingenGermany
| | - Jacek Biernat
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Venusberg-Campus 153127BonnGermany
- Research Center CAESARLudwig-Erhard-Allee 253175BonnGermany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Venusberg-Campus 153127BonnGermany
- Research Center CAESARLudwig-Erhard-Allee 253175BonnGermany
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Von-Siebold-Str. 3a37075GöttingenGermany
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical ChemistryAm Faßberg 1137077GöttingenGermany
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Savastano A, Jaipuria G, Andreas L, Mandelkow E, Zweckstetter M. Solid-state NMR investigation of the involvement of the P2 region in tau amyloid fibrils. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21210. [PMID: 33273615 PMCID: PMC7712923 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78161-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau into amyloid fibrils is closely linked to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. To gain insight into the link between amyloid structure and disease, the three-dimensional structure of tau fibrils has been studied using solid-state NMR (ssNMR) and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The proline-rich region of tau remains poorly defined in the context of tau amyloid structures, despite the clustering of several phosphorylation sites, which have been associated with Alzheimer's disease. In order to gain insight into the contribution of the proline-rich region P2 of tau to amyloid fibrils, we studied in vitro aggregated amyloid fibrils of tau constructs, which contain both the proline-rich region P2 and the pseudo-repeats. Using ssNMR we show that the sequence [Formula: see text], the most hydrophobic patch within the P2 region, loses its flexibility upon formation of amyloid fibrils. The data suggest a contribution of the P2 region to tau amyloid fibril formation, which might account for some of the unassigned electron density in cryo-EM studies of tau fibrils and could be modulated by tau phosphorylation at the disease-associated AT180 epitope T231/S235.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Savastano
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Garima Jaipuria
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Loren Andreas
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
- CAESAR Research Center, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold-Str. 3a, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Faßberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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Alyenbaawi H, Allison WT, Mok SA. Prion-Like Propagation Mechanisms in Tauopathies and Traumatic Brain Injury: Challenges and Prospects. Biomolecules 2020; 10:E1487. [PMID: 33121065 PMCID: PMC7692808 DOI: 10.3390/biom10111487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of tau protein in the form of filamentous aggregates is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). These dementias share traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a prominent risk factor. Tau aggregates can transfer between cells and tissues in a "prion-like" manner, where they initiate the templated misfolding of normal tau molecules. This enables the spread of tau pathology to distinct parts of the brain. The evidence that tauopathies spread via prion-like mechanisms is considerable, but work detailing the mechanisms of spread has mostly used in vitro platforms that cannot fully reveal the tissue-level vectors or etiology of progression. We review these issues and then briefly use TBI and CTE as a case study to illustrate aspects of tauopathy that warrant further attention in vivo. These include seizures and sleep/wake disturbances, emphasizing the urgent need for improved animal models. Dissecting these mechanisms of tauopathy progression continues to provide fresh inspiration for the design of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadeel Alyenbaawi
- Centre for Prions & Protein Folding Disease, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (H.A.); (W.T.A.)
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Department of Medical Laboratories, Majmaah University, Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - W. Ted Allison
- Centre for Prions & Protein Folding Disease, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (H.A.); (W.T.A.)
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Sue-Ann Mok
- Centre for Prions & Protein Folding Disease, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada; (H.A.); (W.T.A.)
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
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Li J, Li Y, Liu M, Xie S. Modified heptapeptide from tau binds both tubulin and microtubules. Thorac Cancer 2020; 11:2993-2997. [PMID: 32893987 PMCID: PMC7529580 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.13643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Microtubules are the major cytoskeletal component in eukaryotes which are essential for a large spectrum of cellular activities. Monitoring the behavior of microtubules is helpful for a better understanding of the regulatory mechanism governing microtubule architecture and microtubule‐based activities. Here, we characterized the binding capability of a modified heptapeptide from tau to both tubulin and microtubules and sought to develop it as a fluorescent peptide for monitoring microtubules. Methods To deliver the fluorescent peptide into the cells, a cell‐penetrating peptide was conjugated to the modified heptapeptide from tau and synthesized. The affinity of the modified heptapeptide was determined by microscale thermophoresis. The microtubule labeling ability was determined by adding the peptide into the polymerized microtubule solutions or cultured HeLa cells.; Results Affinity determination revealed that the tau‐derived peptide specifically bound to tubulin. In addition, the peptide was able to label polymerized microtubules in solution, although no obvious microtubule filaments were observed clearly in living cells, probably due to the inadequate affinity. Conclusions These results suggest that using a peptide‐based strategy for imaging microtubules might be plausible and attempts to improve its affinity is warranted in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingrui Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuyang Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Min Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Songbo Xie
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
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Kawasaki R, Tate SI. Impact of the Hereditary P301L Mutation on the Correlated Conformational Dynamics of Human Tau Protein Revealed by the Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement NMR Experiments. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21113920. [PMID: 32486218 PMCID: PMC7313075 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21113920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau forms intracellular insoluble aggregates as a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Tau is largely unstructured, which complicates the characterization of the tau aggregation process. Recent studies have demonstrated that tau samples two distinct conformational ensembles, each of which contains the soluble and aggregation-prone states of tau. A shift to populate the aggregation-prone ensemble may promote tau fibrillization. However, the mechanism of this ensemble transition remains elusive. In this study, we explored the conformational dynamics of a tau fragment by using paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) and interference (PRI) NMR experiments. The PRE correlation map showed that tau is composed of segments consisting of residues in correlated motions. Intriguingly, residues forming the β-structures in the heparin-induced tau filament coincide with residues in these segments, suggesting that each segment behaves as a structural unit in fibrillization. PRI data demonstrated that the P301L mutation exclusively alters the transiently formed tau structures by changing the short- and long-range correlated motions among residues. The transient conformations of P301L tau expose the amyloid motif PHF6 to promote tau self-aggregation. We propose the correlated motions among residues within tau determine the population sizes of the conformational ensembles, and perturbing the correlated motions populates the aggregation-prone form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Kawasaki
- Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan;
| | - Shin-ichi Tate
- Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan;
- Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of the Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Research Center for the Mathematics on Chromatin Live Dynamics (RcMcD), Hiroshima University, 1-3-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-82-424-7387
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Teravskis PJ, Ashe KH, Liao D. The Accumulation of Tau in Postsynaptic Structures: A Common Feature in Multiple Neurodegenerative Diseases? Neuroscientist 2020; 26:503-520. [PMID: 32389059 DOI: 10.1177/1073858420916696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Increasingly, research suggests that neurodegenerative diseases and dementias are caused not by unique, solitary cellular mechanisms, but by multiple contributory mechanisms manifesting as heterogeneous clinical presentations. However, diverse neurodegenerative diseases also share common pathological hallmarks and cellular mechanisms. One such mechanism involves the redistribution of the microtubule associated protein tau from the axon into the somatodendritic compartment of neurons, followed by the mislocalization of tau into dendritic spines, resulting in postsynaptic functional deficits. Here we review various signaling pathways that trigger the redistribution of tau to the cell body and dendritic tree, and its mislocalization to dendritic spines. The convergence of multiple pathways in different disease models onto this final common pathway suggests that it may be an attractive pathway to target for developing new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Teravskis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Karen H Ashe
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,N. Budd Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Dezhi Liao
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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43
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Jia L, Zhao W, Wei W, Guo X, Wang W, Wang Y, Sang J, Lu F, Liu F. Expression and purification of amyloid β-protein, tau, and α-synuclein in Escherichia coli: a review. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2020; 40:475-489. [PMID: 32202164 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2020.1742646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Misfolding and accumulation of amyloidogenic proteins into various forms of aggregated intermediates and insoluble amyloid fibrils is associated with more than 50 human diseases. Large amounts of high-quality amyloid proteins are required for better probing of their aggregation and neurotoxicity. Due to their intrinsic hydrophobicity, it is a challenge to obtain amyloid proteins with high yield and purity, and they have attracted the attention of researchers from all over the world. The rapid development of bioengineering technology provides technical support for obtaining large amounts of recombinant amyloidogenic proteins. This review discusses the available expression and purification methods for three amyloid proteins including amyloid β-protein, tau, and α-synuclein in microbial expression systems, especially Escherichia coli, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Importantly, these protocols can also be referred to for the expression and purification of other hydrophobic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longgang Jia
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China.,College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenping Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Jingcheng Sang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Fuping Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Fufeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
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44
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Rani L, Mittal J, Mallajosyula SS. Effect of Phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation on Proline-Rich Domains of Tau. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:1909-1918. [PMID: 32065850 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b11720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein Tau (MAPT) is a phosphoprotein in neurons of the brain. Aggregation of Tau is the leading cause of tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease. Tau undergoes several post-translational modifications of which phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation are key chemical modifications. Tau aggregates into paired helical filaments and neurofibrillary tangles upon hyperphosphorylation, whereas O-GlcNAcylation stabilizes the soluble form of Tau. How specific phosphorylation and/or O-GlcNAcylation events influence Tau conformations remains largely unknown due to the disordered nature of Tau. In this study, we have investigated the phosphorylation- and O-GlcNAcylation-induced conformational effects on a Tau segment (Tau225-246) from the proline-rich domain (P2), by performing metadynamics simulations. We study two different phosphorylation patterns: Tau225-246, phosphorylated at T231 and S235, and Tau225-246, phosphorylated at T231, S235, S237, and S238. We also study O-GlcNAcylation at T231 and S235. We find that phosphorylation leads to the formation of strong salt-bridge contacts with adjacent lysine and arginine residues, which disrupts the native β-sheet structure observed in Tau225-246. We also observe the formation of a transient α-helix (238SAKSRLQ244) when Tau225-246 is phosphorylated at four sites. In contrast, O-GlcNAcylation shows only modest structural effects, and the resultant structure resembles the native form of the peptide. Our studies suggest the opposing structural effects of both protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) and the importance of salt bridges in governing the conformational preferences upon phosphorylation, highlighting the role of proximal arginine and lysine upon hyperphosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lata Rani
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar382355, Gujarat, India
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania18015, United States
| | - Sairam S Mallajosyula
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar382355, Gujarat, India
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45
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Fung HYJ, McKibben KM, Ramirez J, Gupta K, Rhoades E. Structural Characterization of Tau in Fuzzy Tau:Tubulin Complexes. Structure 2020; 28:378-384.e4. [PMID: 31995742 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Tau is a neuronal microtubule (MT)-associated protein of significant interest due to its association with several neurodegenerative disorders. Tau's intrinsic disorder and the dynamic nature of its interactions with tubulin and MTs make its structural characterization challenging. Here, we use an environmentally sensitive fluorophore as a site-specific probe of tau bound to soluble tubulin. Comparison of our results with a recently published tau:MT cryoelectron microscopy model reveals structural similarities between tubulin- and MT-bound tau. Analysis of residues across the repeat regions reveals a hierarchy in tubulin occupancy, which may be relevant to tau's ability to differentiate between tubulin and MTs. As binding to soluble tubulin is a critical first step in MT polymerization, our characterization of the structural features of tau in dynamic, fuzzy tau:tubulin assemblies advances our understanding of how tau functions in the cell and how function may be disrupted in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Yee Joyce Fung
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kristen M McKibben
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jennifer Ramirez
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kushol Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Elizabeth Rhoades
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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46
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Zhao J, Zhu Y, Song X, Xiao Y, Su G, Liu X, Wang Z, Xu Y, Liu J, Eliezer D, Ramlall TF, Lippens G, Gibson J, Zhang F, Linhardt RJ, Wang L, Wang C. 3‐
O
‐Sulfation of Heparan Sulfate Enhances Tau Interaction and Cellular Uptake. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201913029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
| | - Yanan Zhu
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and PhysiologyUniversity of South Florida Tampa USA
| | - Xuehong Song
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and PhysiologyUniversity of South Florida Tampa USA
| | - Yuanyuan Xiao
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
| | - Guowei Su
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal ChemistryEshelman School of PharmacyUniversity of North Carolina Chapel Hill USA
| | - Xinyue Liu
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
| | - Zhangjie Wang
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal ChemistryEshelman School of PharmacyUniversity of North Carolina Chapel Hill USA
| | - Yongmei Xu
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal ChemistryEshelman School of PharmacyUniversity of North Carolina Chapel Hill USA
| | - Jian Liu
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal ChemistryEshelman School of PharmacyUniversity of North Carolina Chapel Hill USA
| | - David Eliezer
- Department of BiochemistryProgram in Structural BiologyWeill Cornell Medical College New York NY USA
| | - Trudy F. Ramlall
- Department of BiochemistryProgram in Structural BiologyWeill Cornell Medical College New York NY USA
| | - Guy Lippens
- Toulouse Biotechnology InstituteCNRS, INRAINSAUniversity of Toulouse 31077 Toulouse France
| | - James Gibson
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
| | - Fuming Zhang
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
| | - Robert J. Linhardt
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
| | - Lianchun Wang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and PhysiologyUniversity of South Florida Tampa USA
- Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of MedicineUniversity of South Florida Tampa USA
| | - Chunyu Wang
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
- Department of Biological SciencesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
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47
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Zhao J, Zhu Y, Song X, Xiao Y, Su G, Liu X, Wang Z, Xu Y, Liu J, Eliezer D, Ramlall TF, Lippens G, Gibson J, Zhang F, Linhardt RJ, Wang L, Wang C. 3-O-Sulfation of Heparan Sulfate Enhances Tau Interaction and Cellular Uptake. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:1818-1827. [PMID: 31692167 PMCID: PMC6982596 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201913029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Prion-like transcellular spreading of tau in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is mediated by tau binding to cell surface heparan sulfate (HS). However, the structural determinants for tau-HS interaction are not well understood. Microarray and SPR assays of structurally defined HS oligosaccharides show that a rare 3-O-sulfation (3-O-S) of HS significantly enhances tau binding. In Hs3st1-/- (HS 3-O-sulfotransferase-1 knockout) cells, reduced 3-O-S levels of HS diminished both cell surface binding and internalization of tau. In a cell culture, the addition of a 3-O-S HS 12-mer reduced both tau cell surface binding and cellular uptake. NMR titrations mapped 3-O-S binding sites to the microtubule binding repeat 2 (R2) and proline-rich region 2 (PRR2) of tau. Tau is only the seventh protein currently known to recognize HS 3-O-sulfation. Our work demonstrates that this rare 3-O-sulfation enhances tau-HS binding and likely the transcellular spread of tau, providing a novel target for disease-modifying treatment of AD and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
| | - Yanan Zhu
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Xuehong Song
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Yuanyuan Xiao
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
| | - Guowei Su
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Xinyue Liu
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
| | - Zhangjie Wang
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Yongmei Xu
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Jian Liu
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - David Eliezer
- Department of Biochemistry, Program in Structural Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States
| | - Trudy F. Ramlall
- Department of Biochemistry, Program in Structural Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States
| | - Guy Lippens
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, CNRS, INRA, INSA, University of Toulouse, 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - James Gibson
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
| | - Fuming Zhang
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
| | - Robert J. Linhardt
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
| | - Lianchun Wang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Chunyu Wang
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
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48
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McKibben KM, Rhoades E. Independent tubulin binding and polymerization by the proline-rich region of Tau is regulated by Tau's N-terminal domain. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:19381-19394. [PMID: 31699899 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.010172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is an intrinsically disordered, microtubule-associated protein that has a role in regulating microtubule dynamics. Despite intensive research, the molecular mechanisms of Tau-mediated microtubule polymerization are poorly understood. Here we used single-molecule fluorescence to investigate the role of Tau's N-terminal domain (NTD) and proline-rich region (PRR) in regulating interactions of Tau with soluble tubulin. We assayed both full-length Tau isoforms and truncated variants for their ability to bind soluble tubulin and stimulate microtubule polymerization. We found that Tau's PRR is an independent tubulin-binding domain that has tubulin polymerization capacity. In contrast to the relatively weak interactions with tubulin mediated by sites distributed throughout Tau's microtubule-binding region (MTBR), resulting in heterogeneous Tau: tubulin complexes, the PRR bound tubulin tightly and stoichiometrically. Moreover, we demonstrate that interactions between the PRR and MTBR are reduced by the NTD through a conserved conformational ensemble. On the basis of these results, we propose that Tau's PRR can serve as a core tubulin-binding domain, whereas the MTBR enhances polymerization capacity by increasing the local tubulin concentration. Moreover, the NTD appears to negatively regulate tubulin-binding interactions of both of these domains. The findings of our study draw attention to a central role of the PRR in Tau function and provide mechanistic insight into Tau-mediated polymerization of tubulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M McKibben
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Elizabeth Rhoades
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 .,Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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Amir Mishan M, Rezaei Kanavi M, Shahpasand K, Ahmadieh H. Pathogenic Tau Protein Species: Promising Therapeutic Targets for Ocular Neurodegenerative Diseases. J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2019; 14:491-505. [PMID: 31875105 PMCID: PMC6825701 DOI: 10.18502/jovr.v14i4.5459] [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: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein, which is highly expressed in the central nervous system as well as ocular neurons and stabilizes microtubule structure. It is a phospho-protein being moderately phosphorylated under physiological conditions but its abnormal hyperphosphorylation or some post-phosphorylation modifications would result in a pathogenic condition, microtubule dissociation, and aggregation. The aggregates can induce neuroinflammation and trigger some pathogenic cascades, leading to neurodegeneration. Taking these together, targeting pathogenic tau employing tau immunotherapy may be a promising therapeutic strategy in fighting with cerebral and ocular neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Amir Mishan
- Ocular Tissue Engineering Research Center, Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mozhgan Rezaei Kanavi
- Ocular Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Koorosh Shahpasand
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Ahmadieh
- Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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50
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Mroczko B, Groblewska M, Litman-Zawadzka A. The Role of Protein Misfolding and Tau Oligomers (TauOs) in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E4661. [PMID: 31547024 PMCID: PMC6802364 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20194661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the causative role of the accumulation of amyloid β 1-42 (Aβ42) deposits in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been under debate for many years, it is supposed that the toxicity soluble oligomers of Tau protein (TauOs) might be also the pathogenic factor acting on the initial stages of this disease. Therefore, we performed a thorough search for literature pertaining to our investigation via the MEDLINE/PubMed database. It was shown that soluble TauOs, especially granular forms, may be the most toxic form of this protein. Hyperphosphorylated TauOs can reduce the number of synapses by missorting into axonal compartments of neurons other than axon. Furthermore, soluble TauOs may be also responsible for seeding Tau pathology within AD brains, with probable link to AβOs toxicity. Additionally, the concentrations of TauOs in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of AD patients were higher than in non-demented controls, and revealed a negative correlation with mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores. It was postulated that adding the measurements of TauOs to the panel of CSF biomarkers could improve the diagnosis of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Mroczko
- Department of Neurodegeneration Diagnostics, Medical University of Białystok, 15-269 Białystok, Poland.
- Department of Biochemical Diagnostics, University Hospital of Białystok, 15-269 Białystok, Poland.
| | - Magdalena Groblewska
- Department of Biochemical Diagnostics, University Hospital of Białystok, 15-269 Białystok, Poland.
| | - Ala Litman-Zawadzka
- Department of Neurodegeneration Diagnostics, Medical University of Białystok, 15-269 Białystok, Poland.
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