1
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Lee E, Park H, Kim S. Transcellular transmission and molecular heterogeneity of aggregation-prone proteins in neurodegenerative diseases. Mol Cells 2024; 47:100089. [PMID: 38971320 DOI: 10.1016/j.mocell.2024.100089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of aggregation-prone proteins in a specific neuronal population is a common feature of neurodegenerative diseases, which is correlated with the development of pathological lesions in diseased brains. The formation and progression of pathological protein aggregates in susceptible neurons induce cellular dysfunction, resulting in progressive degeneration. Moreover, recent evidence supports the notion that the cell-to-cell transmission of pathological protein aggregates may be involved in the onset and progression of many neurodegenerative diseases. Indeed, several studies have identified different pathological aggregate strains. Although how these different aggregate strains form remains unclear, a variety of biomolecular compositions or cross-seeding events promoted by the presence of other protein aggregates in the cellular environment may affect the formation of different strains of pathological aggregates, which in turn can influence complex pathologies in diseased brains. In this review, we summarize the recent results regarding cell-to-cell transmission and the molecular heterogeneity of pathological aggregate strains, raising key questions for future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunmin Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
| | - Hyeonwoo Park
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
| | - Sangjune Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea.
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2
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Alfano C, Fichou Y, Huber K, Weiss M, Spruijt E, Ebbinghaus S, De Luca G, Morando MA, Vetri V, Temussi PA, Pastore A. Molecular Crowding: The History and Development of a Scientific Paradigm. Chem Rev 2024; 124:3186-3219. [PMID: 38466779 PMCID: PMC10979406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
It is now generally accepted that macromolecules do not act in isolation but "live" in a crowded environment, that is, an environment populated by numerous different molecules. The field of molecular crowding has its origins in the far 80s but became accepted only by the end of the 90s. In the present issue, we discuss various aspects that are influenced by crowding and need to consider its effects. This Review is meant as an introduction to the theme and an analysis of the evolution of the crowding concept through time from colloidal and polymer physics to a more biological perspective. We introduce themes that will be more thoroughly treated in other Reviews of the present issue. In our intentions, each Review may stand by itself, but the complete collection has the aspiration to provide different but complementary perspectives to propose a more holistic view of molecular crowding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Alfano
- Structural
Biology and Biophysics Unit, Fondazione
Ri.MED, 90100 Palermo, Italy
| | - Yann Fichou
- CNRS,
Bordeaux INP, CBMN UMR 5248, IECB, University
of Bordeaux, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Klaus Huber
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
| | - Matthias Weiss
- Experimental
Physics I, Physics of Living Matter, University
of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Evan Spruijt
- Institute
for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon Ebbinghaus
- Lehrstuhl
für Biophysikalische Chemie and Research Center Chemical Sciences
and Sustainability, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Giuseppe De Luca
- Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Vetri
- Dipartimento
di Fisica e Chimica − Emilio Segrè, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Annalisa Pastore
- King’s
College London, Denmark
Hill Campus, SE5 9RT London, United Kingdom
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3
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Park C, Han B, Choi Y, Jin Y, Kim KP, Choi SI, Seong BL. RNA-dependent proteome solubility maintenance in Escherichia coli lysates analysed by quantitative mass spectrometry: Proteomic characterization in terms of isoelectric point, structural disorder, functional hub, and chaperone network. RNA Biol 2024; 21:1-18. [PMID: 38361426 PMCID: PMC10878026 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2024.2315383] [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] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation, a consequence of misfolding and impaired proteostasis, can lead to cellular malfunctions such as various proteinopathies. The mechanisms protecting proteins from aggregation in complex cellular environments have long been investigated, often from a protein-centric viewpoint. However, our study provides insights into a crucial, yet overlooked actor: RNA. We found that depleting RNAs from Escherichia coli lysates induces global protein aggregation. Our quantitative mass spectrometry analysis identified over 900 statistically significant proteins from the Escherichia coli proteome whose solubility depends on RNAs. Proteome-wide characterization showed that the RNA dependency is particularly enriched among acidic proteins, intrinsically disordered proteins, and structural hub proteins. Moreover, we observed distinct differences in RNA-binding mode and Gene Ontology categories between RNA-dependent acidic and basic proteins. Notably, the solubility of key molecular chaperones [Trigger factor, DnaJ, and GroES] is largely dependent on RNAs, suggesting a yet-to-be-explored hierarchical relationship between RNA-based chaperone (termed as chaperna) and protein-based chaperones, both of which constitute the whole chaperone network. These findings provide new insights into the RNA-centric role in maintaining healthy proteome solubility in vivo, where proteins associate with a variety of RNAs, either stably or transiently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan Park
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
- Vaccine Innovative Technology ALliance (VITAL)-Korea, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Bitnara Han
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Institute of Natural Science, Global Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredient Materials, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Korea
| | - Yura Choi
- Vaccine Innovative Technology ALliance (VITAL)-Korea, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
- The Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Integrative Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Yonsei University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Yoontae Jin
- Vaccine Innovative Technology ALliance (VITAL)-Korea, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Immunology and Immunological Diseases, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kwang Pyo Kim
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Institute of Natural Science, Global Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredient Materials, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, Kyung Hee Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Il Choi
- Department of Pediatrics, Severance Hospital, Institute of Allergy, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Baik L. Seong
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
- Vaccine Innovative Technology ALliance (VITAL)-Korea, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
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4
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Patni D, Jha SK. Thermodynamic modulation of folding and aggregation energy landscape by DNA binding of functional domains of TDP-43. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2023; 1871:140916. [PMID: 37061152 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2023.140916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
TDP-43 is a vital nucleic acid binding protein which forms stress-induced aberrant aggregates in around 97% cases of ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. The functional tandem RRM domain of the protein (TDP-43tRRM) has been shown to undergo amyloid-like aggregation under stress in a pH-dependent fashion. However, the underlying thermodynamic and molecular basis of aggregation and how the energy landscape of folding, stability, and aggregation are coupled and modulated by nucleic acid binding is poorly understood. Here, we show that the pH stress thermodynamically destabilizes the native protein and systematically populates the unfolded-like aggregation-prone molecules which leads to amyloid-like aggregation. We observed that specific DNA binding inhibits aggregation and populates native-like compact monomeric state even under low-pH stress as measured by circular dichroism, ANS binding, size exclusion chromatography, and transmission electron microscopy. We show that DNA-binding thermodynamically stabilizes and populates the native state even under stress and reduces the population of unfolded-like aggregation-prone molecules which leads to systematic aggregation inhibition. Our results suggest that thermodynamic modulation of the folding and aggregation energy landscape by nucleic-acid-like molecules could be a promising approach for effective therapeutic intervention in TDP-43-associated proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Patni
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Santosh Kumar Jha
- Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India.
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5
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A Robust Assay to Monitor Ataxin-3 Amyloid Fibril Assembly. Cells 2022; 11:cells11121969. [PMID: 35741099 PMCID: PMC9222203 DOI: 10.3390/cells11121969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is caused by the expansion of a glutamine repeat in the protein ataxin-3, which is deposited as intracellular aggregates in affected brain regions. Despite the controversial role of ataxin-3 amyloid structures in SCA3 pathology, the identification of molecules with the capacity to prevent aberrant self-assembly and stabilize functional conformation(s) of ataxin-3 is a key to the development of therapeutic solutions. Amyloid-specific kinetic assays are routinely used to measure rates of protein self-assembly in vitro and are employed during screening for fibrillation inhibitors. The high tendency of ataxin-3 to assemble into oligomeric structures implies that minor changes in experimental conditions can modify ataxin-3 amyloid assembly kinetics. Here, we determine the self-association rates of ataxin-3 and present a detailed study of the aggregation of normal and pathogenic ataxin-3, highlighting the experimental conditions that should be considered when implementing and validating ataxin-3 amyloid progress curves in different settings and in the presence of ataxin-3 interactors. This assay provides a unique and robust platform to screen for modulators of the first steps of ataxin-3 aggregation—a starting point for further studies with cell and animal models of SCA3.
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6
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Santos J, Pallarès I, Iglesias V, Ventura S. Cryptic amyloidogenic regions in intrinsically disordered proteins: Function and disease association. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:4192-4206. [PMID: 34527192 PMCID: PMC8349759 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloid conformation is considered a fundamental state of proteins and the propensity to populate it a generic property of polypeptides. Multiple proteome-wide analyses addressed the presence of amyloidogenic regions in proteins, nurturing our understanding of their nature and biological implications. However, these analyses focused on highly aggregation-prone and hydrophobic stretches that are only marginally found in intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). Here, we explore the prevalence of cryptic amyloidogenic regions (CARs) of polar nature in IDRs. CARs are widespread in IDRs and associated with IDPs function, with particular involvement in protein–protein interactions, but their presence is also connected to a risk of malfunction. By exploring this function/malfunction dichotomy, we speculate that ancestral CARs might have evolved into functional interacting regions playing a significant role in protein evolution at the origins of life.
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Key Words
- APR, Aggregation-prone region
- Aggregation
- Amyloid
- CARs, Cryptic amyloidogenic regions
- CD, Circular dichroism
- CR, Congo red
- Evolution
- FTIR, Fourier transform infrared
- IDPs, Intrinsically disordered proteins
- IDRs, Intrinsically disordered regions
- Intrinsically disordered proteins
- PBS, Phosphate buffer saline
- PPI, Protein-protein interactions
- Protein disorder
- Protein–protein interactions
- Rb, Retinoblastoma associated proteins
- RbC, Core region of Rb
- TEM, Transmission electron microscopy
- Th-T, Thioflavin-T
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Santos
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valentín Iglesias
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Studying the effect of alpha-synuclein and Parkinson's disease linked mutants on inter pathway connectivities. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16365. [PMID: 34381149 PMCID: PMC8358055 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95889-5] [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] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disease. The differential expression of alpha-synuclein within Lewy Bodies leads to this disease. Some missense mutations of alpha-synuclein may resultant in functional aberrations. In this study, our objective is to verify the functional adaptation due to early and late-onset mutation which can trigger or control the rate of alpha-synuclein aggregation. In this regard, we have proposed a computational model to study the difference and similarities among the Wild type alpha-synuclein and mutants i.e., A30P, A53T, G51D, E46K, and H50Q. Evolutionary sequence space analysis is also performed in this experiment. Subsequently, a comparative study has been performed between structural information and sequence space outcomes. The study shows the structural variability among the selected subtypes. This information assists inter pathway modeling due to mutational aberrations. Based on the structural variability, we have identified the protein-protein interaction partners for each protein that helps to increase the robustness of the inter-pathway connectivity. Finally, few pathways have been identified from 12 semantic networks based on their association with mitochondrial dysfunction and dopaminergic pathways.
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8
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Raj K, Akundi RS. Mutant Ataxin-3-Containing Aggregates (MATAGGs) in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3: Dynamics of the Disorder. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:3095-3118. [PMID: 33629274 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02314-z] [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: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is the most common type of SCA worldwide caused by abnormal polyglutamine expansion in the coding region of the ataxin-3 gene. Ataxin-3 is a multi-faceted protein involved in various cellular processes such as deubiquitination, cytoskeletal organisation, and transcriptional regulation. The presence of an expanded poly(Q) stretch leads to altered processing and misfolding of the protein culminating in the production of insoluble protein aggregates in the cell. Various post-translational modifications affect ataxin-3 fibrillation and aggregation. This review provides an exhaustive assessment of the various pathogenic mechanisms undertaken by the mutant ataxin-3-containing aggregates (MATAGGs) for disease induction and neurodegeneration. This includes in-depth discussion on MATAGG dynamics including their formation, role in neuronal pathogenesis, and the debate over the toxic v/s protective nature of the MATAGGs in disease progression. Additionally, the currently available therapeutic strategies against SCA3 have been reviewed. The shift in the focus of such strategies, from targeting the steps that lead to or reduce aggregate formation to targeting the expression of mutant ataxin-3 itself via RNA-based therapeutics, has also been presented. We also discuss the intriguing promise that various growth and neurotrophic factors, especially the insulin pathway, hold in the modulation of SCA3 progression. These emerging areas show the newer directions through which SCA3 can be targeted including various preclinical and clinical trials. All these advances made in the last three decades since the discovery of the ataxin-3 gene have been critically reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kritika Raj
- Neuroinflammation Research Lab, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, South Asian University, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, 110021, India
| | - Ravi Shankar Akundi
- Neuroinflammation Research Lab, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, South Asian University, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, 110021, India.
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9
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Monti M, Armaos A, Fantini M, Pastore A, Tartaglia GG. Aggregation is a Context-Dependent Constraint on Protein Evolution. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:678115. [PMID: 34222334 PMCID: PMC8249573 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.678115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Solubility is a requirement for many cellular processes. Loss of solubility and aggregation can lead to the partial or complete abrogation of protein function. Thus, understanding the relationship between protein evolution and aggregation is an important goal. Here, we analysed two deep mutational scanning experiments to investigate the role of protein aggregation in molecular evolution. In one data set, mutants of a protein involved in RNA biogenesis and processing, human TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43), were expressed in S. cerevisiae. In the other data set, mutants of a bacterial enzyme that controls resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins, TEM-1 beta-lactamase, were expressed in E. coli under the selective pressure of an antibiotic treatment. We found that aggregation differentiates the effects of mutations in the two different cellular contexts. Specifically, aggregation was found to be associated with increased cell fitness in the case of TDP-43 mutations, as it protects the host from aberrant interactions. By contrast, in the case of TEM-1 beta-lactamase mutations, aggregation is linked to a decreased cell fitness due to inactivation of protein function. Our study shows that aggregation is an important context-dependent constraint of molecular evolution and opens up new avenues to investigate the role of aggregation in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Monti
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,RNA System Biology Lab, Centre for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,RNA System Biology Lab, Centre for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - Marco Fantini
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- 3UK-DRI Centre at the Maurice Wohl Institute, Department of Clinical and Basic Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,RNA System Biology Lab, Centre for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy.,Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and ICREA, The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
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10
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Temussi PA, Tartaglia GG, Pastore A. The seesaw between normal function and protein aggregation: How functional interactions may increase protein solubility. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2100031. [PMID: 33783021 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Protein aggregation has been studied for at least 3 decades, and many of the principles that regulate this event are relatively well understood. Here, however, we present a different perspective to explain why proteins aggregate: we argue that aggregation may occur as a side-effect of the lack of one or more natural partners that, under physiologic conditions, would act as chaperones. This would explain why the same surfaces that have evolved for functional purposes are also those that favour aggregation. In the course of reviewing this field, we substantiate our hypothesis with three paradigmatic examples that argue for the generality of our proposal. An obvious corollary of this hypothesis is, of course, that targeting the physiological partners of a protein could be the most direct and specific approach to designing anti-aggregation molecules. Our analysis may thus inform a different strategy for combating diseases of protein aggregation and misfolding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Andrea Temussi
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King's College London, The Maurice Wohl Institute, London, UK
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Center for Human Technologies, Central RNA laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- Charles Darwin Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King's College London, The Maurice Wohl Institute, London, UK
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11
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Abstract
Protein aggregation is a widespread phenomenon with important implications in many scientific areas. Although amyloid formation is typically considered as detrimental, functional amyloids that perform physiological roles have been identified in all kingdoms of life. Despite their functional and pathological relevance, the structural details of the majority of molecular species involved in the amyloidogenic process remains elusive. Here, we explore the application of AlphaFold, a highly accurate protein structure predictor, in the field of protein aggregation. While we envision a straightforward application of AlphaFold in assisting the design of globular proteins with improved solubility for biomedical and industrial purposes, the use of this algorithm for predicting the structure of aggregated species seems far from trivial. First, in amyloid diseases, the presence of multiple amyloid polymorphs and the heterogeneity of aggregation intermediates challenges the "one sequence, one structure" paradigm, inherent to sequence-based predictions. Second, aberrant aggregation is not the subject of positive selective pressure, precluding the use of evolutionary-based approaches, which are the core of the AlphaFold pipeline. Instead, amyloid polymorphism seems to be constrained by the need for a defined structure-activity relationship in functional amyloids. They may thus provide a starting point for the application of AlphaFold in the amyloid landscape.
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12
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Di Rienzo L, Monti M, Milanetti E, Miotto M, Boffi A, Tartaglia GG, Ruocco G. Computational optimization of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 for SARS-CoV-2 Spike molecular recognition. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:3006-3014. [PMID: 34002118 PMCID: PMC8116125 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic, many efforts have been devoted to identifying approaches to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 replication within the host cell. A promising strategy to block the infection consists of using a mutant of the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a decoy to compete with endogenous ACE2 for the binding to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, which decreases the ability of the virus to enter the host cell. Here, using a computational framework based on the 2D Zernike formalism we investigate details of the molecular binding and evaluate the changes in ACE2-Spike binding compatibility upon mutations occurring in the ACE2 side of the molecular interface. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method by comparing our results with experimental binding affinities changes upon ACE2 mutations, separating ones that increase or decrease binding affinity with an Area Under the ROC curve ranging from 0.66 to 0.93, depending on the magnitude of the effects analyzed. Importantly, the iteration of our approach leads to the identification of a set of ACE2 mutants characterized by an increased shape complementarity with Spike. We investigated the physico-chemical properties of these ACE2 mutants and propose them as bona fide candidates for Spike recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Di Rienzo
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Monti
- RNA System Biology Lab, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Miotto
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Boffi
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- RNA System Biology Lab, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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13
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Louka A, Zacco E, Temussi PA, Tartaglia GG, Pastore A. RNA as the stone guest of protein aggregation. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:11880-11889. [PMID: 33068411 PMCID: PMC7708036 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of prions as infectious aggregates dates several decades. From its original formulation, the definition of a prion has progressively changed to the point that many aggregation-prone proteins are now considered bona fide prions. RNA molecules, not included in the original 'protein-only hypothesis', are also being recognized as important factors contributing to the 'prion behaviour', that implies the transmissibility of an aberrant fold. In particular, an association has recently emerged between aggregation and the assembly of prion-like proteins in RNA-rich complexes, associated with both physiological and pathological events. Here, we discuss the historical rising of the concept of prion-like domains, their relation to RNA and their role in protein aggregation. As a paradigmatic example, we present the case study of TDP-43, an RNA-binding prion-like protein associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Through this example, we demonstrate how the current definition of prions has incorporated quite different concepts making the meaning of the term richer and more stimulating. An important message that emerges from our analysis is the dual role of RNA in protein aggregation, making RNA, that has been considered for many years a 'silent presence' or the 'stone guest' of protein aggregation, an important component of the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Louka
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Elsa Zacco
- Center for Human Technologies, Central RNA laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16152, Italy
| | - Piero Andrea Temussi
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- University “Federico II’’ Napoli, via Cynthia, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Center for Human Technologies, Central RNA laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16152, Italy
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08003, Spain and ICREA, 23 Passeig Lluıs Companys, Barcelona 08010, Spain
- Charles Darwin department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
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14
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Computational prediction of protein aggregation: Advances in proteomics, conformation-specific algorithms and biotechnological applications. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:1403-1413. [PMID: 32637039 PMCID: PMC7322485 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a widespread phenomenon that stems from the establishment of non-native intermolecular contacts resulting in protein precipitation. Despite its deleterious impact on fitness, protein aggregation is a generic property of polypeptide chains, indissociable from protein structure and function. Protein aggregation is behind the onset of neurodegenerative disorders and one of the serious obstacles in the production of protein-based therapeutics. The development of computational tools opened a new avenue to rationalize this phenomenon, enabling prediction of the aggregation propensity of individual proteins as well as proteome-wide analysis. These studies spotted aggregation as a major force driving protein evolution. Actual algorithms work on both protein sequences and structures, some of them accounting also for conformational fluctuations around the native state and the protein microenvironment. This toolbox allows to delineate conformation-specific routines to assist in the identification of aggregation-prone regions and to guide the optimization of more soluble and stable biotherapeutics. Here we review how the advent of predictive tools has change the way we think and address protein aggregation.
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15
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Native aggregation is a common feature among triosephosphate isomerases of different species. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1338. [PMID: 31992784 PMCID: PMC6987189 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58272-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is an enzyme of the glycolysis pathway which exists in almost all types of cells. Its structure is the prototype of a motif called TIM-barrel or (α/β)8 barrel, which is the most common fold of all known enzyme structures. The simplest form in which TIM is catalytically active is a homodimer, in many species of bacteria and eukaryotes, or a homotetramer in some archaea. Here we show that the purified homodimeric TIMs from nine different species of eukaryotes and one of an extremophile bacterium spontaneously form higher order aggregates that can range from 3 to 21 dimers per macromolecular complex. We analysed these aggregates with clear native electrophoresis with normal and inverse polarity, blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, liquid chromatography, dynamic light scattering, thermal shift assay and transmission electron and fluorescence microscopies, we also performed bioinformatic analysis of the sequences of all enzymes to identify and predict regions that are prone to aggregation. Additionally, the capacity of TIM from Trypanosoma brucei to form fibrillar aggregates was characterized. Our results indicate that all the TIMs we studied are capable of forming oligomers of different sizes. This is significant because aggregation of TIM may be important in some of its non-catalytic moonlighting functions, like being a potent food allergen, or in its role associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
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16
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Computational prediction and redesign of aberrant protein oligomerization. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 169:43-83. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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17
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Orlando G, Silva A, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Raimondi D, Vranken W. Accurate prediction of protein beta-aggregation with generalized statistical potentials. Bioinformatics 2019; 36:2076-2081. [DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btz912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Motivation
Protein beta-aggregation is an important but poorly understood phenomena involved in diseases as well as in beneficial physiological processes. However, while this task has been investigated for over 50 years, very little is known about its mechanisms of action. Moreover, the identification of regions involved in aggregation is still an open problem and the state-of-the-art methods are often inadequate in real case applications.
Results
In this article we present AgMata, an unsupervised tool for the identification of such regions from amino acidic sequence based on a generalized definition of statistical potentials that includes biophysical information. The tool outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on two different benchmarks. As case-study, we applied our tool to human ataxin-3, a protein involved in Machado–Joseph disease. Interestingly, AgMata identifies aggregation-prone residues that share the very same structural environment. Additionally, it successfully predicts the outcome of in vitro mutagenesis experiments, identifying point mutations that lead to an alteration of the aggregation propensity of the wild-type ataxin-3.
Availability and implementation
A python implementation of the tool is available at https://bitbucket.org/bio2byte/agmata.
Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Orlando
- Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels, ULB/VUB, Triomflaan, Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Structural Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Alexandra Silva
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
| | | | - Wim Vranken
- Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels, ULB/VUB, Triomflaan, Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Structural Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Centre for Structural Biology, VIB, Brussels 1050, Belgium
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18
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Ruggeri FS, Šneideris T, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ. Atomic force microscopy for single molecule characterisation of protein aggregation. Arch Biochem Biophys 2019; 664:134-148. [PMID: 30742801 PMCID: PMC6420408 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has opened up a wide range of novel opportunities in nanoscience and new modalities of observation in complex biological systems. AFM imaging has been widely employed to resolve the complex and heterogeneous conformational states involved in protein aggregation at the single molecule scale and shed light onto the molecular basis of a variety of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. The study of individual macromolecules at nanoscale, however, remains challenging, especially when fully quantitative information is required. In this review, we first discuss the principles of AFM with a special emphasis on the fundamental factors defining its sensitivity and accuracy. We then review the fundamental parameters and approaches to work at the limit of AFM resolution in order to perform single molecule statistical analysis of biomolecules and nanoscale protein aggregates. This single molecule statistical approach has proved to be powerful to unravel the molecular and hierarchical assembly of the misfolded species present transiently during protein aggregation, to visualise their dynamics at the nanoscale, as well to study the structural properties of amyloid-inspired functional nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
| | - Tomas Šneideris
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom; Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, United Kingdom.
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19
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Grasso G, Morbiducci U, Massai D, Tuszynski JA, Danani A, Deriu MA. Destabilizing the AXH Tetramer by Mutations: Mechanisms and Potential Antiaggregation Strategies. Biophys J 2019; 114:323-330. [PMID: 29401430 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Revised: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The AXH domain of protein Ataxin 1 is thought to play a key role in the misfolding and aggregation pathway responsible for Spinocerebellar ataxia 1. For this reason, a molecular level understanding of AXH oligomerization pathway is crucial to elucidate the aggregation mechanism, which is thought to trigger the disease. This study employs classical and enhanced molecular dynamics to identify the structural and energetic basis of AXH tetramer stability. Results of this work elucidate molecular mechanisms behind the destabilizing effect of protein mutations, which consequently affect the AXH tetramer assembly. Moreover, results of the study draw attention for the first time, to our knowledge, to the R638 protein residue, which is shown to play a key role in AXH tetramer stability. Therefore, R638 might be also implicated in the AXH oligomerization pathway and stands out as a target for future experimental studies focused on self-association mechanisms and fibril formation of full-length ATX1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianvito Grasso
- Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi Sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Umberto Morbiducci
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Diana Massai
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Jack A Tuszynski
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andrea Danani
- Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi Sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Marco A Deriu
- Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi Sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland.
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20
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Zacco E, Graña-Montes R, Martin SR, de Groot NS, Alfano C, Tartaglia GG, Pastore A. RNA as a key factor in driving or preventing self-assembly of the TAR DNA-binding protein 43. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:1671-1688. [PMID: 30742796 PMCID: PMC6461199 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration are incurable motor neuron diseases associated with muscle weakness, paralysis and respiratory failure. Accumulation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) as toxic cytoplasmic inclusions is one of the hallmarks of these pathologies. TDP-43 is an RNA-binding protein responsible for regulating RNA transcription, splicing, transport and translation. Aggregated TDP-43 does not retain its physiological function. Here, we exploit the ability of TDP-43 to bind specific RNA sequences to validate our hypothesis that the native partners of a protein can be used to interfere with its ability to self-assemble into aggregates. We propose that binding of TDP-43 to specific RNA can compete with protein aggregation. This study provides a solid proof of concept to the hypothesis that natural interactions can be exploited to increase protein solubility and could be adopted as a more general rational therapeutic strategy. We found that binding of the RRM domains of TDP-43 to specific RNA competes with protein aggregation. This study provides a solid proof of concept to the hypothesis that natural interactions can be exploited to increase protein solubility. The concept could be adopted as a more general rationale for protein-specific drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Zacco
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King's College London, London, SE5 9RT, United Kingdom; The Wohl Institute at King's College London, London, SE5 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Ricardo Graña-Montes
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Natalia Sanchez de Groot
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain; Institutio Catalan de Recerca I Estudis Avancats (ICREA), 23 Passeig Lluıs Companys, 08010 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King's College London, London, SE5 9RT, United Kingdom; The Wohl Institute at King's College London, London, SE5 9RT, United Kingdom; Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri, Pisa, 56126, Italy.
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21
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Giorgetti S, Greco C, Tortora P, Aprile FA. Targeting Amyloid Aggregation: An Overview of Strategies and Mechanisms. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E2677. [PMID: 30205618 PMCID: PMC6164555 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19092677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids result from the aggregation of a set of diverse proteins, due to either specific mutations or promoting intra- or extra-cellular conditions. Structurally, they are rich in intermolecular β-sheets and are the causative agents of several diseases, both neurodegenerative and systemic. It is believed that the most toxic species are small aggregates, referred to as oligomers, rather than the final fibrillar assemblies. Their mechanisms of toxicity are mostly mediated by aberrant interactions with the cell membranes, with resulting derangement of membrane-related functions. Much effort is being exerted in the search for natural antiamyloid agents, and/or in the development of synthetic molecules. Actually, it is well documented that the prevention of amyloid aggregation results in several cytoprotective effects. Here, we portray the state of the art in the field. Several natural compounds are effective antiamyloid agents, notably tetracyclines and polyphenols. They are generally non-specific, as documented by their partially overlapping mechanisms and the capability to interfere with the aggregation of several unrelated proteins. Among rationally designed molecules, we mention the prominent examples of β-breakers peptides, whole antibodies and fragments thereof, and the special case of drugs with contrasting transthyretin aggregation. In this framework, we stress the pivotal role of the computational approaches. When combined with biophysical methods, in several cases they have helped clarify in detail the protein/drug modes of interaction, which makes it plausible that more effective drugs will be developed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Giorgetti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 3b, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Claudio Greco
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - Paolo Tortora
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milano, Italy.
- Milan Center for Neuroscience (Neuro-MI), 20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - Francesco Antonio Aprile
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
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22
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Marinelli P, Navarro S, Baño-Polo M, Morel B, Graña-Montes R, Sabe A, Canals F, Fernandez MR, Conejero-Lara F, Ventura S. Global Protein Stabilization Does Not Suffice to Prevent Amyloid Fibril Formation. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:2094-2105. [PMID: 29966079 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Mutations or cellular conditions that destabilize the native protein conformation promote the population of partially unfolded conformations, which in many cases assemble into insoluble amyloid fibrils, a process associated with multiple human pathologies. Therefore, stabilization of protein structures is seen as an efficient way to prevent misfolding and subsequent aggregation. This has been suggested to be the underlying reason why proteins living in harsh environments, such as the extracellular space, have evolved disulfide bonds. The effect of protein disulfides on the thermodynamics and kinetics of folding has been extensively studied, but much less is known on its effect on aggregation reactions. Here, we designed a single point mutation that introduces a disulfide bond in the all-α FF domain, a protein that, despite being devoid of preformed β-sheets, forms β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils. The novel and unique covalent bond in the FF domain dramatically increases its thermodynamic stability and folding speed. Nevertheless, these optimized properties cannot counteract the inherent aggregation propensity of the protein, thus indicating that a high global protein stabilization does not suffice to prevent amyloid formation unless it contributes to hide from exposure the specific regions that nucleate the aggregation reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Marinelli
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Susanna Navarro
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Manuel Baño-Polo
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Bertrand Morel
- Departamento de Química Física e Instituto de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Ricardo Graña-Montes
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Anna Sabe
- Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, 08135 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francesc Canals
- Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, 08135 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Rosario Fernandez
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Francisco Conejero-Lara
- Departamento de Química Física e Instituto de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
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23
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Polyglutamine-Independent Features in Ataxin-3 Aggregation and Pathogenesis of Machado-Joseph Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1049:275-288. [PMID: 29427109 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-71779-1_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The expansion of a trinucleotide (CAG) repeat, translated into a polyglutamine expanded sequence in the protein encoded by the MJD gene, was identified over 20 years ago as the causative mutation in a severe neurodegenerative disorder originally diagnosed in individuals of Portuguese ancestry. This incapacitating disease, called Machado-Joseph disease or spinocebellar ataxia type 3, is integrated into a larger group of neurodegenerative disorders-the polyglutamine expansion disorders-caused by extension of a CAG repeat in the coding sequence of otherwise unrelated genes. These diseases are generally linked with the appearance of intracellular inclusions , which despite having a controversial role in disease appearance and development represent a characteristic common fingerprint in all polyglutamine-related disorders. Although polyglutamine expansion is an obvious trigger for neuronal dysfunction, the role of the different domains of these complex proteins in the function and aggregation properties of the carrier proteins is being uncovered in recent studies. In this review the current knowledge about the structural and functional features of full-length ataxin-3 protein will be discussed. The intrinsic conformational dynamics and interplay between the globular and intrinsically disordered regions of ataxin-3 will be highlighted, and a perspective picture of the role of known ataxin-3 post-translational modifications on regulating ataxin-3 aggregation and function will be drawn.
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24
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Chiti F, Dobson CM. Protein Misfolding, Amyloid Formation, and Human Disease: A Summary of Progress Over the Last Decade. Annu Rev Biochem 2017; 86:27-68. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-061516-045115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1636] [Impact Index Per Article: 233.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023]
Abstract
Peptides and proteins have been found to possess an inherent tendency to convert from their native functional states into intractable amyloid aggregates. This phenomenon is associated with a range of increasingly common human disorders, including Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, type II diabetes, and a number of systemic amyloidoses. In this review, we describe this field of science with particular reference to the advances that have been made over the last decade in our understanding of its fundamental nature and consequences. We list the proteins that are known to be deposited as amyloid or other types of aggregates in human tissues and the disorders with which they are associated, as well as the proteins that exploit the amyloid motif to play specific functional roles in humans. In addition, we summarize the genetic factors that have provided insight into the mechanisms of disease onset. We describe recent advances in our knowledge of the structures of amyloid fibrils and their oligomeric precursors and of the mechanisms by which they are formed and proliferate to generate cellular dysfunction. We show evidence that a complex proteostasis network actively combats protein aggregation and that such an efficient system can fail in some circumstances and give rise to disease. Finally, we anticipate the development of novel therapeutic strategies with which to prevent or treat these highly debilitating and currently incurable conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Chiti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio,” Section of Biochemistry, Università di Firenze, 50134 Firenze, Italy
| | - Christopher M. Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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25
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Elia F, Cantini F, Chiti F, Dobson CM, Bemporad F. Direct Conversion of an Enzyme from Native-like to Amyloid-like Aggregates within Inclusion Bodies. Biophys J 2017; 112:2540-2551. [PMID: 28636911 PMCID: PMC5479110 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The acylphosphatase from Sulfolobus solfataricus (Sso AcP) is a globular protein able to aggregate in vitro from a native-like conformational ensemble without the need for a transition across the major unfolding energy barrier. This process leads to the formation of assemblies in which the protein retains its native-like structure, which subsequently convert into amyloid-like aggregates. Here, we investigate the mechanism by which Sso AcP aggregates in vivo to form bacterial inclusion bodies after expression in E. coli. Shortly after the initiation of expression, Sso AcP is incorporated into inclusion bodies as a native-like protein, still exhibiting small but significant enzymatic activity. Additional experiments revealed that this overall process of aggregation is enhanced by the presence of the unfolded N-terminal region of the sequence and by destabilization of the globular segment of the protein. At later times, the Sso AcP molecules in the inclusion bodies lose their native-like properties and convert into β-sheet-rich amyloid-like structures, as indicated by their ability to bind thioflavin T and Congo red. These results show that the aggregation behavior of this protein is similar in vivo to that observed in vitro, and that, at least for a predominant part of the protein population, the transition from a native to an amyloid-like structure occurs within the aggregate state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Elia
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio," University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Francesca Cantini
- Centro Risonanze Magnetiche (CERM) and Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Chiti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio," University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Bemporad
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio," University of Florence, Firenze, Italy.
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26
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Kuiper EFE, de Mattos EP, Jardim LB, Kampinga HH, Bergink S. Chaperones in Polyglutamine Aggregation: Beyond the Q-Stretch. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:145. [PMID: 28386214 PMCID: PMC5362620 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) stretches in at least nine unrelated proteins lead to inherited neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. The expansion size in all diseases correlates with age at onset (AO) of disease and with polyQ protein aggregation, indicating that the expanded polyQ stretch is the main driving force for the disease onset. Interestingly, there is marked interpatient variability in expansion thresholds for a given disease. Between different polyQ diseases the repeat length vs. AO also indicates the existence of modulatory effects on aggregation of the upstream and downstream amino acid sequences flanking the Q expansion. This can be either due to intrinsic modulation of aggregation by the flanking regions, or due to differential interaction with other proteins, such as the components of the cellular protein quality control network. Indeed, several lines of evidence suggest that molecular chaperones have impact on the handling of different polyQ proteins. Here, we review factors differentially influencing polyQ aggregation: the Q-stretch itself, modulatory flanking sequences, interaction partners, cleavage of polyQ-containing proteins, and post-translational modifications, with a special focus on the role of molecular chaperones. By discussing typical examples of how these factors influence aggregation, we provide more insight on the variability of AO between different diseases as well as within the same polyQ disorder, on the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- E F E Kuiper
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Eduardo P de Mattos
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of GroningenGroningen, Netherlands; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto Alegre, Brazil; Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto AlegrePorto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Laura B Jardim
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto Alegre, Brazil; Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto AlegrePorto Alegre, Brazil; Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Harm H Kampinga
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Steven Bergink
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands
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Lucato CM, Lupton CJ, Halls ML, Ellisdon AM. Amyloidogenicity at a Distance: How Distal Protein Regions Modulate Aggregation in Disease. J Mol Biol 2017; 429:1289-1304. [PMID: 28342736 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The misfolding of proteins to form amyloid is a key pathological feature of several progressive, and currently incurable, diseases. A mechanistic understanding of the pathway from soluble, native protein to insoluble amyloid is crucial for therapeutic design, and recent efforts have helped to elucidate the key molecular events that trigger protein misfolding. Generally, either global or local structural perturbations occur early in amyloidogenesis to expose aggregation-prone regions of the protein that can then self-associate to form toxic oligomers. Surprisingly, these initiating structural changes are often caused or influenced by protein regions distal to the classically amyloidogenic sequences. Understanding the importance of these distal regions in the pathogenic process has highlighted many remaining knowledge gaps regarding the precise molecular events that occur in classic aggregation pathways. In this review, we discuss how these distal regions can influence aggregation in disease and the recent technical and conceptual advances that have allowed this insight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M Lucato
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Christopher J Lupton
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Michelle L Halls
- Drug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Andrew M Ellisdon
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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Grasso G, Tuszynski JA, Morbiducci U, Licandro G, Danani A, Deriu MA. Thermodynamic and kinetic stability of the Josephin Domain closed arrangement: evidences from replica exchange molecular dynamics. Biol Direct 2017; 12:2. [PMID: 28103906 PMCID: PMC5244572 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-016-0173-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular phenomena driving pathological aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases are not completely understood yet. Peculiar is the case of Spinocerebellar Ataxia 3 (SCA3) where the conformational properties of the AT-3 N-terminal region, also called Josephin Domain (JD), play a key role in the first step of aggregation, having the JD an amyloidogenic propensity itself. For this reason, unraveling the intimate relationship between JD structural features and aggregation tendency may lead to a step forward in understanding the pathology and rationally design a cure. In this connection, computational modeling has demonstrated to be helpful in exploring the protein molecular dynamics and mechanism of action. RESULTS Conformational dynamics of the JD is here finely investigated by replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations able to sample the microsecond time scale and to provide both a thermodynamic and kinetic description of the protein conformational changes. Accessible structural conformations of the JD have been identified in: open, intermediate and closed like arrangement. Data indicated the closed JD arrangement as the most likely protein arrangement. The protein transition from closed toward intermediate/open states was characterized by a rate constant higher than 700 ns. This result also explains the inability of classical molecular dynamics to explore transitions from closed to open JD configuration on a time scale of hundreds of nanoseconds. CONCLUSION This work provides the first kinetic estimation of the JD transition pathway from open-like to closed-like arrangement and vice-versa, indicating the closed-like arrangement as the most likely configuration for a JD in water environment. More widely, the importance of our results is also underscored considering that the ability to provide a kinetic description of the protein conformational changes is a scientific challenge for both experimental and theoretical approaches to date. REVIEWERS This article was reviewed by Oliviero Carugo, Bojan Zagrovic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianvito Grasso
- Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Centro Galleria 2, Manno, CH-6928 Switzerland
| | - Jack A. Tuszynski
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, IT-10128 Torino, Italy
| | | | - Ginevra Licandro
- Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Centro Galleria 2, Manno, CH-6928 Switzerland
| | - Andrea Danani
- Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Centro Galleria 2, Manno, CH-6928 Switzerland
| | - Marco A. Deriu
- Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Centro Galleria 2, Manno, CH-6928 Switzerland
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Bemporad F, Ramazzotti M. From the Evolution of Protein Sequences Able to Resist Self-Assembly to the Prediction of Aggregation Propensity. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 329:1-47. [PMID: 28109326 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2016.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Folding of polypeptide chains into biologically active entities is an astonishingly complex process, determined by the nature and the sequence of residues emerging from ribosomes. While it has been long believed that evolution has pressed genomes so that specific sequences could adopt unique, functional three-dimensional folds, it is now clear that complex protein machineries act as quality control system and supervise folding. Notwithstanding that, events such as erroneous folding, partial folding, or misfolding are frequent during the life of a cell or a whole organism, and they can escape controls. One of the possible outcomes of this misbehavior is cross-β aggregation, a super secondary structure which represents the hallmark of self-assembled, well organized, and extremely ordered structures termed amyloid fibrils. What if evolution would have not taken into account such possibilities? Twenty years of research point toward the idea that, in fact, evolution has constantly supervised the risk of errors and minimized their impact. In this review we tried to survey the major findings in the amyloid field, trying to describe what the real pitfalls of protein folding are-from an evolutionary perspective-and how sequence and structural features have evolved to balance the need for perfect, dynamic, functionally efficient structures, and the detrimental effects implicit in the dangerous process of folding. We will discuss how the knowledge obtained from these studies has been employed to produce computational methods able to assess, predict, and discriminate the aggregation properties of protein sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Bemporad
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy.
| | - M Ramazzotti
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy.
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Matos CA, Nóbrega C, Louros SR, Almeida B, Ferreiro E, Valero J, Pereira de Almeida L, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Carvalho AL. Ataxin-3 phosphorylation decreases neuronal defects in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 models. J Cell Biol 2016; 212:465-80. [PMID: 26880203 PMCID: PMC4754714 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201506025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Ataxin-3, the protein involved in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 or Machado-Joseph disease, causes dendritic and synapse loss in cultured neurons when expanded, and mutation of phosphorylation site S12 reduces aggregation, neuronal loss, and synapse loss. Different neurodegenerative diseases are caused by aberrant elongation of repeated glutamine sequences normally found in particular human proteins. Although the proteins involved are ubiquitously distributed in human tissues, toxicity targets only defined neuronal populations. Changes caused by an expanded polyglutamine protein are possibly influenced by endogenous cellular mechanisms, which may be harnessed to produce neuroprotection. Here, we show that ataxin-3, the protein involved in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, also known as Machado-Joseph disease, causes dendritic and synapse loss in cultured neurons when expanded. We report that S12 of ataxin-3 is phosphorylated in neurons and that mutating this residue so as to mimic a constitutive phosphorylated state counters the neuromorphologic defects observed. In rats stereotaxically injected with expanded ataxin-3–encoding lentiviral vectors, mutation of serine 12 reduces aggregation, neuronal loss, and synapse loss. Our results suggest that S12 plays a role in the pathogenic pathways mediated by polyglutamine-expanded ataxin-3 and that phosphorylation of this residue protects against toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Matos
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Clévio Nóbrega
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Susana R Louros
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Bruno Almeida
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular and Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Elisabete Ferreiro
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, 3030-789 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jorge Valero
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal Ikerbasque Basque Foundation for Science and Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Bizkaia Science and Technology Park, E-48170 Zamudio, Spain
| | - Luís Pereira de Almeida
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular and Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Luísa Carvalho
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
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Deriu MA, Grasso G, Tuszynski JA, Gallo D, Morbiducci U, Danani A. Josephin Domain Structural Conformations Explored by Metadynamics in Essential Coordinates. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1004699. [PMID: 26745628 PMCID: PMC4706304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The Josephin Domain (JD), i.e. the N-terminal domain of Ataxin 3 (At3) protein, is an interesting example of competition between physiological function and aggregation risk. In fact, the fibrillogenesis of Ataxin 3, responsible for the spinocerebbellar ataxia 3, is strictly related to the JD thermodynamic stability. Whereas recent NMR studies have demonstrated that different JD conformations exist, the likelihood of JD achievable conformational states in solution is still an open issue. Marked differences in the available NMR models are located in the hairpin region, supporting the idea that JD has a flexible hairpin in dynamic equilibrium between open and closed states. In this work we have carried out an investigation on the JD conformational arrangement by means of both classical molecular dynamics (MD) and Metadynamics employing essential coordinates as collective variables. We provide a representation of the free energy landscape characterizing the transition pathway from a JD open-like structure to a closed-like conformation. Findings of our in silico study strongly point to the closed-like conformation as the most likely for a Josephin Domain in water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A. Deriu
- Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Gianvito Grasso
- Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Jack A. Tuszynski
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Diego Gallo
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Umberto Morbiducci
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Danani
- Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Manno, Switzerland
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Szczepankiewicz O, Linse B, Meisl G, Thulin E, Frohm B, Frigerio CS, Colvin MT, Jacavone AC, Griffin RG, Knowles T, Walsh DM, Linse S. N-Terminal Extensions Retard Aβ42 Fibril Formation but Allow Cross-Seeding and Coaggregation with Aβ42. J Am Chem Soc 2015; 137:14673-85. [PMID: 26535489 PMCID: PMC5412961 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b07849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid β-protein (Aβ) sequence length variants with varying aggregation propensity coexist in vivo, where coaggregation and cross-catalysis phenomena may affect the aggregation process. Until recently, naturally occurring amyloid β-protein (Aβ) variants were believed to begin at or after the canonical β-secretase cleavage site within the amyloid β-protein precursor. However, N-terminally extended forms of Aβ (NTE-Aβ) were recently discovered and may contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Here, we have used thioflavin T fluorescence to study the aggregation kinetics of Aβ42 variants with N-terminal extensions of 5-40 residues, and transmission electron microscopy to analyze the end states. We find that all variants form amyloid fibrils of similar morphology as Aβ42, but the half-time of aggregation (t1/2) increases exponentially with extension length. Monte Carlo simulations of model peptides suggest that the retardation is due to an underlying general physicochemical effect involving reduced frequency of productive molecular encounters. Indeed, global kinetic analyses reveal that NTE-Aβ42s form fibrils via the same mechanism as Aβ42, but all microscopic rate constants (primary and secondary nucleation, elongation) are reduced for the N-terminally extended variants. Still, Aβ42 and NTE-Aβ42 coaggregate to form mixed fibrils and fibrils of either Aβ42 or NTE-Aβ42 catalyze aggregation of all monomers. NTE-Aβ42 monomers display reduced aggregation rate with all kinds of seeds implying that extended termini interfere with the ability of monomers to nucleate or elongate. Cross-seeding or coaggregation may therefore represent an important contribution in the in vivo formation of assemblies believed to be important in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Szczepankiewicz
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, P O Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Björn Linse
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, P O Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Georg Meisl
- Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Thulin
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, P O Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Birgitta Frohm
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, P O Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Carlo Sala Frigerio
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
| | - Michael T. Colvin
- Department of Chemistry and Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Angela C. Jacavone
- Department of Chemistry and Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Robert G. Griffin
- Department of Chemistry and Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Tuomas Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Dominic M. Walsh
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Sara Linse
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University, P O Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
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Lupton CJ, Steer DL, Wintrode PL, Bottomley SP, Hughes VA, Ellisdon AM. Enhanced molecular mobility of ordinarily structured regions drives polyglutamine disease. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:24190-200. [PMID: 26260925 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.659532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine expansion is a hallmark of nine neurodegenerative diseases, with protein aggregation intrinsically linked to disease progression. Although polyglutamine expansion accelerates protein aggregation, the misfolding process is frequently instigated by flanking domains. For example, polyglutamine expansion in ataxin-3 allosterically triggers the aggregation of the catalytic Josephin domain. The molecular mechanism that underpins this allosteric aggregation trigger remains to be determined. Here, we establish that polyglutamine expansion increases the molecular mobility of two juxtaposed helices critical to ataxin-3 deubiquitinase activity. Within one of these helices, we identified a highly amyloidogenic sequence motif that instigates aggregation and forms the core of the growing fibril. Critically, by mutating residues within this key region, we decrease local structural fluctuations to slow ataxin-3 aggregation. This provides significant insight, down to the molecular level, into how polyglutamine expansion drives aggregation and explains the positive correlation between polyglutamine tract length, protein aggregation, and disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Lupton
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, and
| | - David L Steer
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, and
| | - Patrick L Wintrode
- the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Stephen P Bottomley
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, and
| | - Victoria A Hughes
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3800 and
| | - Andrew M Ellisdon
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3800 and
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34
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Infrared nanospectroscopy characterization of oligomeric and fibrillar aggregates during amyloid formation. Nat Commun 2015. [PMID: 26215704 PMCID: PMC4525161 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloids are insoluble protein fibrillar aggregates. The importance of characterizing their aggregation has steadily increased because of their link to human diseases and material science applications. In particular, misfolding and aggregation of the Josephin domain of ataxin-3 is implicated in spinocerebellar ataxia-3. Infrared nanospectroscopy, simultaneously exploiting atomic force microscopy and infrared spectroscopy, can characterize at the nanoscale the conformational rearrangements of proteins during their aggregation. Here we demonstrate that we can individually characterize the oligomeric and fibrillar species formed along the amyloid aggregation. We describe their secondary structure, monitoring at the nanoscale an α-to-β transition, and couple these studies with an independent measurement of the evolution of their intrinsic stiffness. These results suggest that the aggregation of Josephin proceeds from the monomer state to the formation of spheroidal intermediates with a native structure. Only successively, these intermediates evolve into misfolded aggregates and into the final fibrils. The onset of neurodegenerative disorders is associated at the molecular level with insoluble protein aggregates, named amyloids. Here, the authors characterize by infrared nanospectroscopy and nanomechanical studies, the amyloid aggregation at the individual species scale.
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35
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Almeida B, Abreu IA, Matos CA, Fraga JS, Fernandes S, Macedo MG, Gutiérrez-Gallego R, Pereira PJB, Carvalho AL, Macedo-Ribeiro S. SUMOylation of the brain-predominant Ataxin-3 isoform modulates its interaction with p97. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2015; 1852:1950-9. [PMID: 26073430 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2015.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Revised: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD), a form of dominantly inherited ataxia belonging to the group of polyQ expansion neurodegenerative disorders, occurs when a threshold value for the number of glutamines in Ataxin-3 (Atx3) polyglutamine region is exceeded. As a result of its modular multidomain architecture, Atx3 is known to engage in multiple macromolecular interactions, which might be unbalanced when the polyQ tract is expanded, culminating in the aggregation and formation of intracellular inclusions, a unifying fingerprint of this group of neurodegenerative disorders. Since aggregation is specific to certain brain regions, localization-dependent posttranslational modifications that differentially affect Atx3 might also contribute for MJD. METHODS We combined in vitro and cellular approaches to address SUMOylation in the brain-predominant Atx3 isoform and assessed the impact of this posttranslational modification on Atx3 self-assembly and interaction with its native partner, p97. RESULTS We demonstrate that Atx3 is SUMOylated at K356 both in vitro and in cells, which contributes for decreased formation of amyloid fibrils and for increased affinity towards p97. CONCLUSIONS AND GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE These findings highlight the role of SUMOylation as a regulator of Atx3 function, with implications on Atx3 protein interaction network and self-assembly, with potential impact for further understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying MJD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Almeida
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel A Abreu
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Carlos A Matos
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana S Fraga
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Sara Fernandes
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria G Macedo
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Gutiérrez-Gallego
- Bioanalysis Group, Neurosciences Research Program, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM)-Parque de Salud Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro José Barbosa Pereira
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Luísa Carvalho
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
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Scarff CA, Almeida B, Fraga J, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Radford SE, Ashcroft AE. Examination of Ataxin-3 (atx-3) Aggregation by Structural Mass Spectrometry Techniques: A Rationale for Expedited Aggregation upon Polyglutamine (polyQ) Expansion. Mol Cell Proteomics 2015; 14:1241-53. [PMID: 25700012 PMCID: PMC4424396 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m114.044610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Expansion of polyglutamine stretches leads to the formation of polyglutamine-containing neuronal aggregates and neuronal death in nine diseases for which there currently are no treatments or cures. This is largely due to a lack in understanding of the mechanisms by which expanded polyglutamine regions contribute to aggregation and disease. To complicate matters further, several of the polyglutamine-disease related proteins, including ataxin-3, have a multistage aggregation mechanism in which flanking domain self-assembly precedes polyglutamine aggregation yet is influenced by polyglutamine expansion. How polyglutamine expansion influences flanking domain aggregation is poorly understood. Here, we use a combination of mass spectrometry and biophysical approaches to investigate this issue for ataxin-3. We show that the conformational dynamics of the flanking Josephin domain in ataxin-3 with an expanded polyglutamine tract are altered in comparison to those exhibited by its nonexpanded counterpart, specifically within the aggregation-prone region of the Josephin domain (amino acid residues 73–96). Expansion thus exposes this region more frequently in ataxin-3 containing an expanded polyglutamine tract, providing a molecular explanation of why aggregation is accelerated upon polyglutamine expansion. Here, harnessing the power of ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry, oligomeric species formed during aggregation are characterized and a model for oligomer growth proposed. The results suggest that a conformational change occurs at the dimer level that initiates self-assembly. New insights into ataxin-3 fibril architecture are also described, revealing the region of the Josephin domain involved in protofibril formation and demonstrating that polyglutamine aggregation proceeds as a distinct second step after protofibril formation without requiring structural rearrangement of the protofibril core. Overall, the results enable the effect of polyglutamine expansion on every stage of ataxin-3 self-assembly, from monomer through to fibril, to be described and a rationale for expedited aggregation upon polyglutamine expansion to be provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte A Scarff
- From the ‡Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Bruno Almeida
- §IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-4180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Fraga
- §IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-4180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- §IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-4180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sheena E Radford
- From the ‡Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK;
| | - Alison E Ashcroft
- From the ‡Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK;
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de Chiara C, Kelly G, Menon RP, McCormick J, Pastore A. Chemical shift assignment of the ataxin-1 AXH domain in complex with a CIC ligand peptide. BIOMOLECULAR NMR ASSIGNMENTS 2014; 8:325-7. [PMID: 23853075 PMCID: PMC4145211 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-013-9509-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2013] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Ataxin-1 is the protein responsible for the genetically-inherited neurodegenerative disease spinocerebellar ataxia type-1 linked to the expansion of a polyglutamine tract within the protein sequence. The AXH domain of ataxin-1 is essential for the protein to function as a transcriptional co-repressor and mediates the majority of the interactions of ataxin-1 with cellular partners, mainly transcriptional regulators. One of the best characterized ataxin-1 functional partners is Capicua (CIC), a transcriptional repressor involved in signalling pathways that regulate mammalian development, tumorigenesis and, through the interaction with ataxin-1, also neurodegeneration. Complex formation of ataxin-1 with CIC is important both for the function of the wild-type protein and for pathogenesis as transcriptional disregulation is observed since the early stages of the development of the disease. Here we report the (1)H, (13)C and (15)N backbone and side-chain chemical shift assignments of the human ataxin-1 AXH domain in complex with a CIC ligand-peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesira de Chiara
- MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London, NW7 1AA UK
| | - Geoff Kelly
- MRC Biomedical NMR Centre, The Ridgeway, London, NW7 1AA UK
| | - Rajesh P. Menon
- MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London, NW7 1AA UK
| | - John McCormick
- MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London, NW7 1AA UK
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, London, NW7 1AA UK
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Deriu MA, Grasso G, Licandro G, Danani A, Gallo D, Tuszynski JA, Morbiducci U. Investigation of the Josephin Domain protein-protein interaction by molecular dynamics. PLoS One 2014; 9:e108677. [PMID: 25268243 PMCID: PMC4182536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 08/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) 3, the most common form of SCA, is a neurodegenerative rare disease characterized by polyglutamine tract expansion and self-assembly of Ataxin3 (At3) misfolded proteins into highly organized fibrillar aggregates. The At3 N-terminal Josephin Domain (JD) has been suggested as being responsible for mediating the initial phase of the At3 double-step fibrillogenesis. Several issues concerning the residues involved in the JD's aggregation and, more generally, the JD clumping mechanism have not been clarified yet. In this paper we present an investigation focusing on the JD protein-protein interaction by means of molecular modeling. Our results suggest possible aminoacids involved in JD contact together with local and non-local effects following JD dimerization. Surprisingly, JD conformational changes following the binding may involve ubiquitin binding sites and hairpin region even though they do not pertain to the JD interaction surfaces. Moreover, the JD binding event has been found to alter the hairpin open-like conformation toward a closed-like arrangement over the simulated timescale. Finally, our results suggest that the JD aggregation might be a multi-step process, with an initial fast JD-JD binding mainly driven by Arg101, followed by slower structural global rearrangements involving the exposure to the solvent of Leu84-Trp87, which might play a role in a second step of JD aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A. Deriu
- Institute of Computer Integrated Manufacturing for Sustainable Innovation, Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Manno, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Gianvito Grasso
- Institute of Computer Integrated Manufacturing for Sustainable Innovation, Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Ginevra Licandro
- Institute of Computer Integrated Manufacturing for Sustainable Innovation, Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Danani
- Institute of Computer Integrated Manufacturing for Sustainable Innovation, Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Manno, Switzerland
| | - Diego Gallo
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Jack A. Tuszynski
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Umberto Morbiducci
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
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Yang H, Li JJ, Liu S, Zhao J, Jiang YJ, Song AX, Hu HY. Aggregation of polyglutamine-expanded ataxin-3 sequesters its specific interacting partners into inclusions: implication in a loss-of-function pathology. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6410. [PMID: 25231079 PMCID: PMC5377324 DOI: 10.1038/srep06410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ) tract may cause protein misfolding and aggregation that lead to cytotoxicity and neurodegeneration, but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. We applied ataxin-3 (Atx3), a polyQ tract-containing protein, as a model to study sequestration of normal cellular proteins. We found that the aggregates formed by polyQ-expanded Atx3 sequester its interacting partners, such as P97/VCP and ubiquitin conjugates, into the protein inclusions through specific interactions both in vitro and in cells. Moreover, this specific sequestration impairs the normal cellular function of P97 in down-regulating neddylation. However, expansion of polyQ tract in Atx3 does not alter the conformation of its surrounding regions and the interaction affinities with the interacting partners, although it indeed facilitates misfolding and aggregation of the Atx3 protein. Thus, we propose a loss-of-function pathology for polyQ diseases that sequestration of the cellular essential proteins via specific interactions into inclusions by the polyQ aggregates causes dysfunction of the corresponding proteins, and consequently leads to neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jing-Jing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ya-Jun Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ai-Xin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Hong-Yu Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
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40
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de Rosa M, Bemporad F, Pellegrino S, Chiti F, Bolognesi M, Ricagno S. Edge strand engineering prevents native-like aggregation in Sulfolobus solfataricus acylphosphatase. FEBS J 2014; 281:4072-84. [PMID: 24893801 DOI: 10.1111/febs.12861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2014] [Revised: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
β-proteins are constantly threatened by the risk of aggregation because β-sheets are inherently structured for edge-to-edge interactions. To avoid native-like aggregation, evolution has resulted in a set of strategies that prevent intermolecular β-interactions. Acylphosphatase from Sulfolobus solfataricus (Sso AcP) represents a suitable model for the study of such a process. Under conditions promoting aggregation, Sso AcP acquires a native-like conformational state whereby an unstructured N-terminal segment interacts with the edge β-strand B4 of an adjacent Sso AcP molecule. Because B4 is poorly protected against aggregation, this interaction triggers the aggregation cascade without the need for unfolding. Recently, three single Sso AcP mutants (V84D, Y86E and V84P) were designed to engineer additional protection against aggregation in B4 and were observed to successfully impair native-like aggregation in all three variants at the expense of a lower stability. To understand the structural basis of the reduced aggregation propensity and lower stability, the crystal structures of the Sso AcP variants were determined in the present study. Structural analysis reveals that the V84D and Y86E mutations exert protection by the insertion of an edge negative charge. A conformationally less regular B4 underlies protection against aggregation in the V84P mutant. The thermodynamic basis of instability is discussed. Moreover, kinetic experiments indicate that aggregation of the three mutants is not native-like and is independent of the interaction between B4 and the unstructured N-terminal segment. The reported data rationalize previous evidence regarding Sso AcP native-like aggregation and provide a basis for the design of aggregation-free proteins. DATABASE The atomic coordinates and related experimental data for the Sso AcP mutants V84P, V84D, ΔN11 Y86E have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank under accession numbers 4OJ3, 4OJG and 4OJH, respectively. STRUCTURED DIGITAL ABSTRACT • Sso AcP and Sso AcP bind by fluorescence technology (View interaction).
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41
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de Chiara C, Pastore A. Kaleidoscopic protein-protein interactions in the life and death of ataxin-1: new strategies against protein aggregation. Trends Neurosci 2014; 37:211-8. [PMID: 24636457 PMCID: PMC3988977 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2013] [Revised: 01/26/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how proteins protect themselves from aberrant aggregation is of primary interest for understanding basic biology, protein biochemistry, and human disease. We discuss the paradigmatic example of ataxin-1 (Atx1), the protein responsible for neurodegenerative spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). This disease is part of the increasing family of pathologies caused by protein aggregation and misfolding. We discuss the importance of protein-protein interactions not only in the nonpathological function of Atx1 but also in protecting the protein from aggregation and misfolding. The lessons learned from Atx1 may lead to a more general understanding of the cell's protective strategies against aggregation. The obtained knowledge may suggest a new perspective for designing specific therapeutic strategies for the cure of misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesira de Chiara
- National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Medical Research Council (MRC), The Ridgeway, London NW7 1AA, UK
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, King's College London, Denmark Hill Campus, London, UK.
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42
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Ferrolino MC, Zhuravleva A, Budyak IL, Krishnan B, Gierasch LM. Delicate balance between functionally required flexibility and aggregation risk in a β-rich protein. Biochemistry 2013; 52:8843-54. [PMID: 24236614 DOI: 10.1021/bi4013462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Susceptibility to aggregation is general to proteins because of the potential for intermolecular interactions between hydrophobic stretches in their amino acid sequences. Protein aggregation has been implicated in several catastrophic diseases, yet we still lack in-depth understanding about how proteins are channeled to this state. Using a predominantly β-sheet protein whose folding has been explored in detail, cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 1 (CRABP1), as a model, we have tackled the challenge of understanding the links between a protein's natural tendency to fold, 'breathe', and function with its propensity to misfold and aggregate. We identified near-native dynamic species that lead to aggregation and found that inherent structural fluctuations in the native protein, resulting in opening of the ligand-entry portal, expose hydrophobic residues on the most vulnerable aggregation-prone sequences in CRABP1. CRABP1 and related intracellullar lipid-binding proteins have not been reported to aggregate inside cells, and we speculate that the cellular concentration of their open, aggregation-prone conformations is sufficient for ligand binding but below the critical concentration for aggregation. Our finding provides an example of how nature fine-tunes a delicate balance between protein function, conformational variability, and aggregation vulnerability and implies that with the evolutionary requirement for proteins to fold and function, aggregation becomes an unavoidable but controllable risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylene C Ferrolino
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ‡Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and §Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts , Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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43
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Protein-protein interactions as a strategy towards protein-specific drug design: the example of ataxin-1. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76456. [PMID: 24155902 PMCID: PMC3796545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A main challenge for structural biologists is to understand the mechanisms that discriminate between molecular interactions and determine function. Here, we show how partner recognition of the AXH domain of the transcriptional co-regulator ataxin-1 is fine-tuned by a subtle balance between self- and hetero-associations. Ataxin-1 is the protein responsible for the hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, a disease linked to protein aggregation and transcriptional dysregulation. Expansion of a polyglutamine tract is essential for ataxin-1 aggregation, but the sequence-wise distant AXH domain plays an important aggravating role in the process. The AXH domain is also a key element for non-aberrant function as it intervenes in interactions with multiple protein partners. Previous data have shown that AXH is dimeric in solution and forms a dimer of dimers when crystallized. By solving the structure of a complex of AXH with a peptide from the interacting transcriptional repressor CIC, we show that the dimer interface of AXH is displaced by the new interaction and that, when blocked by the CIC peptide AXH aggregation and misfolding are impaired. This is a unique example in which palindromic self- and hetero-interactions within a sequence with chameleon properties discriminate the partner. We propose a drug design strategy for the treatment of SCA1 that is based on the information gained from the AXH/CIC complex.
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44
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Jerič B, Dolenc I, Mihelič M, Klarić M, Zavašnik-Bergant T, Gunčar G, Turk B, Turk V, Stoka V. N-terminally truncated forms of human cathepsin F accumulate in aggresome-like inclusions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2013; 1833:2254-66. [PMID: 23684953 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2013.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2012] [Revised: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The contribution of individual cysteine cathepsins as positive mediators of programmed cell death is dependent on several factors, such as the type of stimuli, intensity and duration of the stimulus, and cell type involved. Of the eleven human cysteine cathepsins, cathepsin F is the only cathepsin that exhibits an extended N-terminal proregion, which contains a cystatin-like domain. We predicted that the wild-type human cathepsin F contains three natively disordered regions within the enzyme's propeptide and various amino acid stretches with high fibrillation propensity. Wild-type human cathepsin F and its N-terminally truncated forms, Ala(20)-Asp(484) (Δ(19)CatF), Pro(126)-Asp(484) (Δ(125)CatF), and Met(147)-Asp(484) (Δ(146)CatF) were cloned into the pcDNA3 vector and overexpressed in HEK 293T cells. Wild-type human cathepsin F displayed a clear vesicular labeling and colocalized with the LAMP2 protein, a lysosomal marker. However, all three N-terminally truncated forms of human cathepsin F were recovered as insoluble proteins, suggesting that the deletion of at least the signal peptides (Δ(19)CatF), results in protein aggregation. Noteworthy, they concentrated large perinuclear-juxtanuclear aggregates that accumulated within aggresome-like inclusions. These inclusions showed p62-positive immunoreactivity and were colocalized with the autophagy marker LC3B, but not with the LAMP2 protein. In addition, an approximately 2-3 fold increase in DEVDase activity was not sufficient to induce apoptotic cell death. These results suggested the clearance of the N-terminally truncated forms of human cathepsin F via the autophagy pathway, underlying its protective and prosurvival mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Jerič
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology, J. Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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45
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Holt C, Carver JA, Ecroyd H, Thorn DC. Invited review: Caseins and the casein micelle: their biological functions, structures, and behavior in foods. J Dairy Sci 2013; 96:6127-46. [PMID: 23958008 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2013-6831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 282] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
A typical casein micelle contains thousands of casein molecules, most of which form thermodynamically stable complexes with nanoclusters of amorphous calcium phosphate. Like many other unfolded proteins, caseins have an actual or potential tendency to assemble into toxic amyloid fibrils, particularly at the high concentrations found in milk. Fibrils do not form in milk because an alternative aggregation pathway is followed that results in formation of the casein micelle. As a result of forming micelles, nutritious milk can be secreted and stored without causing either pathological calcification or amyloidosis of the mother's mammary tissue. The ability to sequester nanoclusters of amorphous calcium phosphate in a stable complex is not unique to caseins. It has been demonstrated using a number of noncasein secreted phosphoproteins and may be of general physiological importance in preventing calcification of other biofluids and soft tissues. Thus, competent noncasein phosphoproteins have similar patterns of phosphorylation and the same type of flexible, unfolded conformation as caseins. The ability to suppress amyloid fibril formation by forming an alternative amorphous aggregate is also not unique to caseins and underlies the action of molecular chaperones such as the small heat-shock proteins. The open structure of the protein matrix of casein micelles is fragile and easily perturbed by changes in its environment. Perturbations can cause the polypeptide chains to segregate into regions of greater and lesser density. As a result, the reliable determination of the native structure of casein micelles continues to be extremely challenging. The biological functions of caseins, such as their chaperone activity, are determined by their composition and flexible conformation and by how the casein polypeptide chains interact with each other. These same properties determine how caseins behave in the manufacture of many dairy products and how they can be used as functional ingredients in other foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Holt
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
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46
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Budyak IL, Krishnan B, Marcelino-Cruz AM, Ferrolino MC, Zhuravleva A, Gierasch LM. Early folding events protect aggregation-prone regions of a β-rich protein. Structure 2013; 21:476-85. [PMID: 23454187 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2013.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Revised: 12/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Protein folding and aggregation inevitably compete with one another. This competition is even keener for proteins with frustrated landscapes, such as those rich in β structure. It is interesting that, despite their rugged energy landscapes and high β sheet content, intracellular lipid-binding proteins (iLBPs) appear to successfully avoid aggregation, as they are not implicated in aggregation diseases. In this study, we used a canonical iLBP, cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 1 (CRABP1), to understand better how folding is favored over aggregation. Analysis of folding kinetics of point mutants reveals that the folding pathway of CRABP1 involves early barrel closure. This folding mechanism protects sequences in CRABP1 that comprise cores of aggregates as identified by nuclear magnetic resonance. The amino acid conservation pattern in other iLBPs suggests that early barrel closure may be a general strategy for successful folding and minimization of aggregation. We suggest that folding mechanisms in general may incorporate steps that disfavor aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan L Budyak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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47
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Scarff CA, Sicorello A, Tomé RJ, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Ashcroft AE, Radford SE. A tale of a tail: Structural insights into the conformational properties of the polyglutamine protein ataxin-3. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY 2013; 345-347:63-70. [PMID: 25844046 PMCID: PMC4375668 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijms.2012.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Revised: 08/22/2012] [Accepted: 08/23/2012] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Ataxin-3 is the protein responsible for the neurodegenerative polyglutamine disease Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. Full structural characterisation of ataxin-3 is required to aid in understanding the mechanism of disease. Despite extensive study, little is known about the conformational properties of the full-length protein, in either its non-expanded healthy or expanded pathogenic forms, particularly since its polyglutamine-containing region has denied structural elucidation. In this work, travelling-wave ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry and limited proteolysis have been used to compare the conformational properties of full-length non-expanded ataxin-3 (14Q) and its isolated N-terminal Josephin domain (JD). Limited proteolysis experiments have confirmed that the JD is stable, being extremely resistant to trypsin digestion, with the exception of the α2/α3 hairpin which is flexible and exposed to protease cleavage in solution. The C-terminal region of ataxin-3 which contains the glutamine-rich sequences is largely unstructured, showing little resistance to limited proteolysis. Using ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry we show that ataxin-3 (14Q) adopts a wide range of conformational states in vitro conferred by the flexibility of its C-terminal tail and the α2/α3 hairpin of the N-terminal JD. This study highlights how the power of MS-based approaches to protein structural characterisation can be particularly useful when the target protein is aggregation-prone and has intrinsically unordered regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte A. Scarff
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Alessandro Sicorello
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Ricardo J.L. Tomé
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alison E. Ashcroft
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Sheena E. Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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48
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Almeida B, Fernandes S, Abreu IA, Macedo-Ribeiro S. Trinucleotide repeats: a structural perspective. Front Neurol 2013; 4:76. [PMID: 23801983 PMCID: PMC3687200 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2013.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansions are present in a wide range of genes involved in several neurological disorders, being directly involved in the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis through modulation of gene expression and/or the function of the RNA or protein it encodes. Structural and functional information on the role of TNR sequences in RNA and protein is crucial to understand the effect of TNR expansions in neurodegeneration. Therefore, this review intends to provide to the reader a structural and functional view of TNR and encoded homopeptide expansions, with a particular emphasis on polyQ expansions and its role at inducing the self-assembly, aggregation and functional alterations of the carrier protein, which culminates in neuronal toxicity and cell death. Detail will be given to the Machado-Joseph Disease-causative and polyQ-containing protein, ataxin-3, providing clues for the impact of polyQ expansion and its flanking regions in the modulation of ataxin-3 molecular interactions, function, and aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Almeida
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto , Porto , Portugal
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49
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Dixit PD, Maslov S. Evolutionary capacitance and control of protein stability in protein-protein interaction networks. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1003023. [PMID: 23592969 PMCID: PMC3617028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to their biological function, protein complexes reduce the exposure of the constituent proteins to the risk of undesired oligomerization by reducing the concentration of the free monomeric state. We interpret this reduced risk as a stabilization of the functional state of the protein. We estimate that protein-protein interactions can account for ~2-4 k(B)T of additional stabilization; a substantial contribution to intrinsic stability. We hypothesize that proteins in the interaction network act as evolutionary capacitors which allows their binding partners to explore regions of the sequence space which correspond to less stable proteins. In the interaction network of baker's yeast, we find that statistically proteins that receive higher energetic benefits from the interaction network are more likely to misfold. A simplified fitness landscape wherein the fitness of an organism is inversely proportional to the total concentration of unfolded proteins provides an evolutionary justification for the proposed trends. We conclude by outlining clear biophysical experiments to test our predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purushottam D. Dixit
- Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, United States of America
| | - Sergei Maslov
- Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, United States of America
- Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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50
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Apicella A, Soncini M, Deriu MA, Natalello A, Bonanomi M, Dellasega D, Tortora P, Regonesi ME, Casari CS. A hydrophobic gold surface triggers misfolding and aggregation of the amyloidogenic Josephin domain in monomeric form, while leaving the oligomers unaffected. PLoS One 2013; 8:e58794. [PMID: 23527026 PMCID: PMC3602447 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation in intracellular and extracellular spaces is regarded as a main marker of the presence of degenerative disorders such as amyloidoses. To elucidate the mechanisms of protein misfolding, the interaction of proteins with inorganic surfaces is of particular relevance, since surfaces displaying different wettability properties may represent model systems of the cell membrane. Here, we unveil the role of surface hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity in the misfolding of the Josephin domain (JD), a globular-shaped domain of ataxin-3, the protein responsible for the spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. By means of a combined experimental and theoretical approach based on atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal changes in JD morphology and secondary structure elicited by the interaction with the hydrophobic gold substrate, but not by the hydrophilic mica. Our results demonstrate that the interaction with the gold surface triggers misfolding of the JD when it is in native-like configuration, while no structural modification is observed after the protein has undergone oligomerization. This raises the possibility that biological membranes would be unable to affect amyloid oligomeric structures and toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Apicella
- Energy Department and NEMAS – Center for NanoEngineered Materials and Surfaces, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Département Science et Génie des Matériaux Laboratoire de technologie des composites et polymères (LTC), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Monica Soncini
- Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
- * E-mail: (MS); (MER)
| | - Marco Agostino Deriu
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (DIMEAS), Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Antonino Natalello
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Bonanomi
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - David Dellasega
- Energy Department and NEMAS – Center for NanoEngineered Materials and Surfaces, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Tortora
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Elena Regonesi
- Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods (DiSMeQ), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- * E-mail: (MS); (MER)
| | - Carlo Spartaco Casari
- Energy Department and NEMAS – Center for NanoEngineered Materials and Surfaces, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Center for Nano Science and Technology @Polimi, Italian Institute of Technology, Milan, Italy
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