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Weston LJ, Cook ZT, Stackhouse TL, Sal MK, Schultz BI, Tobias ZJC, Osterberg VR, Brockway NL, Pizano S, Glover G, Weissman TA, Unni VK. In vivo aggregation of presynaptic alpha-synuclein is not influenced by its phosphorylation at serine-129. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 152:105291. [PMID: 33556542 PMCID: PMC10405908 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal aggregation of the α-synuclein protein is a key molecular feature of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. The precise mechanisms that trigger α-synuclein aggregation are unclear, and it is not known what role aggregation plays in disease pathogenesis. Here we use an in vivo zebrafish model to express several different forms of human α-synuclein and measure its aggregation in presynaptic terminals. We show that human α-synuclein tagged with GFP can be expressed in zebrafish neurons, localizing normally to presynaptic terminals and undergoing phosphorylation at serine-129, as in mammalian neurons. The visual advantages of the zebrafish system allow for dynamic in vivo imaging to study α-synuclein, including the use of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) techniques to probe protein mobility. These experiments reveal three distinct terminal pools of α-synuclein with varying mobility, likely representing different subpopulations of aggregated and non-aggregated protein. Human α-synuclein is phosphorylated by an endogenous zebrafish Polo-like kinase activity, and there is a heterogeneous population of neurons containing either very little or extensive phosphorylation throughout the axonal arbor. Both pharmacological and genetic manipulations of serine-129 show that phosphorylation of α-synuclein at this site does not significantly affect its mobility. This suggests that serine-129 phosphorylation alone does not promote α-synuclein aggregation. Together our results show that human α-synuclein can be expressed and measured quantitatively in zebrafish, and that disease-relevant post-translational modifications occur within neurons. The zebrafish model provides a powerful in vivo system for measuring and manipulating α-synuclein function and aggregation, and for developing new treatments for neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah J Weston
- Lewis & Clark College, Biology Department, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | - Zoe T Cook
- Lewis & Clark College, Biology Department, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | | | - Mehtab K Sal
- Lewis & Clark College, Biology Department, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | | | | | - Valerie R Osterberg
- Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | | | - Saheli Pizano
- Lewis & Clark College, Biology Department, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | - Greta Glover
- Lewis & Clark College, Biology Department, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | | | - Vivek K Unni
- Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
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Cuchillo R, Pinto-Gil K, Michel J. A Collective Variable for the Rapid Exploration of Protein Druggability. J Chem Theory Comput 2015; 11:1292-307. [PMID: 26579775 DOI: 10.1021/ct501072t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Cuchillo
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, Joseph Black Building, West Mains
Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin Pinto-Gil
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, Joseph Black Building, West Mains
Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, United Kingdom
| | - Julien Michel
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, Joseph Black Building, West Mains
Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, United Kingdom
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Park YI, Do KH, Kim IS, Park HH. Structural and functional studies of casein kinase I-like protein from rice. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2012; 53:304-311. [PMID: 22199373 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcr175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Casein kinase I (CKI) is a protein serine/threonine kinase that is highly conserved from plants to animals. It performs various functions in both the cytoplasm and nucleus, such as DNA repair, cell cycle, cytokinesis, vesicular trafficking, morphogenesis and circadian rhythm. CKI proteins contain a highly conserved kinase domain responsible for catalytic activity at the N-terminus and a highly diverse regulatory domain responsible for determining substrate specificity at the C-terminus. CKI-like protein has been identified in plants, including in rice, but its function and structure have not been reported. Here, we report the 2.0 Å crystal structure of the kinase domain of CKI-like protein from rice. Although the structure adopts the typical bi-lobal kinase architecture, the length and orientation of the glycine-rich ATP-binding motif are dynamic within the CKI family. A loop between α5 and α6 (the α5-α6 loop), which was previously not detected in the CKI family because of flexibility, was clearly detected in our structure. In addition, we identified a lipase as a substrate of CKI-like protein from rice. Phosphorylation of the lipase dramatically reduced its catalytic activity, suggesting that CKI may play a role in the regulation of lipase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Il Park
- School of Life Science and Biotechnology at Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
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N. Murugan R, Park JE, Kim EH, Shin SY, Cheong C, Lee KS, Bang JK. Plk1-targeted small molecule inhibitors: molecular basis for their potency and specificity. Mol Cells 2011; 32:209-20. [PMID: 21809214 PMCID: PMC3887635 DOI: 10.1007/s10059-011-0126-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of polo-like kinases (collectively, Plks) have been identified in various eukaryotic organisms and play pivotal roles in cell proliferation. They are characterized by the presence of a distinct region of homology in the C-terminal noncatalytic domain, called polo-box domain (PBD). Among them, Plk1 and its functional homologs in other organisms have been best characterized because of its strong association with tumorigenesis. Plk1 is overexpressed in a wide spectrum of cancers in humans, and is thought to be an attractive anti-cancer drug target. Plk1 offers, within one molecule, two functionally different drug targets with distinct properties-the N-terminal catalytic domain and the C-terminal PBD essential for targeting the catalytic activity of Plk1 to specific subcellular locations. In this review, we focused on discussing the recent development of small-molecule and phosphopeptide inhibitors for their potency and specificity against Plk1. Our effort in understanding the binding mode of various inhibitors to Plk1 PBD are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jung-Eun Park
- Laboratory of Metabolism, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Song Yub Shin
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Korea
| | | | - Kyung S Lee
- Laboratory of Metabolism, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Recent Papers on Zebrafish and Other Aquarium Fish Models. Zebrafish 2008. [DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2008.9987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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