Characterization and enzymatic degradation of Sup35NM, a yeast prion-like protein

Metal Nanomaterials and Hydrolytic Enzyme-Based Formulations for Improved Antifungal Activity

Active research of metal-containing compounds and enzymes as effective antifungal agents is currently being conducted due to the growing antifungal resistance problem. Metals are attracting special attention due to the wide variety of ligands that can be used for them, including chemically synthesized and naturally obtained variants as a result of the so-called "green synthesis". The main mechanism of the antifungal action of metals is the triggering of the generation and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Further action of ROS on various biomolecules is nonspecific. Various hydrolytic enzymes (glucanases and proteases), in turn, exhibit antifungal properties by affecting the structural elements of fungal cells (cell walls, membranes), fungal quorum sensing molecules, fungal own protective agents (mycotoxins and antibiotics), and proteins responsible for the adhesion and formation of stable, highly concentrated populations in the form of biofilms. A wide substrate range of enzymes allows the use of various mechanisms of their antifungal actions. In this review, we discuss the prospects of combining two different types of antifungal agents (metals and enzymes) against mycelial fungi and yeast cells. Special attention is paid to the possible influence of metals on the activity of the enzymes and the possible effects of proteins on the antifungal activity of metal-containing compounds.

Specific keratinase derived designer peptides potently inhibit Aβ aggregation resulting in reduced neuronal toxicity and apoptosis

Compelling evidence implicates self-assembly of amyloid-β (Aβ1–42) peptides into soluble oligomers and fibrils as a major underlying event in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Herein, we employed amyloid-degrading keratinase (kerA) enzyme as a key Aβ1–42-binding scaffold to identify five keratinase-guided peptides (KgPs) capable of interacting with and altering amyloidogenic conversion of Aβ1–42. The KgPs showed micromolar affinities with Aβ1–42 and abolished its sigmoidal amyloidogenic transition, resulting in abrogation of fibrillogenesis. Comprehensive assessment using dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed that KgPs induced the formation of off-pathway oligomers comparatively larger than the native Aβ1–42 oligomers but with a significantly reduced cross-β signature. These off-pathway oligomers exhibited low immunoreactivity against oligomer-specific (A11) and fibril-specific (OC) antibodies and rescued neuronal cells from Aβ1–42 oligomer toxicity as well as neuronal apoptosis. Structural analysis using molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations showed two preferred KgP binding sites (Lys16–Phe20 and Leu28–Val39) on the NMR ensembles of monomeric and fibrillar Aβ1–42, indicating an interruption of crucial hydrophobic and aromatic interactions. Overall, our results demonstrate a new approach for designing potential anti-amyloid molecules that could pave way for developing effective therapeutics against AD and other amyloid diseases.

The copper transport-associated protein Ctr4 can form prion-like epigenetic determinants in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Prions are protein-based infectious entities associated with fatal brain diseases in animals, but also modify a range of host-cell phenotypes in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Many questions remain about the evolution and biology of prions. Although several functionally distinct prion-forming proteins exist in S. cerevisiae, [HET-s] of Podospora anserina is the only other known fungal prion. Here we investigated prion-like, protein-based epigenetic transmission in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We show that S. pombe cells can support the formation and maintenance of the prion form of the S. cerevisiae Sup35 translation factor [PSI⁺], and that the formation and propagation of these Sup35 aggregates is inhibited by guanidine hydrochloride, indicating commonalities in prion propagation machineries in these evolutionary diverged yeasts. A proteome-wide screen identified the Ctr4 copper transporter subunit as a putative prion with a predicted prion-like domain. Overexpression of the ctr4 gene resulted in large Ctr4 protein aggregates that were both detergent and proteinase-K resistant. Cells carrying such [CTR⁺] aggregates showed increased sensitivity to oxidative stress, and this phenotype could be transmitted to aggregate-free [ctr^-] cells by transformation with [CTR⁺] cell extracts. Moreover, this [CTR⁺] phenotype was inherited in a non-Mendelian manner following mating with naïve [ctr^-] cells, but intriguingly the [CTR⁺] phenotype was not eliminated by guanidine-hydrochloride treatment. Thus, Ctr4 exhibits multiple features diagnostic of other fungal prions and is the first example of a prion in fission yeast. These findings suggest that transmissible protein-based determinants of traits may be more widespread among fungi.

Thermostable keratinase from Bacillus pumilus KS12: production, chitin crosslinking and degradation of Sup35NM aggregates

Production of thermostable keratinase from Bacillus pumilus KS12 was enhanced up to seven fold by statistical methods. The enzyme was partially purified by ultrafiltration followed by thermal precipitation with purity of 3.2-fold and recovery of 89%. Keratinase was immobilized using covalent method by crosslinking 2 mg protein (688 U/mg) onto 1g chitin activated with 2.5% (v/v) glutaraldehyde for 60 min. Its comparative biochemical studies with that of free keratinase revealed the shift in optimum pH with increased stability towards pH from 9.0 to 10.0 and temperature. Also, it showed statistically significant improved hydrolysis of a number of soluble and insoluble substrates in comparison to free keratinase. Owing to improved catalytic efficiency of immobilized keratinase, its potential for degradation of Sup35NM was evaluated, where 100 μg of enzyme could degrade 60 μg Sup35NM after 60 min at pH 7.0 and 37°C.

Coupled action of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase-glutathione and keratinase effectively degrades feather keratin and surrogate prion protein, Sup 35NM

Recombinant Escherichia coli HB101 harboring keratinase rKP2 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa KS-1 degraded 2% chicken feather in LB-Amp medium in 24h. SEM analysis and detailed studies revealed that bacterial colonization of feather was a pre-requisite for degradation of feather by keratinase. The mechanism of sulfitolysis revealed involvement of free cystinyl group as a source of redox during colonization as DTNB inhibited feather degradation by rKP2. Involvement of GGT-GSH system in contribution of free cystinyl group for redox was established by using GGT knockout recombinant E. coli strain that failed to degrade feather inspite of successful colonization and keratinase production. Short term experiments further confirmed enhanced protein release from feather keratin in presence of GGT-GSH redox. In the presence of similar redox, rKP2 also degraded surrogate prion protein, Sup 35NM in 15 min at 37°C, pH 7.0.

Prefibrillar aggregates of yeast prion Sup35NM and its variant are toxic to mammalian cells

The deposition of proteins as insoluble amyloid aggregates is a characteristic feature of more than 20 degenerative conditions. A growing body of evidence indicates that the oligomeric species formed by proteins, but not the mature fibrils, are inherently toxic and are associated with clinical diseases. The N-terminal and middle region of Sup35 (Sup35NM), a yeast prion, can assemble into oligomers and fibrils. Here we analyze the cytotoxicity of different aggregates of Sup35NM and its variant, the proteins that is not associated with clinical disease. Our results showed that prefibrillar aggregates generated from Sup35NM and its variant Sup35NM-1 were toxic to cultured mammalian cells. In addition, the activation of caspase-3, 8, and 9 were detected, suggesting that apoptosis was involved in the observed cytotoxicity. Our findings provide evidence for the underlying mechanism of amyloid aggregate-induced cytotoxicity and suggest that it may arise from common structural features of the aggregates rather than from primary amino acid sequences.

Effects of randomizing the Sup35NM prion domain sequence on formation of amyloid fibrils in vitro

The mechanism by which proteins aggregate and form amyloid fibrils is still elusive. In order to preclude interference by cellular factors and to clarify the role of the primary sequence of Sup35p prion domain in formation of amyloid fibrils, we generated five Sup35NM variants by randomizing amino acid sequences in PrDs without altering the amino acid composition and analyzed the in vitro process of amyloid fibril formation. The results showed that each of the five Sup35NM variants polymerized into amyloid fibrils in vitro under native conditions. Furthermore, the Sup35NM variants showed differences in their aggregation time courses. These findings indicate that specific amino acid sequence features in PrD can modify the rate of conversion of Sup35p into amyloid fibrils in vitro.