1
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Teruya K, Oguma A, Iwabuchi S, Nishizawa K, Doh-Ura K. Combination of Styrylbenzoazole Compound and Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Enhances Therapeutic Effect in Prion-Infected Mice. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:4705-4711. [PMID: 38114760 PMCID: PMC11236910 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03852-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal transmissible neurodegenerative disorders. Tremendous efforts have been made for prion diseases; however, no effective treatment is available. Several anti-prion compounds have a preference for which prion strains or prion-infected animal models to target. Styrylbenzoazole compound called cpd-B is effective in RML prion-infected mice but less so in 263K prion-infected mice, whereas hydroxypropyl methylcellulose is effective in 263K prion-infected mice but less so in RML prion-infected mice. In the present study, we developed a combination therapy of cpd-B and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose expecting synergistic effects in both RML prion-infected mice and 263K prion-infected mice. A single subcutaneous administration of this combination had substantially a synergistic effect in RML prion-infected mice but had no additive effect in 263K prion-infected mice. These results showed that the effect of cpd-B was enhanced by hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. The complementary nature of the two compounds in efficacy against prion strains, chemical properties, pharmacokinetics, and physical properties appears to have contributed to the effective combination therapy. Our results pave the way for the strategy of new anti-prion agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Teruya
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
| | - Ayumi Oguma
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Sara Iwabuchi
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Keiko Nishizawa
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Katsumi Doh-Ura
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-Machi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
- Faculty of Medical Science & Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
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2
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Zayed M, Kook SH, Jeong BH. Potential Therapeutic Use of Stem Cells for Prion Diseases. Cells 2023; 12:2413. [PMID: 37830627 PMCID: PMC10571911 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders that are progressive, incurable, and deadly. The prion consists of PrPSc, the misfolded pathogenic isoform of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). PrPC is involved in a variety of physiological functions, including cellular proliferation, adhesion, differentiation, and neural development. Prion protein is expressed on the membrane surface of a variety of stem cells (SCs), where it plays an important role in the pluripotency and self-renewal matrix, as well as in SC differentiation. SCs have been found to multiply the pathogenic form of the prion protein, implying their potential as an in vitro model for prion diseases. Furthermore, due to their capability to self-renew, differentiate, immunomodulate, and regenerate tissue, SCs are prospective cell treatments in many neurodegenerative conditions, including prion diseases. Regenerative medicine has become a new revolution in disease treatment in recent years, particularly with the introduction of SC therapy. Here, we review the data demonstrating prion diseases' biology and molecular mechanism. SC biology, therapeutic potential, and its role in understanding prion disease mechanisms are highlighted. Moreover, we summarize preclinical studies that use SCs in prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Zayed
- Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54531, Republic of Korea;
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences, Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
- Department of Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
| | - Sung-Ho Kook
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences, Research Center of Bioactive Materials, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Hoon Jeong
- Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54531, Republic of Korea;
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences, Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
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3
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Vallabh SM, Zou D, Pitstick R, O’Moore J, Peters J, Silvius D, Kriz J, Jackson WS, Carlson GA, Minikel EV, Cabin DE. Therapeutic Trial of anle138b in Mouse Models of Genetic Prion Disease. J Virol 2023; 97:e0167222. [PMID: 36651748 PMCID: PMC9973041 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01672-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic screening has yielded small-molecule inhibitors of prion replication that are effective in vivo against certain prion strains but not others. Here, we sought to test the small molecule anle138b in multiple mouse models of prion disease. In mice inoculated with the RML strain of prions, anle138b doubled survival and durably suppressed astrogliosis measured by live-animal bioluminescence imaging. In knock-in mouse models of the D178N and E200K mutations that cause genetic prion disease, however, we were unable to identify a clear, quantifiable disease endpoint against which to measure therapeutic efficacy. Among untreated animals, the mutations did not impact overall survival, and bioluminescence remained low out to >20 months of age. Vacuolization and PrP deposition were observed in some brain regions in a subset of mutant animals but appeared to be unable to carry the weight of a primary endpoint in a therapeutic study. We conclude that not all animal models of prion disease are suited to well-powered therapeutic efficacy studies, and care should be taken in choosing the models that will support drug development programs. IMPORTANCE There is an urgent need to develop drugs for prion disease, a currently untreatable neurodegenerative disease. In this effort, there is a debate over which animal models can best support a drug development program. While the study of prion disease benefits from excellent animal models because prions naturally afflict many different mammals, different models have different capabilities and limitations. Here, we conducted a therapeutic efficacy study of the drug candidate anle138b in mouse models with two of the most common mutations that cause genetic prion disease. In a more typical model where prions are injected directly into the brain, we found anle138b to be effective. In the genetic models, however, the animals never reached a clear, measurable point of disease onset. We conclude that not all prion disease animal models are ideally suited to drug efficacy studies, and well-defined, quantitative disease metrics should be a priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia M. Vallabh
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Prion Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dan Zou
- Montana Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Rose Pitstick
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, USA
| | - Jill O’Moore
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, USA
| | - Janet Peters
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, USA
| | - Derek Silvius
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, USA
| | - Jasna Kriz
- Cervo Brain Research Center, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Walker S. Jackson
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - George A. Carlson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California—San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Eric Vallabh Minikel
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Prion Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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4
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Beauchemin KS, Rees JR, Supattapone S. Alternating anti-prion regimens reduce combination drug resistance but do not further extend survival in scrapie-infected mice. J Gen Virol 2021; 102:001705. [PMID: 34904943 PMCID: PMC8744272 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal and infectious neurodegenerative diseases in humans and other mammals caused by templated misfolding of the endogenous prion protein (PrP). Although there is currently no vaccine or therapy against prion disease, several classes of small-molecule compounds have been shown to increase disease-free incubation time in prion-infected mice. An apparent obstacle to effective anti-prion therapy is the emergence of drug-resistant strains during static therapy with either single compounds or multi-drug combination regimens. Here, we treated scrapie-infected mice with dynamic regimens that alternate between different classes of anti-prion drugs. The results show that alternating regimens containing various combinations of Anle138b, IND24 and IND116135 reduce the incidence of combination drug resistance, but do not significantly increase long-term disease-free survival compared to monotherapy. Furthermore, the alternating regimens induced regional vacuolation profiles resembling those generated by a single component of the alternating regimen, suggesting the emergence of strain dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn S. Beauchemin
- Departments of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Judy R. Rees
- Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA,Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Surachai Supattapone
- Departments of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA,Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA,*Correspondence: Surachai Supattapone,
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5
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Arshad H, Patel Z, Mehrabian M, Bourkas MEC, Al-Azzawi ZAM, Schmitt-Ulms G, Watts JC. The aminoglycoside G418 hinders de novo prion infection in cultured cells. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101073. [PMID: 34390689 PMCID: PMC8413896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of prions and the discovery of candidate therapeutics for prion disease have been facilitated by the ability of prions to replicate in cultured cells. Paradigms in which prion proteins from different species are expressed in cells with low or no expression of endogenous prion protein (PrP) have expanded the range of prion strains that can be propagated. In these systems, cells stably expressing a PrP of interest are typically generated via coexpression of a selectable marker and treatment with an antibiotic. Here, we report the unexpected discovery that the aminoglycoside G418 (Geneticin) interferes with the ability of stably transfected cultured cells to become infected with prions. In G418-resistant lines of N2a or CAD5 cells, the presence of G418 reduced levels of protease-resistant PrP following challenge with the RML or 22L strains of mouse prions. G418 also interfered with the infection of cells expressing hamster PrP with the 263K strain of hamster prions. Interestingly, G418 had minimal to no effect on protease-resistant PrP levels in cells with established prion infection, arguing that G418 selectively interferes with de novo prion infection. As G418 treatment had no discernible effect on cellular PrP levels or its localization, this suggests that G418 may specifically target prion assemblies or processes involved in the earliest stages of prion infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Arshad
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zeel Patel
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mohadeseh Mehrabian
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Matthew E C Bourkas
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zaid A M Al-Azzawi
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gerold Schmitt-Ulms
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joel C Watts
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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6
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Human cerebral organoids as a therapeutic drug screening model for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5165. [PMID: 33727594 PMCID: PMC7943797 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84689-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a fatal, currently incurable, neurodegenerative disease. The search for candidate treatments would be greatly facilitated by the availability of human cell-based models of prion disease. Recently, an induced pluripotent stem cell derived human cerebral organoid model was shown to take up and propagate human CJD prions. This model offers new opportunities to screen drug candidates for the treatment of human prion diseases in an entirely human genetic background. Here we provide the first evidence that human cerebral organoids can be a viable model for CJD drug screening by using an established anti-prion compound, pentosan polysulfate (PPS). PPS delayed prion propagation in a prophylactic-like treatment paradigm and also alleviated propagation when applied following establishment of infection in a therapeutic-like treatment paradigm. This study demonstrates the utility of cerebral organoids as the first human 3D cell culture system for screening therapeutic drug candidates for human prion diseases.
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7
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Rahman MU, Rehman AU, Arshad T, Chen HF. Disaggregation mechanism of prion amyloid for tweezer inhibitor. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 176:510-519. [PMID: 33607137 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.02.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aggregation of amyloid has been an important event in the pathology of amyloidogenicity. A number of small molecules have been designed for Amyloidosis treatment. Molecular tweezer CLR01, a potential drug for misfolded β-amyloids inhibition, was reportedly bind directly to Lysine residues and interrupt oligomerization. However, the disaggregation mechanism of amyloid for this inhibitor is unclear. Here we used long timescale of molecular dynamic simulation to reveal the mechanism of disaggregation for pentamer prion amyloid. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation demonstrate that CLR01 is attached with Lysine222 nitrogen by π-cation interaction of its nine aromatic rings and formation of salt bridge/hydrogen bond of one of the two rotatable peripheral anionic phosphate groups. Upon CLR01 binding, we found a major shifting occurs in initial conformation of the oligomer and stretch out the N-terminal chain A from the rest of the amyloid which seems to be the first stage of disaggregated the fibrils slowly yet efficiently. Moreover, the CLR01 remodelled the pentamer Prion220-272 into a compact structure which might be the resistant conformation for further oligomerization. Our work will contribute to better understand the interaction and deterioration mechanism of molecular tweezer for prions and similar amyloids, and offer significant insights into therapeutic development for Amyloidosis treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mueed Ur Rahman
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Ashfaq Ur Rehman
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Taaha Arshad
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Hai-Feng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; Shanghai Center for Bioinformation Technology, Shanghai 200235, China.
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8
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Mustazza C, Sbriccoli M, Minosi P, Raggi C. Small Molecules with Anti-Prion Activity. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:5446-5479. [PMID: 31560283 DOI: 10.2174/0929867326666190927121744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Prion pathologies are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by the misfolding of the physiological Prion Protein (PrPC) into a β-structure-rich isoform called PrPSc. To date, there is no available cure for prion diseases and just a few clinical trials have been carried out. The initial approach in the search of anti-prion agents had PrPSc as a target, but the existence of different prion strains arising from alternative conformations of PrPSc, limited the efficacy of the ligands to a straindependent ability. That has shifted research to PrPC ligands, which either act as chaperones, by stabilizing the native conformation, or inhibit its interaction with PrPSc. The role of transition-metal mediated oxidation processes in prion misfolding has also been investigated. Another promising approach is the indirect action via other cellular targets, like membrane domains or the Protein- Folding Activity of Ribosomes (PFAR). Also, new prion-specific high throughput screening techniques have been developed. However, so far no substance has been found to be able to extend satisfactorily survival time in animal models of prion diseases. This review describes the main features of the Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) of the various chemical classes of anti-prion agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Mustazza
- National Centre for Control and Evaluation of Medicines, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Sbriccoli
- Department of Neurosciences, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Minosi
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Raggi
- National Centre for Control and Evaluation of Medicines, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
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9
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Minikel EV, Zhao HT, Le J, O'Moore J, Pitstick R, Graffam S, Carlson GA, Kavanaugh MP, Kriz J, Kim JB, Ma J, Wille H, Aiken J, McKenzie D, Doh-Ura K, Beck M, O'Keefe R, Stathopoulos J, Caron T, Schreiber SL, Carroll JB, Kordasiewicz HB, Cabin DE, Vallabh SM. Prion protein lowering is a disease-modifying therapy across prion disease stages, strains and endpoints. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:10615-10631. [PMID: 32776089 PMCID: PMC7641729 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Lowering of prion protein (PrP) expression in the brain is a genetically validated therapeutic hypothesis in prion disease. We recently showed that antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-mediated PrP suppression extends survival and delays disease onset in intracerebrally prion-infected mice in both prophylactic and delayed dosing paradigms. Here, we examine the efficacy of this therapeutic approach across diverse paradigms, varying the dose and dosing regimen, prion strain, treatment timepoint, and examining symptomatic, survival, and biomarker readouts. We recapitulate our previous findings with additional PrP-targeting ASOs, and demonstrate therapeutic benefit against four additional prion strains. We demonstrate that <25% PrP suppression is sufficient to extend survival and delay symptoms in a prophylactic paradigm. Rise in both neuroinflammation and neuronal injury markers can be reversed by a single dose of PrP-lowering ASO administered after the detection of pathological change. Chronic ASO-mediated suppression of PrP beginning at any time up to early signs of neuropathology confers benefit similar to constitutive heterozygous PrP knockout. Remarkably, even after emergence of frank symptoms including weight loss, a single treatment prolongs survival by months in a subset of animals. These results support ASO-mediated PrP lowering, and PrP-lowering therapeutics in general, as a promising path forward against prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vallabh Minikel
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Prion Alliance, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hien T Zhao
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
| | - Jason Le
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jill O'Moore
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, MT 59405, USA
| | - Rose Pitstick
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, MT 59405, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jasna Kriz
- Cervo Brain Research Center, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
| | | | - Jiyan Ma
- Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Holger Wille
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Judd Aiken
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada
| | | | - Katsumi Doh-Ura
- Department of Neurochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8575, Japan
| | - Matthew Beck
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Rhonda O'Keefe
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Tyler Caron
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Stuart L Schreiber
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | | | | | - Sonia M Vallabh
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Prion Alliance, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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10
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Reidenbach AG, Mesleh MF, Casalena D, Vallabh SM, Dahlin JL, Leed AJ, Chan AI, Usanov DL, Yehl JB, Lemke CT, Campbell AJ, Shah RN, Shrestha OK, Sacher JR, Rangel VL, Moroco JA, Sathappa M, Nonato MC, Nguyen KT, Wright SK, Liu DR, Wagner FF, Kaushik VK, Auld DS, Schreiber SL, Minikel EV. Multimodal small-molecule screening for human prion protein binders. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:13516-13531. [PMID: 32723867 PMCID: PMC7521658 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion disease is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by misfolding and aggregation of the prion protein (PrP), and there are currently no therapeutic options. PrP ligands could theoretically antagonize prion formation by protecting the native protein from misfolding or by targeting it for degradation, but no validated small-molecule binders have been discovered to date. We deployed a variety of screening methods in an effort to discover binders of PrP, including 19F-observed and saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF), DNA-encoded library selection, and in silico screening. A single benzimidazole compound was confirmed in concentration-response, but affinity was very weak (Kd > 1 mm), and it could not be advanced further. The exceptionally low hit rate observed here suggests that PrP is a difficult target for small-molecule binders. Whereas orthogonal binder discovery methods could yield high-affinity compounds, non-small-molecule modalities may offer independent paths forward against prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Reidenbach
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael F Mesleh
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dominick Casalena
- Facilitated Access to Screening Technologies (FAST) Lab, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sonia M Vallabh
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Prion Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jayme L Dahlin
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alison J Leed
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alix I Chan
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dmitry L Usanov
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jenna B Yehl
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christopher T Lemke
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Arthur J Campbell
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rishi N Shah
- Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Om K Shrestha
- Facilitated Access to Screening Technologies (FAST) Lab, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joshua R Sacher
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Victor L Rangel
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jamie A Moroco
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Murugappan Sathappa
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maria Cristina Nonato
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kong T Nguyen
- Artificial Intelligence Molecular Screen (AIMS) Awards Program, Atomwise, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - S Kirk Wright
- Facilitated Access to Screening Technologies (FAST) Lab, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA; Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Florence F Wagner
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Virendar K Kaushik
- Center for the Development of Therapeutics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Douglas S Auld
- Facilitated Access to Screening Technologies (FAST) Lab, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stuart L Schreiber
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eric Vallabh Minikel
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Prion Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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11
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Saravanan KM, Zhang H, Zhang H, Xi W, Wei Y. On the Conformational Dynamics of β-Amyloid Forming Peptides: A Computational Perspective. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:532. [PMID: 32656188 PMCID: PMC7325929 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the conformational dynamics of proteins and peptides involved in important functions is still a difficult task in computational structural biology. Because such conformational transitions in β-amyloid (Aβ) forming peptides play a crucial role in many neurological disorders, researchers from different scientific fields have been trying to address issues related to the folding of Aβ forming peptides together. Many theoretical models have been proposed in the recent years for studying Aβ peptides using mathematical, physicochemical, and molecular dynamics simulation, and machine learning approaches. In this article, we have comprehensively reviewed the developmental advances in the theoretical models for Aβ peptide folding and interactions, particularly in the context of neurological disorders. Furthermore, we have extensively reviewed the advances in molecular dynamics simulation as a tool used for studying the conversions between polymorphic amyloid forms and applications of using machine learning approaches in predicting Aβ peptides and aggregation-prone regions in proteins. We have also provided details on the theoretical advances in the study of Aβ peptides, which would enhance our understanding of these peptides at the molecular level and eventually lead to the development of targeted therapies for certain acute neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Wenhui Xi
- Center for High Performance Computing, Joint Engineering Research Center for Health Big Data Intelligent Analysis Technology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yanjie Wei
- Center for High Performance Computing, Joint Engineering Research Center for Health Big Data Intelligent Analysis Technology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
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12
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Towards a treatment for genetic prion disease: trials and biomarkers. Lancet Neurol 2020; 19:361-368. [PMID: 32199098 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(19)30403-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Prion disease is a rare, fatal, and exceptionally rapid neurodegenerative disease. Although incurable, prion disease follows a clear pathogenic mechanism, in which a single gene gives rise to a single prion protein (PrP) capable of converting into the sole causal disease agent, the misfolded prion. As efforts progress to leverage this mechanistic knowledge toward rational therapies, a principal challenge will be the design of clinical trials. Previous trials in prion disease have been done in symptomatic patients who are often profoundly debilitated at enrolment. About 15% of prion disease cases are genetic, creating an opportunity for early therapeutic intervention to delay or prevent disease. Highly variable age of onset and absence of established prodromal biomarkers might render infeasible existing models for testing drugs before disease onset. Advancement of near-term targeted therapeutics could crucially depend on thoughtful design of rigorous presymptomatic trials.
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13
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Krance SH, Luke R, Shenouda M, Israwi AR, Colpitts SJ, Darwish L, Strauss M, Watts JC. Cellular models for discovering prion disease therapeutics: Progress and challenges. J Neurochem 2020; 153:150-172. [PMID: 31943194 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Prions, which cause fatal neurodegenerative disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are misfolded and infectious protein aggregates. Currently, there are no treatments available to halt or even delay the progression of prion disease in the brain. The infectious nature of prions has resulted in animal paradigms that accurately recapitulate all aspects of prion disease, and these have proven to be instrumental for testing the efficacy of candidate therapeutics. Nonetheless, infection of cultured cells with prions provides a much more powerful system for identifying molecules capable of interfering with prion propagation. Certain lines of cultured cells can be chronically infected with various types of mouse prions, and these models have been used to unearth candidate anti-prion drugs that are at least partially efficacious when administered to prion-infected rodents. However, these studies have also revealed that not all types of prions are equal, and that drugs active against mouse prions are not necessarily effective against prions from other species. Despite some recent progress, the number of cellular models available for studying non-mouse prions remains limited. In particular, human prions have proven to be particularly challenging to propagate in cultured cells, which has severely hindered the discovery of drugs for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In this review, we summarize the cellular models that are presently available for discovering and testing drugs capable of blocking the propagation of prions and highlight challenges that remain on the path towards developing therapies for prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saffire H Krance
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Russell Luke
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marc Shenouda
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ahmad R Israwi
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah J Colpitts
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lina Darwish
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Maximilian Strauss
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joel C Watts
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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14
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Holec SA, Block AJ, Bartz JC. The role of prion strain diversity in the development of successful therapeutic treatments. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 175:77-119. [PMID: 32958242 PMCID: PMC8939712 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Prions are a self-propagating misfolded conformation of a cellular protein. Prions are found in several eukaryotic organisms with mammalian prion diseases encompassing a wide range of disorders. The first recognized prion disease, the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), affect several species including humans. Alzheimer's disease, synucleinopathies, and tauopathies share a similar mechanism of self-propagation of the prion form of the disease-specific protein reminiscent of the infection process of TSEs. Strain diversity in prion disease is characterized by differences in the phenotype of disease that is hypothesized to be encoded by strain-specific conformations of the prion form of the disease-specific protein. Prion therapeutics that target the prion form of the disease-specific protein can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of prions, consistent with the hypothesis that prion strains exist as a dynamic mixture of a dominant strain in combination with minor substrains. To overcome this obstacle, therapies that reduce or eliminate the template of conversion are efficacious, may reverse neuropathology, and do not result in the emergence of drug resistance. Recent advancements in preclinical diagnosis of prion infection may allow for a combinational approach that treats the prion form and the precursor protein to effectively treat prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A.M. Holec
- Institute for Applied Life Sciences and Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States,Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Alyssa J. Block
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Jason C. Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States,Corresponding author:
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15
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Raymond GJ, Zhao HT, Race B, Raymond LD, Williams K, Swayze EE, Graffam S, Le J, Caron T, Stathopoulos J, O'Keefe R, Lubke LL, Reidenbach AG, Kraus A, Schreiber SL, Mazur C, Cabin DE, Carroll JB, Minikel EV, Kordasiewicz H, Caughey B, Vallabh SM. Antisense oligonucleotides extend survival of prion-infected mice. JCI Insight 2019; 5:131175. [PMID: 31361599 PMCID: PMC6777807 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.131175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion disease is a fatal, incurable neurodegenerative disease of humans and other mammals caused by conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a self-propagating neurotoxic conformer (prions; PrPSc). Strong genetic proofs of concept support lowering PrP expression as a therapeutic strategy. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) can provide a practical route to lowering 1 target mRNA in the brain, but their development for prion disease has been hindered by 3 unresolved issues from prior work: uncertainty about mechanism of action, unclear potential for efficacy against established prion infection, and poor tolerability of drug delivery by osmotic pumps. Here, we test ASOs delivered by bolus intracerebroventricular injection to intracerebrally prion-infected WT mice. Prophylactic treatments given every 2–3 months extended survival times 61%–98%, and a single injection at 120 days after infection, near the onset of clinical signs, extended survival 55% (87 days). In contrast, a nontargeting control ASO was ineffective. Thus, PrP lowering is the mechanism of action of ASOs effective against prion disease in vivo, and infrequent — or even single — bolus injections of ASOs can slow prion neuropathogenesis and markedly extend survival, even when initiated near clinical signs. These findings should empower development of PrP-lowering therapy for prion disease. ASO-mediated prion protein suppression delays disease and extends survival, even in mice with established prion infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Raymond
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | | | - Brent Race
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Lynne D Raymond
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Katie Williams
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Eric E Swayze
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Samantha Graffam
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jason Le
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tyler Caron
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Rhonda O'Keefe
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lori L Lubke
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | | | - Allison Kraus
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | | | - Curt Mazur
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | | | | | - Eric Vallabh Minikel
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Prion Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Sonia M Vallabh
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Prion Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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16
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Bourkas MEC, Arshad H, Al-Azzawi ZAM, Halgas O, Shikiya RA, Mehrabian M, Schmitt-Ulms G, Bartz JC, Watts JC. Engineering a murine cell line for the stable propagation of hamster prions. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:4911-4923. [PMID: 30705093 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.007135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions are infectious protein aggregates that cause several fatal neurodegenerative diseases. Prion research has been hindered by a lack of cellular paradigms for studying the replication of prions from different species. Although hamster prions have been widely used to study prion replication in animals and within in vitro amplification systems, they have proved challenging to propagate in cultured cells. Because the murine catecholaminergic cell line CAD5 is susceptible to a diverse range of mouse prion strains, we hypothesized that it might also be capable of propagating nonmouse prions. Here, using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering, we demonstrate that CAD5 cells lacking endogenous mouse PrP expression (CAD5-PrP-/- cells) can be chronically infected with hamster prions following stable expression of hamster PrP. When exposed to the 263K, HY, or 139H hamster prion strains, these cells stably propagated high levels of protease-resistant PrP. Hamster prion replication required absence of mouse PrP, and hamster PrP inhibited the propagation of mouse prions. Cellular homogenates from 263K-infected cells exhibited prion seeding activity in the RT-QuIC assay and were infectious to naïve cells expressing hamster PrP. Interestingly, murine N2a neuroblastoma cells ablated for endogenous PrP expression were susceptible to mouse prions, but not hamster prions upon expression of cognate PrP, suggesting that CAD5 cells either possess cellular factors that enhance or lack factors that restrict the diversity of prion strains that can be propagated. We conclude that transfected CAD5-PrP-/- cells may be a useful tool for assessing the biology of prion strains and dissecting the mechanism of prion replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E C Bourkas
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8
| | - Hamza Arshad
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8
| | - Zaid A M Al-Azzawi
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8
| | - Ondrej Halgas
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8
| | - Ronald A Shikiya
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, 68178
| | - Mohadeseh Mehrabian
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8, and
| | - Gerold Schmitt-Ulms
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8, and
| | - Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, 68178
| | - Joel C Watts
- From the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8, .,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 0S8
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17
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Gunther EC, Smith LM, Kostylev MA, Cox TO, Kaufman AC, Lee S, Folta-Stogniew E, Maynard GD, Um JW, Stagi M, Heiss JK, Stoner A, Noble GP, Takahashi H, Haas LT, Schneekloth JS, Merkel J, Teran C, Naderi ZK, Supattapone S, Strittmatter SM. Rescue of Transgenic Alzheimer's Pathophysiology by Polymeric Cellular Prion Protein Antagonists. Cell Rep 2019; 26:145-158.e8. [PMID: 30605671 PMCID: PMC6358723 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular prion protein (PrPC) binds the scrapie conformation of PrP (PrPSc) and oligomeric β-amyloid peptide (Aβo) to mediate transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), respectively. We conducted cellular and biochemical screens for compounds blocking PrPC interaction with Aβo. A polymeric degradant of an antibiotic targets Aβo binding sites on PrPC with low nanomolar affinity and prevents Aβo-induced pathophysiology. We then identified a range of negatively charged polymers with specific PrPC affinity in the low to sub-nanomolar range, from both biological (melanin) and synthetic (poly [4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid], PSCMA) origin. Association of PSCMA with PrPC prevents Aβo/PrPC-hydrogel formation, blocks Aβo binding to neurons, and abrogates PrPSc production by ScN2a cells. We show that oral PSCMA yields effective brain concentrations and rescues APPswe/PS1ΔE9 transgenic mice from AD-related synapse loss and memory deficits. Thus, an orally active PrPC-directed polymeric agent provides a potential therapeutic approach to address neurodegeneration in AD and TSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik C Gunther
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Levi M Smith
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA; Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Mikhail A Kostylev
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Timothy O Cox
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Adam C Kaufman
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Suho Lee
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Ewa Folta-Stogniew
- W.M. Keck Biotechnology Resource Laboratory, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | | | - Ji Won Um
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Massimiliano Stagi
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Jacqueline K Heiss
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Austin Stoner
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Geoff P Noble
- Departments of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Hideyuki Takahashi
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Laura T Haas
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - John S Schneekloth
- Yale Center for Molecular Discovery, Yale University, 600 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Janie Merkel
- Yale Center for Molecular Discovery, Yale University, 600 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Christopher Teran
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Zahra K Naderi
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Surachai Supattapone
- Departments of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Stephen M Strittmatter
- Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Repair, Departments of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.
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18
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Cell-free prion protein conversion assays in screening for anti-prion drug candidates. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2018; 44:1-7. [PMID: 30412823 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The search for medications to treat prion diseases has lasted more than 30 years but no clinically validated treatments for prion diseases of humans or livestock have been realized. A primary strategy has been to identify molecules that can inhibit the formation of pathological forms of prion protein, for example, protease-resistant forms called PrPres. Such inhibitors can prolong the lives of experimental animals inoculated peripherally with prions, but the practical therapeutic efficacy of known inhibitors against ongoing brain infections has so far been limited by toxicity, insufficient bioavailability to the CNS, and/or strain specificities. Thus, the search continues for clinically applicable inhibitors of PrPres accumulation. Here we highlight key cell-free assays that are useful for the initial screening and mechanistic characterization of such compounds and are relatively high throughput, rapid, and cost-effective. These include cell-free conversions, protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), real time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC), and fluorescence correlation-based competitive binding assays.
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19
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Ladner-Keay CL, Ross L, Perez-Pineiro R, Zhang L, Bjorndahl TC, Cashman N, Wishart DS. A simple in vitro assay for assessing the efficacy, mechanisms and kinetics of anti-prion fibril compounds. Prion 2018; 12:280-300. [PMID: 30223704 PMCID: PMC6277192 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2018.1525254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are caused by the conversion of normal cellular prion proteins (PrP) into lethal prion aggregates. These prion aggregates are composed of proteinase K (PK) resistant fibrils and comparatively PK-sensitive oligomers. Currently there are no anti-prion pharmaceuticals available to treat or prevent prion disease. Methods of discovering anti-prion molecules rely primarily on relatively complex cell-based, tissue slice or animal-model assays that measure the effects of small molecules on the formation of PK-resistant prion fibrils. These assays are difficult to perform and do not detect the compounds that directly inhibit oligomer formation or alter prion conversion kinetics. We have developed a simple cell-free method to characterize the impact of anti-prion fibril compounds on both the oligomer and fibril formation. In particular, this assay uses shaking-induced conversion (ShIC) of recombinant PrP in a 96-well format and resolution enhanced native acidic gel electrophoresis (RENAGE) to generate, assess and detect PrP fibrils in a high throughput fashion. The end-point PrP fibrils from this assay can be further characterized by PK analysis and negative stain transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This cell-free, gel-based assay generates metrics to assess anti-prion fibril efficacy and kinetics. To demonstrate its utility, we characterized the action of seven well-known anti-prion molecules: Congo red, curcumin, GN8, quinacrine, chloropromazine, tetracycline, and TUDCA (taurourspdeoxycholic acid), as well as four suspected anti-prion compounds: trans-resveratrol, rosmarinic acid, myricetin and ferulic acid. These findings suggest that this in vitro assay could be useful in identifying and comprehensively assessing novel anti-prion fibril compounds. Abbreviations: PrP, prion protein; PK, proteinase K; ShIC, shaking-induced conversion; RENAGE, resolution enhanced native acidic gel electrophoresis; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; TUDCA, taurourspdeoxycholic acid; BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy; CWD, chronic wasting disease; CJD, Creutzfeldt Jakob disease; GSS, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome; FFI, fatal familial insomnia; PrPc, cellular prion protein; recPrPC, recombinant monomeric prion protein; PrPSc, infectious particle of misfolded prion protein; RT-QuIC, real-time quaking-induced conversion; PMCA, Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; EGCG, epigallocatechin gallate; GN8, 2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-N-[4-[4-(2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-acetylamino)-benzyl]-phenyl]-acetamide; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; ScN2A, scrapie infected neuroblastoma cells; IC50, inhibitory concentration for 50% reduction; recMoPrP 23-231, recombinant full-length mouse prion protein residues 23-231; EDTA; PICUP, photo-induced cross-linking of unmodified protein; BSA, bovine serum albumin;; PMSF, phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Li Ross
- Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Lun Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Trent C. Bjorndahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Neil Cashman
- Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - David S. Wishart
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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20
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Diack AB, Bartz JC. Experimental models of human prion diseases and prion strains. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 153:69-84. [PMID: 29887156 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63945-5.00004-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Prion strains occur in natural prion diseases, including prion diseases of humans. Prion strains can correspond with differences in the clinical signs and symptoms of disease and the distribution of prion infectivity in the host and are hypothesized to be encoded by strain-specific differences in the conformation of the disease-specific isoform of the host-encoded prion protein, PrPTSE. Prion strains can differ in biochemical properties of PrPTSE that can include the relative sensitivity to digestion with proteinase K and conformational stability in denaturants. These strain-specific biochemical properties of field isolates are maintained upon transmission to experimental animal models of prion disease. Experimental human models of prion disease include traditional and gene-targeted mice that express endogenous PrPC. Transgenic mice that express different polymorphs of human PrPC or mutations in human PrPC that correspond with familial forms of human prion disease have been generated that can recapitulate the clinical, pathologic, and biochemical features of disease. These models aid in understanding disease pathogenesis, evaluating zoonotic potential of animal prion diseases, and assessing human-to-human transmission of disease. Models of sporadic or familial forms of disease offer an opportunity to define mechanisms of disease, identify key neurodegenerative pathways, and assess therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail B Diack
- Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, United Kingdom.
| | - Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States
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Giles K, Olson SH, Prusiner SB. Developing Therapeutics for PrP Prion Diseases. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2017; 7:cshperspect.a023747. [PMID: 28096242 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a023747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The prototypical PrP prion diseases are invariably fatal, and the search for agents to treat them spans more than 30 years, with limited success. However, in the last few years, the application of high-throughput screening, medicinal chemistry, and pharmacokinetic optimization has led to important advances. The PrP prion inoculation paradigm provides a robust assay for testing therapeutic efficacy, and a dozen compounds have been reported that lead to meaningful extension in survival of prion-infected mice. Here, we review the history and recent progress in the field, focusing on studies validated in animal models. Based on screens in cells infected with mouse-passaged PrP prions, orally available compounds were generated that double or even triple the survival of mice infected with the same prion strain. Unfortunately, no compounds have yet shown efficacy against human prions. Nevertheless, the speed of the recent advances brings hope that an effective therapeutic can be developed. A successful treatment for any neurodegenerative disease would be a major achievement, and the growing understanding that the more common neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, progress by an analogous prion mechanism serves to highlight the importance of antiprion therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Giles
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Steven H Olson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143
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New nitrofurans amenable by isocyanide multicomponent chemistry are active against multidrug-resistant and poly-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bioorg Med Chem 2017; 25:1867-1874. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Abstract
Although an effective therapy for prion disease has not yet been established, many advances have been made toward understanding its pathogenesis, which has facilitated research into therapeutics for the disease. Several compounds, including flupirtine, quinacrine, pentosan polysulfate, and doxycycline, have recently been used on a trial basis for patients with prion disease. Concomitantly, several lead antiprion compounds, including compound B (compB), IND series, and anle138b, have been discovered. However, clinical trials are still far from yielding significantly beneficial results, and the findings of lead compound studies in animals have highlighted new challenges. These efforts have highlighted areas that need improvement or further exploration to achieve more effective therapies. In this work, we review recent advances in prion-related therapeutic research and discuss basic scientific issues to be resolved for meaningful medical intervention of prion disease.
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Watts JC, Giles K, Bourkas MEC, Patel S, Oehler A, Gavidia M, Bhardwaj S, Lee J, Prusiner SB. Towards authentic transgenic mouse models of heritable PrP prion diseases. Acta Neuropathol 2016; 132:593-610. [PMID: 27350609 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-016-1585-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Attempts to model inherited human prion disorders such as familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease, and fatal familial insomnia (FFI) using genetically modified mice have produced disappointing results. We recently demonstrated that transgenic (Tg) mice expressing wild-type bank vole prion protein (BVPrP) containing isoleucine at polymorphic codon 109 develop a spontaneous neurodegenerative disorder that exhibits many of the hallmarks of prion disease. To determine if mutations causing inherited human prion disease alter this phenotype, we generated Tg mice expressing BVPrP containing the D178N mutation, which causes FFI; the E200K mutation, which causes familial CJD; or an anchorless PrP mutation similar to mutations that cause GSS. Modest expression levels of mutant BVPrP resulted in highly penetrant spontaneous disease in Tg mice, with mean ages of disease onset ranging from ~120 to ~560 days. The brains of spontaneously ill mice exhibited prominent features of prion disease-specific neuropathology that were unique to each mutation and distinct from Tg mice expressing wild-type BVPrP. An ~8-kDa proteinase K-resistant PrP fragment was found in the brains of spontaneously ill Tg mice expressing either wild-type or mutant BVPrP. The spontaneously formed mutant BVPrP prions were transmissible to Tg mice expressing wild-type or mutant BVPrP as well as to Tg mice expressing mouse PrP. Thus, Tg mice expressing mutant BVPrP exhibit many of the hallmarks of heritable prion disorders in humans including spontaneous disease, protease-resistant PrP, and prion infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel C Watts
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Kurt Giles
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Matthew E C Bourkas
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Smita Patel
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA
| | - Abby Oehler
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA
| | - Marta Gavidia
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA
| | - Sumita Bhardwaj
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA
| | - Joanne Lee
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0518, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
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Giles K, Berry DB, Condello C, Dugger BN, Li Z, Oehler A, Bhardwaj S, Elepano M, Guan S, Silber BM, Olson SH, Prusiner SB. Optimization of Aryl Amides that Extend Survival in Prion-Infected Mice. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2016; 358:537-47. [PMID: 27317802 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.116.235556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) prevalent in the aging population remains a daunting challenge. With the growing understanding that many NDs progress by conformational self-templating of specific proteins, the prototypical prion diseases offer a platform for ND drug discovery. We evaluated high-throughput screening hits with the aryl amide scaffold and explored the structure-activity relationships around three series differing in their N-aryl core: benzoxazole, benzothiazole, and cyano. Potent anti-prion compounds were advanced to pharmacokinetic studies, and the resulting brain-penetrant leads from each series, together with a related N-aryl piperazine lead, were escalated to long-term dosing and efficacy studies. Compounds from each of the four series doubled the survival of mice infected with a mouse-passaged prion strain. Treatment with aryl amides altered prion strain properties, as evidenced by the distinct patterns of neuropathological deposition of prion protein and associated astrocytic gliosis in the brain; however, none of the aryl amide compounds resulted in drug-resistant prion strains, in contrast to previous studies on compounds with the 2-aminothiazole (2-AMT) scaffold. As seen with 2-AMTs and other effective anti-prion compounds reported to date, the novel aryl amides reported here were ineffective in prolonging the survival of transgenic mice infected with human prions. Most encouraging is our discovery that aryl amides show that the development of drug resistance is not an inevitable consequence of efficacious anti-prion therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Giles
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - David B Berry
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Carlo Condello
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Brittany N Dugger
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Zhe Li
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Abby Oehler
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Sumita Bhardwaj
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Manuel Elepano
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Shenheng Guan
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - B Michael Silber
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Steven H Olson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., A.O., S.B., M.E., S.G., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.) and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., B.N.D., Z.L., B.M.S., S.H.O., S.B.P.), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (S.G.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco, California
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Berry D, Giles K, Oehler A, Bhardwaj S, DeArmond SJ, Prusiner SB. Use of a 2-aminothiazole to Treat Chronic Wasting Disease in Transgenic Mice. J Infect Dis 2015; 212 Suppl 1:S17-25. [PMID: 26116725 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiu656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Treatment with the 2-aminothiazole IND24 extended the survival of mice infected with mouse-adapted scrapie but also resulted in the emergence of a drug-resistant prion strain. Here, we determined whether IND24 extended the survival of transgenic mice infected with prions that caused scrapie in sheep or prions that caused chronic wasting disease (CWD; hereafter "CWD prions") in deer, using 2 isolates for each disease. IND24 doubled the incubation times for mice infected with CWD prions but had no effect on the survival of those infected with scrapie prions. Biochemical, neuropathologic, and cell culture analyses were used to characterize prion strain properties following treatment, and results indicated that the CWD prions were not altered by IND24, regardless of survival extension. These results suggest that IND24 may be a viable candidate for treating CWD in infected captive cervid populations and raise questions about why some prion strains develop drug resistance whereas others do not.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kurt Giles
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco
| | | | | | | | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco
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Singh PK, Negi A, Gupta PK, Chauhan M, Kumar R. Toxicophore exploration as a screening technology for drug design and discovery: techniques, scope and limitations. Arch Toxicol 2015; 90:1785-802. [PMID: 26341667 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-015-1587-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Toxicity is a common drawback of newly designed chemotherapeutic agents. With the exception of pharmacophore-induced toxicity (lack of selectivity at higher concentrations of a drug), the toxicity due to chemotherapeutic agents is based on the toxicophore moiety present in the drug. To date, methodologies implemented to determine toxicophores may be broadly classified into biological, bioanalytical and computational approaches. The biological approach involves analysis of bioactivated metabolites, whereas the computational approach involves a QSAR-based method, mapping techniques, an inverse docking technique and a few toxicophore identification/estimation tools. Being one of the major steps in drug discovery process, toxicophore identification has proven to be an essential screening step in drug design and development. The paper is first of its kind, attempting to cover and compare different methodologies employed in predicting and determining toxicophores with an emphasis on their scope and limitations. Such information may prove vital in the appropriate selection of methodology and can be used as screening technology by researchers to discover the toxicophoric potentials of their designed and synthesized moieties. Additionally, it can be utilized in the manipulation of molecules containing toxicophores in such a manner that their toxicities might be eliminated or removed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Kumar Singh
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Centre for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151 001, India
| | - Arvind Negi
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Centre for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151 001, India
| | - Pawan Kumar Gupta
- Centre for Computational Sciences, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151 001, India
| | - Monika Chauhan
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Centre for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151 001, India
| | - Raj Kumar
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Centre for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151 001, India.
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Herrmann US, Schütz AK, Shirani H, Huang D, Saban D, Nuvolone M, Li B, Ballmer B, Åslund AKO, Mason JJ, Rushing E, Budka H, Nyström S, Hammarström P, Böckmann A, Caflisch A, Meier BH, Nilsson KPR, Hornemann S, Aguzzi A. Structure-based drug design identifies polythiophenes as antiprion compounds. Sci Transl Med 2015; 7:299ra123. [DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aab1923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Giles K, Berry DB, Condello C, Hawley RC, Gallardo-Godoy A, Bryant C, Oehler A, Elepano M, Bhardwaj S, Patel S, Silber BM, Guan S, DeArmond SJ, Renslo AR, Prusiner SB. Different 2-Aminothiazole Therapeutics Produce Distinct Patterns of Scrapie Prion Neuropathology in Mouse Brains. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2015. [PMID: 26224882 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.115.224659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Because no drug exists that halts or even slows any neurodegenerative disease, developing effective therapeutics for any prion disorder is urgent. We recently reported two compounds (IND24 and IND81) with the 2-aminothiazole (2-AMT) chemical scaffold that almost doubled the incubation times in scrapie prion-infected, wild-type (wt) FVB mice when given in a liquid diet. Remarkably, oral prophylactic treatment with IND24 beginning 14 days prior to intracerebral prion inoculation extended survival from ∼120 days to over 450 days. In addition to IND24, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of five additional 2-AMTs; one was not followed further because its brain penetration was poor. Of the remaining four new 2-AMTs, IND114338 doubled and IND125 tripled the incubation times of RML-inoculated wt and Tg4053 mice overexpressing wt mouse prion protein (PrP), respectively. Neuropathological examination of the brains from untreated controls showed a widespread deposition of self-propagating, β-sheet-rich "scrapie" isoform (PrP(Sc)) prions accompanied by a profound astrocytic gliosis. In contrast, mice treated with 2-AMTs had lower levels of PrP(Sc) and associated astrocytic gliosis, with each compound resulting in a distinct pattern of deposition. Notably, IND125 prevented both PrP(Sc) accumulation and astrocytic gliosis in the cerebrum. Progressive central nervous system dysfunction in the IND125-treated mice was presumably due to the PrP(Sc) that accumulated in their brainstems. Disappointingly, none of the four new 2-AMTs prolonged the lives of mice expressing a chimeric human/mouse PrP transgene inoculated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Giles
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - David B Berry
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Carlo Condello
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Ronald C Hawley
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Alejandra Gallardo-Godoy
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Clifford Bryant
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Abby Oehler
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Manuel Elepano
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Sumita Bhardwaj
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Smita Patel
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - B Michael Silber
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Shenheng Guan
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Stephen J DeArmond
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Adam R Renslo
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (K.G., D.B.B., C.C., R.C.H., M.E., S.B., S.P., B.M.S., S.G., S.J.D., S.B.P); Small Molecule Discovery Center (A.G.-G., C.B., A.R.R.); and Departments of Neurology (K.G., C.C., R.C.H., B.M.S., S.B.P), Pharmaceutical Chemistry (A.G.-G., C.B., S.G., A.R.R.), Pathology (A.O., S.J.D.), Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (B.M.S.), and Biochemistry and Biophysics (S.B.P.), University of California, San Francisco
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Pomegranate seed oil nanoemulsions for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases: the case of genetic CJD. NANOMEDICINE-NANOTECHNOLOGY BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2014; 10:1353-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2014.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Revised: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Watts JC, Prusiner SB. Mouse models for studying the formation and propagation of prions. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:19841-9. [PMID: 24860095 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.r114.550707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are self-propagating protein conformers that cause a variety of neurodegenerative disorders in humans and animals. Mouse models have played key roles in deciphering the biology of prions and in assessing candidate therapeutics. The development of transgenic mice that form prions spontaneously in the brain has advanced our understanding of sporadic and genetic prion diseases. Furthermore, the realization that many proteins can become prions has necessitated the development of mouse models for assessing the potential transmissibility of common neurodegenerative diseases. As the universe of prion diseases continues to expand, mouse models will remain crucial for interrogating these devastating illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel C Watts
- From the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- From the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
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Ghaemmaghami S, Russo M, Renslo AR. Successes and challenges in phenotype-based lead discovery for prion diseases. J Med Chem 2014; 57:6919-29. [PMID: 24762293 PMCID: PMC4148153 DOI: 10.1021/jm5001425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
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Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease
(CJD) is a rare but invariably
fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by misfolding of an endogenous
protein into an alternative pathogenic conformation. The details of
protein misfolding and aggregation are not well understood nor are
the mechanism(s) by which the aggregated protein confers cellular
toxicity. While there is as yet no clear consensus about how best
to intervene therapeutically in CJD, prion infections can be propagated
in cell culture and in experimental animals, affording both in vitro
and in vivo models of disease. Here we review recent lead discovery
efforts for CJD, with a focus on our own efforts to optimize 2-aminothiazole
analogues for anti-prion potency in cells and for brain exposure in
mice. The compounds that emerged from this effort were found to be
efficacious in multiple animal models of prion disease even as they
revealed new challenges for the field, including the emergence of
resistant prion strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Ghaemmaghami
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester , 326 Hutchison Hall, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
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Quinacrine promotes replication and conformational mutation of chronic wasting disease prions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:6028-33. [PMID: 24711410 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1322377111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Quinacrine's ability to reduce levels of pathogenic prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in mouse cells infected with experimentally adapted prions led to several unsuccessful clinical studies in patients with prion diseases, a 10-y investment to understand its mechanism of action, and the production of related compounds with expectations of greater efficacy. We show here, in stark contrast to this reported inhibitory effect, that quinacrine enhances deer and elk PrP(Sc) accumulation and promotes propagation of prions causing chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal, transmissible, neurodegenerative disorder of cervids of uncertain zoonotic potential. Surprisingly, despite increased prion titers in quinacrine-treated cells, transmission of the resulting prions produced prolonged incubation times and altered PrP(Sc) deposition patterns in the brains of diseased transgenic mice. This unexpected outcome is consistent with quinacrine affecting the intrinsic properties of the CWD prion. Accordingly, quinacrine-treated CWD prions were comprised of an altered PrP(Sc) conformation. Our findings provide convincing evidence for drug-induced conformational mutation of prions without the prerequisite of generating drug-resistant variants of the original strain. More specifically, they show that a drug capable of restraining prions in one species/strain setting, and consequently used to treat human prion diseases, improves replicative ability in another and therefore force reconsideration of current strategies to screen antiprion compounds.
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Geschwind MD. Doxycycline for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a failure, but a step in the right direction. Lancet Neurol 2014; 13:130-2. [DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(14)70001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Abstract
There is not a single pharmaceutical that halts or even slows any neurodegenerative disease. Mounting evidence shows that prions cause many neurodegenerative diseases, and arguably, scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions represent the best therapeutic targets. We report here that the previously identified 2-aminothiazoles IND24 and IND81 doubled the survival times of scrapie-infected, wild-type mice. However, mice infected with Rocky Mountain Laboratory (RML) prions, a scrapie-derived strain, and treated with IND24 eventually exhibited neurological dysfunction and died. We serially passaged their brain homogenates in mice and cultured cells. We found that the prion strain isolated from IND24-treated mice, designated RML[IND24], emerged during a single passage in treated mice. Although RML prions infect both the N2a and CAD5 cell lines, RML[IND24] prions could only infect CAD5 cells. When passaged in CAD5 cells, the prions remained resistant to high concentrations of IND24. However, one passage of RML[IND24] prions in untreated mice restored susceptibility to IND24 in CAD5 cells. Although IND24 treatment extended the lives of mice propagating different prion strains, including RML, another scrapie-derived prion strain ME7, and chronic wasting disease, it was ineffective in slowing propagation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions in transgenic mice. Our studies demonstrate that prion strains can acquire resistance upon exposure to IND24 that is lost upon passage in mice in the absence of IND24. These data suggest that monotherapy can select for resistance, thus intermittent therapy with mixtures of antiprion compounds may be required to slow or stop neurodegeneration.
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