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Masone A, Zucchelli C, Caruso E, Musco G, Chiesa R. Therapeutic targeting of cellular prion protein: toward the development of dual mechanism anti-prion compounds. Neural Regen Res 2025; 20:1009-1014. [PMID: 38845221 DOI: 10.4103/nrr.nrr-d-24-00181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
PrP Sc , a misfolded, aggregation-prone isoform of the cellular prion protein (PrP C ), is the infectious prion agent responsible for fatal neurodegenerative diseases of humans and other mammals. PrP Sc can adopt different pathogenic conformations (prion strains), which can be resistant to potential drugs, or acquire drug resistance, posing challenges for the development of effective therapies. Since PrP C is the obligate precursor of any prion strain and serves as the mediator of prion neurotoxicity, it represents an attractive therapeutic target for prion diseases. In this minireview, we briefly outline the approaches to target PrP C and discuss our recent identification of Zn(II)-BnPyP, a PrP C -targeting porphyrin with an unprecedented bimodal mechanism of action. We argue that in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanism by which Zn(II)-BnPyP targets PrP C may lead toward the development of a new class of dual mechanism anti-prion compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Masone
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Zucchelli
- Biomolecular NMR Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrico Caruso
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Giovanna Musco
- Biomolecular NMR Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Chiesa
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
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2
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DeFranco JP, Bian J, Kim S, Crowell J, Barrio T, Webster BK, Atkinson ZN, Telling GC. Propagation of distinct CWD prion strains during peripheral and intracerebral challenges of gene-targeted mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2402726121. [PMID: 39083420 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2402726121] [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: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Since prion diseases result from infection and neurodegeneration of the central nervous system (CNS), experimental characterizations of prion strain properties customarily rely on the outcomes of intracerebral challenges. However, natural transmission of certain prions, including those causing chronic wasting disease (CWD) in elk and deer, depends on propagation in peripheral host compartments prior to CNS infection. Using gene-targeted GtE and GtQ mice, which accurately control cellular elk or deer PrP expression, we assessed the impact that peripheral or intracerebral exposures play on CWD prion strain propagation and resulting CNS abnormalities. Whereas oral and intraperitoneal transmissions produced identical neuropathological outcomes in GtE and GtQ mice and preserved the naturally convergent conformations of elk and deer CWD prions, intracerebral transmissions generated CNS prion strains with divergent biochemical properties in GtE and GtQ mice that were changed compared to their native counterparts. While CWD replication kinetics remained constant during iterative peripheral transmissions and brain titers reflected those found in native hosts, serial intracerebral transmissions produced 10-fold higher prion titers and accelerated incubation times. Our demonstration that peripherally and intracerebrally challenged Gt mice develop dissimilar CNS diseases which result from the propagation of distinct CWD prion strains points to the involvement of tissue-specific cofactors during strain selection in different host compartments. Since peripheral transmissions preserved the natural features of elk and deer prions, whereas intracerebral propagation produced divergent strains, our findings illustrate the importance of experimental characterizations using hosts that not only abrogate species barriers but also accurately recapitulate natural transmission routes of native strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P DeFranco
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Jifeng Bian
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Sehun Kim
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Jenna Crowell
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Tomás Barrio
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Bailey K Webster
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Zoe N Atkinson
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
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3
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Singh A, Chakraborty J, Pal S, Das D. Site-selective peptide bond hydrolysis and ligation in water by short peptide-based assemblies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321396121. [PMID: 39042686 PMCID: PMC11295027 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321396121] [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: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The evolution of complex chemical inventory from Darwin's nutrient-rich warm pond necessitated rudimentary yet efficient catalytic folds. Short peptides and their self-organized microstructures, ranging from spherical colloids to amyloidogenic aggregates might have played a crucial role in the emergence of contemporary catalytic entities. However, the question of how short peptide fragments had functions akin to contemporary complex enzymes to catalyze cleavage and formation of highly stable peptide bonds that constitute the backbone of all proteins remains an unresolved yet fundamentally important question in terms of the origins of enzymes. We report short-peptide-based spherical assemblies that demonstrated residue-specific cleavage and formation of peptide bonds of diverse peptide-based substrates under aqueous environment. Despite the short sequence length, the assemblies utilized the synergistic collaboration of four residues which included the catalytic triad of extant serine proteases with a nonproteinogenic amino acid (quinone moiety), to facilitate proteolysis, ligation, and a three-step (hydrolysis-ligation-hydrolysis) cascade. Such short-peptide-based catalytic assemblies argue for their candidacy as the earliest protein folds and open up avenues for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Singh
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
- Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
| | - Janardan Chakraborty
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
- Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
| | - Sumit Pal
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
- Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
| | - Dibyendu Das
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
- Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur741246, India
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4
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Neupane K, Narayan A, Sen Mojumdar S, Adhikari G, Garen CR, Woodside MT. Direct observation of prion-like propagation of protein misfolding templated by pathogenic mutants. Nat Chem Biol 2024:10.1038/s41589-024-01672-8. [PMID: 39009686 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-024-01672-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative diseases feature misfolded proteins that propagate via templated conversion of natively folded molecules. However, crucial questions about how such prion-like conversion occurs and what drives it remain unsolved, partly because technical challenges have prevented direct observation of conversion for any protein. We observed prion-like conversion in single molecules of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1), whose misfolding is linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Tethering pathogenic misfolded SOD1 mutants to wild-type molecules held in optical tweezers, we found that the mutants vastly increased misfolding of the wild-type molecule, inducing multiple misfolded isoforms. Crucially, the pattern of misfolding was the same in the mutant and converted wild-type domains and varied when the misfolded mutant was changed, reflecting the templating effect expected for prion-like conversion. Ensemble measurements showed decreased enzymatic activity in tethered heterodimers as conversion progressed, mirroring the single-molecule results. Antibodies sensitive to disease-specific epitopes bound to the converted protein, implying that conversion produced disease-relevant misfolded conformers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna Neupane
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Abhishek Narayan
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Supratik Sen Mojumdar
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad, Palakkad, India
| | - Gaurav Adhikari
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Craig R Garen
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Michael T Woodside
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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5
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Strobel HM, Labador SD, Basu D, Sane M, Corbett KD, Meyer JR. Viral Receptor-Binding Protein Evolves New Function through Mutations That Cause Trimer Instability and Functional Heterogeneity. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae056. [PMID: 38586942 PMCID: PMC10999833 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae056] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
When proteins evolve new activity, a concomitant decrease in stability is often observed because the mutations that confer new activity can destabilize the native fold. In the conventional model of protein evolution, reduced stability is considered a purely deleterious cost of molecular innovation because unstable proteins are prone to aggregation and are sensitive to environmental stressors. However, recent work has revealed that nonnative, often unstable protein conformations play an important role in mediating evolutionary transitions, raising the question of whether instability can itself potentiate the evolution of new activity. We explored this question in a bacteriophage receptor-binding protein during host-range evolution. We studied the properties of the receptor-binding protein of bacteriophage λ before and after host-range evolution and demonstrated that the evolved protein is relatively unstable and may exist in multiple conformations with unique receptor preferences. Through a combination of structural modeling and in vitro oligomeric state analysis, we found that the instability arises from mutations that interfere with trimer formation. This study raises the intriguing possibility that protein instability might play a previously unrecognized role in mediating host-range expansions in viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M Strobel
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sweetzel D Labador
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Dwaipayan Basu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mrudula Sane
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kevin D Corbett
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Justin R Meyer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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6
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Mammeri NE, Dregni AJ, Duan P, Hong M. Structures of AT8 and PHF1 phosphomimetic tau: Insights into the posttranslational modification code of tau aggregation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316175121. [PMID: 38408247 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316175121] [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: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau aggregates into amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. In these tauopathies, tau is hyperphosphorylated, suggesting that this posttranslational modification (PTM) may induce tau aggregation. Tau is also phosphorylated in normal developing brains. To investigate how tau phosphorylation induces amyloid fibrils, here we report the atomic structures of two phosphomimetic full-length tau fibrils assembled without anionic cofactors. We mutated key Ser and Thr residues to Glu in two regions of the protein. One construct contains three Glu mutations at the epitope of the anti-phospho-tau antibody AT8 (AT8-3E tau), whereas the other construct contains four Glu mutations at the epitope of the antibody PHF1 (PHF1-4E tau). Solid-state NMR data show that both phosphomimetic tau mutants form homogeneous fibrils with a single set of chemical shifts. The AT8-3E tau rigid core extends from the R3 repeat to the C terminus, whereas the PHF1-4E tau rigid core spans R2, R3, and R4 repeats. Cryoelectron microscopy data show that AT8-3E tau forms a triangular multi-layered core, whereas PHF1-4E tau forms a triple-stranded core. Interestingly, a construct combining all seven Glu mutations exhibits the same conformation as PHF1-4E tau. Scalar-coupled NMR data additionally reveal the dynamics and shape of the fuzzy coat surrounding the rigid cores. These results demonstrate that specific PTMs induce structurally specific tau aggregates, and the phosphorylation code of tau contains redundancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia El Mammeri
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Aurelio J Dregni
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Pu Duan
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
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7
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Zerr I, Ladogana A, Mead S, Hermann P, Forloni G, Appleby BS. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other prion diseases. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2024; 10:14. [PMID: 38424082 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-024-00497-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Prion diseases share common clinical and pathological characteristics such as spongiform neuronal degeneration and deposition of an abnormal form of a host-derived protein, termed prion protein. The characteristic features of prion diseases are long incubation times, short clinical courses, extreme resistance of the transmissible agent to degradation and lack of nucleic acid involvement. Sporadic and genetic forms of prion diseases occur worldwide, of which genetic forms are associated with mutations in PRNP. Human to human transmission of these diseases has occurred due to iatrogenic exposure, and zoonotic forms of prion diseases are linked to bovine disease. Significant progress has been made in the diagnosis of these disorders. Clinical tools for diagnosis comprise brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid tests. Aggregation assays for detection of the abnormally folded prion protein have a clear potential to diagnose the disease in peripherally accessible biofluids. After decades of therapeutic nihilism, new treatment strategies and clinical trials are on the horizon. Although prion diseases are relatively rare disorders, understanding their pathogenesis and mechanisms of prion protein misfolding has significantly enhanced the field in research of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga Zerr
- National Reference Center for CJD Surveillance, Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Anna Ladogana
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Simon Mead
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Peter Hermann
- National Reference Center for CJD Surveillance, Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gianluigi Forloni
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Brian S Appleby
- Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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8
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Banerjee G, Farmer SF, Hyare H, Jaunmuktane Z, Mead S, Ryan NS, Schott JM, Werring DJ, Rudge P, Collinge J. Iatrogenic Alzheimer's disease in recipients of cadaveric pituitary-derived growth hormone. Nat Med 2024; 30:394-402. [PMID: 38287166 PMCID: PMC10878974 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02729-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized pathologically by amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition in brain parenchyma and blood vessels (as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)) and by neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau. Compelling genetic and biomarker evidence supports Aβ as the root cause of AD. We previously reported human transmission of Aβ pathology and CAA in relatively young adults who had died of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) after childhood treatment with cadaver-derived pituitary growth hormone (c-hGH) contaminated with both CJD prions and Aβ seeds. This raised the possibility that c-hGH recipients who did not die from iCJD may eventually develop AD. Here we describe recipients who developed dementia and biomarker changes within the phenotypic spectrum of AD, suggesting that AD, like CJD, has environmentally acquired (iatrogenic) forms as well as late-onset sporadic and early-onset inherited forms. Although iatrogenic AD may be rare, and there is no suggestion that Aβ can be transmitted between individuals in activities of daily life, its recognition emphasizes the need to review measures to prevent accidental transmissions via other medical and surgical procedures. As propagating Aβ assemblies may exhibit structural diversity akin to conventional prions, it is possible that therapeutic strategies targeting disease-related assemblies may lead to selection of minor components and development of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gargi Banerjee
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL and UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Simon F Farmer
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Harpreet Hyare
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Lysholm Department of Neuroradiology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Zane Jaunmuktane
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences and Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Simon Mead
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL and UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Natalie S Ryan
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
| | - Jonathan M Schott
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
| | - David J Werring
- Stroke Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Stroke Service, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Peter Rudge
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL and UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - John Collinge
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL and UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK.
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK.
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Bocharova O, Makarava N, Pandit NP, Molesworth K, Baskakov IV. Multiple steps of prion strain adaptation to a new host. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1329010. [PMID: 38362022 PMCID: PMC10867973 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1329010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The transmission of prions across species is a critical aspect of their dissemination among mammalian hosts, including humans. This process often necessitates strain adaptation. In this study, we sought to investigate the mechanisms underlying prion adaptation while mitigating biases associated with the history of cross-species transmission of natural prion strains. To achieve this, we utilized the synthetic hamster prion strain S05. Propagation of S05 using mouse PrPC in Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification did not immediately overcome the species barrier. This finding underscores the involvement of factors beyond disparities in primary protein structures. Subsequently, we performed five serial passages to stabilize the incubation time to disease in mice. The levels of PrPSc increased with each passage, reaching a maximum at the third passage, and declining thereafter. This suggests that only the initial stage of adaptation is primarily driven by an acceleration in PrPSc replication. During the protracted adaptation to a new host, we observed significant alterations in the glycoform ratio and sialylation status of PrPSc N-glycans. These changes support the notion that qualitative modifications in PrPSc contribute to a more rapid disease progression. Furthermore, consistent with the decline in sialylation, a cue for "eat me" signaling, the newly adapted strain exhibited preferential colocalization with microglia. In contrast to PrPSc dynamics, the intensity of microglia activation continued to increase after the third passage in the new host. In summary, our study elucidates that the adaptation of a prion strain to a new host is a multi-step process driven by several factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Bocharova
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Narayan P. Pandit
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kara Molesworth
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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10
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Domingo E, Martínez-González B, García-Crespo C, Somovilla P, de Ávila AI, Soria ME, Durán-Pastor A, Perales C. Puzzles, challenges, and information reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 quasispecies. J Virol 2023; 97:e0151123. [PMID: 38092661 PMCID: PMC10734546 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01511-23] [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] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Upon the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the human population, it was conjectured that for this coronavirus the dynamic intra-host heterogeneity typical of RNA viruses would be toned down. Nothing of this sort is observed. Here we review the main observations on the complexity and diverse composition of SARS-CoV-2 mutant spectra sampled from infected patients, within the framework of quasispecies dynamics. The analyses suggest that the information provided by myriads of genomic sequences within infected individuals may have a predictive value of the genomic sequences that acquire epidemiological relevance. Possibilities to reconcile the presence of broad mutant spectra in the large RNA coronavirus genome with its encoding a 3' to 5' exonuclease proofreading-repair activity are considered. Indeterminations in the behavior of individual viral genomes provide a benefit for the survival of the ensemble. We propose that this concept falls in the domain of "stochastic thinking," a notion that applies also to cellular processes, as a means for biological systems to face unexpected needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Domingo
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Brenda Martínez-González
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos García-Crespo
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Somovilla
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Isabel de Ávila
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Eugenia Soria
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antoni Durán-Pastor
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Celia Perales
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
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11
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Kandola T, Venkatesan S, Zhang J, Lerbakken BT, Von Schulze A, Blanck JF, Wu J, Unruh JR, Berry P, Lange JJ, Box AC, Cook M, Sagui C, Halfmann R. Pathologic polyglutamine aggregation begins with a self-poisoning polymer crystal. eLife 2023; 12:RP86939. [PMID: 37921648 PMCID: PMC10624427 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86939] [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] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A long-standing goal of amyloid research has been to characterize the structural basis of the rate-determining nucleating event. However, the ephemeral nature of nucleation has made this goal unachievable with existing biochemistry, structural biology, and computational approaches. Here, we addressed that limitation for polyglutamine (polyQ), a polypeptide sequence that causes Huntington's and other amyloid-associated neurodegenerative diseases when its length exceeds a characteristic threshold. To identify essential features of the polyQ amyloid nucleus, we used a direct intracellular reporter of self-association to quantify frequencies of amyloid appearance as a function of concentration, conformational templates, and rational polyQ sequence permutations. We found that nucleation of pathologically expanded polyQ involves segments of three glutamine (Q) residues at every other position. We demonstrate using molecular simulations that this pattern encodes a four-stranded steric zipper with interdigitated Q side chains. Once formed, the zipper poisoned its own growth by engaging naive polypeptides on orthogonal faces, in a fashion characteristic of polymer crystals with intramolecular nuclei. We further show that self-poisoning can be exploited to block amyloid formation, by genetically oligomerizing polyQ prior to nucleation. By uncovering the physical nature of the rate-limiting event for polyQ aggregation in cells, our findings elucidate the molecular etiology of polyQ diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tej Kandola
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- The Open UniversityMilton KeynesUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Jiahui Zhang
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State UniversityRaleighUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Jianzheng Wu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
| | - Jay R Unruh
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Paula Berry
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Jeffrey J Lange
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Andrew C Box
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Malcolm Cook
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Celeste Sagui
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State UniversityRaleighUnited States
| | - Randal Halfmann
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
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12
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Bohl J, Moudjou M, Herzog L, Reine F, Sailer F, Klute H, Halgand F, Rest GVD, Boulard Y, Béringue V, Igel A, Rezaei H. The Smallest Infectious Substructure Encoding the Prion Strain Structural Determinant Revealed by Spontaneous Dissociation of Misfolded Prion Protein Assemblies. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168280. [PMID: 37730082 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168280] [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: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
It is commonly accepted that the prion replicative propensity and strain structural determinant (SSD) are encoded in the fold of PrPSc amyloid fibril assemblies. By exploring the quaternary structure dynamicity of several prion strains, we revealed that all mammalian prion assemblies exhibit the generic property of spontaneously generating two sets of discreet infectious tetrameric and dimeric species differing significantly by their specific infectivity. By using perturbation approaches such as dilution and ionic strength variation, we demonstrated that these two oligomeric species were highly dynamic and evolved differently in the presence of chaotropic agents. In general, our observations of seven different prion strains from three distinct species highlight the high dynamicity of PrPSc assemblies as a common and intrinsic property of mammalian prions. The existence of such small infectious PrPSc species harboring the SSD indicates that the prion infectivity and the SSD are not restricted only to the amyloid fold but can also be encoded in other alternative quaternary structures. Such diversity in the quaternary structure of prion assemblies tends to indicate that the structure of PrPSc can be divided into two independent folding domains: a domain encoding the strain structural determinant and a second domain whose fold determines the type of quaternary structure that could adopt PrPSc assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Bohl
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ICP, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - Mohammed Moudjou
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Laetitia Herzog
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Fabienne Reine
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Fiona Sailer
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Hannah Klute
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | | | - Yves Boulard
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Vincent Béringue
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
| | - Angelique Igel
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
| | - Human Rezaei
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAe, UVSQ, VIM, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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13
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Duan P, Dregni AJ, Mammeri NE, Hong M. Structure of the nonhelical filament of the Alzheimer's disease tau core. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2310067120. [PMID: 37878719 PMCID: PMC10622913 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310067120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein tau aggregates into neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The main type of aggregates, the paired helical filaments (PHF), incorporate about 20% of the full-length protein into the rigid core. Recently, cryo-electron microscopy data showed that a protease-resistant fragment of tau (residues 297-391) self-assembles in vitro in the presence of divalent cations to form twisted filaments whose molecular structure resembles that of AD PHF tau [S. Lövestam et al., Elife 11, e76494 (2022)]. To investigate whether this tau construct is uniquely predisposed to this morphology and structure, we fibrillized tau (297-391) under the reported conditions and determined its structure using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Unexpectedly, the protein assembled predominantly into nontwisting ribbons whose rigid core spans residues 305-357. This rigid core forms a β-arch that turns at residues 322CGS324. Two protofilaments stack together via a long interface that stretches from G323 to I354. Together, these two protofilaments form a four-layered β-sheet core whose sidechains are stabilized by numerous polar and hydrophobic interactions. This structure gives insight into the fibril morphologies and molecular conformations that can be adopted by this protease-resistant core of AD tau under different pH and ionic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Duan
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Aurelio J. Dregni
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Nadia El Mammeri
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
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14
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Bocharova O, Makarava N, Pandit NP, Molesworth K, Baskakov IV. Multiple steps of prion strain adaptation to a new host. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.24.563743. [PMID: 37961127 PMCID: PMC10634783 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.24.563743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The transmission of prions across species is a critical aspect of their dissemination among mammalian hosts, including humans. This process often necessitates strain adaptation. In this study, we sought to investigate the mechanisms underlying prion adaptation while mitigating biases associated with the history of cross-species transmission of natural prion strains. To achieve this, we utilized the synthetic hamster prion strain S05. Propagation of S05 using mouse PrPC in Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification did not immediately overcome the species barrier. This finding underscores the involvement of factors beyond disparities in primary protein structures. Subsequently, we performed five serial passages to stabilize the incubation time to disease in mice. The levels of PrPSc increased with each passage, reaching a maximum at the third passage, and declining thereafter. This suggests that only the initial stage of adaptation is primarily driven by an acceleration in PrPSc replication. During the protracted adaptation to a new host, we observed significant alterations in the glycoform ratio and sialylation status of PrPSc N-glycans. These changes support the notion that qualitative modifications in PrPSc contribute to a more rapid disease progression. Furthermore, consistent with the decline in sialylation, a cue for "eat me" signaling, the newly adapted strain exhibited preferential colocalization with microglia. In contrast to PrPSc dynamics, the intensity of microglia activation continued to increase after the third passage in the new host. In summary, our study elucidates that the adaptation of a prion strain to a new host is a multi-step process driven by several factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Bocharova
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Narayan P. Pandit
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kara Molesworth
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ilia V. Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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15
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Masone A, Zucchelli C, Caruso E, Lavigna G, Eraña H, Giachin G, Tapella L, Comerio L, Restelli E, Raimondi I, Elezgarai SR, De Leo F, Quilici G, Taiarol L, Oldrati M, Lorenzo NL, García-Martínez S, Cagnotto A, Lucchetti J, Gobbi M, Vanni I, Nonno R, Di Bari MA, Tully MD, Cecatiello V, Ciossani G, Pasqualato S, Van Anken E, Salmona M, Castilla J, Requena JR, Banfi S, Musco G, Chiesa R. A tetracationic porphyrin with dual anti-prion activity. iScience 2023; 26:107480. [PMID: 37636075 PMCID: PMC10448035 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions are deadly infectious agents made of PrPSc, a misfolded variant of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) which self-propagates by inducing misfolding of native PrPC. PrPSc can adopt different pathogenic conformations (prion strains), which can be resistant to potential drugs, or acquire drug resistance, hampering the development of effective therapies. We identified Zn(II)-BnPyP, a tetracationic porphyrin that binds to distinct domains of native PrPC, eliciting a dual anti-prion effect. Zn(II)-BnPyP binding to a C-terminal pocket destabilizes the native PrPC fold, hindering conversion to PrPSc; Zn(II)-BnPyP binding to the flexible N-terminal tail disrupts N- to C-terminal interactions, triggering PrPC endocytosis and lysosomal degradation, thus reducing the substrate for PrPSc generation. Zn(II)-BnPyP inhibits propagation of different prion strains in vitro, in neuronal cells and organotypic brain cultures. These results identify a PrPC-targeting compound with an unprecedented dual mechanism of action which might be exploited to achieve anti-prion effects without engendering drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Masone
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Zucchelli
- Biomolecular NMR Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Enrico Caruso
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Giada Lavigna
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Hasier Eraña
- Centro de Investigación Cooperativa en Biociencias (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), 48160 Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriele Giachin
- Department of Chemical Sciences (DiSC), University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Laura Tapella
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Liliana Comerio
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Restelli
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Raimondi
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Saioa R. Elezgarai
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Federica De Leo
- Biomolecular NMR Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Giacomo Quilici
- Biomolecular NMR Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Taiarol
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marvin Oldrati
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Nuria L. Lorenzo
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Sandra García-Martínez
- Centro de Investigación Cooperativa en Biociencias (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), 48160 Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Lucchetti
- Laboratory of Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics, Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Laboratory of Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics, Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Vanni
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Romolo Nonno
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Michele A. Di Bari
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Mark D. Tully
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Valentina Cecatiello
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO) IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ciossani
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO) IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Pasqualato
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO) IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Eelco Van Anken
- Protein Transport and Secretion Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- Centro de Investigación Cooperativa en Biociencias (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), 48160 Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Jesús R. Requena
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Stefano Banfi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Giovanna Musco
- Biomolecular NMR Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Chiesa
- Laboratory of Prion Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
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16
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Gunnels T, Shikiya RA, York TC, Block AJ, Bartz JC. Evidence for preexisting prion substrain diversity in a biologically cloned prion strain. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011632. [PMID: 37669293 PMCID: PMC10503715 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of inevitably fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting numerous mammalian species, including Sapiens. Prions are composed of PrPSc, the disease specific conformation of the host encoded prion protein. Prion strains are operationally defined as a heritable phenotype of disease under controlled transmission conditions. Treatment of rodents with anti-prion drugs results in the emergence of drug-resistant prion strains and suggest that prion strains are comprised of a dominant strain and substrains. While much experimental evidence is consistent with this hypothesis, direct observation of substrains has not been observed. Here we show that replication of the dominant strain is required for suppression of a substrain. Based on this observation we reasoned that selective reduction of the dominant strain may allow for emergence of substrains. Using a combination of biochemical methods to selectively reduce drowsy (DY) PrPSc from biologically-cloned DY transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME)-infected brain resulted in the emergence of strains with different properties than DY TME. The selection methods did not occur during prion formation, suggesting the substrains identified preexisted in the DY TME-infected brain. We show that DY TME is biologically stable, even under conditions of serial passage at high titer that can lead to strain breakdown. Substrains therefore can exist under conditions where the dominant strain does not allow for substrain emergence suggesting that substrains are a common feature of prions. This observation has mechanistic implications for prion strain evolution, drug resistance and interspecies transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess Gunnels
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Ronald A. Shikiya
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Taylor C. York
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Alyssa J. Block
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Jason C. Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
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17
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Kandola T, Venkatesan S, Zhang J, Lerbakken B, Schulze AV, Blanck JF, Wu J, Unruh J, Berry P, Lange JJ, Box A, Cook M, Sagui C, Halfmann R. Pathologic polyglutamine aggregation begins with a self-poisoning polymer crystal. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.20.533418. [PMID: 36993401 PMCID: PMC10055281 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.20.533418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
A long-standing goal of amyloid research has been to characterize the structural basis of the rate-determining nucleating event. However, the ephemeral nature of nucleation has made this goal unachievable with existing biochemistry, structural biology, and computational approaches. Here, we addressed that limitation for polyglutamine (polyQ), a polypeptide sequence that causes Huntington's and other amyloid-associated neurodegenerative diseases when its length exceeds a characteristic threshold. To identify essential features of the polyQ amyloid nucleus, we used a direct intracellular reporter of self-association to quantify frequencies of amyloid appearance as a function of concentration, conformational templates, and rational polyQ sequence permutations. We found that nucleation of pathologically expanded polyQ involves segments of three glutamine (Q) residues at every other position. We demonstrate using molecular simulations that this pattern encodes a four-stranded steric zipper with interdigitated Q side chains. Once formed, the zipper poisoned its own growth by engaging naive polypeptides on orthogonal faces, in a fashion characteristic of polymer crystals with intramolecular nuclei. We further show that self-poisoning can be exploited to block amyloid formation, by genetically oligomerizing polyQ prior to nucleation. By uncovering the physical nature of the rate-limiting event for polyQ aggregation in cells, our findings elucidate the molecular etiology of polyQ diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tej Kandola
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- The Open University, Milton Keyes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | | | - Jiahui Zhang
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | | | - Alex Von Schulze
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jillian F Blanck
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jianzheng Wu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Jay Unruh
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Paula Berry
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Jeffrey J Lange
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Andrew Box
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Malcolm Cook
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Celeste Sagui
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Randal Halfmann
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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18
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Acevedo S, Stewart AJ. Eco-evolutionary trade-offs in the dynamics of prion strain competition. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230905. [PMID: 37403499 PMCID: PMC10320356 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0905] [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: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion and prion-like molecules are a type of self-replicating aggregate protein that have been implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Over recent decades, the molecular dynamics of prions have been characterized both empirically and through mathematical models, providing insights into the epidemiology of prion diseases and the impact of prions on the evolution of cellular processes. At the same time, a variety of evidence indicates that prions are themselves capable of a form of evolution, in which changes to their structure that impact their rate of growth or fragmentation are replicated, making such changes subject to natural selection. Here we study the role of such selection in shaping the characteristics of prions under the nucleated polymerization model (NPM). We show that fragmentation rates evolve to an evolutionary stable value which balances rapid reproduction of PrPSc aggregates with the need to produce stable polymers. We further show that this evolved fragmentation rate differs in general from the rate that optimizes transmission between cells. We find that under the NPM, prions that are both evolutionary stable and optimized for transmission have a characteristic length of three times the critical length below which they become unstable. Finally, we study the dynamics of inter-cellular competition between strains, and show that the eco-evolutionary trade-off between intra- and inter-cellular competition favours coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saul Acevedo
- Department of Biology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alexander J. Stewart
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9SS, UK
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19
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Russell MJ. A self-sustaining serpentinization mega-engine feeds the fougerite nanoengines implicated in the emergence of guided metabolism. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1145915. [PMID: 37275164 PMCID: PMC10236563 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1145915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The demonstration by Ivan Barnes et al. that the serpentinization of fresh Alpine-type ultramafic rocks results in the exhalation of hot alkaline fluids is foundational to the submarine alkaline vent theory (AVT) for life's emergence to its 'improbable' thermodynamic state. In AVT, such alkaline fluids ≤ 150°C, bearing H2 > CH4 > HS--generated and driven convectively by a serpentinizing exothermic mega-engine operating in the ultramafic crust-exhale into the iron-rich, CO2> > > NO3--bearing Hadean ocean to result in hydrothermal precipitate mounds comprising macromolecular ferroferric-carbonate oxyhydroxide and minor sulfide. As the nanocrystalline minerals fougerite/green rust and mackinawite (FeS), they compose the spontaneously precipitated inorganic membranes that keep the highly contrasting solutions apart, thereby maintaining redox and pH disequilibria. They do so in the form of fine chimneys and chemical gardens. The same disequilibria drive the reduction of CO2 to HCOO- or CO, and the oxidation of CH4 to a methyl group-the two products reacting to form acetate in a sequence antedating the 'energy-producing' acetyl coenzyme-A pathway. Fougerite is a 2D-layered mineral in which the hydrous interlayers themselves harbor 2D solutions, in effect constricted to ~ 1D by preferentially directed electron hopping/tunneling, and proton Gröthuss 'bucket-brigading' when subject to charge. As a redox-driven nanoengine or peristaltic pump, fougerite forces the ordered reduction of nitrate to ammonium, the amination of pyruvate and oxalate to alanine and glycine, and their condensation to short peptides. In turn, these peptides have the flexibility to sequester the founding inorganic iron oxyhydroxide, sulfide, and pyrophosphate clusters, to produce metal- and phosphate-dosed organic films and cells. As the feed to the hydrothermal mound fails, the only equivalent sustenance on offer to the first autotrophs is the still mildly serpentinizing upper crust beneath. While the conditions here are very much less bountiful, they do offer the similar feed and disequilibria the survivors are accustomed to. Sometime during this transition, a replicating non-ribosomal guidance system is discovered to provide the rules to take on the incrementally changing surroundings. The details of how these replicating apparatuses emerged are the hard problem, but by doing so the progenote archaea and bacteria could begin to colonize what would become the deep biosphere. Indeed, that the anaerobic nitrate-respiring methanotrophic archaea and the deep-branching Acetothermia presently comprise a portion of that microbiome occupying serpentinizing rocks offers circumstantial support for this notion. However, the inescapable, if jarring conclusion is drawn that, absent fougerite/green rust, there would be no structured channelway to life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Russell
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
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20
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Sun Y, Jack K, Ercolani T, Sangar D, Hosszu L, Collinge J, Bieschke J. Direct Observation of Competing Prion Protein Fibril Populations with Distinct Structures and Kinetics. ACS NANO 2023; 17:6575-6588. [PMID: 36802500 PMCID: PMC10100569 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c12009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In prion diseases, fibrillar assemblies of misfolded prion protein (PrP) self-propagate by incorporating PrP monomers. These assemblies can evolve to adapt to changing environments and hosts, but the mechanism of prion evolution is poorly understood. We show that PrP fibrils exist as a population of competing conformers, which are selectively amplified under different conditions and can "mutate" during elongation. Prion replication therefore possesses the steps necessary for molecular evolution analogous to the quasispecies concept of genetic organisms. We monitored structure and growth of single PrP fibrils by total internal reflection and transient amyloid binding super-resolution microscopy and detected at least two main fibril populations, which emerged from seemingly homogeneous PrP seeds. All PrP fibrils elongated in a preferred direction by an intermittent "stop-and-go" mechanism, but each population possessed distinct elongation mechanisms that incorporated either unfolded or partially folded monomers. Elongation of RML and ME7 prion rods likewise exhibited distinct kinetic features. The discovery of polymorphic fibril populations growing in competition, which were previously hidden in ensemble measurements, suggests that prions and other amyloid replicating by prion-like mechanisms may represent quasispecies of structural isomorphs that can evolve to adapt to new hosts and conceivably could evade therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanzi Sun
- MRC
Prion Unit at UCL/UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
| | - Kezia Jack
- MRC
Prion Unit at UCL/UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
| | - Tiziana Ercolani
- MRC
Prion Unit at UCL/UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
| | - Daljit Sangar
- MRC
Prion Unit at UCL/UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
| | - Laszlo Hosszu
- MRC
Prion Unit at UCL/UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
| | - John Collinge
- MRC
Prion Unit at UCL/UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Bieschke
- MRC
Prion Unit at UCL/UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
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21
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Block AJ, Bartz JC. Prion strains: shining new light on old concepts. Cell Tissue Res 2023; 392:113-133. [PMID: 35796874 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03665-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of inevitably fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting numerous mammalian species, including humans. The existence of heritable phenotypes of disease in the natural host suggested that prions exist as distinct strains. Transmission of sheep scrapie to rodent models accelerated prion research, resulting in the isolation and characterization of numerous strains with distinct characteristics. These strains are grouped into categories based on the incubation period of disease in different strains of mice and also by how stable the strain properties were upon serial passage. These classical studies defined the host and agent parameters that affected strain properties, and, prior to the advent of the prion hypothesis, strain properties were hypothesized to be the result of mutations in a nucleic acid genome of a conventional pathogen. The development of the prion hypothesis challenged the paradigm of infectious agents, and, initially, the existence of strains was difficult to reconcile with a protein-only agent. In the decades since, much evidence has revealed how a protein-only infectious agent can perform complex biological functions. The prevailing hypothesis is that strain-specific conformations of PrPSc encode prion strain diversity. This hypothesis can provide a mechanism to explain the observed strain-specific differences in incubation period of disease, biochemical properties of PrPSc, tissue tropism, and subcellular patterns of pathology. This hypothesis also explains how prion strains mutate, evolve, and adapt to new species. These concepts are applicable to prion-like diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, where evidence of strain diversity is beginning to emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa J Block
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA
| | - Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA.
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22
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Sun JL, Telling GC. New developments in prion disease research using genetically modified mouse models. Cell Tissue Res 2023; 392:33-46. [PMID: 36929219 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-023-03761-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
While much of what we know about the general principles of protein-based information transfer derives from studies of experimentally adapted rodent prions, these laboratory strains are limited in their ability to recapitulate features of human and animal prions and the diseases they produce. Here, we review how recent approaches using genetically modified mice have informed our understanding of naturally occurring prion diseases, their strain properties, and the factors controlling their transmission and evolution. In light of the increasing importance of chronic wasting disease, the application of mouse transgenesis to study this burgeoning and highly contagious prion disorder, in particular recent insights derived from gene-targeting approaches, will be a major focus of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianna L Sun
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA.
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23
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Groveman BR, Race B, Foliaki ST, Williams K, Hughson AG, Baune C, Zanusso G, Haigh CL. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease infected human cerebral organoids retain the original human brain subtype features following transmission to humanized transgenic mice. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:28. [PMID: 36788566 PMCID: PMC9930245 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01512-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cerebral organoids (COs) are three-dimensional self-organizing cultures of cerebral brain tissue differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells. We have recently shown that COs are susceptible to infection with different subtypes of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) prions, which in humans cause different manifestations of the disease. The ability to study live human brain tissue infected with different CJD subtypes opens a wide array of possibilities from differentiating mechanisms of cell death and identifying neuronal selective vulnerabilities to testing therapeutics. However, the question remained as to whether the prions generated in the CO model truly represent those in the infecting inoculum. Mouse models expressing human prion protein are commonly used to characterize human prion disease as they reproduce many of the molecular and clinical phenotypes associated with CJD subtypes. We therefore inoculated these mice with COs that had been infected with two CJD subtypes (MV1 and MV2) to see if the original subtype characteristics (referred to as strains once transmitted into a model organism) of the infecting prions were maintained in the COs when compared with the original human brain inocula. We found that disease characteristics caused by the molecular subtype of the disease associated prion protein were similar in mice inoculated with either CO derived material or human brain material, demonstrating that the disease associated prions generated in COs shared strain characteristics with those in humans. As the first and only in vitro model of human neurodegenerative disease that can faithfully reproduce different subtypes of prion disease, these findings support the use of the CO model for investigating human prion diseases and their subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley R. Groveman
- grid.419681.30000 0001 2164 9667Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
| | - Brent Race
- grid.419681.30000 0001 2164 9667Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
| | - Simote T. Foliaki
- grid.419681.30000 0001 2164 9667Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
| | - Katie Williams
- grid.419681.30000 0001 2164 9667Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
| | - Andrew G. Hughson
- grid.419681.30000 0001 2164 9667Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
| | - Chase Baune
- grid.419681.30000 0001 2164 9667Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
| | - Gianluigi Zanusso
- grid.5611.30000 0004 1763 1124Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Cathryn L. Haigh
- grid.419681.30000 0001 2164 9667Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 USA
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24
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So RWL, Watts JC. α-Synuclein Conformational Strains as Drivers of Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Neurodegenerative Diseases. J Mol Biol 2023:168011. [PMID: 36792008 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
The synucleinopathies, which include Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, are a class of human neurodegenerative disorders unified by the presence of α-synuclein aggregates in the brain. Considerable clinical and pathological heterogeneity exists within and among the individual synucleinopathies. A potential explanation for this variability is the existence of distinct conformational strains of α-synuclein aggregates that cause different disease manifestations. Like prion strains, α-synuclein strains can be delineated based on their structural architecture, with structural differences among α-synuclein aggregates leading to unique biochemical attributes and neuropathological properties in humans and animal models. Bolstered by recent high-resolution structural data from patient brain-derived material, it has now been firmly established that there are conformational differences among α-synuclein aggregates from different human synucleinopathies. Moreover, recombinant α-synuclein can be polymerized into several structurally distinct aggregates that exhibit unique pathological properties. In this review, we outline the evidence supporting the existence of α-synuclein strains and highlight how they can act as drivers of phenotypic heterogeneity in the human synucleinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaella W L So
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. https://twitter.com/xsakuraphie
| | - 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. https://twitter.com/JoelWattsLab
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25
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Torre-Muruzabal T, Van der Perren A, Coens A, Gelders G, Janer AB, Camacho-Garcia S, Klingstedt T, Nilsson P, Stefanova N, Melki R, Baekelandt V, Peelaerts W. Host oligodendrogliopathy and α-synuclein strains dictate disease severity in multiple system atrophy. Brain 2023; 146:237-251. [PMID: 35170728 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple system atrophy is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with prominent autonomic and motor features. During early stages, different subtypes of the disease are distinguished by their predominant parkinsonian or cerebellar symptoms, reflecting its heterogeneous nature. The pathognomonic feature of multiple system atrophy is the presence of α-synuclein (αSyn) protein deposits in oligodendroglial cells. αSyn can assemble in specific cellular or disease environments and form αSyn strains with unique structural features, but the ability of αSyn strains to propagate in oligodendrocytes remains elusive. Recently, it was shown that αSyn strains with related conformations exist in the brains of patients. Here, we investigated whether different αSyn strains can influence multiple system atrophy progression in a strain-dependent manner. To this aim, we injected two recombinant αSyn strains (fibrils and ribbons) in multiple system atrophy transgenic mice and found that they determined disease severity in multiple system atrophy via host-restricted and cell-specific pathology in vivo. αSyn strains significantly impact disease progression in a strain-dependent way via oligodendroglial, neurotoxic and immune-related mechanisms. Neurodegeneration and brain atrophy were accompanied by unique microglial and astroglial responses and the recruitment of central and peripheral immune cells. The differential activation of microglial cells correlated with the structural features of αSyn strains both in vitro and in vivo. Spectral analysis showed that ribbons propagated oligodendroglial inclusions that were structurally distinct from those of fibrils, with resemblance to oligodendroglial inclusions, in the brains of patients with multiple system atrophy. This study, therefore, shows that the multiple system atrophy phenotype is governed by both the nature of the αSyn strain and the host environment and that by injecting αSyn strains into an animal model of the disease, a more comprehensive phenotype can be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Torre-Muruzabal
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anke Van der Perren
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Audrey Coens
- Institut François Jacob (MIRCen), CEA, and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CNRS, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Géraldine Gelders
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anna Barber Janer
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sara Camacho-Garcia
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Therése Klingstedt
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Peter Nilsson
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Nadia Stefanova
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ronald Melki
- Institut François Jacob (MIRCen), CEA, and Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CNRS, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Veerle Baekelandt
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wouter Peelaerts
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
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26
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Walsh DJ, Schwind AM, Noble GP, Supattapone S. Conformational diversity in purified prions produced in vitro. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011083. [PMID: 36626391 PMCID: PMC9870145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are caused by misfolding of either wild-type or mutant forms of the prion protein (PrP) into self-propagating, pathogenic conformers, collectively termed PrPSc. Both wild-type and mutant PrPSc molecules exhibit conformational diversity in vivo, but purified prions generated by the serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) technique do not display this same diversity in vitro. This discrepancy has left a gap in our understanding of how conformational diversity arises at the molecular level in both types of prions. Here, we use continuous shaking instead of sPMCA to generate conformationally diverse purified prions in vitro. Using this approach, we show for the first time that wild type prions initially seeded by different native strains can propagate as metastable PrPSc conformers with distinguishable strain properties in purified reactions containing a single active cofactor. Propagation of these metastable PrPSc conformers requires appropriate shaking conditions, and changes in these conditions cause all the different PrPSc conformers to converge irreversibly into the same single conformer as that produced in sPMCA reactions. We also use continuous shaking to show that two mutant PrP molecules with different pathogenic point mutations (D177N and E199K) adopt distinguishable PrPSc conformations in reactions containing pure protein substrate without cofactors. Unlike wild-type prions, the conformations of mutant prions appear to be dictated by substrate sequence rather than seed conformation. Overall, our studies using purified substrates in shaking reactions show that wild-type and mutant prions use fundamentally different mechanisms to generate conformational diversity at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Walsh
- Department of Biochemistry Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Abigail M. Schwind
- Department of Biochemistry Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Geoffrey P. Noble
- Department of Biochemistry Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Surachai Supattapone
- Department of Biochemistry Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
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27
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The Mutability of Yeast Prions. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112337. [PMID: 36366434 PMCID: PMC9696419 DOI: 10.3390/v14112337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions replicate by a self-templating mechanism. Infidelity in the process can lead to the emergence of new infectious structures, referred to as variants or strains. The question of whether prions are prone to mis-templating is not completely answered. Our previous experiments with 23 variants of the yeast [PSI+] prion do not support broad mutability. However, it became clear recently that the heat shock protein Hsp104 can restrict [PSI+] strain variation. This raises the possibility that many transmutable variants of the prion may have been mistaken as faithful-propagating simply because the mutant structure was too sturdy or too frail to take root in the wild-type cell. Here, I alter the strength of Hsp104 in yeast, overexpressing wild-type Hsp104 or expressing the hypo-active Hsp104T160M mutant, and check if the new environments enable the variants to mutate. Two variants hitherto thought of as faithful-propagating are discovered to generate different structures, which are stabilized with the hypo-active chaperone. In contrast, most transmutable variants discovered in cells overexpressing Hsp104 have been correctly identified as such previously in wild-type cells without the overexpression. The majority of transmutable variants only mis-template the structure of VH, VK, or VL, which are the most frequently observed variants and do not spontaneously mutate. There are four additional variants that never give rise to different structures in all cell conditions tested. Therefore, quite a few [PSI+] variants are faithful-propagating, and even the transmutable ones do not freely evolve but can only change to limited structural types.
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28
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Seto EP, Hirsch AL, Schubert WW, Chandramowlishwaran P, Chernoff YO. Heat inactivation of stable proteinaceous particles for future sample return mission architecture. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:911091. [PMID: 36016789 PMCID: PMC9396123 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.911091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are studying how to improve the safety of future planetary science sample return missions that would bring back materials to Earth. Backward planetary protection requirements have been identified as a critical technology development focus in order to reduce the possibility of harm to Earth’s biosphere from such returned materials. In order to meet these challenges, NASA has identified the need for an appropriate suite of biological indicators (BIs) that would be used to develop, test, and ultimately validate sample return mission sterilization systems. Traditionally, BIs are defined as test systems composed of viable microorganisms that are inactivated when necessary conditions are met during sterilization procedures, providing a level of confidence in the process. BIs used traditionally at NASA have been driven by past mission requirements, mainly focused on spore-formers. However, spore-based BIs are insufficient as the only analog for a nominal case in sample return missions. NASA has directed sample return missions from habitable worlds to manage “potential extraterrestrial life and bioactive molecules” which requires investigation of a range of potential BIs. Thus, it is important to develop a mitigation strategy that addresses various known forms of biology, from complex organisms to biomolecular assemblies (including self-perpetuating non-nucleic acid containing structures). The current effort seeks to establish a BI that would address a stable biomolecule capable of replication. Additional engineering areas that may benefit from this information include applications of brazing, sealing, and impact heating, and atmospheric entry heating. Yeast aggregating proteins exhibit aggregation behavior similar to mammalian prion protein and have been successfully employed by researchers to understand fundamental prion properties such as aggregation and self-propagation. Despite also being termed “prions,” yeast proteins are not hazardous to humans and can be used as a cost effective and safer alternative to mammalian prions. We have shown that inactivation by dry heat is feasible for the prion formed by the yeast Sup35NM protein, although at higher temperature than for bacterial spores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily P. Seto
- Honeybee Robotics, Altadena, CA, United States
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Emily P. Seto,
| | - Aspen L. Hirsch
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Wayne W. Schubert
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | | | - Yury O. Chernoff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
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29
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Naeimi WR, Serio TR. Beyond Amyloid Fibers: Accumulation, Biological Relevance, and Regulation of Higher-Order Prion Architectures. Viruses 2022; 14:v14081635. [PMID: 35893700 PMCID: PMC9332770 DOI: 10.3390/v14081635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of amyloid fibers is associated with a diverse range of disease and phenotypic states. These amyloid fibers often assemble into multi-protofibril, high-order architectures in vivo and in vitro. Prion propagation in yeast, an amyloid-based process, represents an attractive model to explore the link between these aggregation states and the biological consequences of amyloid dynamics. Here, we integrate the current state of knowledge, highlight opportunities for further insight, and draw parallels to more complex systems in vitro. Evidence suggests that high-order fibril architectures are present ex vivo from disease relevant environments and under permissive conditions in vivo in yeast, including but not limited to those leading to prion formation or instability. The biological significance of these latter amyloid architectures or how they may be regulated is, however, complicated by inconsistent experimental conditions and analytical methods, although the Hsp70 chaperone Ssa1/2 is likely involved. Transition between assembly states could form a mechanistic basis to explain some confounding observations surrounding prion regulation but is limited by a lack of unified methodology to biophysically compare these assembly states. Future exciting experimental entryways may offer opportunities for further insight.
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30
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Manka SW, Zhang W, Wenborn A, Betts J, Joiner S, Saibil HR, Collinge J, Wadsworth JDF. 2.7 Å cryo-EM structure of ex vivo RML prion fibrils. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4004. [PMID: 35831275 PMCID: PMC9279362 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30457-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian prions propagate as distinct strains and are composed of multichain assemblies of misfolded host-encoded prion protein (PrP). Here, we present a near-atomic resolution cryo-EM structure of PrP fibrils present in highly infectious prion rod preparations isolated from the brains of RML prion-infected mice. We found that prion rods comprise single-protofilament helical amyloid fibrils that coexist with twisted pairs of the same protofilaments. Each rung of the protofilament is formed by a single PrP monomer with the ordered core comprising PrP residues 94-225, which folds to create two asymmetric lobes with the N-linked glycans and the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor projecting from the C-terminal lobe. The overall architecture is comparable to that of recently reported PrP fibrils isolated from the brain of hamsters infected with the 263K prion strain. However, there are marked conformational variations that could result from differences in PrP sequence and/or represent distinguishing features of the distinct prion strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szymon W Manka
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Wenjuan Zhang
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Adam Wenborn
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Jemma Betts
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Susan Joiner
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Helen R Saibil
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
| | - John Collinge
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF, UK.
| | - Jonathan D F Wadsworth
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF, UK.
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31
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Pirisinu L, Di Bari MA, D’Agostino C, Vanni I, Riccardi G, Marcon S, Vaccari G, Chiappini B, Benestad SL, Agrimi U, Nonno R. A single amino acid residue in bank vole prion protein drives permissiveness to Nor98/atypical scrapie and the emergence of multiple strain variants. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010646. [PMID: 35731839 PMCID: PMC9255773 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are infectious agents that replicate through the autocatalytic misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into infectious aggregates (PrPSc) causing fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. Prions exist as strains, which are encoded by conformational variants of PrPSc. The transmissibility of prions depends on the PrPC sequence of the recipient host and on the incoming prion strain, so that some animal prion strains are more contagious than others or are transmissible to new species, including humans. Nor98/atypical scrapie (AS) is a prion disease of sheep and goats reported in several countries worldwide. At variance with classical scrapie (CS), AS is considered poorly contagious and is supposed to be spontaneous in origin. The zoonotic potential of AS, its strain variability and the relationships with the more contagious CS strains remain largely unknown. We characterized AS isolates from sheep and goats by transmission in ovinised transgenic mice (tg338) and in two genetic lines of bank voles, carrying either methionine (BvM) or isoleucine (BvI) at PrP residue 109. All AS isolates induced the same pathological phenotype in tg338 mice, thus proving that they encoded the same strain, irrespective of their geographical origin or source species. In bank voles, we found that the M109I polymorphism dictates the susceptibility to AS. BvI were susceptible and faithfully reproduced the AS strain, while the transmission in BvM was highly inefficient and was characterized by a conformational change towards a CS-like prion strain. Sub-passaging experiments revealed that the main strain component of AS is accompanied by minor CS-like strain components, which can be positively selected during replication in both AS-resistant or AS-susceptible animals. These findings add new clues for a better comprehension of strain selection dynamics in prion infections and have wider implications for understanding the origin of contagious prion strains, such as CS. Prions are transmissible agents responsible for fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. Prions exist as strains, exhibiting distinct disease phenotypes and transmission properties. Some prion diseases occur sporadically with a supposedly spontaneous origin, while others are contagious and give rise to epidemics, mainly in animals. We investigated the strain properties of Nor98/atypical scrapie (AS), a sporadic prion disease of small ruminants. We found that AS was faithfully reproduced not only in a homologous context, i.e. ovinised transgenic mice, but also in an unrelated animal species, the bank vole. A natural polymorphism of the bank vole prion protein, coding for methionine (BvM) or for isoleucine (BvI) at codon 109, dictated the susceptibility of voles to AS, with BvI being highly susceptible to AS and BvM rather resistant. Most importantly, the M109I polymorphism mediated the emergence of AS-derived mutant prion strains resembling classical scrapie (CS), a contagious prion disease. Finally, by sub-passages in bank voles, we found that the main strain component of AS is accompanied by minor CS-like strain components, which can be positively selected during replication in both AS-resistant or AS-susceptible vole lines. These findings allow a better understanding of strain selection dynamics and suggest a link between sporadic and contagious prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pirisinu
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Angelo Di Bari
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia D’Agostino
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Vanni
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Geraldina Riccardi
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Marcon
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Vaccari
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Chiappini
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Umberto Agrimi
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Romolo Nonno
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Zhu L, Zhang W, Zhu J, Chen C, Mo K, Guo H, Wu S, Huang H, Li L, Li M, Tan J, Huang Y, Wang L, Ouyang H. Cotransplantation of Limbal Epithelial and Stromal Cells for Ocular Surface Reconstruction. OPHTHALMOLOGY SCIENCE 2022; 2:100148. [PMID: 36249679 PMCID: PMC9560570 DOI: 10.1016/j.xops.2022.100148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Purpose To propose an improved stem cell-based strategy for limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) treatment. Design Experimental randomized or parallel-group animal study. Subjects Fifty adult male New Zealand white rabbits. Methods Human limbal stem/progenitor cells (LSCs) and limbal stromal stem/progenitor cells (LSSCs) were cultured in serum-free conditions and further differentiated into corneal epithelial cells and keratocytes, respectively. All cell types were characterized with lineage-specific markers. Gene expression analysis was performed to identify the potential function of LSSCs in corneal regeneration. Two LSCD models of rabbits for transplantations were used: transplantation performed at the time of limbal and corneal epithelial excision (LSCD model) and transplantation performed after clinical signs were induced in an LSCD model (pLSCD model). The pLSCD model better mimics the pathologic changes and symptoms of human LSCD. Rabbit models received LSC or LSC plus LSSC treatment. Corneal epithelial defects, neovascularization, and opacity were assessed every 3 weeks for 24 weeks. ZsGreen-labeled LSSCs were used for short-term tracking in vivo. Main Outcome Measures Rates of corneal epithelial defect area, corneal neovascularization and opacity scores, graft survival rate, and immunofluorescence staining of specific markers. Results Both LSC transplantation and LSC plus LSSC cotransplantation effectively repaired the corneal surface in the LSCD model. These 2 strategies showed no significant differences in terms of graft survival rate or epithelial repair. However, corneal opacity was observed in the LSC group (in 3 of 8 rabbits), but not in the LSC plus LSSC group. Notably, when treating LSCD rabbits with distinguishable stromal opacification and neovascularization, cotransplantation of LSCs and LSSCs exhibited significantly better therapeutic effects than transplantation of LSCs alone, with graft survival rates of 87.5% and 37.5%, respectively. The implanted LSSCs could differentiate into keratocytes during the wound-healing process. RNA sequencing analysis showed that the stromal cells produced not only a collagen-rich extracellular matrix to facilitate reconstruction of the lamellar structure, but also niche factors that accelerated epithelial cell growth and inhibited angiogenesis and inflammation. Conclusions These findings highlight the support of stromal cells in niche homeostasis and tissue regeneration, providing LSC plus LSSC cotransplantation as a new treatment strategy for corneal blindness.
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Dregni AJ, Duan P, Xu H, Changolkar L, El Mammeri N, Lee VMY, Hong M. Fluent molecular mixing of Tau isoforms in Alzheimer's disease neurofibrillary tangles. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2967. [PMID: 35624093 PMCID: PMC9142584 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30585-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined by intracellular neurofibrillary tangles formed by the microtubule-associated protein tau and extracellular plaques formed by the β-amyloid peptide. AD tau tangles contain a mixture of tau isoforms with either four (4R) or three (3R) microtubule-binding repeats. Here we use solid-state NMR to determine how 4R and 3R tau isoforms mix at the molecular level in AD tau aggregates. By seeding differentially isotopically labeled 4R and 3R tau monomers with AD brain-derived tau, we measured intermolecular contacts of the two isoforms. The NMR data indicate that 4R and 3R tau are well mixed in the AD-tau seeded fibrils, with a 60:40 incorporation ratio of 4R to 3R tau and a small homotypic preference. The AD-tau templated 4R tau, 3R tau, and mixed 4R and 3R tau fibrils exhibit no structural differences in the rigid β-sheet core or the mobile domains. Therefore, 4R and 3R tau are fluently recruited into the pathological fold of AD tau aggregates, which may explain the predominance of AD among neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelio J Dregni
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Pu Duan
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Hong Xu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Lakshmi Changolkar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Nadia El Mammeri
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Virginia M-Y Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute on Aging and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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Trajkovic M, Pavlovic M, Bihelovic F, Ferjancic Z, Saicic RN. Total Synthesis of ( + )-Swainsonine, (–)- Swainsonine, ( + )-8- epi- Swainsonine and ( + )- Dideoxy-Imino-Lyxitol by an Organocatalyzed Aldolization/Reductive Amination Sequence. Nat Prod Commun 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x221091672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A tactical combination of either ( S)- or ( R)-proline catalyzed aldol reaction followed by intramolecular reductive amination enabled the synthesis of a chiral pyrrolidine derivative with 3 contiguous stereocenters in only 2 synthetic steps, starting from achiral precursors. This product, obtainable in both enantiomeric forms, was further exploited as a common intermediate in total syntheses of the biologically active iminosugars: ( + )-swainsonine, (–)-swainsonine, ( + )-8- epi-swainsonine, and ( + )-dideoxy-imino-lyxitol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milos Trajkovic
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milos Pavlovic
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Filip Bihelovic
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Radomir N Saicic
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry, Belgrade, Serbia
- Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia
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Activities of curcumin-related compounds in two cell lines persistently infected with different prion strains. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2022; 1866:130094. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Holec SAM, Liu SL, Woerman AL. Consequences of variability in α-synuclein fibril structure on strain biology. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 143:311-330. [PMID: 35122113 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02403-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Synucleinopathies are a group of clinically and neuropathologically distinct protein misfolding diseases caused by unique α-synuclein conformations, or strains. While multiple atomic resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of α-synuclein fibrils are now deposited in Protein Data Bank, significant gaps in the biological consequences arising from each conformation have yet to be unraveled. Mutations in the α-synuclein gene (SNCA), cofactors, and the solvation environment contribute to the formation and maintenance of each disease-causing strain. This review highlights the impact of each of these factors on α-synuclein misfolding and discusses the implications of the resulting structural variability on therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A M Holec
- Department of Biology, Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Samantha L Liu
- Department of Biology, Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Amanda L Woerman
- Department of Biology, Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
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Pan C, Yang C, Wang S, Ma Y. Identifying Key Genes and Functionally Enriched Pathways of Diverse Adipose Tissue Types in Cattle. Front Genet 2022; 13:790690. [PMID: 35237299 PMCID: PMC8884536 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.790690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Fat is a tissue that not just stores energy and plays a protective role; it is also a vital endocrine organ that generates and integrates signals to influence metabolism. Meanwhile, the excessive accumulation of lipids in adipose tissue can lead to metabolic disturbance and diseases. To date, the complicated molecular mechanisms of bovine adipose tissue are still unknown. This study aimed to identify key genes and functionally enriched pathways in various adipose tissue types. Results: The RNAseq data of 264 samples were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and analyzed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). We identified 19 modules that significantly associated with at least one adipose tissue type. The brown module from GSE39618 was most closely associated with intramuscular fat tissue, which contained 550 genes. These genes were significantly enriched in pathways that related to inflammation and disease, such as TNF signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. The pink module (GSE39618) that contained 58 genes was most closely associated with omental fat tissue. The turquoise (GSE39618), blue (GSE116775), and yellow (GSE65125) module were most closely associated with subcutaneous fat tissue. Genes in these modules were significantly enriched in pathways related to fat metabolism, such as the PPAR signaling pathway, fatty acid metabolism and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. At last, key genes for intramuscular fat (PTGS2 and IL6), omental fat (ARHGEF5 and WT1), and subcutaneous fat (KIT, QR6Q1, PKD2L1, etc.) were obtained and verified. In addition, it was found that IL10 and VCAM1 might be potential genes to distinguish adipose and muscle. Conclusion: The study applied WGCNA to generate a landscape of adipose tissue and provide a basis for identifying potential pathways and hub genes of different adipose tissue types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuili Pan
- School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Ruminant Molecular and Cellular Breeding, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Chaoyun Yang
- School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Ruminant Molecular and Cellular Breeding, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Shuzhe Wang
- School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Ruminant Molecular and Cellular Breeding, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Yun Ma
- School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Ruminant Molecular and Cellular Breeding, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
- *Correspondence: Yun Ma,
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Kim C, Haldiman T, Kang SG, Hromadkova L, Han ZZ, Chen W, Lissemore F, Lerner A, de Silva R, Cohen ML, Westaway D, Safar JG. Distinct populations of highly potent TAU seed conformers in rapidly progressing Alzheimer's disease. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabg0253. [PMID: 34985969 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abg0253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Chae Kim
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Tracy Haldiman
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sang-Gyun Kang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Lenka Hromadkova
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Zhuang Zhuang Han
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Frances Lissemore
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Alan Lerner
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Mark L Cohen
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Jiri G Safar
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Cazzaniga FA, Bistaffa E, De Luca CMG, Portaleone SM, Catania M, Redaelli V, Tramacere I, Bufano G, Rossi M, Caroppo P, Giovagnoli AR, Tiraboschi P, Di Fede G, Eleopra R, Devigili G, Elia AE, Cilia R, Fiorini M, Bongianni M, Salzano G, Celauro L, Quarta FG, Mammana A, Legname G, Tagliavini F, Parchi P, Zanusso G, Giaccone G, Moda F. PMCA-Based Detection of Prions in the Olfactory Mucosa of Patients With Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:848991. [PMID: 35401151 PMCID: PMC8990253 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.848991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by the conformational conversion of the prion protein (PrPC) into an abnormally folded form, named prion (or PrPSc). The combination of the polymorphism at codon 129 of the PrP gene (coding either methionine or valine) with the biochemical feature of the proteinase-K resistant PrP (generating either PrPSc type 1 or 2) gives rise to different PrPSc strains, which cause variable phenotypes of sCJD. The definitive diagnosis of sCJD and its classification can be achieved only post-mortem after PrPSc identification and characterization in the brain. By exploiting the Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, traces of PrPSc were found in the olfactory mucosa (OM) of sCJD patients, thus demonstrating that PrPSc is not confined to the brain. Here, we have optimized another technique, named protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) for detecting PrPSc in OM samples of sCJD patients. OM samples were collected from 27 sCJD and 2 genetic CJD patients (E200K). Samples from 34 patients with other neurodegenerative disorders were included as controls. Brains were collected from 26 sCJD patients and 16 of them underwent OM collection. Brain and OM samples were subjected to PMCA using the brains of transgenic mice expressing human PrPC with methionine at codon 129 as reaction substrates. The amplified products were analyzed by Western blot after proteinase K digestion. Quantitative PMCA was performed to estimate PrPSc concentration in OM. PMCA enabled the detection of prions in OM samples with 79.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Except for a few cases, a predominant type 1 PrPSc was generated, regardless of the tissues analyzed. Notably, all amplified PrPSc were less resistant to PK compared to the original strain. In conclusion, although the optimized PMCA did not consent to recognize sCJD subtypes from the analysis of OM collected from living patients, it enabled us to estimate for the first time the amount of prions accumulating in this biological tissue. Further assay optimizations are needed to faithfully amplify peripheral prions whose recognition could lead to a better diagnosis and selection of patients for future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Angelo Cazzaniga
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Edoardo Bistaffa
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Maria Giulia De Luca
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Sara Maria Portaleone
- Department of Health Sciences, Otolaryngology Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Catania
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Veronica Redaelli
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Irene Tramacere
- Department of Research and Clinical Development, Scientific Directorate, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Bufano
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Martina Rossi
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Paola Caroppo
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Giovagnoli
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Tiraboschi
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Eleopra
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Grazia Devigili
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Emanuele Elia
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cilia
- Unit of Neurology 1 - Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Fiorini
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Matilde Bongianni
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giulia Salzano
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Luigi Celauro
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Federico Giuseppe Quarta
- Department of Health Sciences, Otolaryngology Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Angela Mammana
- IRCCS, Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna (ISNB), Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Scientific Directorate, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Piero Parchi
- IRCCS, Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna (ISNB), Bologna, Italy.,Department of Diagnostic Experimental and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Zanusso
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Moda
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
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Hofmann A, Wrede A, Jürgens-Wemheuer WM, Schulz-Schaeffer WJ. Prion type 2 selection in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease affecting peripheral ganglia. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:187. [PMID: 34819156 PMCID: PMC8611978 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01286-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD), the pathological changes appear to be restricted to the central nervous system. Only involvement of the trigeminal ganglion is widely accepted. The present study systematically examined the involvement of peripheral ganglia in sCJD utilizing the currently most sensitive technique for detecting prions in tissue morphologically. The trigeminal, nodose, stellate, and celiac ganglia, as well as ganglia of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar sympathetic trunk of 40 patients were analyzed with the paraffin-embedded tissue (PET)-blot method. Apart from the trigeminal ganglion, which contained protein aggregates in five of 19 prion type 1 patients, evidence of prion protein aggregation was only found in patients associated with type 2 prions. With the PET-blot, aggregates of prion protein type 2 were found in all trigeminal (17/17), in some nodose (5 of 7) and thoracic (3 of 6) ganglia, as well as in a few celiac (4 of 19) and lumbar (1 of 5) ganglia of sCJD patients. Whereas aggregates of both prion types may spread to dorsal root ganglia, more CNS-distant ganglia seem to be only involved in patients accumulating prion type 2. Whether the prion type association is due to selection by prion type-dependent replication, or due to a prion type-dependent property of axonal spread remains to be resolved in further studies.
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Coca JR, Eraña H, Castilla J. Biosemiotics comprehension of PrP code and prion disease. Biosystems 2021; 210:104542. [PMID: 34517077 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Prions or PrPSc (prion protein, Scrapie isoform) are proteins with an aberrant three-dimensional conformation that present the ability to alter the three-dimensional structure of natively folded PrPC (prion protein, cellular isoform) inducing its abnormal folding, giving raise to neurological diseases known as Transmissible spongiforms encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases. In this work, through a biosemiotic study, we will analyze the molecular code of meanings that are known in the molecular pathway of PrPC and how it is altered in prion diseases. This biosemiotic code presents a socio-semiotic correlate in organisms that could be unraveled with the ultimate goal of understanding the code of signs that mediates the process. Finally, we will study recent works that indicate possible relationships in the code between prion proteins and other proteins such as the tau protein and alpha-synuclein to evaluate if it is possible that there is a semiotic expansion of the PrP code and prion diseases in the meaning recently expounded by Prusiner, winner of the Nobel Prize for describing these unusual pathological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan R Coca
- Social Research Unit in Health and Rare Diseases, University of Valladolid, Spain.
| | - Hasier Eraña
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain; Atlas Molecular Pharma S. L., Derio, Spain
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC BioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
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The Way forward for the Origin of Life: Prions and Prion-Like Molecules First Hypothesis. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11090872. [PMID: 34575021 PMCID: PMC8467930 DOI: 10.3390/life11090872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper the hypothesis that prions and prion-like molecules could have initiated the chemical evolutionary process which led to the eventual emergence of life is reappraised. The prions first hypothesis is a specific application of the protein-first hypothesis which asserts that protein-based chemical evolution preceded the evolution of genetic encoding processes. This genetics-first hypothesis asserts that an “RNA-world era” came before protein-based chemical evolution and rests on a singular premise that molecules such as RNA, acetyl-CoA, and NAD are relics of a long line of chemical evolutionary processes preceding the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). Nevertheless, we assert that prions and prion-like molecules may also be relics of chemical evolutionary processes preceding LUCA. To support this assertion is the observation that prions and prion-like molecules are involved in a plethora of activities in contemporary biology in both complex (eukaryotes) and primitive life forms. Furthermore, a literature survey reveals that small RNA virus genomes harbor information about prions (and amyloids). If, as has been presumed by proponents of the genetics-first hypotheses, small viruses were present during an RNA world era and were involved in some of the earliest evolutionary processes, this places prions and prion-like molecules potentially at the heart of the chemical evolutionary process whose eventual outcome was life. We deliberate on the case for prions and prion-like molecules as the frontier molecules at the dawn of evolution of living systems.
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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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Bian J, Kim S, Kane SJ, Crowell J, Sun JL, Christiansen J, Saijo E, Moreno JA, DiLisio J, Burnett E, Pritzkow S, Gorski D, Soto C, Kreeger TJ, Balachandran A, Mitchell G, Miller MW, Nonno R, Vikøren T, Våge J, Madslien K, Tran L, Vuong TT, Benestad SL, Telling GC. Adaptive selection of a prion strain conformer corresponding to established North American CWD during propagation of novel emergent Norwegian strains in mice expressing elk or deer prion protein. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009748. [PMID: 34310663 PMCID: PMC8341702 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are infectious proteins causing fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative diseases of animals and humans. Replication involves template-directed refolding of host encoded prion protein, PrPC, by its infectious conformation, PrPSc. Following its discovery in captive Colorado deer in 1967, uncontrollable contagious transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) led to an expanded geographic range in increasing numbers of free-ranging and captive North American (NA) cervids. Some five decades later, detection of PrPSc in free-ranging Norwegian (NO) reindeer and moose marked the first indication of CWD in Europe. To assess the properties of these emergent NO prions and compare them with NA CWD we used transgenic (Tg) and gene targeted (Gt) mice expressing PrP with glutamine (Q) or glutamate (E) at residue 226, a variation in wild type cervid PrP which influences prion strain selection in NA deer and elk. Transmissions of NO moose and reindeer prions to Tg and Gt mice recapitulated the characteristic features of CWD in natural hosts, revealing novel prion strains with disease kinetics, neuropathological profiles, and capacities to infect lymphoid tissues and cultured cells that were distinct from those causing NA CWD. In support of strain variation, PrPSc conformers comprising emergent NO moose and reindeer CWD were subject to selective effects imposed by variation at residue 226 that were different from those controlling established NA CWD. Transmission of particular NO moose CWD prions in mice expressing E at 226 resulted in selection of a kinetically optimized conformer, subsequent transmission of which revealed properties consistent with NA CWD. These findings illustrate the potential for adaptive selection of strain conformers with improved fitness during propagation of unstable NO prions. Their potential for contagious transmission has implications for risk analyses and management of emergent European CWD. Finally, we found that Gt mice expressing physiologically controlled PrP levels recapitulated the lymphotropic properties of naturally occurring CWD strains resulting in improved susceptibilities to emergent NO reindeer prions compared with over-expressing Tg counterparts. These findings underscore the refined advantages of Gt models for exploring the mechanisms and impacts of strain selection in peripheral compartments during natural prion transmission. Prions cause fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans. They are composed of an infectious, neurotoxic protein (PrP) which replicates by imposing pathogenic conformations on its normal, host-encoded counterpart. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious prion disorder threatening increasing numbers of free-ranging and captive North American deer, elk, and moose. While CWD detection in Norwegian reindeer and moose in 2016 marked the advent of disease in Europe, its origins and relationship to North American CWD were initially unclear. Here we show, using mice engineered to express deer or elk PrP, that Norwegian reindeer and moose CWD are caused by novel prion strains with properties distinct from those of North American CWD. We found that selection and propagation of North American and Norwegian CWD strains was controlled by a key amino acid residue in host PrP. We also found that particular Norwegian isolates adapted during their propagation in mice to produce prions with characteristics of the North American strain. Our findings defining the transmission profiles of novel Norwegian prions and their unstable potential to produce adapted strains with improved fitness for contagious transmission have implications for risk analyses and management of emergent European CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jifeng Bian
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Sehun Kim
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Sarah J. Kane
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jenna Crowell
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Julianna L. Sun
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey Christiansen
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Eri Saijo
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Julie A. Moreno
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - James DiLisio
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Emily Burnett
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Sandra Pritzkow
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Damian Gorski
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Claudio Soto
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Terry J. Kreeger
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wheatland, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Aru Balachandran
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Gordon Mitchell
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Michael W. Miller
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Romolo Nonno
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Veterinary Public Health, Nutrition and Food Safety, Rome, Italy
| | - Turid Vikøren
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Knut Madslien
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Linh Tran
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tram Thu Vuong
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sylvie L. Benestad
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, OIE Reference laboratory for CWD, Oslo, Norway
| | - Glenn C. Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC), the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Block AJ, Shikiya RA, Eckland TE, Kincaid AE, Walters RW, Ma J, Bartz JC. Efficient interspecies transmission of synthetic prions. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009765. [PMID: 34260664 PMCID: PMC8312972 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are comprised solely of PrPSc, the misfolded self-propagating conformation of the cellular protein, PrPC. Synthetic prions are generated in vitro from minimal components and cause bona fide prion disease in animals. It is unknown, however, if synthetic prions can cross the species barrier following interspecies transmission. To investigate this, we inoculated Syrian hamsters with murine synthetic prions. We found that all the animals inoculated with murine synthetic prions developed prion disease characterized by a striking uniformity of clinical onset and signs of disease. Serial intraspecies transmission resulted in a rapid adaptation to hamsters. During the adaptation process, PrPSc electrophoretic migration, glycoform ratios, conformational stability and biological activity as measured by protein misfolding cyclic amplification remained constant. Interestingly, the strain that emerged shares a strikingly similar transmission history, incubation period, clinical course of disease, pathology and biochemical and biological features of PrPSc with 139H, a hamster adapted form of the murine strain 139A. Combined, these data suggest that murine synthetic prions are comprised of bona fide PrPSc with 139A-like strain properties that efficiently crosses the species barrier and rapidly adapts to hamsters resulting in the emergence of a single strain. The efficiency and specificity of interspecies transmission of murine synthetic prions to hamsters, with relevance to brain derived prions, could be a useful model for identification of structure function relationships between PrPSc and PrPC from different species. Prions have zoonotic potential as illustrated by the interspecies transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to humans resulting in the emergence of a novel human prion disease. It is unknown if other prion diseases of animals, such as chronic wasting disease, can be transmitted to other species. Models to predict prion zoonotic potential do not exist, in part, due to the lack of understanding of how the structure of PrPSc from one species can convert PrPC from another species. Towards this end, we determined that murine synthetic prions, made from minimal components, can efficiently establish infection in hamsters whose transmission history, clinical features, pathology and biochemical properties of PrPSc are consistent with the reisolation of a known prion strain. We conclude that murine synthetic prions can recapitulate interspecies transmission and adaptation allowing for a more detailed mechanistic analysis in a simplified, trackable system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa J. Block
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Ronald A. Shikiya
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Thomas E. Eckland
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Anthony E. Kincaid
- Department of Pharmacy Science, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Ryan W. Walters
- Department of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Jiyan Ma
- Van Andel Institute, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jason C. Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Bartz JC. Environmental and host factors that contribute to prion strain evolution. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:5-16. [PMID: 33899132 PMCID: PMC8932343 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02310-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Prions are novel pathogens that are composed entirely of PrPSc, the self-templating conformation of the host prion protein, PrPC. Prion strains are operationally defined as a heritable phenotype of disease that are encoded by strain-specific conformations of PrPSc. The factors that influence the relative distribution of strains in a population are only beginning to be understood. For prions with an infectious etiology, environmental factors, such as strain-specific binding to surfaces and resistance to weathering, can influence which strains are available for transmission to a naïve host. Strain-specific differences in efficiency of infection by natural routes of infection can also select for prion strains. The host amino acid sequence of PrPC has the greatest effect on dictating the repertoire of prion strains. The relative abundance of PrPC, post-translational modifications of PrPC and cellular co-factors involved in prion conversion can also provide conditions that favor the prevalence of a subset of prion strains. Additionally, prion strains can interfere with each other, influencing the emergence of a dominant strain. Overall, both environmental and host factors may influence the repertoire and distribution of strains within a population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA.
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Lau HHC, Ingelsson M, Watts JC. The existence of Aβ strains and their potential for driving phenotypic heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:17-39. [PMID: 32743745 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02201-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Reminiscent of the human prion diseases, there is considerable clinical and pathological variability in Alzheimer's disease, the most common human neurodegenerative condition. As in prion disorders, protein misfolding and aggregation is a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's disease, where the initiating event is thought to be the self-assembly of Aβ peptide into aggregates that deposit in the central nervous system. Emerging evidence suggests that Aβ, similar to the prion protein, can polymerize into a conformationally diverse spectrum of aggregate strains both in vitro and within the brain. Moreover, certain types of Aβ aggregates exhibit key hallmarks of prion strains including divergent biochemical attributes and the ability to induce distinct pathological phenotypes when intracerebrally injected into mouse models. In this review, we discuss the evidence demonstrating that Aβ can assemble into distinct strains of aggregates and how such strains may be primary drivers of the phenotypic heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease.
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Ferjancic Z, Saicic RN. Combining Organocatalyzed Aldolization and Reductive Amination: An Efficient Reaction Sequence for the Synthesis of Iminosugars. European J Org Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202100398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zorana Ferjancic
- University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry Studentski trg 16, POB 51 11158 Belgrade 118 Serbia
| | - Radomir N. Saicic
- University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry Studentski trg 16, POB 51 11158 Belgrade 118 Serbia
- Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Kneza Mihaila 35 11 000 Belgrade Serbia
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50
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Carlson GA, Prusiner SB. How an Infection of Sheep Revealed Prion Mechanisms in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:4861. [PMID: 34064393 PMCID: PMC8125442 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Although it is not yet universally accepted that all neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are prion disorders, there is little disagreement that Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other NDs are a consequence of protein misfolding, aggregation, and spread. This widely accepted perspective arose from the prion hypothesis, which resulted from investigations on scrapie, a common transmissible disease of sheep and goats. The prion hypothesis argued that the causative infectious agent of scrapie was a novel proteinaceous pathogen devoid of functional nucleic acids and distinct from viruses, viroids, and bacteria. At the time, it seemed impossible that an infectious agent like the one causing scrapie could replicate and exist as diverse microbiological strains without nucleic acids. However, aggregates of a misfolded host-encoded protein, designated the prion protein (PrP), were shown to be the cause of scrapie as well as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), which are similar NDs in humans. This review discusses historical research on diseases caused by PrP misfolding, emphasizing principles of pathogenesis that were later found to be core features of other NDs. For example, the discovery that familial prion diseases can be caused by mutations in PrP was important for understanding prion replication and disease susceptibility not only for rare PrP diseases but also for far more common NDs involving other proteins. We compare diseases caused by misfolding and aggregation of APP-derived Aβ peptides, tau, and α-synuclein with PrP prion disorders and argue for the classification of NDs caused by misfolding of these proteins as prion diseases. Deciphering the molecular pathogenesis of NDs as prion-mediated has provided new approaches for finding therapies for these intractable, invariably fatal disorders and has revolutionized the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A. Carlson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA;
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Stanley B. Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA;
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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