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Wu B, Liu Y, Li H, Zhu L, Zeng L, Zhang Z, Peng W. Liver as a new target organ in Alzheimer's disease: insight from cholesterol metabolism and its role in amyloid-beta clearance. Neural Regen Res 2025; 20:695-714. [PMID: 38886936 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.391305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease, the primary cause of dementia, is characterized by neuropathologies, such as amyloid plaques, synaptic and neuronal degeneration, and neurofibrillary tangles. Although amyloid plaques are the primary characteristic of Alzheimer's disease in the central nervous system and peripheral organs, targeting amyloid-beta clearance in the central nervous system has shown limited clinical efficacy in Alzheimer's disease treatment. Metabolic abnormalities are commonly observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The liver is the primary peripheral organ involved in amyloid-beta metabolism, playing a crucial role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. Notably, impaired cholesterol metabolism in the liver may exacerbate the development of Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we explore the underlying causes of Alzheimer's disease and elucidate the role of the liver in amyloid-beta clearance and cholesterol metabolism. Furthermore, we propose that restoring normal cholesterol metabolism in the liver could represent a promising therapeutic strategy for addressing Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Wu
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yuqing Liu
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Hongli Li
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Lemei Zhu
- Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Lingfeng Zeng
- Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
- Yangsheng College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
- Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China
| | - Weijun Peng
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorder, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
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2
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Lin LT, Zhang ST, Shang BL, Dai YQ, Cheng XQ, Wu QG, Zhan RT, Liu SJ. The effect and mechanism of patchouli alcohol on cognitive dysfunction in AD mice induced by Aβ 1-42 oligomers through AMPK/mTOR pathway. Brain Res Bull 2024; 215:111030. [PMID: 38996935 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.111030] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progressively impairs long-term and working memory. The function and mechanism of PA(Patchouli alcohol) in improving AD in the external treatment of encephalopathy remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of PA on AD using an Aβ1-42 induced AD mouse model with LPS(Lipopolysaccharide) stimulation of BV2 microglial cells. Additionally, we aimed to explore the potential mechanism of PA in enhancing autophagy and reducing neuroinflammation through the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase)/mTOR (Mammaliam target of rapamycin) signaling pathway. The Morris water maze was used to assess cognitive function, and cortical and hippocampal tissues were collected for further analysis of the corresponding signaling pathways and inflammatory changes through biological experiments. Our research findings demonstrate that PA has a significant positive impact on cognitive and memory impairments in mice that have been induced with Aβ1-42-induced AD. Additionally, PA was also found to revert the activation of microglia induced by LPS. These effects may be attributed to the reduction of neuroinflammation and enhancement of the AMPK/mTOR autophagy pathway. Therefore, PA may serve as an effective therapeutic option to prevent or delay the progression of AD-associated memory dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Ting Lin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Shu-Ting Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Bao-Ling Shang
- Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China; The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Yu-Qiong Dai
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Xiao-Qing Cheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Qing-Guang Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Ruo-Ting Zhan
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China; Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resource from Lingnan, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China.
| | - Si-Jun Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, PR China.
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3
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Gatch AJ, Ding F. TDP-43 Promotes Amyloid-Beta Toxicity by Delaying Fibril Maturation via Direct Molecular Interaction. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:2936-2953. [PMID: 39073874 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00334] [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] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) is a peptide that undergoes self-assembly into amyloid fibrils, which compose the hallmark plaques observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is a protein with mislocalization and aggregation implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Recent work suggests that TDP-43 may interact with Aβ, inhibiting the formation of amyloid fibrils and worsening AD pathology, but the molecular details of their interaction remain unknown. Using all-atom discrete molecular dynamics simulations, we systematically investigated the direct molecular interaction between Aβ and TDP-43. We found that Aβ monomers were able to bind near the flexible nuclear localization sequence of the N-terminal domain (NTD) of TDP-43, adopting β-sheet rich conformations that were promoted by the interaction. Furthermore, Aβ associated with the nucleic acid binding interface of the tandem RNA recognition motifs of TDP-43 via electrostatic interactions. Using the computational peptide array method, we found the strongest C-terminal domain interaction with Aβ to be within the amyloidogenic core region of TDP-43. With experimental evidence suggesting that the NTD is necessary for inhibiting Aβ fibril growth, we also simulated the NTD with an Aβ40 fibril seed. We found that the NTD was able to strongly bind the elongation surface of the fibril seed via extensive hydrogen bonding and could also diffuse along the lateral surface via electrostatic interactions. Our results suggest that TDP-43 binding to the elongation surface, thereby sterically blocking Aβ monomer addition, is responsible for the experimentally observed inhibition of fibril growth. We conclude that TDP-43 may promote Aβ toxicity by stabilizing the oligomeric state and kinetically delaying fibril maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Gatch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States
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4
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Schulte T, Chaves-Sanjuan A, Speranzini V, Sicking K, Milazzo M, Mazzini G, Rognoni P, Caminito S, Milani P, Marabelli C, Corbelli A, Diomede L, Fiordaliso F, Anastasia L, Pappone C, Merlini G, Bolognesi M, Nuvolone M, Fernández-Busnadiego R, Palladini G, Ricagno S. Helical superstructures between amyloid and collagen in cardiac fibrils from a patient with AL amyloidosis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6359. [PMID: 39069558 PMCID: PMC11284220 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50686-2] [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: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Systemic light chain (LC) amyloidosis (AL) is a disease where organs are damaged by an overload of a misfolded patient-specific antibody-derived LC, secreted by an abnormal B cell clone. The high LC concentration in the blood leads to amyloid deposition at organ sites. Indeed, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revealed unique amyloid folds for heart-derived fibrils taken from different patients. Here, we present the cryo-EM structure of heart-derived AL amyloid (AL59) from another patient with severe cardiac involvement. The double-layered structure displays a u-shaped core that is closed by a β-arc lid and extended by a straight tail. Noteworthy, the fibril harbours an extended constant domain fragment, thus ruling out the variable domain as sole amyloid building block. Surprisingly, the fibrils were abundantly concatenated with a proteinaceous polymer, here identified as collagen VI (COLVI) by immuno-electron microscopy (IEM) and mass-spectrometry. Cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) showed how COLVI wraps around the amyloid forming a helical superstructure, likely stabilizing and protecting the fibrils from clearance. Thus, here we report structural evidence of interactions between amyloid and collagen, potentially signifying a distinct pathophysiological mechanism of amyloid deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Schulte
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097, San Donato Milanese, Italy
- Dept of Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Box 1031, SE-17121, Solna, Sweden
| | | | - Valentina Speranzini
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Kevin Sicking
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuropathology, Göttinge, 37077, Germany
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Melissa Milazzo
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Giulia Mazzini
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Paola Rognoni
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Serena Caminito
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Paolo Milani
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Chiara Marabelli
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Alessandro Corbelli
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, Milano, 20156, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, Milano, 20156, Italy
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, Milano, 20156, Italy
| | - Luigi Anastasia
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097, San Donato Milanese, Italy
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, 20132, Italy
| | - Carlo Pappone
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097, San Donato Milanese, Italy
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, 20132, Italy
- Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato, Milan, 20097, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Merlini
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Martino Bolognesi
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Mario Nuvolone
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Rubén Fernández-Busnadiego
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuropathology, Göttinge, 37077, Germany
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Giovanni Palladini
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Stefano Ricagno
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097, San Donato Milanese, Italy.
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy.
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5
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Nguyen BA, Singh V, Afrin S, Singh P, Pekala M, Ahmed Y, Pedretti R, Canepa J, Lemoff A, Kluve-Beckerman B, Wydorski PM, Chhapra F, Saelices L. Cryo-EM confirms a common fibril fold in the heart of four patients with ATTRwt amyloidosis. Commun Biol 2024; 7:905. [PMID: 39068302 PMCID: PMC11283564 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06588-6] [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: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
ATTR amyloidosis results from the conversion of transthyretin into amyloid fibrils that deposit in tissues causing organ failure and death. This conversion is facilitated by mutations in ATTRv amyloidosis, or aging in ATTRwt amyloidosis. ATTRv amyloidosis exhibits extreme phenotypic variability, whereas ATTRwt amyloidosis presentation is consistent and predictable. Previously, we found unique structural variabilities in cardiac amyloid fibrils from polyneuropathic ATTRv-I84S patients. In contrast, cardiac fibrils from five genotypically different patients with cardiomyopathy or mixed phenotypes are structurally homogeneous. To understand fibril structure's impact on phenotype, it is necessary to study the fibrils from multiple patients sharing genotype and phenotype. Here we show the cryo-electron microscopy structures of fibrils extracted from four cardiomyopathic ATTRwt amyloidosis patients. Our study confirms that they share identical conformations with minimal structural variability, consistent with their homogenous clinical presentation. Our study contributes to the understanding of ATTR amyloidosis biopathology and calls for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binh An Nguyen
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Virender Singh
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shumaila Afrin
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Preeti Singh
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Maja Pekala
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yasmin Ahmed
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Rose Pedretti
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jacob Canepa
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Barbara Kluve-Beckerman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pawel M Wydorski
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Farzeen Chhapra
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lorena Saelices
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA.
- Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA.
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6
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Arutyunyan A, Seuma M, Faure AJ, Bolognesi B, Lehner B. Energetic portrait of the amyloid beta nucleation transition state. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.24.604935. [PMID: 39091732 PMCID: PMC11291115 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.24.604935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid protein aggregates are pathological hallmarks of more than fifty human diseases including the most common neurodegenerative disorders. The atomic structures of amyloid fibrils have now been determined, but the process by which soluble proteins nucleate to form amyloids remains poorly characterised and difficult to study, even though this is the key step to understand to prevent the formation and spread of aggregates. Here we use massively parallel combinatorial mutagenesis, a kinetic selection assay, and machine learning to reveal the transition state of the nucleation reaction of amyloid beta, the protein that aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. By quantifying the nucleation of >140,000 proteins we infer the changes in activation energy for all 798 amino acid substitutions in amyloid beta and the energetic couplings between >600 pairs of mutations. This unprecedented dataset provides the first comprehensive view of the energy landscape and the first large-scale measurement of energetic couplings for a protein transition state. The energy landscape reveals that the amyloid beta nucleation transition state contains a short structured C-terminal hydrophobic core with a subset of interactions similar to mature fibrils. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using mutation-selection-sequencing experiments to study transition states and identifies the key molecular species that initiates amyloid beta aggregation and, potentially, Alzheimer's disease.
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7
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Lewkowicz E, Jayaraman S, Gursky O. Molecular basis for non-invasive diagnostics of cardiac amyloids using bone tracers. Biomater Sci 2024. [PMID: 39046441 DOI: 10.1039/d4bm00816b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and over 30 others are incurable life-threatening disorders caused by abnormal protein deposition as fibrils in various organs. Cardiac amyloidosis is particularly challenging to diagnose and treat. Identification of the fibril-forming protein, which in the heart is usually amyloid transthyretin (ATTR) or amyloid immunoglobulin light chain (AL), is paramount to treatment. A transformative non-invasive diagnostic modality is imaging using technetium-labeled pyrophosphate or diphosphonate bone tracers, 99mTc-PYP/DPD/HMDP. For unknown reasons, these tracers show preferential uptake by ATTR deposits. The tracer-binding moiety is unknown and potentially involves amyloid fibrils and/or amyloid-associated calcific deposits. We propose that, like in the bone, the tracers chelate to surface-bound Ca2+ in amyloid. In high-affinity protein sites, Ca2+ is coordinated by pairs of acidic residues. To identify such residues on amyloids, we harnessed atomic structures of patient-derived cardiac amyloids determined using cryogenic electron microscopy since 2019. These structures help explain why most but not all ATTR deposits uptake 99mTc-PYP/DPD/HMDP radiotracers, while in AL the opposite is true. Moreover, fibril structures help explain greater microcalcification observed in ATTR vs. AL deposits. These findings may aid the diagnostics and therapeutic targeting of cardiac amyloidosis and are relevant to other amyloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Lewkowicz
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Shobini Jayaraman
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Olga Gursky
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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8
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Baek Y, Lee M. Exploring the complexity of amyloid-beta fibrils: structural polymorphisms and molecular interactions. Biochem Soc Trans 2024:BST20230854. [PMID: 39034652 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
The aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides into cross-β structures forms a variety of distinct fibril conformations, potentially correlating with variations in neurodegenerative disease progression. Recent advances in techniques such as X-ray crystallography, solid-state NMR, and cryo-electron microscopy have enabled the development of high-resolution molecular structures of these polymorphic amyloid fibrils, which are either grown in vitro or isolated from human and transgenic mouse brain tissues. This article reviews our current understanding of the structural polymorphisms in amyloid fibrils formed by Aβ40 and Aβ42, as well as disease-associated mutants of Aβ peptides. The aim is to enhance our understanding of various molecular interactions, including hydrophobic and ionic interactions, within and among cross-β structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoongyeong Baek
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A
| | - Myungwoon Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A
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9
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Wertman E. Essential New Complexity-Based Themes for Patient-Centered Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia and Predementia in Older People: Multimorbidity and Multilevel Phenomenology. J Clin Med 2024; 13:4202. [PMID: 39064242 PMCID: PMC11277671 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13144202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Dementia is a highly prevalent condition with devastating clinical and socioeconomic sequela. It is expected to triple in prevalence by 2050. No treatment is currently known to be effective. Symptomatic late-onset dementia and predementia (SLODP) affects 95% of patients with the syndrome. In contrast to trials of pharmacological prevention, no treatment is suggested to remediate or cure these symptomatic patients. SLODP but not young onset dementia is intensely associated with multimorbidity (MUM), including brain-perturbating conditions (BPCs). Recent studies showed that MUM/BPCs have a major role in the pathogenesis of SLODP. Fortunately, most MUM/BPCs are medically treatable, and thus, their treatment may modify and improve SLODP, relieving suffering and reducing its clinical and socioeconomic threats. Regrettably, the complex system features of SLODP impede the diagnosis and treatment of the potentially remediable conditions (PRCs) associated with them, mainly due to failure of pattern recognition and a flawed diagnostic workup. We suggest incorporating two SLODP-specific conceptual themes into the diagnostic workup: MUM/BPC and multilevel phenomenological themes. By doing so, we were able to improve the diagnostic accuracy of SLODP components and optimize detecting and favorably treating PRCs. These revolutionary concepts and their implications for remediability and other parameters are discussed in the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli Wertman
- Department of Neurology, Hadassah University Hospital, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel;
- Section of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 9190500, Israel
- Or’ad: Organization for Cognitive and Behavioral Changes in the Elderly, Jerusalem 9458118, Israel
- Merhav Neuropsychogeriatric Clinics, Nehalim 4995000, Israel
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10
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Todd TW, Islam NN, Cook CN, Caulfield TR, Petrucelli L. Cryo-EM structures of pathogenic fibrils and their impact on neurodegenerative disease research. Neuron 2024; 112:2269-2288. [PMID: 38834068 PMCID: PMC11257806 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.05.012] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are commonly associated with the formation of aberrant protein aggregates within the brain, and ultrastructural analyses have revealed that the proteins within these inclusions often assemble into amyloid filaments. Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as an effective method for determining the near-atomic structure of these disease-associated filamentous proteins, and the resulting structures have revolutionized the way we think about aberrant protein aggregation and propagation during disease progression. These structures have also revealed that individual fibril conformations may dictate different disease conditions, and this newfound knowledge has improved disease modeling in the lab and advanced the ongoing pursuit of clinical tools capable of distinguishing and targeting different pathogenic entities within living patients. In this review, we summarize some of the recently developed cryo-EM structures of ex vivo α-synuclein, tau, β-amyloid (Aβ), TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), and transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) fibrils and discuss how these structures are being leveraged toward mechanistic research and therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany W Todd
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Naeyma N Islam
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Casey N Cook
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | | | - Leonard Petrucelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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11
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Thompson M, Martín M, Olmo TS, Rajesh C, Koo PK, Bolognesi B, Lehner B. Interpretably deep learning amyloid nucleation by massive experimental quantification of random sequences. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.13.603366. [PMID: 39071305 PMCID: PMC11275847 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.13.603366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Insoluble amyloid aggregates are the hallmarks of more than fifty human diseases, including the most common neurodegenerative disorders. The process by which soluble proteins nucleate to form amyloid fibrils is, however, quite poorly characterized. Relatively few sequences are known that form amyloids with high propensity and this data shortage likely limits our capacity to understand, predict, engineer, and prevent the formation of amyloid fibrils. Here we quantify the nucleation of amyloids at an unprecedented scale and use the data to train a deep learning model of amyloid nucleation. In total, we quantify the nucleation rates of >100,000 20-amino-acid-long peptides. This large and diverse dataset allows us to train CANYA, a convolution-attention hybrid neural network. CANYA is fast and outperforms existing methods with stable performance across diverse prediction tasks. Interpretability analyses reveal CANYA's decision-making process and learned grammar, providing mechanistic insights into amyloid nucleation. Our results illustrate the power of massive experimental analysis of random sequence-spaces and provide an interpretable and robust neural network model to predict amyloid nucleation.
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12
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Rodina N, Hornung S, Sarkar R, Suladze S, Peters C, Schmid PWN, Niu Z, Haslbeck M, Buchner J, Kapurniotu A, Reif B. Modulation of Alzheimer's Disease Aβ40 Fibril Polymorphism by the Small Heat Shock Protein αB-Crystallin. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:19077-19087. [PMID: 38973199 PMCID: PMC11258688 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c03504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Deposition of amyloid plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is a hallmark of the disease. AD plaques consist primarily of the beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptide but can contain other factors such as lipids, proteoglycans, and chaperones. So far, it is unclear how the cellular environment modulates fibril polymorphism and how differences in fibril structure affect cell viability. The small heat-shock protein (sHSP) alpha-B-Crystallin (αBC) is abundant in brains of AD patients, and colocalizes with Aβ amyloid plaques. Using solid-state NMR spectroscopy, we show that the Aβ40 fibril seed structure is not replicated in the presence of the sHSP. αBC prevents the generation of a compact fibril structure and leads to the formation of a new polymorph with a dynamic N-terminus. We find that the N-terminal fuzzy coat and the stability of the C-terminal residues in the Aβ40 fibril core affect the chemical and thermodynamic stability of the fibrils and influence their seeding capacity. We believe that our results yield a better understanding of how sHSP, such as αBC, that are part of the cellular environment, can affect fibril structures related to cell degeneration in amyloid diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Rodina
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
- Helmholtz-Zentrum
München (HMGU), Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit
und Umwelt, Institute of Structural Biology (STB), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Simon Hornung
- Division
of Peptide Biochemistry, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Erlenmeyer-Forum 5, Freising 85354, Germany
| | - Riddhiman Sarkar
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
- Helmholtz-Zentrum
München (HMGU), Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit
und Umwelt, Institute of Structural Biology (STB), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Saba Suladze
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
| | - Carsten Peters
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
| | - Philipp W. N. Schmid
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
| | - Zheng Niu
- School
of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan 475004, China
| | - Martin Haslbeck
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
| | - Johannes Buchner
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
| | - Aphrodite Kapurniotu
- Division
of Peptide Biochemistry, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Erlenmeyer-Forum 5, Freising 85354, Germany
| | - Bernd Reif
- Bayerisches
NMR Zentrum (BNMRZ) at the Department of Biosciences,
School of Natural SciencesCenter for Functional Protein Assemblies
(CPA), Department of Biosciences, Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747, Germany
- Helmholtz-Zentrum
München (HMGU), Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit
und Umwelt, Institute of Structural Biology (STB), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
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13
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Wang C, Wang J, Zhu Z, Hu J, Lin Y. Spotlight on pro-inflammatory chemokines: regulators of cellular communication in cognitive impairment. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1421076. [PMID: 39011039 PMCID: PMC11247373 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1421076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is a decline in people's ability to think, learn, and remember, and so forth. Cognitive impairment is a global health challenge that affects the quality of life of thousands of people. The condition covers a wide range from mild cognitive impairment to severe dementia, which includes Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), among others. While the etiology of cognitive impairment is diverse, the role of chemokines is increasingly evident, especially in the presence of chronic inflammation and neuroinflammation. Although inflammatory chemokines have been linked to cognitive impairment, cognitive impairment is usually multifactorial. Researchers are exploring the role of chemokines and other inflammatory mediators in cognitive dysfunction and trying to develop therapeutic strategies to mitigate their effects. The pathogenesis of cognitive disorders is very complex, their underlying causative mechanisms have not been clarified, and their treatment is always one of the challenges in the field of medicine. Therefore, exploring its pathogenesis and treatment has important socioeconomic value. Chemokines are a growing family of structurally and functionally related small (8-10 kDa) proteins, and there is growing evidence that pro-inflammatory chemokines are associated with many neurobiological processes that may be relevant to neurological disorders beyond their classical chemotactic function and play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and progression of cognitive disorders. In this paper, we review the roles and regulatory mechanisms of pro-inflammatory chemokines (CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL11, CCL20, and CXCL8) in cognitive impairment. We also discuss the intrinsic relationship between the two, hoping to provide some valuable references for the treatment of cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxu Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Clinical Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jiayi Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Clinical Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhichao Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Clinical Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jialing Hu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang, China
| | - Yong Lin
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Anesthesia, The First Affiliated Hospital of GanNan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
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14
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Furuta M, Arii S, Umeda H, Matsukawa R, Shizu K, Kaji H, Kawashima SA, Hori Y, Tomita T, Sohma Y, Mitsunuma H, Kanai M. Leuco Ethyl Violet as Self-Activating Prodrug Photocatalyst for In Vivo Amyloid-Selective Oxygenation. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2401346. [PMID: 38689504 PMCID: PMC11234409 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Aberrant aggregates of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau protein (tau), called amyloid, are related to the etiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). Reducing amyloid levels in AD patients is a potentially effective approach to the treatment of AD. The selective degradation of amyloids via small molecule-catalyzed photooxygenation in vivo is a leading approach; however, moderate catalyst activity and the side effects of scalp injury are problematic in prior studies using AD model mice. Here, leuco ethyl violet (LEV) is identified as a highly active, amyloid-selective, and blood-brain barrier (BBB)-permeable photooxygenation catalyst that circumvents all of these problems. LEV is a redox-sensitive, self-activating prodrug catalyst; self-oxidation of LEV through a hydrogen atom transfer process under photoirradiation produces catalytically active ethyl violet (EV) in the presence of amyloid. LEV effectively oxygenates human Aβ and tau, suggesting the feasibility for applications in humans. Furthermore, a concept of using a hydrogen atom as a caging group of a reactive catalyst functional in vivo is postulated. The minimal size of the hydrogen caging group is especially useful for catalyst delivery to the brain through BBB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Furuta
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Suguru Arii
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroki Umeda
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Ryota Matsukawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Katsuyuki Shizu
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan
| | - Hironori Kaji
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan
| | - Shigehiro A Kawashima
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yukiko Hori
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Taisuke Tomita
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Youhei Sohma
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, 640-8156, Japan
| | - Harunobu Mitsunuma
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- PRESTO, JST, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan
| | - Motomu Kanai
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
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15
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Gilbert MAG, Fatima N, Jenkins J, O'Sullivan TJ, Schertel A, Halfon Y, Wilkinson M, Morrema THJ, Geibel M, Read RJ, Ranson NA, Radford SE, Hoozemans JJM, Frank RAW. CryoET of β-amyloid and tau within postmortem Alzheimer's disease brain. Nature 2024; 631:913-919. [PMID: 38987603 PMCID: PMC11269202 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07680-x] [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: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
A defining pathological feature of most neurodegenerative diseases is the assembly of proteins into amyloid that form disease-specific structures1. In Alzheimer's disease, this is characterized by the deposition of β-amyloid and tau with disease-specific conformations. The in situ structure of amyloid in the human brain is unknown. Here, using cryo-fluorescence microscopy-targeted cryo-sectioning, cryo-focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy lift-out and cryo-electron tomography, we determined in-tissue architectures of β-amyloid and tau pathology in a postmortem Alzheimer's disease donor brain. β-amyloid plaques contained a mixture of fibrils, some of which were branched, and protofilaments, arranged in parallel arrays and lattice-like structures. Extracellular vesicles and cuboidal particles defined the non-amyloid constituents of β-amyloid plaques. By contrast, tau inclusions formed parallel clusters of unbranched filaments. Subtomogram averaging a cluster of 136 tau filaments in a single tomogram revealed the polypeptide backbone conformation and filament polarity orientation of paired helical filaments within tissue. Filaments within most clusters were similar to each other, but were different between clusters, showing amyloid heterogeneity that is spatially organized by subcellular location. The in situ structural approaches outlined here for human donor tissues have applications to a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine A G Gilbert
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Nayab Fatima
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Joshua Jenkins
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Thomas J O'Sullivan
- Astbury Biostructure Laboratory CryoEM facility, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Andreas Schertel
- ZEISS Microscopy Customer Center Europe, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany
| | - Yehuda Halfon
- Astbury Biostructure Laboratory CryoEM facility, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Martin Wilkinson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Tjado H J Morrema
- Department of Pathology, Unit Neuropathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam Geibel
- ZEISS Microscopy Customer Center Europe, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany
| | - Randy J Read
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Neil A Ranson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sheena E Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Jeroen J M Hoozemans
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - René A W Frank
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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16
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Ruzmetov T, Hung TI, Jonnalagedda SP, Chen SH, Fasihianifard P, Guo Z, Bhanu B, Chang CEA. Sampling Conformational Ensembles of Highly Dynamic Proteins via Generative Deep Learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.05.592587. [PMID: 38979147 PMCID: PMC11230202 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.05.592587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Proteins are inherently dynamic, and their conformational ensembles are functionally important in biology. Large-scale motions may govern protein structure-function relationship, and numerous transient but stable conformations of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can play a crucial role in biological function. Investigating conformational ensembles to understand regulations and disease-related aggregations of IDPs is challenging both experimentally and computationally. In this paper we first introduced an unsupervised deep learning-based model, termed Internal Coordinate Net (ICoN), which learns the physical principles of conformational changes from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation data. Second, we selected interpolating data points in the learned latent space that rapidly identify novel synthetic conformations with sophisticated and large-scale sidechains and backbone arrangements. Third, with the highly dynamic amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ42) monomer, our deep learning model provided a comprehensive sampling of Aβ42's conformational landscape. Analysis of these synthetic conformations revealed conformational clusters that can be used to rationalize experimental findings. Additionally, the method can identify novel conformations with important interactions in atomistic details that are not included in the training data. New synthetic conformations showed distinct sidechain rearrangements that are probed by our EPR and amino acid substitution studies. This approach is highly transferable and can be used for any available data for training. The work also demonstrated the ability for deep learning to utilize learned natural atomistic motions in protein conformation sampling.
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17
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Toyama Y, Nirasawa T, Morishima M, Saito Y, Irie K, Murayama S, Ikegawa M. Integrated Spatial Multi-Omics Study of Postmortem Brains of Alzheimer's Disease. Acta Histochem Cytochem 2024; 57:119-130. [PMID: 38988692 PMCID: PMC11231568 DOI: 10.1267/ahc.24-00025] [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: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation and aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides into extracellular plaques of the brain. Clarification of the process of how soluble Aβ starts to assemble into amyloid fibrils is an essential step in elucidating the pathogenesis of AD. In our previous study, Aβ proteoforms including full-length Aβ40 and Aβ42/43 with N- and C-terminal truncated forms were visualized in postmortem brains from AD patients with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-based mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). In this study, Aβ proteoforms were consistently visualized by an updated protocol, and uncharacterized peptides such as Aβ1-29 and Aβ10-40 in AD brains were also visualized. To decipher neurotoxic effects of Aβ in patients' brains, here we integrate liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based shotgun proteomics with laser microdissection (LMD) excised tissue samples as well as direct tissue imaging with MALDI-MSI. With this approach, we have highlighted dynamic alterations of microtubule associating proteins (MAPs) including MAP1A, MAP1B and MAP2 as well as AD dominant proteins including APP, UCHL1, SNCA, and APOE. Of note, as lipid dysregulation has been implicated with AD pathology, we have challenged to integrate proteomics and lipid imaging for AD and control brain tissue. Spatial multi-omics is also valid to uncover molecular pathology of white matter as well as grey matter and leptomeningeal area, for example, by visualizing heme in patients' postmortem brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumiko Toyama
- Department of Life and Medical Systems, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Japan
| | | | - Maho Morishima
- The Brain Bank for Aging Research, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuko Saito
- The Brain Bank for Aging Research, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Irie
- Department of Life and Medical Systems, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Japan
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shigeo Murayama
- The Brain Bank for Aging Research, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaya Ikegawa
- Department of Life and Medical Systems, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Japan
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18
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Niu Z, Gui X, Feng S, Reif B. Aggregation Mechanisms and Molecular Structures of Amyloid-β in Alzheimer's Disease. Chemistry 2024:e202400277. [PMID: 38888453 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid plaques are a major pathological hallmark involved in Alzheimer's disease and consist of deposits of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). The aggregation process of Aβ is highly complex, which leads to polymorphous aggregates with different structures. In addition to aberrant aggregation, Aβ oligomers can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and form dynamic condensates. It has been hypothesized that these amyloid liquid droplets affect and modulate amyloid fibril formation. In this review, we briefly introduce the relationship between stress granules and amyloid protein aggregation that is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Then we highlight the regulatory role of LLPS in Aβ aggregation and discuss the potential relationship between Aβ phase transition and aggregation. Furthermore, we summarize the current structures of Aβ oligomers and amyloid fibrils, which have been determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The structural variations of Aβ aggregates provide an explanation for the different levels of toxicity, shed light on the aggregation mechanism and may pave the way towards structure-based drug design for both clinical diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Niu
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
| | - Xinrui Gui
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shuang Feng
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
| | - Bernd Reif
- Bavarian NMR Center (B NMRZ), Department of Bioscience, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technische Universität München (TUM), Garching, 85747, Germany
- Institute of Structural Biology (STB), Helmholtz-Zentrum, München (HMGU), Neuherberg, 85764, Germany
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19
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Bacioglu M, Schweighauser M, Gray D, Lövestam S, Katsinelos T, Quaegebeur A, van Swieten J, Jaunmuktane Z, Davies SW, Scheres SHW, Goedert M, Ghetti B, Spillantini MG. Cleaved TMEM106B forms amyloid aggregates in central and peripheral nervous systems. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2024; 12:99. [PMID: 38886865 PMCID: PMC11181561 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-024-01813-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Filaments made of residues 120-254 of transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) form in an age-dependent manner and can be extracted from the brains of neurologically normal individuals and those of subjects with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. TMEM106B filament formation requires cleavage at residue 120 of the 274 amino acid protein; at present, it is not known if residues 255-274 form the fuzzy coat of TMEM106B filaments. Here we show that a second cleavage appears likely, based on staining with an antibody raised against residues 263-274 of TMEM106B. We also show that besides the brain TMEM106B inclusions form in dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord, where they were mostly found in non-neuronal cells. We confirm that in the brain, inclusions were most abundant in astrocytes. No inclusions were detected in heart, liver, spleen or hilar lymph nodes. Based on their staining with luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes, we confirm that TMEM106B inclusions are amyloids. By in situ immunoelectron microscopy, TMEM106B assemblies were often found in structures resembling endosomes and lysosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehtap Bacioglu
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Derrick Gray
- IUSM Center for Electron Microscopy (ICEM), Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sofia Lövestam
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Annelies Quaegebeur
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Cambridge Brain Bank, Cambridge, UK
| | - John van Swieten
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Zane Jaunmuktane
- Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Stephen W Davies
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College, London, UK
| | - Sjors H W Scheres
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michel Goedert
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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20
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Liu B, Li X, Liu Z, He B, Xu H, Cao J, Zeng F, Feng H, Ren Y, Li H, Wang T, Li J, Ye Y, Zhao L, Ran C, Li Y. Iterative Design of Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probes for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease by Targeting Aβ Oligomers. J Med Chem 2024; 67:9104-9123. [PMID: 38829030 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs), crucial toxic proteins in early Alzheimer's disease (AD), precede the formation of Aβ plaques and cognitive impairment. In this context, we present our iterative process for developing novel near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) probes specifically targeting AβOs, aimed at early AD diagnosis. An initial screening identified compound 18 as being highly selective for AβOs. Subsequent analysis revealed that compound 20 improved serum stability while retaining affinity for AβOs. The most promising iteration, compound 37, demonstrated exceptional qualities: a high affinity for AβOs, emission in the near-infrared region, and good biocompatibility. Significantly, ex vivo double staining indicated that compound 37 detected AβOs in AD mouse brain and in vivo imaging experiments showed that compound 37 could differentiate between 4-month-old AD mice and age-matched wild-type mice. Therefore, compound 37 has emerged as a valuable NIRF probe for early detection of AD and a useful tool in exploring AD's pathological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaofang Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhengyang Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bing He
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hanyue Xu
- Nanjing Foreign Language School, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jianqin Cao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fantian Zeng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haiwei Feng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yanwei Ren
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haoyu Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tianyu Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jia Li
- Pathology and PDX Efficacy Center, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuting Ye
- Pathology and PDX Efficacy Center, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Li Zhao
- School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chongzhao Ran
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Yuyan Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design & Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211100, Jiangsu, China
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21
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Ghosh U, Tse E, Yang H, Shi M, Caro CD, Wang F, Merz GE, Prusiner SB, Southworth DR, Condello C. Cryo-EM structures reveal tau filaments from Down syndrome adopt Alzheimer's disease fold. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2024; 12:94. [PMID: 38867338 PMCID: PMC11167798 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-024-01806-y] [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: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is a common genetic condition caused by trisomy of chromosome 21. Among their complex clinical features, including musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiovascular disabilities, individuals with DS have an increased risk of developing progressive dementia and early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). This dementia is attributed to the increased gene dosage of the amyloid-β (Aβ) precursor protein gene, the formation of self-propagating Aβ and tau prion conformers, and the deposition of neurotoxic Aβ plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles. Tau amyloid fibrils have previously been established to adopt many distinct conformations across different neurodegenerative conditions. Here, we report the characterization of brain samples from four DS cases spanning 36-63 years of age by spectral confocal imaging with conformation-specific dyes and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine structures of isolated tau fibrils. High-resolution structures revealed paired helical filament (PHF) and straight filament (SF) conformations of tau that were identical to those determined from AD cases. The PHFs and SFs are made of two C-shaped protofilaments, each containing a cross-β/β-helix motif. Similar to filaments from AD cases, most filaments from the DS cases adopted the PHF form, while a minority (approximately 20%) formed SFs. Samples from the youngest individual with no documented dementia had sparse tau deposits. To isolate tau for cryo-EM from this challenging sample we used a novel affinity-grid method involving a graphene oxide surface derivatized with anti-tau antibodies. This method improved isolation and revealed that primarily tau PHFs and a minor population of chronic traumatic encephalopathy type II-like filaments were present in this youngest case. These findings expand the similarities between AD and DS to the molecular level, providing insight into their related pathologies and the potential for targeting common tau filament folds by small-molecule therapeutics and diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ujjayini Ghosh
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Eric Tse
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Hyunjun Yang
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marie Shi
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christoffer D Caro
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gregory E Merz
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stanley B Prusiner
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel R Southworth
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Carlo Condello
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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22
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Peng J, Zaman M, Yang S, Huang Y, Yarbro J, Wang Z, Liu D, Soliman H, Hemphill A, Harvey S, Pruett-Miller S, Stewart V, Tanwar A, Kalathur R, Grace C, Turk M, Chittori S, Jiao Y, Wu Z, High A, Wang X, Serrano G, Beach T, Yu G, Yang Y, Chen PC. Midkine Attenuates Aβ Fibril Assembly and AmyloidPlaque Formation. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4361125. [PMID: 38883748 PMCID: PMC11177971 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4361125/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Proteomic profiling of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains has identified numerous understudied proteins, including midkine (MDK), that are highly upregulated and correlated with Aβ since the early disease stage, but their roles in disease progression are not fully understood. Here we present that MDK attenuates Aβ assembly and influences amyloid formation in the 5xFAD amyloidosis mouse model. MDK protein mitigates fibril formation of both Aβ40 and Aβ42 peptides in Thioflavin T fluorescence assay, circular dichroism, negative stain electron microscopy, and NMR analysis. Knockout of Mdkgene in 5xFAD increases amyloid formation and microglial activation. Further comprehensive mass spectrometry-based profiling of whole proteome and aggregated proteome in these mouse models indicates significant accumulation of Aβ and Aβ-correlated proteins, along with microglial components. Thus, our structural and mouse model studies reveal a protective role of MDK in counteracting amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shu Yang
- St Jude Children's Research Hospital
| | - Ya Huang
- St Jude Children's Research Hospital
| | | | - Zhen Wang
- St Jude Children's Research Hospital
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yun Jiao
- St Jude Children's Research Hospital
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Gang Yu
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
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23
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Glynn C, Rodriguez JA, Hyman BT. The structural line between prion and "prion-like": Insights from prion protein and tau. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102857. [PMID: 38489865 PMCID: PMC11162956 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The concept of 'prion-like' behavior has emerged in the study of diseases involving protein misfolding where fibrillar structures, called amyloids, self-propagate and induce disease in a fashion similar to prions. From a biological standpoint, in order to be considered 'prion-like,' a protein must traverse cells and tissues and further propagate via a templated conformational change. Since 2017, cryo-electron microscopy structures from patient-derived 'prion-like' amyloids, in particular tau, have been presented and revealed structural similarities shared across amyloids. Since 2021, cryo-EM structures from prions of known infectivity have been added to the ex vivo amyloid structure family. In this review, we discuss current proposals for the 'prion-like' mechanisms of spread for tau and prion protein as well as discuss different influencers on structures of aggregates from tauopathies and prion diseases. Lastly, we discuss some of the current hypotheses for what may distinguish structures that are 'prion-like' from transmissible prion structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calina Glynn
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jose A Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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24
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Im D, Choi TS. Distinctive contribution of two additional residues in protein aggregation of Aβ42 and Aβ40 isoforms. BMB Rep 2024; 57:263-272. [PMID: 38835114 PMCID: PMC11214890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) is one of the amyloidogenic intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that self-assemble to protein aggregates, incurring cell malfunction and cytotoxicity. While Aβ has been known to regulate multiple physiological functions, such as enhancing synaptic functions, aiding in the recovery of the blood-brain barrier/brain injury, and exhibiting tumor suppression/antimicrobial activities, the hydrophobicity of the primary structure promotes pathological aggregations that are closely associated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ proteins consist of multiple isoforms with 37-43 amino acid residues that are produced by the cleavage of amyloid-β precursor protein (APP). The hydrolytic products of APP are secreted to the extracellular regions of neuronal cells. Aβ 1-42 (Aβ42) and Aβ 1-40 (Aβ40) are dominant isoforms whose significance in AD pathogenesis has been highlighted in numerous studies to understand the molecular mechanism and develop AD diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. In this review, we focus on the differences between Aβ42 and Aβ40 in the molecular mechanism of amyloid aggregations mediated by the two additional residues (Ile41 and Ala42) of Aβ42. The current comprehension of Aβ42 and Aβ40 in AD progression is outlined, together with the structural features of Aβ42/Aβ40 amyloid fibrils, and the aggregation mechanisms of Aβ42/Aβ40. Furthermore, the impact of the heterogeneous distribution of Aβ isoforms during amyloid aggregations is discussed in the system mimicking the coexistence of Aβ42 and Aβ40 in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma. [BMB Reports 2024; 57(6): 263-272].
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongjoon Im
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Tae Su Choi
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
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25
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Xu D, Ando N. Miffi: Improving the accuracy of CNN-based cryo-EM micrograph filtering with fine-tuning and Fourier space information. J Struct Biol 2024; 216:108072. [PMID: 38431179 PMCID: PMC11162944 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2024.108072] [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: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Efficient and high-accuracy filtering of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) micrographs is an emerging challenge with the growing speed of data collection and sizes of datasets. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are machine learning models that have been proven successful in many computer vision tasks, and have been previously applied to cryo-EM micrograph filtering. In this work, we demonstrate that two strategies, fine-tuning models from pretrained weights and including the power spectrum of micrographs as input, can greatly improve the attainable prediction accuracy of CNN models. The resulting software package, Miffi, is open-source and freely available for public use (https://github.com/ando-lab/miffi).
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Xu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Nozomi Ando
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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26
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Fu Z, Crooks EJ, Irizarry BA, Zhu X, Chowdhury S, Van Nostrand WE, Smith SO. An electrostatic cluster guides Aβ40 fibril formation in sporadic and Dutch-type cerebral amyloid angiopathy. J Struct Biol 2024; 216:108092. [PMID: 38615725 PMCID: PMC11162928 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2024.108092] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is associated with the accumulation of fibrillar Aβ peptides upon and within the cerebral vasculature, which leads to loss of vascular integrity and contributes to disease progression in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigate the structure of human-derived Aβ40 fibrils obtained from patients diagnosed with sporadic or familial Dutch-type (E22Q) CAA. Using cryo-EM, two primary structures are identified containing elements that have not been observed in in vitro Aβ40 fibril structures. One population has an ordered N-terminal fold comprised of two β-strands stabilized by electrostatic interactions involving D1, E22, D23 and K28. This charged cluster is disrupted in the second population, which exhibits a disordered N-terminus and is favored in fibrils derived from the familial Dutch-type CAA patient. These results illustrate differences between human-derived CAA and AD fibrils, and how familial CAA mutations can guide fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziao Fu
- Center for Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, United States; Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, United States
| | - Elliot J Crooks
- Center for Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, United States
| | - Brandon A Irizarry
- Center for Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, United States
| | - Xiaoyue Zhu
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, United States
| | - Saikat Chowdhury
- Center for Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, United States; CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Habsiguda, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, Telangana, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Kamala Nehru Nagar, Gaziabad 201 002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - William E Van Nostrand
- George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, United States.
| | - Steven O Smith
- Center for Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, United States
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27
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High-resolution structures of amyloid-β and tau aggregates in individuals with Down syndrome. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:859-860. [PMID: 38553643 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01254-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
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28
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Fernandez A, Hoq MR, Hallinan GI, Li D, Bharath SR, Vago FS, Zhang X, Ozcan KA, Newell KL, Garringer HJ, Jiang W, Ghetti B, Vidal R. Cryo-EM structures of amyloid-β and tau filaments in Down syndrome. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:903-909. [PMID: 38553642 PMCID: PMC11189299 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01252-3] [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: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Adult individuals with Down syndrome (DS) develop Alzheimer disease (AD). Whether there is a difference between AD in DS and AD regarding the structure of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau filaments is unknown. Here we report the structure of Aβ and tau filaments from two DS brains. We found two Aβ40 filaments (types IIIa and IIIb) that differ from those previously reported in sporadic AD and two types of Aβ42 filaments (I and II) identical to those found in sporadic and familial AD. Tau filaments (paired helical filaments and straight filaments) were identical to those in AD, supporting the notion of a common mechanism through which amyloids trigger aggregation of tau. This knowledge is important for understanding AD in DS and assessing whether adults with DS could be included in AD clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anllely Fernandez
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Md Rejaul Hoq
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Grace I Hallinan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Daoyi Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Sakshibeedu R Bharath
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Frank S Vago
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Xiaoqi Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Kadir A Ozcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Kathy L Newell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Holly J Garringer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Wen Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Markey Center for Structural Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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29
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Ghosh U, Tse E, Yang H, Shi M, Carlo CD, Wang F, Merz GE, Prusiner SB, Southworth DR, Condello C. Cryo-EM Structures Reveal Tau Filaments from Down Syndrome Adopt Alzheimer's Disease Fold. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.02.587507. [PMID: 38617229 PMCID: PMC11014571 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.02.587507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is a common genetic condition caused by trisomy of chromosome 21. Among the complex clinical features including musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiovascular disabilities, individuals with DS have an increased risk of developing progressive dementia and early onset Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This is attributed to the increased gene dosage of amyloid-β (Aβ) precursor protein gene, the formation of self-propagating Aβ and tau prion conformers, and the deposition of neurotoxic Aβ plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles. Tau amyloid fibrils have previously been established to adopt many distinct conformations across different neurodegenerative conditions. Here we report the characterization of brain samples from four DS cases spanning 36 to 63 years of age by spectral confocal imaging with conformation-specific dyes and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine structures of isolated tau fibrils. High-resolution structures reveal paired helical filament (PHF) and straight filament (SF) conformations of tau that are identical to those determined from AD. The PHFs and SFs are made of two C-shaped protofilaments with a cross-β/β-helix motif. Similar to filaments from AD cases, most filaments from the DS cases adopted the PHF form, while a minority (~20%) formed SFs. Samples from the youngest individual with no documented dementia had sparse tau deposits. To isolate tau for cryo-EM from this challenging sample we used a novel affinity-grid method involving a graphene-oxide surface derivatized with anti-tau antibodies. This improved isolation and revealed primarily tau PHFs and a minor population of chronic traumatic encephalopathy type II-like filaments were present in this youngest case. These findings expand the similarities between AD and DS to the molecular level, providing insight into their related pathologies and the potential for targeting common tau filament folds by small-molecule therapeutics and diagnostics.
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30
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Beriashvili D, Zhou J, Liu Y, Folkers GE, Baldus M. Cellular Applications of DNP Solid-State NMR - State of the Art and a Look to the Future. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202400323. [PMID: 38451060 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Sensitivity enhanced dynamic nuclear polarization solid-state NMR is emerging as a powerful technique for probing the structural properties of conformationally homogenous and heterogenous biomolecular species irrespective of size at atomic resolution within their native environments. Herein we detail advancements that have made acquiring such data, specifically within the confines of intact bacterial and eukaryotic cell a reality and further discuss the type of structural information that can presently be garnered by the technique's exploitation. Subsequently, we discuss bottlenecks that have thus far curbed cellular DNP-ssNMR's broader adoption namely due a lack of sensitivity and spectral resolution. We also explore possible solutions ranging from utilization of new pulse sequences, design of better performing polarizing agents, and application of additional biochemical/ cell biological methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Beriashvili
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Padaulaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jiaxin Zhou
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics, Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Yangping Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics, Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, P. R. China
| | - Gert E Folkers
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Padaulaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc Baldus
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Padaulaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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31
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Parvin F, Haglund S, Wegenast-Braun B, Jucker M, Saito T, Saido TC, Nilsson KPR, Nilsson P, Nyström S, Hammarström P. Divergent Age-Dependent Conformational Rearrangement within Aβ Amyloid Deposits in APP23, APPPS1, and AppNL-F Mice. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:2058-2069. [PMID: 38652895 PMCID: PMC11099915 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00104] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyloid plaques composed of fibrils of misfolded Aβ peptides are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ fibrils are polymorphic in their tertiary and quaternary molecular structures. This structural polymorphism may carry different pathologic potencies and can putatively contribute to clinical phenotypes of AD. Therefore, mapping of structural polymorphism of Aβ fibrils and structural evolution over time is valuable to understanding disease mechanisms. Here, we investigated how Aβ fibril structures in situ differ in Aβ plaque of different mouse models expressing familial mutations in the AβPP gene. We imaged frozen brains with a combination of conformation-sensitive luminescent conjugated oligothiophene (LCO) ligands and Aβ-specific antibodies. LCO fluorescence mapping revealed that mouse models APP23, APPPS1, and AppNL-F have different fibril structures within Aβ-amyloid plaques depending on the AβPP-processing genotype. Co-staining with Aβ-specific antibodies showed that individual plaques from APP23 mice expressing AβPP Swedish mutation have two distinct fibril polymorph regions of core and corona. The plaque core is predominantly composed of compact Aβ40 fibrils, and the corona region is dominated by diffusely packed Aβ40 fibrils. Conversely, the AβPP knock-in mouse AppNL-F, expressing the AβPP Iberian mutation along with Swedish mutation has tiny, cored plaques consisting mainly of compact Aβ42 fibrils, vastly different from APP23 even at elevated age up to 21 months. Age-dependent polymorph rearrangement of plaque cores observed for APP23 and APPPS1 mice >12 months, appears strongly promoted by Aβ40 and was hence minuscule in AppNL-F. These structural studies of amyloid plaques in situ can map disease-relevant fibril polymorph distributions to guide the design of diagnostic and therapeutic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farjana Parvin
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Samuel Haglund
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Bettina Wegenast-Braun
- German
Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie
Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University
of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mathias Jucker
- German
Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie
Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University
of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Takashi Saito
- Laboratory
for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center
for Brain Science, Wako 351-0198, Saitama, Japan
- Department
of Neurocognitive Science, Nagoya City University
Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya 467-8601, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takaomi C. Saido
- Laboratory
for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center
for Brain Science, Wako 351-0198, Saitama, Japan
| | - K. Peter R. Nilsson
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per Nilsson
- Department
of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Solna, Sweden
| | - Sofie Nyström
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per Hammarström
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
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32
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Mo X, Zhang Z, Song J, Wang Y, Yu Z. Self-assembly of peptides in living cells for disease theranostics. J Mater Chem B 2024; 12:4289-4306. [PMID: 38595070 DOI: 10.1039/d4tb00365a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The past few decades have witnessed substantial progress in biomedical materials for addressing health concerns and improving disease therapeutic and diagnostic efficacy. Conventional biomedical materials are typically created through an ex vivo approach and are usually utilized under physiological environments via transfer from preparative media. This transfer potentially gives rise to challenges for the efficient preservation of the bioactivity and implementation of theranostic goals on site. To overcome these issues, the in situ synthesis of biomedical materials on site has attracted great attention in the past few years. Peptides, which exhibit remarkable biocompability and reliable noncovalent interactions, can be tailored via tunable assembly to precisely create biomedical materials. In this review, we summarize the progress in the self-assembly of peptides in living cells for disease diagnosis and therapy. After a brief introduction to the basic design principles of peptide assembly systems in living cells, the applications of peptide assemblies for bioimaging and disease treatment are highlighted. The challenges in the field of peptide self-assembly in living cells and the prospects for novel peptide assembly systems towards next-generation biomaterials are also discussed, which will hopefully help elucidate the great potential of peptide assembly in living cells for future healthcare applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Mo
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Zeyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Jinyan Song
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Yushi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Zhilin Yu
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China.
- Haihe Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, 21 West 15th Avenue, Tianjin 300308, China
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33
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Ha JH, Xu Y, Sekhon H, Zhao W, Wilkens S, Ren D, Loh SN. Mimicking kidney flow shear efficiently induces aggregation of LECT2, a protein involved in renal amyloidosis. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107231. [PMID: 38537700 PMCID: PMC11040205 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107231] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) causes ALECT2, a systemic amyloidosis that affects the kidney and liver. Previous studies established that LECT2 fibrillogenesis is accelerated by the loss of its bound zinc ion and stirring/shaking. These forms of agitation create heterogeneous shear conditions, including air-liquid interfaces that denature proteins, that are not present in the body. Here, we determined the extent to which a more physiological form of mechanical stress-shear generated by fluid flow through a network of narrow channels-drives LECT2 fibrillogenesis. To mimic blood flow through the kidney, where LECT2 and other proteins form amyloid deposits, we developed a microfluidic device consisting of progressively branched channels narrowing from 5 mm to 20 μm in width. Shear was particularly pronounced at the branch points and in the smallest capillaries. Aggregation was induced within 24 h by shear levels that were in the physiological range and well below those required to unfold globular proteins such as LECT2. EM images suggested the resulting fibril ultrastructures were different when generated by laminar flow shear versus shaking/stirring. Importantly, results from the microfluidic device showed the first evidence that the I40V mutation accelerated fibril formation and increased both the size and the density of the aggregates. These findings suggest that kidney-like flow shear, in combination with zinc loss, acts in combination with the I40V mutation to trigger LECT2 amyloidogenesis. These microfluidic devices may be of general use for uncovering mechanisms by which blood flow induces misfolding and amyloidosis of circulating proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeung-Hoi Ha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Yikang Xu
- Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Harsimranjit Sekhon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Wenhan Zhao
- Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Stephan Wilkens
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Dacheng Ren
- Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA; Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
| | - Stewart N Loh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
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34
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Chitty C, Kuliga K, Xue WF. Atomic force microscopy 3D structural reconstruction of individual particles in the study of amyloid protein assemblies. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:761-771. [PMID: 38600027 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230857] [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: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Recent developments in atomic force microscopy (AFM) image analysis have made three-dimensional (3D) structural reconstruction of individual particles observed on 2D AFM height images a reality. Here, we review the emerging contact point reconstruction AFM (CPR-AFM) methodology and its application in 3D reconstruction of individual helical amyloid filaments in the context of the challenges presented by the structural analysis of highly polymorphous and heterogeneous amyloid protein structures. How individual particle-level structural analysis can contribute to resolving the amyloid polymorph structure-function relationships, the environmental triggers leading to protein misfolding and aggregation into amyloid species, the influences by the conditions or minor fluctuations in the initial monomeric protein structure on the speed of amyloid fibril formation, and the extent of the different types of amyloid species that can be formed, are discussed. Future perspectives in the capabilities of AFM-based 3D structural reconstruction methodology exploiting synergies with other recent AFM technology advances are also discussed to highlight the potential of AFM as an emergent general, accessible and multimodal structural biology tool for the analysis of individual biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Chitty
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
| | - Kinga Kuliga
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
| | - Wei-Feng Xue
- Division of Natural Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, U.K
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35
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Kon T, Ichimata S, Di Luca DG, Martinez-Valbuena I, Kim A, Yoshida K, Alruwaita AA, Kleiner G, Strafella AP, Forrest SL, Sato C, Rogaeva E, Fox SH, Lang AE, Kovacs GG. Multiple system atrophy with amyloid-β-predominant Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae141. [PMID: 38712319 PMCID: PMC11073746 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae141] [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: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Multiple system atrophy is a neurodegenerative disease with α-synuclein pathology predominating in the striatonigral and olivopontocerebellar systems. Mixed pathologies are considered to be of low frequency and mostly comprise primary age-related tauopathy or low levels of Alzheimer's disease-related neuropathologic change. Therefore, the concomitant presence of different misfolded proteins in the same brain region is less likely in multiple system atrophy. During the neuropathological evaluation of 21 consecutive multiple system atrophy cases, we identified four cases exhibiting an unusual discrepancy between high Thal amyloid-β phase and low transentorhinal Braak neurofibrillary tangle stage. We mapped α-synuclein pathology, measured the size and number of glial cytoplasmic inclusions and compared the amyloid-β peptides between multiple system atrophy and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, we performed α-synuclein seeding assay from the affected putamen samples. We performed genetic testing for APOE, MAPT, PSEN1, PSEN2 and APP. We refer to the four multiple system atrophy cases with discrepancy between amyloid-β and tau pathology as 'amyloid-β-predominant Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change-multiple system atrophy' to distinguish these from multiple system atrophy with primary age-related tauopathy or multiple system atrophy with typical Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change. As most multiple system atrophy cases with mixed pathologies reported in the literature, these cases did not show a peculiar clinical or MRI profile. Three amyloid-β-predominant Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change-multiple system atrophy cases were available for genetic testing, and all carried the APOE ɛ4 allele. The extent and severity of neuronal loss and α-synuclein pathology were not different compared with typical multiple system atrophy cases. Analysis of amyloid-β peptides revealed more premature amyloid-β plaques in amyloid-β-predominant Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change-multiple system atrophy compared with Alzheimer's disease. α-Synuclein seeding amplification assay showed differences in the kinetics in two cases. This study highlights a rare mixed pathology variant of multiple system atrophy in which there is an anatomical meeting point of amyloid-β and α-synuclein, i.e. the striatum or cerebellum. Since biomarkers are entering clinical practice, these cases will be recognized, and the clinicians have to be informed that the prognosis is not necessarily different than in pure multiple system atrophy cases but that the effect of potential α-synuclein-based therapies might be influenced by the co-presence of amyloid-β in regions where α-synuclein also aggregates. We propose that mixed pathologies should be interpreted not only based on differences in the clinical phenotype but also on whether protein depositions regionally overlap, potentially leading to a different response to α-synuclein-targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoya Kon
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki 036-8562, Japan
| | - Shojiro Ichimata
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Daniel G Di Luca
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ivan Martinez-Valbuena
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Ain Kim
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Koji Yoshida
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Abdullah A Alruwaita
- Edmund J Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and Rossy Program in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
- Neurology Department, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh 11159, Saudi Arabia
| | - Galit Kleiner
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Movement Disorders and Spasticity Management Clinic, Pamela and Paul Austin Centre for Neurology and Behavioral Support, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Antonio P Strafella
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Edmund J Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and Rossy Program in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Shelley L Forrest
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Laboratory Medicine Program & Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Dementia Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Christine Sato
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Ekaterina Rogaeva
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Susan H Fox
- Edmund J Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and Rossy Program in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Anthony E Lang
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Edmund J Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and Rossy Program in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Edmund J Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and Rossy Program in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
- Laboratory Medicine Program & Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Dementia Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
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36
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Martín LR, Santiago LR, Korendovych IV, Sodupe M, Maréchal JD. Computational modelling of supramolecular metallopeptide assemblies. Methods Enzymol 2024; 697:211-245. [PMID: 38816124 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2024.03.021] [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] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Among the important questions in supramolecular peptide self-assemblies are their interactions with metallic compounds and ions. In the last decade, intensive efforts have been devoted to understanding the structural properties of these interactions including their dynamical and catalytic impact in natural and de novo systems. Since structural insights from experimental approaches could be particularly challenging, computational chemistry methods are interesting complementary tools. Here, we present the general multiscale strategies we developed and applied for the study of metallopeptide assemblies. These strategies include prediction of metal binding site, docking of metallic moieties, classical and accelerated molecular dynamics and finally QM/MM calculations. The systems of choice for this chapter are, on one side, peptides involved in neurodegenerative diseases and, on the other, de novo fibrillar systems with catalytic properties. Both successes and remaining challenges are highlighted so that the protocol could be apply to other system of this kind.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ivan V Korendovych
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States
| | - Mariona Sodupe
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
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37
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Baghel D, de Oliveira AP, Satyarthy S, Chase WE, Banerjee S, Ghosh A. Structural characterization of amyloid aggregates with spatially resolved infrared spectroscopy. Methods Enzymol 2024; 697:113-150. [PMID: 38816120 PMCID: PMC11147165 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2024.02.013] [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: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The self-assembly of proteins and peptides into ordered structures called amyloid fibrils is a hallmark of numerous diseases, impacting the brain, heart, and other organs. The structure of amyloid aggregates is central to their function and thus has been extensively studied. However, the structural heterogeneities between aggregates as they evolve throughout the aggregation pathway are still not well understood. Conventional biophysical spectroscopic methods are bulk techniques and only report on the average structural parameters. Understanding the structure of individual aggregate species in a heterogeneous ensemble necessitates spatial resolution on the length scale of the aggregates. Recent technological advances have led to augmentation of infrared (IR) spectroscopy with imaging modalities, wherein the photothermal response of the sample upon vibrational excitation is leveraged to provide spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit. These combined approaches are ideally suited to map out the structural heterogeneity of amyloid ensembles. AFM-IR, which integrates IR spectroscopy with atomic force microscopy enables identification of the structural facets the oligomers and fibrils at individual aggregate level with nanoscale resolution. These capabilities can be extended to chemical mapping in diseased tissue specimens with submicron resolution using optical photothermal microscopy, which combines IR spectroscopy with optical imaging. This book chapter provides the basic premise of these novel techniques and provides the typical methodology for using these approaches for amyloid structure determination. Detailed procedures pertaining to sample preparation and data acquisition and analysis are discussed and the aggregation of the amyloid β peptide is provided as a case study to provide the reader the experimental parameters necessary to use these techniques to complement their research efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Baghel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Ana Pacheco de Oliveira
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Saumya Satyarthy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - William E Chase
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Siddhartha Banerjee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Ayanjeet Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States.
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38
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Klingstedt T, Lantz L, Shirani H, Ge J, Hanrieder J, Vidal R, Ghetti B, Nilsson KPR. Thiophene-Based Ligands for Specific Assignment of Distinct Aβ Pathologies in Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1581-1595. [PMID: 38523263 PMCID: PMC10995944 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00021] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Aggregated species of amyloid-β (Aβ) are one of the pathological hallmarks in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and ligands that selectively target different Aβ deposits are of great interest. In this study, fluorescent thiophene-based ligands have been used to illustrate the features of different types of Aβ deposits found in AD brain tissue. A dual-staining protocol based on two ligands, HS-276 and LL-1, with different photophysical and binding properties, was developed and applied on brain tissue sections from patients affected by sporadic AD or familial AD associated with the PSEN1 A431E mutation. When binding to Aβ deposits, the ligands could easily be distinguished for their different fluorescence, and distinct staining patterns were revealed for these two types of AD. In sporadic AD, HS-276 consistently labeled all immunopositive Aβ plaques, whereas LL-1 mainly stained cored and neuritic Aβ deposits. In the PSEN1 A431E cases, each ligand was binding to specific types of Aβ plaques. The ligand-labeled Aβ deposits were localized in distinct cortical layers, and a laminar staining pattern could be seen. Biochemical characterization of the Aβ aggregates in the individual layers also showed that the variation of ligand binding properties was associated with certain Aβ peptide signatures. For the PSEN1 A431E cases, it was concluded that LL-1 was binding to cotton wool plaques, whereas HS-276 mainly stained diffuse Aβ deposits. Overall, our findings showed that a combination of ligands was essential to identify distinct aggregated Aβ species associated with different forms of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Therése Klingstedt
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping
University, Linköping 581 83, Sweden
| | - Linda Lantz
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping
University, Linköping 581 83, Sweden
| | - Hamid Shirani
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping
University, Linköping 581 83, Sweden
| | - Junyue Ge
- Department
of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology,
The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg,
Mölndal Hospital, Mölndal 431 80, Sweden
| | - Jörg Hanrieder
- Department
of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology,
The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg,
Mölndal Hospital, Mölndal 431 80, Sweden
- Department
of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University
College London Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, United
Kingdom
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - K. Peter R. Nilsson
- Department
of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping
University, Linköping 581 83, Sweden
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39
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Agha MM, Uversky VN. Morphological features and types of aggregated structures. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 206:85-109. [PMID: 38811090 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2024.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
In vivo, protein aggregation arises due to incorrect folding or misfolding. The aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibrils is the characteristic feature of various misfolding diseases known as amyloidosis, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The heterogeneous nature of these fibrils restricts the extent to which their structure may be characterized. Advancements in techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, cryo-electron microscopy, and solid-state NMR have yielded intricate insights into structures of different amyloid fibrils. These studies have unveiled a diverse range of polymorphic structures that typically conform to the cross-β amyloid pattern. This chapter provides a concise overview of the information acquired in the field of protein aggregation, with particular focus on amyloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoureh Mirza Agha
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Pushchino, Russia; Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States.
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40
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Korczyn AD, Grinberg LT. Is Alzheimer disease a disease? Nat Rev Neurol 2024; 20:245-251. [PMID: 38424454 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-024-00940-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Dementia, a prevalent condition among older individuals, has profound societal implications. Extensive research has resulted in no cure for what is perceived as the most common dementing illness: Alzheimer disease (AD). AD is defined by specific brain abnormalities - amyloid-β plaques and tau protein neurofibrillary tangles - that are proposed to actively influence the neurodegenerative process. However, conclusive evidence of amyloid-β toxicity is lacking, the mechanisms leading to the accumulation of plaques and tangles are unknown, and removing amyloid-β has not halted neurodegeneration. So, the question remains, are we making progress towards a solution? The complexity of AD is underscored by numerous genetic and environmental risk factors, and diverse clinical presentations, suggesting that AD is more akin to a syndrome than to a traditional disease, with its pathological manifestation representing a convergence of pathogenic pathways. Therefore, a solution requires a multifaceted approach over a single 'silver bullet'. Improved recognition and classification of conditions that converge in plaques and tangle accumulation and their treatment requires the use of multiple strategies simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amos D Korczyn
- Departments of Neurology, Physiology and Pharmacology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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41
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Alfano C, Fichou Y, Huber K, Weiss M, Spruijt E, Ebbinghaus S, De Luca G, Morando MA, Vetri V, Temussi PA, Pastore A. Molecular Crowding: The History and Development of a Scientific Paradigm. Chem Rev 2024; 124:3186-3219. [PMID: 38466779 PMCID: PMC10979406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
It is now generally accepted that macromolecules do not act in isolation but "live" in a crowded environment, that is, an environment populated by numerous different molecules. The field of molecular crowding has its origins in the far 80s but became accepted only by the end of the 90s. In the present issue, we discuss various aspects that are influenced by crowding and need to consider its effects. This Review is meant as an introduction to the theme and an analysis of the evolution of the crowding concept through time from colloidal and polymer physics to a more biological perspective. We introduce themes that will be more thoroughly treated in other Reviews of the present issue. In our intentions, each Review may stand by itself, but the complete collection has the aspiration to provide different but complementary perspectives to propose a more holistic view of molecular crowding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Alfano
- Structural
Biology and Biophysics Unit, Fondazione
Ri.MED, 90100 Palermo, Italy
| | - Yann Fichou
- CNRS,
Bordeaux INP, CBMN UMR 5248, IECB, University
of Bordeaux, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Klaus Huber
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
| | - Matthias Weiss
- Experimental
Physics I, Physics of Living Matter, University
of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Evan Spruijt
- Institute
for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon Ebbinghaus
- Lehrstuhl
für Biophysikalische Chemie and Research Center Chemical Sciences
and Sustainability, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Giuseppe De Luca
- Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Vetri
- Dipartimento
di Fisica e Chimica − Emilio Segrè, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Annalisa Pastore
- King’s
College London, Denmark
Hill Campus, SE5 9RT London, United Kingdom
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42
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Duran-Meza E, Araya-Secchi R, Romero-Hasler P, Soto-Bustamante EA, Castro-Fernandez V, Castillo-Caceres C, Monasterio O, Diaz-Espinoza R. Metal Ions Can Modulate the Self-Assembly and Activity of Catalytic Peptide Amyloids. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:6094-6106. [PMID: 38470353 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Rational design of peptides has become a powerful tool to produce self-assembled nanostructures with the ability to catalyze different chemical reactions, paving the way to develop minimalistic enzyme-like nanomaterials. Catalytic amyloid-like assemblies have emerged among the most versatile and active, but they often require additional factors for activity. Elucidating how these factors influence the structure and activity is key for the design. Here, we showed that biologically relevant metal ions can guide and modulate the self-assembly of a small peptide into diverse amyloid architectures. The morphology and catalytic activity of the resulting fibrils were tuned by the specific metal ion decorating the surface, whereas X-ray structural analysis of the amyloids showed ion-dependent shape sizes. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the metals can strongly affect the local conformational space, which can trigger major rearrangements of the fibrils. Our results demonstrate that the conformational landscape of catalytic amyloids is broad and tunable by external factors, which can be critical for future design strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Duran-Meza
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, General Amengual 014, Estación Central, Santiago 9170390, Chile
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago 7800003, Chile
| | - Raul Araya-Secchi
- Computational Biophysics group, Facultad de Ingenieria, Tecnologia y Diseño, Universidad San Sebastian, Bellavista 7, Recoleta, Santiago 8420524, Chile
- Centro Basal Ciencia & Vida, Universidad San Sebastian, Santiago 8420524, Chile
| | - Patricio Romero-Hasler
- Departamento de Ciencia de los Alimentos y Tecnología Química, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Dr. Carlos Lorca Tobar 964, Independencia, Santiago 81380494, Chile
| | - Eduardo Arturo Soto-Bustamante
- Departamento de Química Orgánica y Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Dr. Carlos Lorca Tobar 964, Independencia, Santiago 81380494, Chile
| | - Victor Castro-Fernandez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago 7800003, Chile
| | - Claudio Castillo-Caceres
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, General Amengual 014, Estación Central, Santiago 9170390, Chile
| | - Octavio Monasterio
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago 7800003, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Diaz-Espinoza
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, General Amengual 014, Estación Central, Santiago 9170390, Chile
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43
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Creekmore BC, Kixmoeller K, Black BE, Lee EB, Chang YW. Ultrastructure of human brain tissue vitrified from autopsy revealed by cryo-ET with cryo-plasma FIB milling. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2660. [PMID: 38531877 PMCID: PMC10965902 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47066-1] [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: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Ultrastructure of human brain tissue has traditionally been examined using electron microscopy (EM) following fixation, staining, and sectioning, which limit resolution and introduce artifacts. Alternatively, cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) allows higher resolution imaging of unfixed cellular samples while preserving architecture, but it requires samples to be vitreous and thin enough for transmission EM. Due to these requirements, cryo-ET has yet to be employed to investigate unfixed, never previously frozen human brain tissue. Here we present a method for generating lamellae in human brain tissue obtained at time of autopsy that can be imaged via cryo-ET. We vitrify the tissue via plunge-freezing and use xenon plasma focused ion beam (FIB) milling to generate lamellae directly on-grid at variable depth inside the tissue. Lamellae generated in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue reveal intact subcellular structures including components of autophagy and potential pathologic tau fibrils. Furthermore, we reveal intact compact myelin and functional cytoplasmic expansions. These images indicate that plasma FIB milling with cryo-ET may be used to elucidate nanoscale structures within the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Creekmore
- Translational Neuropathology Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kathryn Kixmoeller
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ben E Black
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute of Structural Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Edward B Lee
- Translational Neuropathology Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Yi-Wei Chang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Institute of Structural Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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44
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Banerjee S, Baghel D, Edmonds HO, Ghosh A. Heterotypic Seeding Generates Mixed Amyloid Polymorphs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.15.585264. [PMID: 38559069 PMCID: PMC10980072 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.585264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Aggregation of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide into fibrils represents one of the major biochemical pathways underlying the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Extensive studies have been carried out to understand the role of fibrillar seeds on the overall kinetics of amyloid aggregation. However, the precise effect of seeds that are structurally or sequentially different from Aβ on the structure of the resulting amyloid aggregates is yet to be fully understood. In this work, we use nanoscale infrared spectroscopy to probe the spectral facets of individual aggregates formed by aggregating Aβ42 with antiparallel fibrillar seeds of Aβ (16-22) and E22Q Aβ (1-40) Dutch mutant and demonstrate that Aβ can form heterotypic or mixed polymorphs that deviate significantly from its expected parallel cross β structure. We further show that formation of heterotypic aggregates is not limited to coaggregation of Aβ and its isomers, and that the former can form heterotypic fibrils with alpha synuclein and brain protein lysates. These findings highlight the complexity of Aβ aggregation in AD and underscore the need to explore how Aβ interacts with other brain components, which is crucial for developing better therapeutic strategies for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Banerjee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, 1007E Shelby Hall, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, United States
| | - D. Baghel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, 1007E Shelby Hall, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, United States
| | - H. O. Edmonds
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, 1007E Shelby Hall, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, United States
| | - Ayanjeet Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, 1007E Shelby Hall, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, United States
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45
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Nguyen BA, Singh V, Afrin S, Singh P, Pekala M, Ahmed Y, Pedretti R, Canepa J, Lemoff A, Kluve-Beckerman B, Wydorski P, Chhapra F, Saelices L. Cryo-EM confirms a common fibril fold in the heart of four patients with ATTRwt amyloidosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.08.582936. [PMID: 38496656 PMCID: PMC10942412 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.08.582936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
ATTR amyloidosis results from the conversion of transthyretin into amyloid fibrils that deposit in tissues causing organ failure and death. This conversion is facilitated by mutations in ATTRv amyloidosis, or aging in ATTRwt amyloidosis. ATTRv amyloidosis exhibits extreme phenotypic variability, whereas ATTRwt amyloidosis presentation is consistent and predictable. Previously, we found an unprecedented structural variability in cardiac amyloid fibrils from polyneuropathic ATTRv-I84S patients. In contrast, cardiac fibrils from five genotypically-different patients with cardiomyopathy or mixed phenotypes are structurally homogeneous. To understand fibril structure's impact on phenotype, it is necessary to study the fibrils from multiple patients sharing genotype and phenotype. Here we show the cryo-electron microscopy structures of fibrils extracted from four cardiomyopathic ATTRwt amyloidosis patients. Our study confirms that they share identical conformations with minimal structural variability, consistent with their homogenous clinical presentation. Our study contributes to the understanding of ATTR amyloidosis biopathology and calls for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binh An Nguyen
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Virender Singh
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shumaila Afrin
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Preeti Singh
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Maja Pekala
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yasmin Ahmed
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Rose Pedretti
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jacob Canepa
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Barbara Kluve-Beckerman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pawel Wydorski
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Farzeen Chhapra
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lorena Saelices
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dallas, TX, USA
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46
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Holehouse AS, Kragelund BB. The molecular basis for cellular function of intrinsically disordered protein regions. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024; 25:187-211. [PMID: 37957331 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00673-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered protein regions exist in a collection of dynamic interconverting conformations that lack a stable 3D structure. These regions are structurally heterogeneous, ubiquitous and found across all kingdoms of life. Despite the absence of a defined 3D structure, disordered regions are essential for cellular processes ranging from transcriptional control and cell signalling to subcellular organization. Through their conformational malleability and adaptability, disordered regions extend the repertoire of macromolecular interactions and are readily tunable by their structural and chemical context, making them ideal responders to regulatory cues. Recent work has led to major advances in understanding the link between protein sequence and conformational behaviour in disordered regions, yet the link between sequence and molecular function is less well defined. Here we consider the biochemical and biophysical foundations that underlie how and why disordered regions can engage in productive cellular functions, provide examples of emerging concepts and discuss how protein disorder contributes to intracellular information processing and regulation of cellular function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex S Holehouse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Birthe B Kragelund
- REPIN, Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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47
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Bridges LR. RNA as a component of scrapie fibrils. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5011. [PMID: 38424114 PMCID: PMC10904389 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55278-0] [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: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Recently, electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) maps of fibrils from the brains of mice and hamsters with five infectious scrapie strains have been published and deposited in the electron microscopy data bank (EMDB). As noted by the primary authors, the fibrils contain a second component other than protein. The aim of the present study was to identify the nature of this second component in the published maps using an in silico approach. Extra densities (EDs) containing this component were continuous, straight, axial, at right angles to protein rungs and within hydrogen-bonding distance of protein, consistent with a structural role. EDs co-located with strips of basic residues, notably lysines, and formed a conspicuous cladding over parts of the N-terminal lobe of the protein. A Y-shaped polymer consistent with RNA was found, in places forming a single chain and at one location forming a duplex, comprising two antiparallel chains, and raising the intriguing possibility of replicative behaviour. To reflect the monotonous nature of the protein interface, it is suggested that the RNA may be a short tandem repeat. Fibrils from brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerations also contain EDs and may be of a similar aetiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie R Bridges
- Neuropathology, Cellular Pathology, South West London Pathology, St George's Hospital, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's University of London, London, UK.
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48
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Xu D, Ando N. Miffi: Improving the accuracy of CNN-based cryo-EM micrograph filtering with fine-tuning and Fourier space information. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.08.570849. [PMID: 38405773 PMCID: PMC10888874 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.08.570849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Efficient and high-accuracy filtering of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) micrographs is an emerging challenge with the growing speed of data collection and sizes of datasets. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are machine learning models that have been proven successful in many computer vision tasks, and have been previously applied to cryo-EM micrograph filtering. In this work, we demonstrate that two strategies, fine-tuning models from pretrained weights and including the power spectrum of micrographs as input, can greatly improve the attainable prediction accuracy of CNN models. The resulting software package, Miffi, is open-source and freely available for public use (https://github.com/ando-lab/miffi).
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Xu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Nozomi Ando
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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49
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Tian Y, Shang Q, Liang R, Viles JH. Copper(II) Can Kinetically Trap Arctic and Italian Amyloid-β 40 as Toxic Oligomers, Mimicking Cu(II) Binding to Wild-Type Amyloid-β 42: Implications for Familial Alzheimer's Disease. JACS AU 2024; 4:578-591. [PMID: 38425915 PMCID: PMC10900208 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The self-association of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide into neurotoxic oligomers is believed to be central to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Copper is known to impact Aβ assembly, while disrupted copper homeostasis impacts phenotype in Alzheimer's models. Here we show the presence of substoichiometric Cu(II) has very different impacts on the assembly of Aβ40 and Aβ42 isoforms. Globally fitting microscopic rate constants for fibril assembly indicates copper will accelerate fibril formation of Aβ40 by increasing primary nucleation, while seeding experiments confirm that elongation and secondary nucleation rates are unaffected by Cu(II). In marked contrast, Cu(II) traps Aβ42 as prefibrillar oligomers and curvilinear protofibrils. Remarkably, the Cu(II) addition to preformed Aβ42 fibrils causes the disassembly of fibrils back to protofibrils and oligomers. The very different behaviors of the two Aβ isoforms are centered around differences in their fibril structures, as highlighted by studies of C-terminally amidated Aβ42. Arctic and Italian familiar mutations also support a key role for fibril structure in the interplay of Cu(II) with Aβ40/42 isoforms. The Cu(II) dependent switch in behavior between nonpathogenic Aβ40 wild-type and Aβ40 Arctic or Italian mutants suggests heightened neurotoxicity may be linked to the impact of physiological Cu(II), which traps these familial mutants as oligomers and curvilinear protofibrils, which cause membrane permeability and Ca(II) cellular influx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Tian
- School of Biological and Behavioral
Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
| | - Qi Shang
- School of Biological and Behavioral
Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
| | - Ruina Liang
- School of Biological and Behavioral
Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
| | - John H. Viles
- School of Biological and Behavioral
Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
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50
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Thurber KR, Yau WM, Tycko R. Structure of Amyloid Peptide Ribbons Characterized by Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:1711-1723. [PMID: 38348474 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c07867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Polypeptides often self-assemble to form amyloid fibrils, which contain cross-β structural motifs and are typically 5-15 nm in width and micrometers in length. In many cases, short segments of longer amyloid-forming protein or peptide sequences also form cross-β assemblies but with distinctive ribbon-like morphologies that are characterized by a well-defined thickness (on the order of 5 nm) in one lateral dimension and a variable width (typically 10-100 nm) in the other. Here, we use a novel combination of data from solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR), dark-field transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) to investigate the structures within amyloid ribbons formed by residues 14-23 and residues 11-25 of the Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid-β peptide (Aβ14-23 and Aβ11-25). The ssNMR data indicate antiparallel β-sheets with specific registries of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Mass-per-area values are derived from dark-field TEM data. The ribbon thickness is determined from AFM images. For Aβ14-23 ribbons, averaged cryoEM images show a periodic spacing of β-sheets. The combined data support structures in which the amyloid ribbon growth direction is the direction of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between β-strands, the ribbon thickness corresponds to the width of one β-sheet (i.e., approximately the length of one molecule), and the variable ribbon width is a variable multiple of the thickness of one β-sheet (i.e., a multiple of the repeat distance in a stack of β-sheets). This architecture for a cross-β assembly may generally exist within amyloid ribbons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kent R Thurber
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - Wai-Ming Yau
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - Robert Tycko
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
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