CHIP-ping away at tau

Heat shock factor HSF1 regulates BDNF gene promoters upon acute stress in the hippocampus, together with pCREB

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is a master stress-responsive transcriptional factor, protecting cells from death. However, its gene regulation in vivo in the brain in response to neuronal stimuli remains elusive. Here, we investigated its direct regulation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene (Bdnf) in response to acute neuronal stress stimuli in the brain. The results of immunohistochemistry and chromatin immunoprecipitation quantitative PCR (ChIP-qPCR) showed that administration of kainic acid (a glutamate receptor agonist inducing excitotoxity) to young adult mice induced HSF1 nuclear translocation and its binding to multiple Bdnf promoters in the hippocampus. Footshock, a physical stressor used for learning, also induced HSF1 binding to selected Bdnf promoters I and IV. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of HSF1 gene regulation in response to neuronal stimuli in the hippocampus in vivo. HSF1 binding sites (HSEs) in Bdnf promoters I and IV were also detected when immunoprecipitated by an antibody of phosphorylated (p)CREB (cAMP-responsive element-binding protein), suggesting their possible interplay in acute stress-induced Bdnf transcription. Interestingly, their promoter binding patterns differed by KA and footshock, suggesting that HSF1 and pCREB orchestrate to render fine-tuned promoter control depending on the types of stress. Further, HSF1 overexpression increased Bdnf promoter activity in a luciferase assay, while virus infection of constitutively active-form HSF1 increased levels of BDNF mRNA and protein in vitro in primary cultured neurons. These results indicated that HSF1 activation of Bdnf promoter was sufficient to induce BDNF expression. Taken together, these results suggest that HSF1 promoter-specific control of Bdnf gene regulation plays an important role in neuronal protection and plasticity in the hippocampus in response to acute stress, possibly interplaying with pCREB.

CHIP as a therapeutic target for neurological diseases

Carboxy-terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP) functions both as a molecular co-chaperone and ubiquitin E3 ligase playing a critical role in modulating the degradation of numerous chaperone-bound proteins. To date, it has been implicated in the regulation of numerous biological functions, including misfolded-protein refolding, autophagy, immunity, and necroptosis. Moreover, the ubiquitous expression of CHIP in the central nervous system suggests that it may be implicated in a wide range of functions in neurological diseases. Several recent studies of our laboratory and other groups have highlighted the beneficial role of CHIP in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases. The objective of this review is to discuss the possible molecular mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of neurological diseases in which CHIP has a pivotal role, such as stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and polyglutamine diseases; furthermore, CHIP mutations could also cause neurodegenerative diseases. Based on the available literature, CHIP overexpression could serve as a promising therapeutic target for several neurological diseases.

A CHIPotle in physiology and disease

The carboxy-terminus of Hsc70 interacting protein (CHIP) is known to function as a chaperone associated E3 ligase for several proteins and regulates a variety of physiological processes. Being a connecting link between molecular chaperones and 26S proteasomes, it is widely regarded as the central player in the cellular protein quality control system. Recent analyses have provided new insights on the biochemical and functional dynamics of CHIP. In this review article, we give a comprehensive account of our current knowledge on the biology of CHIP, which apart from shedding light on fundamental biological questions promises to provide a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Insights on altered mitochondrial function and dynamics in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration

In neurons, mitochondria are enriched to provide energy and calcium buffering required for synaptic transmission. Additionally, mitochondria localize to the synapse, where they are critical for the mobilization of reserve pool vesicles and for neurotransmitter release. Previously, functional defects in mitochondria were considered to be downstream effects of neurodegenerative diseases. However, more recent findings suggest mitochondria may serve as key mediators in the onset and progression of some types of neurodegeneration. In this review, we explore the possible roles of altered mitochondrial function and dynamics in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), which have highlighted the important role of mitochondria in neurodegeneration. While inheritable diseases like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A are concretely linked to gene mutations affecting mitochondrial function, the cause of mitochondrial dysfunction in primarily sporadic diseases such as AD and PD is less clear. Neuronal death in PD is associated with defects in mitochondrial function and dynamics arising from mutations in proteins affecting these processes, including α-synuclein, DJ-1, LRRK2, Parkin and Pink1. In the case of AD, however, the connection between mitochondria and the onset of neurodegeneration has been less clear. Recent findings, however, have implicated altered function of ER-mitochondria contact sites and amyloid beta- and/or tau-induced defects in mitochondrial function and dynamics in the pathogenesis of AD, suggesting that mitochondrial defects may act as key mediators in the pathogenesis of AD as well. With recent findings at hand, it may be postulated that defects in mitochondrial processes comprise key events in the onset of neurodegeneration.

Genetic screening for mutations in the chip gene in intracranial aneurysm patients of Chinese Han nationality

We performed a case-control study to investigate whether SNPs of CHIP might affect the development of IA in Chinese Han nationality. We believe we are the first to have screened IA patients for mutations in the CHIP gene to determine the association with these variants. The study group comprised 224 Chinese Han nationality patients with at least one intracranial aneurysm and 238 unrelated healthy Han nationality controls. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood leukocytes. The entire coding regions of CHIP were genotyped by PCR amplification and DNA sequencing. Differences in genotype and allele frequencies between patients and controls were tested by the chi-square method. Genotype and allele frequencies of the SNP rs116166850 was demonstrated to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. No significant difference in genotype or allele frequencies between case and control groups was detected at the SNP. Our data do not support the hypothesis of a major role for the CHIP gene in IA development in the Chinese Han population.

"Clicked" sugar-curcumin conjugate: modulator of amyloid-β and tau peptide aggregation at ultralow concentrations

The synthesis of a water/plasma soluble, noncytotoxic, "clicked" sugar-derivative of curcumin with amplified bioefficacy in modulating amyloid-β and tau peptide aggregation is presented. Curcumin inhibits amyloid-β and tau peptide aggregation at micromolar concentrations; the sugar-curcumin conjugate inhibits Aβ and tau peptide aggregation at concentrations as low as 8 nM and 0.1 nM, respectively. In comparison to curcumin, this conveniently synthesized Alzheimer's drug candidate is a more powerful antioxidant.

Hsp90 regulates tau pathology through co-chaperone complexes in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is a tauopathy which involves the deposition of microtubule-associated tau proteins into neurofibrillary tangles. Post-translational modifications, in particular site-specific phosphorylations, affect the conformation of tau protein which is an intrinsically disordered protein. These structural changes significantly increase the affinity of tau protein for certain molecular chaperones. Hsp90 is a major cellular chaperone which assembles large complexes with a variety of co-chaperones. The main function of Hsp90 complexes is to maintain protein quality control and assist in protein degradation via proteasomal and autophagic-lysosomal pathways. Tau protein is a client protein for these Hsp90 complexes. If the tau protein is in an abnormal or modified form, then it can trigger the recruitment of CHIP protein, a co-chaperone with E3 activity, to the complex which induces the ubiquitination of tau protein and activates its downstream degradation processes. Large immunophilins, FKBP51 and FKBP52 are also co-chaperones of Hsp90-tau complexes. These proteins contain peptidylprolyl cis/trans isomerase activity which catalyzes phosphorylation-dependent rotation in pSer/Thr-Pro peptide bond. The proline switch in the tau conformation triggers dephosphorylation of Ser/Thr residues phosphorylated, e.g. by two well-known tau kinases Cdk5 and GSK-3β. Binding of PP5 protein phosphatase to Hsp90 complex, can also dephosphorylate tau protein. Subsequently, dephosphorylated tau protein can be shuttled back to the microtubules. It seems that high-affinity binding of abnormal tau to Hsp90 complexes may have some counteracting effects on the aggregation process, since Hsp90 inhibitors can ameliorate the aggregation process in several neurodegenerative diseases. We will review the role of Hsp90 chaperone network in the regulation of tau biology and pathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Loss of Hsp110 leads to age-dependent tau hyperphosphorylation and early accumulation of insoluble amyloid beta

Accumulation of tau into neurofibrillary tangles is a pathological consequence of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Failures of the quality control mechanisms by the heat shock proteins (Hsps) positively correlate with the appearance of such neurodegenerative diseases. However, in vivo genetic evidence for the roles of Hsps in neurodegeneration remains elusive. Hsp110 is a nucleotide exchange factor for Hsp70, and direct substrate binding to Hsp110 may facilitate substrate folding. Hsp70 complexes have been implicated in tau phosphorylation state and amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing. To provide evidence for a role for Hsp110 in central nervous system homeostasis, we have generated hsp110(-)(/)(-) mice. Our results show that hsp110(-)(/)(-) mice exhibit accumulation of hyperphosphorylated-tau (p-tau) and neurodegeneration. We also demonstrate that Hsp110 is in complexes with tau, other molecular chaperones, and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Surprisingly, high levels of PP2A remain bound to tau but with significantly reduced activity in brain extracts from aged hsp110(-)(/)(-) mice compared to brain extracts from wild-type mice. Mice deficient in the Hsp110 partner (Hsp70) also exhibit a phenotype comparable to that of hsp110(-)(/)(-) mice, confirming a critical role for Hsp110-Hsp70 in maintaining tau in its unphosphorylated form during aging. In addition, crossing hsp110(-)(/)(-) mice with mice overexpressing mutant APP (APPβsw) leads to selective appearance of insoluble amyloid β42 (Aβ42), suggesting an essential role for Hsp110 in APP processing and Aβ generation. Thus, our findings provide in vivo evidence that Hsp110 plays a critical function in tau phosphorylation state through maintenance of efficient PP2A activity, confirming its role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.

Relationship between tau pathology and neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is a chronic, age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Neurofibrillary tangles are among the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Neurofibrillary tangles consist of abnormal protein fibers known as paired helical filaments. The accumulation of paired helical filaments is one of the most characteristic cellular changes in Alzheimer's disease. Tau protein, a microtubule-associated protein, is the major component of paired helical filaments. Tau in paired helical filaments is hyperphosphorylated, truncated, and aggregated. What triggers the formation of paired helical filaments is not known, but neuroinflammation could play a role. Neuroinflammation is an active process detectable in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. The neuronal toxicity associated with inflammation makes it a potential risk factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Determining the sequence of events that lead to this devastating disease has become one of the most important goals for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we focus on the pathological properties of tau thought to play a role in neurofibrillary tangle formation and summarize how central nervous system inflammation might be a critical contributor to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. A better understanding of the mechanisms that cause neurofibrillary tangle formation is of clinical importance for developing therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease. One of the major challenges facing us is singling out neuroinflammation as a therapeutic target for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration. The challenge is developing therapeutic strategies that prevent neurotoxicity linked to inflammation without compromising its neuroprotective role.

N-glycosylation status of E-cadherin controls cytoskeletal dynamics through the organization of distinct β-catenin- and γ-catenin-containing AJs

N-glycosylation of E-cadherin has been shown to inhibit cell-cell adhesion. Specifically, our recent studies have provided evidence that the reduction of E-cadherin N-glycosylation promoted the recruitment of stabilizing components, vinculin and serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), to adherens junctions (AJs) and enhanced the association of AJs with the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we examined the details of how N-glycosylation of E-cadherin affected the molecular organization of AJs and their cytoskeletal interactions. Using the hypoglycosylated E-cadherin variant, V13, we show that V13/β-catenin complexes preferentially interacted with PP2A and with the microtubule motor protein dynein. This correlated with dephosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau, suggesting that increased association of PP2A with V13-containing AJs promoted their tethering to microtubules. On the other hand V13/γ-catenin complexes associated more with vinculin, suggesting that they mediated the interaction of AJs with the actin cytoskeleton. N-glycosylation driven changes in the molecular organization of AJs were physiologically significant because transfection of V13 into A253 cancer cells, lacking both mature AJs and tight junctions (TJs), promoted the formation of stable AJs and enhanced the function of TJs to a greater extent than wild-type E-cadherin. These studies provide the first mechanistic insights into how N-glycosylation of E-cadherin drives changes in AJ composition through the assembly of distinct β-catenin- and γ-catenin-containing scaffolds that impact the interaction with different cytoskeletal components.

The chaperone activity of heat shock protein 90 is critical for maintaining the stability of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2

Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by bradykinesia, rigidity, and resting tremor, is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder. Although the majority of PD cases are sporadic, some are inherited, including those caused by leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) mutations. The substitution of serine for glycine at position 2019 (G2019S) in the kinase domain of LRRK2 represents the most prevalent genetic mutation in both familial and apparently sporadic cases of PD. Because mutations in LRRK2 are likely associated with a toxic gain of function, destabilization of LRRK2 may be a novel way to limit its detrimental effects. Here we show that LRRK2 forms a complex with heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in vivo and that inhibition of Hsp90 disrupts the association of Hsp90 with LRRK2 and leads to proteasomal degradation of LRRK2. Hsp90 inhibitors may therefore limit the mutant LRRK2-elicited toxicity to neurons. As a proof of principle, we show that Hsp90 inhibitors rescue the axon growth retardation caused by overexpression of the LRRK2 G2019S mutation in neurons. Therefore, inhibition of LRRK2 kinase activity can be achieved by blocking Hsp90-mediated chaperone activity and Hsp90 inhibitors may serve as potential anti-PD drugs.

Age-related expression of STUB1 in senescence-accelerated mice and its response to anti-Alzheimer's disease traditional Chinese medicine

Increasing evidences have indicated that STUB1 may be closely linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) prone/8 (SAMP8) is a generally acknowledged animal model for senescence and AD, and SAM resistant/1 (SAMR1) is its control. In this study, we investigated the detailed expression of STUB1 in the brain of SAMP8 with aging and its responses to five anti-AD traditional Chinese medicinal (TCM), using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot technique. Results showed that with the aging process, both mRNA and protein expression of STUB1 in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus from SAMR1 increased after 2 months, while they decreased in brain tissues from SAMP8 after 6 months. Compared with SAMR1, the mRNA and protein expression of STUB1 decreased after 10 months in SAMP8 but could be up-regulated by the five anti-AD TCM used in this study. These results indicated that the expression of STUB1 in the brain of SAMP8 was abnormal and this abnormality could be reversed by anti-AD TCM. The data suggested that a deficiency in STUB1 may lead to a reduction in aberrant protein scavenging, causing abnormal protein accumulation in the brain of SAMP8. Thus, STUB1 might be a potential target for anti-AD TCM.

Tau-mediated neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders

Advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of tau-mediated neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies, which are characterized by prominent CNS accumulations of fibrillar tau inclusions, are rapidly moving this previously underexplored disease pathway to centre stage for disease-modifying drug discovery efforts. However, controversies abound concerning whether or not the deleterious effects of tau pathologies result from toxic gains-of-function by pathological tau or from critical losses of normal tau function in the disease state. This Review summarizes the most recent advances in our knowledge of the mechanisms of tau-mediated neurodegeneration to forge an integrated concept of those tau-linked disease processes that drive the onset and progression of AD and related tauopathies.