1
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Axell E, Hu J, Lindberg M, Dear AJ, Ortigosa-Pascual L, Andrzejewska EA, Šneiderienė G, Thacker D, Knowles TPJ, Sparr E, Linse S. The role of shear forces in primary and secondary nucleation of amyloid fibrils. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2322572121. [PMID: 38875148 PMCID: PMC11194593 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322572121] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Shear forces affect self-assembly processes ranging from crystallization to fiber formation. Here, the effect of mild agitation on amyloid fibril formation was explored for four peptides and investigated in detail for A[Formula: see text]42, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. To gain mechanistic insights into the effect of mild agitation, nonseeded and seeded aggregation reactions were set up at various peptide concentrations with and without an inhibitor. First, an effect on fibril fragmentation was excluded by comparing the monomer-concentration dependence of aggregation kinetics under idle and agitated conditions. Second, using a secondary nucleation inhibitor, Brichos, the agitation effect on primary nucleation was decoupled from secondary nucleation. Third, an effect on secondary nucleation was established in the absence of inhibitor. Fourth, an effect on elongation was excluded by comparing the seeding potency of fibrils formed under idle or agitated conditions. We find that both primary and secondary nucleation steps are accelerated by gentle agitation. The increased shear forces facilitate both the detachment of newly formed aggregates from catalytic surfaces and the rate at which molecules are transported in the bulk solution to encounter nucleation sites on the fibril and other surfaces. Ultrastructural evidence obtained with cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and free-flow electrophoresis in microfluidics devices imply that agitation speeds up the detachment of nucleated species from the fibril surface. Our findings shed light on the aggregation mechanism and the role of detachment for efficient secondary nucleation. The results inform on how to modulate the relative importance of different microscopic steps in drug discovery and investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Axell
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
| | - Jing Hu
- Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
| | - Max Lindberg
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
| | - Alexander J. Dear
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, CB2 1EWCambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lei Ortigosa-Pascual
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
| | - Ewa A. Andrzejewska
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, CB2 1EWCambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Greta Šneiderienė
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, CB2 1EWCambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Dev Thacker
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, CB2 1EWCambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Sparr
- Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
| | - Sara Linse
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-221 00Lund, Sweden
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2
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Zhang W, Smith N, Zhou Y, McGee CM, Bartoli M, Fu S, Chen J, Domena JB, Joji A, Burr H, Lv G, Cilingir EK, Bedendo S, Claure ML, Tagliaferro A, Eliezer D, Veliz EA, Zhang F, Wang C, Leblanc RM. Carbon dots as dual inhibitors of tau and amyloid-beta aggregation for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Acta Biomater 2024:S1742-7061(24)00306-4. [PMID: 38849023 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2024.06.001] [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: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of senile dementia, presenting a significant challenge for the development of effective treatments. AD is characterized by extracellular amyloid plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles. Therefore, targeting both hallmarks through inhibition of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau aggregation presents a promising approach for drug development. Carbon dots (CD), with their high biocompatibility, minimal cytotoxicity, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, have emerged as promising drug nanocarriers. Congo red, an azo dye, has gathered significant attention for inhibiting amyloid-beta and tau aggregation. However, Congo red's inability to cross the BBB limits its potential to be used as a drug candidate for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Furthermore, current studies only focus on using Congo red to target single disease hallmarks, without investigating dual inhibition capabilities. In this study, we synthesized Congo red-derived CD (CRCD) by using Congo red and citric acid as precursors, resulting in three variants, CRCD1, CRCD2 and CRCD3, based on different mass ratios of precursors. CRCD2 and CRCD3 exhibited sustained low cytotoxicity, and CRCD3 demonstrated the ability to traverse the BBB in a zebrafish model. Moreover, thioflavin T (ThT) aggregation assays and AFM imaging revealed CRCD as potent inhibitors against both tau and Aβ aggregation. Notably, CRCD1 emerged as the most robust inhibitor, displaying IC50 values of 0.2 ± 0.1 and 2.1 ± 0.5 µg/mL against tau and Aβ aggregation, respectively. Our findings underscore the dual inhibitory role of CRCD against tau and Aβ aggregation, showcasing effective BBB penetration and positioning CRCD as potential nanodrugs and nanocarriers for the CNS. Hence, CRCD-based compounds represent a promising candidate in the realm of multi-functional AD therapeutics, offering an innovative formulation component for future developments in this area. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This article reports Congo red-derived carbon dots (CRCD) as dual inhibitors of tau and amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregation for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The CRCD are biocompatible and show strong fluorescence, high stability, the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and the function of addressing two major pathological features of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Nathan Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY 12180, USA
| | - Yiqun Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Caitlin M McGee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Mattia Bartoli
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Italy; Center for Sustainable Future Technologies (CSFT), Istituto Italiano di Technologia (IIT), Via Livorno 60, 10144 Turin, Italy
| | - Shiwei Fu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Jiuyan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Justin B Domena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Annu Joji
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Hannah Burr
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY 12180, USA
| | - Guohua Lv
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Emel K Cilingir
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Susanna Bedendo
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
| | - Matteo L Claure
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | | | - David Eliezer
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Eduardo A Veliz
- Department of Natural Sciences, Miami Dade Collage, Miami, FL 33132, USA
| | - Fuwu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Chunyu Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY 12180, USA.
| | - Roger M Leblanc
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.
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3
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Kim B, Dabin LC, Tate MD, Karahan H, Sharify AD, Acri DJ, Al-Amin MM, Philtjens S, Smith DC, Wijeratne HRS, Park JH, Jucker M, Kim J. Effects of SPI1-mediated transcriptome remodeling on Alzheimer's disease-related phenotypes in mouse models of Aβ amyloidosis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3996. [PMID: 38734693 PMCID: PMC11088624 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48484-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
SPI1 was recently reported as a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in large-scale genome-wide association studies. However, it is unknown whether SPI1 should be downregulated or increased to have therapeutic benefits. To investigate the effect of modulating SPI1 levels on AD pathogenesis, we performed extensive biochemical, histological, and transcriptomic analyses using both Spi1-knockdown and Spi1-overexpression mouse models. Here, we show that the knockdown of Spi1 expression significantly exacerbates insoluble amyloid-β (Aβ) levels, amyloid plaque deposition, and gliosis. Conversely, overexpression of Spi1 significantly ameliorates these phenotypes and dystrophic neurites. Further mechanistic studies using targeted and single-cell transcriptomics approaches demonstrate that altered Spi1 expression modulates several pathways, such as immune response pathways and complement system. Our data suggest that transcriptional reprogramming by targeting transcription factors, like Spi1, might hold promise as a therapeutic strategy. This approach could potentially expand the current landscape of druggable targets for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byungwook Kim
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Luke Child Dabin
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Mason Douglas Tate
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Hande Karahan
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Ahmad Daniel Sharify
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Dominic J Acri
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Md Mamun Al-Amin
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Stéphanie Philtjens
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Daniel Curtis Smith
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - H R Sagara Wijeratne
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Jung Hyun Park
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Mathias Jucker
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jungsu Kim
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
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4
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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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5
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Stepanchuk AA, Stys PK. Spectral Fluorescence Pathology of Protein Misfolding Disorders. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:898-908. [PMID: 38407017 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00798] [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: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein misfolding has been extensively studied in the context of neurodegenerative disorders and systemic amyloidoses. Due to misfolding and aggregation of proteins being highly heterogeneous and generating a variety of structures, a growing body of evidence illustrates numerous ways how the aggregates contribute to progression of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and prion disorders. Different misfolded species of the same protein, commonly referred to as strains, appear to play a significant role in shaping the disease clinical phenotype and clinical progression. The distinct toxicity profiles of various misfolded proteins underscore their importance. Current diagnostics struggle to differentiate among these strains early in the disease course. This review explores the potential of spectral fluorescence approaches to illuminate the complexities of protein misfolding pathology and discusses the applications of advanced spectral methods in the detection and characterization of protein misfolding disorders. By examining spectrally variable probes, current data analysis approaches, and important considerations for the use of these techniques, this review aims to provide an overview of the progress made in this field and highlights directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia A Stepanchuk
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Peter K Stys
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
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6
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Kim AB, Xiao Q, Yan P, Pan Q, Pandey G, Grathwohl S, Gonzales E, Xu I, Cho Y, Haecker H, Epelman S, Diwan A, Lee JM, DeSelm CJ. Chimeric antigen receptor macrophages target and resorb amyloid plaques. JCI Insight 2024; 9:e175015. [PMID: 38516884 PMCID: PMC11063938 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.175015] [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: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Substantial evidence suggests a role for immunotherapy in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). While the precise pathophysiology of AD is incompletely understood, clinical trials of antibodies targeting aggregated forms of β amyloid (Aβ) have shown that reducing amyloid plaques can mitigate cognitive decline in patients with early-stage AD. Here, we describe what we believe to be a novel approach to target and degrade amyloid plaques by genetically engineering macrophages to express an Aβ-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-Ms). When injected intrahippocampally, first-generation CAR-Ms have limited persistence and fail to significantly reduce plaque load, which led us to engineer next-generation CAR-Ms that secrete M-CSF and self-maintain without exogenous cytokines. Cytokine secreting "reinforced CAR-Ms" have greater survival in the brain niche and significantly reduce plaque load locally in vivo. These findings support CAR-Ms as a platform to rationally target, resorb, and degrade pathogenic material that accumulates with age, as exemplified by targeting Aβ in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander B. Kim
- Department of Radiation Oncology
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy
| | - Qingli Xiao
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ping Yan
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Qiuyun Pan
- Department of Radiation Oncology
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy
| | - Gaurav Pandey
- Department of Radiation Oncology
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy
| | - Susie Grathwohl
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ernesto Gonzales
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Isabella Xu
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yoonho Cho
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Hans Haecker
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Slava Epelman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Abhinav Diwan
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Departments of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Medicine Service, St. Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jin-Moo Lee
- Department of Neurology, and
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Carl J. DeSelm
- Department of Radiation Oncology
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy
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7
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Björk L, Shirani H, Todarwal Y, Linares M, Vidal R, Ghetti B, Norman P, Klingstedt T, Nilsson KPR. Distinct Heterocyclic Moieties Govern the Selectivity of Thiophene-Vinylene-Based Ligands Towards Aβ or Tau Pathology in Alzheime's Disease. European J Org Chem 2023; 26:e202300583. [PMID: 38585413 PMCID: PMC10997339 DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202300583] [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: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Distinct aggregated proteins are correlated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases and the development of ligands that selectively detect these pathological hallmarks is vital. Recently, the synthesis of thiophene-based optical ligands, denoted bi-thiophene-vinyl-benzothiazoles (bTVBTs), that could be utilized for selective assignment of tau pathology in brain tissue with Alzheime's disease (AD) pathology, was reported. Herein, we investigate the ability of these ligands to selectively distinguish tau deposits from aggregated amyloid-β (Aβ), the second AD associated pathological hallmark, when replacing the terminal thiophene moiety with other heterocyclic motifs. The selectivity for tau pathology was reduced when introducing specific heterocyclic motifs, verifying that specific molecular interactions between the ligands and the aggregates are necessary for selective detection of tau deposits. In addition, ligands having certain heterocyclic moieties attached to the central thiophene-vinylene building block displayed selectivity to aggregated Aβ pathology. Our findings provide chemical insights for the development of ligands that can distinguish between aggregated proteinaceous species consisting of different proteins and might also aid in creating novel agents for clinical imaging of tau pathology in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linnea Björk
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Hamid Shirani
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Yogesh Todarwal
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mathieu Linares
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 46202 Indiana, USA
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 46202 Indiana, USA
| | - Patrick Norman
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Therése Klingstedt
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - K Peter R Nilsson
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
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8
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Paterna A, Santonicola P, Di Prima G, Rao E, Raccosta S, Zampi G, Russo C, Moran O, Manno M, Di Schiavi E, Librizzi F, Carrotta R. α S1-Casein-Loaded Proteo-liposomes as Potential Inhibitors in Amyloid Fibrillogenesis: In Vivo Effects on a C. elegans Model of Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:3894-3904. [PMID: 37847529 PMCID: PMC10623563 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00239] [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: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
According to the amyloid hypothesis, in the early phases of Alzheimer's disease (AD), small soluble prefibrillar aggregates of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) interact with neuronal membranes, causing neural impairment. Such highly reactive and toxic species form spontaneously and transiently in the amyloid building pathway. A therapeutic strategy consists of the recruitment of these intermediates, thus preventing aberrant interaction with membrane components (lipids and receptors), which in turn may trigger a cascade of cellular disequilibria. Milk αs1-Casein is an intrinsically disordered protein that is able to inhibit Aβ amyloid aggregation in vitro, by sequestering transient species. In order to test αs1-Casein as an inhibitor for the treatment of AD, it needs to be delivered in the place of action. Here, we demonstrate the use of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) as suitable nanocarriers for αs1-Casein. Proteo-LUVs were prepared and characterized by different biophysical techniques, such as multiangle light scattering, atomic force imaging, and small-angle X-ray scattering; αs1-Casein loading was quantified by a fluorescence assay. We demonstrated on a C. elegans AD model the effectiveness of the proposed delivery strategy in vivo. Proteo-LUVs allow efficient administration of the protein, exerting a positive functional readout at very low doses while avoiding the intrinsic toxicity of αs1-Casein. Proteo-LUVs of αs1-Casein represent an effective proof of concept for the exploitation of partially disordered proteins as a therapeutic strategy in mild AD conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Paterna
- Institute
of Biophysics, National Research Council, Division of Palermo, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Pamela Santonicola
- Institute
of Biosciences and Bioresources, Division of Napoli, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- Department
of Medicine and Health Sciences, University
of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Giulia Di Prima
- Department
of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Estella Rao
- Institute
of Biophysics, National Research Council, Division of Palermo, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Samuele Raccosta
- Institute
of Biophysics, National Research Council, Division of Palermo, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Zampi
- Institute
of Biosciences and Bioresources, Division of Napoli, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudio Russo
- Department
of Medicine and Health Sciences, University
of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
- Consorzio
Interuniversitario in Ingegneria e Medicina (COIIM), Via F. De Sanctis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Oscar Moran
- Institute
of Biophysics, National Research Council, Division of Genova, Via De Marini 6, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Mauro Manno
- Institute
of Biophysics, National Research Council, Division of Palermo, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Elia Di Schiavi
- Institute
of Biosciences and Bioresources, Division of Napoli, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Fabio Librizzi
- Institute
of Biophysics, National Research Council, Division of Palermo, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Rita Carrotta
- Institute
of Biophysics, National Research Council, Division of Palermo, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
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9
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Tsai AP, Dong C, Lin PBC, Oblak AL, Viana Di Prisco G, Wang N, Hajicek N, Carr AJ, Lendy EK, Hahn O, Atkins M, Foltz AG, Patel J, Xu G, Moutinho M, Sondek J, Zhang Q, Mesecar AD, Liu Y, Atwood BK, Wyss-Coray T, Nho K, Bissel SJ, Lamb BT, Landreth GE. Genetic variants of phospholipase C-γ2 alter the phenotype and function of microglia and confer differential risk for Alzheimer's disease. Immunity 2023; 56:2121-2136.e6. [PMID: 37659412 PMCID: PMC10564391 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Genetic association studies have demonstrated the critical involvement of the microglial immune response in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Phospholipase C-gamma-2 (PLCG2) is selectively expressed by microglia and functions in many immune receptor signaling pathways. In AD, PLCG2 is induced uniquely in plaque-associated microglia. A genetic variant of PLCG2, PLCG2P522R, is a mild hypermorph that attenuates AD risk. Here, we identified a loss-of-function PLCG2 variant, PLCG2M28L, that confers an increased AD risk. PLCG2P522R attenuated disease in an amyloidogenic murine AD model, whereas PLCG2M28L exacerbated the plaque burden associated with altered phagocytosis and Aβ clearance. The variants bidirectionally modulated disease pathology by inducing distinct transcriptional programs that identified microglial subpopulations associated with protective or detrimental phenotypes. These findings identify PLCG2M28L as a potential AD risk variant and demonstrate that PLCG2 variants can differentially orchestrate microglial responses in AD pathogenesis that can be therapeutically targeted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy P Tsai
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Chuanpeng Dong
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Peter Bor-Chian Lin
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Adrian L Oblak
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Gonzalo Viana Di Prisco
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Nian Wang
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Nicole Hajicek
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Adam J Carr
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Emma K Lendy
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Oliver Hahn
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Micaiah Atkins
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Aulden G Foltz
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jheel Patel
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Guixiang Xu
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Miguel Moutinho
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - John Sondek
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Qisheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrew D Mesecar
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Yunlong Liu
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Brady K Atwood
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Tony Wyss-Coray
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kwangsik Nho
- Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Stephanie J Bissel
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Bruce T Lamb
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Gary E Landreth
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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10
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Björk L, Klingstedt T, Nilsson KPR. Thiophene-Based Ligands: Design, Synthesis and Their Utilization for Optical Assignment of Polymorphic-Disease-Associated Protein Aggregates. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300044. [PMID: 36891883 PMCID: PMC10404026 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300044] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
The development of ligands for detecting protein aggregates is of great interest, as these aggregated proteinaceous species are the pathological hallmarks of several devastating diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. In this regard, thiophene-based ligands have emerged as powerful tools for fluorescent assessment of these pathological entities. The intrinsic conformationally sensitive photophysical properties of poly- and oligothiophenes have allowed optical assignment of disease-associated protein aggregates in tissue sections, as well as real-time in vivo imaging of protein deposits. Herein, we recount the chemical evolution of different generations of thiophene-based ligands, and exemplify their use for the optical distinction of polymorphic protein aggregates. Furthermore, the chemical determinants for achieving a superior fluorescent thiophene-based ligand, as well as the next generation of thiophene-based ligands targeting distinct aggregated species are described. Finally, the directions for future research into the chemical design of thiophene-based ligands that can aid in resolving the scientific challenges around protein aggregation diseases are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linnea Björk
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Therése Klingstedt
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - K Peter R Nilsson
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
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11
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Abrahamson EE, Padera RF, Davies J, Farrar G, Villemagne VL, Dorbala S, Ikonomovic MD. The flutemetamol analogue cyano-flutemetamol detects myocardial AL and ATTR amyloid deposits: a post-mortem histofluorescence analysis. Amyloid 2023; 30:169-187. [PMID: 36411500 PMCID: PMC10199962 DOI: 10.1080/13506129.2022.2141623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND [18F]flutemetamol is a PET radioligand used to image brain amyloid, but its detection of myocardial amyloid is not well-characterized. This histological study characterized binding of fluorescently labeled flutemetamol (cyano-flutemetamol) to amyloid deposits in myocardium. METHODS Myocardial tissue was obtained post-mortem from 29 subjects with cardiac amyloidosis including transthyretin wild-type (ATTRwt), hereditary/variant transthyretin (ATTRv) and immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) types, and from 10 cardiac amyloid-free controls. Most subjects had antemortem electrocardiography, echocardiography, SPECT and cardiac MRI. Cyano-flutemetamol labeling patterns and integrated density values were evaluated relative to fluorescent derivatives of Congo red (X-34) and Pittsburgh compound-B (cyano-PiB). RESULTS Cyano-flutemetamol labeling was not detectable in control subjects. In subjects with cardiac amyloidosis, cyano-flutemetamol labeling matched X-34- and cyano-PiB-labeled, and transthyretin- or lambda light chain-immunoreactive, amyloid deposits and was prevented by formic acid pre-treatment of myocardial sections. Cyano-flutemetamol mean fluorescence intensity, when adjusted for X-34 signal, was higher in the ATTRwt than the AL group. Cyano-flutemetamol integrated density correlated strongly with echocardiography measures of ventricular septal thickness and posterior wall thickness, and with heart mass. CONCLUSION The high selectivity of cyano-flutemetamol binding to myocardial amyloid supports the diagnostic utility of [18F]flutemetamol PET imaging in patients with ATTR and AL types of cardiac amyloidosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric E. Abrahamson
- Geriatric Research Educational and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - Robert F. Padera
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | | | - Victor L. Villemagne
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - Sharmila Dorbala
- Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Milos D. Ikonomovic
- Geriatric Research Educational and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
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12
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Pan Q, Yan P, Kim AB, Xiao Q, Pandey G, Haecker H, Epelman S, Diwan A, Lee JM, DeSelm CJ. Chimeric Antigen Receptor Macrophages Target and Resorb Amyloid Plaques in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.28.538637. [PMID: 37162824 PMCID: PMC10168376 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.28.538637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Substantial evidence suggests a role for immunotherapy in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several monoclonal antibodies targeting aggregated forms of beta amyloid (Aβ), have been shown to reduce amyloid plaques and in some cases, mitigate cognitive decline in early-stage AD patients. We sought to determine if genetically engineered macrophages could improve the targeting and degradation of amyloid plaques. Chimeric antigen receptor macrophages (CAR-Ms), which show promise as a cancer treatment, are an appealing strategy to enhance target recognition and phagocytosis of amyloid plaques in AD. We genetically engineered macrophages to express a CAR containing the anti-amyloid antibody aducanumab as the external domain and the Fc receptor signaling domain internally. CAR-Ms recognize and degrade Aβ in vitro and on APP/PS1 brain slices ex vivo; however, when injected intrahippocampally, these first-generation CAR-Ms have limited persistence and fail to reduce plaque load. We overcame this limitation by creating CAR-Ms that secrete M-CSF and self-maintain without exogenous cytokines. These CAR-Ms have greater survival in the brain niche, and significantly reduce plaque load locally in vivo. These proof-of-principle studies demonstrate that CAR-Ms, previously only applied to cancer, may be utilized to target and degrade unwanted materials, such as amyloid plaques in the brains of AD mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyun Pan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ping Yan
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alexander B. Kim
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Qingli Xiao
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gaurav Pandey
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hans Haecker
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Slava Epelman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Abhinav Diwan
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Medicine Service, Saint Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Departments of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jin-Moo Lee
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carl J. DeSelm
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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13
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Lantz L, Shirani H, Ghetti B, Vidal R, Klingstedt T, Nilsson KPR. Thiophene-Based Ligands for Histological Multiplex Spectral Detection of Distinct Protein Aggregates in Alzheimer's Disease. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202203568. [PMID: 36645413 PMCID: PMC10101888 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202203568] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The aggregation and accumulation of proteins in the brain is the defining feature of many devastating neurodegenerative diseases. The development of fluorescent ligands that bind to these accumulations, or deposits, is essential for the characterization of these neuropathological lesions. We report the synthesis of donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) thiophene-based ligands with different emission properties. The D-A-D ligands displayed selectivity towards distinct disease-associated protein deposits in histological sections from postmortem brain tissue of individuals affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). The ability of the ligands to selectively identify AD-associated pathological alterations, such as deposits composed of aggregates of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide or tau, was reduced when the chemical composition of the ligands was altered. When combining the D-A-D ligands with conventional thiophene-based ligands, superior spectral separation of distinct protein aggregates in AD tissue sections was obtained. Our findings provide the structural and functional basis for the development of new fluorescent ligands that can distinguish between aggregated proteinaceous species, as well as offer novel strategies for developing multiplex fluorescence detection of protein aggregates in tissue sections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Lantz
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Hamid Shirani
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 46202, Indiana, USA
| | - Ruben Vidal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 46202, Indiana, USA
| | - Therése Klingstedt
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - K Peter R Nilsson
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
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14
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Qu W, Jeong A, Zhong R, Thieschafer JS, Gram A, Li L. Deletion of Small GTPase H-Ras Rescues Memory Deficits and Reduces Amyloid Plaque-Associated Dendritic Spine Loss in Transgenic Alzheimer's Mice. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:495-511. [PMID: 36287323 PMCID: PMC10771223 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-03082-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, affecting millions of lives without a cure. While the molecular mechanism of AD remains obscure, emerging evidence suggests that small GTPases, a group of GTP-binding proteins that regulate a plethora of essential cellular events, modulate the pathogenic process of AD. Among those, the small GTPase H-Ras, extensively studied in cancer, regulates synaptic function, and both upstream and downstream signaling pathways of H-Ras have been implicated in AD. However, the role of H-Ras per se in AD pathogenesis had not been explored previously. In the present study, the impact of Hras deletion on cognitive function and amyloid pathology was investigated in transgenic APP/PS1 mice of AD. Behavioral assessments showed that the absence of Hras rescued spatial memory deficit in APP/PS1 mice at 9 months of age. The pathological evaluation demonstrated that Hras deletion reduced cortical amyloid deposition and astrogliosis. Furthermore, Hras deficiency protected against amyloid plaque-associated loss of dendritic spines in APP/PS1 mice. Intriguingly, canonical signaling pathways downstream of H-Ras were not affected by the absence of Hras in the brain. Unbiased transcriptomic analysis revealed that lack of H-Ras affected the expression of select genes in the brain of AD mice and identified a novel connection between H-Ras and Annexin A4, a calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding protein that has been shown to regulate membrane repair, neuroinflammation, and calcium homeostasis. Taken together, these data indicate that H-Ras modifies the pathogenic process of AD and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Qu
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Angela Jeong
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Rui Zhong
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Josslen S Thieschafer
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Andrea Gram
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Ling Li
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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15
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Kleawyothatis W, Jattujan P, Chumphoochai K, Chalorak P, Sobhon P, Meemon K. Holothuria scabra extracts confer neuroprotective effect in C. elegans model of Alzheimer's disease by attenuating amyloid-β aggregation and toxicity. J Tradit Complement Med 2023; 13:93-104. [PMID: 36685078 PMCID: PMC9845652 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2022.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and aim Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common aged-related neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with the toxic amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation in the brain. While the efficacies of available drugs against AD are still limited, natural products have been shown to possess neuroprotective potential for prevention and therapy of AD. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of H. scabra extracts against Aβ aggregation and proteotoxicity in C. elegans model of Alzheimer's diseases. Experimental procedure Whole bodies (WB) and body wall (BW) of H. scabra were extracted and fractionated into ethyl acetate (WBEA, BWEA), butanol (WBBU, BWBU), and ethanol (BWET). Then C. elegans AD models were treated with these fractions and investigated for Aβ aggregation and polymerization, biochemical and behavioral changes, and level of oxidative stress, as well as lifespan extension. Results and conclusion C. elegans AD model treated with H. scabra extracts, especially triterpene glycoside-rich ethyl acetate and butanol fractions, exhibited significant reduction of Aβ deposition. These H. scabra extracts also attenuated the paralysis behavior and improved the neurological defects in chemotaxis caused by Aβ aggregation. Immunoblot analysis revealed decreased level of Aβ oligomeric forms and the increased level of Aβ monomers after treatments with H. scabra extracts. In addition, H. scabra extracts reduced reactive oxygen species and increased the mean lifespan of the treated AD worms. In conclusion, this study demonstrated strong evidence of anti-Alzheimer effects by H. scabra extracts, implying that these extracts can potentially be applied as natural preventive and therapeutic agents for AD. Taxonomy classification by EVISE Alzheimer's disease, Neurodegenerative disorder, Traditional medicine, Experimental model systems, Molecular biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warannida Kleawyothatis
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Prapaporn Jattujan
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand
| | - Kawita Chumphoochai
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Pawanrat Chalorak
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Department of Radiological Technology and Medical Physics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Prasert Sobhon
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Krai Meemon
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
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16
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Mi Z, Abrahamson EE, Ryu AY, Malek-Ahmadi M, Kofler JK, Fish KN, Sweet RA, Villemagne VL, Schneider JA, Mufson EJ, Ikonomovic MD. Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Changes in the Cortical Default Mode Network During the Clinical and Pathological Progression of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 94:227-246. [PMID: 37212097 PMCID: PMC10994206 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Altered glutamatergic neurotransmission may contribute to impaired default mode network (DMN) function in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among the DMN hub regions, frontal cortex (FC) was suggested to undergo a glutamatergic plasticity response in prodromal AD, while the status of glutamatergic synapses in the precuneus (PreC) during clinical-neuropathological AD progression is not known. OBJECTIVE To quantify vesicular glutamate transporter VGluT1- and VGluT2-containing synaptic terminals in PreC and FC across clinical stages of AD. METHODS Unbiased sampling and quantitative confocal immunofluorescence of cortical VGluT1- and VGluT2-immunoreactive profiles and spinophilin-labeled dendritic spines were performed in cases with no cognitive impairment (NCI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild-moderate AD (mAD), or moderate-severe AD (sAD). RESULTS In both regions, loss of VGluT1-positive profile density was seen in sAD compared to NCI, MCI, and mAD. VGluT1-positive profile intensity in PreC did not differ across groups, while in FC it was greater in MCI, mAD, and sAD compared to NCI. VGluT2 measures were stable in PreC while FC had greater VGluT2-positive profile density in MCI compared to sAD, but not NCI or mAD. Spinophilin measures in PreC were lower in mAD and sAD compared to NCI, while in FC they were stable across groups. Lower VGluT1 and spinophilin measures in PreC, but not FC, correlated with greater neuropathology. CONCLUSION Frank loss of VGluT1 in advanced AD relative to NCI occurs in both DMN regions. In FC, an upregulation of VGluT1 protein content in remaining glutamatergic terminals may contribute to this region's plasticity response in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiping Mi
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA
Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Eric E. Abrahamson
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA
Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Angela Y. Ryu
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael Malek-Ahmadi
- Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arizona
College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Julia K. Kofler
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kenneth N. Fish
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robert A. Sweet
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Victor L. Villemagne
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Julie A. Schneider
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University
Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Elliott J. Mufson
- Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Departments of Translational Neurosciences and Neurology,
Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Milos D. Ikonomovic
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA
Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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17
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Weston LJ, Bowman AM, Osterberg VR, Meshul CK, Woltjer RL, Unni VK. Aggregated Alpha-Synuclein Inclusions within the Nucleus Predict Impending Neuronal Cell Death in a Mouse Model of Parkinsonism. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315294. [PMID: 36499619 PMCID: PMC9736441 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein (aSyn) is a 14 kD protein encoded by the SNCA gene that is expressed in vertebrates and normally localizes to presynaptic terminals and the nucleus. aSyn forms pathological intracellular aggregates that typify a group of important neurodegenerative diseases called synucleinopathies. Previous work in human tissue and model systems indicates that some of these aggregates can be intranuclear, but the significance of aSyn aggregation within the nucleus is not clear. We used a mouse model that develops aggregated aSyn nuclear inclusions. Using aSyn preformed fibril injections in GFP-tagged aSyn transgenic mice, we were able to induce the formation of nuclear aSyn inclusions and study their properties in fixed tissue and in vivo using multiphoton microscopy. In addition, we analyzed human synucleinopathy patient tissue to better understand this pathology. Our data demonstrate that nuclear aSyn inclusions may form through the transmission of aSyn between neurons, and these intranuclear aggregates bear the hallmarks of cytoplasmic Lewy pathology. Neuronal nuclear aSyn inclusions can form rod-like structures that do not contain actin, excluding them from being previously described nuclear actin rods. Longitudinal, in vivo multiphoton imaging indicates that certain morphologies of neuronal nuclear aSyn inclusions predict cell death within 14 days. Human multiple system atrophy cases contain neurons and glia with similar nuclear inclusions, but we were unable to detect such inclusions in Lewy body dementia cases. This study suggests that the dysregulation of a nuclear aSyn function associated with nuclear inclusion formation could play a role in the forms of neurodegeneration associated with synucleinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah J. Weston
- Department of Neurology & Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Anna M. Bowman
- Department of Neurology & Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Valerie R. Osterberg
- Department of Neurology & Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Charles K. Meshul
- Research Services, Neurocytology Laboratory, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience and Pathology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Randall L. Woltjer
- Department of Pathology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Vivek K. Unni
- Department of Neurology & Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- OHSU Parkinson Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Correspondence:
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18
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Fazelinejad H, Zahedi E, Nazarian S, Kaffash Siuki Z, Nasri S, Dadmehr M, Mehrabi M, Khodarahmi R. Neuroprotective effect of Bis(Indolyl)phenylmethane in Alzheimer’s disease rat model through inhibition of hen Lysozyme amyloid fibril-induced neurotoxicity. JOURNAL OF THE IRANIAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13738-022-02692-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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19
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Stepanchuk AA, Morgan ML, Joseph JT, Stys PK. Dual-probe fluorescence spectroscopy for sensitive quantitation of Alzheimer’s amyloid pathology. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:153. [DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01456-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractProtein misfolding is a prominent pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies have shown that the diversity of β sheet-rich protein deposits (such as amyloid β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles), present across different brain regions, might underlie different disease phenotypes and only certain types of aggregates might be associated with cognitive decline. Conformationally sensitive fluorescent amyloid probes have the ability to report different structures of protein aggregates by virtue of their shifting emission spectra. Here we defined the binding affinity of the fluorescent amyloid probes BSB and MCAAD to disease-relevant protein aggregates, and combined the two probes to examine formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded mouse and human brain samples. Coupled with quantitative spectral phasor analysis, the dual-probe staining approach revealed remarkable heterogeneity of protein aggregates across the samples. Distinct emission spectra were consistent with certain types of deposits present in the mouse and human brain sections. The sensitivity of this staining, imaging and analysis approach outperformed conventional immunohistochemistry with the detected spectral differences between the greater parenchyma of cognitively normal and AD cases indicating a subtle yet widespread proteopathy associated with disease. Our method offers more sensitive, objective, and quantitative examination of protein misfolding pathology using conventional tissue sections.
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20
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Selection of single domain anti-transferrin receptor antibodies for blood-brain barrier transcytosis using a neurotensin based assay and histological assessment of target engagement in a mouse model of Alzheimer's related amyloid-beta pathology. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276107. [PMID: 36256604 PMCID: PMC9578589 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) presents a major obstacle in developing specific diagnostic imaging agents for many neurological disorders. In this study we aimed to generate single domain anti-mouse transferrin receptor antibodies (anti-mTfR VHHs) to mediate BBB transcytosis as components of novel MRI molecular contrast imaging agents. Anti-mTfR VHHs were produced by immunizing a llama with mTfR, generation of a VHH phage display library, immunopanning, and in vitro characterization of candidates. Site directed mutagenesis was used to generate additional variants. VHH fusions with neurotensin (NT) allowed rapid, hypothermia-based screening for VHH-mediated BBB transcytosis in wild-type mice. One anti-mTfR VHH variant was fused with an anti-amyloid-beta (Aβ) VHH dimer and labeled with fluorescent dye for direct assessment of in vivo target engagement in a mouse model of AD-related Aβ plaque pathology. An anti-mTfR VHH called M1 and variants had binding affinities to mTfR of <1nM to 1.52nM. The affinity of the VHH binding to mTfR correlated with the efficiency of the VHH-NT induced hypothermia effects after intravenous injection of 600 nmol/kg body weight, ranging from undetectable for nonbinding mutants to -6°C for the best mutants. The anti-mTfR VHH variant M1P96H with the strongest hypothermia effect was fused to the anti-Aβ VHH dimer and labeled with Alexa647; the dye-labeled VHH fusion construct still bound both mTfR and Aβ plaques at concentrations as low as 0.22 nM. However, after intravenous injection at 600 nmol/kg body weight into APP/PS1 transgenic mice, there was no detectible labeling of plaques above control levels. Thus, NT-induced hypothermia did not correlate with direct target engagement in cortex, likely because the concentration required for NT-induced hypothermia was lower than the concentration required to produce in situ labeling. These findings reveal an important dissociation between NT-induced hypothermia, presumably mediated by hypothalamus, and direct engagement with Aβ-plaques in cortex. Additional methods to assess anti-mTfR VHH BBB transcytosis will need to be developed for anti-mTfR VHH screening and the development of novel MRI molecular contrast agents.
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21
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Moncaster JA, Moir RD, Burton MA, Chadwick O, Minaeva O, Alvarez VE, Ericsson M, Clark JI, McKee AC, Tanzi RE, Goldstein LE. Alzheimer's disease amyloid-β pathology in the lens of the eye. Exp Eye Res 2022; 221:108974. [PMID: 35202705 PMCID: PMC9873124 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2022.108974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include pathogenic accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and age-dependent formation of amyloid plaques in the brain. AD-associated Aβ neuropathology begins decades before onset of cognitive symptoms and slowly progresses over the course of the disease. We previously reported discovery of Aβ deposition, β-amyloidopathy, and co-localizing supranuclear cataracts (SNC) in lenses from people with AD, but not other neurodegenerative disorders or normal aging. We confirmed AD-associated Aβ molecular pathology in the lens by immunohistopathology, amyloid histochemistry, immunoblot analysis, epitope mapping, immunogold electron microscopy, quantitative immunoassays, and tryptic digest mass spectrometry peptide sequencing. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that AD-associated Aβ deposits in AD lenses localize as electron-dense microaggregates in the cytoplasm of supranuclear (deep cortex) fiber cells. These Aβ microaggregates also contain αB-crystallin and scatter light, thus linking Aβ pathology and SNC phenotype expression in the lenses of people with AD. Subsequent research identified Aβ lens pathology as the molecular origin of the distinctive cataracts associated with Down syndrome (DS, trisomy 21), a chromosomal disorder invariantly associated with early-onset Aβ accumulation and Aβ amyloidopathy in the brain. Investigation of 1249 participants in the Framingham Eye Study found that AD-associated quantitative traits in brain and lens are co-heritable. Moreover, AD-associated lens traits preceded MRI brain traits and cognitive deficits by a decade or more and predicted future AD. A genome-wide association study of bivariate outcomes in the same subjects identified a new AD risk factor locus in the CTNND2 gene encoding δ-catenin, a protein that modulates Aβ production in brain and lens. Here we report identification of AD-related human Aβ (hAβ) lens pathology and age-dependent SNC phenotype expression in the Tg2576 transgenic mouse model of AD. Tg2576 mice express Swedish mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APP-Swe), accumulate hAβ peptides and amyloid pathology in the brain, and exhibit cognitive deficits that slowly progress with increasing age. We found that Tg2576 trangenic (Tg+) mice, but not non-transgenic (Tg-) control mice, also express human APP, accumulate hAβ peptides, and develop hAβ molecular and ultrastructural pathologies in the lens. Tg2576 Tg+ mice exhibit age-dependent Aβ supranuclear lens opacification that recapitulates lens pathology and SNC phenotype expression in human AD. In addition, we detected hAβ in conditioned medium from lens explant cultures prepared from Tg+ mice, but not Tg- control mice, a finding consistent with constitutive hAβ generation in the lens. In vitro studies showed that hAβ promoted mouse lens protein aggregation detected by quasi-elastic light scattering (QLS) spectroscopy. These results support mechanistic (genotype-phenotype) linkage between Aβ pathology and AD-related phenotypes in lens and brain. Collectively, our findings identify Aβ pathology as the shared molecular etiology of two age-dependent AD-related cataracts associated with two human diseases (AD, DS) and homologous murine cataracts in the Tg2576 transgenic mouse model of AD. These results represent the first evidence of AD-related Aβ pathology outside the brain and point to lens Aβ as an optically-accessible AD biomarker for early detection and longitudinal monitoring of this devastating neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliet A. Moncaster
- Molecular Aging and Development Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA,Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, B-7800 Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Robert D. Moir
- Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Mark A. Burton
- Molecular Aging and Development Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Oliver Chadwick
- Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Olga Minaeva
- Molecular Aging and Development Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA,Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, B-7800 Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Victor E. Alvarez
- Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, B-7800 Boston, MA, 02118, USA,Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, Bedford, MA, 01730, USA
| | - Maria Ericsson
- Electron Microscopy Facility, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - John I. Clark
- Departments of Biological Structure and Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Ann C. McKee
- Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, B-7800 Boston, MA, 02118, USA,Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, Bedford, MA, 01730, USA
| | - Rudolph E. Tanzi
- Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Lee E. Goldstein
- Molecular Aging and Development Laboratory, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA,Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, B-7800 Boston, MA, 02118, USA,Corresponding author. Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory, Boston University, School of Medicine, 670 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA. (L.E. Goldstein)
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22
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Abrahamson EE, Kofler JK, Becker CR, Price JC, Newell KL, Ghetti B, Murrell JR, McLean CA, Lopez OL, Mathis CA, Klunk WE, Villemagne VL, Ikonomovic MD. 11C-PiB PET can underestimate brain amyloid-β burden when cotton wool plaques are numerous. Brain 2022; 145:2161-2176. [PMID: 34918018 PMCID: PMC9630719 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals with familial Alzheimer's disease due to PSEN1 mutations develop high cortical fibrillar amyloid-β load but often have lower cortical 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) retention than Individuals with sporadic Alzheimer's disease. We hypothesized this is influenced by limited interactions of Pittsburgh compound B with cotton wool plaques, an amyloid-β plaque type common in familial Alzheimer's disease but rare in sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Histological sections of frontal and temporal cortex, caudate nucleus and cerebellum were obtained from 14 cases with sporadic Alzheimer's disease, 12 cases with familial Alzheimer's disease due to PSEN1 mutations, two relatives of a PSEN1 mutation carrier but without genotype information and three non-Alzheimer's disease cases. Sections were processed immunohistochemically using amyloid-β-targeting antibodies and the fluorescent amyloid stains cyano-PiB and X-34. Plaque load was quantified by percentage area analysis. Frozen homogenates from the same brain regions from five sporadic Alzheimer's disease and three familial Alzheimer's disease cases were analysed for 3H-PiB in vitro binding and concentrations of amyloid-β1-40 and amyloid-β1-42. Nine sporadic Alzheimer's disease, three familial Alzheimer's disease and three non-Alzheimer's disease participants had 11C-PiB PET with standardized uptake value ratios calculated using the cerebellum as the reference region. Cotton wool plaques were present in the neocortex of all familial Alzheimer's disease cases and one sporadic Alzheimer's disease case, in the caudate nucleus from four familial Alzheimer's disease cases, but not in the cerebellum. Cotton wool plaques immunolabelled robustly with 4G8 and amyloid-β42 antibodies but weakly with amyloid-β40 and amyloid-βN3pE antibodies and had only background cyano-PiB fluorescence despite labelling with X-34. Relative to amyloid-β plaque load, cyano-Pittsburgh compound B plaque load was similar in sporadic Alzheimer's disease while in familial Alzheimer's disease it was lower in the neocortex and the caudate nucleus. In both regions, insoluble amyloid-β1-42 and amyloid-β1-40 concentrations were similar in familial Alzheimer's disease and sporadic Alzheimer's disease groups, while 3H-PiB binding was lower in the familial Alzheimer's disease than the sporadic Alzheimer's disease group. Higher amyloid-β1-42 concentration associated with higher 3H-PiB binding in sporadic Alzheimer's disease but not familial Alzheimer's disease. 11C-PiB retention correlated with region-matched post-mortem amyloid-β plaque load; however, familial Alzheimer's disease cases with abundant cotton wool plaques had lower 11C-PiB retention than sporadic Alzheimer's disease cases with similar amyloid-β plaque loads. PiB has limited ability to detect amyloid-β aggregates in cotton wool plaques and may underestimate total amyloid-β plaque burden in brain regions with abundant cotton wool plaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric E Abrahamson
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Julia K Kofler
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Carl R Becker
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Julie C Price
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital, A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kathy L Newell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jill R Murrell
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Catriona A McLean
- Victorian Brain Bank, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Oscar L Lopez
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Chester A Mathis
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William E Klunk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Victor L Villemagne
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Milos D Ikonomovic
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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23
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Han ZZ, Kang SG, Arce L, Westaway D. Prion-like strain effects in tauopathies. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:179-199. [PMID: 35460367 PMCID: PMC9034081 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that plays crucial roles in physiology and pathophysiology. In the realm of dementia, tau protein misfolding is associated with a wide spectrum of clinicopathologically diverse neurodegenerative diseases, collectively known as tauopathies. As proposed by the tau strain hypothesis, the intrinsic heterogeneity of tauopathies may be explained by the existence of structurally distinct tau conformers, “strains”. Tau strains can differ in their associated clinical features, neuropathological profiles, and biochemical signatures. Although prior research into infectious prion proteins offers valuable lessons for studying how a protein-only pathogen can encompass strain diversity, the underlying mechanism by which tau subtypes are generated remains poorly understood. Here we summarize recent advances in understanding different tau conformers through in vivo and in vitro experimental paradigms, and the implications of heterogeneity of pathological tau species for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuang Zhuang Han
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sang-Gyun Kang
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Luis Arce
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - David Westaway
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, 204 Brain and Aging Research Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M8, Canada. .,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. .,Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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24
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Mahan TE, Wang C, Bao X, Choudhury A, Ulrich JD, Holtzman DM. Selective reduction of astrocyte apoE3 and apoE4 strongly reduces Aβ accumulation and plaque-related pathology in a mouse model of amyloidosis. Mol Neurodegener 2022; 17:13. [PMID: 35109920 PMCID: PMC8811969 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00516-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background One of the key pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD) is the accumulation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide into amyloid plaques. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset AD and has been shown to influence the accumulation of Aβ in the brain in an isoform-dependent manner. ApoE can be produced by different cell types in the brain, with astrocytes being the largest producer of apoE, although reactive microglia also express high levels of apoE. While studies have shown that altering apoE levels in the brain can influence the development of Aβ plaque pathology, it is not fully known how apoE produced by specific cell types, such as astrocytes, contributes to amyloid pathology. Methods We utilized APOE knock-in mice capable of having APOE selectively removed from astrocytes in a tamoxifen-inducible manner and crossed them with the APP/PS1-21 mouse model of amyloidosis. We analyzed the changes to Aβ plaque levels and assessed the impact on cellular responses to Aβ plaques when astrocytic APOE is removed. Results Tamoxifen administration was capable of strongly reducing apoE levels in the brain by markedly reducing astrocyte apoE, while microglial apoE expression remained. Reduction of astrocytic apoE3 and apoE4 led to a large decrease in Aβ plaque deposition and less compact plaques. While overall Iba1+ microglia were unchanged in the cortex after reducing astrocyte apoE, the expression of the disease-associated microglial markers Clec7a and apoE were lower around amyloid plaques, indicating decreased microglial activation. Additionally, astrocyte GFAP levels are unchanged around amyloid plaques, but overall GFAP levels are reduced in the cortex of female apoE4 mice after a reduction in astrocytic apoE. Finally, while the amount of neuritic dystrophy around remaining individual plaques was increased with the removal of astrocytic apoE, the overall amount of cortical amyloid-associated neuritic dystrophy was significantly decreased. Conclusion This study reveals an important role of astrocytic apoE3 and apoE4 on the deposition and accumulation of Aβ plaques as well as on certain Aβ-associated downstream effects. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13024-022-00516-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Mahan
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Chao Wang
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Xin Bao
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ankit Choudhury
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Jason D Ulrich
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - David M Holtzman
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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25
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Duan Y, Ye T, Qu Z, Chen Y, Miranda A, Zhou X, Lok KC, Chen Y, Fu AKY, Gradinaru V, Ip NY. Brain-wide Cas9-mediated cleavage of a gene causing familial Alzheimer's disease alleviates amyloid-related pathologies in mice. Nat Biomed Eng 2022; 6:168-180. [PMID: 34312508 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00759-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The pathology of familial Alzheimer's disease, which is caused by dominant mutations in the gene that encodes amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) and in those that encode presenilin 1 and presenilin 2, is characterized by extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles in multiple brain regions. Here we show that the brain-wide selective disruption of a mutated APP allele in transgenic mouse models carrying the human APP Swedish mutation alleviates amyloid-beta-associated pathologies for at least six months after a single intrahippocampal administration of an adeno-associated virus that encodes both Cas9 and a single-guide RNA that targets the mutation. We also show that the deposition of amyloid-beta, as well as microgliosis, neurite dystrophy and the impairment of cognitive performance, can all be ameliorated when the CRISPR-Cas9 construct is delivered intravenously via a modified adeno-associated virus that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Brain-wide disease-modifying genome editing could represent a viable strategy for the treatment of familial Alzheimer's disease and other monogenic diseases that affect multiple brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Duan
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tao Ye
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Disease and Drug Development, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhe Qu
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Yuewen Chen
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Disease and Drug Development, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
| | - Abigail Miranda
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaopu Zhou
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ka-Chun Lok
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Disease and Drug Development, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
| | - Amy K Y Fu
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Disease and Drug Development, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China
| | - Viviana Gradinaru
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Nancy Y Ip
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China. .,Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Disease and Drug Development, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China.
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26
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Schmued L. Use of a stable and solvent-soluble variant of Amylo-Glo, Amylo-Glo+, for the high-contrast and resolution fluorescent localization of amyloid plaques in murine and human brain tissue sections. J Neurosci Methods 2022; 365:109381. [PMID: 34662590 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although numerous different fluorescent compounds have been used for the fluorescent localization of amyloid plaques, limitations include weak fluorescence, low contrast, low resolution, broad excitation / emission profile and chemical instability. NEW METHOD Amylo-Glo+ was reconstituted from a powder into a stable solution for the histological staining of plaques in brain tissue sections from both patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and APP/PS1 transgenic mice. RESULTS Amylo-Glo+ was found to result in high resolution and contrast labeling of amyloid plaques. The tracer was excited exclusively by ultraviolet light illumination. The staining of amyloid plaques corresponded with the labeling pattern seen following staining with HQ-O. Counterstaining with ethidium bromide resulted in no bleed-through of the Amylo-Glo+ under blue or green light excitation. The tracer was stable in both powder and solution form. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Amylo-Glo+ was found to be more stable, in both a powder and solution form, than the original Amylo-Glo, brighter than Congo red, of narrower emission and greater contrast than Thioflavine S and of narrower emission than X-34 and BSB. CONCLUSION Amylo-Glo+ is a stable and solvent soluble variant of Amylo-Glo that allows for the high contrast and resolution localization of amyloid plaques in tissue sections from the brains of transgenic mice and humans with Alzheimer's disease. The tracer is also solely excited by ultraviolet light, making it ideal for fluorescent multiple labeling studies in combination with commonly used red or green fluorophores. It is also stable in both solution and powder form, unlike the original Amylo-Glo which is only available as a basic solution that is prone to precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry Schmued
- Histo-Chem Inc, PO Box 183, Jefferson, AR 72079, United States.
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27
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Stepanchuk AA, Joseph JT, Stys PK. Spectral photokinetic conversion of the fluorescent probes BSB and K114 for improved detection of amyloid assemblies. JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS 2021; 14:e202100203. [PMID: 34499422 DOI: 10.1002/jbio.202100203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cross-β-sheet-rich protein fibrils are infamous for their accumulation in the brains of patients diagnosed with a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Disease-relevant fibrils are a result of deviation of the proteins from their native structure to a misfolded state resulting in aggregation and formation of fibrils. In this study, we explored the phenomenon of light-induced fluorescence enhancement of amyloid assemblies stained with two amyloid probes (BSB and K114) using Bombyx mori silk and human AD brain sections. The photoconversion effect, accompanied by an increase in fluorescence intensity and spectral blue-shift, was highly dependent on the chemical structures of the dyes, pH, presence of glycerol and the type of amyloid. The degree of intensity and spectral change over time in response to high laser exposure were quantified and analyzed using custom-written analysis tools. Our findings provide further insight into possible mechanisms of amyloid-mediated photoconversion kinetics of K114 and BSB, and may provide more insight into the molecular nature of various amyloid assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia A Stepanchuk
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey T Joseph
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Peter K Stys
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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28
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Stepanchuk AA, Barber PA, Lashley T, Joseph JT, Stys PK. Quantitative detection of grey and white matter amyloid pathology using a combination of K114 and CRANAD-3 fluorescence. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 161:105540. [PMID: 34751140 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that exacts a huge toll on the patient, the healthcare system and society in general. Abundance and morphology of protein aggregates such as amyloid β plaques and tau tangles, along with cortical atrophy and gliosis are used as measures to assess the changes in the brain induced by the disease. Not all of these parameters have a direct correlation with cognitive decline. Studies have shown that only particular protein conformers can be the main drivers of disease progression, and conventional approaches are unable to distinguish different conformations of disease-relevant proteins. METHODS AND RESULTS Using the fluorescent amyloid probes K114 and CRANAD-3 and spectral confocal microscopy, we examined formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded brain samples from different control and AD cases. Based on the emission spectra of the probes used in this study, we found that certain spectral signatures can be correlated with different aggregates formed by different proteins. The combination of spectral imaging and advanced image analysis tools allowed us to detect variability of protein deposits across the samples. CONCLUSION Our proposed method offers a quicker and easier neuropathological assessment of tissue samples, as well as introducing an additional parameter by which protein aggregates can be discriminated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia A Stepanchuk
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Philip A Barber
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Tammaryn Lashley
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, Department of Clinical and Movement Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Jeffrey T Joseph
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Peter K Stys
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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29
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Rodriguez Camargo DC, Sileikis E, Chia S, Axell E, Bernfur K, Cataldi RL, Cohen SIA, Meisl G, Habchi J, Knowles TPJ, Vendruscolo M, Linse S. Proliferation of Tau 304-380 Fragment Aggregates through Autocatalytic Secondary Nucleation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:4406-4415. [PMID: 34783519 PMCID: PMC8640994 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
![]()
The self-assembly
of the protein tau into neurofibrillary tangles
is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease and related
tauopathies. Still, the molecular mechanism of tau aggregation is
largely unknown. This problem may be addressed by systematically obtaining
reproducible in vitro kinetics measurements under quiescent conditions
in the absence of triggering substances. Here, we implement this strategy
by developing protocols for obtaining an ultrapure tau fragment (residues
304–380 of tau441) and for performing spontaneous aggregation
assays with reproducible kinetics under quiescent conditions. We are
thus able to identify the mechanism of fibril formation of the tau
304–380 fragment at physiological pH using fluorescence spectroscopy
and mass spectrometry. We find that primary nucleation is slow, and
that secondary processes dominate the aggregation process once the
initial aggregates are formed. Moreover, our results further show
that secondary nucleation of monomers on fibril surfaces dominates
over fragmentation of fibrils. Using separate isotopes in monomers
and fibrils, through mass spectroscopy measurements, we verify the
isotope composition of the intermediate oligomeric species, which
reveals that these small aggregates are generated from monomer through
secondary nucleation. Our results provide a framework for understanding
the processes leading to tau aggregation in disease and for selecting
possible tau forms as targets in the development of therapeutic interventions
in Alzheimer’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C. Rodriguez Camargo
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Chemical Centre, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
- Wren Therapeutics Limited, Clarendon House, Clarendon Road, Cambridge CB2 8FH, United Kingdom
| | - Eimantas Sileikis
- Wren Therapeutics Limited, Clarendon House, Clarendon Road, Cambridge CB2 8FH, United Kingdom
| | - Sean Chia
- Wren Therapeutics Limited, Clarendon House, Clarendon Road, Cambridge CB2 8FH, United Kingdom
| | - Emil Axell
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Chemical Centre, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Katja Bernfur
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Chemical Centre, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Rodrigo L. Cataldi
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, CB2 1EW Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel I. A. Cohen
- Wren Therapeutics Limited, Clarendon House, Clarendon Road, Cambridge CB2 8FH, United Kingdom
| | - Georg Meisl
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, CB2 1EW Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Johnny Habchi
- Wren Therapeutics Limited, Clarendon House, Clarendon Road, Cambridge CB2 8FH, United Kingdom
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, CB2 1EW Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, CB2 1EW Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Linse
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Chemical Centre, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
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30
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Jiang B, Martí AA. Probing Amyloid Nanostructures Using Photoluminescent Metal Complexes. Eur J Inorg Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejic.202100422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Jiang
- Department of Chemistry Rice University 6100 Main St, Chemistry MS60 Houston Texas 77005 United States
| | - Angel A. Martí
- Department of Chemistry Department of Bioengineering, and Department of Material Science & NanoEngineering Rice University 6100 Main St, Chemistry MS60 Houston Texas 77005 United States
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31
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Pereira FSDO, Barbosa FAR, Canto RFS, Lucchese C, Pinton S, Braga AL, Azeredo JBD, Quines CB, Ávila DS. Dihydropyrimidinone-derived selenoesters efficacy and safety in an in vivo model of Aβ aggregation. Neurotoxicology 2021; 88:14-24. [PMID: 34718060 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2021.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In a previous in vitro study, dihydropyrimidinone-derived selenoesteres demonstrated antioxidant properties, metal chelators and inhibitory acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, making these compounds promising candidates for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) treatment. However, these effects have yet to be demonstrated in an in vivo animal model; therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of eight selenoester compounds in a Caenorhabditis elegans model using transgenic strains for amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) aggregation. The L1 stage worms were acutely exposed (30 min) to the compounds at concentrations ranging from 5 to 200 μM and after 48 h the maintenance temperature was increased to 25 ° C for Aβ expression and aggregation. After 48 h, several parameters related to phenotypic manifestations of Aβ toxicity and mechanistic elucidation were analyzed. At the concentrations tested no significant toxicity of the compounds was found. The selenoester compound FA90 significantly reduced the rate of paralyzed worms and increased the number of swimming movements compared to the untreated worms. In addition, FA90 and FA130 improved egg-laying induced by levamisole and positively modulated HSP-6 and HSP-4 expression, thereby increasing reticular and mitochondrial protein folding response in C. elegans, which could attenuate Aβ aggregation in early exposure. Therefore, our initial screening using an alternative model demonstrated that FA90, among the eight selenoesters evaluated, was the most promising compound for AD evaluation screening in more complex animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávia Suelen de Oliveira Pereira
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Toxicology in Caenorhabditis elegans, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Flavio Augusto Rocha Barbosa
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Bioactive Selenium Compounds (LabSelen), Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Rômulo Farias Santos Canto
- Department of Pharmacosciences, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Simone Pinton
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Toxicology in Caenorhabditis elegans, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Antônio Luiz Braga
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Bioactive Selenium Compounds (LabSelen), Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Juliano Braun de Azeredo
- Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy Course, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Caroline Brandão Quines
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Toxicology in Caenorhabditis elegans, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Daiana Silva Ávila
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Toxicology in Caenorhabditis elegans, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil.
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32
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Joshi P, Riffel F, Satoh K, Enomoto M, Qamar S, Scheiblich H, Villacampa N, Kumar S, Theil S, Parhizkar S, Haass C, Heneka MT, Fraser PE, St George-Hyslop P, Walter J. Differential interaction with TREM2 modulates microglial uptake of modified Aβ species. Glia 2021; 69:2917-2932. [PMID: 34427354 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Rare coding variants of the microglial triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) confer an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) characterized by the progressive accumulation of aggregated forms of amyloid β peptides (Aβ). Aβ peptides are generated by proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Heterogeneity in proteolytic cleavages and additional post-translational modifications result in the production of several distinct Aβ variants that could differ in their aggregation behavior and toxic properties. Here, we sought to assess whether post-translational modifications of Aβ affect the interaction with TREM2. Biophysical and biochemical methods revealed that TREM2 preferentially interacts with oligomeric Aβ, and that phosphorylation of Aβ increases this interaction. Phosphorylation of Aβ also affected the TREM2 dependent interaction and phagocytosis by primary microglia and in APP transgenic mouse models. Thus, TREM2 function is important for sensing phosphorylated Aβ variants in distinct aggregation states and reduces the accumulation and deposition of these toxic Aβ species in preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranav Joshi
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Florian Riffel
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kanayo Satoh
- Departments of Medical Biophysics and Medicine (Neurology), Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases and, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Masahiro Enomoto
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Seema Qamar
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hannah Scheiblich
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Gerontopsychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Neuroinflammation Unit, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases e. V. (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Nàdia Villacampa
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Gerontopsychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Neuroinflammation Unit, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases e. V. (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Sathish Kumar
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sandra Theil
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Samira Parhizkar
- Chair of Metabolic Biochemistry, Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Haass
- Chair of Metabolic Biochemistry, Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.,Molecular Neurodegeneration Unit, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases e.V. (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael T Heneka
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Gerontopsychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Neuroinflammation Unit, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases e. V. (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Paul E Fraser
- Departments of Medical Biophysics and Medicine (Neurology), Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases and, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter St George-Hyslop
- Departments of Medical Biophysics and Medicine (Neurology), Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases and, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jochen Walter
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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33
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Guselnikova VV, Sufieva DA, Tsyba DL, Korzhevskii DE. Fluorescence detection of amyloid deposits in human tissues using histochemical dyes. BULLETIN OF RUSSIAN STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2021.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Recently, fluorescence microscopy becomes more available, presenting new opportunities to face several challenges of experimental biology and medicine. The study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of fluorescence microscopy for the identification of amyloid deposits in human tissues. Post-mortem samples of the myocardium (n = 12) and cerebral cortex (n = 8) obtained from subjects of both sexes aged 60–98 with verified amyloidosis were used as a material for the study. The specimens were stained using 11 different histochemical dyes and subsequently analyzed by light and fluorescence microscopy. Qualitative and quantitative analysis has shown that Thioflavin T is the most effective stain for fluorescence detection of β- and transthyretin amyloid in human tissues. Congo red staining is highly effective for the detection of transthyretin amyloidosis, however, it is ill-suited for the identification of β-amyloid plaques. It has been found that the ability of Congo red to exhibit fluorescence when binding to amyloid fibrils can be used for verification of amyloid deposits instead of the traditional polarized light microscopy. As has been first noted, methyl violet can selectively bind to β-amyloid with fluorescent complex formation. In addition, methyl violet treatment effectively reduces the autofluorescent background in the nervous tissue. This makes methyl violet staining a promising diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's-type pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- VV Guselnikova
- Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - DA Sufieva
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - DL Tsyba
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - DE Korzhevskii
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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34
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Lananna BV, McKee CA, King MW, Del-Aguila JL, Dimitry JM, Farias FHG, Nadarajah CJ, Xiong DD, Guo C, Cammack AJ, Elias JA, Zhang J, Cruchaga C, Musiek ES. Chi3l1/YKL-40 is controlled by the astrocyte circadian clock and regulates neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. Sci Transl Med 2021; 12:12/574/eaax3519. [PMID: 33328329 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aax3519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Regulation of glial activation and neuroinflammation are critical factors in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). YKL-40, a primarily astrocytic protein encoded by the gene Chi3l1, is a widely studied cerebrospinal fluid biomarker that increases with aging and early in AD. However, the function of Chi3l1/YKL-40 in AD is unknown. In a cohort of patients with AD, we observed that a variant in the human CHI3L1 gene, which results in decreased CSF YKL-40 expression, was associated with slower AD progression. At baseline, Chi3l1 deletion in mice had no effect on astrocyte activation while modestly promoting microglial activation. In a mouse APP/PS1 model of AD, Chi3l1 deletion decreased amyloid plaque burden and increased periplaque expression of the microglial lysosomal marker CD68, suggesting that Chi3l1 may suppress glial phagocytic activation and promote amyloid accumulation. Accordingly, Chi3l1 knockdown increased phagocytosis of zymosan particles and of β-amyloid peptide in both astrocytes and microglia in vitro. We further observed that expression of Chi3l1 is regulated by the circadian clock, as deletion of the core clock proteins BMAL1 or CLOCK/NPAS2 strongly suppresses basal Chi3l1 expression, whereas deletion of the negative clock regulators PER1/PER2 increased Chi3l1 expression. Basal Chi3l1 mRNA was nonrhythmic because of a long mRNA half-life in astrocytes. However, inflammatory induction of Chi3l1 was gated by the clock. Our findings reveal Chi3l1/YKL-40 as a modulator of glial phagocytic activation and AD pathogenesis in both mice and humans and suggest that the astrocyte circadian clock regulates inflammatory Chi3l1 induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian V Lananna
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Celia A McKee
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Melvin W King
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jorge L Del-Aguila
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Julie M Dimitry
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Fabiana H G Farias
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Collin J Nadarajah
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - David D Xiong
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chun Guo
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Alexander J Cammack
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jack A Elias
- Division of Medicine and Biological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Hope Center for Neurological Disease, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Erik S Musiek
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. .,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Hope Center for Neurological Disease, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
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35
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Stepanchuk AA, Heyne B, Stys PK. Complex Photophysical Properties of K114 Make for a Versatile Fluorescent Probe for Amyloid Detection. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:1273-1280. [PMID: 33705095 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and many other neurodegenerative disorders. Small organic fluorophores such as Congo Red preferentially bind to cross-β-sheet-rich deposits and have been used to label amyloid plaques and tau tangles in histological samples. However, distinguishing between different conformations of protein aggregates is not trivial. Using silkworm and spider silks (prototypical amyloids) and transgenic AD mouse (5XFAD) and human AD brain samples, we report how spectral confocal microscopy allowed for improved detection and differentiation of protein aggregates based on the unexpected photophysical behavior of the amyloid-specific dye K114. The pH and excitation power had pronounced effects on the emission spectrum and intensity of amyloid-bound K114 fluorescence. When bound to β-sheet-rich assemblies, the emission spectrum of K114 was governed by the local pH of the binding pockets much more than by the pH of the mounting medium, likely due to ionization of titratable phenols. Unexpectedly, exposure to high excitation power caused a permanent increase in fluorescence intensity and a spectral blue-shift. These light-induced fluorescence changes were dependent in a complex manner on laser power, exposure time, pH, and amyloid type examined. The above-mentioned phenomena were observed in silk fibers and Alzheimer brain sections from mouse and human, indicating that this may be a general characteristic of K114 when bound to tightly aggregated macromolecules. Potential mechanisms are discussed, likely involving photoinduced electron transfer. Our findings illustrate how the complex photophysical behavior of amyloid-bound K114 can be exploited for improved detection and differentiation of protein aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia A. Stepanchuk
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - Belinda Heyne
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - Peter K. Stys
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
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36
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Zhou J, Jangili P, Son S, Ji MS, Won M, Kim JS. Fluorescent Diagnostic Probes in Neurodegenerative Diseases. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e2001945. [PMID: 32902000 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202001945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are debilitating disorders that feature progressive and selective loss of function or structure of anatomically or physiologically associated neuronal systems. Both chronic and acute neurodegenerative diseases are associated with high morbidity and mortality along with the death of neurons in different areas of the brain; moreover, there are few or no effective curative therapy options for treating these disorders. There is an urgent need to diagnose neurodegenerative disease as early as possible, and to distinguish between different disorders with overlapping symptoms that will help to decide the best clinical treatment. Recently, in neurodegenerative disease research, fluorescent-probe-mediated biomarker visualization techniques have been gaining increasing attention for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. A survey of fluorescent probes for sensing and imaging biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases is provided. These imaging probes are categorized based on the different potential biomarkers of various neurodegenerative diseases, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Guides to develop new sensing strategies, recognition mechanisms, as well as the ideal features to further improve neurodegenerative disease fluorescence imaging are also explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhou
- College of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, China
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Paramesh Jangili
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Subin Son
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Myung Sun Ji
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Miae Won
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Jong Seung Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
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Mustazza C, Sbriccoli M, Minosi P, Raggi C. Small Molecules with Anti-Prion Activity. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:5446-5479. [PMID: 31560283 DOI: 10.2174/0929867326666190927121744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Prion pathologies are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by the misfolding of the physiological Prion Protein (PrPC) into a β-structure-rich isoform called PrPSc. To date, there is no available cure for prion diseases and just a few clinical trials have been carried out. The initial approach in the search of anti-prion agents had PrPSc as a target, but the existence of different prion strains arising from alternative conformations of PrPSc, limited the efficacy of the ligands to a straindependent ability. That has shifted research to PrPC ligands, which either act as chaperones, by stabilizing the native conformation, or inhibit its interaction with PrPSc. The role of transition-metal mediated oxidation processes in prion misfolding has also been investigated. Another promising approach is the indirect action via other cellular targets, like membrane domains or the Protein- Folding Activity of Ribosomes (PFAR). Also, new prion-specific high throughput screening techniques have been developed. However, so far no substance has been found to be able to extend satisfactorily survival time in animal models of prion diseases. This review describes the main features of the Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) of the various chemical classes of anti-prion agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Mustazza
- National Centre for Control and Evaluation of Medicines, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Sbriccoli
- Department of Neurosciences, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Minosi
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Raggi
- National Centre for Control and Evaluation of Medicines, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Jia J, Zhang L, Song J, Dai J, Cui M. Discovery of Diphenoxy Derivatives with Flexible Linkers as Ligands for β-Amyloid Plaques. Mol Pharm 2020; 17:4089-4100. [PMID: 32845647 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The highly rigid and planar scaffolds with π-conjugated systems have been widely considered to be indispensable for β-amyloid (Aβ) binding ligands. In this study, a library of diphenoxy compounds with different types of more flexible linkers as Aβ ligands were synthesized and evaluated. Most of them displayed good affinity (Ki < 100 nM) for Aβ1-42 aggregates, and some ligands even showed values of Ki less than 10 nM. Structure-activity relationship analysis revealed that modification on the linkers or substituents tolerated great flexibility, which challenged the long-held belief that rigid and planar structures are exclusively favored for Aβ binding. Three ligands were labeled by iodine-125, and they exhibited good properties in vitro and in vivo, which further supported that this flexible scaffold was potential and promising for the development of Aβ imaging agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Jia
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China.,Department of Radiological Medicine and Oncology, College of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P. R. China
| | - Longfei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
| | - Jia Song
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
| | - Jiapei Dai
- Wuhan Institute for Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
| | - Mengchao Cui
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
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Yao Y, Nzou G, Alle T, Tsering W, Maimaiti S, Trojanowski JQ, Lee VMY, Ballatore C, Brunden KR. Correction of microtubule defects within Aβ plaque-associated dystrophic axons results in lowered Aβ release and plaque deposition. Alzheimers Dement 2020; 16:1345-1357. [PMID: 32918367 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The hallmark pathologies of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain are amyloid beta (Aβ)-containing senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles formed from the microtubule (MT)-binding tau protein. Tau becomes hyperphosphorylated and disengages from MTs in AD, with evidence of resulting MT structure/function defects. Brain-penetrant MT-stabilizing compounds can normalize MTs and axonal transport in mouse models with tau pathology, thereby reducing neuron loss and decreasing tau pathology. MT dysfunction is also observed in dystrophic axons adjacent to Aβ plaques, resulting in accumulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and BACE1 with the potential for enhanced localized Aβ generation. We have examined whether the brain-penetrant MT-stabilizing compound CNDR-51657 might decrease plaque-associated axonal dystrophy and Aβ release in 5XFAD mice that develop an abundance of Aβ plaques. Administration of CNDR-51657 to 1.5-month-old male and female 5XFAD mice for 4 or 7 weeks led to decreased soluble brain Aβ that coincided with reduced APP and BACE1 levels, resulting in decreased formation of insoluble Aβ deposits. These data suggest a vicious cycle whereby initial Aβ plaque formation causes MT disruption in nearby axons, resulting in the local accumulation of APP and BACE1 that facilitates additional Aβ generation and plaque deposition. The ability of a MT-stabilizing compound to attenuate this cycle, and also reduce deficits resulting from reduced tau binding to MTs, suggests that molecules of this type hold promise as potential AD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuemang Yao
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Goodwell Nzou
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Thibault Alle
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Wangchen Tsering
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shaniya Maimaiti
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John Q Trojanowski
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Virginia M-Y Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Carlo Ballatore
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Kurt R Brunden
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Sun F, Jiang F, Zhang N, Li H, Tian W, Liu W. Upregulation of Prickle2 Ameliorates Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathology in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:565020. [PMID: 33015060 PMCID: PMC7509431 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.565020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that has no effective therapies. Prickle planar cell polarity protein 2 (Prickle2), is an important cytoplasmic regulator of Wnt/PCP signaling. It has been reported that Prickle2 deficiency reduced neurite outgrowth levels in mouse N2a cells and led to autism-like behaviors and hippocampal synaptic dysfunction in mice. However, much less is known about the relationship of Prickle2 to AD pathogenesis. RT-qPCR, Western blot and IHC results showed that the mRNA and protein levels of Prickle2 were reduced in APP/PS1/Tau transgenic (3xTg) mice. Intravenous injection of Prickle2-overexpressing AAV-PHP.eB vectors improved the cognitive deficits in 3xTg mice. We also demonstrated that Prickle2 could repress oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, ameliorate the amyloid β (Aβ) plaque pathology and reduce Tau hyperphosphorylation in APP/PS1 mice. Further investigation of the mechanism of Prickle2 in AD revealed that Prickle2 inhibited Wnt/PCP/JNK pathway in vivo and in vitro. Our results suggest that Prickle2 might be a potential candidate for the diagnosis and treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengxian Sun
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Fang Jiang
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Hua Li
- Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Weiping Tian
- Research Center of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Weiying Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
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Kaur A, New EJ, Sunde M. Strategies for the Molecular Imaging of Amyloid and the Value of a Multimodal Approach. ACS Sens 2020; 5:2268-2282. [PMID: 32627533 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.0c01101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Protein aggregation has been widely implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington disease, as well as in systemic amyloidoses and conditions associated with localized amyloid deposits, such as type-II diabetes. The pressing need for a better understanding of the factors governing protein assembly has driven research for the development of molecular sensors for amyloidogenic proteins. To date, a number of sensors have been developed that report on the presence of protein aggregates utilizing various modalities, and their utility demonstrated for imaging protein aggregation in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of these sensors highlights the various advantages and disadvantages of the different imaging modalities and makes clear that multimodal sensors with properties amenable to more than one imaging technique need to be developed. This critical review highlights the key molecular scaffolds reported for molecular imaging modalities such as fluorescence, positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging and includes discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each modality, and future directions for the design of amyloid sensors. We also discuss the recent efforts focused on the design and development of multimodal sensors and the value of cross-validation across multiple modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandeep Kaur
- The University of Sydney, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney, Nano Institute (Sydney Nano), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Elizabeth J. New
- The University of Sydney, Nano Institute (Sydney Nano), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Margaret Sunde
- The University of Sydney, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney, Nano Institute (Sydney Nano), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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Abrahamson EE, Stehouwer JS, Vazquez AL, Huang GF, Mason NS, Lopresti BJ, Klunk WE, Mathis CA, Ikonomovic MD. Development of a PET radioligand selective for cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Nucl Med Biol 2020; 92:85-96. [PMID: 32471773 DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Positron emission tomography (PET) using radiolabeled amyloid-binding compounds has advanced the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by enabling detection and longitudinal tracking of fibrillar amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits in living people. However, this technique cannot distinguish between Aβ deposits in brain parenchyma (amyloid plaques) from those in blood vessels (cerebral amyloid angiopathy, CAA). Development of a PET radioligand capable of selectively detecting CAA would help clarify its contribution to global brain amyloidosis and clinical symptoms in AD and would help to characterize side-effects of anti-Aβ immunotherapies in AD patients, such as CAA. METHODS A candidate CAA-selective compound (1) from a panel of analogues of the amyloid-binding dye Congo red was synthesized. The binding affinity to Aβ fibrils and lipophilicity of compound 1 were determined and selectivity for CAA versus parenchymal plaque deposits was assessed ex-vivo and in-vivo in transgenic APP/PS1 mice and in postmortem human brain affected with AD pathology. RESULTS Compound 1 displays characteristics of Aβ binding dyes, such as thioflavin-S, in that it labels both parenchymal Aβ plaques and CAA when applied to histological sections from both a transgenic APP/PS1 mouse model of Aβ amyloidosis and AD brain. Thus, compound 1 lacks molecular selectivity to distinguish Aβ deposits in CAA from those in plaques. However, when administered to living APP/PS1 mice intravenously, compound 1 preferentially labels CAA when assessed using in-vivo two-photon microscopy and ex-vivo histology and autoradiography. CONCLUSION We hypothesize that selectivity of compound 1 for CAA is attributable to its limited penetration of the blood-brain barrier due to the highly polar nature of the carboxylate moiety, thereby limiting access to parenchymal plaques and promoting selective in-vivo labeling of Aβ deposits in the vascular wall (i.e., "delivery selectivity").
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric E Abrahamson
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh HS, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Alberto L Vazquez
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Guo-Feng Huang
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - N Scott Mason
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Brian J Lopresti
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William E Klunk
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Chester A Mathis
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Milos D Ikonomovic
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh HS, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Skuodas S, Clemons A, Hayes M, Goll A, Zora B, Weeks DL, Phillips BT, Fassler JS. The ABCF gene family facilitates disaggregation during animal development. Mol Biol Cell 2020; 31:1324-1345. [PMID: 32320318 PMCID: PMC7353142 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e19-08-0443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation, once believed to be a harbinger and/or consequence of stress, age, and pathological conditions, is emerging as a novel concept in cellular regulation. Normal versus pathological aggregation may be distinguished by the capacity of cells to regulate the formation, modification, and dissolution of aggregates. We find that Caenorhabditis elegans aggregates are observed in large cells/blastomeres (oocytes, embryos) and in smaller, further differentiated cells (primordial germ cells), and their analysis using cell biological and genetic tools is straightforward. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that aggregates are involved in normal development. Using cross-platform analysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, C. elegans, and Xenopus laevis, we present studies identifying a novel disaggregase family encoded by animal genomes and expressed embryonically. Our initial analysis of yeast Arb1/Abcf2 in disaggregation and animal ABCF proteins in embryogenesis is consistent with the possibility that members of the ABCF gene family may encode disaggregases needed for aggregate processing during the earliest stages of animal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney Skuodas
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Amy Clemons
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Michael Hayes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Ashley Goll
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Betul Zora
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Daniel L Weeks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | | | - Jan S Fassler
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
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Sierksma A, Lu A, Mancuso R, Fattorelli N, Thrupp N, Salta E, Zoco J, Blum D, Buée L, De Strooper B, Fiers M. Novel Alzheimer risk genes determine the microglia response to amyloid-β but not to TAU pathology. EMBO Mol Med 2020; 12:e10606. [PMID: 31951107 PMCID: PMC7059012 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201910606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Polygenic risk scores have identified that genetic variants without genome-wide significance still add to the genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Whether and how subthreshold risk loci translate into relevant disease pathways is unknown. We investigate here the involvement of AD risk variants in the transcriptional responses of two mouse models: APPswe/PS1L166P and Thy-TAU22. A unique gene expression module, highly enriched for AD risk genes, is specifically responsive to Aβ but not TAU pathology. We identify in this module 7 established AD risk genes (APOE, CLU, INPP5D, CD33, PLCG2, SPI1, and FCER1G) and 11 AD GWAS genes below the genome-wide significance threshold (GPC2, TREML2, SYK, GRN, SLC2A5, SAMSN1, PYDC1, HEXB, RRBP1, LYN, and BLNK), that become significantly upregulated when exposed to Aβ. Single microglia sequencing confirms that Aβ, not TAU, pathology induces marked transcriptional changes in microglia, including increased proportions of activated microglia. We conclude that genetic risk of AD functionally translates into different microglia pathway responses to Aβ pathology, placing AD genetic risk downstream of the amyloid pathway but upstream of TAU pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annerieke Sierksma
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
| | - Ashley Lu
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
| | - Renzo Mancuso
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
| | - Nicola Fattorelli
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
| | - Nicola Thrupp
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
| | - Evgenia Salta
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
| | - Jesus Zoco
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
| | - David Blum
- INSERM, CHU Lille, LabEx DISTALZ, UMR‐S 1172, Alzheimer & TauopathiesUniversité LilleLilleFrance
| | - Luc Buée
- INSERM, CHU Lille, LabEx DISTALZ, UMR‐S 1172, Alzheimer & TauopathiesUniversité LilleLilleFrance
| | - Bart De Strooper
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
- UK Dementia Research InstituteUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Mark Fiers
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative DiseasesDepartment of NeurosciencesLeuven Brain Institute (LBI)KU Leuven (University of Leuven)LeuvenBelgium
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L. Almeida Z, M. M. Brito R. Structure and Aggregation Mechanisms in Amyloids. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25051195. [PMID: 32155822 PMCID: PMC7179426 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25051195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of a polypeptide chain into amyloid fibrils and their accumulation and deposition into insoluble plaques and intracellular inclusions is the hallmark of several misfolding diseases known as amyloidoses. Alzheimer′s, Parkinson′s and Huntington’s diseases are some of the approximately 50 amyloid diseases described to date. The identification and characterization of the molecular species critical for amyloid formation and disease development have been the focus of intense scrutiny. Methods such as X-ray and electron diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (ssNMR) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have been extensively used and they have contributed to shed a new light onto the structure of amyloid, revealing a multiplicity of polymorphic structures that generally fit the cross-β amyloid motif. The development of rational therapeutic approaches against these debilitating and increasingly frequent misfolding diseases requires a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the amyloid cascade. Here, we review the current knowledge on amyloid fibril formation for several proteins and peptides from a kinetic and thermodynamic point of view, the structure of the molecular species involved in the amyloidogenic process, and the origin of their cytotoxicity.
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Aliyan A, Cook NP, Martí AA. Interrogating Amyloid Aggregates using Fluorescent Probes. Chem Rev 2019; 119:11819-11856. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amir Aliyan
- Pasargad Institute for Advanced Innovative Solutions (PIAIS), Tehran, Iran 1991633361
- Khatam University, Tehran, Iran 1991633356
| | - Nathan P. Cook
- Department of Chemistry, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, United States
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Gorbenko G, Trusova V, Deligeorgiev T, Gadjev N, Mizuguchi C, Saito H. Two-step FRET as a tool for probing the amyloid state of proteins. J Mol Liq 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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48
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Doens D, Valdés-Tresanco ME, Vasquez V, Carreira MB, De La Guardia Y, Stephens DE, Nguyen VD, Nguyen VT, Gu J, Hegde ML, Larionov OV, Valiente PA, Lleonart R, Fernández PL. Hexahydropyrrolo[2,3- b]indole Compounds as Potential Therapeutics for Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:4250-4263. [PMID: 31545596 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among the elderly and has become a leading public health concern worldwide. It represents a huge economic and psychological burden to caregivers and families. The presence of extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques is one of the hallmarks of this neurodegenerative disorder. Amyloid plaques are comprised of aggregates of Aβ peptides, mainly Aβ42, originated by the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Aβ is a crucial target for the treatment of AD, but to date, no effective treatment for the clearance of Aβ has been found. We have identified four new hexahydropyrroloindoles (HPI) synthetic compounds that are able to inhibit the aggregation of Aβ42 and/or disaggregate the fibril. Docking experiments suggest that the nonpolar component of the interaction of compounds with Aβ42 contributes favorably to the binding free energy of each complex. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested fibril disaggregating activity of compounds 1 via interaction with hydrophobic moieties of the fibril. Consistently, compounds 1 and 2 were able to mitigate Aβ42 fibrils induced death in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC 12). One of the compounds reduces the formation of Aβ aggregates in vivo and the paralysis associated with Aβ toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Our study thus augments efforts for the identification and characterization of new agents that may help stop or delay the progression of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Doens
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular de Enfermedades, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), City of Knowledge Edif #208, Panama 0843-01103, Panama
- Department of Biotechnology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh 522510, India
| | - Mario E. Valdés-Tresanco
- Centro de Estudios de Proteínas, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, Calle 25 No. 455, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Velmarini Vasquez
- Department of Biotechnology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh 522510, India
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Maria Beatriz Carreira
- Centro de Neurociencias, INDICASAT-AIP, City of Knowledge Edif #208, Panama, 0843-01103, Panama
| | - Yila De La Guardia
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular de Enfermedades, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), City of Knowledge Edif #208, Panama 0843-01103, Panama
| | - David E. Stephens
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Viet D. Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Vu T. Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Jianhua Gu
- AFM SEM Core, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Muralidhar L. Hegde
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Oleg V. Larionov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Pedro A. Valiente
- Centro de Estudios de Proteínas, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, Calle 25 No. 455, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Ricardo Lleonart
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular de Enfermedades, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), City of Knowledge Edif #208, Panama 0843-01103, Panama
| | - Patricia L. Fernández
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular de Enfermedades, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), City of Knowledge Edif #208, Panama 0843-01103, Panama
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49
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Abrahamson EE, Head E, Lott IT, Handen BL, Mufson EJ, Christian BT, Klunk WE, Ikonomovic MD. Neuropathological correlates of amyloid PET imaging in Down syndrome. Dev Neurobiol 2019; 79:750-766. [PMID: 31379087 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) results in an overproduction of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide associated with early onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). DS cases have Aβ deposits detectable histologically as young as 12-30 years of age, primarily in the form of diffuse plaques, the type of early amyloid pathology also seen at pre-clinical (i.e., pathological aging) and prodromal stages of sporadic late onset AD. In DS subjects aged >40 years, levels of cortical Aβ deposition are similar to those observed in late onset AD and in addition to diffuse plaques involve cored plaques associated with dystrophic neurites (neuritic plaques), which are of neuropathological diagnostic significance in AD. The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss findings from amyloid PET imaging studies of DS in reference to postmortem amyloid-based neuropathology. PET neuroimaging applied to subjects with DS has the potential to (a) track the natural progression of brain pathology, including the earliest stages of amyloid accumulation, and (b) determine whether amyloid PET biomarkers predict the onset of dementia. In addition, the question that is still incompletely understood and relevant to both applications is the ability of amyloid PET to detect Aβ deposits in their earliest form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric E Abrahamson
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth Head
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, California
| | - Ira T Lott
- Department of Neurology, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, California
| | - Benjamin L Handen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Elliott J Mufson
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Bradley T Christian
- Departments of Medical Physics and Psychiatry, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - William E Klunk
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Milos D Ikonomovic
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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50
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Huang C, Wagner-Valladolid S, Stephens AD, Jung R, Poudel C, Sinnige T, Lechler MC, Schlörit N, Lu M, Laine RF, Michel CH, Vendruscolo M, Kaminski CF, Kaminski Schierle GS, David DC. Intrinsically aggregation-prone proteins form amyloid-like aggregates and contribute to tissue aging in Caenorhabditis elegans. eLife 2019; 8:e43059. [PMID: 31050339 PMCID: PMC6524967 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced protein homeostasis leading to increased protein instability is a common molecular feature of aging, but it remains unclear whether this is a cause or consequence of the aging process. In neurodegenerative diseases and other amyloidoses, specific proteins self-assemble into amyloid fibrils and accumulate as pathological aggregates in different tissues. More recently, widespread protein aggregation has been described during normal aging. Until now, an extensive characterization of the nature of age-dependent protein aggregation has been lacking. Here, we show that age-dependent aggregates are rapidly formed by newly synthesized proteins and have an amyloid-like structure resembling that of protein aggregates observed in disease. We then demonstrate that age-dependent protein aggregation accelerates the functional decline of different tissues in C. elegans. Together, these findings imply that amyloid-like aggregates contribute to the aging process and therefore could be important targets for strategies designed to maintain physiological functions in the late stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaolie Huang
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
| | - Sara Wagner-Valladolid
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Amberley D Stephens
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Raimund Jung
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
| | - Chetan Poudel
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Tessa Sinnige
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Marie C Lechler
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
- Graduate Training Centre of NeuroscienceUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Nicole Schlörit
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
- Graduate Training Centre of NeuroscienceUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Meng Lu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Romain F Laine
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Claire H Michel
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Clemens F Kaminski
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Della C David
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
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