1
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Hashim KNB, Matsuba Y, Takahashi M, Kamano N, Tooyama I, Saido TC, Hashimoto S. Neuronal glutathione depletion elevates the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio and tau aggregation in Alzheimer's disease mice. FEBS Lett 2024. [PMID: 38789405 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14895] [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: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves reduced glutathione levels, causing oxidative stress and contributing to neuronal cell death. Our prior research identified diminished glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) as linked to cell death. However, the effect of GCLC on AD features such as amyloid and tau pathology remained unclear. To address this, we investigated amyloid pathology and tau pathology in mice by combining neuron-specific conditional GCLC knockout mice with amyloid precursor protein (App) knockin (KI) or microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) KI mice. Intriguingly, GCLC knockout resulted in an increased Aβ42/40 ratio. Additionally, GCLC deficiency in MAPT KI mice accelerated the oligomerization of tau through intermolecular disulfide bonds. These findings suggest that the decline in glutathione levels, due to aging or AD pathology, may contribute to the progression of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khairun Nisa Binti Hashim
- Pioneering Research Division, Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
| | - Yukio Matsuba
- Pioneering Research Division, Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Mika Takahashi
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Naoko Kamano
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Ikuo Tooyama
- Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Shoko Hashimoto
- Pioneering Research Division, Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
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2
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Eisenberg D, Hou K, Ge P, Sawaya M, Dolinsky J, Yang Y, Jiang YX, Lutter L, Boyer D, Cheng X, Pi J, Zhang J, Lu J, Yang S, Yu Z, Feigon J. How short peptides can disassemble ultra-stable tau fibrils extracted from Alzheimer's disease brain by a strain-relief mechanism. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4152095. [PMID: 38766197 PMCID: PMC11100904 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4152095/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Reducing fibrous aggregates of protein tau is a possible strategy for halting progression of Alzheimer's dis-ease (AD). Previously we found that in vitro the D-peptide D-TLKIVWC disassembles tau fibrils from AD brains (AD-tau) into benign segments with no energy source present beyond ambient thermal agitation. This disassembly by a short peptide was unexpected, given that AD-tau is sufficiently stable to withstand disas-sembly in boiling SDS detergent. To consider D peptide-mediated disassembly as a potential therapeutic for AD, it is essential to understand the mechanism and energy source of the disassembly action. We find as-sembly of D-peptides into amyloid-like fibrils is essential for tau fibril disassembly. Cryo-EM and atomic force microscopy reveal that these D-peptide fibrils have a right-handed twist and embrace tau fibrils which have a left-handed twist. In binding to the AD-tau fibril, the oppositely twisted D-peptide fibril produces a strain, which is relieved by the disassembly of both fibrils. This strain-relief mechanism appears to operate in other examples of amyloid fibril disassembly and provides a new direction for the development of first-in-class therapeutics for amyloid diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ke Hou
- University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Peng Ge
- University of California, Los Angeles
| | | | | | - Yuan Yang
- University of California Los Angeles
| | | | | | | | | | - Justin Pi
- University of California, Los Angeles
| | | | - Jiahui Lu
- University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Shixin Yang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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3
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Hou K, Ge P, Sawaya MR, Dolinsky JL, Yang Y, Jiang YX, Lutter L, Boyer DR, Cheng X, Pi J, Zhang J, Lu J, Yang S, Yu Z, Feigon J, Eisenberg DS. How short peptides can disassemble ultra-stable tau fibrils extracted from Alzheimer's disease brain by a strain-relief mechanism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.25.586668. [PMID: 38585812 PMCID: PMC10996594 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.25.586668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Reducing fibrous aggregates of protein tau is a possible strategy for halting progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previously we found that in vitro the D-peptide D-TLKIVWC disassembles tau fibrils from AD brains (AD-tau) into benign segments with no energy source present beyond ambient thermal agitation. This disassembly by a short peptide was unexpected, given that AD-tau is sufficiently stable to withstand disassembly in boiling SDS detergent. To consider D peptide-mediated disassembly as a potential therapeutic for AD, it is essential to understand the mechanism and energy source of the disassembly action. We find assembly of D-peptides into amyloid-like fibrils is essential for tau fibril disassembly. Cryo-EM and atomic force microscopy reveal that these D-peptide fibrils have a right-handed twist and embrace tau fibrils which have a left-handed twist. In binding to the AD-tau fibril, the oppositely twisted D-peptide fibril produces a strain, which is relieved by disassembly of both fibrils. This strain-relief mechanism appears to operate in other examples of amyloid fibril disassembly and provides a new direction for the development of first-in-class therapeutics for amyloid diseases.
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4
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Nakhaee S, Kooshki A, Hormozi A, Akbari A, Mehrpour O, Farrokhfall K. Cinnamon and cognitive function: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical studies. Nutr Neurosci 2024; 27:132-146. [PMID: 36652384 DOI: 10.1080/1028415x.2023.2166436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Cinnamon is the inner bark of trees named Cinnamomum. Studies have shown that cinnamon and its bioactive compounds can influence brain function and affect behavioral characteristics. This study aimed to systematically review studies about the relationship between cinnamon and its key components in memory and learning. Two thousand six hundred five studies were collected from different databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) in September 2021 and went under investigation for eligibility. As a result, 40 studies met our criteria and were included in this systematic review. Among the included studies, 33 were In vivo studies, five were In vitro, and two clinical studies were also accomplished. The main outcome of most studies (n = 40) proved that cinnamon significantly improves cognitive function (memory and learning). In vivo studies showed that using cinnamon or its components, such as eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, and cinnamic acid, could positively alter cognitive function. In vitro studies also showed that adding cinnamon or cinnamaldehyde to a cell medium can reduce tau aggregation, Amyloid β and increase cell viability. For clinical studies, one study showed positive effects, and another reported no changes in cognitive function. Most studies reported that cinnamon might be useful for preventing and reducing cognitive function impairment. It can be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of related diseases. However, more studies need to be done on this subject.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samaneh Nakhaee
- Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
| | - Alireza Kooshki
- Student Research Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
| | - Ali Hormozi
- Student Research Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
| | - Aref Akbari
- Student Research Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
| | - Omid Mehrpour
- Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
- Data Science Institute, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Khadijeh Farrokhfall
- Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
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5
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Dourlen P. Identification of Tau Toxicity Modifiers in the Drosophila Eye. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:483-498. [PMID: 38512684 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_27] [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: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Drosophila is a powerful model to study human diseases thanks to its genetic tools and ease of screening. Human genes can be expressed in targeted organs and their toxicity assessed on easily scorable external phenotypes that can be used as readouts to perform genetic screens of toxicity modifiers. In this chapter, I describe how to express human Tau protein in the Drosophila eye, assess protein expression by Western blot, assess Tau toxicity by quantifying the size of the Tau-induced rough eye, and perform a genetic screen of modifiers of Tau toxicity in the Drosophila eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Dourlen
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Facteurs de risque et déterminants moléculaires des maladies liées au vieillissement, Lille, France.
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6
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Roy R, Mandal PK, Maroon JC. Oxidative Stress Occurs Prior to Amyloid Aβ Plaque Formation and Tau Phosphorylation in Alzheimer's Disease: Role of Glutathione and Metal Ions. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:2944-2954. [PMID: 37561556 PMCID: PMC10485904 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an insidious and progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Although the pathogenesis remains obscure, there are two dominant causal hypotheses. Since last three decades, amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition was the most prominent hypothesis, and the other is the tau hyperphosphorylation hypothesis. The confirmed diagnostic criterion for AD is the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated tau and the deposition of toxic oligomeric Aβ in the autopsied brain. Consistent with these hypotheses, oxidative stress (OS) is garnering major attention in AD research. OS results from an imbalance of pro-oxidants and antioxidants. There is a considerable debate in the scientific community on which process occurs first, OS or plaque deposition/tau hyperphosphorylation. Based on recent scientific observations of various laboratories including ours along with critical analysis of those information, we believe that OS is the early event that leads to oligomeric Aβ deposition as well as dimerization of tau protein and its subsequent hyperphosphorylation. This OS hypothesis immediately suggests the consideration of novel therapeutic approaches to include antioxidants involving glutathione enrichment in the brain by supplementation with or without an iron chelator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rimil
Guha Roy
- Neuroimaging
and Neurospectroscopy (NINS) Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon 122052, India
| | - Pravat K Mandal
- Neuroimaging
and Neurospectroscopy (NINS) Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon 122052, India
- Florey
Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne School of Medicine Campus, Melbourne, 3052 VIC, Australia
| | - Joseph C. Maroon
- Department
of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh
Medical School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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Vourkou E, Rouiz Ortega ED, Mahajan S, Mudher A, Skoulakis EMC. Human Tau Aggregates Are Permissive to Protein Synthesis-Dependent Memory in Drosophila Tauopathy Models. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2988-3006. [PMID: 36868851 PMCID: PMC10124960 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1374-22.2023] [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: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by progressive cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and intraneuronal aggregates comprised largely of the axonal protein Tau. It has been unclear whether cognitive deficits are a consequence of aggregate accumulation thought to compromise neuronal health and eventually lead to neurodegeneration. We use the Drosophila tauopathy model and mixed-sex populations to reveal an adult onset pan-neuronal Tau accumulation-dependent decline in learning efficacy and a specific defect in protein synthesis-dependent memory (PSD-M), but not in its protein synthesis-independent variant. We demonstrate that these neuroplasticity defects are reversible on suppression of new transgenic human Tau expression and surprisingly correlate with an increase in Tau aggregates. Inhibition of aggregate formation via acute oral administration of methylene blue results in re-emergence of deficient memory in animals with suppressed human Tau (hTau)0N4R expression. Significantly, aggregate inhibition results in PSD-M deficits in hTau0N3R-expressing animals, which present elevated aggregates and normal memory if untreated with methylene blue. Moreover, methylene blue-dependent hTau0N4R aggregate suppression within adult mushroom body neurons also resulted in emergence of memory deficits. Therefore, deficient PSD-M on human Tau expression in the Drosophila CNS is not a consequence of toxicity and neuronal loss because it is reversible. Furthermore, PSD-M deficits do not result from aggregate accumulation, which appears permissive, if not protective of processes underlying this memory variant.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Intraneuronal Tau aggregate accumulation has been proposed to underlie the cognitive decline and eventual neurotoxicity that characterizes the neurodegenerative dementias known as tauopathies. However, we show in three experimental settings that Tau aggregates in the Drosophila CNS do not impair but rather appear to facilitate processes underlying protein synthesis-dependent memory within affected neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ergina Vourkou
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre Alexander Fleming, 16672 Vari, Greece
| | - Eva D Rouiz Ortega
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Sumeet Mahajan
- School of Chemistry, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Amrit Mudher
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Efthimios M C Skoulakis
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre Alexander Fleming, 16672 Vari, Greece
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8
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Gray ALH, Norman V, Oluwatoba DS, Prosser RA, Do TD. Potential Protective Function of Aβ 42 Monomer on Tauopathies. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023; 34:472-483. [PMID: 36693165 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
While soluble forms of amyloid-β (Aβ) and Tau work together to drive healthy neurons into a disease state, how their interaction may control the prion-like propagation and neurotoxicity of Tau is not fully understood. The cross-linking via disulfide bond formation is crucial for Tau oligomers to obtain stable conformers and spread between cells. This work thus focuses on how Aβ42 regulates this critical process. By studying the interactions between Aβ42 and TauPHF43, a construct that mimics the Tau R3 isoform, has a similar length to Aβ42, and contains one cysteine (Cys-322), we discovered that fresh Aβ42 could protect Tau against the formation of disulfide cross-linked dimers. We showed that the monomeric and small Aβ oligomers (the "nonamyloidogenic Aβ") efficiently disassembled tau dimers and heparin-induced Tau oligomers to recover Tau monomers. Interestingly, Aβ serves the role of an antioxidant to prevent disulfide bond formation, as supported by the experiments of Aβ with cystine. Furthermore, using cyclosporine A (CycA), a macrocyclic β-sheet disruptor, we demonstrated that targeting amyloidogenic Aβ with CycA does not affect the TauPHF43 disassembly driven by Aβ42. Separately, we assessed the initial toxicity of Aβ42 and TauPHF43 in acute brain slices and found that Aβ42 is more toxic than TauPHF43 or the two peptides combined. Our work highlights a potential protective role of Aβ42 monomers in AD that was previously overlooked while focusing on the mechanism behind Aβ42 aggregation leading to tau dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber L H Gray
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Victoria Norman
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Damilola S Oluwatoba
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Rebecca A Prosser
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Thanh D Do
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
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9
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Bryan L, Awasthi S, Li Y, Nirmalraj PN, Balog S, Yang J, Mayer M. Site-Specific C-Terminal Fluorescent Labeling of Tau Protein. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:47009-47014. [PMID: 36570287 PMCID: PMC9773802 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Formation of Tau protein aggregates in neurons is a pathological hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Fluorescently labeled Tau protein is therefore useful to study the aggregation of these pathological proteins and to identify potential therapeutic targets. Conventionally, cysteine residues are used for labeling Tau proteins; however, the full-length Tau isoform contains two cysteine residues in the microtubule-binding region, which are implicated in Tau aggregation by forming intermolecular disulfide bonds. To prevent the fluorescent label from disturbing the microtubule binding region, we developed a strategy to fluorescently label Tau at its C-terminus while leaving cysteine residues unperturbed. We took advantage of a Sortase A-mediated transpeptidation approach to bind a short peptide (GGGH6-Alexa647) with a His-tag and a covalently attached Alexa 647 fluorophore to the C-terminus of Tau. This reaction relies on the presence of a Sortase recognition motif (LPXTG), which we attached to the C-terminus of recombinantly expressed Tau. We demonstrate that C-terminal modification of Tau protein results in no significant differences between the native and C-terminally labeled Tau monomer with regard to aggregation kinetics, secondary structure, and fibril morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Bryan
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, CH-1700Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Saurabh Awasthi
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, CH-1700Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Yuanjie Li
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, CH-1700Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Peter Niraj Nirmalraj
- Transport
at Nanoscale Interfaces Laboratory, Swiss Federal Laboratories for
Materials Science and Technology, DübendorfCH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Sandor Balog
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, CH-1700Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Jerry Yang
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California San Diego, La Jolla, California92093-0358United States
| | - Michael Mayer
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, CH-1700Fribourg, Switzerland
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10
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Holubiec MI, Gellert M, Hanschmann EM. Redox signaling and metabolism in Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1003721. [PMID: 36408110 PMCID: PMC9670316 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1003721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Reduction and oxidation reactions are essential for biochemical processes. They are part of metabolic pathways and signal transduction. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) as second messengers and oxidative modifications of cysteinyl (Cys) residues are key to transduce and translate intracellular and intercellular signals. Dysregulation of cellular redox signaling is known as oxidative distress, which has been linked to various pathologies, including neurodegeneration. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative pathology linked to both, abnormal amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, generating Aβ peptide, and Tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation. Signs of oxidative distress in AD include: increase of ROS (H2O2, O2 •-), decrease of the levels or activities of antioxidant enzymes, abnormal oxidation of macromolecules related to elevated Aβ production, and changes in mitochondrial homeostasis linked to Tau phosphorylation. Interestingly, Cys residues present in APP form disulfide bonds that are important for intermolecular interactions and might be involved in the aggregation of Aβ. Moreover, two Cys residues in some Tau isoforms have been shown to be essential for Tau stabilization and its interaction with microtubules. Future research will show the complexities of Tau, its interactome, and the role that Cys residues play in the progression of AD. The specific modification of cysteinyl residues in redox signaling is also tightly connected to the regulation of various metabolic pathways. Many of these pathways have been found to be altered in AD, even at very early stages. In order to analyze the complex changes and underlying mechanisms, several AD models have been developed, including animal models, 2D and 3D cell culture, and ex-vivo studies of patient samples. The use of these models along with innovative, new redox analysis techniques are key to further understand the importance of the redox component in Alzheimer's disease and the identification of new therapeutic targets in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. I. Holubiec
- IBioBA-MPSP Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina de Buenos Aires, Partner Institute of the Max Planck Society, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M. Gellert
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Medicine Greifwald, University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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11
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Bacchella C, Gentili S, Mozzi SI, Monzani E, Casella L, Tegoni M, Dell’Acqua S. Role of the Cysteine in R3 Tau Peptide in Copper Binding and Reactivity. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810726. [PMID: 36142637 PMCID: PMC9503722 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a widespread neuroprotein that regulates the cytoskeleton assembly. In some neurological disorders, known as tauopathies, tau is dissociated from the microtubule and forms insoluble neurofibrillary tangles. Tau comprises four pseudorepeats (R1-R4), containing one (R1, R2, R4) or two (R3) histidines, that potentially act as metal binding sites. Moreover, Cys291 and Cys322 in R2 and R3, respectively, might have an important role in protein aggregation, through possible disulfide bond formation, and/or affecting the binding and reactivity of redox-active metal ions, as copper. We, therefore, compare the interaction of copper with octadeca-R3-peptide (R3C) and with the mutant containing an alanine residue (R3A) to assess the role of thiol group. Spectrophotometric titrations allow to calculate the formation constant of the copper(I) complexes, showing a remarkable stronger interaction in the case of R3C (l log Kf = 13.4 and 10.5 for copper(I)-R3C and copper(I)-R3A, respectively). We also evaluate the oxidative reactivity associated to these copper complexes in the presence of dopamine and ascorbate. Both R3A and R3C peptides increase the capability of copper to oxidize catechols, but copper-R3C displays a peculiar mechanism due to the presence of cysteine. HPLC-MS analysis shows that cysteine can form disulfide bonds and dopamine-Cys covalent adducts, with potential implication in tau aggregation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bacchella
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Silvia Gentili
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Sara Ida Mozzi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Enrico Monzani
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Luigi Casella
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Matteo Tegoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Simone Dell’Acqua
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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12
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Seitkazina A, Kim KH, Fagan E, Sung Y, Kim YK, Lim S. The Fate of Tau Aggregates Between Clearance and Transmission. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:932541. [PMID: 35923541 PMCID: PMC9339952 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.932541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal accumulation of mis-folded tau is the pathological hallmark of multiple neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Distinct from amyloid plaques, which appear simultaneously throughout the brain, tau pathology develops first in a specific brain region and then propagates to neuroanatomically connected brain regions, exacerbating the disease. Due to the implication in disease progression, prevention of tau transmission is recognized as an important therapeutic strategy that can halt disease progression in the brain. Recently, accumulating studies have demonstrated diverse cellular mechanisms associated with cell-to-cell transmission of tau. Once transmitted, mis-folded tau species act as a prion-like seed for native tau aggregation in the recipient neuron. In this review, we summarize the diverse cellular mechanisms associated with the secretion and uptake of tau, and highlight tau-trafficking receptors, which mediate tau clearance or cell-to-cell tau transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assel Seitkazina
- Convergence Research Center for Brain Science, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kyu Hyeon Kim
- Convergence Research Center for Brain Science, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Erin Fagan
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Yoonsik Sung
- Convergence Research Center for Brain Science, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yun Kyung Kim
- Convergence Research Center for Brain Science, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Yun Kyung Kim,
| | - Sungsu Lim
- Convergence Research Center for Brain Science, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Sungsu Lim,
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Prifti E, Tsakiri EN, Vourkou E, Stamatakis G, Samiotaki M, Skoulakis EMC, Papanikolopoulou K. Mical modulates Tau toxicity via cysteine oxidation in vivo. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:44. [PMID: 35379354 PMCID: PMC8981811 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01348-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau accumulation is clearly linked to pathogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease and other Tauopathies. However, processes leading to Tau fibrillization and reasons for its pathogenicity remain largely elusive. Mical emerged as a novel interacting protein of human Tau expressed in Drosophila brains. Mical is characterized by the presence of a flavoprotein monooxygenase domain that generates redox potential with which it can oxidize target proteins. In the well-established Drosophila Tauopathy model, we use genetic interactions to show that Mical alters Tau interactions with microtubules and the Actin cytoskeleton and greatly affects Tau aggregation propensity and Tau-associated toxicity and dysfunction. Exploration of the mechanism was pursued using a Mical inhibitor, a mutation in Mical that selectively disrupts its monooxygenase domain, Tau transgenes mutated at cysteine residues targeted by Mical and mass spectrometry analysis to quantify cysteine oxidation. The collective evidence strongly indicates that Mical’s redox activity mediates the effects on Tau via oxidation of Cys322. Importantly, we also validate results from the fly model in human Tauopathy samples by showing that MICAL1 is up-regulated in patient brains and co-localizes with Tau in Pick bodies. Our work provides mechanistic insights into the role of the Tau cysteine residues as redox-switches regulating the process of Tau self-assembly into inclusions in vivo, its function as a cytoskeletal protein and its effect on neuronal toxicity and dysfunction.
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14
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Ye H, Han Y, Li P, Su Z, Huang Y. The Role of Post-Translational Modifications on the Structure and Function of Tau Protein. J Mol Neurosci 2022; 72:1557-1571. [PMID: 35325356 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-022-02002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Involving addition of chemical groups or protein units to specific residues of the target protein, post-translational modifications (PTMs) alter the charge, hydrophobicity, and conformation of a protein, which in tune influences protein function, protein - protein interaction, and protein aggregation. While the occurrence of PTMs is dynamic and subject to regulations, conformational disorder of the target protein facilitates PTMs. The microtubule-associated protein tau is a typical intrinsically disordered protein that undergoes a variety of PTMs including phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, methylation, and oxidation. Accumulated evidence shows that these PTMs play a critical role in regulating tau-microtubule interaction, tau localization, tau degradation and aggregation, and reinforces the correlation between tau PTMs and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease. Here, we review tau PTMs with an emphasis on their influence on tau structure. With available biophysical characterization results, we describe how PTMs induce conformational changes in tau monomer and regulate tau aggregation. Compared to functional analysis of tau PTMs, biophysical characterization of tau PTMs is lagging. While it is challenging, characterizing the specific effects of PTMs on tau conformation and interaction is indispensable to unravel the tau PTM code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiqiong Ye
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Yue Han
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Ping Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Zhengding Su
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Yongqi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China. .,Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China. .,Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China.
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15
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Giovannini J, Smeralda W, Jouanne M, Sopkova-de Oliveira Santos J, Catto M, Sophie Voisin-Chiret A. Tau protein aggregation: key features to improve drug discovery screening. Drug Discov Today 2022; 27:1284-1297. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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16
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Saito T, Chiku T, Oka M, Wada-Kakuda S, Nobuhara M, Oba T, Shinno K, Abe S, Asada A, Sumioka A, Takashima A, Miyasaka T, Ando K. Disulfide bond formation in microtubule-associated tau protein promotes tau accumulation and toxicity in vivo. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:1955-1967. [PMID: 34137825 PMCID: PMC8522637 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of microtubule-associated tau protein is thought to cause neuron loss in a group of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. In diseased brains, tau molecules adopt pathological structures that propagate into insoluble forms with disease-specific patterns. Several types of posttranslational modifications in tau are known to modulate its aggregation propensity in vitro, but their influence on tau accumulation and toxicity at the whole-organism level has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we utilized a series of transgenic Drosophila models to compare systematically the toxicity induced by five tau constructs with mutations or deletions associated with aggregation, including substitutions at seven disease-associated phosphorylation sites (S7A and S7E), deletions of PHF6 and PHF6* sequences (ΔPHF6 and ΔPHF6*), and substitutions of cysteine residues in the microtubule binding repeats (C291/322A). We found that substitutions and deletions resulted in different patterns of neurodegeneration and accumulation, with C291/322A having a dramatic effect on both tau accumulation and neurodegeneration. These cysteines formed disulfide bonds in mouse primary cultured neurons and in the fly retina, and stabilized tau proteins. Additionally, they contributed to tau accumulation under oxidative stress. We also found that each of these cysteine residues contributes to the microtubule polymerization rate and microtubule levels at equilibrium, but none of them affected tau binding to polymerized microtubules. Since tau proteins expressed in the Drosophila retina are mostly present in the early stages of tau filaments self-assembly, our results suggest that disulfide bond formation by these cysteine residues could be attractive therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taro Saito
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoki Chiku
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mikiko Oka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoko Wada-Kakuda
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mika Nobuhara
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshiya Oba
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kanako Shinno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Saori Abe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akiko Asada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akio Sumioka
- Faculty of Science, Department of Life Science, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiko Takashima
- Faculty of Science, Department of Life Science, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Miyasaka
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kanae Ando
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
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