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Miller A, Chia S, Klimont E, Knowles TPJ, Vendruscolo M, Ruggeri FS. Maturation-dependent changes in the size, structure and seeding capacity of Aβ42 amyloid fibrils. Commun Biol 2024; 7:153. [PMID: 38321144 PMCID: PMC10847148 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05858-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Many proteins self-assemble to form amyloid fibrils, which are highly organized structures stabilized by a characteristic cross-β network of hydrogen bonds. This process underlies a variety of human diseases and can be exploited to develop versatile functional biomaterials. Thus, protein self-assembly has been widely studied to shed light on the properties of fibrils and their intermediates. A still open question in the field concerns the microscopic processes that underlie the long-time behaviour and properties of amyloid fibrillar assemblies. Here, we use atomic force microscopy with angstrom-sensitivity to observe that amyloid fibrils undergo a maturation process, associated with an increase in both fibril length and thickness, leading to a decrease of their density, and to a change in their cross-β sheet content. These changes affect the ability of the fibrils to catalyse the formation of new aggregates. The identification of these changes helps us understand the fibril maturation processes, facilitate the targeting of amyloid fibrils in drug discovery, and offer insight into the development of biocompatible and sustainable protein-based materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Miller
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Sean Chia
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Ewa Klimont
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK.
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, Wageningen, 6703 WE, the Netherlands.
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, Wageningen, 6703 WE, the Netherlands.
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2
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Matsui A, Bellier JP, Hayashi D, Ishibe T, Nakamura Y, Taguchi H, Naruse N, Mera Y. Curcumin tautomerization in the mechanism of pentameric amyloid- β42 oligomers disassembly. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 666:68-75. [PMID: 37178507 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.04.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a neurologic disorder characterized by the accumulation of extracellular deposits of amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrils in the brain of patients. The key etiologic agent in Alzheimer's disease is not known; however oligomeric Aβ appears detrimental to neuronal functions and increases Aβ fibrils deposition. Previous research has shown that curcumin, a phenolic pigment of turmeric, has an effect on Aβ assemblies, although the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that curcumin disassembles pentameric oligomers made from synthetic Aβ42 peptides (pentameric oAβ42), using atomic force microscopy imaging followed by Gaussian analysis. Since curcumin shows keto-enol structural isomerism (tautomerism), the effect of keto-enol tautomerism on its disassembly was investigated. We have found that curcumin derivatives capable of keto-enol tautomerization also disassemble pentameric oAβ42, while, a curcumin derivative incapable of tautomerization did not affect the integrity of pentameric oAβ42. These experimental findings indicate that keto-enol tautomerism plays an essential role in the disassembly. We propose a mechanism for oAβ42 disassembly by curcumin based on molecular dynamics calculations of the tautomerism. When curcumin and its derivatives bind to the hydrophobic regions of oAβ42, the keto-form changes predominantly to the enol-form; this transition is associated with structural (twisting, planarization and rigidification) and potential energy changes that give curcumin enough force to act as a torsion molecular-spring that eventually disassembles pentameric oAβ42. This proposed mechanism sheds new light on keto-enol tautomerism as a relevant chemical feature for designing such novel therapeutic drugs that target protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuya Matsui
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, 520-2192, Japan
| | | | - Daiki Hayashi
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, 520-2192, Japan
| | - Takafumi Ishibe
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-Cho, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Nakamura
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-Cho, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan
| | - Hiroyasu Taguchi
- Kyoto Women's University, Kitahiyoshi-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, 605-8501, Japan
| | - Nobuyasu Naruse
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, 520-2192, Japan.
| | - Yutaka Mera
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, 520-2192, Japan
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3
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Nixon-Abell J, Ruggeri FS, Qamar S, Herling TW, Czekalska MA, Shen Y, Wang G, King C, Fernandopulle MS, Sneideris T, Watson JL, Pillai VVS, Meadows W, Henderson JW, Chambers JE, Wagstaff JL, Williams SH, Coyle H, Lu Y, Zhang S, Marciniak SJ, Freund SMV, Derivery E, Ward ME, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ, St George-Hyslop P. ANXA11 biomolecular condensates facilitate protein-lipid phase coupling on lysosomal membranes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.22.533832. [PMID: 36993242 PMCID: PMC10055329 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.22.533832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Phase transitions of cellular proteins and lipids play a key role in governing the organisation and coordination of intracellular biology. The frequent juxtaposition of proteinaceous biomolecular condensates to cellular membranes raises the intriguing prospect that phase transitions in proteins and lipids could be co-regulated. Here we investigate this possibility in the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granule-ANXA11-lysosome ensemble, where ANXA11 tethers RNP granule condensates to lysosomal membranes to enable their co-trafficking. We show that changes to the protein phase state within this system, driven by the low complexity ANXA11 N-terminus, induce a coupled phase state change in the lipids of the underlying membrane. We identify the ANXA11 interacting proteins ALG2 and CALC as potent regulators of ANXA11-based phase coupling and demonstrate their influence on the nanomechanical properties of the ANXA11-lysosome ensemble and its capacity to engage RNP granules. The phenomenon of protein-lipid phase coupling we observe within this system offers an important template to understand the numerous other examples across the cell whereby biomolecular condensates closely juxtapose cell membranes. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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4
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Miller A, Chia S, Toprakcioglu Z, Hakala T, Schmid R, Feng Y, Kartanas T, Kamada A, Vendruscolo M, Ruggeri FS, Knowles TP. Enhanced surface nanoanalytics of transient biomolecular processes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq3151. [PMID: 36638180 PMCID: PMC9839325 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Fundamental knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of biomolecules is key to understanding molecular processes in health and disease. Bulk and single-molecule analytical methods provide rich information about biomolecules but often require high concentrations and sample preparation away from physiologically relevant conditions. Here, we present the development and application of a lab-on-a-chip spray approach that combines rapid sample preparation, mixing, and deposition to integrate with a range of nanoanalytical methods in chemistry and biology, providing enhanced spectroscopic sensitivity and single-molecule spatial resolution. We demonstrate that this method enables multidimensional study of heterogeneous biomolecular systems over multiple length scales by nanoscopy and vibrational spectroscopy. We then illustrate the capabilities of this platform by capturing and analyzing the structural conformations of transient oligomeric species formed at the early stages of the self-assembly of α-synuclein, which are associated with the onset of Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Miller
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Sean Chia
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Zenon Toprakcioglu
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tuuli Hakala
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Roman Schmid
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yaduo Feng
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tadas Kartanas
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Ayaka Kamada
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, Wageningen, 6703 WE, Netherlands
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, Wageningen, 6703 WE, Netherlands
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
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5
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Iwasaki YW, Tharakaraman K, Subramanian V, Khongmanee A, Hatas A, Fleischer E, Rurak TT, Ngok-ngam P, Tit-oon P, Ruchirawat M, Satayavivad J, Fuangthong M, Sasisekharan R. Generation of bispecific antibodies by structure-guided redesign of IgG constant regions. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1063002. [PMID: 36703993 PMCID: PMC9871890 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1063002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) form an exciting class of bio-therapeutics owing to their multispecificity. Although numerous formats have been developed, generation of hetero-tetrameric IgG1-like BsAbs having acceptable safety and pharmacokinetics profiles from a single cell culture system remains challenging due to the heterogeneous pairing between the four chains. Herein, we employed a structure-guided approach to engineer mutations in the constant domain interfaces (CH1-CL and CH3-CH3) of heavy and κ light chains to prevent heavy-light mispairing in the antigen binding fragment (Fab) region and heavy-heavy homodimerization in the Fc region. Transient co-transfection of mammalian cells with heavy and light chains of pre-existing antibodies carrying the engineered constant domains generates BsAbs with percentage purity ranging from 78% to 85%. The engineered BsAbs demonstrate simultaneous binding of both antigens, while retaining the thermal stability, Fc-mediated effector properties and FcRn binding properties of the parental antibodies. Importantly, since the variable domains were not modified, the mutations may enable BsAb formation from antibodies belonging to different germline origins and isotypes. The rationally designed mutations reported in this work could serve as a starting point for generating optimized solutions required for large scale production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yordkhwan W. Iwasaki
- Program in Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kannan Tharakaraman
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Vidya Subramanian
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Amnart Khongmanee
- Translational Research Unit, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Andrew Hatas
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Eduardo Fleischer
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Troy T. Rurak
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Patchara Ngok-ngam
- Translational Research Unit, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Phanthakarn Tit-oon
- Translational Research Unit, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mathuros Ruchirawat
- Translational Research Unit, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Office of the Permanent Secretary (OPS), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Jutamaad Satayavivad
- Program in Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Bangkok, Thailand,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Office of the Permanent Secretary (OPS), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Bangkok, Thailand,Laboratory of Pharmacology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mayuree Fuangthong
- Translational Research Unit, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Office of the Permanent Secretary (OPS), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Bangkok, Thailand,Program in Applied Biological Sciences, Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Bangkok, Thailand,*Correspondence: Mayuree Fuangthong, ; Ram Sasisekharan,
| | - Ram Sasisekharan
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Mayuree Fuangthong, ; Ram Sasisekharan,
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6
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Effects of β-amyloid (1-42) Administration on the Main Neurogenic Niches of the Adult Brain: Amyloid-Induced Neurodegeneration Influences Neurogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315444. [PMID: 36499771 PMCID: PMC9738210 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and warrants further study as well as timely treatment. Additionally, the mechanisms of the brain's intrinsic defense against chronic injury are not yet fully understood. Herein, we examined the response of the main neurogenic niches to amyloid exposure and the associated changes in structure and synaptic activity. Flow cytometry of Nestin-, Vimentin-, Nestin/Vimentin-, NeuN-, GFAP-, NeuN/GFAP-, NSE-, BrdU-, Wnt-, BrdU/Wnt-, VEGF-, Sox14-, VEGF/Sox14-, Sox10-, Sox2-, Sox10/Sox2-, Bax-, and Bcl-xL-positive cells was performed in the subventricular zone (SVZ), hippocampus, and cerebral cortex of rat brains on 90th day after intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) single injection of a fraction of β-amyloid (Aβ) (1-42). The relative structural changes in these areas and disruptions to synaptic activity in the entorhinal cortex-hippocampus circuit were also evaluated. Our flow analyses revealed a reduction in the numbers of Nestin-, Vimentin-, and Nestin/Vimentin-positive cells in neurogenic niches and the olfactory bulb. These changes were accompanied by an increased number of BrdU-positive cells in the hippocampus and SVZ. The latter changes were strongly correlated with changes in the numbers of VEGF- and VEGF/Sox14-positive cells. The morphological changes were characterized by significant neural loss, a characteristic shift in entorhinal cortex-hippocampus circuit activity, and decreased spontaneous alternation in a behavioral test. We conclude that although an injection of Aβ (1-42) induced stem cell proliferation and triggered neurogenesis at a certain stage, this process was incomplete and led to neural stem cell immaturity. We propose the idea of enhancing adult neurogenesis as a promising strategy for preventing dementia at healthy elderly people andpeople at high risk for developing AD, or treating patients diagnosed with AD.
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7
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Rohmer M, Freudenberg J, Binder WH. Secondary Structures in Synthetic Poly(Amino Acids): Homo- and Copolymers of Poly(Aib), Poly(Glu), and Poly(Asp). Macromol Biosci 2022; 23:e2200344. [PMID: 36377468 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202200344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The secondary structure of poly(amino acids) is an excellent tool for controlling and understanding the functionality and properties of proteins. In this perspective article the secondary structures of the homopolymers of oligo- and poly-glutamic acid (Glu), aspartic acid (Asp), and α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) are discussed. Information on external and internal factors, such as the nature of side groups, interactions with solvents and interactions between chains is reviewed. A special focus is directed on the folding in hybrid-polymers consisting of oligo(amino acids) and synthetic polymers. Being part of the SFB TRR 102 "Polymers under multiple constraints: restricted and controlled molecular order and mobility" this overview is embedded into the cross section of protein fibrillation and supramolecular polymers. As polymer- and amino acid folding is an important step for the utilization and design of future biomolecules these principles guide to a deeper understanding of amyloid fibrillation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Rohmer
- Macromolecular Chemistry, Von-Danckelmann-Platz 4, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Jan Freudenberg
- Macromolecular Chemistry, Von-Danckelmann-Platz 4, 06120, Halle, Germany
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8
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Quantitative super-resolution imaging of pathological aggregates reveals distinct toxicity profiles in different synucleinopathies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205591119. [PMID: 36206368 PMCID: PMC9573094 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205591119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a hallmark of major neurodegenerative disorders. Increasing data suggest that smaller aggregates cause higher toxic response than filamentous aggregates (fibrils). However, the size of small aggregates has challenged their detection within biologically relevant environments. Here, we report approaches to quantitatively super-resolve aggregates in live cells and ex vivo brain tissues. We show that Amytracker 630 (AT630), a commercial aggregate-activated fluorophore, has outstanding photophysical properties that enable super-resolution imaging of α-synuclein, tau, and amyloid-β aggregates, achieving ∼4 nm precision. Applying AT630 to AppNL-G-F mouse brain tissues or aggregates extracted from a Parkinson's disease donor, we demonstrate excellent agreement with antibodies specific for amyloid-β or α-synuclein, respectively, confirming the specificity of AT630. Subsequently, we use AT630 to reveal a linear relationship between α-synuclein aggregate size and cellular toxicity and discovered that aggregates smaller than 450 ± 60 nm (aggregate450nm) readily penetrated the plasma membrane. We determine aggregate450nm concentrations in six Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies donor samples and show that aggregates in different synucleinopathies demonstrate distinct potency in toxicity. We further show that cell-penetrating aggregates are surrounded by proteasomes, which assemble into foci to gradually process aggregates. Our results suggest that the plasma membrane effectively filters out fibrils but is vulnerable to penetration by aggregates of 450 ± 60 nm. Together, our findings present an exciting strategy to determine specificity of aggregate toxicity within heterogeneous samples. Our approach to quantitatively measure these toxic aggregates in biological environments opens possibilities to molecular examinations of disease mechanisms under physiological conditions.
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9
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Schaefer A, Naser D, Siebeneichler B, Tarasca MV, Meiering EM. Methodological advances and strategies for high resolution structure determination of cellular protein aggregates. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102197. [PMID: 35760099 PMCID: PMC9396402 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of proteins is at the nexus of molecular processes crucial to aging, disease, and employing proteins for biotechnology and medical applications. There has been much recent progress in determining the structural features of protein aggregates that form in cells; yet, owing to prevalent heterogeneity in aggregation, many aspects remain obscure and often experimentally intractable to define. Here, we review recent results of structural studies for cell-derived aggregates of normally globular proteins, with a focus on high-resolution methods for their analysis and prediction. Complementary results obtained by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and microspectroscopy, cryo-EM, and amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange measured by NMR and mass spectrometry, applied to bacterial inclusion bodies and disease inclusions, are uncovering novel information on in-cell aggregation patterns as well as great diversity in the structural features of useful and aberrant protein aggregates. Using these advances as a guide, this review aims to advise the reader on which combination of approaches may be the most appropriate to apply to their unique system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schaefer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dalia Naser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Michael V Tarasca
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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Housmans JAJ, Houben B, Monge-Morera M, Asvestas D, Nguyen HH, Tsaka G, Louros N, Carpentier S, Delcour JA, Rousseau F, Schymkowitz J. Investigating the Sequence Determinants of the Curling of Amyloid Fibrils Using Ovalbumin as a Case Study. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:3779-3797. [PMID: 36027608 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Highly ordered, straight amyloid fibrils readily lend themselves to structure determination techniques and have therefore been extensively characterized. However, the less ordered curly fibrils remain relatively understudied, and the structural organization underlying their specific characteristics remains poorly understood. We found that the exemplary curly fibril-forming protein ovalbumin contains multiple aggregation prone regions (APRs) that form straight fibrils when isolated as peptides or when excised from the full-length protein through hydrolysis. In the context of the intact full-length protein, however, the regions separating the APRs facilitate curly fibril formation. In fact, a meta-analysis of previously reported curly fibril-forming proteins shows that their inter-APRs are significantly longer and more hydrophobic when compared to straight fibril-forming proteins, suggesting that they may cause strain in the amyloid state. Hence, inter-APRs driving curly fibril formation may not only apply to our model protein but rather constitute a more general mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle A J Housmans
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Houben
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Margarita Monge-Morera
- Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry and Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Research Centre (LFoRCe), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diego Asvestas
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hung Huy Nguyen
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Grigoria Tsaka
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nikolaos Louros
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sebastien Carpentier
- Facility for Systems Biology Based Mass Spectrometry, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan A Delcour
- Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry and Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Research Centre (LFoRCe), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frederic Rousseau
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joost Schymkowitz
- Switch Laboratory, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 802, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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11
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Tempra C, Scollo F, Pannuzzo M, Lolicato F, La Rosa C. A unifying framework for amyloid-mediated membrane damage: The lipid-chaperone hypothesis. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2022; 1870:140767. [PMID: 35144022 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2022.140767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Over the past thirty years, researchers have highlighted the role played by a class of proteins or polypeptides that forms pathogenic amyloid aggregates in vivo, including i) the amyloid Aβ peptide, which is known to form senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease; ii) α-synuclein, responsible for Lewy body formation in Parkinson's disease and iii) IAPP, which is the protein component of type 2 diabetes-associated islet amyloids. These proteins, known as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), are present as highly dynamic conformational ensembles. IDPs can partially (mis) fold into (dys) functional conformations and accumulate as amyloid aggregates upon interaction with other cytosolic partners such as proteins or lipid membranes. In addition, an increasing number of reports link the toxicity of amyloid proteins to their harmful effects on membrane integrity. Still, the molecular mechanism underlying the amyloidogenic proteins transfer from the aqueous environment to the hydrocarbon core of the membrane is poorly understood. This review starts with a historical overview of the toxicity models of amyloidogenic proteins to contextualize the more recent lipid-chaperone hypothesis. Then, we report the early molecular-level events in the aggregation and ion-channel pore formation of Aβ, IAPP, and α-synuclein interacting with model membranes, emphasizing the complexity of these processes due to their different spatial-temporal resolutions. Next, we underline the need for a combined experimental and computational approach, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the most commonly used techniques. Finally, the last two chapters highlight the crucial role of lipid-protein complexes as molecular switches among ion-channel-like formation, detergent-like, and fibril formation mechanisms and their implication in fighting amyloidogenic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmelo Tempra
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Federica Scollo
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Pannuzzo
- Laboratory of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabio Lolicato
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Carmelo La Rosa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy.
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12
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Rico-Pasto M, Alemany A, Ritort F. Force-Dependent Folding Kinetics of Single Molecules with Multiple Intermediates and Pathways. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:1025-1032. [PMID: 35072478 PMCID: PMC9882750 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c03521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Most single-molecule studies derive the kinetic rates of native, intermediate, and unfolded states from equilibrium hopping experiments. Here, we apply the Kramers kinetic diffusive model to derive the force-dependent kinetic rates of intermediate states from nonequilibrium pulling experiments. From the kinetic rates, we also extract the force-dependent kinetic barriers and the equilibrium folding energies. We apply our method to DNA hairpins with multiple folding pathways and intermediates. The experimental results agree with theoretical predictions. Furthermore, the proposed nonequilibrium single-molecule approach permits us to characterize kinetic and thermodynamic properties of native, unfolded, and intermediate states that cannot be derived from equilibrium hopping experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Rico-Pasto
- Small
Biosystems Lab, Condensed Matter Physics Department, University of Barcelona, C/Martí i Franqués 1, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Anna Alemany
- Department
of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University
Medical Center, Leiden, 2333ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Felix Ritort
- Small
Biosystems Lab, Condensed Matter Physics Department, University of Barcelona, C/Martí i Franqués 1, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
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13
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Matsui A, Bellier JP, Kanai T, Satooka H, Nakanishi A, Terada T, Ishibe T, Nakamura Y, Taguchi H, Naruse N, Mera Y. The Effect of Ethanol on Disassembly of Amyloid-β 1-42 Pentamer Revealed by Atomic Force Microscopy and Gel Electrophoresis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020889. [PMID: 35055076 PMCID: PMC8779648 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, is associated with senile plaques formed by the filamentous aggregation of hydrophobic amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brains of patients. Small oligomeric assemblies also occur and drugs and chemical compounds that can interact with such assemblies have attracted much attention. However, these compounds need to be solubilized in appropriate solvents, such as ethanol, which may also destabilize their protein structures. As the impact of ethanol on oligomeric Aβ assembly is unknown, we investigated the effect of various concentrations of ethanol (0 to 7.2 M) on Aβ pentameric assemblies (Aβp) by combining blue native-PAGE (BN-PAGE) and ambient air atomic force microscopy (AFM). This approach was proven to be very convenient and reliable for the quantitative analysis of Aβ assembly. The Gaussian analysis of the height histogram obtained from the AFM images was correlated with band intensity on BN-PAGE for the quantitative estimation of Aβp. Our observations indicated up to 1.4 M (8.3%) of added ethanol can be used as a solvent/vehicle without quantitatively affecting Aβ pentamer stability. Higher concentration induced significant destabilization of Aβp and eventually resulted in the complete disassembly of Aβp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuya Matsui
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan; (A.M.); (T.K.); (H.S.); (A.N.); (Y.M.)
| | - Jean-Pierre Bellier
- Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan;
- Correspondence: (J.-P.B.); (N.N.); Tel.: +81-77-548-2101 (N.N.)
| | - Takeshi Kanai
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan; (A.M.); (T.K.); (H.S.); (A.N.); (Y.M.)
| | - Hiroki Satooka
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan; (A.M.); (T.K.); (H.S.); (A.N.); (Y.M.)
| | - Akio Nakanishi
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan; (A.M.); (T.K.); (H.S.); (A.N.); (Y.M.)
| | - Tsukasa Terada
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-Cho, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan; (T.T.); (T.I.); (Y.N.)
| | - Takafumi Ishibe
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-Cho, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan; (T.T.); (T.I.); (Y.N.)
| | - Yoshiaki Nakamura
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-Cho, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan; (T.T.); (T.I.); (Y.N.)
| | - Hiroyasu Taguchi
- Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan;
| | - Nobuyasu Naruse
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan; (A.M.); (T.K.); (H.S.); (A.N.); (Y.M.)
- Correspondence: (J.-P.B.); (N.N.); Tel.: +81-77-548-2101 (N.N.)
| | - Yutaka Mera
- Department of Fundamental Bioscience, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192, Japan; (A.M.); (T.K.); (H.S.); (A.N.); (Y.M.)
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14
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Martínez-Miguel M, Tatkiewicz W, Köber M, Ventosa N, Veciana J, Guasch J, Ratera I. Methods for the Characterization of Protein Aggregates. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2406:479-497. [PMID: 35089576 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1859-2_29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The physicochemical characterization of protein aggregates yields an important contribution to further our understanding on many diseases for which the formation of protein aggregates is one of the pathological hallmarks. On the other hand, bacterial inclusion bodies (IBs) have recently been shown to be highly pure proteinaceous aggregates of a few hundred nanometers, produced by recombinant bacteria supporting the biological activities of the embedded polypeptides. Despite the wide spectrum of uses of IBs as functional and biocompatible materials upon convenient engineering, very few is known about their physicochemical properties.In this chapter we present methods for the characterization of protein aggregates as particulate materials relevant to their physicochemical and nanoscale properties.Specifically, we describe the use of dynamic light scattering (DLS) for sizing, nanoparticle tracking analysis for sizing and counting, and zeta potential measurements for the determination of colloidal stability. To study the morphology of protein aggregates we present the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) will be used for the determination of the internal structuration. Moreover, wettability and nanomechanical characterization can be performed using contact angle (CA) and force spectroscopic AFM (FS-AFM) measurements of the proteinaceous nanoparticles, respectively. Finally, the 4'4-dithiodipyridine (DTDP) method is presented as a way of relatively quantifying accessible sulfhydryl groups in the structure of the nanoparticle .The physical principles of the methods are briefly described and examples are given to help clarify capabilities of each technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Martínez-Miguel
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC and CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Witold Tatkiewicz
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC and CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Mariana Köber
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC and CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Nora Ventosa
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC and CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jaume Veciana
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC and CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Judith Guasch
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC and CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain
- Dynamic Biomimetics for Cancer Immunotherapy, Max Planck Partner Group, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Imma Ratera
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC and CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.
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15
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Abstract
Experimental studies of amyloids encounter many challenges. There are many methods available for studying proteins, which can be applied to amyloids: from basic staining techniques, allowing visualization of fibers, to complex methods, e.g., AFM-IR used to their detailed biochemical and structural characterization in nanoscale. Which method is appropriate depends on the goal of an experiment: verification of aggregational properties of a peptide, distinguishing oligomers from mature fibers, or kinetic studies. Insolubility, rapid aggregation, and the need of using a high-purity peptide may be a limiting factor in studies involving amyloids. Moreover, the results obtained by various experimental methods often differ significantly, which may lead to misclassification of amyloid peptides. Due to ambiguity of experimental results, laborious and time-consuming analysis, bioinformatical methods become more widely used for amyloids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalia Szulc
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Monika Szefczyk
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
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16
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New Analytical Approaches for Effective Quantification and Identification of Nanoplastics in Environmental Samples. Processes (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/pr9112086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Nanoplastics (NPs) are a rapidly developing subject that is relevant in environmental and food research, as well as in human toxicity, among other fields. NPs have recently been recognized as one of the least studied types of marine litter, but potentially one of the most hazardous. Several studies are now being reported on NPs in the environment including surface water and coast, snow, soil and in personal care products. However, the extent of contamination remains largely unknown due to fundamental challenges associated with isolation and analysis, and therefore, a methodological gap exists. This article summarizes the progress in environmental NPs analysis and makes a critical assessment of whether methods from nanoparticles analysis could be adopted to bridge the methodological gap. This review discussed the sample preparation and preconcentration protocol for NPs analysis and also examines the most appropriate approaches available at the moment, ranging from physical to chemical. This study also discusses the difficulties associated with improving existing methods and developing new ones. Although microscopical techniques are one of the most often used ways for imaging and thus quantification, they have the drawback of producing partial findings as they can be easily mixed up as biomolecules. At the moment, the combination of chemical analysis (i.e., spectroscopy) and newly developed alternative methods overcomes this limitation. In general, multiple analytical methods used in combination are likely to be needed to correctly detect and fully quantify NPs in environmental samples.
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17
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Das A, Korn A, Carroll A, Carver JA, Maiti S. Application of the Double-Mutant Cycle Strategy to Protein Aggregation Reveals Transient Interactions in Amyloid-β Oligomers. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:12426-12435. [PMID: 34748334 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c05829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Transient oligomeric intermediates in the peptide or protein aggregation pathway are suspected to be the key toxic species in many amyloid diseases, but deciphering their molecular nature has remained a challenge. Here we show that the strategy of "double-mutant cycles", used effectively in probing protein-folding intermediates, can reveal transient interactions during protein aggregation. It does so by comparing the changes in thermodynamic parameters between the wild type, and single and double mutants. We demonstrate the strategy by probing the possible transient salt bridge partner of lysine 28 (K28) in the oligomeric states of amyloid β-40 (Aβ40), the putative toxic species in Alzheimer's disease. In mature fibrils, the binding partner is aspartate 23. This interaction differentiates Aβ40 from the more toxic Aβ42, where K28's binding partner is the C-terminal carboxylate. We selectively acetylated K28 and amidated the C-terminus of Aβ40, creating four distinct variants. Spectroscopic measurements of the kinetics and thermodynamics of aggregation show that K28 and the C-terminus interact transiently in the early phases of the Aβ40 aggregation pathway. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (using a simple analysis method that we introduce here that takes into account the isotopic mass distribution) supports this interpretation. It is also supported by cellular toxicity measurements, suggesting possible similarities in the mechanisms of toxicity of Aβ40 oligomers (which are more toxic than Aβ40 fibrils) and Aβ42. Our results show that double-mutant cycles can be a powerful tool for probing transient interactions during protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirban Das
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400005, India
| | - Alexander Korn
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Leipzig University, Härtelstr. 16-18, D-04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Adam Carroll
- Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - John A Carver
- Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Sudipta Maiti
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400005, India
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18
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Vieweg S, Mahul-Mellier AL, Ruggeri FS, Riguet N, DeGuire SM, Chiki A, Cendrowska U, Dietler G, Lashuel HA. The Nt17 Domain and its Helical Conformation Regulate the Aggregation, Cellular Properties and Neurotoxicity of Mutant Huntingtin Exon 1. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167222. [PMID: 34492254 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence points to the N-terminal domain comprising the first 17 amino acids of the Huntingtin protein (Nt17) as a key regulator of its aggregation, cellular properties and toxicity. In this study, we further investigated the interplay between Nt17 and the polyQ domain repeat length in regulating the aggregation and inclusion formation of exon 1 of the Huntingtin protein (Httex1). In addition, we investigated the effect of removing Nt17 or modulating its local structure on the membrane interactions, neuronal uptake, and toxicity of monomeric or fibrillar Httex1. Our results show that the polyQ and Nt17 domains synergistically modulate the aggregation propensity of Httex1 and that the Nt17 domain plays important roles in shaping the surface properties of mutant Httex1 fibrils and regulating their poly-Q-dependent growth, lateral association and neuronal uptake. Removal of Nt17 or disruption of its transient helical conformations slowed the aggregation of monomeric Httex1 in vitro, reduced inclusion formation in cells, enhanced the neuronal uptake and nuclear accumulation of monomeric Httex1 proteins, and was sufficient to prevent cell death induced by Httex1 72Q overexpression. Finally, we demonstrate that the uptake of Httex1 fibrils into primary neurons and the resulting toxicity are strongly influenced by mutations and phosphorylation events that influence the local helical propensity of Nt17. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the Nt17 domain serves as one of the key master regulators of Htt aggregation, internalization, and toxicity and represents an attractive target for inhibiting Htt aggregate formation, inclusion formation, and neuronal toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Vieweg
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Laure Mahul-Mellier
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Francesco S Ruggeri
- Laboratory of the Physics of Living Matter, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nathan Riguet
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sean M DeGuire
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anass Chiki
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Urszula Cendrowska
- Laboratory of the Physics of Living Matter, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Dietler
- Laboratory of the Physics of Living Matter, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hilal A Lashuel
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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19
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Ruggeri FS, Miller AM, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ. Unraveling the Physicochemical Determinants of Protein Liquid-liquid Phase Separation by Nanoscale Infrared Vibrational Spectroscopy. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e4122. [PMID: 34541041 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4122] [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: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The phenomenon of reversible liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins underlies the formation of membraneless organelles, which are crucial for cellular processes such as signalling and transport. In addition, it is also of great interest to uncover the mechanisms of further irreversible maturation of the functional dense liquid phase into aberrant insoluble assemblies due to its implication in human disease. Recent advances in methods based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) have made it possible to study protein condensates at the nanometer level, providing unprecedented information on the nature of the intermolecular interactions governing phase separation. Here, we provide an in-depth description of a protocol for the characterisation of the morphology, stiffness, and chemical properties of protein condensates using infrared nanospectroscopy (AFM-IR).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco S Ruggeri
- Laboratories of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Stippeneng 4, 6703 WE, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands.,Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alyssa M Miller
- Laboratories of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Stippeneng 4, 6703 WE, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Laboratories of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Stippeneng 4, 6703 WE, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Laboratories of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Stippeneng 4, 6703 WE, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands.,Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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20
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Otzen DE, Dueholm MS, Najarzadeh Z, Knowles TPJ, Ruggeri FS. In situ Sub-Cellular Identification of Functional Amyloids in Bacteria and Archaea by Infrared Nanospectroscopy. SMALL METHODS 2021; 5:e2001002. [PMID: 34927901 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202001002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Formation of amyloid structures is originally linked to human disease. However, amyloid materials are found extensively in the animal and bacterial world where they stabilize intra- and extra-cellular environments like biofilms or cell envelopes. To date, functional amyloids have largely been studied using optical microscopy techniques in vivo, or after removal from their biological context for higher-resolution studies in vitro. Furthermore, conventional microscopies only indirectly identify amyloids based on morphology or unspecific amyloid dyes. Here, the high chemical and spatial (≈20 nm) resolution of Infrared Nanospectroscopy (AFM-IR) to investigate functional amyloid from Escherichia coli (curli), Pseudomonas (Fap), and the Archaea Methanosaeta (MspA) in situ is exploited. It is demonstrated that AFM-IR identifies amyloid protein within single intact cells through their cross β-sheet secondary structure, which has a unique spectroscopic signature in the amide I band of protein. Using this approach, nanoscale-resolved chemical images and spectra of purified curli and Methanosaeta cell wall sheaths are provided. The results highlight significant differences in secondary structure between E. coli cells with and without curli. Taken together, these results suggest that AFM-IR is a new and powerful label-free tool for in situ investigations of the biophysical state of functional amyloid and biomolecules in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus C, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Morten S Dueholm
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, Aalborg, 9220, Denmark
| | - Zahra Najarzadeh
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus C, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB30HE, UK
| | - Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, WE 6703, the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, WE 6703, the Netherlands
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21
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Kulenkampff K, Wolf Perez AM, Sormanni P, Habchi J, Vendruscolo M. Quantifying misfolded protein oligomers as drug targets and biomarkers in Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases. Nat Rev Chem 2021; 5:277-294. [PMID: 37117282 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-021-00254-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation are characteristic of a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases. A hallmark of these diseases is the aggregation of otherwise soluble and functional proteins into amyloid aggregates. Although for many decades such amyloid deposits have been thought to be responsible for disease progression, it is now increasingly recognized that the misfolded protein oligomers formed during aggregation are, instead, the main agents causing pathological processes. These oligomers are transient and heterogeneous, which makes it difficult to detect and quantify them, generating confusion about their exact role in disease. The lack of suitable methods to address these challenges has hampered efforts to investigate the molecular mechanisms of oligomer toxicity and to develop oligomer-based diagnostic and therapeutic tools to combat protein misfolding diseases. In this Review, we describe methods to quantify misfolded protein oligomers, with particular emphasis on diagnostic applications as disease biomarkers and on therapeutic applications as target biomarkers. The development of these methods is ongoing, and we discuss the challenges that remain to be addressed to establish measurement tools capable of overcoming existing limitations and to meet present needs.
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22
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Infrared nanospectroscopy reveals the molecular interaction fingerprint of an aggregation inhibitor with single Aβ42 oligomers. Nat Commun 2021; 12:688. [PMID: 33514697 PMCID: PMC7846799 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20782-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant efforts have been devoted in the last twenty years to developing compounds that can interfere with the aggregation pathways of proteins related to misfolding disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. However, no disease-modifying drug has become available for clinical use to date for these conditions. One of the main reasons for this failure is the incomplete knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the process by which small molecules interact with protein aggregates and interfere with their aggregation pathways. Here, we leverage the single molecule morphological and chemical sensitivity of infrared nanospectroscopy to provide the first direct measurement of the structure and interaction between single Aβ42 oligomeric and fibrillar species and an aggregation inhibitor, bexarotene, which is able to prevent Aβ42 aggregation in vitro and reverses its neurotoxicity in cell and animal models of Alzheimer’s disease. Our results demonstrate that the carboxyl group of this compound interacts with Aβ42 aggregates through a single hydrogen bond. These results establish infrared nanospectroscopy as a powerful tool in structure-based drug discovery for protein misfolding diseases. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying pathological protein aggregation remains incomplete. Here, single molecule infrared nanospectroscopy (AFM-IR) offers insight into the structure of Aβ42 oligomeric and fibrillar species and their interaction with an aggregation inhibitor, paving the way for single molecule drug discovery studies.
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23
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Zhou J, Venturelli L, Keiser L, Sekatskii SK, Gallaire F, Kasas S, Longo G, Knowles TPJ, Ruggeri FS, Dietler G. Environmental Control of Amyloid Polymorphism by Modulation of Hydrodynamic Stress. ACS NANO 2021; 15:944-953. [PMID: 33348981 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The phenomenon of amyloid polymorphism is a key feature of protein aggregation. Unravelling this phenomenon is of great significance for understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with neurodegenerative diseases and for the development of amyloid-based functional biomaterials. However, the understanding of the molecular origins and the physicochemical factors modulating amyloid polymorphs remains challenging. Herein, we demonstrate an association between amyloid polymorphism and environmental stress in solution, induced by an air/water interface in motion. Our results reveal that low-stress environments produce heterogeneous amyloid polymorphs, including twisted, helical, and rod-like fibrils, whereas high-stress conditions generate only homogeneous rod-like fibrils. Moreover, high environmental stress converts twisted fibrils into rod-like fibrils both in-pathway and after the completion of mature amyloid formation. These results enrich our understanding of the environmental origin of polymorphism of pathological amyloids and shed light on the potential of environmentally controlled fabrication of homogeneous amyloid biomaterials for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Zhou
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Venturelli
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ludovic Keiser
- Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Instabilities, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sergey K Sekatskii
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - François Gallaire
- Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Instabilities, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sandor Kasas
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Longo
- Istituto di Struttura della Materia, CNR, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K
| | - Francesco S Ruggeri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Giovanni Dietler
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Ahanger I, Parray ZA, Nasreen K, Ahmad F, Hassan MI, Islam A, Sharma A. Heparin Accelerates the Protein Aggregation via the Downhill Polymerization Mechanism: Multi-Spectroscopic Studies to Delineate the Implications on Proteinopathies. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:2328-2339. [PMID: 33521471 PMCID: PMC7841943 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Heparin is one of the members of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) family, which has been associated with protein aggregation diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and prion diseases. Here, we investigate heparin-induced aggregation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) using different spectroscopic techniques [absorption, 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS) and thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence binding, and far- and near-UV circular dichroism]. Kinetic measurements revealed that heparin is involved in the significant enhancement of aggregation of BSA. The outcomes showed dearth of the lag phase and a considerable change in rate constant, which provides conclusive evidence, that is, heparin-induced BSA aggregation involves the pathway of the downhill polymerization mechanism. Heparin also causes enhancement of fluorescence intensity of BSA significantly. Moreover, heparin was observed to form amyloids and amorphous aggregates of BSA which were confirmed by ThT and ANS fluorescence, respectively. Circular dichroism measurements exhibit a considerable change in the secondary and tertiary structure of the protein due to heparin. In addition, binding studies of heparin with BSA to know the cause of aggregation, isothermal titration calorimetry measurements were exploited, from which heparin was observed to promote the aggregation of BSA by virtue of electrostatic interactions between positively charged amino acid residues of protein and negatively charged groups of GAG. The nature of binding of heparin with BSA is very much apparent with an appreciable heat of interaction and is largely exothermic in nature. Moreover, the Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) is negative, which indicates spontaneous nature of binding, and the enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) are also largely negative, which suggest that the interaction is driven by hydrogen bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishfaq
Ahmad Ahanger
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Forensic Science, Amity School of Applied
Sciences, Amity University Haryana, Gurugram 122 413, India
- Centre
for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Zahoor Ahmad Parray
- Centre
for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Khalida Nasreen
- Centre
for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Faizan Ahmad
- Centre
for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Md. Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre
for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Asimul Islam
- Centre
for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Anurag Sharma
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Forensic Science, Amity School of Applied
Sciences, Amity University Haryana, Gurugram 122 413, India
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25
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Cawood EE, Karamanos TK, Wilson AJ, Radford SE. Visualizing and trapping transient oligomers in amyloid assembly pathways. Biophys Chem 2021; 268:106505. [PMID: 33220582 PMCID: PMC8188297 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2020.106505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Oligomers which form during amyloid fibril assembly are considered to be key contributors towards amyloid disease. However, understanding how such intermediates form, their structure, and mechanisms of toxicity presents significant challenges due to their transient and heterogeneous nature. Here, we discuss two different strategies for addressing these challenges: use of (1) methods capable of detecting lowly-populated species within complex mixtures, such as NMR, single particle methods (including fluorescence and force spectroscopy), and mass spectrometry; and (2) chemical and biological tools to bias the amyloid energy landscape towards specific oligomeric states. While the former methods are well suited to following the kinetics of amyloid assembly and obtaining low-resolution structural information, the latter are capable of producing oligomer samples for high-resolution structural studies and inferring structure-toxicity relationships. Together, these different approaches should enable a clearer picture to be gained of the nature and role of oligomeric intermediates in amyloid formation and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Cawood
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK; Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Theodoros K Karamanos
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK; Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Andrew J Wilson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Sheena E Radford
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
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26
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Kreiser RP, Wright AK, Block NR, Hollows JE, Nguyen LT, LeForte K, Mannini B, Vendruscolo M, Limbocker R. Therapeutic Strategies to Reduce the Toxicity of Misfolded Protein Oligomers. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228651. [PMID: 33212787 PMCID: PMC7696907 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The aberrant aggregation of proteins is implicated in the onset and pathogenesis of a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Mounting evidence indicates that misfolded protein oligomers produced as intermediates in the aggregation process are potent neurotoxic agents in these diseases. Because of the transient and heterogeneous nature of these elusive aggregates, however, it has proven challenging to develop therapeutics that can effectively target them. Here, we review approaches aimed at reducing oligomer toxicity, including (1) modulating the oligomer populations (e.g., by altering the kinetics of aggregation by inhibiting, enhancing, or redirecting the process), (2) modulating the oligomer properties (e.g., through the size–hydrophobicity–toxicity relationship), (3) modulating the oligomer interactions (e.g., by protecting cell membranes by displacing oligomers), and (4) reducing oligomer toxicity by potentiating the protein homeostasis system. We analyze examples of these complementary approaches, which may lead to the development of compounds capable of preventing or treating neurodegenerative disorders associated with protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P. Kreiser
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (R.P.K.); (A.K.W.); (N.R.B.); (J.E.H.); (L.T.N.); (K.L.)
| | - Aidan K. Wright
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (R.P.K.); (A.K.W.); (N.R.B.); (J.E.H.); (L.T.N.); (K.L.)
| | - Natalie R. Block
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (R.P.K.); (A.K.W.); (N.R.B.); (J.E.H.); (L.T.N.); (K.L.)
| | - Jared E. Hollows
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (R.P.K.); (A.K.W.); (N.R.B.); (J.E.H.); (L.T.N.); (K.L.)
| | - Lam T. Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (R.P.K.); (A.K.W.); (N.R.B.); (J.E.H.); (L.T.N.); (K.L.)
| | - Kathleen LeForte
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (R.P.K.); (A.K.W.); (N.R.B.); (J.E.H.); (L.T.N.); (K.L.)
| | - Benedetta Mannini
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK;
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK;
- Correspondence: (M.V.); (R.L.)
| | - Ryan Limbocker
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (R.P.K.); (A.K.W.); (N.R.B.); (J.E.H.); (L.T.N.); (K.L.)
- Correspondence: (M.V.); (R.L.)
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Arter WE, Xu CK, Castellana-Cruz M, Herling TW, Krainer G, Saar KL, Kumita JR, Dobson CM, Knowles TPJ. Rapid Structural, Kinetic, and Immunochemical Analysis of Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers in Solution. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:8163-8169. [PMID: 33079553 PMCID: PMC7116857 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Oligomers comprised of misfolded proteins are implicated as neurotoxins in the pathogenesis of protein misfolding conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Structural, biophysical, and biochemical characterization of these nanoscale protein assemblies is key to understanding their pathology and the design of therapeutic interventions, yet it is challenging due to their heterogeneous, transient nature and low relative abundance in complex mixtures. Here, we demonstrate separation of heterogeneous populations of oligomeric α-synuclein, a protein central to the pathology of Parkinson's disease, in solution using microfluidic free-flow electrophoresis. We characterize nanoscale structural heterogeneity of transient oligomers on a time scale of seconds, at least 2 orders of magnitude faster than conventional techniques. Furthermore, we utilize our platform to analyze oligomer ζ-potential and probe the immunochemistry of wild-type α-synuclein oligomers. Our findings contribute to an improved characterization of α-synuclein oligomers and demonstrate the application of microchip electrophoresis for the free-solution analysis of biological nanoparticle analytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- William E. Arter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Catherine K. Xu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Marta Castellana-Cruz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Therese W. Herling
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Georg Krainer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Kadi L. Saar
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Janet R. Kumita
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Christopher M. Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
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Święch D, Paluszkiewicz C, Piergies N, Pięta E, Kollbek K, Kwiatek WM. Micro- and Nanoscale Spectroscopic Investigations of Threonine Influence on the Corrosion Process of the Modified Fe Surface by Cu Nanoparticles. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 13:E4482. [PMID: 33050390 PMCID: PMC7600280 DOI: 10.3390/ma13204482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The work presents a comprehensive vibrational analysis of the process of adsorption of threonine (Thr) onto an Fe surface with deposited Cu nanoparticles (NPs) (of about 4-5 nm in size) in a corrosive environment. The application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRA) provides the opportunity for detailed description of adsorption geometry of amino acid onto a metal surface. The combination of conventional infrared spectroscopy (IR) with atomic force microscopy (AFM) resulted in a nano-SEIRA technique which made it possible to provide a precise description of adsorbate binding to the metal surface. The studies presented confirmed that there is a very good correlation between the spectra recorded by the SERS, SEIRA, and nano-SEIRA techniques. Threonine significantly influenced the process of corrosion of the investigated surface due to the existing strong interaction between the protonated amine and carboxylate groups and the CuNPs deposited onto the Fe surface. In addition, the application of two polarization modulations (s and p) in nano-SEIRA allows subtle changes to be observed in the molecule geometry upon adsorption, with the carboxylate group of Thr being almost horizontally oriented onto the metal surface; whereas the amine group that contains nitrogen is oriented perpendicular to this surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Święch
- Faculty of Foundry Engineering, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Czesława Paluszkiewicz
- Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland; (C.P.); (N.P.); (E.P.); (W.M.K.)
| | - Natalia Piergies
- Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland; (C.P.); (N.P.); (E.P.); (W.M.K.)
| | - Ewa Pięta
- Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland; (C.P.); (N.P.); (E.P.); (W.M.K.)
| | - Kamila Kollbek
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland;
| | - Wojciech M. Kwiatek
- Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland; (C.P.); (N.P.); (E.P.); (W.M.K.)
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29
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De Luca G, Fennema Galparsoro D, Sancataldo G, Leone M, Foderà V, Vetri V. Probing ensemble polymorphism and single aggregate structural heterogeneity in insulin amyloid self-assembly. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 574:229-240. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.03.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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30
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Paluszkiewicz C, Piergies N, Guidi MC, Pięta E, Ścierski W, Misiołek M, Drozdzowska B, Ziora P, Lisowska G, Kwiatek WM. Nanoscale infrared probing of amyloid formation within the pleomorphic adenoma tissue. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2020; 1864:129677. [PMID: 32634535 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129677] [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: 03/21/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The process of malignant transformations of many tumour cases is still unclear and more specific experimental approaches are necessary. The detailed identification of the pathological changes may help in the therapy progression through the development of drugs with more selective action. METHODS In this study, the AFM-IR nanospectroscopy was applied for the first time to the pleomorphic adenoma (TM) and the marginal tissue characterizations. In order to verify the obtained spectral information, conventional FT-IR investigations were also performed. RESULTS The AFM-IR data (topographies, intensity maps, and spectra) show structural changes observed for the margin and TM samples. Additionally, within the tumour tissue the fibril-like areas, characteristic for amyloid diseases, were distinguished. CONCLUSIONS The application of AFM-IR allows to determine changes in the protein secondary structures between the fibrils and the regions outside them. It has been proved that, for the former areas, the α-helix/random coil/ β-sheet components dominate, while for the latter regions the α-helix/random coil indicate the main contribution to the protein composition. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE The FT-IR results remain in good agreement with the AFM-IR data recorded for the areas outside the fibrils of the TM. This observation confirms that by means of the conventional FT-IR method the identification of the considered fibrils structure would be impossible. Only application of the AFM-IR nanospectroscopy allow for characterization and visualization of the fibrillization process occurring within the investigated tumour tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalia Piergies
- Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland.
| | | | - Ewa Pięta
- Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland
| | - Wojciech Ścierski
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Laryngological Oncology in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia Katowice, PL-41800 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Maciej Misiołek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Laryngological Oncology in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia Katowice, PL-41800 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Bogna Drozdzowska
- Department and Chair of Pathomorphology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, PL-41800 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Paweł Ziora
- Department and Chair of Pathomorphology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, PL-41800 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Grażyna Lisowska
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Laryngological Oncology in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia Katowice, PL-41800 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Wojciech M Kwiatek
- Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland
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31
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Limbocker R, Mannini B, Cataldi R, Chhangur S, Wright AK, Kreiser RP, Albright JA, Chia S, Habchi J, Sormanni P, Kumita JR, Ruggeri FS, Dobson CM, Chiti F, Aprile FA, Vendruscolo M. Rationally Designed Antibodies as Research Tools to Study the Structure-Toxicity Relationship of Amyloid-β Oligomers. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E4542. [PMID: 32630615 PMCID: PMC7352524 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is associated with the aggregation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), resulting in the deposition of amyloid plaques in brain tissue. Recent scrutiny of the mechanisms by which Aβ aggregates induce neuronal dysfunction has highlighted the importance of the Aβ oligomers of this protein fragment. Because of the transient and heterogeneous nature of these oligomers, however, it has been challenging to investigate the detailed mechanisms by which these species exert cytotoxicity. To address this problem, we demonstrate here the use of rationally designed single-domain antibodies (DesAbs) to characterize the structure-toxicity relationship of Aβ oligomers. For this purpose, we use Zn2+-stabilized oligomers of the 40-residue form of Aβ (Aβ40) as models of brain Aβ oligomers and two single-domain antibodies (DesAb18-24 and DesAb34-40), designed to bind to epitopes at residues 18-24 and 34-40 of Aβ40, respectively. We found that the DesAbs induce a change in structure of the Zn2+-stabilized Aβ40 oligomers, generating a simultaneous increase in their size and solvent-exposed hydrophobicity. We then observed that these increments in both the size and hydrophobicity of the oligomers neutralize each other in terms of their effects on cytotoxicity, as predicted by a recently proposed general structure-toxicity relationship, and observed experimentally. These results illustrate the use of the DesAbs as research tools to investigate the biophysical and cytotoxicity properties of Aβ oligomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Limbocker
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (A.K.W.); (R.P.K.); (J.A.A.)
| | - Benedetta Mannini
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Rodrigo Cataldi
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Shianne Chhangur
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Aidan K. Wright
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (A.K.W.); (R.P.K.); (J.A.A.)
| | - Ryan P. Kreiser
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (A.K.W.); (R.P.K.); (J.A.A.)
| | - J. Alex Albright
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996, USA; (A.K.W.); (R.P.K.); (J.A.A.)
| | - Sean Chia
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Johnny Habchi
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Janet R. Kumita
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Francesco S. Ruggeri
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Christopher M. Dobson
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Fabrizio Chiti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Francesco A. Aprile
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; (B.M.); (R.C.); (S.C.); (S.C.); (J.H.); (P.S.); (J.R.K.); (F.S.R.); (C.M.D.)
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32
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Ruggeri FS, Mannini B, Schmid R, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ. Single molecule secondary structure determination of proteins through infrared absorption nanospectroscopy. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2945. [PMID: 32522983 PMCID: PMC7287102 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16728-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The chemical and structural properties of biomolecules determine their interactions, and thus their functions, in a wide variety of biochemical processes. Innovative imaging methods have been developed to characterise biomolecular structures down to the angstrom level. However, acquiring vibrational absorption spectra at the single molecule level, a benchmark for bulk sample characterization, has remained elusive. Here, we introduce off-resonance, low power and short pulse infrared nanospectroscopy (ORS-nanoIR) to allow the acquisition of infrared absorption spectra and chemical maps at the single molecule level, at high throughput on a second timescale and with a high signal-to-noise ratio (~10-20). This high sensitivity enables the accurate determination of the secondary structure of single protein molecules with over a million-fold lower mass than conventional bulk vibrational spectroscopy. These results pave the way to probe directly the chemical and structural properties of individual biomolecules, as well as their interactions, in a broad range of chemical and biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benedetta Mannini
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Roman Schmid
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | | | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK.
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Falsafi SR, Rostamabadi H, Assadpour E, Jafari SM. Morphology and microstructural analysis of bioactive-loaded micro/nanocarriers via microscopy techniques; CLSM/SEM/TEM/AFM. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 280:102166. [PMID: 32387755 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2020.102166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Efficient characterization of the physicochemical attributes of bioactive-loaded micro/nano-vehicles is crucial for the successful product development. The introduction of outstanding science-based strategies and techniques makes it possible to realize how the characteristics of the formulation ingredients affect the structural and (bio)functional properties of the final bioactive-loaded carriers. The important points to be solved, at a microscopic level, are investigating how the features of the formulation ingredients affect the morphology, surface, size, dispersity, as well as the particulate interactions within bioactive-comprising nano/micro-delivery systems. This review presents a detailed description concerning the application of advanced microscopy techniques, i.e., confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in characterizing the attributes of nano/microcarriers for the efficient delivery of bioactive compounds. Furthermore, the fundamental principles of these approaches, instrumentation, specific applications, and the strategy to choose the most proper technique for different carriers has been discussed.
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34
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Ruggeri FS, Flagmeier P, Kumita JR, Meisl G, Chirgadze DY, Bongiovanni MN, Knowles TPJ, Dobson CM. The Influence of Pathogenic Mutations in α-Synuclein on Biophysical and Structural Characteristics of Amyloid Fibrils. ACS NANO 2020; 14:5213-5222. [PMID: 32159944 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b09676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Proteinaceous deposits of α-synuclein amyloid fibrils are a hallmark of human disorders including Parkinson's disease. The onset of this disease is also associated with five familial mutations of the gene encoding the protein. However, the mechanistic link between single point mutations and the kinetics of aggregation, biophysical properties of the resulting amyloid fibrils, and an increased risk of disease is still elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the disease-associated mutations of α-synuclein generate different amyloid fibril polymorphs compared to the wild type protein. Remarkably, the α-synuclein variants forming amyloid fibrils of a comparable structure, morphology, and heterogeneity show similar microscopic steps defining the aggregation kinetics. These results demonstrate that a single point mutation can significantly alter the distribution of fibrillar polymorphs in α-synuclein, suggesting that differences in the clinical phenotypes of familial Parkinson's disease could be associated with differences in the mechanism of formation and the structural characteristics of the aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Flagmeier
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Janet R Kumita
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Georg Meisl
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitri Y Chirgadze
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Old Addenbrooke's Site, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, United Kingdom
| | - Marie N Bongiovanni
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher M Dobson
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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35
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Maity S, Lyubchenko YL. AFM Probing of Amyloid-Beta 42 Dimers and Trimers. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:69. [PMID: 32391380 PMCID: PMC7193107 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [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: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the molecular mechanisms in the development of such a devastating neurodegenerative disorder as Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently one of the major challenges of molecular medicine. Evidence strongly suggests that the development of AD is due to the accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) oligomers; therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms defining the conversion of physiologically important monomers of Aβ proteins into neurotoxic oligomeric species is the key for the development of treatments and preventions of AD. However, these oligomers are unstable and unavailable for structural, physical, and chemical studies. We have recently developed a novel flexible nano array (FNA)-oligomer scaffold approach in which monomers tethered inside a flexible template can assemble spontaneously into oligomers with sizes defined by the number of tethered monomers. The FNA approach was tested on short decamer Aβ(14-23) peptides which were assembled into dimers and trimers. In this paper, we have extended our FNA technique for assembling full-length Aβ42 dimers. The FNA scaffold enabling the self-assembly of Aβ42 dimers from tethered monomeric species has been designed and the assembly of the dimers has been validated by AFM force spectroscopy experiments. Two major parameters of the force spectroscopy probing, the rupture forces and the rupture profiles, were obtained to prove the assembly of Aβ42 dimers. In addition, the FNA-Aβ42 dimers were used to probe Aβ42 trimers in the force spectroscopy experiments with the use of AFM tips functionalized with FNA-Aβ42 dimers and the surface with immobilized Aβ42 monomers. We found that the binding force for the Aβ42 trimer is higher than the dimer (75 ± 7 pN vs. 60 ± 3 pN) and the rupture pattern corresponds to a cooperative dissociation of the trimer. The rupture profiles for the dissociation of the Aβ42 dimers and trimers are proposed. Prospects for further extension of the FNA-based approach for probing of higher order oligomers of Aβ42 proteins are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuri L. Lyubchenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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36
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Penke B, Szűcs M, Bogár F. Oligomerization and Conformational Change Turn Monomeric β-Amyloid and Tau Proteins Toxic: Their Role in Alzheimer's Pathogenesis. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25071659. [PMID: 32260279 PMCID: PMC7180792 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25071659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The structural polymorphism and the physiological and pathophysiological roles of two important proteins, β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau, that play a key role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are reviewed. Recent results demonstrate that monomeric Aβ has important physiological functions. Toxic oligomeric Aβ assemblies (AβOs) may play a decisive role in AD pathogenesis. The polymorph fibrillar Aβ (fAβ) form has a very ordered cross-β structure and is assumed to be non-toxic. Tau monomers also have several important physiological actions; however, their oligomerization leads to toxic oligomers (TauOs). Further polymerization results in probably non-toxic fibrillar structures, among others neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Their structure was determined by cryo-electron microscopy at atomic level. Both AβOs and TauOs may initiate neurodegenerative processes, and their interactions and crosstalk determine the pathophysiological changes in AD. TauOs (perhaps also AβO) have prionoid character, and they may be responsible for cell-to-cell spreading of the disease. Both extra- and intracellular AβOs and TauOs (and not the previously hypothesized amyloid plaques and NFTs) may represent the novel targets of AD drug research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Botond Penke
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.S.); (F.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Mária Szűcs
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.S.); (F.B.)
| | - Ferenc Bogár
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.S.); (F.B.)
- MTA-SZTE Biomimetic Systems Research Group, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
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37
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Zhou J, Ruggeri FS, Zimmermann MR, Meisl G, Longo G, Sekatskii SK, Knowles TPJ, Dietler G. Effects of sedimentation, microgravity, hydrodynamic mixing and air-water interface on α-synuclein amyloid formation. Chem Sci 2020; 11:3687-3693. [PMID: 34094057 PMCID: PMC8152616 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc00281j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of amyloid fibrils is a characterizing feature of a range of protein misfolding diseases, including Parkinson's disease. The propensity of native proteins to form such amyloid fibril, both in vitro and in vivo, is highly sensitive to the surrounding environment, which can alter the aggregation kinetics and fibrillization mechanisms. Here, we investigate systematically the influence of several representative environmental stimuli on α-synuclein aggregation, including hydrodynamic mixing, the presence of an air-water interface and sedimentation. Our results show that hydrodynamic mixing and interfacial effects are critical in promoting several microscopic steps of α-synuclein aggregation and amyloid fibril formation. The presence of an air-water interface under agitation significantly promoted primary nucleation. Secondary processes were facilitated by hydrodynamic mixing, produced by 3D rotation and shaking either in the presence or in the absence of an air-water interface. Effects of sedimentation, as investigated in a microgravity incubator, of α-synuclein lead only to minor changes on the aggregation kinetics rates in comparison to static conditions. These results forward the understanding of α-synuclein fibrillization, paving the way for the development of high-throughput assays for the screening of pharmacological approaches targeting Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Zhou
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Francesco S Ruggeri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Manuela R Zimmermann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Georg Meisl
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Giovanni Longo
- Istituto di Struttura della Materia, CNR Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100 Roma 00133 Italy
| | - Sergey K Sekatskii
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge Lensfield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW UK
| | - Giovanni Dietler
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
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38
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Ghadami SA, Chia S, Ruggeri FS, Meisl G, Bemporad F, Habchi J, Cascella R, Dobson CM, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ, Chiti F. Transthyretin Inhibits Primary and Secondary Nucleations of Amyloid-β Peptide Aggregation and Reduces the Toxicity of Its Oligomers. Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:1112-1125. [PMID: 32011129 PMCID: PMC7997117 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Alzheimer’s
disease is associated with the deposition of
the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) into extracellular senile plaques
in the brain. In vitro and in vivo observations have indicated that
transthyretin (TTR) acts as an Aβ scavenger in the brain, but
the mechanism has not been fully resolved. We have monitored the aggregation
process of Aβ40 by thioflavin T fluorescence, in
the presence or absence of different concentrations of preformed seed
aggregates of Aβ40, of wild-type tetrameric TTR (WT-TTR),
and of a variant engineered to be stable as a monomer (M-TTR). Both
WT-TTR and M-TTR were found to inhibit specific steps of the process
of Aβ40 fibril formation, which are primary and secondary
nucleations, without affecting the elongation of the resulting fibrils.
Moreover, the analysis shows that both WT-TTR and M-TTR bind to Aβ40 oligomers formed in the aggregation reaction and inhibit
their conversion into the shortest fibrils able to elongate. Using
biophysical methods, TTR was found to change some aspects of its overall
structure following such interactions with Aβ40 oligomers,
as well as with oligomers of Aβ42, while maintaining
its overall topology. Hence, it is likely that the predominant mechanism
by which TTR exerts its protective role lies in the binding of TTR
to the Aβ oligomers and in inhibiting primary and secondary
nucleation processes, which limits both the toxicity of Aβ oligomers
and the ability of the fibrils to proliferate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyyed Abolghasem Ghadami
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Sean Chia
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Georg Meisl
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Francesco Bemporad
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Johnny Habchi
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Roberta Cascella
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Christopher M Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.,Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, 19 J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K
| | - Fabrizio Chiti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
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39
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Rizevsky S, Kurouski D. Nanoscale Structural Organization of Insulin Fibril Polymorphs Revealed by Atomic Force Microscopy–Infrared Spectroscopy (AFM‐IR). Chembiochem 2019; 21:481-485. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201900394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Rizevsky
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M University College Station TX 77843 US
- Department of BiotechnologyBinh Duong University Thu Dau Mot 820000 Vietnam
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M University College Station TX 77843 US
- The Institute for Quantum Science and EngineeringTexas A&M University College Station TX 77843 US
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40
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Lee J, Lee JH, Paik SR, Yeom B, Char K. Thermally triggered self-assembly of κ-casein amyloid nanofibrils and their nanomechanical properties. POLYMER 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2019.121626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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41
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Penke B, Bogár F, Paragi G, Gera J, Fülöp L. Key Peptides and Proteins in Alzheimer's Disease. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2019; 20:577-599. [PMID: 30605056 DOI: 10.2174/1389203720666190103123434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a form of progressive dementia involving cognitive impairment, loss of learning and memory. Different proteins (such as amyloid precursor protein (APP), β- amyloid (Aβ) and tau protein) play a key role in the initiation and progression of AD. We review the role of the most important proteins and peptides in AD pathogenesis. The structure, biosynthesis and physiological role of APP are shortly summarized. The details of trafficking and processing of APP to Aβ, the cytosolic intracellular Aβ domain (AICD) and small soluble proteins are shown, together with other amyloid-forming proteins such as tau and α-synuclein (α-syn). Hypothetic physiological functions of Aβ are summarized. The mechanism of conformational change, the formation and the role of neurotoxic amyloid oligomeric (oAβ) are shown. The fibril formation process and the co-existence of different steric structures (U-shaped and S-shaped) of Aβ monomers in mature fibrils are demonstrated. We summarize the known pathogenic and non-pathogenic mutations and show the toxic interactions of Aβ species after binding to cellular receptors. Tau phosphorylation, fibrillation, the molecular structure of tau filaments and their toxic effect on microtubules are shown. Development of Aβ and tau imaging in AD brain and CSF as well as blood biomarkers is shortly summarized. The most probable pathomechanisms of AD including the toxic effects of oAβ and tau; the three (biochemical, cellular and clinical) phases of AD are shown. Finally, the last section summarizes the present state of Aβ- and tau-directed therapies and future directions of AD research and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Botond Penke
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, University of Szeged, Dom square 8, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Bogár
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, University of Szeged, Dom square 8, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary.,MTA-SZTE Biomimetic Systems Research Group, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Dom square 8, Hungary
| | - Gábor Paragi
- MTA-SZTE Biomimetic Systems Research Group, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Dom square 8, Hungary.,Institute of Physics, University of Pécs, H-7624 Pecs, Ifjusag utja 6, Hungary
| | - János Gera
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, University of Szeged, Dom square 8, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary
| | - Lívia Fülöp
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, University of Szeged, Dom square 8, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary
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42
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Physicochemical and Biological Examination of Two Glatiramer Acetate Products. Biomedicines 2019; 7:biomedicines7030049. [PMID: 31277332 PMCID: PMC6783967 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines7030049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein we compared 40 mg/mL lots of the active ingredient, glatiramer acetate, manufactured by Mylan/Natco to the active ingredient, glatiramer acetate in Copaxone (Teva Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., Netanya Israel) using physicochemical (PCC) methods and biological assays. No differences were seen between the Mylan/Natco and Teva lots with some low resolution release PCC assays (amino acid analysis, molecular weight distribution, interaction with Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250). Changes in polydispersity between Mylan/Natco and Copaxone lots were found using size exclusion chromatography and the high resolution PCC method, known as Viscotek, and suggestive of a disparity in the homogeneity of mixture, with a shift towards high molecular weight polypeptides. Using RPLC-2D MALLS, 5 out of 8 Mylan/Natco lots fell outside the Copaxone range, containing a high molecular weight and high hydrophobicity subpopulation of polypeptides not found in Copaxone lots. Cation exchange chromatography showed differences in the surface charge distribution between the Copaxone and Mylan/Natco lots. The Mylan/Natco lots were found to be within Copaxone specifications for the EAE model, monoclonal and polyclonal binding assays and the in vitro cytotoxicity assay, however higher IL-2 secretion was shown for three Mylan/Natco lots in a potency assay. These observations provide data to inform the ongoing scientific discussion about the comparability of glatiramer acetate in Copaxone and follow-on products.
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43
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De S, Wirthensohn DC, Flagmeier P, Hughes C, Aprile FA, Ruggeri FS, Whiten DR, Emin D, Xia Z, Varela JA, Sormanni P, Kundel F, Knowles TPJ, Dobson CM, Bryant C, Vendruscolo M, Klenerman D. Different soluble aggregates of Aβ42 can give rise to cellular toxicity through different mechanisms. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1541. [PMID: 30948723 PMCID: PMC6449370 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09477-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a complex process resulting in the formation of heterogeneous mixtures of aggregate populations that are closely linked to neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease. Here, we find that soluble aggregates formed at different stages of the aggregation process of amyloid beta (Aβ42) induce the disruption of lipid bilayers and an inflammatory response to different extents. Further, by using gradient ultracentrifugation assay, we show that the smaller aggregates are those most potent at inducing membrane permeability and most effectively inhibited by antibodies binding to the C-terminal region of Aβ42. By contrast, we find that the larger soluble aggregates are those most effective at causing an inflammatory response in microglia cells and more effectively inhibited by antibodies targeting the N-terminal region of Aβ42. These findings suggest that different toxic mechanisms driven by different soluble aggregated species of Aβ42 may contribute to the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman De
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - David C Wirthensohn
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Patrick Flagmeier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Craig Hughes
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Francesco A Aprile
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Francesco S Ruggeri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Daniel R Whiten
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Derya Emin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Zengjie Xia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Juan A Varela
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Franziska Kundel
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 1HE, UK
| | - Christopher M Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Clare Bryant
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
| | - David Klenerman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
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44
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Ruggeri FS, Šneideris T, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ. Atomic force microscopy for single molecule characterisation of protein aggregation. Arch Biochem Biophys 2019; 664:134-148. [PMID: 30742801 PMCID: PMC6420408 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has opened up a wide range of novel opportunities in nanoscience and new modalities of observation in complex biological systems. AFM imaging has been widely employed to resolve the complex and heterogeneous conformational states involved in protein aggregation at the single molecule scale and shed light onto the molecular basis of a variety of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. The study of individual macromolecules at nanoscale, however, remains challenging, especially when fully quantitative information is required. In this review, we first discuss the principles of AFM with a special emphasis on the fundamental factors defining its sensitivity and accuracy. We then review the fundamental parameters and approaches to work at the limit of AFM resolution in order to perform single molecule statistical analysis of biomolecules and nanoscale protein aggregates. This single molecule statistical approach has proved to be powerful to unravel the molecular and hierarchical assembly of the misfolded species present transiently during protein aggregation, to visualise their dynamics at the nanoscale, as well to study the structural properties of amyloid-inspired functional nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
| | - Tomas Šneideris
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom; Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, United Kingdom.
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45
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Trodusquemine enhances Aβ 42 aggregation but suppresses its toxicity by displacing oligomers from cell membranes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:225. [PMID: 30644384 PMCID: PMC6333784 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07699-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Transient oligomeric species formed during the aggregation process of the 42-residue form of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ42) are key pathogenic agents in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate the relationship between Aβ42 aggregation and its cytotoxicity and the influence of a potential drug on both phenomena, we have studied the effects of trodusquemine. This aminosterol enhances the rate of aggregation by promoting monomer-dependent secondary nucleation, but significantly reduces the toxicity of the resulting oligomers to neuroblastoma cells by inhibiting their binding to the cellular membranes. When administered to a C. elegans model of AD, we again observe an increase in aggregate formation alongside the suppression of Aβ42-induced toxicity. In addition to oligomer displacement, the reduced toxicity could also point towards an increased rate of conversion of oligomers to less toxic fibrils. The ability of a small molecule to reduce the toxicity of oligomeric species represents a potential therapeutic strategy against AD.
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46
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Wieland K, Ramer G, Weiss VU, Allmaier G, Lendl B, Centrone A. Nanoscale Chemical Imaging of Individual, Chemotherapeutic Cytarabine-loaded Liposomal Nanocarriers. NANO RESEARCH 2019; 12:10.1007/s12274-018-2202-x. [PMID: 31275527 PMCID: PMC6604632 DOI: 10.1007/s12274-018-2202-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Dosage of chemotherapeutic drugs is a tradeoff between efficacy and side-effects. Liposomes are nanocarriers that increase therapy efficacy and minimize side-effects by delivering otherwise difficult to administer therapeutics with improved efficiency and selectivity. Still, variabilities in liposome preparation require assessing drug encapsulation efficiency at the single liposome level, an information that, for non-fluorescent therapeutic cargos, is inaccessible due to the minute drug load per liposome. Photothermal induced resonance (PTIR) provides nanoscale compositional specificity, up to now, by leveraging an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip contacting the sample to transduce the sample's photothermal expansion. However, on soft samples (e.g. liposomes) PTIR effectiveness is reduced due to the likelihood of tip-induced sample damage and inefficient AFM transduction. Here, individual liposomes loaded with the chemotherapeutic drug cytarabine are deposited intact from suspension via nES-GEMMA (nano-electrospray gas-phase electrophoretic mobility molecular analysis) collection and characterized at the nanoscale with the chemically-sensitive PTIR method. A new tapping-mode PTIR imaging paradigm based on heterodyne detection is shown to be better adapted to measure soft samples, yielding cytarabine distribution in individual liposomes and enabling classification of empty and drug-loaded liposomes. The measurements highlight PTIR capability to detect ≈ 103 cytarabine molecules (≈ 1.7 zmol) label-free and non-destructively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Wieland
- Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics. Research Division Environmental, Process Analytics and Sensors, TU Wien, Vienna 1060, Austria
| | - Georg Ramer
- Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
- Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Victor U Weiss
- Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics. Research Division Instrumental and Imaging Analytical Chemistry, TU Wien, Vienna 1060, Austria
| | - Guenter Allmaier
- Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics. Research Division Instrumental and Imaging Analytical Chemistry, TU Wien, Vienna 1060, Austria
| | - Bernhard Lendl
- Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics. Research Division Environmental, Process Analytics and Sensors, TU Wien, Vienna 1060, Austria
| | - Andrea Centrone
- Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
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47
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Bortolini C, Kartanas T, Copic D, Condado Morales I, Zhang Y, Challa PK, Peter Q, Jávorfi T, Hussain R, Dong M, Siligardi G, Knowles TPJ, Charmet J. Resolving protein mixtures using microfluidic diffusional sizing combined with synchrotron radiation circular dichroism. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 19:50-58. [PMID: 30515508 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00757h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Circular dichroism spectroscopy has become a powerful tool to characterise proteins and other biomolecules. For heterogeneous samples such as those present for interacting proteins, typically only average spectroscopic features can be resolved. Here we overcome this limitation by using free-flow microfluidic size separation in-line with synchrotron radiation circular dichroism to resolve the secondary structure of each component of a model protein mixture containing monomers and fibrils. To enable this objective, we have integrated far-UV compatible measurement chambers into PDMS-based microfluidic devices. Two architectures are proposed so as to accommodate for a wide range of concentrations. The approach, which can be used in combination with other bulk measurement techniques, paves the way to the study of complex mixtures such as the ones associated with protein misfolding and aggregation diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bortolini
- Chemistry Department, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB3 0FF, UK
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48
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Hemamalini R, Khare SK. Halophilic lipase does forms catalytically active aggregates: Evidence from Marinobacter sp. EMB5 lipase (LipEMB5). Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 119:172-179. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.07.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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49
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Ruggeri FS, Charmet J, Kartanas T, Peter Q, Chia S, Habchi J, Dobson CM, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ. Microfluidic deposition for resolving single-molecule protein architecture and heterogeneity. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3890. [PMID: 30250131 PMCID: PMC6155325 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06345-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Scanning probe microscopy provides a unique window into the morphology, mechanics, and structure of proteins and their complexes on the nanoscale. Such measurements require, however, deposition of samples onto substrates. This process can affect conformations and assembly states of the molecular species under investigation and can bias the molecular populations observed in heterogeneous samples through differential adsorption. Here, we show that these limitations can be overcome with a single-step microfluidic spray deposition platform. This method transfers biological solutions to substrates as microdroplets with subpicoliter volume, drying in milliseconds, a timescale that is shorter than typical diffusion times of proteins on liquid–solid interfaces, thus avoiding surface mass transport and change to the assembly state. Finally, the single-step deposition ensures the attachment of the full molecular content of the sample to the substrate, allowing quantitative measurements of different molecular populations within heterogeneous systems, including protein aggregates. Manual sample deposition on a substrate can introduce artifacts in quantitative AFM measurements. Here the authors present a microfluidic spray device for reliable deposition of subpicoliter droplets which dry out in milliseconds after landing on the surface, thereby avoiding protein self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jerome Charmet
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.,WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Tadas Kartanas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Quentin Peter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Sean Chia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Johnny Habchi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Christopher M Dobson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK. .,Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK.
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50
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Melamed-Gal S, Loupe P, Timan B, Weinstein V, Kolitz S, Zhang J, Funt J, Komlosh A, Ashkenazi N, Bar-Ilan O, Konya A, Beriozkin O, Laifenfeld D, Hasson T, Krispin R, Molotsky T, Papir G, Sulimani L, Zeskind B, Liu P, Nock S, Hayden M, Gilbert A, Grossman I. Physicochemical, biological, functional and toxicological characterization of the European follow-on glatiramer acetate product as compared with Copaxone. eNeurologicalSci 2018; 12:19-30. [PMID: 30094354 PMCID: PMC6073084 DOI: 10.1016/j.ensci.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
For more than 20 years, Copaxone (glatiramer acetate, Teva), a non-biological complex drug, has been a safe and effective treatment option for multiple sclerosis. In 2016, a follow-on glatiramer acetate product (FOGA, Synthon) was approved in the EU. Traditional bulk-based methods and high-resolution assays were employed to evaluate the physicochemical, functional, and bio-recognition attributes, as well as the in vivo toxicity profile of the active substances in Copaxone and Synthon EU FOGA lots. These tests included quality control tests applied routinely in release of Copaxone lots, as well as additional characterization assays, gene expression studies and a rat toxicity study. Even though the Synthon FOGA was designed to copy and compete with Copaxone, the active substances were found to be similar in only 7 of the tested 14 (50%) methods (similar is defined as within approved specifications or within the inherent microheterogeneity range of tested Copaxone batches, or not showing statistically significant differences). With additional methods applied, consistent compositional differences in attributes of surface charge distribution, molecular size, and spatial arrangement were observed. These marked differences were concordantly observed with higher biological activity of some of the Synthon EU FOGA lots compared with Copaxone lots, including potency and cytotoxicity activities as well as gene expression of pathways that regulate apoptosis, IL-2, and inflammation signaling. These observations raise concerns for immunogenicity differences, particularly in (repeated) substitution settings. Another orthogonal finding demonstrated increased frequency of injection-site local toxicity observations for the Synthon EU FOGA in an in vivo daily dosing rat study, thus warranting further qualification of the link between compositional and functional differences in immunogenicity, and potential impact on long-term efficacy and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Melamed-Gal
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - P. Loupe
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - B. Timan
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - V. Weinstein
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - S. Kolitz
- Immuneering Corporation, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J. Zhang
- Immuneering Corporation, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J. Funt
- Immuneering Corporation, Boston, MA, USA
| | - A. Komlosh
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - N. Ashkenazi
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - O. Bar-Ilan
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - A. Konya
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - O. Beriozkin
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - D. Laifenfeld
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - T. Hasson
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - R. Krispin
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - T. Molotsky
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - G. Papir
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - L. Sulimani
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - B. Zeskind
- Immuneering Corporation, Boston, MA, USA
| | - P. Liu
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - S. Nock
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - M.R. Hayden
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - A. Gilbert
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
| | - I. Grossman
- Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel
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