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Peña-Díaz S, Olsen WP, Wang H, Otzen DE. Functional Amyloids: The Biomaterials of Tomorrow? ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2312823. [PMID: 38308110 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202312823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Functional amyloid (FAs), particularly the bacterial proteins CsgA and FapC, have many useful properties as biomaterials: high stability, efficient, and controllable formation of a single type of amyloid, easy availability as extracellular material in bacterial biofilm and flexible engineering to introduce new properties. CsgA in particular has already demonstrated its worth in hydrogels for stable gastrointestinal colonization and regenerative tissue engineering, cell-specific drug release, water-purification filters, and different biosensors. It also holds promise as catalytic amyloid; existing weak and unspecific activity can undoubtedly be improved by targeted engineering and benefit from the repetitive display of active sites on a surface. Unfortunately, FapC remains largely unexplored and no application is described so far. Since FapC shares many common features with CsgA, this opens the window to its development as a functional scaffold. The multiple imperfect repeats in CsgA and FapC form a platform to introduce novel properties, e.g., in connecting linkers of variable lengths. While exploitation of this potential is still at an early stage, particularly for FapC, a thorough understanding of their molecular properties will pave the way for multifunctional fibrils which can contribute toward solving many different societal challenges, ranging from CO2 fixation to hydrolysis of plastic nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Peña-Díaz
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus C, DK - 8000, Denmark
| | - William Pallisgaard Olsen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus C, DK - 8000, Denmark
| | - Huabing Wang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Clinical Laboratory Center, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Shuangyong Road 6, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Daniel E Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus C, DK - 8000, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
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Bu F, Dee DR, Liu B. Structural insight into Escherichia coli CsgA amyloid fibril assembly. mBio 2024; 15:e0041924. [PMID: 38501920 PMCID: PMC11005368 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00419-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The discovery of functional amyloids in bacteria dates back several decades, and our understanding of the Escherichia coli curli biogenesis system has gradually expanded over time. However, due to its high aggregation propensity and intrinsically disordered nature, CsgA, the main structural component of curli fibrils, has eluded comprehensive structural characterization. Recent advancements in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) offer a promising tool to achieve high-resolution structural insights into E. coli CsgA fibrils. In this study, we outline an approach to addressing the colloidal instability challenges associated with CsgA, achieved through engineering and electrostatic repulsion. Then, we present the cryo-EM structure of CsgA fibrils at 3.62 Å resolution. This structure provides new insights into the cross-β structure of E. coli CsgA. Additionally, our study identifies two distinct spatial arrangements within several CsgA fibrils, a 2-CsgA-fibril pair and a 3-CsgA-fibril bundle, shedding light on the intricate hierarchy of the biofilm extracellular matrix and laying the foundation for precise manipulation of CsgA-derived biomaterials.IMPORTANCEThe visualization of the architecture of Escherichia coli CsgA amyloid fibril has been a longstanding research question, for which a high-resolution structure is still unavailable. CsgA serves as a major subunit of curli, the primary component of the extracellular matrix generated by bacteria. The support provided by this extracellular matrix enables bacterial biofilms to resist antibiotic treatment, significantly impacting human health. CsgA has been identified in members of Enterobacteriaceae, with pathogenic E. coli being the most well-known model system. Our novel insights into the structure of E. coli CsgA protofilaments form the basis for drug design targeting diseases associated with biofilms. Additionally, CsgA is widely researched in biomaterials due to its self-assembly characteristics. The resolved spatial arrangements of CsgA amyloids revealed in our study will further enhance the precision design of functional biomaterials. Therefore, our study uniquely contributes to the understanding of CsgA amyloids for both microbiology and material science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Bu
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, USA
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Derek R. Dee
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bin Liu
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, USA
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Buchanan JA, Varghese NR, Johnston CL, Sunde M. Functional Amyloids: Where Supramolecular Amyloid Assembly Controls Biological Activity or Generates New Functionality. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:167919. [PMID: 37330295 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Functional amyloids are a rapidly expanding class of fibrillar protein structures, with a core cross-β scaffold, where novel and advantageous biological function is generated by the assembly of the amyloid. The growing number of amyloid structures determined at high resolution reveal how this supramolecular template both accommodates a wide variety of amino acid sequences and also imposes selectivity on the assembly process. The amyloid fibril can no longer be considered a generic aggregate, even when associated with disease and loss of function. In functional amyloids the polymeric β-sheet rich structure provides multiple different examples of unique control mechanisms and structures that are finely tuned to deliver assembly or disassembly in response to physiological or environmental cues. Here we review the range of mechanisms at play in natural, functional amyloids, where tight control of amyloidogenicity is achieved by environmental triggers of conformational change, proteolytic generation of amyloidogenic fragments, or heteromeric seeding and amyloid fibril stability. In the amyloid fibril form, activity can be regulated by pH, ligand binding and higher order protofilament or fibril architectures that impact the arrangement of associated domains and amyloid stability. The growing understanding of the molecular basis for the control of structure and functionality delivered by natural amyloids in nearly all life forms should inform the development of therapies for amyloid-associated diseases and guide the design of innovative biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Buchanan
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Nikhil R Varghese
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Caitlin L Johnston
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Margaret Sunde
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
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Hoppenreijs LJG, Overbeck A, Brune SE, Biedendieck R, Kwade A, Krull R, Boom RM, Keppler JK. Amyloid-like aggregation of recombinant β-lactoglobulin at pH 3.5 and 7.0: Is disulfide bond removal the key to fibrillation? Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 242:124855. [PMID: 37187417 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Functional nanofibrils from globular proteins are usually formed by heating for several hours at pH 2.0, which induces acidic hydrolysis and consecutive self-association. The functional properties of these micro-metre-long anisotropic structures are promising for biodegradable biomaterials and food applications, but their stability at pH > 2.0 is low. The results presented here show that modified β-lactoglobulin can also form nanofibrils by heating at neutral pH without prior acidic hydrolysis; the key is removing covalent disulfide bonds. The aggregation behaviour of various recombinant β-lactoglobulin variants was systemically studied at pH 3.5 and 7.0. The suppression of intra- and intermolecular disulfide bonds by eliminating one to three out of the five cysteines makes the non-covalent interactions more prevalent and allow for structural rearrangement. This stimulated the linear growth of worm-like aggregates. Full elimination of all five cysteines led to the transformation of worm-like aggregates into actual fibril structures (several hundreds of nanometres long) at pH 7.0. This understanding of the role of cysteine in protein-protein interactions will help to identify proteins and protein modifications to form functional aggregates at neutral pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loes J G Hoppenreijs
- Laboratory of Food Process Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Achim Overbeck
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Particle Technology, Volkmaroderstrasse 5, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ), Franz-Liszt-Straße 35a, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sarah E Brune
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Rebenring 56, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Microbiology, Rebenring 56, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Rebenring 56, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ), Franz-Liszt-Straße 35a, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rebekka Biedendieck
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Microbiology, Rebenring 56, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Rebenring 56, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Arno Kwade
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Particle Technology, Volkmaroderstrasse 5, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ), Franz-Liszt-Straße 35a, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rainer Krull
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Rebenring 56, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Rebenring 56, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany; Technische Universität Braunschweig, Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ), Franz-Liszt-Straße 35a, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Remko M Boom
- Laboratory of Food Process Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Julia K Keppler
- Laboratory of Food Process Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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Vendrell-Fernández S, Lozano-Picazo P, Cuadros-Sánchez P, Tejero-Ojeda MM, Giraldo R. Conversion of the OmpF Porin into a Device to Gather Amyloids on the E. coli Outer Membrane. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:655-667. [PMID: 34852197 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Protein amyloids are ubiquitous in natural environments. They typically originate from microbial secretions or spillages from mammals infected by prions, currently raising concerns about their infectivity and toxicity in contexts such as gut microbiota or soils. Exploiting the self-assembly potential of amyloids for their scavenging, here, we report the insertion of an amyloidogenic sequence stretch from a bacterial prion-like protein (RepA-WH1) in one of the extracellular loops (L5) of the abundant Escherichia coli outer membrane porin OmpF. The expression of this grafted porin enables bacterial cells to trap on their envelopes the same amyloidogenic sequence when provided as an extracellular free peptide. Conversely, when immobilized on a surface as bait, the full-length prion-like protein including the amyloidogenic peptide can catch bacteria displaying the L5-grafted OmpF. Polyphenolic molecules known to inhibit amyloid assembly interfere with peptide recognition by the engineered OmpF, indicating that this is compatible with the kind of homotypic interactions expected for amyloid assembly. Our study suggests that synthetic porins may provide suitable scaffolds for engineering biosensor and clearance devices to tackle the threat posed by pathogenic amyloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sol Vendrell-Fernández
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, National Centre for Biotechnology (CSIC), c/ Darwin 3, Campus Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Paloma Lozano-Picazo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), c/ Ramiro de Maeztu 9, Campus Moncloa, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Paula Cuadros-Sánchez
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, National Centre for Biotechnology (CSIC), c/ Darwin 3, Campus Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - María M. Tejero-Ojeda
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), c/ Ramiro de Maeztu 9, Campus Moncloa, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Giraldo
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, National Centre for Biotechnology (CSIC), c/ Darwin 3, Campus Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), c/ Ramiro de Maeztu 9, Campus Moncloa, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Mondal T, Mandal B. Proteolytic functional amyloid digests pathogenic amyloid. J Mater Chem B 2022; 10:4216-4225. [DOI: 10.1039/d2tb00640e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Although amyloids are a well-known pathological structure, functional amyloids are beneficial. Functional amyloids can be engineered to cultivate desired functionality that can destroy malicious amyloids. However, not much is known...
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Kang SY, Pokhrel A, Bratsch S, Benson JJ, Seo SO, Quin MB, Aksan A, Schmidt-Dannert C. Engineering Bacillus subtilis for the formation of a durable living biocomposite material. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7133. [PMID: 34880257 PMCID: PMC8654922 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27467-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineered living materials (ELMs) are a fast-growing area of research that combine approaches in synthetic biology and material science. Here, we engineer B. subtilis to become a living component of a silica material composed of self-assembling protein scaffolds for functionalization and cross-linking of cells. B. subtilis is engineered to display SpyTags on polar flagella for cell attachment to SpyCatcher modified secreted scaffolds. We engineer endospore limited B. subtilis cells to become a structural component of the material with spores for long-term storage of genetic programming. Silica biomineralization peptides are screened and scaffolds designed for silica polymerization to fabricate biocomposite materials with enhanced mechanical properties. We show that the resulting ELM can be regenerated from a piece of cell containing silica material and that new functions can be incorporated by co-cultivation of engineered B. subtilis strains. We believe that this work will serve as a framework for the future design of resilient ELMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun-Young Kang
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA ,grid.17635.360000000419368657BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - Anaya Pokhrel
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA ,grid.17635.360000000419368657BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - Sara Bratsch
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA ,grid.17635.360000000419368657BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - Joey J. Benson
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Seung-Oh Seo
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA ,grid.17635.360000000419368657BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - Maureen B. Quin
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA ,grid.17635.360000000419368657BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - Alptekin Aksan
- grid.17635.360000000419368657BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA ,grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Claudia Schmidt-Dannert
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. .,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
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Yuca E, Şahin Kehribar E, Şeker UÖŞ. Interaction of microbial functional amyloids with solid surfaces. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2021; 199:111547. [PMID: 33385820 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2020.111547] [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: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Self-assembling protein subunits hold great potential as biomaterials with improved functions. Among the self-assembled protein structures functional amyloids are promising unique properties such as resistance to harsh physical and chemical conditions their mechanical strength, and ease of functionalization. Curli proteins, which are functional amyloids of bacterial biofilms can be programmed as intelligent biomaterials. EXPERIMENTS In order to obtain controllable curli based biomaterials for biomedical applications, and to understand role of each of the curli forming monomeric proteins (namely CsgA and CsgB from Escherichia coli) we characterized their binding kinetics to gold, hydroxyapatite, and silica surfaces. FINDINGS We demonstrated that CsgA, CsgB, and their equimolar mixture have different binding strengths for different surfaces. On hydroxyapatite and silica surfaces, CsgB is the crucial element that determines the final adhesiveness of the CsgA-CsgB mixture. On the gold surface, on the other hand, CsgA controls the behavior of the mixture. Those findings uncover the binding behavior of curli proteins CsgA and CsgB on different biomedically valuable surfaces to obtain a more precise control on their adhesion to a targeted surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esra Yuca
- Molecular Biology and Genetics Department, Yildiz Technical University, 34210 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ebru Şahin Kehribar
- UNAM-Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, TR-06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Urartu Özgür Şafak Şeker
- UNAM-Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, TR-06800 Ankara, Turkey.
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