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Grewal A, Sheokand D, Saini V, Kumar A. Molecular docking analysis of α-Synuclein aggregation with Anle138b. Bioinformation 2024; 20:217-222. [PMID: 38711999 PMCID: PMC11069604 DOI: 10.6026/973206300200217] [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: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
α-Synuclein aggregation into toxic oligomeric species is central to Parkinson's disease pathogenesis. Anle138b is a recently identified inhibitor of α-synuclein oligomerization showing promise in preclinical studies. This study employed computational approaches to elucidate Anle138b's mechanism of oligomer-specific action. The inhibitory potential of Anle138b against α-synuclein oligomers was evaluated by performing molecular docking studies using AutoDock Tools, followed by their binding pocket analysis. Further, protein-protein docking studies were performed using Hex8.0 to validate the aggregation inhibitory potential of Anle138b. Molecular docking revealed increasing binding affinity of Anle138b against higher order α-synuclein oligomers (dimer to decamer). Anle138b occupied oligomeric cavity and interacted with residues Thr54, Gly73, Val74 and Thr75 across several oligomers. Protein-protein docking showed that Anle138b interferes with α-synuclein decamer formation. These results highlight the oligomer-directed inhibitory mechanism of Anle138b, without hindering the monomeric forms and provide molecular insights to advance its therapeutic development for Parkinson's and related synucleinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annu Grewal
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
| | - Deepak Sheokand
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
| | - Vandana Saini
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
| | - Ajit Kumar
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
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Khatooni Z, Akhtari K, Wilson HL. Conformational dynamics of α-synuclein and study of its intramolecular forces in the presence of selected compounds. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19020. [PMID: 37923923 PMCID: PMC10624887 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46181-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation play crucial roles in amyloidogenic diseases through the self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in type II diabetes (T2D), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is the most common neurodegenerative disorder after AD, and is associated with the loss of dopaminergic signaling, which causes motor and nonmotor signs and symptoms. Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites are common pathological hallmarks of PD that are mainly composed of aggregates of disordered α-synuclein (α-Syn). There have been many efforts to develop chemical compounds to prevent aggregation or facilitate disruption of the aggregates. Furthermore, the roles and interactions of many compounds have yet to be revealed at the atomistic level, especially their impacts on the dynamics and chain-chain interactions of the oligomers, which are of interest in this study. The conformational diversity and detailed interactions among homo-oligomer chains of α-Syn are not fully discovered; identifying these might help uncover a practical approach to developing a potent therapy. In this study, we used an in-silico investigation to address the conformational diversity of α-Syn oligomer. The roles of several point mutations in protein aggregation in PD are known; we take this further by evaluating the interaction energies and contributions of all residues in stability and residue-chain interactions. In this study, we docked chemical derivatives of three compounds with high drug-likeness properties to evaluate the roles of our ligands in the conformational dynamicity of the oligomers, with emphasis on intramolecular forces. Free energy evaluation of the modeled inter and intramolecular interactions through MD simulation shows effective interaction and binding between α-Syn and our compounds. However, we find that they do not significantly disrupt the chain-chain interactions, compared to unliganded simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahed Khatooni
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E3, Canada.
| | - Keivan Akhtari
- Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, P.O. Box 416, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Heather L Wilson
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E3, Canada
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
- School of Public Health, Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Program, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
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Tyler S, Laforge C, Guzzo A, Nicolaï A, Maisuradze GG, Senet P. Einstein Model of a Graph to Characterize Protein Folded/Unfolded States. Molecules 2023; 28:6659. [PMID: 37764437 PMCID: PMC10536427 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28186659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The folded structures of proteins can be accurately predicted by deep learning algorithms from their amino-acid sequences. By contrast, in spite of decades of research studies, the prediction of folding pathways and the unfolded and misfolded states of proteins, which are intimately related to diseases, remains challenging. A two-state (folded/unfolded) description of protein folding dynamics hides the complexity of the unfolded and misfolded microstates. Here, we focus on the development of simplified order parameters to decipher the complexity of disordered protein structures. First, we show that any connected, undirected, and simple graph can be associated with a linear chain of atoms in thermal equilibrium. This analogy provides an interpretation of the usual topological descriptors of a graph, namely the Kirchhoff index and Randić resistance, in terms of effective force constants of a linear chain. We derive an exact relation between the Kirchhoff index and the average shortest path length for a linear graph and define the free energies of a graph using an Einstein model. Second, we represent the three-dimensional protein structures by connected, undirected, and simple graphs. As a proof of concept, we compute the topological descriptors and the graph free energies for an all-atom molecular dynamics trajectory of folding/unfolding events of the proteins Trp-cage and HP-36 and for the ensemble of experimental NMR models of Trp-cage. The present work shows that the local, nonlocal, and global force constants and free energies of a graph are promising tools to quantify unfolded/disordered protein states and folding/unfolding dynamics. In particular, they allow the detection of transient misfolded rigid states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Tyler
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR CNRS 6303, Université de Bourgogne, 21078 Dijon CEDEX, France
| | - Christophe Laforge
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR CNRS 6303, Université de Bourgogne, 21078 Dijon CEDEX, France
| | - Adrien Guzzo
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR CNRS 6303, Université de Bourgogne, 21078 Dijon CEDEX, France
| | - Adrien Nicolaï
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR CNRS 6303, Université de Bourgogne, 21078 Dijon CEDEX, France
| | - Gia G. Maisuradze
- Baker Laboratory of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Patrick Senet
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR CNRS 6303, Université de Bourgogne, 21078 Dijon CEDEX, France
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Arar S, Haque MA, Kayed R. Protein aggregation and neurodegenerative disease: Structural outlook for the novel therapeutics. Proteins 2023:10.1002/prot.26561. [PMID: 37530227 PMCID: PMC10834863 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Before the controversial approval of humanized monoclonal antibody lecanemab, which binds to the soluble amyloid-β protofibrils, all the treatments available earlier, for Alzheimer's disease (AD) were symptomatic. The researchers are still struggling to find a breakthrough in AD therapeutic medicine, which is partially attributable to lack in understanding of the structural information associated with the intrinsically disordered proteins and amyloids. One of the major challenges in this area of research is to understand the structural diversity of intrinsically disordered proteins under in vitro conditions. Therefore, in this review, we have summarized the in vitro applications of biophysical methods, which are aimed to shed some light on the heterogeneity, pathogenicity, structures and mechanisms of the intrinsically disordered protein aggregates associated with proteinopathies including AD. This review will also rationalize some of the strategies in modulating disease-relevant pathogenic protein entities by small molecules using structural biology approaches and biophysical characterization. We have also highlighted tools and techniques to simulate the in vivo conditions for native and cytotoxic tau/amyloids assemblies, urge new chemical approaches to replicate tau/amyloids assemblies similar to those in vivo conditions, in addition to designing novel potential drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharif Arar
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555, USA
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | - Md Anzarul Haque
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, 77555, USA
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de Bruyn E, Dorn AE, Zimmermann O, Rossetti G. SPEADI: Accelerated Analysis of IDP-Ion Interactions from MD-Trajectories. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040581. [PMID: 37106781 PMCID: PMC10135740 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
The disordered nature of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) makes their structural ensembles particularly susceptible to changes in chemical environmental conditions, often leading to an alteration of their normal functions. A Radial Distribution Function (RDF) is considered a standard method for characterizing the chemical environment surrounding particles during atomistic simulations, commonly averaged over an entire or part of a trajectory. Given their high structural variability, such averaged information might not be reliable for IDPs. We introduce the Time-Resolved Radial Distribution Function (TRRDF), implemented in our open-source Python package SPEADI, which is able to characterize dynamic environments around IDPs. We use SPEADI to characterize the dynamic distribution of ions around the IDPs Alpha-Synuclein (AS) and Humanin (HN) from Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, and some of their selected mutants, showing that local ion-residue interactions play an important role in the structures and behaviors of IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emile de Bruyn
- Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
| | - Anton Emil Dorn
- Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
| | - Olav Zimmermann
- Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Giulia Rossetti
- Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Computational Biomedicine, Institute for Advanced Simulation IAS-5 and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
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Sánchez-Vidaña DI, Li J, Abokyi S, Chan JNM, Ngai SPC, Lau BWM. In vitro methods in autophagy research: Applications in neurodegenerative diseases and mood disorders. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1168948. [PMID: 37122628 PMCID: PMC10130388 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1168948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Autophagy is a conserved physiological intracellular mechanism responsible for the degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic constituents (e.g., damaged organelles, and protein aggregates) to maintain cell homeostasis. Aberrant autophagy has been observed in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's Disease (HD), and recently aberrant autophagy has been associated with mood disorders, such as depression. Several in vitro methods have been developed to study the complex and tightly regulated mechanisms of autophagy. In vitro methods applied to autophagy research are used to identify molecular key players involved in dysfunctional autophagy and to screen autophagy regulators with therapeutic applications in neurological diseases and mood disorders. Therefore, the aims of this narrative review are (1) to compile information on the cell-based methods used in autophagy research, (2) to discuss their application, and (3) to create a catalog of traditional and novel in vitro methods applied in neurodegenerative diseases and depression. Methods Pubmed and Google Scholar were used to retrieve relevant in vitro studies on autophagy mechanisms in neurological diseases and depression using a combination of search terms per mechanism and disease (e.g., "macroautophagy" and "Alzheimer's disease"). A total of 37 studies were included (14 in PD, 8 in AD, 5 in ALS, 5 in %, and 5 in depression). Results A repertoire of traditional and novel approaches and techniques was compiled and discussed. The methods used in autophagy research focused on the mechanisms of macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy. The in vitro tools presented in this review can be applied to explore pathophysiological mechanisms at a molecular level and to screen for potential therapeutic agents and their mechanism of action, which can be of great importance to understanding disease biology and potential therapeutic options in the context of neurodegenerative disorders and depression. Conclusion This is the first review to compile, discuss, and provide a catalog of traditional and novel in vitro models applied to neurodegenerative disorders and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalinda Isabel Sánchez-Vidaña
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Mental Health Research Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Dalinda Isabel Sánchez-Vidaña, ;
| | - Jingjing Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Samuel Abokyi
- School of Optometry, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jackie Ngai-Man Chan
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shirley Pui-Ching Ngai
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Benson Wui-Man Lau
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Mental Health Research Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Korneev A, Begun A, Liubimov S, Kachlishvili K, Molochkov A, Niemi AJ, Maisuradze GG. Exploring Structural Flexibility and Stability of α-Synuclein by the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Approach. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:6878-6890. [PMID: 36053833 PMCID: PMC9482328 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
α-Synuclein (αS) is the principal protein component of the Lewy body and Lewy neurite deposits that are found in the brains of the victims of one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson's disease. αS can be qualified as a chameleon protein because of the large number of different conformations that it is able to adopt: it is disordered under physiological conditions in solution, in equilibrium with a minor α-helical tetrameric form in the cytoplasm, and is α-helical when bound to a cell membrane. Also, in vitro, αS forms polymorphic amyloid fibrils with unique arrangements of cross-β-sheet motifs. Therefore, it is of interest to elucidate the origins of the structural flexibility of αS and what makes αS stable in different conformations. We address these questions here by analyzing the experimental structures of the micelle-bound, tetrameric, and fibrillar αS in terms of a kink (heteroclinic standing wave solution) of a generalized discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. It is illustrated that without molecular dynamics simulations the kinks are capable of identifying the key residues causing structural flexibility of αS. Also, the stability of the experimental structures of αS is investigated by simulating heating/cooling trajectories using the Glauber algorithm. The findings are consistent with experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anatolii Korneev
- Pacific Quantum Center, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Alexander Begun
- Pacific Quantum Center, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Sergei Liubimov
- Pacific Quantum Center, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Khatuna Kachlishvili
- Baker Laboratory of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, U. S. A
| | - Alexander Molochkov
- Pacific Quantum Center, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Antti J. Niemi
- Pacific Quantum Center, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922, Vladivostok, Russia
- Nordita, Stockholm University and Uppsala University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Laboratoire de Mathematiques et Physique Theorique CNRS UMR 6083, Fédération Denis Poisson, Université de Tours, F37200, Tours, France
- School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
| | - Gia G. Maisuradze
- Baker Laboratory of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, U. S. A
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