1
|
Mebrahtu A, Aniander G, Mega A, Moradi Barzadd M, Berndt Thalén N, Gudmundsdotter L, Backström Rydin E, Sandegren A, Frejd FY, Rockberg J. Co-culture platform for tuning of cancer receptor density allows for evaluation of bispecific immune cell engagers. N Biotechnol 2024; 79:120-126. [PMID: 38159596 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2023.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy, where a patient's immune system is harnessed to eradicate cancer cells selectively, is a leading strategy for cancer treatment. However, successes with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are hampered by reported systemic and organ-specific toxicities and by two-thirds of the patients being non-responders or subsequently acquiring resistance to approved ICIs. Hence substantial efforts are invested in discovering novel targeted immunotherapies aimed at reduced side-effects and improved potency. One way is utilizing the dual targeting feature of bispecific antibodies, which have made them increasingly popular for cancer immunotherapy. Easy and predictive screening methods for activation ranking of candidate drugs in tumor contra non-tumor environments are however lacking. Herein, we present a cell-based assay mimicking the tumor microenvironment by co-culturing B cells with engineered human embryonic kidney 293 T cells (HEK293T), presenting a controllable density of platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ). A target density panel with three different surface protein levels on HEK293T cells was established by genetic constructs carrying regulatory elements limiting RNA translation of PDGFRβ. We employed a bispecific antibody-affibody construct called an AffiMab capable of binding PDGFRβ on cancer cells and CD40 expressed by B cells as a model. Specific activation of CD40-mediated signaling of immune cells was demonstrated with the two highest receptor-expressing cell lines, Level 2/3 and Level 4, while low-to-none in the low-expressing cell lines. The concept of receptor tuning and the presented co-culture protocol may be of general utility for assessing and developing novel bi-specific antibodies for immuno-oncology applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aman Mebrahtu
- KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Dept. of Protein Science, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gustav Aniander
- KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Dept. of Protein Science, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alessandro Mega
- Affibody Medical AB, Scheeles väg 2, SE-171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Mona Moradi Barzadd
- KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Dept. of Protein Science, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niklas Berndt Thalén
- KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Dept. of Protein Science, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Anna Sandegren
- Affibody Medical AB, Scheeles väg 2, SE-171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Y Frejd
- Affibody Medical AB, Scheeles väg 2, SE-171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Johan Rockberg
- KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Dept. of Protein Science, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Thalén NB, Barzadd MM, Lundqvist M, Rodhe J, Andersson M, Bidkhori G, Possner D, Su C, Nilsson J, Eisenhut P, Malm M, Karlsson A, Vestin J, Forsberg J, Nordling E, Mardinoglu A, Volk AL, Sandegren A, Rockberg J. Tuning of CHO secretional machinery improve activity of secreted therapeutic sulfatase 150-fold. Metab Eng 2024; 81:157-166. [PMID: 38081506 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Rare diseases are, despite their name, collectively common and millions of people are affected daily of conditions where treatment often is unavailable. Sulfatases are a large family of activating enzymes related to several of these diseases. Heritable genetic variations in sulfatases may lead to impaired activity and a reduced macromolecular breakdown within the lysosome, with several severe and lethal conditions as a consequence. While therapeutic options are scarce, treatment for some sulfatase deficiencies by recombinant enzyme replacement are available. The recombinant production of such sulfatases suffers greatly from both low product activity and yield, further limiting accessibility for patient groups. To mitigate the low product activity, we have investigated cellular properties through computational evaluation of cultures with varying media conditions and comparison of two CHO clones with different levels of one active sulfatase variant. Transcriptome analysis identified 18 genes in secretory pathways correlating with increased sulfatase production. Experimental validation by upregulation of a set of three key genes improved the specific enzymatic activity at varying degree up to 150-fold in another sulfatase variant, broadcasting general production benefits. We also identified a correlation between product mRNA levels and sulfatase activity that generated an increase in sulfatase activity when expressed with a weaker promoter. Furthermore, we suggest that our proposed workflow for resolving bottlenecks in cellular machineries, to be useful for improvements of cell factories for other biologics as well.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Berndt Thalén
- Dept. of Protein science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Mona Moradi Barzadd
- Dept. of Protein science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Magnus Lundqvist
- Dept. of Protein science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | | | | | - Gholamreza Bidkhori
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, 171 65, Sweden; AIVIVO Ltd. Unit 25, Bio-innovation centre, Cambridge Science park, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Chao Su
- SOBI AB, Tomtebodavägen 23A, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Peter Eisenhut
- ACIB - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria; BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Vienna, 1190, Austria
| | - Magdalena Malm
- Dept. of Protein science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Alice Karlsson
- Dept. of Protein science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Adil Mardinoglu
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Anna-Luisa Volk
- Dept. of Protein science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | | | - Johan Rockberg
- Dept. of Protein science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mega A, Mebrahtu A, Aniander G, Ryer E, Sköld A, Sandegren A, Backström Rydin E, Rockberg J, Östman A, Frejd FY. A PDGFRB- and CD40-targeting bispecific AffiMab induces stroma-targeted immune cell activation. MAbs 2023; 15:2223750. [PMID: 37332119 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2223750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
CD40 agonism by systemic administration of CD40 monoclonal antibodies has been explored in clinical trials for immunotherapy of cancer, uncovering enormous potential, but also dosing challenges in terms of systemic toxicity. CD40-dependent activation of antigen presenting cells is dependent on crosslinking of the CD40 receptor. Here we exploited this requisite by coupling crosslinking to cancer-receptor density by dual-targeting of CD40 and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB), which is highly expressed in the stroma of various types of tumors. A novel PDGFRBxCD40 Fc-silenced bispecific AffiMab was developed to this end to test whether it is possible to activate CD40 in a PDGFRB-targeted manner. A PDGFRB-binding Affibody molecule was fused to each heavy chain of an Fc-silenced CD40 agonistic monoclonal antibody to obtain a bispecific "AffiMab". Binding of the AffiMab to both PDGFRB and CD40 was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance, bio-layer interferometry and flow cytometry, through analysis of cells expressing respective target. In a reporter assay, the AffiMab displayed increased CD40 potency in the presence of PDGFRB-conjugated beads, in a manner dependent on PDGFRB amount/bead. To test the concept in immunologically relevant systems with physiological levels of CD40 expression, the AffiMab was tested in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) and B cells. Expression of activation markers was increased in moDCs specifically in the presence of PDGFRB-conjugated beads upon AffiMab treatment, while the Fc-silenced CD40 mAb did not stimulate CD40 activation. As expected, the AffiMab did not activate moDCs in the presence of unconjugated beads. Finally, in a co-culture experiment, the AffiMab activated moDCs and B cells in the presence of PDGFRB-expressing cells, but not in co-cultures with PDGFRB-negative cells. Collectively, these results suggest the possibility to activate CD40 in a PDGFRB-targeted manner in vitro. This encourages further investigation and the development of such an approach for the treatment of solid cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Mega
- Department of Science and Product Development, Affibody Medical AB, Solna, Sweden
- School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aman Mebrahtu
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gustav Aniander
- School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eva Ryer
- Department of Science and Product Development, Affibody Medical AB, Solna, Sweden
| | - Annette Sköld
- Department of Science and Product Development, Affibody Medical AB, Solna, Sweden
| | - Anna Sandegren
- Department of Science and Product Development, Affibody Medical AB, Solna, Sweden
| | - Eva Backström Rydin
- Department of Science and Product Development, Affibody Medical AB, Solna, Sweden
| | - Johan Rockberg
- School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arne Östman
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Y Frejd
- Department of Science and Product Development, Affibody Medical AB, Solna, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gast V, Sandegren A, Dunås F, Ekblad S, Güler R, Thorén S, Tous Mohedano M, Molin M, Engqvist MKM, Siewers V. Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the production and secretion of Affibody molecules. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:36. [PMID: 35264156 PMCID: PMC8905840 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01761-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Affibody molecules are synthetic peptides with a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. To date, Affibody molecules have mainly been produced by the bacterial production host Escherichia coli. There is an interest in exploring alternative production hosts to identify potential improvements in terms of yield, ease of production and purification advantages. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a production chassis for this group of proteins. Results We examined the production of three different Affibody molecules in S. cerevisiae and found that these Affibody molecules were partially degraded. An albumin-binding domain, which may be attached to the Affibody molecules to increase their half-life, was identified to be a substrate for several S. cerevisiae proteases. We tested the removal of three vacuolar proteases, proteinase A, proteinase B and carboxypeptidase Y. Removal of one of these, proteinase A, resulted in intact secretion of one of the targeted Affibody molecules. Removal of either or both of the two additional proteases, carboxypeptidase Y and proteinase B, resulted in intact secretion of the two remaining Affibody molecules. The produced Affibody molecules were verified to bind their target, human HER3, as potently as the corresponding molecules produced in E. coli in an in vitro surface-plasmon resonance binding assay. Finally, we performed a fed-batch fermentation with one of the engineered protease-deficient S. cerevisiae strains and achieved a protein titer of 530 mg Affibody molecule/L. Conclusion This study shows that engineered S. cerevisiae has a great potential as a production host for recombinant Affibody molecules, reaching a high titer, and for proteins where endotoxin removal could be challenging, the use of S. cerevisiae obviates the need for endotoxin removal from protein produced in E. coli. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-022-01761-0.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Gast
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Marta Tous Mohedano
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mikael Molin
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Martin K M Engqvist
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Verena Siewers
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. .,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hendrikse NM, Sandegren A, Andersson T, Blomqvist J, Makower Å, Possner D, Su C, Thalén N, Tjernberg A, Westermark U, Rockberg J, Svensson Gelius S, Syrén PO, Nordling E. Ancestral lysosomal enzymes with increased activity harbor therapeutic potential for treatment of Hunter syndrome. iScience 2021; 24:102154. [PMID: 33665572 PMCID: PMC7907806 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We show the successful application of ancestral sequence reconstruction to enhance the activity of iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS), thereby increasing its therapeutic potential for the treatment of Hunter syndrome—a lysosomal storage disease caused by impaired function of IDS. Current treatment, enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant human IDS, does not alleviate all symptoms, and an unmet medical need remains. We reconstructed putative ancestral sequences of mammalian IDS and compared them with extant IDS. Some ancestral variants displayed up to 2-fold higher activity than human IDS in in vitro assays and cleared more substrate in ex vivo experiments in patient fibroblasts. This could potentially allow for lower dosage or enhanced therapeutic effect in enzyme replacement therapy, thereby improving treatment outcomes and cost efficiency, as well as reducing treatment burden. In summary, we showed that ancestral sequence reconstruction can be applied to lysosomal enzymes that function in concert with modern enzymes and receptors in cells. Reconstruction of ancestral lysosomal enzymes that function in complex cellular context Ancestral iduronate-2-sulfatases with increased activity compared with the human enzyme Increased clearance of substrate in patient fibroblasts indicates therapeutic potential
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie M. Hendrikse
- Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB, Stockholm 112 76, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna 171 21, Sweden
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 100 44, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Åsa Makower
- Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB, Stockholm 112 76, Sweden
| | | | - Chao Su
- Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB, Stockholm 112 76, Sweden
| | - Niklas Thalén
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | | | | | - Johan Rockberg
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | | | - Per-Olof Syrén
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna 171 21, Sweden
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 100 44, Sweden
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
- Corresponding author
| | - Erik Nordling
- Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB, Stockholm 112 76, Sweden
- Corresponding author
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Eisenhut P, Mebrahtu A, Moradi Barzadd M, Thalén N, Klanert G, Weinguny M, Sandegren A, Su C, Hatton D, Borth N, Rockberg J. Systematic use of synthetic 5'-UTR RNA structures to tune protein translation improves yield and quality of complex proteins in mammalian cell factories. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:e119. [PMID: 33051690 PMCID: PMC7672427 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Predictably regulating protein expression levels to improve recombinant protein production has become an important tool, but is still rarely applied to engineer mammalian cells. We therefore sought to set-up an easy-to-implement toolbox to facilitate fast and reliable regulation of protein expression in mammalian cells by introducing defined RNA hairpins, termed 'regulation elements (RgE)', in the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) to impact translation efficiency. RgEs varying in thermodynamic stability, GC-content and position were added to the 5'-UTR of a fluorescent reporter gene. Predictable translation dosage over two orders of magnitude in mammalian cell lines of hamster and human origin was confirmed by flow cytometry. Tuning heavy chain expression of an IgG with the RgEs to various levels eventually resulted in up to 3.5-fold increased titers and fewer IgG aggregates and fragments in CHO cells. Co-expression of a therapeutic Arylsulfatase-A with RgE-tuned levels of the required helper factor SUMF1 demonstrated that the maximum specific sulfatase activity was already attained at lower SUMF1 expression levels, while specific production rates steadily decreased with increasing helper expression. In summary, we show that defined 5'-UTR RNA-structures represent a valid tool to systematically tune protein expression levels in mammalian cells and eventually help to optimize recombinant protein expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Eisenhut
- ACIB Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
- BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Aman Mebrahtu
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Protein Science, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mona Moradi Barzadd
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Protein Science, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niklas Thalén
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Protein Science, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gerald Klanert
- ACIB Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Marcus Weinguny
- ACIB Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
- BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Anna Sandegren
- Affibody Medical AB, Scheeles väg 2, SE-171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Chao Su
- SOBI AB, Tomtebodavägen 23A, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Diane Hatton
- AstraZeneca, Biopharmaceutical Development, Milstein Building, Granta Park, Cambridge CB21 6GH, UK
| | - Nicole Borth
- ACIB Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
- BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Johan Rockberg
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Protein Science, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Pratim Bose P, Chatterjee U, Nerelius C, Govender T, Norström T, Gogoll A, Sandegren A, Göthelid E, Johansson J, Arvidsson PI. Poly-N-methylated amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) C-terminal fragments reduce Abeta toxicity in vitro and in Drosophila melanogaster. J Med Chem 2010; 52:8002-9. [PMID: 19908889 DOI: 10.1021/jm901092h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), an age related neurodegenerative disorder, threatens to become a major health-economic problem. Assembly of 40- or 42-residue amyloid beta-peptides (Abeta) into neurotoxic oligo-/polymeric beta-sheet structures is an important pathogenic feature in AD, thus, inhibition of this process has been explored to prevent or treat AD. The C-terminal part plays an important role in Abeta aggregation, but most Abeta aggregation inhibitors have targeted the central region around residues 16-23. Herein, we synthesized hexapeptides with varying extents of N-methylation based on residues 32-37 of Abeta, to target its C-terminal region. We measured the peptides' abilities to retard beta-sheet and fibril formation of Abeta and to reduce Abeta neurotoxicity. A penta-N-methylated peptide was more efficient than peptides with 0, 2, or 3 N-methyl groups. This penta-N-methylated peptide moreover increased life span and locomotor activity in Drosophila melanogaster flies overexpressing human Abeta(1-42).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Partha Pratim Bose
- Department of Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Nerelius C, Johansson J, Sandegren A. Amyloid beta-peptide aggregation. What does it result in and how can it be prevented? Front Biosci (Landmark Ed) 2009; 14:1716-29. [PMID: 19273157 DOI: 10.2741/3335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Polymerisation of the amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) gives rise to oligomers and amyloid fibrils, processes that generate cytotoxic assemblies and are associated with neuronal dystrophy and development of Alzheimer's disease. The relationship between Abeta aggregation and the development of Alzheimer's disease has resulted in immense efforts to find ways to prevent it. In spite of this, therapeutic approaches with proven clinical efficacy remain to be identified. The lack of success so far probably stem from a combination of factors. The details of the Abeta aggregation process (es) are not known, in particular several oligomeric forms have been identified but are not yet defined at a molecular level, Abeta is structurally polymorphic which complicate identification of compounds that bind selectively and strongly, and it is not settled which Abeta species is the main disease causing agent. Herein we review current knowledge about monomeric, oligomeric and polymeric Abeta, and discuss ongoing attempts to identify aggregation inhibitors and problems associated therewith.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Nerelius
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Biomedical Centre, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | |
Collapse
|