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Qian D, Ausserwoger H, Sneideris T, Farag M, Pappu RV, Knowles TPJ. Dominance Analysis: A formalism to uncover dominant energetic contributions to biomolecular condensate formation in multicomponent systems. bioRxiv 2024:2023.06.12.544666. [PMID: 38562796 PMCID: PMC10983860 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.12.544666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Phase separation in aqueous solutions of macromolecules is thought to underlie the generation of biomolecular condensates in cells. Condensates are membraneless bodies, representing dense, macromolecule-rich phases that coexist with the dilute, macromolecule-deficient phase. In cells, condensates comprise hundreds of different macromolecular and small molecule solutes. Do all components contribute equally or very differently to the driving forces for phase separation? Currently, we lack a coherent formalism to answer this question, a gap we remedy in this work through the introduction of a formalism we term energy dominance analysis. This approach rests on model-free analysis of shapes of the dilute arms of phase boundaries, slopes of tie lines, and changes to dilute phase concentrations in response to perturbations of concentrations of different solutes. We present the formalism that underlies dominance analysis, and establish its accuracy and flexibility by deploying it to analyse phase spaces probed in silico, in vitro , and in cellulo .
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2
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Sneideris T, Erkamp NA, Ausserwöger H, Saar KL, Welsh TJ, Qian D, Katsuya-Gaviria K, Johncock MLLY, Krainer G, Borodavka A, Knowles TPJ. Targeting nucleic acid phase transitions as a mechanism of action for antimicrobial peptides. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7170. [PMID: 37935659 PMCID: PMC10630377 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42374-4] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which combat bacterial infections by disrupting the bacterial cell membrane or interacting with intracellular targets, are naturally produced by a number of different organisms, and are increasingly also explored as therapeutics. However, the mechanisms by which AMPs act on intracellular targets are not well understood. Using machine learning-based sequence analysis, we identified a significant number of AMPs that have a strong tendency to form liquid-like condensates in the presence of nucleic acids through phase separation. We demonstrate that this phase separation propensity is linked to the effectiveness of the AMPs in inhibiting transcription and translation in vitro, as well as their ability to compact nucleic acids and form clusters with bacterial nucleic acids in bacterial cells. These results suggest that the AMP-driven compaction of nucleic acids and modulation of their phase transitions constitute a previously unrecognised mechanism by which AMPs exert their antibacterial effects. The development of antimicrobials that target nucleic acid phase transitions may become an attractive route to finding effective and long-lasting antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Sneideris
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nadia A Erkamp
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hannes Ausserwöger
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kadi L Saar
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Timothy J Welsh
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daoyuan Qian
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kai Katsuya-Gaviria
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Margaret L L Y Johncock
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Georg Krainer
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alexander Borodavka
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK.
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Ave, Cambridge, UK.
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Ausserwöger H, Krainer G, Welsh TJ, Thorsteinson N, de Csilléry E, Sneideris T, Schneider MM, Egebjerg T, Invernizzi G, Herling TW, Lorenzen N, Knowles TPJ. Surface patches induce nonspecific binding and phase separation of antibodies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2210332120. [PMID: 37011217 PMCID: PMC10104583 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210332120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonspecific interactions are a key challenge in the successful development of therapeutic antibodies. The tendency for nonspecific binding of antibodies is often difficult to reduce by rational design, and instead, it is necessary to rely on comprehensive screening campaigns. To address this issue, we performed a systematic analysis of the impact of surface patch properties on antibody nonspecificity using a designer antibody library as a model system and single-stranded DNA as a nonspecificity ligand. Using an in-solution microfluidic approach, we find that the antibodies tested bind to single-stranded DNA with affinities as high as KD = 1 µM. We show that DNA binding is driven primarily by a hydrophobic patch in the complementarity-determining regions. By quantifying the surface patches across the library, the nonspecific binding affinity is shown to correlate with a trade-off between the hydrophobic and total charged patch areas. Moreover, we show that a change in formulation conditions at low ionic strengths leads to DNA-induced antibody phase separation as a manifestation of nonspecific binding at low micromolar antibody concentrations. We highlight that phase separation is driven by a cooperative electrostatic network assembly mechanism of antibodies with DNA, which correlates with a balance between positive and negative charged patches. Importantly, our study demonstrates that both nonspecific binding and phase separation are controlled by the size of the surface patches. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of surface patches and their role in conferring antibody nonspecificity and its macroscopic manifestation in phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Ausserwöger
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Georg Krainer
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy J. Welsh
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Nels Thorsteinson
- Research and Development, Chemical Computing Group, Montreal, QuebecH3A 2R7, Canada
| | - Ella de Csilléry
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias M. Schneider
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Egebjerg
- Global Research Technologies, Novo Nordisk A/S2760Måløv, Denmark
| | | | - Therese W. Herling
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Nikolai Lorenzen
- Global Research Technologies, Novo Nordisk A/S2760Måløv, Denmark
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1EW, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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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 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [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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Erkamp NA, Oeller M, Sneideris T, Ausserwoger H, Levin A, Welsh TJ, Qi R, Qian D, Lorenzen N, Zhu H, Sormanni P, Vendruscolo M, Knowles TPJ. Multidimensional Protein Solubility Optimization with an Ultrahigh-Throughput Microfluidic Platform. Anal Chem 2023; 95:5362-5368. [PMID: 36930285 PMCID: PMC10061369 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based biologics are highly suitable for drug development as they exhibit low toxicity and high specificity for their targets. However, for therapeutic applications, biologics must often be formulated to elevated concentrations, making insufficient solubility a critical bottleneck in the drug development pipeline. Here, we report an ultrahigh-throughput microfluidic platform for protein solubility screening. In comparison with previous methods, this microfluidic platform can make, incubate, and measure samples in a few minutes, uses just 20 μg of protein (>10-fold improvement), and yields 10,000 data points (1000-fold improvement). This allows quantitative comparison of formulation excipients, such as sodium chloride, polysorbate, histidine, arginine, and sucrose. Additionally, we can measure how solubility is affected by the combinatorial effect of multiple additives, find a suitable pH for the formulation, and measure the impact of mutations on solubility, thus enabling the screening of large libraries. By reducing material and time costs, this approach makes detailed multidimensional solubility optimization experiments possible, streamlining drug development and increasing our understanding of biotherapeutic solubility and the effects of excipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia A Erkamp
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Marc Oeller
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Hannes Ausserwoger
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Aviad Levin
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Timothy J Welsh
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Runzhang Qi
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Daoyuan Qian
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Nikolai Lorenzen
- Biophysics and Injectable Formulation, Global Research Technology, Novo Nordisk A/S, 2760 Maaloev, Denmark
| | - Hongjia Zhu
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K
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6
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Ausserwöger H, Krainer G, Qian D, Welsh T, Sneideris T, Schneider MM, Invernizzi G, Herling TW, Lorenzen N, Knowles TP. Characterizing protein interactions in biomolecular phase separation. Biophys J 2023; 122:158a. [PMID: 36782735 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.11.963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Ausserwöger
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Georg Krainer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daoyuan Qian
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy Welsh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Therese W Herling
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Tuomas P Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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7
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Erkamp NA, Sneideris T, Ausserwöger H, Qian D, Qamar S, Nixon-Abell J, St George-Hyslop P, Schmit JD, Weitz DA, Knowles TPJ. Spatially non-uniform condensates emerge from dynamically arrested phase separation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:684. [PMID: 36755024 PMCID: PMC9908939 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36059-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The formation of biomolecular condensates through phase separation from proteins and nucleic acids is emerging as a spatial organisational principle used broadly by living cells. Many such biomolecular condensates are not, however, homogeneous fluids, but possess an internal structure consisting of distinct sub-compartments with different compositions. Notably, condensates can contain compartments that are depleted in the biopolymers that make up the condensate. Here, we show that such double-emulsion condensates emerge via dynamically arrested phase transitions. The combination of a change in composition coupled with a slow response to this change can lead to the nucleation of biopolymer-poor droplets within the polymer-rich condensate phase. Our findings demonstrate that condensates with a complex internal architecture can arise from kinetic, rather than purely thermodynamic driving forces, and provide more generally an avenue to understand and control the internal structure of condensates in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia A Erkamp
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Hannes Ausserwöger
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Daoyuan Qian
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Seema Qamar
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Jonathon Nixon-Abell
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Peter St George-Hyslop
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
- Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology), University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H2, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th St, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jeremy D Schmit
- Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - David A Weitz
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Ave, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK.
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Strazdaite S, Roeters SJ, Sakalauskas A, Sneideris T, Kirschner J, Pedersen KB, Schiøtt B, Jensen F, Weidner T, Smirnovas V, Niaura G. Interaction of Amyloid-β-(1-42) Peptide and Its Aggregates with Lipid/Water Interfaces Probed by Vibrational Sum-Frequency Generation Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:11208-11218. [PMID: 34597059 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c04882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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
In this study, we use surface-sensitive vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy to investigate the interaction between model lipid monolayers and Aβ(1-42) in its monomeric and aggregated states. Combining VSFG with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence measurements, we found that only small aggregates with probably a β-hairpin-like structure adsorbed to the zwitterionic lipid monolayer (DOPC). In contrast, larger aggregates with an extended β-sheet structure adsorbed to a negatively charged lipid monolayer (DOPG). The adsorption of small, initially formed aggregates strongly destabilized both monolayers, but only the DOPC monolayer was completely disrupted. We showed that the intensity of the amide-II' band in achiral (SSP) and chiral (SPP) polarization combinations increased in time when Aβ(1-42) aggregates accumulated at the DOPG monolayer. Nevertheless, almost no adsorption of preformed mature fibrils to DOPG monolayers was detected. By performing spectral VSFG calculations, we revealed a clear correlation between the amide-II' signal and the degree of amyloid aggregates (e.g., oligomers or (proto)fibrils) of various Aβ(1-42) structures. The calculations showed that only structures with a significant amyloid β-sheet content have a strong amide-II' intensity, in line with previous Raman studies. The combination of the presented results substantiates the amide-II(') band as a legitimate amyloid marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Strazdaite
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio Ave. 3, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania
| | - S J Roeters
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - A Sakalauskas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - T Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - J Kirschner
- Institute of Solid State Physics, TU Wien, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - K B Pedersen
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - B Schiøtt
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - F Jensen
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - T Weidner
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - V Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - G Niaura
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio Ave. 3, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania
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Fridmanis J, Toleikis Z, Sneideris T, Ziaunys M, Bobrovs R, Smirnovas V, Jaudzems K. Aggregation Condition-Structure Relationship of Mouse Prion Protein Fibrils. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:9635. [PMID: 34502545 PMCID: PMC8431800 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are associated with conformational conversion of cellular prion protein into a misfolded pathogenic form, which resembles many properties of amyloid fibrils. The same prion protein sequence can misfold into different conformations, which are responsible for variations in prion disease phenotypes (prion strains). In this work, we use atomic force microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and magic-angle spinning NMR to devise structural models of mouse prion protein fibrils prepared in three different denaturing conditions. We find that the fibril core region as well as the structure of its N- and C-terminal parts is almost identical between the three fibrils. In contrast, the central part differs in length of β-strands and the arrangement of charged residues. We propose that the denaturant ionic strength plays a major role in determining the structure of fibrils obtained in a particular condition by stabilizing fibril core interior-facing glutamic acid residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jēkabs Fridmanis
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
| | - Zigmantas Toleikis
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Mantas Ziaunys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Raitis Bobrovs
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (T.S.); (M.Z.); (V.S.)
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia; (J.F.); (Z.T.); (R.B.)
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Strazdaite S, Navakauskas E, Kirschner J, Sneideris T, Niaura G. Structure Determination of Hen Egg-White Lysozyme Aggregates Adsorbed to Lipid/Water and Air/Water Interfaces. Langmuir 2020; 36:4766-4775. [PMID: 32251594 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b03826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We use vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy to study the structure of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) aggregates adsorbed to DOPG/D2O and air/D2O interfaces. We find that aggregates with a parallel and antiparallel β-sheet structure together with smaller unordered aggregates and a denaturated protein are adsorbed to both interfaces. We demonstrate that to retrieve this information, fitting of the VSFG spectra is essential. The number of bands contributing to the VSFG spectrum might be misinterpreted, due to interference between peaks with opposite orientation and a nonresonant background. Our study identified hydrophobicity as the main driving force for adsorption to the air/D2O interface. Adsorption to the DOPG/D2O interface is also influenced by hydrophobic interaction; however, electrostatic interaction between the charged protein's groups and the lipid's headgroups has the most significant effect on the adsorption. We find that the intensity of the VSFG spectrum at the DOPG/D2O interface is strongly enhanced by varying the pH of the solution. We show that this change is not due to a change of lysozyme's and its aggregates' charge but due to dipole reorientation at the DOPG/D2O interface. This finding suggests that extra care must be taken when interpreting the VSFG spectrum of proteins adsorbed at the lipid/water interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Strazdaite
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio Ave. 3, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania
| | - E Navakauskas
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio Ave. 3, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania
| | - J Kirschner
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Vienna Technical University, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - T Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - G Niaura
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio Ave. 3, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania
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11
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Ziaunys M, Sneideris T, Smirnovas V. Formation of distinct prion protein amyloid fibrils under identical experimental conditions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4572. [PMID: 32165692 PMCID: PMC7067779 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61663-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils is linked to multiple neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A better understanding of the way these aggregates form is vital for the development of drugs. A large detriment to amyloid research is the ability of amyloidogenic proteins to spontaneously aggregate into multiple structurally distinct fibrils (strains) with different stability and seeding properties. In this work we show that prion proteins are capable of forming more than one type of fibril under the exact same conditions by assessing their Thioflavin T (ThT) binding ability, morphology, secondary structure, stability and seeding potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mantas Ziaunys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
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12
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Pampuscenko K, Morkuniene R, Sneideris T, Smirnovas V, Budvytyte R, Valincius G, Brown GC, Borutaite V. Extracellular tau induces microglial phagocytosis of living neurons in cell cultures. J Neurochem 2019; 154:316-329. [PMID: 31834946 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein, found at high levels in neurons, and its aggregation is associated with neurodegeneration. Recently, it was found that tau can be actively secreted from neurons, but the effects of extracellular tau on neuronal viability are unclear. In this study, we investigated whether extracellular tau2N4R can cause neurotoxicity in primary cultures of rat brain neurons and glial cells. Cell cultures were examined for neuronal loss, death, and phosphatidylserine exposure, as well as for microglial phagocytosis by fluorescence microscopy. Aggregation of tau2N4R was assessed by atomic force microscopy. We found that extracellular addition of tau induced a gradual loss of neurons over 1-2 days, without neuronal necrosis or apoptosis, but accompanied by proliferation of microglia in the neuronal-glial co-cultures. Tau addition caused exposure of the 'eat-me' signal phosphatidylserine on the surface of living neurons, and this was prevented by elimination of the microglia or by inhibition of neutral sphingomyelinase. Tau also increased the phagocytic activity of pure microglia, and this was blocked by inhibitors of neutral sphingomyelinase or protein kinase C. The neuronal loss induced by tau was prevented by inhibitors of neutral sphingomyelinase, protein kinase C or the phagocytic receptor MerTK, or by eliminating microglia from the cultures. The data suggest that extracellular tau induces primary phagocytosis of stressed neurons by activated microglia, and identifies multiple ways in which the neuronal loss induced by tau can be prevented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katryna Pampuscenko
- Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Ramune Morkuniene
- Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Rima Budvytyte
- Institute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Gintaras Valincius
- Institute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Guy C Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Vilmante Borutaite
- Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
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13
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Ziaunys M, Sneideris T, Smirnovas V. Exploring the potential of deep-blue autofluorescence for monitoring amyloid fibril formation and dissociation. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7554. [PMID: 31440437 PMCID: PMC6699583 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils has been linked to multiple neurodegenerative disorders. Determining the kinetics of fibril formation, as well as their structural stability are important for the mechanistic understanding of amyloid aggregation. Tracking both fibril association and dissociation is usually performed by measuring light scattering of the solution or fluorescence of amyloid specific dyes, such as thioflavin-T. A possible addition to these methods is the recently discovered deep-blue autofluorescence (dbAF), which is linked to amyloid formation. In this work we explore the potential of this phenomenon to monitor amyloid fibril formation and dissociation, as well as show its possible relation to fibril size rather than amyloid structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mantas Ziaunys
- Vilnius University, Life Sciences Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Vilnius University, Life Sciences Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Vilnius University, Life Sciences Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
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14
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Abstract
NaCl induces formation of insulin tetramers leading to inhibition of amyloid formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mantas Ziaunys
- Institute of Biotechnology
- Life Sciences Center
- Vilnius University
- LT-10257 Vilnius
- Lithuania
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Institute of Biotechnology
- Life Sciences Center
- Vilnius University
- LT-10257 Vilnius
- Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Institute of Biotechnology
- Life Sciences Center
- Vilnius University
- LT-10257 Vilnius
- Lithuania
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15
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Sneideris T, Milto K, Smirnovas V. Polymorphism of amyloid-like fibrils can be defined by the concentration of seeds. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1207. [PMID: 26355941 PMCID: PMC4563235 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are infectious proteins where the same protein may express distinct strains. The strains are enciphered by different misfolded conformations. Strain-like phenomena have also been reported in a number of other amyloid-forming proteins. One of the features of amyloid strains is the ability to self-propagate, maintaining a constant set of physical properties despite being propagated under conditions different from those that allowed initial formation of the strain. Here we report a cross-seeding experiment using strains formed under different conditions. Using high concentrations of seeds results in rapid elongation and new fibrils preserve the properties of the seeding fibrils. At low seed concentrations, secondary nucleation plays the major role and new fibrils gain properties predicted by the environment rather than the structure of the seeds. Our findings could explain conformational switching between amyloid strains observed in a wide variety of in vivo and in vitro experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Sneideris
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Vilnius University, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Katažyna Milto
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Vilnius University, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Vilnius University, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
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