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Wu Y, Chen Y, Yu X, Zhang M, Li Z. Towards Understanding Neurodegenerative Diseases: Insights from Caenorhabditis elegans. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:443. [PMID: 38203614 PMCID: PMC10778690 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010443] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The elevated occurrence of debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease (HD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), demands urgent disease-modifying therapeutics. Owing to the evolutionarily conserved molecular signalling pathways with mammalian species and facile genetic manipulation, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) emerges as a powerful and manipulative model system for mechanistic insights into neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we review several representative C. elegans models established for five common neurodegenerative diseases, which closely simulate disease phenotypes specifically in the gain-of-function aspect. We exemplify applications of high-throughput genetic and drug screenings to illustrate the potential of C. elegans to probe novel therapeutic targets. This review highlights the utility of C. elegans as a comprehensive and versatile platform for the dissection of neurodegenerative diseases at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Zhaoyu Li
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (Y.W.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.); (M.Z.)
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Zhaliazka K, Kurouski D. Nanoscale imaging of individual amyloid aggregates extracted from brains of Alzheimer and Parkinson patients reveals presence of lipids in α-synuclein but not in amyloid β 1-42 fibrils. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4598. [PMID: 36823759 PMCID: PMC10019452 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4598] [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: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Abrupt aggregation of misfolded proteins is the underlying molecular cause of Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD). Both AD and PD are severe pathologies that affect millions of people around the world. A small 42 amino acid long peptide, known as amyloid β (Aβ), aggregates in the frontal cortex of AD patients forming oligomers and fibrils, highly toxic protein aggregates that cause progressive neuron death. Similar aggregates of α-synuclein (α-Syn), a small protein that facilitates neurotransmitter release, are observed in the midbrain, hypothalamus, and thalamus of people with PD. In this study, we utilized the innovative nano-Infrared imaging technique to investigate the structural organization of individual Aβ and α-syn fibrils postmortem extracted from brains of AD and PD patients, respectively. We observed two morphologically different Aβ and α-Syn fibril polymorphs in each patient's brain. One had twisted topology, whereas another exhibited flat tape-like morphology. We found that both polymorphs shared the same parallel β-sheet-dominated secondary structure. These findings suggested that both fibril polymorphs were built from structurally similar if not identical filaments that coiled forming twisted fibrils or associated side-by-side in the case of straight Aβ and α-Syn fibrils. Nano-Infrared analysis of individual protein aggregates also revealed the presence of lipids in the structure of both twisted and tape-like α-Syn fibrils that were not observed in any of the Aβ fibril polymorphs. These findings demonstrate that lipid membranes can play a critically important role in the onset and progression of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiryl Zhaliazka
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
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Zhaliazka K, Matveyenka M, Kurouski D. Lipids uniquely alter the secondary structure and toxicity of amyloid beta 1-42 aggregates. FEBS J 2023. [PMID: 36705524 PMCID: PMC10389563 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [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: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Abrupt aggregation of amyloid β1-42 (Aβ) peptide is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a severe pathology that affects more than 44 million people worldwide. A growing body of evidence suggests that lipids can uniquely alter rates of Aβ1-42 aggregation. However, it remains unclear whether lipids only alter rates of protein aggregation or also uniquely modify the secondary structure and toxicity of Aβ1-42 oligomers and fibrils. In this study, we investigated the effect of phosphatidylcholine (PC), cardiolipin (CL), and cholesterol (Chol) on Aβ1-42 aggregation. We found that PC, CL and Chol strongly accelerated the rate of fibril formation compared to the rate of Aβ1-42 aggregation in the lipid-free environment. Furthermore, anionic CL enabled the strongest acceleration of Aβ1-42 aggregation compared to zwitterionic PC and uncharged Chol. We also found that PC, CL and Chol uniquely altered the secondary structure of early-, middle- and late-stage Aβ1-42 aggregates. Specifically, CL and Chol drastically increased the amount of parallel β-sheet in Aβ1-42 oligomers and fibrils grown in the presence of these lipids. This caused a significant increase in the toxicity of Aβ : CL and Aβ : Chol compared to the toxicity of Aβ : PC and Aβ1-42 aggregates formed in the lipid-free environment. These results demonstrate that toxicity of Aβ aggregates correlates with the amount of their β-sheet content, which, in turn, is determined by the chemical structure of lipids present at the stage of Aβ1-42 aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiryl Zhaliazka
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Mikhail Matveyenka
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Dmitry Kurouski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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Bahri S, Silvers R, Michael B, Jaudzems K, Lalli D, Casano G, Ouari O, Lesage A, Pintacuda G, Linse S, Griffin RG. 1H detection and dynamic nuclear polarization-enhanced NMR of Aβ 1-42 fibrils. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2114413119. [PMID: 34969859 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114413119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) is the subject of intense scrutiny because of its close association with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which currently afflicts about 50 million people worldwide. The results reported in this manuscript focus on the new possibilities provided by ultrafast magic-angle spinning (MAS) 1H detection and fast-MAS dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which have ushered in a new era for NMR-based structural biology, but whose potential has not yet been fully exploited for the structural investigation of complex amyloid assemblies. This work demonstrates the expeditious structural analysis of amyloid fibrils, without requiring preparation of large sample amounts, and sets the stage for future studies of unlabeled AD peptides derived from tissue samples available in limited quantities. Several publications describing high-resolution structures of amyloid-β (Aβ) and other fibrils have demonstrated that magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy is an ideal tool for studying amyloids at atomic resolution. Nonetheless, MAS NMR suffers from low sensitivity, requiring relatively large amounts of samples and extensive signal acquisition periods, which in turn limits the questions that can be addressed by atomic-level spectroscopic studies. Here, we show that these drawbacks are removed by utilizing two relatively recent additions to the repertoire of MAS NMR experiments—namely, 1H detection and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). We show resolved and sensitive two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) correlations obtained on 13C,15N-enriched, and fully protonated samples of M0Aβ1-42 fibrils by high-field 1H-detected NMR at 23.4 T and 18.8 T, and 13C-detected DNP MAS NMR at 18.8 T. These spectra enable nearly complete resonance assignment of the core of M0Aβ1-42 (K16-A42) using submilligram sample quantities, as well as the detection of numerous unambiguous internuclear proximities defining both the structure of the core and the arrangement of the different monomers. An estimate of the sensitivity of the two approaches indicates that the DNP experiments are currently ∼6.5 times more sensitive than 1H detection. These results suggest that 1H detection and DNP may be the spectroscopic approaches of choice for future studies of Aβ and other amyloid systems.
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Tamano H, Tokoro H, Murakami D, Furuhata R, Nakajima S, Saeki N, Katahira M, Shioya A, Tanaka Y, Egawa M, Takeda A. Preventive effect of Ninjin-yoei-to, a Kampo medicine, on amyloid β 1-42-induced neurodegeneration via intracellular Zn 2+ toxicity in the dentate gyrus. Exp Anim 2021; 70:514-521. [PMID: 34193681 PMCID: PMC8614007 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.21-0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ninjin-yoei-to (NYT), a Kampo medicine, has ameliorative effects on cognitive dysfunction via enhancing cholinergic neuron activity. To explore an efficacy of NYT administration for prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease, here we examined the effect of NYT on amyloid β1-42 (Aβ1-42)-induced neurodegeneration in the dentate gyrus. A diet containing 3% NYT was administered to mice for 2 weeks and human Aβ1-42 was intracerebroventricularly injected. Neurodegeneration in the dentate granule cell layer of the hippocampus, which was determined 2 weeks after the injection, was rescued by administration of the diet for 4 weeks. Aβ staining (uptake) was not modified in the dentate granule cell layer by pre-administration of the diet for 2 weeks, while Aβ1-42-induced increase in intracellular Zn2+ was reduced, suggesting that pre-administration of NYT prior to Aβ injection is effective for reducing Aβ1-42-induced Zn2+ toxicity in the dentate gyrus. As a matter of fact, Aβ1-42-induced neurodegeneration in the dentate gyrus was rescued by pre-administration of NYT. Interestingly, the level of metallothioneins, intracellular Zn2+-binding proteins, which can capture Zn2+ from Zn-Aβ1-42 complexes, was elevated in the dentate granule cell layer by pre-administration of NYT. The present study suggests that pre-administration of NYT prevents Aβ1-42-mediated neurodegeneration in the dentate gyurs by induced synthesis of metallothioneins, which reduces intracellular Zn2+ toxicity induced by Aβ1-42.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Tamano
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Haruna Tokoro
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Daichi Murakami
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Ryo Furuhata
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Satoko Nakajima
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Nana Saeki
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Misa Katahira
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Aoi Shioya
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Yukino Tanaka
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Mako Egawa
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
| | - Atsushi Takeda
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka
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Joachim LK, Frölich L, Rüther E, Wiltfang J, Maier W, Kornhuber J, Bauer C, Heuser I, Peters O. Correlation of CSF- and MRI-Biomarkers and Progression of Cognitive Decline in an Open Label MCI Trial. J Prev Alzheimers Dis 2018; 5:202-206. [PMID: 29972214 DOI: 10.14283/jpad.2018.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In several randomized controlled trials (RCT) acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors (AChE-I) were tested in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) but were ineffective in delaying disease progression as determined by neuropsychological testing only. Here we present data from an open label observational extension of a multicenter RCT in order to assess if biomarkers are providing useful additional information about a drug's efficacy. We followed 83 amnestic MCI patients and performed correlational analyses of Aβ 1-42 and total-Tau in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), hippocampal and amygdala volume at baseline, the total duration of blinded and open label AChE-I treatment and the outcome 24 months after inclusion into the RCT. Twelve out of 83 amnestic MCI (14%) had progressed to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Overall, worsening and disease progression as measured by the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) did not correlate with the duration of AChE-I treatment. However, a specific multidimensional biomarker profile at baseline indicated more reliably than cognitive testing alone progression to AD. We conclude that pharmacological RCTs testing symptomatic treatment effects in MCI should include biomarker assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- L K Joachim
- Oliver Peters, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany, Tel.: +49-30-450-517628, Fax.: +49-30-450-517942,
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Yang L, Li Y, Bhattacharya A, Zhang Y. A plasma proteolysis pathway comprising blood coagulation proteases. Oncotarget 2016; 7:40919-38. [PMID: 27248165 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Coagulation factors are essential for hemostasis. Here, we show that these factors also team up to degrade plasma proteins that are unrelated to hemostasis. Prolidase, SRC and amyloid β1-42 (Aβ1-42) are used as probes. Each probe, upon entering the blood circulation, binds and activates factor XII (FXII), triggering the intrinsic and common coagulation cascades, which in turn activate factor VII, a component of the extrinsic coagulation cascade. Activated factor VII (FVIIa) rapidly degrades the circulating probes. Therefore, FXII and FVIIa serve as the sensor/initiator and executioner, respectively, for the proteolysis pathway. Moreover, activation of this pathway by one probe leads to the degradation of all three probes. Significant activation of this pathway follows tissue injury and may also occur in other disorders, e.g., Alzheimer's disease, of which Aβ1-42 is a key driver. However, enoxaparin, a clinically used anticoagulant, inhibits the proteolysis pathway and elevates plasma levels of the probes. Enoxaparin may also mitigate potential impact of activators of the proteolysis pathway on coagulation. Our results suggest that the proteolysis pathway is important for maintaining low levels of various plasma proteins. Our finding that enoxaparin inhibits this pathway provides a means to control it. Inhibition of this pathway may facilitate the development of disease biomarkers and protein therapeutics, e.g., plasma Aβ1-42 as a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease or recombinant human prolidase as an antitumor agent.
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