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Leka O, Wu Y, Zanetti G, Furler S, Reinberg T, Marinho J, Schaefer JV, Plückthun A, Li X, Pirazzini M, Kammerer RA. A DARPin promotes faster onset of botulinum neurotoxin A1 action. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8317. [PMID: 38110403 PMCID: PMC10728214 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44102-4] [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: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we characterize Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins) as investigative tools to probe botulinum neurotoxin A1 (BoNT/A1) structure and function. We identify DARPin-F5 that completely blocks SNAP25 substrate cleavage by BoNT/A1 in vitro. X-ray crystallography reveals that DARPin-F5 inhibits BoNT/A1 activity by interacting with a substrate-binding region between the α- and β-exosite. This DARPin does not block substrate cleavage of BoNT/A3, indicating that DARPin-F5 is a subtype-specific inhibitor. BoNT/A1 Glu-171 plays a critical role in the interaction with DARPin-F5 and its mutation to Asp, the residue found in BoNT/A3, results in a loss of inhibition of substrate cleavage. In contrast to the in vitro results, DARPin-F5 promotes faster substrate cleavage of BoNT/A1 in primary neurons and muscle tissue by increasing toxin translocation. Our findings could have important implications for the application of BoNT/A1 in therapeutic areas requiring faster onset of toxin action combined with long persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oneda Leka
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Yufan Wu
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Giulia Zanetti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35121, Padova, Italy
| | - Sven Furler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Reinberg
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Joana Marinho
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jonas V Schaefer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Xiaodan Li
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Marco Pirazzini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35121, Padova, Italy
| | - Richard A Kammerer
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
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Amer M, Leka O, Jasko P, Frey D, Li X, Kammerer RA. A coiled-coil-based design strategy for the thermostabilization of G-protein-coupled receptors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10159. [PMID: 37349348 PMCID: PMC10287670 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36855-1] [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: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Structure elucidation of inactive-state GPCRs still mostly relies on X-ray crystallography. The major goal of our work was to create a new GPCR tool that would provide receptor stability and additional soluble surface for crystallization. Towards this aim, we selected the two-stranded antiparallel coiled coil as a domain fold that satisfies both criteria. A selection of antiparallel coiled coils was used for structure-guided substitution of intracellular loop 3 of the β3 adrenergic receptor. Unexpectedly, only the two GPCR variants containing thermostable coiled coils were expressed. We showed that one GPCR chimera is stable upon purification in detergent, retains ligand-binding properties, and can be crystallized. However, the quality of the crystals was not suitable for structure determination. By using two other examples, 5HTR2C and α2BAR, we demonstrate that our approach is generally suitable for the stabilization of GPCRs. To provide additional surface for promoting crystal contacts, we replaced in a structure-based approach the loop connecting the antiparallel coiled coil by T4L. We found that the engineered GPCR is even more stable than the coiled-coil variant. Negative-staining TEM revealed a homogeneous distribution of particles, indicating that coiled-coil-T4L receptor variants might also be promising candidate proteins for structure elucidation by cryo-EM. Our approach should be of interest for applications that benefit from stable GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa Amer
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Oneda Leka
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Piotr Jasko
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Frey
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Xiaodan Li
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Richard A Kammerer
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
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Pirazzini M, Grinzato A, Corti D, Barbieri S, Leka O, Vallese F, Tonellato M, Silacci-Fregni C, Piccoli L, Kandiah E, Schiavo G, Zanotti G, Lanzavecchia A, Montecucco C. Exceptionally potent human monoclonal antibodies are effective for prophylaxis and treatment of tetanus in mice. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:151676. [PMID: 34618682 DOI: 10.1172/jci151676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We used human monoclonal antibodies (humAbs) to study the mechanism of neuron intoxication by tetanus neurotoxin and to evaluate these antibodies as a safe preventive and therapeutic substitute for hyperimmune sera to treat tetanus in mice. By screening memory B cells from immune donors, we selected 2 tetanus neurotoxin-specific mAbs with exceptionally high neutralizing activities and extensively characterized them both structurally and functionally. We found that these antibodies interfered with the binding and translocation of the neurotoxin into neurons by interacting with 2 epitopes, whose identification pinpoints crucial events in the cellular pathogenesis of tetanus. Our observations explain the neutralization ability of these antibodies, which we found to be exceptionally potent in preventing experimental tetanus when injected into mice long before the toxin. Moreover, their Fab derivatives neutralized tetanus neurotoxin in post-exposure experiments, suggesting their potential for therapeutic use via intrathecal injection. As such, we believe these humAbs, as well as their Fab derivatives, meet the requirements to be considered for prophylactic and therapeutic use in human tetanus and are ready for clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Pirazzini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Oneda Leka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesca Vallese
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marika Tonellato
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Silacci-Fregni
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Luca Piccoli
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | | | - Giampietro Schiavo
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology and.,UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giuseppe Zanotti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Antonio Lanzavecchia
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland.,Fondazione Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Cesare Montecucco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Padova, Italy
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Leka O, Wu Y, Li X, Kammerer RA. Crystal structure of the catalytic domain of botulinum neurotoxin subtype A3. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100684. [PMID: 33891946 PMCID: PMC8135040 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100684] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are among the most widely used therapeutic proteins; however, only two subtypes within the seven serotypes, BoNT/A1 and BoNT/B1, are currently used for medical and cosmetic applications. Distinct catalytic properties, substrate specificities, and duration of enzymatic activities potentially make other subtypes very attractive candidates to outperform conventional BoNTs in particular therapeutic applications. For example, BoNT/A3 has a significantly shorter duration of action than other BoNT/A subtypes. Notably, BoNT/A3 is the subtype with the least conserved catalytic domain among BoNT/A subtypes. This suggests that the sequence differences, many of which concern the α-exosite, contribute to the observed functional differences in toxin persistence by affecting the binding of the substrate SNAP-25 and/or the stability of the catalytic domain fold. To identify the molecular determinants accounting for the differences in the persistence observed for BoNT/A subtypes, we determined the crystal structure of the catalytic domain of BoNT/A3 (LC/A3). The structure of LC/A3 was found to be very similar to that of LC/A1, suggesting that the overall mode of SNAP-25 binding is common between these two proteins. However, circular dichroism (CD) thermal unfolding experiments demonstrated that LC/A3 is significantly less stable than LC/A1, implying that this might contribute to the reduced toxin persistence of BoNT/A3. These findings could be of interest in developing next-generation therapeutic toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oneda Leka
- The Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Yufan Wu
- The Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Xiaodan Li
- The Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Richard A Kammerer
- The Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
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Pirazzini M, Barbieri S, Grinzato A, Leka O, Vallese F, Zanetti G, Tonellato M, Rossetto O, Schiavo G, Zanotti G, Lanzavecchia A, Montecucco C. Blocking tetanus with purified human monoclonal antibodies. Toxicon 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.11.468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Pirazzini M, Tehran DA, Zanetti G, Leka O, Binz T, Lista F, Mattarei A, Rossetto O, Montecucco C. Hsp90, thioredoxin, and thioredoxin reductase form a chaperone-redox machinery enabling the catalytic activity of clostridial neurotoxins inside nerve terminals. Toxicon 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.11.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Montecucco C, Tehran DA, Zornetta I, Arrigoni G, Anniballi F, Bano L, Leka O, Zanotti G, Binz T. A Weissella oryzae botulinum-like toxin cleaves vamp within the juxtamembrane domain. Toxicon 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.11.179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Azarnia Tehran D, Pirazzini M, Leka O, Mattarei A, Lista F, Binz T, Rossetto O, Montecucco C. Hsp90 is involved in the entry of clostridial neurotoxins into the cytosol of nerve terminals. Cell Microbiol 2016; 19. [DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Revised: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Azarnia Tehran
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padova; Via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35121 Padova Italy
| | - Marco Pirazzini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padova; Via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35121 Padova Italy
| | - Oneda Leka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padova; Via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35121 Padova Italy
| | - Andrea Mattarei
- Department of Chemical Sciences; University of Padova; Via F. Marzolo 1 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Florigio Lista
- Histology and Molecular Biology Section; Army Medical and Veterinary Research Center; Via Santo Stefano Rotondo 4 00184 Rome Italy
| | - Thomas Binz
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover; Institut für Physiologische Chemie OE4310; 30625 Hannover Germany
| | - Ornella Rossetto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padova; Via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35121 Padova Italy
| | - Cesare Montecucco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padova; Via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35121 Padova Italy
- National Research Institute of Neuroscience; University of Padova; Via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35121 Padova Italy
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Azarnia Tehran D, Zanetti G, Leka O, Lista F, Fillo S, Binz T, Shone CC, Rossetto O, Montecucco C, Paradisi C, Mattarei A, Pirazzini M. A Novel Inhibitor Prevents the Peripheral Neuroparalysis of Botulinum Neurotoxins. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17513. [PMID: 26670952 PMCID: PMC4680858 DOI: 10.1038/srep17513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) form a large class of potent and deadly neurotoxins. Given their growing number, it is of paramount importance to discover novel inhibitors targeting common steps of their intoxication process. Recently, EGA was shown to inhibit the action of bacterial toxins and viruses exhibiting a pH-dependent translocation step in mammalian cells, by interfering with their entry route. As BoNTs act in the cytosol of nerve terminals, the entry into an appropriate compartment wherefrom they translocate the catalytic moiety is essential for toxicity. Herein we propose an optimized procedure to synthesize EGA and we show that, in vitro, it prevents the neurotoxicity of different BoNT serotypes by interfering with their trafficking. Furthermore, in mice, EGA mitigates botulism symptoms induced by BoNT/A and significantly decreases the lethality of BoNT/B and BoNT/D. This opens the possibility of using EGA as a lead compound to develop novel inhibitors of botulinum neurotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulia Zanetti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35121, Padova, Italy
| | - Oneda Leka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35121, Padova, Italy
| | - Florigio Lista
- Histology and Molecular Biology Section, Army Medical and Veterinary Research Center, Via Santo Stefano Rotondo 4, 00184 Roma, Italy
| | - Silvia Fillo
- Histology and Molecular Biology Section, Army Medical and Veterinary Research Center, Via Santo Stefano Rotondo 4, 00184 Roma, Italy
| | - Thomas Binz
- Institut für Biochemie, OE 4310, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, 30623 Hannover, Germany
| | - Clifford C. Shone
- Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 OJG, UK
| | - Ornella Rossetto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35121, Padova, Italy
| | - Cesare Montecucco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35121, Padova, Italy
- Italian National Research Council Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35121, Padova, Italy
| | - Cristina Paradisi
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Mattarei
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Pirazzini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35121, Padova, Italy
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Leka O, Vallese F, Pirazzini M, Berto P, Montecucco C, Zanotti G. Diphtheria toxin conformational switching at acidic pH. FEBS J 2014; 281:2115-22. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.12783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Revised: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Oneda Leka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padua; Italy
| | | | - Marco Pirazzini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padua; Italy
| | - Paola Berto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Padua; Italy
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