1
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Bhole RP, Chikhale RV, Rathi KM. Current biomarkers and treatment strategies in Alzheimer disease: An overview and future perspectives. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2024; 16:8-42. [PMID: 38169888 PMCID: PMC10758887 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive degenerative disorder first identified by Alois Alzheimer in 1907, poses a significant public health challenge. Despite its prevalence and impact, there is currently no definitive ante mortem diagnosis for AD pathogenesis. By 2050, the United States may face a staggering 13.8 million AD patients. This review provides a concise summary of current AD biomarkers, available treatments, and potential future therapeutic approaches. The review begins by outlining existing drug targets and mechanisms in AD, along with a discussion of current treatment options. We explore various approaches targeting Amyloid β (Aβ), Tau Protein aggregation, Tau Kinases, Glycogen Synthase kinase-3β, CDK-5 inhibitors, Heat Shock Proteins (HSP), oxidative stress, inflammation, metals, Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) modulators, and Notch signaling. Additionally, we examine the historical use of Estradiol (E2) as an AD therapy, as well as the outcomes of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) that evaluated antioxidants (e.g., vitamin E) and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as alternative treatment options. Notably, positive effects of docosahexaenoic acid nutriment in older adults with cognitive impairment or AD are highlighted. Furthermore, this review offers insights into ongoing clinical trials and potential therapies, shedding light on the dynamic research landscape in AD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritesh P. Bhole
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dr. D. Y. Patil institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Research, Pimpri, Pune, India
- Dr. D. Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune 411018, India
| | | | - Karishma M. Rathi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Dr. D. Y. Patil institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Research, Pimpri, Pune, India
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2
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Sharma J, Mulherkar S, Chen UI, Xiong Y, Bajaj L, Cho BK, Goo YA, Leung HCE, Tolias KF, Sardiello M. Calpain activity is negatively regulated by a KCTD7-Cullin-3 complex via non-degradative ubiquitination. Cell Discov 2023; 9:32. [PMID: 36964131 PMCID: PMC10038992 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-023-00533-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Calpains are a class of non-lysosomal cysteine proteases that exert their regulatory functions via limited proteolysis of their substrates. Similar to the lysosomal and proteasomal systems, calpain dysregulation is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease and cancer. Despite intensive efforts placed on the identification of mechanisms that regulate calpains, however, calpain protein modifications that regulate calpain activity are incompletely understood. Here we show that calpains are regulated by KCTD7, a cytosolic protein of previously uncharacterized function whose pathogenic mutations result in epilepsy, progressive ataxia, and severe neurocognitive deterioration. We show that KCTD7 works in complex with Cullin-3 and Rbx1 to execute atypical, non-degradative ubiquitination of calpains at specific sites (K398 of calpain 1, and K280 and K674 of calpain 2). Experiments based on single-lysine mutants of ubiquitin determined that KCTD7 mediates ubiquitination of calpain 1 via K6-, K27-, K29-, and K63-linked chains, whereas it uses K6-mediated ubiquitination to modify calpain 2. Loss of KCTD7-mediated ubiquitination of calpains led to calpain hyperactivation, aberrant cleavage of downstream targets, and caspase-3 activation. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of Kctd7 in mice phenotypically recapitulated human KCTD7 deficiency and resulted in calpain hyperactivation, behavioral impairments, and neurodegeneration. These phenotypes were largely prevented by pharmacological inhibition of calpains, thus demonstrating a major role of calpain dysregulation in KCTD7-associated disease. Finally, we determined that Cullin-3-KCTD7 mediates ubiquitination of all ubiquitous calpains. These results unveil a novel mechanism and potential target to restrain calpain activity in human disease and shed light on the molecular pathogenesis of KCTD7-associated disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaiprakash Sharma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Shalaka Mulherkar
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Uan-I Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yan Xiong
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lakshya Bajaj
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Byoung-Kyu Cho
- Mass Spectrometry Technology Access Center at the McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Young Ah Goo
- Mass Spectrometry Technology Access Center at the McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hon-Chiu Eastwood Leung
- Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Dan Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kimberley F Tolias
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Marco Sardiello
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
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3
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Tzioras M, McGeachan RI, Durrant CS, Spires-Jones TL. Synaptic degeneration in Alzheimer disease. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:19-38. [PMID: 36513730 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00749-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by progressive cognitive decline in older individuals accompanied by the presence of two pathological protein aggregates - amyloid-β and phosphorylated tau - in the brain. The disease results in brain atrophy caused by neuronal loss and synapse degeneration. Synaptic loss strongly correlates with cognitive decline in both humans and animal models of AD. Indeed, evidence suggests that soluble forms of amyloid-β and tau can cause synaptotoxicity and spread through neural circuits. These pathological changes are accompanied by an altered phenotype in the glial cells of the brain - one hypothesis is that glia excessively ingest synapses and modulate the trans-synaptic spread of pathology. To date, effective therapies for the treatment or prevention of AD are lacking, but understanding how synaptic degeneration occurs will be essential for the development of new interventions. Here, we highlight the mechanisms through which synapses degenerate in the AD brain, and discuss key questions that still need to be answered. We also cover the ways in which our understanding of the mechanisms of synaptic degeneration is leading to new therapeutic approaches for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makis Tzioras
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Robert I McGeachan
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Hospital for Small Animals, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Claire S Durrant
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Tara L Spires-Jones
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. .,UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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4
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Ando K, Nagaraj S, Küçükali F, de Fisenne MA, Kosa AC, Doeraene E, Lopez Gutierrez L, Brion JP, Leroy K. PICALM and Alzheimer's Disease: An Update and Perspectives. Cells 2022; 11:3994. [PMID: 36552756 PMCID: PMC9776874 DOI: 10.3390/cells11243994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified the PICALM (Phosphatidylinositol binding clathrin-assembly protein) gene as the most significant genetic susceptibility locus after APOE and BIN1. PICALM is a clathrin-adaptor protein that plays a critical role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis and autophagy. Since the effects of genetic variants of PICALM as AD-susceptibility loci have been confirmed by independent genetic studies in several distinct cohorts, there has been a number of in vitro and in vivo studies attempting to elucidate the underlying mechanism by which PICALM modulates AD risk. While differential modulation of APP processing and Aβ transcytosis by PICALM has been reported, significant effects of PICALM modulation of tau pathology progression have also been evidenced in Alzheimer's disease models. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about PICALM, its physiological functions, genetic variants, post-translational modifications and relevance to AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunie Ando
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Siranjeevi Nagaraj
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Fahri Küçükali
- Complex Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Group, VIB Center for Molecular Neurology, VIB Antwerp, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marie-Ange de Fisenne
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Andreea-Claudia Kosa
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Emilie Doeraene
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lidia Lopez Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karelle Leroy
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB Neuroscience Institute, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
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5
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Phillips CL, Fu D, Herring LE, Armao D, Snider NT. Calpain-mediated proteolysis of vimentin filaments is augmented in giant axonal neuropathy fibroblasts exposed to hypotonic stress. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1008542. [PMID: 36393840 PMCID: PMC9664965 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1008542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Giant Axonal Neuropathy (GAN) is a pediatric neurodegenerative disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the E3 ubiquitin ligase adaptor gigaxonin, which is encoded by the KLHL16 gene. Gigaxonin regulates the degradation of multiple intermediate filament (IF) proteins, including neurofilaments, GFAP, and vimentin, which aggregate in GAN patient cells. Understanding how IFs and their aggregates are processed under stress can reveal new GAN disease mechanisms and potential targets for therapy. Here we tested the hypothesis that hypotonic stress-induced vimentin proteolysis is impaired in GAN. In both GAN and control fibroblasts exposed to hypotonic stress, we observed time-dependent vimentin cleavage that resulted in two prominent ∼40-45 kDa fragments. However, vimentin proteolysis occurred more rapidly and extensively in GAN cells compared to unaffected controls as both fragments were generated earlier and at 4-6-fold higher levels. To test enzymatic involvement, we determined the expression levels and localization of the calcium-sensitive calpain proteases-1 and -2 and their endogenous inhibitor calpastatin. While the latter was not affected, the expression of both calpains was 2-fold higher in GAN cells compared to control cells. Moreover, pharmacologic inhibition of calpains with MDL-28170 or MG-132 attenuated vimentin cleavage. Imaging analysis revealed striking colocalization between large perinuclear vimentin aggregates and calpain-2 in GAN fibroblasts. This colocalization was dramatically altered by hypotonic stress, where selective breakdown of filaments over aggregates occurred rapidly in GAN cells and coincided with calpain-2 cytoplasmic redistribution. Finally, mass spectrometry-based proteomics revealed that phosphorylation at Ser-412, located at the junction between the central "rod" domain and C-terminal "tail" domain on vimentin, is involved in this stress response. Over-expression studies using phospho-deficient and phospho-mimic mutants revealed that Ser-412 is important for filament organization, solubility dynamics, and vimentin cleavage upon hypotonic stress exposure. Collectively, our work reveals that osmotic stress induces calpain- and proteasome-mediated vimentin degradation and IF network breakdown. These effects are significantly augmented in the presence of disease-causing KLHL16 mutations that alter intermediate filament organization. While the specific roles of calpain-generated vimentin IF fragments in GAN cells remain to be defined, this proteolytic pathway is translationally-relevant to GAN because maintaining osmotic homeostasis is critical for nervous system function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra L. Phillips
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Dong Fu
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Laura E. Herring
- UNC Proteomics Core Facility, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Diane Armao
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States,Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Natasha T. Snider
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States,*Correspondence: Natasha T. Snider,
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6
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Moretto E, Stuart S, Surana S, Vargas JNS, Schiavo G. The Role of Extracellular Matrix Components in the Spreading of Pathological Protein Aggregates. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:844211. [PMID: 35573838 PMCID: PMC9100790 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.844211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Several neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of aggregated misfolded proteins. These pathological agents have been suggested to propagate in the brain via mechanisms similar to that observed for the prion protein, where a misfolded variant is transferred from an affected brain region to a healthy one, thereby inducing the misfolding and/or aggregation of correctly folded copies. This process has been characterized for several proteins, such as α-synuclein, tau, amyloid beta (Aβ) and less extensively for huntingtin and TDP-43. α-synuclein, tau, TDP-43 and huntingtin are intracellular proteins, and their aggregates are located in the cytosol or nucleus of neurons. They have been shown to spread between cells and this event occurs, at least partially, via secretion of these protein aggregates in the extracellular space followed by re-uptake. Conversely, Aβ aggregates are found mainly extracellularly, and their spreading occurs in the extracellular space between brain regions. Due to the inherent nature of their spreading modalities, these proteins are exposed to components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), including glycans, proteases and core matrix proteins. These ECM components can interact with or process pathological misfolded proteins, potentially changing their properties and thus regulating their spreading capabilities. Here, we present an overview of the documented roles of ECM components in the spreading of pathological protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases with the objective of identifying the current gaps in knowledge and stimulating further research in the field. This could potentially lead to the identification of druggable targets to slow down the spreading and/or progression of these pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Moretto
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, CNR, Milan, Italy
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Edoardo Moretto,
| | - Skye Stuart
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sunaina Surana
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jose Norberto S. Vargas
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giampietro Schiavo
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Giampietro Schiavo,
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7
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Calpain Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutic Modulators in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Neurochem Res 2022; 47:1125-1149. [PMID: 34982393 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-021-03521-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
It is considered a significant challenge to understand the neuronal cell death mechanisms with a suitable cure for neurodegenerative disorders in the coming years. Calpains are one of the best-considered "cysteine proteases activated" in brain disorders. Calpain is an important marker and mediator in the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration. Calpain activation being the essential neurodegenerative factor causing apoptotic machinery activation, it is crucial to develop reliable and effective approaches to prevent calpain-mediated apoptosis in degenerating neurons. It has been recently seen that the "inhibition of calpain activation" has appeared as a possible therapeutic target for managing neurodegenerative diseases. A systematic literature review of PubMed, Medline, Bentham, Scopus, and EMBASE (Elsevier) databases was conducted. The present article reviews the basic pathobiology and role of selective calpain inhibitors used in various neurodegenerative diseases as a therapeutic target.
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8
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Targeted proteolytic products of τ and α-synuclein in neurodegeneration. Essays Biochem 2021; 65:905-912. [PMID: 34846537 PMCID: PMC8709889 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20210028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
CNS pathological inclusions comprising τ or α-synuclein (αSyn) define a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases, and these can often present concurrently in the same individuals. The aggregation of both proteins is clearly associated with neurodegeneration and the deleterious properties of each protein is further supported by mutations in each gene (MAPT and SNCA, respectively) resulting in disease. The initiating events in most sporadic neurodegenerative diseases are still unclear but growing evidence suggests that the aberrant proteolytic cleavage of τ and αSyn results in products that can be toxic and/or initiate aggregation that can further spread by a prion-like mechanism. The accumulation of some of these cleavage products can further potentiate the progression of protein aggregation transmission and lead to their accumulation in peripheral biofluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. The future development of new tools to detect specific τ and αSyn abnormal cleavage products in peripheral biofluids could be useful biomarkers and better understand of the role of unique proteolytic activities could yield therapeutic interventions.
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Limorenko G, Lashuel HA. Revisiting the grammar of Tau aggregation and pathology formation: how new insights from brain pathology are shaping how we study and target Tauopathies. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 51:513-565. [PMID: 34889934 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00127b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence continues to point towards Tau aggregation and pathology formation as central events in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and other Tauopathies. Despite significant advances in understanding the morphological and structural properties of Tau fibrils, many fundamental questions remain about what causes Tau to aggregate in the first place. The exact roles of cofactors, Tau post-translational modifications, and Tau interactome in regulating Tau aggregation, pathology formation, and toxicity remain unknown. Recent studies have put the spotlight on the wide gap between the complexity of Tau structures, aggregation, and pathology formation in the brain and the simplicity of experimental approaches used for modeling these processes in research laboratories. Embracing and deconstructing this complexity is an essential first step to understanding the role of Tau in health and disease. To help deconstruct this complexity and understand its implication for the development of effective Tau targeting diagnostics and therapies, we firstly review how our understanding of Tau aggregation and pathology formation has evolved over the past few decades. Secondly, we present an analysis of new findings and insights from recent studies illustrating the biochemical, structural, and functional heterogeneity of Tau aggregates. Thirdly, we discuss the importance of adopting new experimental approaches that embrace the complexity of Tau aggregation and pathology as an important first step towards developing mechanism- and structure-based therapies that account for the pathological and clinical heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease and Tauopathies. We believe that this is essential to develop effective diagnostics and therapies to treat these devastating diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina Limorenko
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Hilal A Lashuel
- Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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10
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PSD-95: An Effective Target for Stroke Therapy Using Neuroprotective Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212585. [PMID: 34830481 PMCID: PMC8618101 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapies for stroke have remained elusive in the past despite the great relevance of this pathology. However, recent results have provided strong evidence that postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) can be exploited as an efficient target for stroke neuroprotection by strategies able to counteract excitotoxicity, a major mechanism of neuronal death after ischemic stroke. This scaffold protein is key to the maintenance of a complex framework of protein interactions established at the postsynaptic density (PSD) of excitatory neurons, relevant to neuronal function and survival. Using cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) as therapeutic tools, two different approaches have been devised and advanced to different levels of clinical development. First, nerinetide (Phase 3) and AVLX-144 (Phase 1) were designed to interfere with the coupling of the ternary complex formed by PSD-95 with GluN2B subunits of the N-methyl-D-aspartate type of glutamate receptors (NMDARs) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). These peptides reduced neurotoxicity derived from NMDAR overactivation, decreased infarct volume and improved neurobehavioral results in different models of ischemic stroke. However, an important caveat to this approach was PSD-95 processing by calpain, a pathological mechanism specifically induced by excitotoxicity that results in a profound alteration of survival signaling. Thus, a third peptide (TP95414) has been recently developed to interfere with PSD-95 cleavage and reduce neuronal death, which also improves neurological outcome in a preclinical mouse model of permanent ischemia. Here, we review recent advancements in the development and characterization of PSD-95-targeted CPPs and propose the combination of these two approaches to improve treatment of stroke and other excitotoxicity-associated disorders.
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11
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Schultz B, Taday J, Menezes L, Cigerce A, Leite MC, Gonçalves CA. Calpain-Mediated Alterations in Astrocytes Before and During Amyloid Chaos in Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 84:1415-1430. [PMID: 34719501 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
One of the changes found in the brain in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increased calpain, derived from calcium dysregulation, oxidative stress, and/or neuroinflammation, which are all assumed to be basic pillars in neurodegenerative diseases. The role of calpain in synaptic plasticity, neuronal death, and AD has been discussed in some reviews. However, astrocytic calpain changes sometimes appear to be secondary and consequent to neuronal damage in AD. Herein, we explore the possibility of calpain-mediated astroglial reactivity in AD, both preceding and during the amyloid phase. We discuss the types of brain calpains but focus the review on calpains 1 and 2 and some important targets in astrocytes. We address the signaling involved in controlling calpain expression, mainly involving p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase and calcineurin, as well as how calpain regulates the expression of proteins involved in astroglial reactivity through calcineurin and cyclin-dependent kinase 5. Throughout the text, we have tried to provide evidence of the connection between the alterations caused by calpain and the metabolic changes associated with AD. In addition, we discuss the possibility that calpain mediates amyloid-β clearance in astrocytes, as opposed to amyloid-β accumulation in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Schultz
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Taday
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Menezes
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Anderson Cigerce
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Marina C Leite
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Carlos-Alberto Gonçalves
- Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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12
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Ayuso-Dolado S, Esteban-Ortega GM, Vidaurre ÓG, Díaz-Guerra M. A novel cell-penetrating peptide targeting calpain-cleavage of PSD-95 induced by excitotoxicity improves neurological outcome after stroke. Theranostics 2021; 11:6746-6765. [PMID: 34093851 PMCID: PMC8171078 DOI: 10.7150/thno.60701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) is a multidomain protein critical to the assembly of signaling complexes at excitatory synapses, required for neuronal survival and function. However, calpain-processing challenges PSD-95 function after overactivation of excitatory glutamate receptors (excitotoxicity) in stroke, a leading cause of death, disability and dementia in need of efficient pharmacological treatments. A promising strategy is neuroprotection of the infarct penumbra, a potentially recoverable area, by promotion of survival signaling. Interference of PSD-95 processing induced by excitotoxicity might thus be a therapeutic target for stroke and other excitotoxicity-associated pathologies. Methods: The nature and stability of PSD-95 calpain-fragments was analyzed using in vitro assays or excitotoxic conditions induced in rat primary neuronal cultures or a mouse model of stroke. We then sequenced PSD-95 cleavage-sites and rationally designed three cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) containing these sequences. The peptides effects on PSD-95 stability and neuronal viability were investigated in the cultured neurons, subjected to acute or chronic excitotoxicity. We also analyzed the effect of one of these peptides in the mouse model of stroke by measuring infarct size and evaluating motor coordination and balance. Results: Calpain cleaves three interdomain linker regions in PSD-95 and produces stable fragments corresponding to previously described PSD-95 supramodules (PDZ1-2 and P-S-G) as well as a truncated form SH3-GK. Peptide TP95414, containing the cleavage site in the PDZ3-SH3 linker, is able to interfere PSD-95 downregulation and reduces neuronal death by excitotoxicity. Additionally, TP95414 is delivered to mice cortex and, in a severe model of permanent ischemia, significantly improves the neurological outcome after brain damage. Conclusions: Interference of excitotoxicity-induced PSD-95-processing with specific CPPs constitutes a novel and promising therapeutic approach for stroke treatment.
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Liu M, Wang L, Gao J, Dong Q, Perry G, Ma X, Wang X. Inhibition of Calpain Protects Against Tauopathy in Transgenic P301S Tau Mice. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 69:1077-1087. [PMID: 31156179 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies are characterized by intracellular accumulation of microtubule-associated tau protein leading to neurodegeneration. Calpastatin is the endogenous inhibitor of calpain, a calcium-dependent cysteine protease that has been increasingly implicated in tauopathies. In this study, we generated a neuron specific calpastatin overexpressing knock-in transgenic mouse model and crossed it with the PS19 tauopathy mouse model expressing human P301S mutant tau protein. The forced expression of calpastatin in neurons significantly alleviated tau hyperphosphorylation measured by immunocytochemistry and immunoblot. The genetic inhibition of calpain by calpastatin also greatly suppressed characteristic hippocampal neuron loss and widespread astrogliosis and microgliosis in PS19 mice. Consistently, PS19 mice with neuronal calpastatin overexpression exhibited remarkably alleviated cognitive deficits, muscle weakness, skeletal muscle atrophy, and neuromuscular denervation, together implying the neuroprotective effects of neuronal calpastatin in PS19 mice of tauopathy. In sum, this study provides additional evidence supporting the pathological role of calpain in neurodegenerative diseases associated with tau pathology, and suggests that targeting calpain is likely a promising therapeutic approach for these devastating diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyu Liu
- College of Life Science and Bio-engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.,Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Luwen Wang
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Ju Gao
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Qing Dong
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - George Perry
- College of Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Xuemei Ma
- College of Life Science and Bio-engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Xinglong Wang
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Center for Mitochondrial Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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14
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Picalm reduction exacerbates tau pathology in a murine tauopathy model. Acta Neuropathol 2020; 139:773-789. [PMID: 31925534 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02125-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified PICALM as one of the most significant susceptibility loci for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) after APOE and BIN1. PICALM is a clathrin-adaptor protein and plays critical roles in clathrin-mediated endocytosis and in autophagy. PICALM modulates brain amyloid ß (Aß) pathology and tau accumulation. We have previously reported that soluble PICALM protein level is reduced in correlation with abnormalities of autophagy markers in the affected brain areas of neurodegenerative diseases including AD, sporadic tauopathies and familial cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with tau-immunoreactive inclusions (FTLD-tau) with mutations in the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. It remains unclarified whether in vivo PICALM reduction could either trigger or influence tau pathology progression in the brain. In this study, we confirmed a significant reduction of soluble PICALM protein and autophagy deficits in the post-mortem human brains of FTLD-tau-MAPT (P301L, S364S and L266V). We generated a novel transgenic mouse line named Tg30xPicalm+/- by crossing Tg30 tau transgenic mice with Picalm-haploinsufficient mice to test whether Picalm reduction may modulate tau pathology. While Picalm haploinsufficiency did not lead to any motor phenotype or detectable tau pathology in mouse brains, Tg30xPicalm+/- mice developed markedly more severe motor deficits than Tg30 by the age of 9 months. Tg30xPicalm+/- had significantly higher pathological tau levels in the brain, an increased density of neurofibrillary tangles compared to Tg30 mice and increased abnormalities of autophagy markers. Our results demonstrate that Picalm haploinsufficiency in transgenic Tg30 mice significantly aggravated tau pathologies and tau-mediated neurodegeneration, supporting a role for changes in Picalm expression as a risk/sensitizing factor for development of tau pathology and as a mechanism underlying the AD risk associated to PICALM.
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15
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Cicognola C, Satir TM, Brinkmalm G, Matečko-Burmann I, Agholme L, Bergström P, Becker B, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Höglund K. Tauopathy-Associated Tau Fragment Ending at Amino Acid 224 Is Generated by Calpain-2 Cleavage. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 74:1143-1156. [PMID: 32144989 DOI: 10.3233/jad-191130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tau aggregation in neurons and glial cells characterizes tauopathies as Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Tau proteolysis has been proposed as a trigger for tau aggregation and tau fragments have been observed in brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Our group identified a major tau cleavage at amino acid (aa) 224 in CSF; N-terminal tau fragments ending at aa 224 (N-224) were significantly increased in AD and lacked correlation to total tau (t-tau) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in PSP and CBD. OBJECTIVE Previous studies have shown cleavage from calpain proteases at sites adjacent to aa 224. Our aim was to investigate if calpain-1 or -2 could be responsible for cleavage at aa 224. METHODS Proteolytic activity of calpain-1, calpain-2, and brain protein extract was assessed on a custom tau peptide (aa 220-228), engineered with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology. Findings were confirmed with in-gel trypsination and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of brain-derived bands with proteolytic activity on the FRET substrate. Finally, knock-down of the calpain-2 catalytic subunit gene (CAPN2) was performed in a neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y). RESULTS Calpain-2 and brain protein extract, but not calpain-1, showed proteolytic activity on the FRET substrate. MS analysis of active gel bands revealed presence of calpain-2 subunits, but not calpain-1. Calpain-2 depletion and chemical inhibition suppressed proteolysis of the FRET substrate. CAPN2 knock-down caused a 76.4% reduction of N-224 tau in the cell-conditioned media. CONCLUSIONS Further investigation of the calpain-2 pathway in the pathogenesis of tauopathies is encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Cicognola
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Tugce Munise Satir
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Gunnar Brinkmalm
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Irena Matečko-Burmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lotta Agholme
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Petra Bergström
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bruno Becker
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden.,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology Queen Square, London, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Kina Höglund
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.,Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
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16
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Abou-Fadel J, Vasquez M, Grajeda B, Ellis C, Zhang J. Systems-wide analysis unravels the new roles of CCM signal complex (CSC). Heliyon 2019; 5:e02899. [PMID: 31872111 PMCID: PMC6909108 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are characterized by abnormally dilated intracranial capillaries that result in increased susceptibility to stroke. Three genes have been identified as causes of CCMs; KRIT1 (CCM1), MGC4607 (CCM2) and PDCD10 (CCM3); one of them is disrupted in most CCM cases. It was demonstrated that both CCM1 and CCM3 bind to CCM2 to form a CCM signaling complex (CSC) to modulate angiogenesis. In this report, we deployed both RNA-seq and proteomic analysis of perturbed CSC after depletion of one of three CCM genes to generate interactomes for system-wide studies. Our results demonstrated a unique portrait detailing alterations in angiogenesis and vascular integrity. Interestingly, only in-direct overlapped alterations between RNA and protein levels were detected, supporting the existence of multiple layers of regulation in CSC cascades. Notably, this is the first report identifying that both β4 integrin and CAV1 signaling are downstream of CSC, conveying the angiogenic signaling. Our results provide a global view of signal transduction modulated by the CSC, identifies novel regulatory signaling networks and key cellular factors associated with CSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnathan Abou-Fadel
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79905, USA
| | - Mariana Vasquez
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79905, USA
| | - Brian Grajeda
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79905, USA
| | - Cameron Ellis
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79905, USA
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79905, USA
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17
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Tejeda GS, Esteban‐Ortega GM, San Antonio E, Vidaurre ÓG, Díaz‐Guerra M. Prevention of excitotoxicity-induced processing of BDNF receptor TrkB-FL leads to stroke neuroprotection. EMBO Mol Med 2019; 11:e9950. [PMID: 31273936 PMCID: PMC6609917 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201809950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroprotective strategies aimed to pharmacologically treat stroke, a prominent cause of death, disability, and dementia, have remained elusive. A promising approach is restriction of excitotoxic neuronal death in the infarct penumbra through enhancement of survival pathways initiated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, boosting of neurotrophic signaling after ischemia is challenged by downregulation of BDNF high-affinity receptor, full-length tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB-FL), due to calpain-degradation, and, secondarily, regulated intramembrane proteolysis. Here, we have designed a blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeable peptide containing TrkB-FL sequences (TFL457 ) which prevents receptor disappearance from the neuronal surface, early induced after excitotoxicity. In this way, TFL457 interferes TrkB-FL cleavage by both proteolytic systems and increases neuronal viability via a PLCγ-dependent mechanism. By preserving downstream CREB and MEF2 promoter activities, TFL457 initiates a feedback mechanism favoring increased levels in excitotoxic neurons of critical prosurvival mRNAs and proteins. This neuroprotective peptide could be highly relevant for stroke therapy since, in a mouse ischemia model, it counteracts TrkB-FL downregulation in the infarcted brain, efficiently decreases infarct size, and improves neurological outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo S Tejeda
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols”Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CSIC‐UAM)MadridSpain
- Present address:
Gardiner LaboratoryInstitute of Cardiovascular and Medical SciencesCollege of Medical, Veterinary and Life SciencesUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Gema M Esteban‐Ortega
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols”Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CSIC‐UAM)MadridSpain
| | - Esther San Antonio
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols”Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CSIC‐UAM)MadridSpain
| | - Óscar G Vidaurre
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols”Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CSIC‐UAM)MadridSpain
| | - Margarita Díaz‐Guerra
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols”Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CSIC‐UAM)MadridSpain
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18
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Mahaman YAR, Huang F, Kessete Afewerky H, Maibouge TMS, Ghose B, Wang X. Involvement of calpain in the neuropathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Med Res Rev 2018; 39:608-630. [PMID: 30260518 PMCID: PMC6585958 DOI: 10.1002/med.21534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common (60% to 80%) age‐related disease associated with dementia and is characterized by a deterioration of behavioral and cognitive capacities leading to death in few years after diagnosis, mainly due to complications from chronic illness. The characteristic hallmarks of the disease are extracellular senile plaques (SPs) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) with neuropil threads, which are a direct result of amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing to Aβ, and τ hyperphosphorylation. However, many indirect underlying processes play a role in this event. One of these underlying mechanisms leading to these histological hallmarks is the uncontrolled hyperactivation of a family of cysteine proteases called calpains. Under normal physiological condition calpains participate in many processes of cells’ life and their activation is tightly controlled. However, with an increase in age, increased oxidative stress and other excitotoxicity assaults, this regulatory system becomes impaired and result in increased activation of these proteases involving them in the pathogenesis of various diseases including neurodegeneration like AD. Reviewed here is a pool of data on the implication of calpains in the pathogenesis of AD, the underlying molecular mechanism, and the potential of targeting these enzymes for AD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yacoubou Abdoul Razak Mahaman
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Henok Kessete Afewerky
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Tanko Mahamane Salissou Maibouge
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bishwajit Ghose
- Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaochuan Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, China
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19
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Masoumi J, Abbasloui M, Parvan R, Mohammadnejad D, Pavon-Djavid G, Barzegari A, Abdolalizadeh J. Apelin, a promising target for Alzheimer disease prevention and treatment. Neuropeptides 2018; 70:76-86. [PMID: 29807653 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 05/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with high outbreak rates. It is estimated that about 35 million individuals around the world suffered from dementia in 2010. AD is expected to increase twofold every 20 years and, by 2030, approximately 65 million people could suffer from this illness. AD is determined clinically by a cognitive impairment and pathologically by the production of amyloid beta (Aβ), neurofibrillary tangles, toxic free radicals and inflammatory mediators in the brain. There is still no treatment to cure or even alter the progressive course of this disease; however, many new therapies are being investigated and are at various stages of clinical trials. Neuropeptides are signaling molecules used by neurons to communicate with each other. One of the important neuropeptides is apelin, which can be isolated from bovine stomach. Apelin and its receptor APJ have been shown to broadly disseminate in the neurons and oligodendrocytes of the central nervous system. Apelin-13 is known to be the predominant neuropeptide in neuroprotection. It is involved in the processes of memory and learning as well as the prevention of neuronal damage. Studies have shown that apelin can directly or indirectly prevent the production of Aβ and reduce its amounts by increasing its degradation. Phosphorylation and accumulation of tau protein may also be inhibited by apelin. Apelin is considered as an anti-inflammatory agent by preventing the production of inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor alpha. It has been shown that in vivo and in vitro anti-apoptotic effects of apelin have prevented the death of neurons. In this review, we describe the various functions of apelin associated with AD and present an integrated overview of recent findings that, in general, recommend apelin as a promising therapeutic agent in the treatment of this ailment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Masoumi
- Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Morteza Abbasloui
- Paramedical Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Reza Parvan
- Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | | | - Abolfazl Barzegari
- Research Centre for Pharmaceotical Nanotechnology, Tabriz University (Medical Sciences), Tabriz, Iran
| | - Jalal Abdolalizadeh
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Paramedical Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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20
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Calpains represent a family of neutral, calcium-dependent proteases, which modify the function of their target proteins by partial truncation. These proteases have been implicated in numerous cell functions, including cell division, proliferation, migration, and death. In the CNS, where calpain-1 and calpain-2 are the main calpain isoforms, their activation has been linked to synaptic plasticity as well as to neurodegeneration. This review will focus on the role of calpain-2 in acute neuronal injury and discuss the possibility of developing selective calpain-2 inhibitors for therapeutic purposes. Areas covered: This review covers the literature showing how calpain-2 is implicated in neuronal death in a number of pathological conditions. The possibility of developing new selective calpain-2 inhibitors for treating these conditions is discussed. Expert opinion: As evidence accumulates that calpain-2 activation participates in acute neuronal injury, there is interest in developing therapeutic approaches using selective calpain-2 inhibitors. Recent data indicate the potential use of such inhibitors in various pathologies associated with acute neuronal death. The possibility of extending the use of such inhibitors to more chronic forms of neurodegeneration is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yubin Wang
- Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, COMP Western University of Health Sciences 309 E. 2 St., Pomona, CA 91766
| | - Xiaoning Bi
- Department of Basic Science, COMP Western University of Health Sciences 309 E. 2 St., Pomona, CA 91766
| | - Michel Baudry
- Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, COMP Western University of Health Sciences 309 E. 2 St., Pomona, CA 91766
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21
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Kneynsberg A, Combs B, Christensen K, Morfini G, Kanaan NM. Axonal Degeneration in Tauopathies: Disease Relevance and Underlying Mechanisms. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:572. [PMID: 29089864 PMCID: PMC5651019 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a diverse group of diseases featuring progressive dying-back neurodegeneration of specific neuronal populations in association with accumulation of abnormal forms of the microtubule-associated protein tau. It is well-established that the clinical symptoms characteristic of tauopathies correlate with deficits in synaptic function and neuritic connectivity early in the course of disease, but mechanisms underlying these critical pathogenic events are not fully understood. Biochemical in vitro evidence fueled the widespread notion that microtubule stabilization represents tau's primary biological role and that the marked atrophy of neurites observed in tauopathies results from loss of microtubule stability. However, this notion contrasts with the mild phenotype associated with tau deletion. Instead, an analysis of cellular hallmarks common to different tauopathies, including aberrant patterns of protein phosphorylation and early degeneration of axons, suggests that alterations in kinase-based signaling pathways and deficits in axonal transport (AT) associated with such alterations contribute to the loss of neuronal connectivity triggered by pathogenic forms of tau. Here, we review a body of literature providing evidence that axonal pathology represents an early and common pathogenic event among human tauopathies. Observations of axonal degeneration in animal models of specific tauopathies are discussed and similarities to human disease highlighted. Finally, we discuss potential mechanistic pathways other than microtubule destabilization by which disease-related forms of tau may promote axonopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Kneynsberg
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.,Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Benjamin Combs
- Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Kyle Christensen
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.,Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Gerardo Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Nicholas M Kanaan
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.,Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States.,Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, Mercy Health Saint Mary's, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
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22
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Ando K, Tomimura K, Sazdovitch V, Suain V, Yilmaz Z, Authelet M, Ndjim M, Vergara C, Belkouch M, Potier MC, Duyckaerts C, Brion JP. Level of PICALM, a key component of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, is correlated with levels of phosphotau and autophagy-related proteins and is associated with tau inclusions in AD, PSP and Pick disease. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 94:32-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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23
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Accumulation of human full-length tau induces degradation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α4 via activating calpain-2. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27283. [PMID: 27277673 PMCID: PMC4899694 DOI: 10.1038/srep27283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic impairments and tau accumulation are hallmark pathologies in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), however, the intrinsic link between tau accumulation and cholinergic deficits is missing. Here, we found that overexpression of human wild-type full-length tau (termed hTau) induced a significant reduction of α4 subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with an increased cleavage of the receptor producing a ~55kDa fragment in primary hippocampal neurons and in the rat brains, meanwhile, the α4 nAChR currents decreased. Further studies demonstrated that calpains, including calpain-1 and calpain-2, were remarkably activated with no change of caspase-3, while simultaneous suppression of calpain-2 by selective calpain-2 inhibitor but not calpain-1 attenuated the hTau-induced degradation of α4 nAChR. Finally, we demonstrated that hTau accumulation increased the basal intracellular calcium level in primary hippocampal neurons. We conclude that the hTau accumulation inhibits nAChRs α4 by activating calpain-2. To our best knowledge, this is the first evidence showing that the intracellular accumulation of tau causes cholinergic impairments.
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Cysteine proteases as therapeutic targets: does selectivity matter? A systematic review of calpain and cathepsin inhibitors. Acta Pharm Sin B 2015; 5:506-19. [PMID: 26713267 PMCID: PMC4675809 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2015.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cysteine proteases continue to provide validated targets for treatment of human diseases. In neurodegenerative disorders, multiple cysteine proteases provide targets for enzyme inhibitors, notably caspases, calpains, and cathepsins. The reactive, active-site cysteine provides specificity for many inhibitor designs over other families of proteases, such as aspartate and serine; however, a) inhibitor strategies often use covalent enzyme modification, and b) obtaining selectivity within families of cysteine proteases and their isozymes is problematic. This review provides a general update on strategies for cysteine protease inhibitor design and a focus on cathepsin B and calpain 1 as drug targets for neurodegenerative disorders; the latter focus providing an interesting query for the contemporary assumptions that irreversible, covalent protein modification and low selectivity are anathema to therapeutic safety and efficacy.
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Key Words
- AD, Alzheimer׳s disease
- ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- APP, amyloid precursor protein
- APP/PS1, Aβ overexpressing mice APP (K670N/M671L) and PS1 (M146L) mutants
- Ala, alanine
- Alzheimer׳s disease
- AppLon, London familial amyloid precursor protein mutation, APP (V717I)
- AppSwe, Swedish amyloid precursor protein mutation, APP (K670N/M671L)
- Arg, arginine
- Aβ, amyloid β
- Aβ1-42, amyloid β, 42 amino acid protein
- BACE-1, β-amyloid cleaving enzyme
- BBB, blood–brain barrier
- CANP, calcium-activated neutral protease
- CNS, central nervous system
- CREB, cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein
- CaMKII, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases II
- Calpain
- Cathepsin
- Cdk5/p35, activator of cyclin-dependent kinase 5
- Cysteine protease
- DTT, dithioerythritol
- EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor
- ERK1/2, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2
- Enzyme inhibitors
- GSH, glutathione
- Gln, glutamine
- Glu, glutamic acid
- Gly, glutamine
- Hsp70.1, heat shock protein 70.1
- Ile, isoleucine
- KO, knockout
- Leu, leucine
- Lys, lysine
- MAP-2, microtubule-associated protein 2
- MMP-9, matrix metalloproteinase 9
- Met, methionine
- NFT, neurofibrilliary tangles
- Neurodegeneration
- Nle, norleucine
- PD, Parkinson׳s disease
- PK, pharmacokinetic
- PKC, protein kinase C
- PTP1B, protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B
- Phe, phenylalanine
- Pro, proline
- SP, senile plaques
- TBI, traumatic brain injury
- TNF, tumor necrosis factor
- Thr, threonine
- Tyr, tyrosine
- Val, valine
- WRX, Trp-Arg containing epoxysuccinate cysteine protease inhibitor
- WT, wildtype
- isoAsp, isoaspartate
- pGlu, pyroglutamate
- pyroGluAβ, pyroglutamate-amyloid β
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Kharatmal SB, Singh JN, Sharma SS. Calpain inhibitor, MDL 28170 confer electrophysiological, nociceptive and biochemical improvement in diabetic neuropathy. Neuropharmacology 2015; 97:113-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Revised: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Cho K, Cho M, Seo J, Peak J, Kong K, Yoon S, Kim D. Calpain-mediated cleavage of DARPP-32 in Alzheimer's disease. Aging Cell 2015; 14:878-86. [PMID: 26178297 PMCID: PMC4568975 DOI: 10.1111/acel.12374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxicity induced by aberrant protein aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes synaptic disconnection and concomitant progressive neurodegeneration that eventually impair cognitive function. cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) is a transcription factor involved in the molecular switch that converts short-term to long-term memory. Although disturbances in CREB function have been suggested to cause memory deficits in both AD and AD animal models, the mechanism of CREB dysfunction is still unclear. Here, we show that the dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein 32 kDa (DARPP-32), a key inhibitor of protein phosphate-1 (PP-1) that regulates CREB phosphorylation, is cleaved by activated calpain in both AD brains and neuronal cells treated with amyloid-β or okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase-2A inhibitor that induces tau hyperphosphorylation and neuronal death. We found that DARPP-32 is mainly cleaved at Thr153 by calpain and that this cleavage of DARPP-32 reduces CREB phosphorylation via loss of its inhibitory function on PP1. Our results suggest a novel mechanism of DARPP-32–CREB signalling dysregulation in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwangmin Cho
- Alzheimer's Disease Experts Lab (ADEL) Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul Korea
- Department of Brain ScienceUniversity of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Bio‐Medical Institute of Technology (BMIT)University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Cell Dysfunction Research Center (CDRC) University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
| | - Mi‐Hyang Cho
- Alzheimer's Disease Experts Lab (ADEL) Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul Korea
- Department of Brain ScienceUniversity of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Bio‐Medical Institute of Technology (BMIT)University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Cell Dysfunction Research Center (CDRC) University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
| | - Jung‐Han Seo
- Department of Brain ScienceUniversity of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Cell Dysfunction Research Center (CDRC) University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
| | - Jongjin Peak
- Alzheimer's Disease Experts Lab (ADEL) Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul Korea
- Department of Brain ScienceUniversity of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Bio‐Medical Institute of Technology (BMIT)University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Cell Dysfunction Research Center (CDRC) University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
| | - Kyoung‐Hye Kong
- Alzheimer's Disease Experts Lab (ADEL) Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul Korea
- Department of Brain ScienceUniversity of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Bio‐Medical Institute of Technology (BMIT)University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Cell Dysfunction Research Center (CDRC) University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
| | - Seung‐Yong Yoon
- Alzheimer's Disease Experts Lab (ADEL) Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul Korea
- Department of Brain ScienceUniversity of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Bio‐Medical Institute of Technology (BMIT)University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Cell Dysfunction Research Center (CDRC) University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
| | - Dong‐Hou Kim
- Alzheimer's Disease Experts Lab (ADEL) Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoul Korea
- Department of Brain ScienceUniversity of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Bio‐Medical Institute of Technology (BMIT)University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
- Cell Dysfunction Research Center (CDRC) University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
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Matsumoto SE, Motoi Y, Ishiguro K, Tabira T, Kametani F, Hasegawa M, Hattori N. The twenty-four KDa C-terminal tau fragment increases with aging in tauopathy mice: implications of prion-like properties. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:6403-16. [PMID: 26374846 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The truncated tau protein is a component of the neurofibrillary tangles found in the brains with tauopathies. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the truncated tau fragment causes neurodegeneration remain unknown. Tau pathology was recently suggested to spread through intercellular propagation, and required the formation of 'prion-like' species. We herein identified a new fragment of the tau protein that consisted of four binding domains and a C-terminal tail (Tau-CTF24), but lacked the N-terminal projection domain, and found that it increased with aging in tauopathy model mice (Tg601). Tau-CTF24-like fragments were also present in human brains with tauopathies. A mass spectroscopic analysis revealed that Tau-CTF24 was cleaved behind R242. The digestion of full-length tau (Tau-FL) by calpain produced Tau-CTF24 in vitro and calpain activity increased in old Tg601. Recombinant Tau-CTF24 accelerated heparin-induced aggregation and lost the ability to promote microtubule assembly. When insoluble tau from diseased brains or aggregated recombinant tau was introduced as seeds into SH-SY5Y cells, a larger amount of insoluble tau was formed in cells overexpressing Tau-CTF24 than in those overexpressing Tau-FL. Furthermore, lysates containing the Tau-CTF24 inclusion propagated to naive tau-expressing cells more efficiently than those containing the Tau-FL inclusion. Immunoblot and confocal microscopic analyses revealed that aggregated Tau-CTF24 bound to cells more rapidly and abundantly than aggregated Tau-FL. Our results suggest that Tau-CTF24 contributes to neurodegeneration by enhancing prion-like propagation as well as deteriorating the mechanisms involved in microtubule function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Ei Matsumoto
- Department of Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Dementia, Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 116-0013, Japan and
| | - Yumiko Motoi
- Department of Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Dementia, Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 116-0013, Japan and
| | - Koichi Ishiguro
- Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 116-0013, Japan and
| | - Takeshi Tabira
- Department of Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Dementia
| | - Fuyuki Kametani
- Department of Neuropathology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- Department of Neuropathology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Hattori
- Department of Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Dementia, Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 116-0013, Japan and
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Specific calpain inhibition by calpastatin prevents tauopathy and neurodegeneration and restores normal lifespan in tau P301L mice. J Neurosci 2014; 34:9222-34. [PMID: 25009256 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1132-14.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau pathogenicity in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies is thought to involve the generation of hyperphosphorylated, truncated, and oligomeric tau species with enhanced neurotoxicity, although the generative mechanisms and the implications for disease therapy are not well understood. Here, we report a striking rescue from mutant tau toxicity in the JNPL3 mouse model of tauopathy. We show that pathological activation of calpains gives rise to a range of potentially toxic forms of tau, directly, and by activating cdk5. Calpain overactivation in brains of these mice is accelerated as a result of the marked depletion of the endogenous calpain inhibitor, calpastatin. When levels of this inhibitor are restored in neurons of JNPL3 mice by overexpressing calpastatin, tauopathy is prevented, including calpain-mediated breakdown of cytoskeletal proteins, cdk5 activation, tau hyperphosphorylation, formation of potentially neurotoxic tau fragments by either calpain or caspase-3, and tau oligomerization. Calpastatin overexpression also prevents loss of motor axons, delays disease onset, and extends survival of JNPL3 mice by 3 months to within the range of normal lifespan. Our findings support the therapeutic promise of highly specific calpain inhibition in the treatment of tauopathies and other neurodegenerative states.
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Jerónimo-Santos A, Vaz SH, Parreira S, Rapaz-Lérias S, Caetano AP, Buée-Scherrer V, Castrén E, Valente CA, Blum D, Sebastião AM, Diógenes MJ. Dysregulation of TrkB Receptors and BDNF Function by Amyloid-β Peptide is Mediated by Calpain. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:3107-21. [PMID: 24860020 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its high-affinity full-length (FL) receptor, TrkB-FL, play a central role in the nervous system by providing trophic support to neurons and regulating synaptic plasticity and memory. TrkB and BDNF signaling are impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease involving accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. We recently showed that Aβ leads to a decrease of TrkB-FL receptor and to an increase of truncated TrkB receptors by an unknown mechanism. In the present study, we found that (1) Aβ selectively increases mRNA levels for the truncated TrkB isoforms without affecting TrkB-FL mRNA levels, (2) Aβ induces a calpain-mediated cleavage on TrkB-FL receptors, downstream of Shc-binding site, originating a new truncated TrkB receptor (TrkB-T') and an intracellular fragment (TrkB-ICD), which is also detected in postmortem human brain samples, (3) Aβ impairs BDNF function in a calpain-dependent way, as assessed by the inability of BDNF to modulate neurotransmitter (GABA and glutamate) release from hippocampal nerve terminals, and long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices. It is concluded that Aβ-induced calpain activation leads to TrkB cleavage and impairment of BDNF neuromodulatory actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Jerónimo-Santos
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sandra Henriques Vaz
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sara Parreira
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sofia Rapaz-Lérias
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - António P Caetano
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Valérie Buée-Scherrer
- Université Lille-Nord de France, UDSL, Lille, France Inserm U837, Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Centre, IMPRT, Lille, France CHRU-Lille, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Eero Castrén
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, PO Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Claudia A Valente
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - David Blum
- Université Lille-Nord de France, UDSL, Lille, France Inserm U837, Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Centre, IMPRT, Lille, France CHRU-Lille, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Ana Maria Sebastião
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria José Diógenes
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
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Kim B, Backus C, Oh S, Feldman EL. Hyperglycemia-induced tau cleavage in vitro and in vivo: a possible link between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2013; 34:727-39. [PMID: 23254634 DOI: 10.3233/jad-121669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Multiple lines of evidence link the incidence of diabetes to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients with diabetes have a 50 to 75% increased risk of developing AD. In parallel, AD patients have a higher than normal tendency to develop type 2 diabetes or impaired fasting glucose. Tau is the major component of neurofibrillary tangles, one of the hallmarks of AD pathology. The current study examined the effect of hyperglycemia on tau modification. Glucose treatment of rat embryonic cortical neurons results in concentration-dependent apoptosis and caspase-3 activation. These changes are well correlated with glucose time- and concentration-dependent tau cleavage. Aβ treatment induces tau cleavage and when added together with glucose, there is an additive effect on caspase activation, apoptosis, and tau cleavage. Tau cleavage is partially blocked by the caspase inhibitor, ZVAD. Cleaved tau displays a punctate staining along the neurites and colocalizes with cleaved caspase-3 in the cytoplasm. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice display increased tau phosphorylation in the brain. In agreement with the effects of glucose on tau modifications in vitro, there is increased tau cleavage in the brains of ob/ob mice; however, tau cleavage is not observed in type 1 diabetic mouse brains. Our study demonstrates that hyperglycemia is one of major factors that induce tau modification in both in vitro and in vivo models of diabetes. We speculate that tau cleavage in diabetic conditions (especially in type 2 diabetes) may be a key link for the increased incidence of AD in diabetic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhumsoo Kim
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2200, USA.
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Petroni D, Tsai J, Mondal D, George W. Attenuation of low dose methylmercury and glutamate induced-cytotoxicity and tau phosphorylation by an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in human neuroblastoma (SHSY5Y) cells. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2013; 28:700-706. [PMID: 21976409 DOI: 10.1002/tox.20765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2011] [Revised: 07/12/2011] [Accepted: 07/22/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg), a known neurotoxin, has been reported to alter glutamate homeostasis in the neuronal environment resulting in excitotoxicity. This study was conducted to investigate whether, and if so, under what conditions, that low dose MeHg would enhance the toxicity of glutamate and to what extent that blockade of NMDA receptors would alter MeHg and glutamate's toxicity in cultured neuroblastoma cells. Neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) were used in a cell culture model to study effects of MeHg, glutamate (glu), a calcium chelator (BAPTA-AM), and a noncompetitive NMDA antagonist, MK-801 on cell growth, cell survival, and phosphorylation of tau protein, as a measure of cellular events associated with tauopathies. Exposure of cells to a combination of MeHg (50 nM) and glutamate (1 mM) resulted in both a greater decrease in cell viability as well as a greater induction in tau phosphorylation, as compared to exposures with MeHg and glutamate alone. MK-801, an NMDA receptor antagonist, and the intracellular calcium chelator, BAPTA-AM, both significantly inhibited tau hyperphosphorylation and protected cells from the effects of combination exposures to glutamate and MeHg. These results may indicate that exposure to even nontoxic levels of MeHg may prime neuronal cells to be more susceptible to neuronal injury from excitotoxicants such as glutamate and thus may increase the likelihood of neurological disease states. In conclusion, low-dose MeHg-induced toxicity may be related to an increase in the cellular response to glutamate and that NMDA receptor antagonists may provide a potential treatment for MeHg-associated neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Petroni
- Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA
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Chesser AS, Pritchard SM, Johnson GVW. Tau clearance mechanisms and their possible role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. Front Neurol 2013; 4:122. [PMID: 24027553 PMCID: PMC3759803 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2013.00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Accepted: 08/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the defining pathological features of Alzheimer disease (AD) is the intraneuronal accumulation of tau. The tau that forms these accumulations is altered both posttranslationally and conformationally, and there is now significant evidence that soluble forms of these modified tau species are the toxic entities rather than the insoluble neurofibrillary tangles. However there is still noteworthy debate concerning which specific pathological forms of tau are the contributors to neuronal dysfunction and death in AD. Given that increases in aberrant forms of tau play a role in the neurodegeneration process in AD, there is growing interest in understanding the degradative pathways that remove tau from the cell, and the selectivity of these different pathways for various forms of tau. Indeed, one can speculate that deficits in a pathway that selectively removes certain pathological forms of tau could play a pivotal role in AD. In this review we will discuss the different proteolytic and degradative machineries that may be involved in removing tau from the cell. How deficits in these different degradative pathways may contribute to abnormal accumulation of tau in AD will also be considered. In addition, the issue of the selective targeting of specific tau species to a given degradative pathway for clearance from the cell will be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrianne S Chesser
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Rochester , Rochester, NY , USA
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33
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Axonal degeneration in the peripheral nervous system: Implications for the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Exp Neurol 2013; 246:6-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2012] [Revised: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Cho K, Yoon SY, Choi JE, Kang HJ, Jang HY, Kim DH. CA-074Me, a cathepsin B inhibitor, decreases APP accumulation and protects primary rat cortical neurons treated with okadaic acid. Neurosci Lett 2013; 548:222-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.05.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2013] [Revised: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/18/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Ferreira A. Calpain dysregulation in Alzheimer's disease. ISRN BIOCHEMISTRY 2012; 2012:728571. [PMID: 25969760 PMCID: PMC4393001 DOI: 10.5402/2012/728571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the neocortex and hippocampus of AD patients. In addition, a marked decrease in synaptic contacts has been detected in these affected brain areas. Due to its prevalence in the aging population, this disease has been the focus of numerous studies. The data obtained from those studies suggest that the mechanisms leading to the formation of the hallmark lesions of AD might be linked. One of such mechanisms seems to be the dysregulation of calcium homeostasis that results in the abnormal activation of calpains. Calpains are a family of Ca(2+)-dependent cysteine proteases that play a key role in multiple cell functions including cell development, differentiation and proliferation, axonal guidance, growth cone motility, and cell death, among others. In this paper, we briefly reviewed data on the structure of these proteases and their regulation under normal conditions. We also summarized data underscoring the participation of calpains in the neurodegenerative mechanisms associated with AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Ferreira
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Chicago Avenue, Ward 8-140, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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36
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Petroni D, Tsai J, Agrawal K, Mondal D, George W. Low-dose methylmercury-induced oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and tau-hyperphosphorylation in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2012; 27:549-555. [PMID: 21254321 DOI: 10.1002/tox.20672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2010] [Revised: 10/12/2010] [Accepted: 10/15/2010] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Acute neurotoxic effects of high-dose methylmercury (MeHg) in humans have been well documented in the scientific literature. However, low-dose effects are less well described. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of low-dose MeHg (<100 nM) on human brain cells in a tissue culture model. Neuroblastoma (NB) cells (SH-SY5Y) were used in the cell culture model to study low-dose effects of MeHg on cell growth, cell survival, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the phosphorylation of tau protein, as a measure of potential markers of cellular events associated with tauopathies. When cells were incubated in culture with MeHg (50 and 100 nM), there were significant decreases in cell viability as well as significant increase in ROS generation as determined by fluorescent dye analysis (H(2)DCFDA). Furthermore, a concomitant decrease in glutathione levels to 25% of control was observed at both 50 and 100 nM MeHg. In addition, the level of phosphorylated tau was significantly increased after treatment at both 50 and 100 nM MeHg, compared with controls. Pretreatment of NB cells with the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (1.25 mM) and the calpain inhibitor, MDL-28170 (10 μM), significantly attenuated the effects of MeHg (50 and 100 nM) on cell viability as well as on tau phosphorylation. These results indicate that low-dose MeHg toxicity may be related to an induction of tau phosphorylation through an oxidative stress-dependent mechanism and that blockade of this pathway may attenuate the toxic effects of MeHg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Petroni
- Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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Fan H, Ye Y, Luo Y, Tong T, Yan G, Liao M. Quantitative Proteomics Using Stable Isotope Labeling with Amino Acids in Cell Culture Reveals Protein and Pathway Regulation in Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Infected PK-15 Cells. J Proteome Res 2011; 11:995-1008. [DOI: 10.1021/pr200755d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Huiying Fan
- MOA Key Laboratory for Animal Vaccine Development, Guangzhou 510642, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642,
China
| | - Yu Ye
- MOA Key Laboratory for Animal Vaccine Development, Guangzhou 510642, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642,
China
| | - Yongwen Luo
- MOA Key Laboratory for Animal Vaccine Development, Guangzhou 510642, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642,
China
| | - Tiezhu Tong
- Huizhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Huizhou 516001, China
| | - Guangrong Yan
- Institute of Life and Health
Engineering and National Engineering and Research Center for Genetic
Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632,
China
| | - Ming Liao
- MOA Key Laboratory for Animal Vaccine Development, Guangzhou 510642, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642,
China
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Reinecke JB, DeVos SL, McGrath JP, Shepard AM, Goncharoff DK, Tait DN, Fleming SR, Vincent MP, Steinhilb ML. Implicating calpain in tau-mediated toxicity in vivo. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23865. [PMID: 21858230 PMCID: PMC3157467 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2011] [Accepted: 07/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease and other related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies are characterized by the accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated and aggregated forms of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Several laboratories have identified a 17 kD proteolytic fragment of tau in degenerating neurons and in numerous cell culture models that is generated by calpain cleavage and speculated to contribute to tau toxicity. In the current study, we employed a Drosophila tauopathy model to investigate the importance of calpain-mediated tau proteolysis in contributing to tau neurotoxicity in an animal model of human neurodegenerative disease. We found that mutations that disrupted endogenous calpainA or calpainB activity in transgenic flies suppressed tau toxicity. Expression of a calpain-resistant form of tau in Drosophila revealed that mutating the putative calpain cleavage sites that produce the 17 kD fragment was sufficient to abrogate tau toxicity in vivo. Furthermore, we found significant toxicity in the fly retina associated with expression of only the 17 kD tau fragment. Collectively, our data implicate calpain-mediated proteolysis of tau as an important pathway mediating tau neurotoxicity in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B. Reinecke
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Sarah L. DeVos
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - James P. McGrath
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Amanda M. Shepard
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Dustin K. Goncharoff
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Don N. Tait
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Samantha R. Fleming
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Michael P. Vincent
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Michelle L. Steinhilb
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Mahajan SS, Thai KH, Chen K, Ziff E. Exposure of neurons to excitotoxic levels of glutamate induces cleavage of the RNA editing enzyme, adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 2, and loss of GLUR2 editing. Neuroscience 2011; 189:305-15. [PMID: 21620933 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2010] [Revised: 05/10/2011] [Accepted: 05/12/2011] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
AMPA receptors are glutamate receptors that are tetramers of various combinations of GluR1-4 subunits. AMPA receptors containing GluR1, 3 and 4 are Ca2+ permeable, however, AMPA receptors containing even a single subunit of GluR2 are Ca2+ impermeable. Most AMPA receptors are Ca2+ impermeable due to the presence of GluR2. GluR2 confers special properties on AMPA receptors through the presence of arginine at the pore apex; other subunits (GluR1, 3, 4) contain glutamine at the pore apex and allow Ca2+ influx. Normally, an RNA editing step changes DNA-encoded glutamine to arginine, introduces arginine in the GluR2 pore apex. GluR2 RNA editing is carried out by an RNA-dependent adenosine deaminase (ADAR2). Loss of GluR2 editing leads to the formation of highly excitotoxic AMPA channels [Mahajan and Ziff (2007) Mol Cell Neurosci 35:470-481] and is shown to contribute to loss of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Relatively higher levels of Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors are found in motor neurons and this has been correlated with lower GluR2 mRNA levels. However, the reason for loss of GluR2 editing is not known. Here we show that exposure of neurons to excitotoxic levels of glutamate leads to specific cleavage of ADAR2 that leads to generation of unedited GluR2. We demonstrate that cleaved ADAR2 leads to a decrease or loss of GluR2 editing, which will further result in high Ca2+ influx and excitotoxic neuronal death.
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Mahajan
- School of Health Sciences, Hunter College, CUNY, New York, NY 10010, USA.
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Reifert J, Hartung-Cranston D, Feinstein SC. Amyloid beta-mediated cell death of cultured hippocampal neurons reveals extensive Tau fragmentation without increased full-length tau phosphorylation. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:20797-811. [PMID: 21482827 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.234674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
A variety of genetic and biochemical evidence suggests that amyloid β (Aβ) oligomers promote downstream errors in Tau action, in turn inducing neuronal dysfunction and cell death in Alzheimer and related dementias. To better understand molecular mechanisms involved in Aβ-mediated neuronal cell death, we have treated primary rat hippocampal cultures with Aβ oligomers and examined the resulting cellular changes occurring before and during the induction of cell death with a focus on altered Tau biochemistry. The most rapid neuronal responses upon Aβ administration are activation of caspase 3/7 and calpain proteases. Aβ also appears to reduce Akt and Erk1/2 kinase activities while increasing GSK3β and Cdk5 activities. Shortly thereafter, substantial Tau degradation begins, generating relatively stable Tau fragments. Only a very small fraction of full-length Tau remains intact after 4 h of Aβ treatment. In conflict with expectations based on suggested increases of GSK3β and Cdk5 activities, Aβ does not cause any major increases in phosphorylation of full-length Tau as assayed by immunoblotting one-dimensional gels with 11 independent site- and phospho-specific anti-Tau antibodies as well as by immunoblotting two-dimensional gels probed with a pan-Tau antibody. There are, however, subtle and transient increases in Tau phosphorylation at 3-4 specific sites before its degradation. Taken together, these data are consistent with the notion that Aβ-mediated neuronal cell death involves the loss of full-length Tau and/or the generation of toxic fragments but does not involve or require hyperphosphorylation of full-length Tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Reifert
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
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41
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Ferreira A, Bigio EH. Calpain-mediated tau cleavage: a mechanism leading to neurodegeneration shared by multiple tauopathies. Mol Med 2011; 17:676-85. [PMID: 21442128 DOI: 10.2119/molmed.2010.00220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2010] [Accepted: 03/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau dysfunction has been associated with a host of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. These diseases share, as a common pathological hallmark, the presence of intracellular aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau in affected brain areas. Aside from tau hyperphosphorylation, little is known about the role of other posttranslational modifications in tauopathies. Recently, we obtained data suggesting that calpain-mediated tau cleavage leading to the generation of a neurotoxic tau fragment might play an important role in Alzheimer's disease. In the current study, we assessed the presence of this tau fragment in several tauopathies. Our results show high levels of the 17-kDa tau fragment and enhanced calpain activity in the temporal cortex of AD patients and in brain samples obtained from patients with other tauopathies. In addition, our data suggest that this fragment could partially inhibit tau aggregation. Conversely, tau aggregation might prevent calpain-mediated cleavage, establishing a feedback circuit that might lead to the accumulation of this toxic tau fragment. Collectively, these data suggest that the mechanism underlying the generation of the 17-kDa neurotoxic tau fragment might be part of a conserved pathologic process shared by multiple tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Ferreira
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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42
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Abstract
It has been more than 17 years since the causative mutation for Huntington's disease was discovered as the expansion of the triplet repeat in the N-terminal portion of the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. In the intervening time, researchers have discovered a great deal about Huntingtin's involvement in a number of cellular processes. However, the role of Huntingtin in the key pathogenic mechanism leading to neurodegeneration in the disease process has yet to be discovered. Here, we review the body of knowledge that has been uncovered since gene discovery and include discussions of the HTT gene, CAG triplet repeat expansion, HTT expression, protein features, posttranslational modifications, and many of its known protein functions and interactions. We also highlight potential pathogenic mechanisms that have come to light in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen N McFarland
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0236, USA.
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Kosenko E, Poghosyan A, Kaminsky Y. Subcellular compartmentalization of proteolytic enzymes in brain regions and the effects of chronic β-amyloid treatment. Brain Res 2011; 1369:184-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.10.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2010] [Revised: 10/19/2010] [Accepted: 10/20/2010] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Allen AS, Satten GA. SNPs in CAST are associated with Parkinson disease: a confirmation study. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2010; 153B:973-9. [PMID: 20127884 PMCID: PMC3685412 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.31061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Using data from the National Institutes of Neurological disease and Stroke's (NINDS) study of Parkinson disease (PD), we recently reported that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a region containing the Calpastatin (CAST) gene were associated with PD. Here we follow up this finding with an analysis of the Center for Inherited Disease Research's (CIDR) genome-wide association study in familial PD. After adjusting for population stratification and multiple testing, we find a significant association (P = 0.0167) between PD and SNP rs1559085 in CAST. These findings confirm CAST/PD associations in a second, independent, dataset and suggest that CAST be prioritized for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Allen
- The Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham
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Allen AS, Satten GA. A novel haplotype-sharing approach for genome-wide case-control association studies implicates the calpastatin gene in Parkinson's disease. Genet Epidemiol 2010; 33:657-67. [PMID: 19365859 DOI: 10.1002/gepi.20417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The large number of markers considered in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) has resulted in a simplification of analyses conducted. Most studies are analyzed one marker at a time using simple tests like the trend test. Methods that account for the special features of genetic association studies, yet remain computationally feasible for genome-wide analysis, are desirable as they may lead to increased power to detect associations. Haplotype sharing attempts to translate between population genetics and genetic epidemiology. Near a recent mutation that increases disease risk, haplotypes of case participants should be more similar to each other than haplotypes of control participants; conversely, the opposite pattern may be found near a recent mutation that lowers disease risk. We give computationally simple association tests based on haplotype sharing that can be easily applied to GWASs while allowing use of fast (but not likelihood-based) haplotyping algorithms and properly accounting for the uncertainty introduced by using inferred haplotypes. We also give haplotype-sharing analyses that adjust for population stratification. Applying our methods to a GWAS of Parkinson's disease, we find a genome-wide significant signal in the CAST gene that is not found by single-SNP methods. Further, a missing-data artifact that causes a spurious single-SNP association on chromosome 9 does not impact our test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Allen
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
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Kaminsky YG, Marlatt MW, Smith MA, Kosenko EA. Subcellular and metabolic examination of amyloid-beta peptides in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis: evidence for Abeta(25-35). Exp Neurol 2009; 221:26-37. [PMID: 19751725 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2009] [Revised: 09/03/2009] [Accepted: 09/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) is a central player in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. It aggregates to form the core of Alzheimer disease-associated plaques found in coordination with tau deposits in diseased individuals. Despite this clinical relevance, no single hypothesis satisfies and explicates the role of Abeta in toxicity and progression of the disease. To explore this area, investigators have focused on mechanisms of cellular dysfunction, aggregation, and maladaptive responses. Extensive research has been conducted using various methodologies to investigate Abeta peptides and oligomers, and these multiple facets have provided a wealth of data from specific models. Notably, the utility of each experiment must be considered in regards to the brain environment. The use of Abeta(25-35) in studies of cellular dysfunction has provided data indicating that the peptide is indeed responsible for multiple disturbances to cellular integrity. We will review how Abeta peptide induces oxidative stress and calcium homeostasis, and how multiple enzymes are deleteriously impacted by Abeta(25-35). Understanding and discussing the origin and properties of Abeta peptides is essential to evaluating their effects on various intracellular metabolic processes. Attention will also be specifically directed to metabolic compartmentation in affected brain cells, including mitochondrial, cytosolic, nuclear, and lysosomal enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury G Kaminsky
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, RAS, Pushchino, Russia.
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47
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Marked calpastatin (CAST) depletion in Alzheimer's disease accelerates cytoskeleton disruption and neurodegeneration: neuroprotection by CAST overexpression. J Neurosci 2009; 28:12241-54. [PMID: 19020018 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4119-08.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased activity of calpains is implicated in synaptic dysfunction and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The molecular mechanisms responsible for increased calpain activity in AD are not known. Here, we demonstrate that disease progression is propelled by a marked depletion of the endogenous calpain inhibitor, calpastatin (CAST), from AD neurons, which is mediated by caspase-1, caspase-3, and calpains. Initial CAST depletion focally along dendrites coincides topographically with calpain II and ERK 1/2 activation, tau cleavage by caspase-3, and tau and neurofilament hyperphosphorylation. These same changes, together with cytoskeletal proteolysis and neuronal cell death, accompany CAST depletion after intrahippocampal kainic acid administration to mice, and are substantially reduced in mice overexpressing human CAST. Moreover, CAST reduction by shRNA in neuronal cells causes calpain-mediated death at levels of calcium-induced injury that are sublethal to cells normally expressing CAST. Our results strongly support a novel hypothesis that CAST depletion by multiple abnormally activated proteases accelerates calpain dysregulation in AD leading to cytoskeleton disruption and neurodegeneration. CAST mimetics may, therefore, be neuroprotective in AD.
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48
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Identifying calpain substrates in intact S2 cells of Drosophila. Arch Biochem Biophys 2008; 481:219-25. [PMID: 19038228 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2008.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2008] [Revised: 11/11/2008] [Accepted: 11/13/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Calpains are cysteine proteases involved in a number of physiological and pathological processes, yet our knowledge of substrates cleaved in vivo, in intact cells, is scarce. In this work we made an attempt to develop a technique for finding calpain substrates in intact Drosophila Schneider S2 cells. The procedure consists in comparative 2D gelelectrophoresis: three identical samples were treated in different ways: A (control, no addition), B, activated (Ca(2+) and ionomycin added), C, inactivated (additions as in B+specific calpain inhibitor). 2D gel pattern were analyzed by densitometry. Spots showing density relation A>B<<C were identified by mass spectroscopy. In a typical run, 11 candidate substrates were recognized; out of these, four were randomly selected: all four were verified to be calpain substrates, by digestion of the recombinant protein with recombinant calpain.
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Bravo R, Arimon M, Valle-Delgado JJ, García R, Durany N, Castel S, Cruz M, Ventura S, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Sulfated Polysaccharides Promote the Assembly of Amyloid β1–42 Peptide into Stable Fibrils of Reduced Cytotoxicity. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:32471-83. [DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m709870200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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50
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Miller-Fleming L, Giorgini F, Outeiro TF. Yeast as a model for studying human neurodegenerative disorders. Biotechnol J 2008; 3:325-38. [PMID: 18228539 DOI: 10.1002/biot.200700217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation are central events in many disorders including several neurodegenerative diseases. This suggests that alterations in normal protein homeostasis may contribute to pathogenesis, but the exact molecular mechanisms involved are still poorly understood. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the model systems of choice for studies in molecular medicine. Modeling human neurodegenerative diseases in this simple organism has already shown the incredible power of yeast to unravel the complex mechanisms and pathways underlying these pathologies. Indeed, this work has led to the identification of several potential therapeutic targets and drugs for many diseases, including the neurodegenerative diseases. Several features associated with these diseases, such as formation of protein aggregates, cellular toxicity mediated by misfolded proteins, oxidative stress and hallmarks of apoptosis have been faithfully recapitulated in yeast, enabling researchers to take advantage of this powerful model to rapidly perform genetic and compound screens with the aim of identifying novel candidate therapeutic targets and drugs. Here we review the work undertaken to model human brain disorders in yeast, and how these models provide insight into novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonor Miller-Fleming
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Unit, Instituto de Fisiologia, Facultade [corrected] de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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