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Yang J, Shen N, Shen J, Yang Y, Li HL. Complicated Role of Post-translational Modification and Protease-Cleaved Fragments of Tau in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Tauopathies. Mol Neurobiol 2023:10.1007/s12035-023-03867-x. [PMID: 38114762 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03867-x] [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: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Tau, a microtubule-associated protein predominantly localized in neuronal axons, plays a crucial role in promoting microtubule assembly, stabilizing their structure, and participating in axonal transport. Perturbations in tau's structure and function are implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases collectively known as tauopathies, the most common disorder of which is Alzheimer's disease (AD). In tauopathies, it has been found that tau has a variety of post-translational modification (PTM) abnormalities and/or tau is cleaved into a variety of fragments by some specific proteolytic enzymes; however, the precise contributions of these abnormal modifications and fragments to disease onset and progression remain incompletely understood. Herein, we provide an overview about the involvement of distinctive abnormal tau PTMs and different tau fragments in the pathogenesis of AD and other tauopathies and discuss the involvement of proteolytic enzymes such as caspases, calpains, and asparagine endopeptidase in mediating tau cleavage while also addressing the intercellular transmission role played by tau. We anticipate that further exploration into PTMs and fragmented forms of tau will yield valuable insights for diagnostic approaches and therapeutic interventions targeting AD and other related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Naiting Shen
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jianying Shen
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry, Hubei Province of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Ying Yang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry, Hubei Province of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Hong-Lian Li
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry, Hubei Province of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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2
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Eberle RJ, Coronado MA, Gering I, Sommerhage S, Korostov K, Stefanski A, Stühler K, Kraemer-Schulien V, Blömeke L, Bannach O, Willbold D. Tau protein aggregation associated with SARS-CoV-2 main protease. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288138. [PMID: 37603556 PMCID: PMC10441795 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary function of virus proteases is the proteolytic processing of the viral polyprotein. These enzymes can also cleave host cell proteins, which is important for viral pathogenicity, modulation of cellular processes, viral replication, the defeat of antiviral responses and modulation of the immune response. It is known that COVID-19 can influence multiple tissues or organs and that infection can damage the functionality of the brain in multiple ways. After COVID-19 infections, amyloid-β, neurogranin, tau and phosphorylated tau were detected extracellularly, implicating possible neurodegenerative processes. The present study describes the possible induction of tau aggregation by the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease (3CLpro) possibly relevant in neuropathology. Further investigations demonstrated that tau was proteolytically cleaved by the viral protease 3CL and, consequently, generated aggregates. However, more evidence is needed to confirm that COVID-19 is able to trigger neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Josef Eberle
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mônika Aparecida Coronado
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Ian Gering
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Simon Sommerhage
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Karolina Korostov
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Anja Stefanski
- Molecular Proteomics Laboratory (MPL), BMFZ, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kai Stühler
- Molecular Proteomics Laboratory (MPL), BMFZ, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Victoria Kraemer-Schulien
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Lara Blömeke
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Oliver Bannach
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- attyloid GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Willbold
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- JuStruct: Jülich Centre for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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3
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Yadikar H, Johnson C, Pafundi N, Nguyen L, Kurup M, Torres I, Al-Enezy A, Yang Z, Yost R, Kobeissy FH, Wang KKW. Neurobiochemical, Peptidomic, and Bioinformatic Approaches to Characterize Tauopathy Peptidome Biomarker Candidates in Experimental Mouse Model of Traumatic Brain Injury. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:2295-2319. [PMID: 36635478 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-03165-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a multidimensional damage, and currently, no FDA-approved medicine is available. Multiple pathways in the cell are triggered through a head injury (e.g., calpain and caspase activation), which truncate tau and generate variable fragment sizes (MW 400-45,000 K). In this study, we used an open-head TBI mouse model generated by controlled cortical impact (CCI) and collected ipsilateral (IC) and contralateral (CC) mice htau brain cortices at one (D1) three (D3), and seven (D7) days post-injury. We implemented immunological (antibody-based detection) and peptidomic approaches (nano-reversed-phase liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry) to investigate proteolytic tau peptidome (low molecular weight (LMW) < 10 K)) and pathological phosphorylation sites (high-molecular-weight (HMW); > 10 K) derived from CCI-TBI animal models. Our immunoblotting analysis verified tau hyperphosphorylation, HMW, and HMW breakdown products (HMW-BDP) formation of tau (e.g., pSer202, pThr181, pThr231, pSer396, and pSer404), following CCI-TBI. Peptidomic data revealed unique sequences of injury-dependent proteolytic peptides generated from human tau protein. Among the N-terminal tau peptides, EIPEGTTAEEAGIGDTPSLEDEAAGHVTQA (a.a. 96-125) and AQPHTEIPEGTTAEEAGIGDTPSLEDEAAGHVTQARM (a.a. 91-127). Examples of tau C-terminal peptides identified include NVSSTGSIDMVDSPQLATLADEVSASLAKQGL (a.a. 410-441) and QLATLADEVSASLAKQGL (a.a. 424-441). Our peptidomic bioinformatic tools showed the association of proteases, such as CAPN1, CAPN2, and CTSL; CASP1, MMP7, and MMP9; and ELANE, GZMA, and MEP1A, in CCI-TBI tau peptidome. In clinical trials for novel TBI treatments, it might be useful to monitor a subset of tau peptidome as targets for biomarker utility and use them for a "theranostic" approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamad Yadikar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait.
| | - Connor Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait
| | - Niko Pafundi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait
| | - Lynn Nguyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait
| | - Milin Kurup
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait
| | - Isabel Torres
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait
| | - Albandery Al-Enezy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait
| | - Zhihui Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait
| | - Richard Yost
- Department of Chemistry, Chemistry Laboratory Building, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Firas H Kobeissy
- Program for Neurotrauma, Neuroproteomics & Biomarkers Research, Departments of Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. .,Morehouse School of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Center for Neurotrauma, Multiomics & Biomarkers (CNMB), 720 Westview Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA, 30310, USA.
| | - Kevin K W Wang
- Program for Neurotrauma, Neuroproteomics & Biomarkers Research, Departments of Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. .,Morehouse School of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Center for Neurotrauma, Multiomics & Biomarkers (CNMB), 720 Westview Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA, 30310, USA. .,Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA.
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4
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Mahakud AK, Shaikh J, Rifa Iqbal VV, Gupta A, Tiwari A, Saleem M. Amyloids on Membrane Interfaces: Implications for Neurodegeneration. J Membr Biol 2022; 255:705-722. [PMID: 35670831 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-022-00245-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Membrane interfaces are vital for various cellular processes, and their involvement in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease has taken precedence in recent years. The amyloidogenic proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases interact with the neuronal membrane through various means, which has implications for both the onset and progression of the disease. The parameters that regulate the interaction between the membrane and the amyloids remain poorly understood. The review focuses on the various aspects of membrane interactions of amyloids, particularly amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and Tau involved in Alzheimer's and α-synuclein involved in Parkinson's disease. The genetic, cell biological, biochemical, and biophysical studies that form the basis for our current understanding of the membrane interactions of Aβ peptides, Tau, and α-synuclein are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaresh Kumar Mahakud
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Jafarulla Shaikh
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - V V Rifa Iqbal
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Abhinav Gupta
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Anuj Tiwari
- Department of Life Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India
| | - Mohammed Saleem
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India. .,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India.
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5
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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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6
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An allosteric HTRA1-calpain 2 complex with restricted activation profile. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2113520119. [PMID: 35349341 PMCID: PMC9168489 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113520119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
SignificanceClassic serine proteases are synthesized as inactive precursors that are proteolytically processed, resulting in irreversible activation. We report an alternative and reversible mechanism of activation that is executed by an inactive protease. This mechanism involves a protein complex between the serine protease HTRA1 and the cysteine protease calpain 2. Surprisingly, activation is restricted as it improves the proteolysis of soluble tau protein but not the dissociation and degradation of its amyloid fibrils, a task that free HTRA1 is efficiently performing. These data exemplify a challenge for protein quality control proteases in the clearing of pathogenic fibrils and suggest a potential for unexpected side effects of chemical modulators targeting PDZ or other domains located at a distance to the active site.
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7
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Islam M, Shen F, Regmi D, Du D. Therapeutic Strategies for Tauopathies and Drug Repurposing as a Potential Approach. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 198:114979. [PMID: 35219701 PMCID: PMC9159505 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.114979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the deposition of abnormal tau in the brain. To date, there are no disease-modifying therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for the treatment of tauopathies. In the past decades, extensive efforts have been provided to develop disease-modifying therapies to treat tauopathies. Specifically, exploring existing drugs with the intent of repurposing for the treatment of tauopathies affords a reasonable alternative to discover potent drugs for treating these formidable diseases. Drug repurposing will not only reduce formulation and development stage effort and cost but will also take a key advantage of the established toxicological studies, which is one of the main causes of clinical trial failure of new molecules. In this review, we provide an overview of the current treatment strategies for tauopathies and the recent progress in drug repurposing as an alternative approach to treat tauopathies.
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8
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Horta-López PH, Mendoza-Franco G, Rodríguez-Cruz F, Torres-Cruz FM, Hernández-Echeagaray E, Jarero-Basulto JJ, Rícny J, Garduño BF, Garcia-Sierra F. Association of α-1-Antichymotrypsin Expression with the Development of Conformational Changes of Tau Protein in Alzheimer's Disease Brain. Neuroscience 2022; 518:83-100. [PMID: 35007692 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), two mutually exclusive amino-terminal-dependent conformations have been reported to occur during the aggregation of Tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). An early conformation of full-length Tau, involving the bending of the amino terminus over the third repeated domain, is recognized by the Alz-50 antibody, followed by a second conformation recognized by Tau-66 antibody that depends on the folding of the proline-rich region over the third repeated domain in a molecule partially truncated at the amino- and carboxyl-termini. α-1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) is an acute phase serum glycoprotein that accumulates abnormally in the brain of AD patients, and since it is considered to promote the in vitro and in vivo aggregation of amyloid-β, we here seek further evidence that ACT may also contribute to the abnormal aggregation of Tau in AD. By analyzing brain samples from a population of AD cases under immunofluorescence and high-resolution confocal microscopy, we demonstrate here the abundant expression of ACT in hippocampal neurons, visualized as a granular diffuse accumulation, frequently reaching the nuclear compartment. In a significant number of these neurons, intracellular NFTs composed of abnormally phosphorylated and truncated Tau at Asp421 were also observed to coexist in separated regions of the cytoplasm. However, we found strong colocalization between ACT and diffuse aggregates of Tau-66-positive granules, which was not observed with Alz-50 antibody. These results suggest that ACT may play a role during the development of Tau conformational changes facilitating its aggregation during the formation of the neurofibrillary pathology in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perla H Horta-López
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Graciela Mendoza-Franco
- Department of Cell Biology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fanny Rodríguez-Cruz
- Department of Cell Biology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Francisco M Torres-Cruz
- Laboratorio de Neurofisiología del Desarrollo y la Neurodegeneración, UBIMED, FES-Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Hernández-Echeagaray
- Laboratorio de Neurofisiología del Desarrollo y la Neurodegeneración, UBIMED, FES-Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jose J Jarero-Basulto
- Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, Cell and Molecular Biology Department, CUCBA, University of Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
| | - Jan Rícny
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Benjamín Florán Garduño
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Francisco Garcia-Sierra
- Department of Cell Biology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City, Mexico.
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9
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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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Boyarko B, Hook V. Human Tau Isoforms and Proteolysis for Production of Toxic Tau Fragments in Neurodegeneration. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:702788. [PMID: 34744602 PMCID: PMC8566764 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.702788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The human tau protein is implicated in a wide range of neurodegenerative “tauopathy” diseases, consisting of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration which includes progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, Pick’s disease, and FTLD-tau (frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism caused by MAPT mutations). Tau gene transcripts in the human brain undergo alternative splicing to yield 6 different tau protein isoforms that are expressed in different ratios in neurodegeneration which result in tau pathology of paired-helical filaments, neurofibrillary tangles, and tau fibrillar aggregates with detrimental microtubule destabilization. Protease-mediated tau truncation is an important post-translational modification (PTM) which drives neurodegeneration in a tau fragment-dependent manner. While numerous tau fragments have been identified, knowledge of the proteolytic steps that convert each parent tau isoform into specific truncated tau fragments has not yet been fully defined. An improved understanding of the relationships between tau isoforms and their proteolytic processing to generate neurotoxic tau fragments is important to the field. This review evaluates tau isoform expression patterns including PTMs and mutations that influence proteolysis of tau to generate toxic fragments that drive cognitive deficits in AD and other tauopathy models. This assessment identifies the gap in the field on understanding the details of proteolytic steps used to convert each tau isoform into fragments. Knowledge of the processing mechanisms of tau isoforms can lead to new protease targeted drug strategies to prevent the formation of toxic tau fragments in tauopathy neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Boyarko
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Vivian Hook
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.,Department of Neurosciences and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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11
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Sinsky J, Pichlerova K, Hanes J. Tau Protein Interaction Partners and Their Roles in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Tauopathies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:9207. [PMID: 34502116 PMCID: PMC8431036 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau protein plays a critical role in the assembly, stabilization, and modulation of microtubules, which are important for the normal function of neurons and the brain. In diseased conditions, several pathological modifications of tau protein manifest. These changes lead to tau protein aggregation and the formation of paired helical filaments (PHF) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), which are common hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. The accumulation of PHFs and NFTs results in impairment of physiological functions, apoptosis, and neuronal loss, which is reflected as cognitive impairment, and in the late stages of the disease, leads to death. The causes of this pathological transformation of tau protein haven't been fully understood yet. In both physiological and pathological conditions, tau interacts with several proteins which maintain their proper function or can participate in their pathological modifications. Interaction partners of tau protein and associated molecular pathways can either initiate and drive the tau pathology or can act neuroprotective, by reducing pathological tau proteins or inflammation. In this review, we focus on the tau as a multifunctional protein and its known interacting partners active in regulations of different processes and the roles of these proteins in Alzheimer's disease and tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jozef Hanes
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10 Bratislava, Slovakia; (J.S.); (K.P.)
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12
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Zhang H, Cao Y, Ma L, Wei Y, Li H. Possible Mechanisms of Tau Spread and Toxicity in Alzheimer's Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:707268. [PMID: 34395435 PMCID: PMC8355602 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.707268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a protein that associates with microtubules (MTs) and promotes their assembly and stability. The protein loses its ability to bind MTs in tauopathies, and detached tau can misfold and induce the pathological changes that characterize Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A growing body of evidence indicates that tauopathies can spread between cells or connected regions. Pathological tau transmission in the brain of patients with AD and other tauopathies is due to the spread of various tau species along neuroanatomically connected regions in a “prion-like” manner. This complex process involves multiple steps of secretion, cellular uptake, transcellular transfer, and/or seeding, but the precise mechanisms of tau pathology propagation remain unclear. This review summarizes the current evidence on the nature of propagative tau species and the possible steps involved in the process of tau pathology spread, including detachment from MTs, degradations, and secretion, and discusses the different mechanisms underlying the spread of tau pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqin Zhang
- Institute of Geriatrics, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Cao
- Institute of Geriatrics, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lina Ma
- Institute of Geriatrics, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Wei
- Institute of Geriatrics, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Li
- Institute of Geriatrics, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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13
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A Walk in the Memory, from the First Functional Approach up to Its Regulatory Role of Mitochondrial Bioenergetic Flow in Health and Disease: Focus on the Adenine Nucleotide Translocator. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22084164. [PMID: 33920595 PMCID: PMC8073645 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) plays the fundamental role of gatekeeper of cellular energy flow, carrying out the reversible exchange of ADP for ATP across the inner mitochondrial membrane. ADP enters the mitochondria where, through the oxidative phosphorylation process, it is the substrate of Fo-F1 ATP synthase, producing ATP that is dispatched from the mitochondrion to the cytoplasm of the host cell, where it can be used as energy currency for the metabolic needs of the cell that require energy. Long ago, we performed a method that allowed us to monitor the activity of ANT by continuously detecting the ATP gradually produced inside the mitochondria and exported in the extramitochondrial phase in exchange with externally added ADP, under conditions quite close to a physiological state, i.e., when oxidative phosphorylation takes place. More than 30 years after the development of the method, here we aim to put the spotlight on it and to emphasize its versatile applicability in the most varied pathophysiological conditions, reviewing all the studies, in which we were able to observe what really happened in the cell thanks to the use of the "ATP detecting system" allowing the functional activity of the ANT-mediated ADP/ATP exchange to be measured.
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14
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Gu JL, Liu F. Tau in Alzheimer's Disease: Pathological Alterations and an Attractive Therapeutic Target. Curr Med Sci 2021; 40:1009-1021. [PMID: 33428128 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-020-2282-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease with two major hallmarks: extracellular amyloid plaques made of amyloid-β (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau. The number of NFTs correlates positively with the severity of dementia in AD patients. However, there is still no efficient therapy available for AD treatment and prevention so far. A deeper understanding of AD pathogenesis has identified novel strategies for the generation of specific therapies over the past few decades. Several studies have suggested that the prion-like seeding and spreading of tau pathology in the brain may be a key driver of AD. Tau protein is considered as a promising candidate target for the development of therapeutic interventions due to its considerable pathological role in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation plays a detrimental pathological role, eventually leading to neurodegeneration. In the present review, we describe the recent research progresses in the pathological mechanisms of tau protein in AD and briefly discuss tau-based therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Lan Gu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China. .,Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration and Ministry of Education of Jiangsu, Nantong, 226001, China.
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA
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15
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Song M, Zhao X, Song F. Aging-Dependent Mitophagy Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:2362-2378. [PMID: 33417222 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02248-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common late-onset dementia characterized by the deposition of extracellular amyloid plaques and formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, which eventually lead to neuronal loss and cognitive deficits. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the initiation and progression of AD. As essential machinery for mitochondrial quality control, mitophagy plays a housekeeping role in neuronal cells by eliminating dysfunctional or excessive mitochondria. At present, mounting evidence support that the activity of mitophagy markedly declines in human brains during aging. Impaired mitophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction were causally linked to bioenergetic deficiency, oxidative stress, microglial activation, and chronic inflammation, thereby aggravating the Aβ and tau pathologies and leading to neuron loss in AD. This review summarizes recent evidence for age-associated mitophagy decline during human aging and provides an overview of mitochondrial dysfunction involved in the process of AD. It also discusses the underlying mechanisms through which defective mitophagy leads to neuronal cell death in AD. Therapeutic interventions aiming to restore mitophagy functions can be used as a strategy for ameliorating AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxue Song
- Department of Toxicology and Nutrition, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiulan Zhao
- Department of Toxicology and Nutrition, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Fuyong Song
- Department of Toxicology and Nutrition, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
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16
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Gu J, Xu W, Jin N, Li L, Zhou Y, Chu D, Gong CX, Iqbal K, Liu F. Truncation of Tau selectively facilitates its pathological activities. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:13812-13828. [PMID: 32737201 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.012587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurofibrillary tangles of abnormally hyperphosphorylated Tau are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Tau is truncated at multiple sites by various proteases in AD brain. Although many studies have reported the effect of truncation on the aggregation of Tau, these studies mostly employed highly artificial conditions, using heparin sulfate or arachidonic acid to induce aggregation. Here, we report for the first time the pathological activities of various truncations of Tau, including site-specific phosphorylation, self-aggregation, binding to hyperphosphorylated and oligomeric Tau isolated from AD brain tissue (AD O-Tau), and aggregation seeded by AD O-Tau. We found that deletion of the first 150 or 230 amino acids (aa) enhanced Tau's site-specific phosphorylation, self-aggregation, and binding to AD O-Tau and aggregation seeded by AD O-Tau, but deletion of the first 50 aa did not produce a significant effect. Deletion of the last 50 aa was found to modulate Tau's site-specific phosphorylation, promote its self-aggregation, and cause it to be captured by and aggregation seeded by AD O-Tau, whereas deletion of the last 20 aa had no such effects. Among the truncated Taus, Tau151-391 showed the highest pathological activities. AD O-Tau induced aggregation of Tau151-391 in vitro and in cultured cells. These findings suggest that the first 150 aa and the last 50 aa protect Tau from pathological characteristics and that their deletions facilitate pathological activities. Thus, inhibition of Tau truncation may represent a potential therapeutic approach to suppress Tau pathology in AD and related tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianlan Gu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA; Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education of China, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wen Xu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA; Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education of China, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Nana Jin
- Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education of China, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Longfei Li
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA; Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education of China, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA; Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education of China, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dandan Chu
- Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education of China, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Cheng-Xin Gong
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA
| | - Khalid Iqbal
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, USA.
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17
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Guo T, Zhang D, Zeng Y, Huang TY, Xu H, Zhao Y. Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Neurodegener 2020; 15:40. [PMID: 32677986 PMCID: PMC7364557 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-020-00391-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 392] [Impact Index Per Article: 98.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder seen in age-dependent dementia. There is currently no effective treatment for AD, which may be attributed in part to lack of a clear underlying mechanism. Studies within the last few decades provide growing evidence for a central role of amyloid β (Aβ) and tau, as well as glial contributions to various molecular and cellular pathways in AD pathogenesis. Herein, we review recent progress with respect to Aβ- and tau-associated mechanisms, and discuss glial dysfunction in AD with emphasis on neuronal and glial receptors that mediate Aβ-induced toxicity. We also discuss other critical factors that may affect AD pathogenesis, including genetics, aging, variables related to environment, lifestyle habits, and describe the potential role of apolipoprotein E (APOE), viral and bacterial infection, sleep, and microbiota. Although we have gained much towards understanding various aspects underlying this devastating neurodegenerative disorder, greater commitment towards research in molecular mechanism, diagnostics and treatment will be needed in future AD research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Guo
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Denghong Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yuzhe Zeng
- Department of Orthopaedics, Orthopaedic Center of People's Liberation Army, The Affiliated Southeast Hospital of Xiamen University, Zhangzhou, China
| | - Timothy Y Huang
- Neuroscience Initiative, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.
| | - Huaxi Xu
- Neuroscience Initiative, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.
| | - Yingjun Zhao
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
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18
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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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19
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Chen HH, Liu P, Auger P, Lee SH, Adolfsson O, Rey-Bellet L, Lafrance-Vanasse J, Friedman BA, Pihlgren M, Muhs A, Pfeifer A, Ernst J, Ayalon G, Wildsmith KR, Beach TG, van der Brug MP. Calpain-mediated tau fragmentation is altered in Alzheimer's disease progression. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16725. [PMID: 30425303 PMCID: PMC6233188 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35130-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of intracellular tau protein is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The extent and the stereotypical spread of tau pathology in the AD brain are correlated with cognitive decline during disease progression. Here we present an in-depth analysis of endogenous tau fragmentation in a well-characterized cohort of AD and age-matched control subjects. Using protein mass spectrometry and Edman degradation to interrogate endogenous tau fragments in the human brain, we identified two novel proteolytic sites, G323 and G326, as major tau cleavage events in both normal and AD cortex. These sites are located within the sequence recently identified as the structural core of tau protofilaments, suggesting an inhibitory mechanism of fibril formation. In contrast, a different set of novel cleavages showed a distinct increase in late stage AD. These disease-associated sites are located outside of the protofilament core sequence. We demonstrate that calpain 1 specifically cleaves at both the normal and diseased sites in vitro, and the site selection is conformation-dependent. Monomeric tau is predominantly cleaved at G323/G326 (normal sites), whereas oligomerization increases cleavages at the late-AD-associated sites. The fragmentation patterns specific to disease and healthy states suggest novel regulatory mechanisms of tau aggregation in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsu-Hsin Chen
- Biomarker Discovery, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Peter Liu
- Microchemistry, Proteomics and Lipidomics, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Paul Auger
- Biomarker Development, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Seung-Hye Lee
- Neuroscience, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Oskar Adolfsson
- AC Immune SA, EPFL Innovation Park, Building B, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lorianne Rey-Bellet
- AC Immune SA, EPFL Innovation Park, Building B, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Brad A Friedman
- Neuroscience, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maria Pihlgren
- AC Immune SA, EPFL Innovation Park, Building B, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Muhs
- AC Immune SA, EPFL Innovation Park, Building B, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Pfeifer
- AC Immune SA, EPFL Innovation Park, Building B, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - James Ernst
- Protein Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gai Ayalon
- Neuroscience, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kristin R Wildsmith
- Biomarker Development, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Thomas G Beach
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, 10515W, Santa Fe Drive, Sun City, AZ, USA
| | - Marcel P van der Brug
- Biomarker Discovery, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, USA.,Therapeutics Division, Clover Health, 22 4th Street, San Francisco, CA, USA
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20
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Ma XH, Duan WJ, Mo YS, Chen JL, Li S, Zhao W, Yang L, Mi SQ, Mao XL, Wang H, Wang Q. Neuroprotective effect of paeoniflorin on okadaic acid-induced tau hyperphosphorylation via calpain/Akt/GSK-3β pathway in SH-SY5Y cells. Brain Res 2018; 1690:1-11. [PMID: 29596798 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal phosphorylation of tau, one of the most common symptoms of dementia, has become increasingly important in the study of the etiology and development of Alzheimer's disease. Paeoniflorin, the main bioactive component of herbaceous peony, is a monoterpene glycoside, which has been reported to exert beneficial effects on neurodegenerative disease. However, the effect of paeoniflorin on tauopathies remains ambiguous. SH-SY5Y cells were treated with okadaic acid (OA) for 8 h to induce tau phosphorylation and no cell death was observed. Optical microscopy results showed that paeoniflorin ameliorated okadaic acid induced morphological changes, including cell swelling and synapsis shortening. Western blotting data illustrated that paeoniflorin reversed okadaic acid induced tau hyperphosphorylation, which was enhanced by inhibiting the activities of calpain, Akt and GSK-3β. Transmission electron microscopy results showed that paeoniflorin alone can reduce the number of autophagosomes and stabilize the microtubule structure. In addition, calpastain and paeoniflorin enhance the effect of paeoniflorin on stabilizing microtubules. In addition, calpastain markedly enhanced the effect of paeoniflorin on reversing okadaic acid-lowered fluorescence intensity of both MAP-2 and β III-tubulin, two microtubule-associated proteins. This study shows that paeoniflorin protected SH-SY5Y cells against okadaic acid assault by interfering with the calpain/Akt/GSK-3β-related pathways, in which autophagy might be involved. Besides, paeoniflorin is found to relieve the stress response of the microtubule structure system caused by okadaic acid treatment. The results presented in this study suggest that paeoniflorin potentially plays an important role in tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Hui Ma
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Wen-Jun Duan
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - You-Sheng Mo
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Jun-Li Chen
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Shi Li
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Lei Yang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Sui-Qing Mi
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Xin-Liang Mao
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China.
| | - Qi Wang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China.
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21
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Quinn JP, Corbett NJ, Kellett KAB, Hooper NM. Tau Proteolysis in the Pathogenesis of Tauopathies: Neurotoxic Fragments and Novel Biomarkers. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 63:13-33. [PMID: 29630551 PMCID: PMC5900574 DOI: 10.3233/jad-170959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
With predictions showing that 131.5 million people worldwide will be living with dementia by 2050, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning disease is crucial in the hunt for novel therapeutics and for biomarkers to detect disease early and/or monitor disease progression. The metabolism of the microtubule-associated protein tau is altered in different dementias, the so-called tauopathies. Tau detaches from microtubules, aggregates into oligomers and neurofibrillary tangles, which can be secreted from neurons, and spreads through the brain during disease progression. Post-translational modifications exacerbate the production of both oligomeric and soluble forms of tau, with proteolysis by a range of different proteases being a crucial driver. However, the impact of tau proteolysis on disease progression has been overlooked until recently. Studies have highlighted that proteolytic fragments of tau can drive neurodegeneration in a fragment-dependent manner as a result of aggregation and/or transcellular propagation. Proteolytic fragments of tau have been found in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma of patients with different tauopathies, providing an opportunity to develop these fragments as novel disease progression biomarkers. A range of therapeutic strategies have been proposed to halt the toxicity associated with proteolysis, including reducing protease expression and/or activity, selectively inhibiting protease-substrate interactions, and blocking the action of the resulting fragments. This review highlights the importance of tau proteolysis in the pathogenesis of tauopathies, identifies putative sites during tau fragment-mediated neurodegeneration that could be targeted therapeutically, and discusses the potential use of proteolytic fragments of tau as biomarkers for different tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P. Quinn
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Nicola J. Corbett
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Katherine A. B. Kellett
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Nigel M. Hooper
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
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22
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Kulbe JR, Hall ED. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy-integration of canonical traumatic brain injury secondary injury mechanisms with tau pathology. Prog Neurobiol 2017; 158:15-44. [PMID: 28851546 PMCID: PMC5671903 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, a new neurodegenerative tauopathy labeled Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), has been identified that is believed to be primarily a sequela of repeated mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), often referred to as concussion, that occurs in athletes participating in contact sports (e.g. boxing, American football, Australian football, rugby, soccer, ice hockey) or in military combatants, especially after blast-induced injuries. Since the identification of CTE, and its neuropathological finding of deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, mechanistic attention has been on lumping the disorder together with various other non-traumatic neurodegenerative tauopathies. Indeed, brains from suspected CTE cases that have come to autopsy have been confirmed to have deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau in locations that make its anatomical distribution distinct for other tauopathies. The fact that these individuals experienced repetitive TBI episodes during their athletic or military careers suggests that the secondary injury mechanisms that have been extensively characterized in acute TBI preclinical models, and in TBI patients, including glutamate excitotoxicity, intracellular calcium overload, mitochondrial dysfunction, free radical-induced oxidative damage and neuroinflammation, may contribute to the brain damage associated with CTE. Thus, the current review begins with an in depth analysis of what is known about the tau protein and its functions and dysfunctions followed by a discussion of the major TBI secondary injury mechanisms, and how the latter have been shown to contribute to tau pathology. The value of this review is that it might lead to improved neuroprotective strategies for either prophylactically attenuating the development of CTE or slowing its progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline R Kulbe
- Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States
| | - Edward D Hall
- Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, United States.
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23
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Boselli M, Lee BH, Robert J, Prado MA, Min SW, Cheng C, Silva MC, Seong C, Elsasser S, Hatle KM, Gahman TC, Gygi SP, Haggarty SJ, Gan L, King RW, Finley D. An inhibitor of the proteasomal deubiquitinating enzyme USP14 induces tau elimination in cultured neurons. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:19209-19225. [PMID: 28972160 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.815126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for most selective protein degradation in eukaryotes and regulates numerous cellular processes, including cell cycle control and protein quality control. A component of this system, the deubiquitinating enzyme USP14, associates with the proteasome where it can rescue substrates from degradation by removal of the ubiquitin tag. We previously found that a small-molecule inhibitor of USP14, known as IU1, can increase the rate of degradation of a subset of proteasome substrates. We report here the synthesis and characterization of 87 variants of IU1, which resulted in the identification of a 10-fold more potent USP14 inhibitor that retains specificity for USP14. The capacity of this compound, IU1-47, to enhance protein degradation in cells was tested using as a reporter the microtubule-associated protein tau, which has been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases. Using primary neuronal cultures, IU1-47 was found to accelerate the rate of degradation of wild-type tau, the pathological tau mutants P301L and P301S, and the A152T tau variant. We also report that a specific residue in tau, lysine 174, is critical for the IU1-47-mediated tau degradation by the proteasome. Finally, we show that IU1-47 stimulates autophagic flux in primary neurons. In summary, these findings provide a powerful research tool for investigating the complex biology of USP14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Boselli
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Byung-Hoon Lee
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.,the Department of New Biology, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, 42988 Daegu, Korea
| | - Jessica Robert
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Miguel A Prado
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Sang-Won Min
- the Department of Neurology, Gladstone Institute of Neurological Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Chialin Cheng
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
| | - M Catarina Silva
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
| | - Changhyun Seong
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.,Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, New York 10591, and
| | - Suzanne Elsasser
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Ketki M Hatle
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Timothy C Gahman
- Small Molecule Discovery Program, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Steven P Gygi
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Stephen J Haggarty
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
| | - Li Gan
- the Department of Neurology, Gladstone Institute of Neurological Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Randall W King
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115,
| | - Daniel Finley
- From the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115,
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24
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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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Jin N, Yin X, Gu J, Zhang X, Shi J, Qian W, Ji Y, Cao M, Gu X, Ding F, Iqbal K, Gong CX, Liu F. Truncation and Activation of Dual Specificity Tyrosine Phosphorylation-regulated Kinase 1A by Calpain I: A MOLECULAR MECHANISM LINKED TO TAU PATHOLOGY IN ALZHEIMER DISEASE. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:15219-37. [PMID: 25918155 PMCID: PMC4463463 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.645507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Revised: 04/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperphosphorylation and dysregulation of exon 10 splicing of Tau are pivotally involved in pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD) and/or other tauopathies. Alternative splicing of Tau exon 10, which encodes the second microtubule-binding repeat, generates Tau isoforms containing three and four microtubule-binding repeats, termed 3R-Taus and 4R-Taus, respectively. Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (Dyrk1A) lies at the Down syndrome critical region of chromosome 21. Overexpression of this kinase may contribute to the early Tau pathology in Down syndrome via phosphorylation of Tau and dysregulation of Tau exon 10. Here, we report that Dyrk1A was truncated at the C terminus and was associated with overactivation of calpain I in AD brain. Calpain I proteolyzed Dyrk1A in vitro first at the C terminus and further at the N terminus and enhanced its kinase activity toward Tau via increased Vmax but not Km. C-terminal truncation of Dyrk1A resulted in stronger activity than its full-length protein in promotion of exon 10 exclusion and phosphorylation of Tau. Dyrk1A was truncated in kainic acid-induced excitotoxic mouse brains and coincided with an increase in 3R-Tau expression and phosphorylation of Tau via calpain activation. Moreover, truncation of Dyrk1A was correlated with an increase in the ratio of 3R-Tau/4R-Tau and Tau hyperphosphorylation in AD brain. Collectively, these findings suggest that truncation/activation of Dyrk1A by Ca(2+)/calpain I might contribute to Tau pathology via promotion of exon 10 exclusion and hyperphosphorylation of Tau in AD brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Jin
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314
| | - Xiaomin Yin
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, and
| | - Jianlan Gu
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, and
| | - Xinhua Zhang
- the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314
| | - Jianhua Shi
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, and
| | - Wei Qian
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, and
| | - Yuhua Ji
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China
| | - Maohong Cao
- the Department of Neurology, Hospital Affiliated with Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China
| | - Xiaosong Gu
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China
| | - Fei Ding
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China
| | - Khalid Iqbal
- the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314
| | - Cheng-Xin Gong
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314
| | - Fei Liu
- From the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China, the Department of Neurochemistry, Inge Grundke-Iqbal Research Floor, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314,
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26
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Chen M. The Maze of APP Processing in Alzheimer's Disease: Where Did We Go Wrong in Reasoning? Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:186. [PMID: 26052267 PMCID: PMC4447002 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00186] [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] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Why has Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remained a conundrum today? The main reason is the stagnation in understanding the origins of plaques and tangles. While they are widely thought to be the products of the “aberrant” pathways, we believe that plaques and tangles result from natural aging. From this new perspective, we have proposed that age-related inefficiency of α-secretase is the underpinning for Aβ overproduction. This view contrasts sharply with the current doctrine that Aβ overproduction is the product of the “overactivated” β- and γ-secretases. Following this doctrine, it has been claimed that the two secretases are “positively identified” and that their inhibitors have “successfully reduced Aβ levels.” But, why have these studies not led to the understanding of AD or successful clinical trials? And if so, where did they go off course in reasoning? These questions may touch the basics of biological science and must be answered. In this paper, I dissected several prevailing assumptions and some influential reports with an attempt to trace the origins of the conundrum. This work led me to an original model for Aβ overproduction and also to a serious question: given the universal knowledge that boosting α-secretase reduces Aβ, a straightforward highway for intervention, then why is there such an obsession on “inhibiting β- and γ-secretases,” a much more costly and twisting road even if possible? This issue requires the attention of policymakers and all researchers. I therefore call for a game change in AD study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Chen
- Aging Research Laboratory, Research and Development Service, Bay Pines VA Healthcare System , Bay Pines, FL , USA ; Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine , Tampa, FL , USA
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27
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Jin N, Yin X, Yu D, Cao M, Gong CX, Iqbal K, Ding F, Gu X, Liu F. Truncation and activation of GSK-3β by calpain I: a molecular mechanism links to tau hyperphosphorylation in Alzheimer's disease. Sci Rep 2015; 5:8187. [PMID: 25641096 PMCID: PMC4313118 DOI: 10.1038/srep08187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau is pivotally involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) is a primary tau kinase that is most implicated in tau pathology in AD. However, the exact molecular nature of GSK-3β involved in AD is unclear. In the present study, we found that GSK-3β was truncated at C-terminus and correlated with over-activation of calpain I in AD brain. Truncation of GSK-3β was positively correlated with tau hyperphosphorylation, tangles score and Braak stage in human brain. Calpain I proteolyzed GSK-3β in vitro at C-terminus, leading to an increase of its kinase activity, but keeping its characteristic to preferentially phosphorylate the protein kinase A-primed tau. Excitotoxicity induced by kainic acid (KA) caused GSK-3β truncation at C-terminus and hyperphosphorylation of tau in mouse brain. Inhibition of calpain prevented the KA-induced changes. These findings suggest that truncation of GSK-3β by Ca2+/calpain I markedly increases its activity and involvement of this mechanism probably is responsible for up-regulation of GSK-3β and consequent abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau and neurofibrillary degeneration in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Jin
- 1] Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China [2] Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
| | - Xiaomin Yin
- 1] Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China [2] Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
| | - Dian Yu
- Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
| | - Maohong Cao
- Institute of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China
| | - Cheng-Xin Gong
- Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
| | - Khalid Iqbal
- Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
| | - Fei Ding
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China
| | - Xiaosong Gu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China
| | - Fei Liu
- 1] Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, P. R. China [2] Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
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28
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Chen M, Nguyen HT. Our "energy-Ca(2+) signaling deficits" hypothesis and its explanatory potential for key features of Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2014; 6:329. [PMID: 25489296 PMCID: PMC4253736 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) has not been explained by any current theories, so new hypotheses are urgently needed. We proposed that "energy and Ca(2+) signaling deficits" are perhaps the earliest modifiable defects in brain aging underlying memory decline and tau deposits (by means of inactivating Ca(2+)-dependent protease calpain). Consistent with this hypothesis, we now notice that at least eight other known calpain substrates have also been reported to accumulate in aging and AD. Thus, protein accumulation or aggregation is not a "pathogenic" event, but occurs naturally and selectively to a peculiar family of proteins, and is best explained by calpain inactivation. Why are only calpain substrates accumulated and how can they stay for decades in the brain without being attacked by many other non-specific proteases there? We believe that these long-lasting puzzles can be explained by calpain's unique properties, especially its unusual specificity and exclusivity in substrate recognition, which can protect the substrates from other proteases' attacks after calpain inactivation. Interestingly, our model, in essence, may also explain tau phosphorylation and the formation of amyloid plaques. Our studies suggest that α-secretase is an energy-/Ca(2+)-dual dependent protease and is also the primary determinant for Aβ levels. Therefore, β- and γ-secretases can only play secondary roles and, by biological laws, they are unlikely to be "positively identified". This study thus raises serious questions for policymakers and researchers and these questions may help explain why sAD can remain an enigma today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Chen
- Aging Research Laboratory, Research and Development Service, Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Bay Pines, FL, USA ; Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Huey T Nguyen
- Aging Research Laboratory, Research and Development Service, Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Bay Pines, FL, USA
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29
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Menzies FM, Garcia-Arencibia M, Imarisio S, O'Sullivan NC, Ricketts T, Kent BA, Rao MV, Lam W, Green-Thompson ZW, Nixon RA, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, O'Kane CJ, Rubinsztein DC. Calpain inhibition mediates autophagy-dependent protection against polyglutamine toxicity. Cell Death Differ 2014; 22:433-44. [PMID: 25257175 PMCID: PMC4326573 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2014.151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Revised: 08/07/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Over recent years, accumulated evidence suggests that autophagy induction is protective in animal models of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Intense research in the field has elucidated different pathways through which autophagy can be upregulated and it is important to establish how modulation of these pathways impacts upon disease progression in vivo and therefore which, if any, may have further therapeutic relevance. In addition, it is important to understand how alterations in these target pathways may affect normal physiology when constitutively modulated over a long time period, as would be required for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we evaluate the potential protective effect of downregulation of calpains. We demonstrate, in Drosophila, that calpain knockdown protects against the aggregation and toxicity of proteins, like mutant huntingtin, in an autophagy-dependent fashion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, overexpression of the calpain inhibitor, calpastatin, increases autophagosome levels and is protective in a mouse model of Huntington's disease, improving motor signs and delaying the onset of tremors. Importantly, long-term inhibition of calpains did not result in any overt deleterious phenotypes in mice. Thus, calpain inhibition, or activation of autophagy pathways downstream of calpains, may be suitable therapeutic targets for diseases like Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- F M Menzies
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - M Garcia-Arencibia
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - S Imarisio
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - N C O'Sullivan
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - T Ricketts
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - B A Kent
- 1] Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK [2] Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - M V Rao
- 1] Center for Dementia Research, Nathan S. Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA [2] Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA [3] Department of Cell Biology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - W Lam
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Z W Green-Thompson
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - R A Nixon
- 1] Center for Dementia Research, Nathan S. Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA [2] Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA [3] Department of Cell Biology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - L M Saksida
- 1] Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK [2] Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - T J Bussey
- 1] Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK [2] Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - C J O'Kane
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - D C Rubinsztein
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
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30
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Ma M. Role of calpains in the injury-induced dysfunction and degeneration of the mammalian axon. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 60:61-79. [PMID: 23969238 PMCID: PMC3882011 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2013.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Revised: 07/17/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Axonal injury and degeneration, whether primary or secondary, contribute to the morbidity and mortality seen in many acquired and inherited central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) disorders, such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral ischemia, neurodegenerative diseases, and peripheral neuropathies. The calpain family of proteases has been mechanistically linked to the dysfunction and degeneration of axons. While the direct mechanisms by which transection, mechanical strain, ischemia, or complement activation trigger intra-axonal calpain activity are likely different, the downstream effects of unregulated calpain activity may be similar in seemingly disparate diseases. In this review, a brief examination of axonal structure is followed by a focused overview of the calpain family. Finally, the mechanisms by which calpains may disrupt the axonal cytoskeleton, transport, and specialized domains (axon initial segment, nodes, and terminals) are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Ma
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Center for Resuscitation Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Proteolytic Cleavage of Polymeric Tau Protein by Caspase-3: Implications for Alzheimer Disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2013; 72:1145-61. [DOI: 10.1097/nen.0000000000000013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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32
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Jadhav S, Zilka N, Novak M. Protein truncation as a common denominator of human neurodegenerative foldopathies. Mol Neurobiol 2013; 48:516-32. [PMID: 23516100 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-013-8440-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative foldopathies are characterized by aberrant folding of diseased modified proteins, which are major constituents of the intracellular and extracellular lesions. These lesions correlate with the cognitive and/or motor impairment seen in these diseases. The majority of the disease modified proteins in neurodegenerative foldopathies belongs to the group of proteins termed as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Several independent studies have showed that abnormal protein processing constitutes the key pathological feature of these disorders. The current review focuses on protein truncation as a common denominator of neurodegenerative foldopathies, which is considered to be the major driving force behind the pathological metamorphosis of brain IDPs. The aim of the review is to emphasize the key role of the protein truncation in the pathogenic pathways of neurodegenerative diseases. A deeper understanding of the complex downstream processing of the IDPs, resulting in the generation of pathologically modified proteins might be a prerequisite for the successful therapeutic strategies of several fatal neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Jadhav
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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Yamashima T. Reconsider Alzheimer's disease by the 'calpain-cathepsin hypothesis'--a perspective review. Prog Neurobiol 2013; 105:1-23. [PMID: 23499711 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by slowly progressive neuronal death, but its molecular cascade remains elusive for over 100 years. Since accumulation of autophagic vacuoles (also called granulo-vacuolar degenerations) represents one of the pathologic hallmarks of degenerating neurons in AD, a causative connection between autophagy failure and neuronal death should be present. The aim of this perspective review is at considering such underlying mechanism of AD that age-dependent oxidative stresses may affect the autophagic-lysosomal system via carbonylation and cleavage of heat-shock protein 70.1 (Hsp70.1). AD brains exhibit gradual but continual ischemic insults that cause perturbed Ca(2+) homeostasis, calpain activation, amyloid β deposition, and oxidative stresses. Membrane lipids such as linoleic and arachidonic acids are vulnerable to the cumulative oxidative stresses, generating a toxic peroxidation product 'hydroxynonenal' that can carbonylate Hsp70.1. Recent data advocate for dual roles of Hsp70.1 as a molecular chaperone for damaged proteins and a guardian of lysosomal integrity. Accordingly, impairments of lysosomal autophagy and stabilization may be driven by the calpain-mediated cleavage of carbonylated Hsp70.1, and this causes lysosomal permeabilization and/or rupture with the resultant release of the cell degradation enzyme, cathepsins (calpain-cathepsin hypothesis). Here, the author discusses three topics; (1) how age-related decrease in lysosomal and autophagic activities has a causal connection to programmed neuronal necrosis in sporadic AD, (2) how genetic factors such as apolipoprotein E and presenilin 1 can facilitate lysosomal destabilization in the sequential molecular events, and (3) whether a single cascade can simultaneously account for implications of all players previously reported. In conclusion, Alzheimer neuronal death conceivably occurs by the similar 'calpain-hydroxynonenal-Hsp70.1-cathepsin cascade' with ischemic neuronal death. Blockade of calpain and/or extra-lysosomal cathepsins as well as scavenging of hydroxynonenal would become effective AD therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsumori Yamashima
- Department of Restorative Neurosurgery, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Takara-machi 13-1, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan.
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Jin N, Qian W, Yin X, Zhang L, Iqbal K, Grundke-Iqbal I, Gong CX, Liu F. CREB regulates the expression of neuronal glucose transporter 3: a possible mechanism related to impaired brain glucose uptake in Alzheimer's disease. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:3240-56. [PMID: 23341039 PMCID: PMC3597642 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks1227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired brain glucose uptake and metabolism precede the appearance of clinical symptoms in Alzheimer disease (AD). Neuronal glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) is decreased in AD brain and correlates with tau pathology. However, what leads to the decreased GLUT3 is yet unknown. In this study, we found that the promoter of human GLUT3 contains three potential cAMP response element (CRE)-like elements, CRE1, CRE2 and CRE3. Overexpression of CRE-binding protein (CREB) or activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase significantly increased GLUT3 expression. CREB bound to the CREs and promoted luciferase expression driven by human GLUT3-promoter. Among the CREs, CRE2 and CRE3 were required for the promotion of GLUT3 expression. Full-length CREB was decreased and truncation of CREB was increased in AD brain. This truncation was correlated with calpain I activation in human brain. Further study demonstrated that calpain I proteolysed CREB at Gln28–Ala29 and generated a 41-kDa truncated CREB, which had less activity to promote GLUT3 expression. Importantly, human brain GLUT3 was correlated with full-length CREB positively and with activation of calpain I negatively. These findings suggest that overactivation of calpain I caused by calcium overload proteolyses CREB, resulting in a reduction of GLUT3 expression and consequently impairing glucose uptake and metabolism in AD brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Jin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
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López-Menéndez C, Gamir-Morralla A, Jurado-Arjona J, Higuero AM, Campanero MR, Ferrer I, Hernández F, Ávila J, Díaz-Guerra M, Iglesias T. Kidins220 accumulates with tau in human Alzheimer's disease and related models: modulation of its calpain-processing by GSK3β/PP1 imbalance. Hum Mol Genet 2012; 22:466-82. [PMID: 23118350 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/dds446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Failures in neurotrophic support and signalling play key roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. We previously demonstrated that downregulation of the neurotrophin effector Kinase D interacting substrate (Kidins220) by excitotoxicity and cerebral ischaemia contributed to neuronal death. This downregulation, triggered through overactivation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), involved proteolysis of Kidins220 by calpain and transcriptional inhibition. As excitotoxicity is at the basis of AD aetiology, we hypothesized that Kidins220 might also be downregulated in this disease. Unexpectedly, Kidins220 is augmented in necropsies from AD patients where it accumulates with hyperphosphorylated tau. This increase correlates with enhanced Kidins220 resistance to calpain processing but no higher gene transcription. Using AD brain necropsies, glycogen synthase kinase 3-β (GSK3β)-transgenic mice and cell models of AD-related neurodegeneration, we show that GSK3β phosphorylation decreases Kidins220 susceptibility to calpain proteolysis, while protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) action has the opposite effect. As altered activities of GSK3β and phosphatases are involved in tau aggregation and constitute hallmarks in AD, a GSK3β/PP1 imbalance may also contribute to Kidins220 decreased clearance, accumulation and hampered neurotrophin signalling from early stages of the disease pathogenesis. These results encourage searches for mutations in Kidins220 gene and their possible associations to dementias. Finally, our data support a model where the effects of excitotoxicity drastically differ when occurring in cerebral ischaemia versus progressively sustained toxicity along AD progression. The striking differences in Kidins220 stability resulting from chronic versus acute brain damage may also have important implications for the therapeutic intervention of neurodegenerative disorders.
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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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Iwaya N, Akiyama K, Goda N, Tenno T, Fujiwara Y, Hamada D, Ikura T, Shirakawa M, Hiroaki H. Effect of Ca2+ on the microtubule-severing enzyme p60-katanin. Insight into the substrate-dependent activation mechanism. FEBS J 2012; 279:1339-52. [PMID: 22325007 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2012.08528.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Katanin p60 (p60-katanin) is a microtubule (MT)-severing enzyme and its activity is regulated by the p80 subunit (adaptor-p80). p60-katanin consists of an N-terminal domain, followed by a single ATPase associated with various cellular activities (AAA) domain. We have previously shown that the N-terminal domain serves as the binding site for MT, the substrate of p60-katanin. In this study, we show that the same domain shares another interface with the C-terminal domain of adaptor-p80. We further show that Ca(2+) ions inhibit the MT-severing activity of p60-katanin, whereas the MT-binding activity is preserved in the presence of Ca(2+). In detail, the basal ATPase activity of p60-katanin is stimulated twofold by both MTs and the C-terminal domain of adaptor-p80, whereas Ca(2+) reduces elevated ATPase activity to the basal level. We identify the Ca(2+) -binding site at the end of helix 2 of the N-terminal domain, which is different from the MT-binding interface. On the basis of these observations, we propose a speculative model in which spatial rearrangement of the N-terminal domain relative to the C-terminal AAA domain may be important for productive ATP hydrolysis towards MT-severing. Our model can explain how Ca(2+) regulates both severing and ATP hydrolysis activity, because the Ca(2+) -binding site on the N-terminal domain moves close to the AAA domain during MT severing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoko Iwaya
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Iqbal K, Liu F, Gong CX, Grundke-Iqbal I. Tau in Alzheimer disease and related tauopathies. Curr Alzheimer Res 2011; 7:656-64. [PMID: 20678074 DOI: 10.2174/156720510793611592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 666] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2010] [Accepted: 01/20/2010] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Tau is the major microtubule associated protein (MAP) of a mature neuron. The other two neuronal MAPs are MAP1 and MAP2. An established function of MAPs is their interaction with tubulin and promotion of its assembly into microtubules and stabilization of the microtubule network. The microtubule assembly promoting activity of tau, a phosphoprotein, is regulated by its degree of phosphorylation. Normal adult human brain tau contains 2-3 moles phosphate/mole of tau protein. Hyperphosphorylation of tau depresses this biological activity of tau. In Alzheimer disease (AD) brain tau is ~three to four-fold more hyperphosphorylated than the normal adult brain tau and in this hyperphosphorylated state it is polymerized into paired helical filaments ([PHF) admixed with straight filaments (SF) forming neurofibrillary tangles. Tau is transiently hyperphosphorylated during development and during anesthesia and hypothermia but not to the same state as in AD brain. The abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau in AD brain is distinguished from transiently hyperphosphorylated tau by its ability (1) to sequester normal tau, MAP1 and MAP2 and disrupt microtubules, and (2) to self-assemble into PHF/SF. The cytosolic abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau, because of oligomerization, unlike normal tau, is sedimentable and on self-assembly into PHF/SF, loses its ability to sequester normal MAPs. Some of the tau in AD brain is truncated which also promotes its self-assembly. Tau mutations found in frontotemporal dementia apparently promote its abnormal hyperphosphorylation. Thus, the AD abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau (1) is distinguishable from both normal and transiently hyperphosphorylated taus, and (2) is inhibitory when in a cytosolic/oligomeric state but not when it is self-assembled into PHF/SF. Inhibition of abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau offers a promising therapeutic target for AD and related tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Iqbal
- Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, New York 10314-6399, USA.
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Calcium channel blocking as a therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease: the case for isradipine. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2011; 1812:1584-90. [PMID: 21925266 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2011] [Revised: 08/12/2011] [Accepted: 08/30/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the most devastating neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly, yet treatment options are severely limited. The drug development effort to modify Alzheimer's disease pathology by intervention at beta amyloid production sites has been largely ineffective or inconclusive. The greatest challenge has been to identify and define downstream mechanisms reliably predictive of clinical symptoms. Beta amyloid accumulation leads to dysregulation of intracellular calcium by plasma membrane L-type calcium channels located on neuronal somatodendrites and axons in the hippocampus and cortex. Paradoxically, L-type calcium channel subtype Ca(v)1.2 also promotes synaptic plasticity and spatial memory. Increased intracellular calcium modulates amyloid precursor protein processing and affects multiple downstream pathways including increased hyperphosphorylated tau and suppression of autophagy. Isradipine is a Federal Drug Administration-approved dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker that binds selectively to Ca(v)1.2 in the hippocampus. Our studies have shown that isradipine in vitro attenuates beta amyloid oligomer toxicity by suppressing calcium influx into cytoplasm and by suppressing Ca(v)1.2 expression. We have previously shown that administration of isradipine to triple transgenic animal model for Alzheimer's disease was well-tolerated. Our results further suggest that isradipine became bioavailable, lowered tau burden, and improved autophagy function in the brain. A better understanding of brain pharmacokinetics of calcium channel blockers will be critical for designing new experiments with appropriate drug doses in any future clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease. This review highlights the importance of Ca(v)1.2 channel overexpression, the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau and suppression of autophagy in Alzheimer's disease and modulation of this pathway by isradipine.
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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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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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Cheng Liu M, Kobeissy F, Zheng W, Zhang Z, Hayes RL, Wang KKW. Dual vulnerability of tau to calpains and caspase-3 proteolysis under neurotoxic and neurodegenerative conditions. ASN Neuro 2011; 3:e00051. [PMID: 21359008 PMCID: PMC3040574 DOI: 10.1042/an20100012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2010] [Revised: 08/31/2010] [Accepted: 09/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Axonally specific microtubule-associated protein tau is an important component of neurofibrillary tangles found in AD (Alzheimer's disease) and other tauopathy diseases such as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Such tau aggregate is found to be hyperphosphorylated and often proteolytically fragmented. Similarly, tau is degraded following TBI (traumatic brain injury). In the present study, we examined the dual vulnerability of tau to calpain and caspase-3 under neurotoxic and neurodegenerative conditions. We first identified three novel calpain cleavage sites in rat tau (four-repeat isoform) as Ser130↓Lys131, Gly157↓Ala158 and Arg380↓Glu381. Fragment-specific antibodies to target the major calpain-mediated TauBDP-35K (35 kDa tau-breakdown product) and the caspase-mediated TauBDP-45K respectively were developed. In rat cerebrocortical cultures treated with excitotoxin [NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate)], tau is significantly degraded into multiple fragments, including a dominant signal of calpain-mediated TauBDP-35K with minimal caspase-mediated TauBDP-45K. Following apoptosis-inducing EDTA treatment, tau was truncated only to TauBDP-48K/45K-exclusively by caspase. Cultures treated with another apoptosis inducer STS (staurosporine), dual fragmentation by calpain (TauBDP-35K) and caspase-3 (TauBDP-45K) was observed. Tau was also fragmented in injured rat cortex following TBI in vivo to BDPs of 45-42 kDa (minor), 35 kDa and 15 kDa, followed by TauBDP-25K. Calpain-mediated TauBDP-35K-specific antibody confirmed robust signals in the injured cortex, while caspase-mediated TauBDP-45K-specific antibody only detected faint signals. Furthermore, intravenous administration of a calpain-specific inhibitor SNJ-1945 strongly suppressed the TauBDP-35K formation. Taken together, these results suggest that tau protein is dually vulnerable to calpain and caspase-3 proteolysis under different neurotoxic and injury conditions.
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Key Words
- AD, Alzheimer's disease
- CCI, controlled cortical impact
- CSF, colony-stimulating factor
- CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- DMEM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium
- DTT, dithiothreitol
- NMDA, N-methyl-d-aspartate
- STS, staurosporine
- TAI, traumatic axonal injury
- TBI, traumatic brain injury
- TBST, TBS and 0.05% Tween-2
- TauBDP-35K, 35 kDa tau-breakdown product
- cell death
- neurodegeneration
- protease
- tau protein
- tauopathy
- traumatic brain injury (TBI)
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Cheng Liu
- *Center of Innovative Research, Banyan Biomarkers Inc., 12085 Research Drive, Alachua, FL 32615, U.S.A
| | - Firas Kobeissy
- *Center of Innovative Research, Banyan Biomarkers Inc., 12085 Research Drive, Alachua, FL 32615, U.S.A
- †Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, U.S.A
| | - Wenrong Zheng
- *Center of Innovative Research, Banyan Biomarkers Inc., 12085 Research Drive, Alachua, FL 32615, U.S.A
| | - Zhiqun Zhang
- *Center of Innovative Research, Banyan Biomarkers Inc., 12085 Research Drive, Alachua, FL 32615, U.S.A
| | - Ronald L Hayes
- *Center of Innovative Research, Banyan Biomarkers Inc., 12085 Research Drive, Alachua, FL 32615, U.S.A
- ‡Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, U.S.A
| | - Kevin KW Wang
- *Center of Innovative Research, Banyan Biomarkers Inc., 12085 Research Drive, Alachua, FL 32615, U.S.A
- †Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, U.S.A
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Abstract
Deposition of highly phosphorylated tau in the brain is the most significant neuropathological and biochemical characteristic of the group of neurodegenerative disorders termed the tauopathies. The discovery of tau fragments in these diseases suggests that tau cleavage and tau phosphorylation, both of which induce conformational changes in tau, could each have roles in disease pathogenesis. The identities of the proteases responsible for degrading tau, resulting in the appearance of truncated tau species in physiological and pathological conditions, are not known. Several fragments of tau are reported to have pro-aggregation properties, but the lack of disease-relevant cell models of tau aggregation has hampered investigation of the effects of tau aggregation on normal cellular functioning. In the present paper, we describe our findings of N-terminally truncated tau in the brain in a subgroup of the tauopathies in which tau isoforms containing four microtubule-binding domains predominate. We also discuss the evidence for the involvement of proteases in the generation of tau pathology in neurodegenerative disease, since these enzymes warrant further investigation as potential therapeutic targets in the tauopathies.
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Nakajima T, Ochi S, Oda C, Ishii M, Ogawa K. Ischemic preconditioning attenuates of ischemia-induced degradation of spectrin and tau: implications for ischemic tolerance. Neurol Sci 2010; 32:229-39. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-010-0359-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2009] [Accepted: 06/15/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Schraen-Maschke S, Sergeant N, Dhaenens CM, Bombois S, Deramecourt V, Caillet-Boudin ML, Pasquier F, Maurage CA, Sablonnière B, Vanmechelen E, Buée L. Tau as a biomarker of neurodegenerative diseases. Biomark Med 2010; 2:363-84. [PMID: 20477391 DOI: 10.2217/17520363.2.4.363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-associated protein Tau is mainly expressed in neurons of the CNS and is crucial in axonal maintenance and axonal transport. The rationale for Tau as a biomarker of neurodegenerative diseases is that it is a major component of abnormal intraneuronal aggregates observed in numerous tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. The molecular diversity of Tau is very useful when analyzing it in the brain or in the peripheral fluids. Immunohistochemical and biochemical characterization of Tau aggregates in the brain allows the postmortem classification and differential diagnosis of tauopathies. As peripheral biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease in the cerebrospinal fluid, Tau proteins are now validated for diagnosis and predictive purposes. For the future, the detailed characterization of Tau in the brain and in peripheral fluids will lead to novel promising biomarkers for differential diagnosis of dementia and monitoring of therapeutics.
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Yanagi K, Tanaka T, Kato K, Sadik G, Morihara T, Kudo T, Takeda M. Involvement of puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase in proteolysis of tau protein in cultured cells, and attenuated proteolysis of frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) mutant tau. Psychogeriatrics 2009; 9:157-66. [PMID: 20377816 DOI: 10.1111/j.1479-8301.2010.00307.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In tauopathies, tau protein is hyperphosphorylated, ubiquitinated, and accumulated in the brain; however, the mechanisms underlying this accumulation remain unclear. To gain an understanding of the role of proteases in the metabolism of tau protein, in the present study we evaluated the effects of protease inhibitors in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and COS-7 cells transfected with the tau gene. When cells were treated with 0.1-10 micromol/L of lactacystin and 1.0-20 micromol/L of MG-132 (inhibitors of proteasome), 0.1-10 micromol/L of CA-074Me (a cathepsin inhibitor), and 0.1-2 micromol/L of puromycin (a puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase (PSA) inhibitor) for up to 24 h, there were no significant changes in tau protein levels. However, pulse-chase experiments demonstrated that the proteolysis of tau protein in SH-SY5Y cells was attenuated following treatment of cells with 200 nmol/L puromycin. Increased tau protein levels were also observed in SH-SY5Y cells treated with short interference (si) RNA to PSA to inhibit the expression of PSA. These data suggest that PSA is a protease that catalyses tau protein predominantly in SH-SY5Y cells. The protein metabolism of tau-containing mutations of frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) was also investigated using pulse-chase experiments. The results indicate attenuated proteolysis of tau in cells transfected with mutant tau genes after 48 h. Further immunocytochemical analysis and subcellular fractionation experiments revealed that the mutations did not alter the intracellular distribution of tau and suggested that impaired accessibility of tau to PSA is unlikely to account for the attenuated proteolysis of tau protein. Western blotting with phosphorylation-dependent antibodies revealed that phosphorylation levels of tau at Thr(231), Ser(396), and Ser(409) were increased in cells transfected with V337M, R406W, and R406W mutant tau genes, respectively. Together, the data suggest that attenuated proteolysis of FTDP-17 mutant tau may be explained by increased phosphorylation levels, resulting in resistance to proteolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Yanagi
- Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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Meraz-Ríos MA, Lira-De León KI, Campos-Peña V, De Anda-Hernández MA, Mena-López R. Tau oligomers and aggregation in Alzheimer's disease. J Neurochem 2009; 112:1353-67. [PMID: 19943854 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2009.06511.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We are analyzing the physiological function of Tau protein and its abnormal pathological behavior when this protein is self-assemble into pathological filaments. These aggregates of Tau protein are the main components in many diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies suggest that Tau acquires complex oligomeric conformations which may be toxic. In this review, we emphasized the possible phenomena implicated in the formation of these oligomers. Studies with chemical inductors indicates that the microtubule-binding domain is the most important region involved in Tau aggregation and showed the requirement of a pre-arrange Tau in abnormal conformation to promote self-assembly. Transgenic animal models and AD neuropathology studies showed that post-translational modifications are also implicated in Tau aggregation and neural cell death during AD development. Therefore, we analyzed some events that could be present during Tau aggregation. Finally, we included a brief discussion of the possible relation between glucose metabolism dysfunction in AD, and data of Tau aggregation by using aggregation inhibitors. In conclusion, the process Tau aggregation deserves further investigations to design possible therapeutic targets to inhibit the toxicity of these aggregates and it is possible that could be extended to other diseases with similar etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A Meraz-Ríos
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Center of Research and Advanced Studies CINVESTAV-IPN, México DF, Mexico.
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Iqbal K, Liu F, Gong CX, Alonso ADC, Grundke-Iqbal I. Mechanisms of tau-induced neurodegeneration. Acta Neuropathol 2009; 118:53-69. [PMID: 19184068 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-009-0486-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 441] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2008] [Revised: 01/15/2009] [Accepted: 01/19/2009] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) and related tauopathies are histopathologically characterized by a specific type of slow and progressive neurodegeneration, which involves the abnormal hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule associated protein (MAP) tau. This hallmark, called neurofibrillary degeneration, is seen as neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, and dystrophic neurites and is apparently required for the clinical expression of AD, and in related tauopathies it leads to dementia in the absence of amyloid plaques. While normal tau promotes assembly and stabilizes microtubules, the non-fibrillized, abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau sequesters normal tau, MAP1 and MAP2, and disrupts microtubules. The abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau, which can be generated by catalysis of several different combinations of protein kinases, also promotes its misfolding, decrease in turnover, and self-assembly into tangles of paired helical and or straight filaments. Some of the abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau ends up both amino and C-terminally truncated. Disruption of microtubules by the non-fibrillized abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau as well as its aggregation as neurofibrillary tangles probably impair axoplasmic flow and lead to slow progressive retrograde degeneration and loss of connectivity of the affected neurons. Among the phosphatases, which regulate the phosphorylation of tau, protein phosphatase-2A (PP2A), the activity of which is down-regulated in AD brain, is by far the major enzyme. The two inhibitors of PP-2A, I (1) (PP2A) and I (2) (PP2A) , which are overexpressed in AD, might be responsible for the decreased phosphatase activity. AD is multifactorial and heterogeneous and involves more than one etiopathogenic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalid Iqbal
- Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA,
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Atlante A, Amadoro G, Bobba A, de Bari L, Corsetti V, Pappalardo G, Marra E, Calissano P, Passarella S. A peptide containing residues 26-44 of tau protein impairs mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation acting at the level of the adenine nucleotide translocator. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2008; 1777:1289-300. [PMID: 18725189 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2008.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2008] [Revised: 07/27/2008] [Accepted: 07/31/2008] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Having confirmed that adenovirus-mediated overexpression of NH(2)-tau fragment lacking the first 25 aminoacids evokes a potent neurotoxic effect, sustained by protracted stimulation of NMDA receptors, in primary neuronal cultures we investigated whether and how chemically synthesized NH(2)-derived tau peptides, i.e. NH(2)-26-44 and NH(2)-1-25 fragments, affect mitochondrial function. We tested both fragments on each step of the processes leading to ATP synthesis via oxidative phosphorylation: i) electron flow via the respiratory chain from physiological substrates to oxygen with the activity of each individual complex of the respiratory chain investigated in some detail, ii) membrane potential generation arising from externally added succinate and iii) the activity of both the adenine nucleotide translocator and iv) ATP synthase. Oxidative phosphorylation is not affected by NH(2)-1-25 tau fragment, but dramatically impaired by NH(2)-26-44 tau fragment. Both cytochrome c oxidase and the adenine nucleotide translocator are targets of NH(2)-26-44 tau fragment, but adenine nucleotide translocator is the unique mitochondrial target responsible for impairment of oxidative phosphorylation by the NH(2)-26-44 tau fragment, which then exerts deleterious effects on cellular availability of ATP synthesized into mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Atlante
- Institute of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics, CNR, Bari, Italy.
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Kumagai K, Ozaki Y, Nakanishi T, Inomata M, Furuno T, Nakanishi M, Ogasawara MS. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Role of μ-Calpain in Human Decidua for Recurrent Miscarriage. Am J Reprod Immunol 2008; 59:339-46. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2007.00576.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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