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Soukup J, Moško T, Kereïche S, Holada K. Large extracellular vesicles transfer more prions and infect cell culture better than small extracellular vesicles. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 687:149208. [PMID: 37949026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.149208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Prions are responsible for a number of lethal neurodegenerative and transmissible diseases in humans and animals. Extracellular vesicles, especially small exosomes, have been extensively studied in connection with various diseases. In contrast, larger microvesicles are often overlooked. In this work, we compared the ability of large extracellular vesicles (lEVs) and small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) to spread prions in cell culture. We utilized CAD5 cell culture model of prion infection and isolated lEVs by 20,000×g force and sEVs by 110,000×g force. The lEV fraction was enriched in β-1 integrin with a vesicle size starting at 100 nm. The fraction of sEVs was partially depleted of β-1 integrin with a mean size of 79 nm. Both fractions were enriched in prion protein, but the lEVs contained a higher prion-converting activity. In addition, lEV infection led to stronger prion signals in both cell cultures, as detected by cell and western blotting. These results were verified on N2a-PK1 cell culture. Our data suggest the importance of lEVs in the trafficking and spread of prions over extensively studied small EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Soukup
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Tibor Moško
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sami Kereïche
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Holada
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
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2
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Ribes JM, Patel MP, Halim HA, Berretta A, Tooze SA, Klöhn PC. Prion protein conversion at two distinct cellular sites precedes fibrillisation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8354. [PMID: 38102121 PMCID: PMC10724300 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43961-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The self-templating nature of prions plays a central role in prion pathogenesis and is associated with infectivity and transmissibility. Since propagation of proteopathic seeds has now been acknowledged a principal pathogenic process in many types of dementia, more insight into the molecular mechanism of prion replication is vital to delineate specific and common disease pathways. By employing highly discriminatory anti-PrP antibodies and conversion-tolerant PrP chimera, we here report that de novo PrP conversion and formation of fibril-like PrP aggregates are distinct in mechanistic and kinetic terms. De novo PrP conversion occurs within minutes after infection at two subcellular locations, while fibril-like PrP aggregates are formed exclusively at the plasma membrane, hours after infection. Phenotypically distinct pools of abnormal PrP at perinuclear sites and the plasma membrane show differences in N-terminal processing, aggregation state and fibril formation and are linked by exocytic transport via synaptic and large-dense core vesicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Manuel Ribes
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Mitali P Patel
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Hazim A Halim
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Antonio Berretta
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, W1W 7FF, UK
| | - Sharon A Tooze
- Molecular Cell Biology of Autophagy Laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1BF, UK
| | - Peter-Christian Klöhn
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, W1W 7FF, UK.
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3
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Prion Propagation is Dependent on Key Amino Acids in Charge Cluster 2 within the Prion Protein. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:167925. [PMID: 36535427 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167925] [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: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
To dissect the N-terminal residues within the cellular prion protein (PrPC) that are critical for efficient prion propagation, we generated a library of point, double, or triple alanine replacements within residues 23-111 of PrP, stably expressed them in cells silenced for endogenous mouse PrPC and challenged the reconstituted cells with four common but biologically diverse mouse prion strains. Amino acids (aa) 105-111 of Charge Cluster 2 (CC2), which is disordered in PrPC, were found to be required for propagation of all four prion strains; other residues had no effect or exhibited strain-specific effects. Replacements in CC2, including aa105-111, dominantly inhibited prion propagation in the presence of endogenous wild type PrPC whilst other changes were not inhibitory. Single alanine replacements within aa105-111 identified leucine 108 and valine 111 or the cluster of lysine 105, threonine 106 and asparagine 107 as critical for prion propagation. These residues mediate specific ordering of unstructured CC2 into β-sheets in the infectious prion fibrils from Rocky Mountain Laboratory (RML) and ME7 mouse prion strains.
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4
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Celauro L, Zattoni M, Legname G. Prion receptors, prion internalization, intra- and inter-cellular transport. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 196:15-41. [PMID: 36813357 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2022.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Celauro
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Marco Zattoni
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.
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5
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Shim KH, Sharma N, An SSA. Prion therapeutics: Lessons from the past. Prion 2022; 16:265-294. [PMID: 36515657 PMCID: PMC9754114 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2022.2153551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of incurable zoonotic neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) in humans and other animals caused by the prion proteins. The abnormal folding and aggregation of the soluble cellular prion proteins (PrPC) into scrapie isoform (PrPSc) in the Central nervous system (CNS) resulted in brain damage and other neurological symptoms. Different therapeutic approaches, including stalling PrPC to PrPSc conversion, increasing PrPSc removal, and PrPC stabilization, for which a spectrum of compounds, ranging from organic compounds to antibodies, have been explored. Additionally, a non-PrP targeted drug strategy using serpin inhibitors has been discussed. Despite numerous scaffolds being screened for anti-prion activity in vitro, only a few were effective in vivo and unfortunately, almost none of them proved effective in the clinical studies, most likely due to toxicity and lack of permeability. Recently, encouraging results from a prion-protein monoclonal antibody, PRN100, were presented in the first human trial on CJD patients, which gives a hope for better future for the discovery of other new molecules to treat prion diseases. In this comprehensive review, we have re-visited the history and discussed various classes of anti-prion agents, their structure, mode of action, and toxicity. Understanding pathogenesis would be vital for developing future treatments for prion diseases. Based on the outcomes of existing therapies, new anti-prion agents could be identified/synthesized/designed with reduced toxicity and increased bioavailability, which could probably be effective in treating prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyu Hwan Shim
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Niti Sharma
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Seong Soo A An
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam, South Korea
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6
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Mercer RCC, Harris DA. Mechanisms of prion-induced toxicity. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:81-96. [PMID: 36070155 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03683-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are devastating neurodegenerative diseases caused by the structural conversion of the normally benign prion protein (PrPC) to an infectious, disease-associated, conformer, PrPSc. After decades of intense research, much is known about the self-templated prion conversion process, a phenomenon which is now understood to be operative in other more common neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we provide the current state of knowledge concerning a relatively poorly understood aspect of prion diseases: mechanisms of neurotoxicity. We provide an overview of proposed functions of PrPC and its interactions with other extracellular proteins in the central nervous system, in vivo and in vitro models used to delineate signaling events downstream of prion propagation, the application of omics technologies, and the emerging appreciation of the role played by non-neuronal cell types in pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C C Mercer
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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7
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Thackray AM, Lam B, McNulty EE, Nalls AV, Mathiason CK, Magadi SS, Jackson WS, Andréoletti O, Marrero-Winkens C, Schätzl H, Bujdoso R. Clearance of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions in vivo by the Hsp70 disaggregase system. Brain 2022; 145:3236-3249. [PMID: 35446941 PMCID: PMC9473358 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The metazoan Hsp70 disaggregase protects neurons from proteotoxicity that arises from the accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates. Hsp70 and its co-chaperones disassemble and extract polypeptides from protein aggregates for refolding or degradation. The effectiveness of the chaperone system decreases with age and leads to accumulation rather than removal of neurotoxic protein aggregates. Therapeutic enhancement of the Hsp70 protein disassembly machinery is proposed to counter late-onset protein misfolding neurodegenerative disease that may arise. In the context of prion disease, it is not known whether stimulation of protein aggregate disassembly paradoxically leads to enhanced formation of seeding competent species of disease-specific proteins and acceleration of neurodegenerative disease. Here we have tested the hypothesis that modulation of Hsp70 disaggregase activity perturbs mammalian prion-induced neurotoxicity and prion seeding activity. To do so we used prion protein (PrP) transgenic Drosophila that authentically replicate mammalian prions. RNASeq identified that Hsp70, DnaJ-1 and Hsp110 gene expression was downregulated in prion-exposed PrP Drosophila. We demonstrated that RNAi knockdown of Hsp110 or DnaJ-1 gene expression in variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease prion-exposed human PrP Drosophila enhanced neurotoxicity, whereas overexpression mitigated toxicity. Strikingly, prion seeding activity in variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease prion-exposed human PrP Drosophila was ablated or reduced by Hsp110 or DnaJ-1 overexpression, respectively. Similar effects were seen in scrapie prion-exposed ovine PrP Drosophila with modified Hsp110 or DnaJ-1 gene expression. These unique observations show that the metazoan Hsp70 disaggregase facilitates the clearance of mammalian prions and that its enhanced activity is a potential therapeutic strategy for human prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana M Thackray
- University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Brian Lam
- Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science-Metabolic Research Laboratories, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Erin E McNulty
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Amy V Nalls
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Candace K Mathiason
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Srivathsa Subramanya Magadi
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Walker S Jackson
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225 -Hôtes-Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Cristóbal Marrero-Winkens
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary TRW 2D10, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6
| | - Hermann Schätzl
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary TRW 2D10, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6
| | - Raymond Bujdoso
- University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
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Amyloid Cross-Seeding: Mechanism, Implication, and Inhibition. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27061776. [PMID: 35335141 PMCID: PMC8955620 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27061776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Most neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, etc. are caused by inclusions and plaques containing misfolded protein aggregates. These protein aggregates are essentially formed by the interactions of either the same (homologous) or different (heterologous) sequences. Several experimental pieces of evidence have revealed the presence of cross-seeding in amyloid proteins, which results in a multicomponent assembly; however, the molecular and structural details remain less explored. Here, we discuss the amyloid proteins and the cross-seeding phenomena in detail. Data suggest that targeting the common epitope of the interacting amyloid proteins may be a better therapeutic option than targeting only one species. We also examine the dual inhibitors that target the amyloid proteins participating in the cross-seeding events. The future scopes and major challenges in understanding the mechanism and developing therapeutics are also considered. Detailed knowledge of the amyloid cross-seeding will stimulate further research in the practical aspects and better designing anti-amyloid therapeutics.
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9
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Yoshida S, Hasegawa T. Deciphering the prion-like behavior of pathogenic protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases. Neurochem Int 2022; 155:105307. [PMID: 35181393 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2022.105307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are hitherto classified based on their core clinical features, the anatomical distribution of neurodegeneration, and the cell populations mainly affected. On the other hand, the wealth of neuropathological, genetic, molecular and biochemical studies have identified the existence of distinct insoluble protein aggregates in the affected brain regions. These findings have spread the use of a collective term, proteinopathy, for neurodegenerative disorders with particular type of structurally altered protein accumulation. Particularly, a recent breakthrough in this field came with the discovery that these protein aggregates can transfer from one cell to another, thereby converting normal proteins to potentially toxic, misfolded species in a prion-like manner. In this review, we focus specifically on the molecular and cellular basis that underlies the seeding activity and transcellular spreading phenomenon of neurodegeneration-related protein aggregates, and discuss how these events contribute to the disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun Yoshida
- Division of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience & Sensory Organs, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, 9808574, Japan; Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Yonezawa Hospital, Yonezawa, Yamagata, 992-1202, Japan
| | - Takafumi Hasegawa
- Division of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience & Sensory Organs, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, 9808574, Japan.
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10
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Shoup D, Priola SA. Cell biology of prion strains in vivo and in vitro. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:269-283. [PMID: 35107622 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-021-03572-y] [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: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The properties of infectious prions and the pathology of the diseases they cause are dependent upon the unique conformation of each prion strain. How the pathology of prion disease correlates with different strains and genetic backgrounds has been investigated via in vivo assays, but how interactions between specific prion strains and cell types contribute to the pathology of prion disease has been dissected more effectively using in vitro cell lines. Observations made through in vivo and in vitro assays have informed each other with regard to not only how genetic variation influences prion properties, but also how infectious prions are taken up by cells, modified by cellular processes and propagated, and the cellular components they rely on for persistent infection. These studies suggest that persistent cellular infection results from a balance between prion propagation and degradation. This balance may be shifted depending upon how different cell lines process infectious prions, potentially altering prion stability, and how fast they can be transported to the lysosome. Thus, in vitro studies have given us a deeper understanding of the interactions between different prions and cell types and how they may influence prion disease phenotypes in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Shoup
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Suzette A Priola
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA.
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11
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Goold R, Hamilton J, Menneteau T, Flower M, Bunting EL, Aldous SG, Porro A, Vicente JR, Allen ND, Wilkinson H, Bates GP, Sartori AA, Thalassinos K, Balmus G, Tabrizi SJ. FAN1 controls mismatch repair complex assembly via MLH1 retention to stabilize CAG repeat expansion in Huntington's disease. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109649. [PMID: 34469738 PMCID: PMC8424649 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene drives Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis and is modulated by DNA damage repair pathways. In this context, the interaction between FAN1, a DNA-structure-specific nuclease, and MLH1, member of the DNA mismatch repair pathway (MMR), is not defined. Here, we identify a highly conserved SPYF motif at the N terminus of FAN1 that binds to MLH1. Our data support a model where FAN1 has two distinct functions to stabilize CAG repeats. On one hand, it binds MLH1 to restrict its recruitment by MSH3, thus inhibiting the assembly of a functional MMR complex that would otherwise promote CAG repeat expansion. On the other hand, it promotes accurate repair via its nuclease activity. These data highlight a potential avenue for HD therapeutics in attenuating somatic expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Goold
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Joseph Hamilton
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Thomas Menneteau
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Michael Flower
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Emma L Bunting
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Sarah G Aldous
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Antonio Porro
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - José R Vicente
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK
| | | | | | - Gillian P Bates
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Alessandro A Sartori
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Konstantinos Thalassinos
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Gabriel Balmus
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AH, UK.
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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12
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Super-resolution imaging reveals α-synuclein seeded aggregation in SH-SY5Y cells. Commun Biol 2021; 4:613. [PMID: 34021258 PMCID: PMC8139990 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02126-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn) is closely linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) and the related synucleinopathies. Aggregates spread through the brain during the progression of PD, but the mechanism by which this occurs is still not known. One possibility is a self-propagating, templated-seeding mechanism, but this cannot be established without quantitative information about the efficiencies and rates of the key steps in the cellular process. To address this issue, we imaged the uptake and seeding of unlabeled exogenous α-syn fibrils by SH-SY5Y cells and the resulting secreted aggregates, using super-resolution microscopy. Externally-applied fibrils very inefficiently induced self-assembly of endogenous α-syn in a process accelerated by the proteasome. Seeding resulted in the increased secretion of nanoscopic aggregates (mean 35 nm diameter), of both α-syn and Aβ. Our results suggest that cells respond to seed-induced disruption of protein homeostasis predominantly by secreting nanoscopic aggregates; this mechanism may therefore be an important protective response by cells to protein aggregation.
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13
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Tange H, Ishibashi D, Nakagaki T, Taguchi Y, Kamatari YO, Ozawa H, Nishida N. Liquid-liquid phase separation of full-length prion protein initiates conformational conversion in vitro. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100367. [PMID: 33545172 PMCID: PMC8289115 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are characterized by the accumulation of amyloid fibrils. The causative agent is an infectious amyloid that comprises solely misfolded prion protein (PrPSc). Prions can convert normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) to protease K-resistance prion protein fragment (PrP-res) in vitro; however, the intermediate steps involved in this spontaneous conversion still remain unknown. We investigated whether recombinant prion protein (rPrP) can directly convert into PrP-res via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in the absence of PrPSc. We found that rPrP underwent LLPS at the interface of the aqueous two-phase system of polyethylene glycol and dextran, whereas single-phase conditions were not inducible. Fluorescence recovery assay after photobleaching revealed that the liquid-solid phase transition occurred within a short time. The aged rPrP-gel acquired a proteinase-resistant amyloid accompanied by β-sheet conversion, as confirmed by Western blotting, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Congo red staining. The reactions required both the N-terminal region of rPrP (amino acids 23-89) and kosmotropic salts, suggesting that the kosmotropic anions may interact with the N-terminal region of rPrP to promote LLPS. Thus, structural conversion via LLPS and liquid-solid phase transition could be the intermediate steps in the conversion of prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroya Tange
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Ishibashi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Takehiro Nakagaki
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yuzuru Taguchi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | | | - Hiroki Ozawa
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Nishida
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
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14
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Hackl S, Ng XW, Lu D, Wohland T, Becker CFW. Cytoskeleton-dependent clustering of membrane-bound prion protein on the cell surface. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100359. [PMID: 33539927 PMCID: PMC7988330 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative disorders that infect animals and humans with proteinaceous particles called prions. Prions consist of scrapie prion protein (PrPSc), a misfolded version of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). During disease progression, PrPSc replicates by interacting with PrPC and inducing its conversion to PrPSc. Attachment of PrPC to cellular membranes via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor is critical for the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc. However, the mechanisms governing PrPC conversion and replication on the membrane remain largely unclear. Here, a site-selectively modified PrP variant equipped with a fluorescent GPI anchor mimic (PrP-GPI) was employed to directly observe PrP at the cellular membrane in neuronal SH-SY5Y cells. PrP-GPI exhibits a cholesterol-dependent membrane accumulation and a cytoskeleton-dependent mobility. More specifically, inhibition of actin polymerization reduced the diffusion of PrP-GPI indicating protein clustering, which resembles the initial step of PrP aggregation and conversion into its pathogenic isoform. An intact actin cytoskeleton might therefore prevent conversion of PrPC into PrPSc and offer new therapeutic angles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Hackl
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Xue Wen Ng
- Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences (CBIS), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
| | - Danqin Lu
- Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences (CBIS), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore; School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Thorsten Wohland
- Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences (CBIS), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
| | - Christian F W Becker
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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15
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Tittelmeier J, Nachman E, Nussbaum-Krammer C. Molecular Chaperones: A Double-Edged Sword in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:581374. [PMID: 33132902 PMCID: PMC7572858 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.581374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant accumulation of misfolded proteins into amyloid deposits is a hallmark in many age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Pathological inclusions and the associated toxicity appear to spread through the nervous system in a characteristic pattern during the disease. This has been attributed to a prion-like behavior of amyloid-type aggregates, which involves self-replication of the pathological conformation, intercellular transfer, and the subsequent seeding of native forms of the same protein in the neighboring cell. Molecular chaperones play a major role in maintaining cellular proteostasis by assisting the (re)-folding of cellular proteins to ensure their function or by promoting the degradation of terminally misfolded proteins to prevent damage. With increasing age, however, the capacity of this proteostasis network tends to decrease, which enables the manifestation of neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, there has been a plethora of studies investigating how and when chaperones interact with disease-related proteins, which have advanced our understanding of the role of chaperones in protein misfolding diseases. This review article focuses on the steps of prion-like propagation from initial misfolding and self-templated replication to intercellular spreading and discusses the influence that chaperones have on these various steps, highlighting both the positive and adverse consequences chaperone action can have. Understanding how chaperones alleviate and aggravate disease progression is vital for the development of therapeutic strategies to combat these debilitating diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Tittelmeier
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eliana Nachman
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carmen Nussbaum-Krammer
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
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16
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Jones E, Hummerich H, Viré E, Uphill J, Dimitriadis A, Speedy H, Campbell T, Norsworthy P, Quinn L, Whitfield J, Linehan J, Jaunmuktane Z, Brandner S, Jat P, Nihat A, How Mok T, Ahmed P, Collins S, Stehmann C, Sarros S, Kovacs GG, Geschwind MD, Golubjatnikov A, Frontzek K, Budka H, Aguzzi A, Karamujić-Čomić H, van der Lee SJ, Ibrahim-Verbaas CA, van Duijn CM, Sikorska B, Golanska E, Liberski PP, Calero M, Calero O, Sanchez-Juan P, Salas A, Martinón-Torres F, Bouaziz-Amar E, Haïk S, Laplanche JL, Brandel JP, Amouyel P, Lambert JC, Parchi P, Bartoletti-Stella A, Capellari S, Poleggi A, Ladogana A, Pocchiari M, Aneli S, Matullo G, Knight R, Zafar S, Zerr I, Booth S, Coulthart MB, Jansen GH, Glisic K, Blevins J, Gambetti P, Safar J, Appleby B, Collinge J, Mead S. Identification of novel risk loci and causal insights for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a genome-wide association study. Lancet Neurol 2020; 19:840-848. [PMID: 32949544 PMCID: PMC8220892 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(20)30273-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human prion diseases are rare and usually rapidly fatal neurodegenerative disorders, the most common being sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Variants in the PRNP gene that encodes prion protein are strong risk factors for sCJD but, although the condition has similar heritability to other neurodegenerative disorders, no other genetic risk loci have been confirmed. We aimed to discover new genetic risk factors for sCJD, and their causal mechanisms. METHODS We did a genome-wide association study of sCJD in European ancestry populations (patients diagnosed with probable or definite sCJD identified at national CJD referral centres) with a two-stage study design using genotyping arrays and exome sequencing. Conditional, transcriptional, and histological analyses of implicated genes and proteins in brain tissues, and tests of the effects of risk variants on clinical phenotypes, were done using deep longitudinal clinical cohort data. Control data from healthy individuals were obtained from publicly available datasets matched for country. FINDINGS Samples from 5208 cases were obtained between 1990 and 2014. We found 41 genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and independently replicated findings at three loci associated with sCJD risk; within PRNP (rs1799990; additive model odds ratio [OR] 1·23 [95% CI 1·17-1·30], p=2·68 × 10-15; heterozygous model p=1·01 × 10-135), STX6 (rs3747957; OR 1·16 [1·10-1·22], p=9·74 × 10-9), and GAL3ST1 (rs2267161; OR 1·18 [1·12-1·25], p=8·60 × 10-10). Follow-up analyses showed that associations at PRNP and GAL3ST1 are likely to be caused by common variants that alter the protein sequence, whereas risk variants in STX6 are associated with increased expression of the major transcripts in disease-relevant brain regions. INTERPRETATION We present, to our knowledge, the first evidence of statistically robust genetic associations in sporadic human prion disease that implicate intracellular trafficking and sphingolipid metabolism as molecular causal mechanisms. Risk SNPs in STX6 are shared with progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative disease associated with misfolding of protein tau, indicating that sCJD might share the same causal mechanisms as prion-like disorders. FUNDING Medical Research Council and the UK National Institute of Health Research in part through the Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Jones
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Holger Hummerich
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Emmanuelle Viré
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - James Uphill
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Athanasios Dimitriadis
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Helen Speedy
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Tracy Campbell
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Penny Norsworthy
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Liam Quinn
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Jerome Whitfield
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Jacqueline Linehan
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Zane Jaunmuktane
- Division of Neuropathology, University College London Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK; Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences and Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Sebastian Brandner
- Division of Neuropathology, University College London Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Parmjit Jat
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Akin Nihat
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK; National Prion Clinic, University College London Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Tze How Mok
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK; National Prion Clinic, University College London Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Parvin Ahmed
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK
| | - Steven Collins
- Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Christiane Stehmann
- Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Shannon Sarros
- Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Laboratory Medicine Program, Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael D Geschwind
- University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Aili Golubjatnikov
- University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Karl Frontzek
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Herbert Budka
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Sven J van der Lee
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Cornelia M van Duijn
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Beata Sikorska
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Ewa Golanska
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Pawel P Liberski
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Miguel Calero
- Chronic Disease Programme (UFIEC-CROSADIS) and Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), and Alzheimer Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Centre, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Olga Calero
- Chronic Disease Programme (UFIEC-CROSADIS) and Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), and Alzheimer Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Centre, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pascual Sanchez-Juan
- Neurology Service, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, University of Cantabria, CIBERNED and IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Antonio Salas
- Unidade de Xenética, Instituto de Ciencias Forenses (INCIFOR), Facultade de Medicina, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, and GenPoB Research Group, Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias (IDIS), Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago (SERGAS), Galicia, Spain
| | - Federico Martinón-Torres
- Translational Paediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
| | - Elodie Bouaziz-Amar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Lariboisière Hospital, AP-HP, University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Haïk
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France; Cellule nationale de référence des maladies de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, AP-HP, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Louis Laplanche
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Lariboisière Hospital, AP-HP, University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Phillipe Brandel
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France; Cellule nationale de référence des maladies de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, AP-HP, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Phillipe Amouyel
- INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167-RID-AGE, Labex DISTALZ, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Jean-Charles Lambert
- INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167-RID-AGE, Labex DISTALZ, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Piero Parchi
- IRCCS, Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Department of Experimental, Diagnostic, and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Sabina Capellari
- IRCCS, Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Poleggi
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Ladogana
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Serena Aneli
- Department of Medical Sciences, Università degli studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Matullo
- Department of Medical Sciences, Università degli studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Richard Knight
- National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Research and Surveillance Unit, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Saima Zafar
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Dementia Centre and National Reference Centre for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance, University Medical School, Göttingen, Germany; German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany; Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Department, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Dementia Centre and National Reference Centre for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance, University Medical School, Göttingen, Germany; German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stephanie Booth
- Prion Disease Program, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Michael B Coulthart
- Canadian Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gerard H Jansen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Katie Glisic
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Janis Blevins
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Pierluigi Gambetti
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jiri Safar
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Brian Appleby
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - John Collinge
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK; National Prion Clinic, University College London Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Simon Mead
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, UK; National Prion Clinic, University College London Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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17
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Shen P, Dang J, Wang Z, Zhang W, Yuan J, Lang Y, Ding M, Mitchell M, Kong Q, Feng J, Rozemuller AJM, Cui L, Petersen RB, Zou WQ. Characterization of Anchorless Human PrP With Q227X Stop Mutation Linked to Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Syndrome In Vivo and In Vitro. Mol Neurobiol 2020; 58:21-33. [PMID: 32889654 PMCID: PMC7695670 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02098-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Alteration in cellular prion protein (PrPC) localization on the cell surface through mediation of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor has been reported to dramatically affect the formation and infectivity of its pathological isoform (PrPSc). A patient with Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) syndrome was previously found to have a nonsense heterozygous PrP-Q227X mutation resulting in an anchorless PrP. However, the allelic origin of this anchorless PrPSc and cellular trafficking of PrPQ227X remain to be determined. Here, we show that PrPSc in the brain of this GSS patient is mainly composed of the mutant but not wild-type PrP (PrPWt), suggesting pathological PrPQ227X is incapable of recruiting PrPWt in vivo. This mutant anchorless protein, however, is able to recruit PrPWt from humanized transgenic mouse brain but not from autopsied human brain homogenates to produce a protease-resistant PrPSc-like form in vitro by protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). To further investigate the characteristics of this mutation, constructs expressing human PrPQ227X or PrPWt were transfected into neuroblastoma cells (M17). Fractionation of the M17 cells demonstrated that most PrPWt is recovered in the cell lysate fraction, while most of the mutant PrPQ227X is recovered in the medium fraction, consistent with the results obtained by immunofluorescence microscopy. Two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis and Western blotting showed that cellular PrPQ227X spots clustered at molecular weights of 22–25 kDa with an isoelectric point (pI) of 3.5–5.5, whereas protein spots from the medium are at 18–26 kDa with a pI of 7–10. Our findings suggest that the role of GPI anchor in prion propagation between the anchorless mutant PrP and wild-type PrP relies on the cellular distribution of the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingping Shen
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.,Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Johnny Dang
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Zerui Wang
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.,Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Weiguanliu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.,Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jue Yuan
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Yue Lang
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.,Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Mingxuan Ding
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.,Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Marcus Mitchell
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA.,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jiachun Feng
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Annemiek J M Rozemuller
- Dutch Surveillance Center for Prion Diseases, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Li Cui
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Robert B Petersen
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA. .,Foundation Sciences, Central Michigan University College of Medicine, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA.
| | - Wen-Quan Zou
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA. .,National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH, USA. .,National Center for Regenerative Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
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18
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Global analysis of protein degradation in prion infected cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10800. [PMID: 32612191 PMCID: PMC7329860 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67505-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are rare, neurological disorders caused by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into cytotoxic fibrils (PrPSc). Intracellular PrPSc aggregates primarily accumulate within late endosomes and lysosomes, organelles that participate in the degradation and turnover of a large subset of the proteome. Thus, intracellular accumulation of PrPSc aggregates has the potential to globally influence protein degradation kinetics within an infected cell. We analyzed the proteome-wide effect of prion infection on protein degradation rates in N2a neuroblastoma cells by dynamic stable isotopic labeling with amino acids in cell culture (dSILAC) and bottom-up proteomics. The analysis quantified the degradation rates of more than 4,700 proteins in prion infected and uninfected cells. As expected, the degradation rate of the prion protein is significantly decreased upon aggregation in infected cells. In contrast, the degradation kinetics of the remainder of the N2a proteome generally increases upon prion infection. This effect occurs concurrently with increases in the cellular activities of autophagy and some lysosomal hydrolases. The resulting enhancement in proteome flux may play a role in the survival of N2a cells upon prion infection.
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19
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Avar M, Heinzer D, Steinke N, Doğançay B, Moos R, Lugan S, Cosenza C, Hornemann S, Andréoletti O, Aguzzi A. Prion infection, transmission, and cytopathology modeled in a low-biohazard human cell line. Life Sci Alliance 2020; 3:3/8/e202000814. [PMID: 32606072 PMCID: PMC7335386 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202000814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Expanding the toolbox of prion research to a low-biohazard, scalable human cell model. Transmission of prion infectivity to susceptible murine cell lines has simplified prion titration assays and has greatly reduced the need for animal experimentation. However, murine cell models suffer from technical and biological constraints. Human cell lines might be more useful, but they are much more biohazardous and are often poorly infectible. Here, we describe the human clonal cell line hovS, which lacks the human PRNP gene and expresses instead the ovine PRNP VRQ allele. HovS cells were highly susceptible to the PG127 strain of sheep-derived murine prions, reaching up to 90% infected cells in any given culture and were maintained in a continuous infected state for at least 14 passages. Infected hovS cells produced proteinase K–resistant prion protein (PrPSc), pelletable PrP aggregates, and bona fide infectious prions capable of infecting further generations of naïve hovS cells and mice expressing the VRQ allelic variant of ovine PrPC. Infection in hovS led to prominent cytopathic vacuolation akin to the spongiform changes observed in individuals suffering from prion diseases. In addition to expanding the toolbox for prion research to human experimental genetics, the hovS cell line provides a human-derived system that does not require human prions. Hence, the manipulation of scrapie-infected hovS cells may present fewer biosafety hazards than that of genuine human prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Avar
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Heinzer
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Steinke
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Berre Doğançay
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rita Moos
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Severine Lugan
- UMR INRA/ENVT 1225 IHAP, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), Toulouse, France
| | - Claudia Cosenza
- UMR INRA/ENVT 1225 IHAP, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), Toulouse, France
| | - Simone Hornemann
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR INRA/ENVT 1225 IHAP, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), Toulouse, France
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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20
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Jones E, Mead S. Genetic risk factors for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 142:104973. [PMID: 32565065 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders of mammals that share a central role for prion protein (PrP, gene PRNP) in their pathogenesis. Prions are infectious agents that account for the observed transmission of prion diseases between humans and animals in certain circumstances. The prion mechanism invokes a misfolded and multimeric assembly of PrP (a prion) that grows by templating of the normal protein and propagates by fission. Aside from the medical and public health notoriety of acquired prion diseases, the conditions have attracted interest as it has been realized that common neurodegenerative disorders share so-called prion-like mechanisms. In this article we will expand on recent evidence for new genetic loci that alter the risk of human prion disease. The most common human prion disease, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), is characterized by the seemingly spontaneous appearance of prions in the brain. Genetic variation within PRNP is associated with all types of prion diseases, in particular, heterozygous genotypes at codons 129 and 219 have long been known to be strong protective factors against sCJD. A large number of rare mutations have been described in PRNP that cause autosomal dominant inherited prion diseases. Two loci recently identified by genome-wide association study increase sCJD risk, including variants in or near to STX6 and GAL3ST1. STX6 encodes syntaxin-6, a component of SNARE complexes with cellular roles that include the fusion of intracellular vesicles with target membranes. GAL3ST1 encodes cerebroside sulfotransferase, the only enzyme that sulfates sphingolipids to make sulfatides, a major lipid component of myelin. We discuss how these roles may modify the pathogenesis of prion diseases and their relevance for other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Jones
- MRC Prion Unit at University College London (UCL), UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, 33 Cleveland Street, W1W 7FF, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Mead
- MRC Prion Unit at University College London (UCL), UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, 33 Cleveland Street, W1W 7FF, United Kingdom.
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21
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Krance SH, Luke R, Shenouda M, Israwi AR, Colpitts SJ, Darwish L, Strauss M, Watts JC. Cellular models for discovering prion disease therapeutics: Progress and challenges. J Neurochem 2020; 153:150-172. [PMID: 31943194 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Prions, which cause fatal neurodegenerative disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are misfolded and infectious protein aggregates. Currently, there are no treatments available to halt or even delay the progression of prion disease in the brain. The infectious nature of prions has resulted in animal paradigms that accurately recapitulate all aspects of prion disease, and these have proven to be instrumental for testing the efficacy of candidate therapeutics. Nonetheless, infection of cultured cells with prions provides a much more powerful system for identifying molecules capable of interfering with prion propagation. Certain lines of cultured cells can be chronically infected with various types of mouse prions, and these models have been used to unearth candidate anti-prion drugs that are at least partially efficacious when administered to prion-infected rodents. However, these studies have also revealed that not all types of prions are equal, and that drugs active against mouse prions are not necessarily effective against prions from other species. Despite some recent progress, the number of cellular models available for studying non-mouse prions remains limited. In particular, human prions have proven to be particularly challenging to propagate in cultured cells, which has severely hindered the discovery of drugs for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In this review, we summarize the cellular models that are presently available for discovering and testing drugs capable of blocking the propagation of prions and highlight challenges that remain on the path towards developing therapies for prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saffire H Krance
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Russell Luke
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marc Shenouda
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ahmad R Israwi
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah J Colpitts
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lina Darwish
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Maximilian Strauss
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joel C Watts
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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22
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Hackl S, Becker CFW. Prion protein-Semisynthetic prion protein (PrP) variants with posttranslational modifications. J Pept Sci 2019; 25:e3216. [PMID: 31713950 PMCID: PMC6899880 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the pathophysiologic events in prion diseases is challenging, and the role of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) such as glypidation and glycosylation remains elusive due to the lack of homogeneous protein preparations. So far, experimental studies have been limited in directly analyzing the earliest events of the conformational change of cellular prion protein (PrPC ) into scrapie prion protein (PrPSc ) that further propagates PrPC misfolding and aggregation at the cellular membrane, the initial site of prion infection, and PrP misfolding, by a lack of suitably modified PrP variants. PTMs of PrP, especially attachment of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor, have been shown to be crucially involved in the PrPSc formation. To this end, semisynthesis offers a unique possibility to understand PrP behavior invitro and invivo as it provides access to defined site-selectively modified PrP variants. This approach relies on the production and chemoselective linkage of peptide segments, amenable to chemical modifications, with recombinantly produced protein segments. In this article, advances in understanding PrP conversion using semisynthesis as a tool to obtain homogeneous posttranslationally modified PrP will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Hackl
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian F W Becker
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
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23
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Altered distribution, aggregation, and protease resistance of cellular prion protein following intracranial inoculation. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219457. [PMID: 31291644 PMCID: PMC6620108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion protein (PrPC) is a protease-sensitive and soluble cell surface glycoprotein expressed in almost all mammalian cell types. PrPSc, a protease-resistant and insoluble form of PrPC, is the causative agent of prion diseases, fatal and transmissible neurogenerative diseases of mammals. Prion infection is initiated via either ingestion or inoculation of PrPSc or when host PrPC stochastically refolds into PrPSc. In either instance, the early events that occur during prion infection remain poorly understood. We have used transgenic mice expressing mouse PrPC tagged with a unique antibody epitope to monitor the response of host PrPC to prion inoculation. Following intracranial inoculation of either prion-infected or uninfected brain homogenate, we show that host PrPC can accumulate both intra-axonally and within the myelin membrane of axons suggesting that it may play a role in axonal loss following brain injury. Moreover, in response to the inoculation host PrPC exhibits an increased insolubility and protease resistance similar to that of PrPSc, even in the absence of infectious prions. Thus, our results raise the possibility that damage to the brain may be one trigger by which PrPC stochastically refolds into pathogenic PrPSc leading to productive prion infection.
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24
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Marinko J, Huang H, Penn WD, Capra JA, Schlebach JP, Sanders CR. Folding and Misfolding of Human Membrane Proteins in Health and Disease: From Single Molecules to Cellular Proteostasis. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5537-5606. [PMID: 30608666 PMCID: PMC6506414 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Advances over the past 25 years have revealed much about how the structural properties of membranes and associated proteins are linked to the thermodynamics and kinetics of membrane protein (MP) folding. At the same time biochemical progress has outlined how cellular proteostasis networks mediate MP folding and manage misfolding in the cell. When combined with results from genomic sequencing, these studies have established paradigms for how MP folding and misfolding are linked to the molecular etiologies of a variety of diseases. This emerging framework has paved the way for the development of a new class of small molecule "pharmacological chaperones" that bind to and stabilize misfolded MP variants, some of which are now in clinical use. In this review, we comprehensively outline current perspectives on the folding and misfolding of integral MPs as well as the mechanisms of cellular MP quality control. Based on these perspectives, we highlight new opportunities for innovations that bridge our molecular understanding of the energetics of MP folding with the nuanced complexity of biological systems. Given the many linkages between MP misfolding and human disease, we also examine some of the exciting opportunities to leverage these advances to address emerging challenges in the development of therapeutics and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin
T. Marinko
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Hui Huang
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Wesley D. Penn
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - John A. Capra
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37245, United States
| | - Jonathan P. Schlebach
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Charles R. Sanders
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
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25
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Vorberg IM. All the Same? The Secret Life of Prion Strains within Their Target Cells. Viruses 2019; 11:v11040334. [PMID: 30970585 DOI: 10.3390/v11040334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions are infectious β-sheet-rich protein aggregates composed of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) that do not possess coding nucleic acid. Prions replicate by recruiting and converting normal cellular PrPC into infectious isoforms. In the same host species, prion strains target distinct brain regions and cause different disease phenotypes. Prion strains are associated with biophysically distinct PrPSc conformers, suggesting that strain properties are enciphered within alternative PrPSc quaternary structures. So far it is unknown how prion strains target specific cells and initiate productive infections. Deeper mechanistic insight into the prion life cycle came from cell lines permissive to a range of different prion strains. Still, it is unknown why certain cell lines are refractory to infection by one strain but permissive to another. While pharmacologic and genetic manipulations revealed subcellular compartments involved in prion replication, little is known about strain-specific requirements for endocytic trafficking pathways. This review summarizes our knowledge on how prions replicate within their target cells and on strain-specific differences in prion cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina M Vorberg
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE e.V.), Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
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26
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Goold R, Flower M, Moss DH, Medway C, Wood-Kaczmar A, Andre R, Farshim P, Bates GP, Holmans P, Jones L, Tabrizi SJ. FAN1 modifies Huntington's disease progression by stabilizing the expanded HTT CAG repeat. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 28:650-661. [PMID: 30358836 PMCID: PMC6360275 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. CAG repeat length explains around half of the variation in age at onset (AAO) but genetic variation elsewhere in the genome accounts for a significant proportion of the remainder. Genome-wide association studies have identified a bidirectional signal on chromosome 15, likely underlain by FANCD2- and FANCI-associated nuclease 1 (FAN1), a nuclease involved in DNA interstrand cross link repair. Here we show that increased FAN1 expression is significantly associated with delayed AAO and slower progression of HD, suggesting FAN1 is protective in the context of an expanded HTT CAG repeat. FAN1 overexpression in human cells reduces CAG repeat expansion in exogenously expressed mutant HTT exon 1, and in patient-derived stem cells and differentiated medium spiny neurons, FAN1 knockdown increases CAG repeat expansion. The stabilizing effects are FAN1 concentration and CAG repeat length-dependent. We show that FAN1 binds to the expanded HTT CAG repeat DNA and its nuclease activity is not required for protection against CAG repeat expansion. These data shed new mechanistic insights into how the genetic modifiers of HD act to alter disease progression and show that FAN1 affects somatic expansion of the CAG repeat through a nuclease-independent mechanism. This provides new avenues for therapeutic interventions in HD and potentially other triplet repeat disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Goold
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Michael Flower
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Davina Hensman Moss
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Chris Medway
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Alison Wood-Kaczmar
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Ralph Andre
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Pamela Farshim
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Gill P Bates
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Peter Holmans
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Lesley Jones
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London,Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, WC1N 3BG, UK
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27
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Le NTT, Wu B, Harris DA. Prion neurotoxicity. Brain Pathol 2019; 29:263-277. [PMID: 30588688 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.12694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the mechanisms underlying prion propagation and infectivity are now well established, the processes accounting for prion toxicity and pathogenesis have remained mysterious. These processes are of enormous clinical relevance as they hold the key to identification of new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention. In this review, we will discuss two broad areas of investigation relevant to understanding prion neurotoxicity. The first is the use of in vitro experimental systems that model key events in prion pathogenesis. In this context, we will describe a hippocampal neuronal culture system we developed that reproduces the earliest pathological alterations in synaptic morphology and function in response to PrPSc . This system has allowed us to define a core synaptotoxic signaling pathway involving the activation of NMDA and AMPA receptors, stimulation of p38 MAPK phosphorylation and collapse of the actin cytoskeleton in dendritic spines. The second area concerns a striking and unexpected phenomenon in which certain structural manipulations of the PrPC molecule itself, including introduction of N-terminal deletion mutations or binding of antibodies to C-terminal epitopes, unleash powerful toxic effects in cultured cells and transgenic mice. We will describe our studies of this phenomenon, which led to the recognition that it is related to the induction of large, abnormal ionic currents by the structurally altered PrP molecules. Our results suggest a model in which the flexible N-terminal domain of PrPC serves as a toxic effector which is regulated by intramolecular interactions with the globular C-terminal domain. Taken together, these two areas of study have provided important clues to underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of prion neurotoxicity. Nevertheless, much remains to be done on this next frontier of prion science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nhat T T Le
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Bei Wu
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - David A Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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28
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GPI-anchor signal sequence influences PrPC sorting, shedding and signalling, and impacts on different pathomechanistic aspects of prion disease in mice. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007520. [PMID: 30608982 PMCID: PMC6334958 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular prion protein (PrPC) is a cell surface glycoprotein attached to the membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor and plays a critical role in transmissible, neurodegenerative and fatal prion diseases. Alterations in membrane attachment influence PrPC-associated signaling, and the development of prion disease, yet our knowledge of the role of the GPI-anchor in localization, processing, and function of PrPCin vivo is limited We exchanged the PrPC GPI-anchor signal sequence of for that of Thy-1 (PrPCGPIThy-1) in cells and mice. We show that this modifies the GPI-anchor composition, which then lacks sialic acid, and that PrPCGPIThy-1 is preferentially localized in axons and is less prone to proteolytic shedding when compared to PrPC. Interestingly, after prion infection, mice expressing PrPCGPIThy-1 show a significant delay to terminal disease, a decrease of microglia/astrocyte activation, and altered MAPK signaling when compared to wild-type mice. Our results are the first to demonstrate in vivo, that the GPI-anchor signal sequence plays a fundamental role in the GPI-anchor composition, dictating the subcellular localization of a given protein and, in the case of PrPC, influencing the development of prion disease. The prion protein (PrPC) is a glycoprotein attached to the neuronal surface via a GPI-anchor. When misfolded to PrPSc, it leads to fatal neurodegenerative diseases which propagates from host to host. PrPSc is the principal component of the infectious agent of prion diseases, the “prion”. Misfolding occurs at the plasma membrane, and when PrPC lacks the GPI-anchor, neuropathology and incubation time of prion disease are strongly modified. Moreover, the composition of the PrPC GPI-anchor impacts on the conversion process. To study the role of the GPI-anchor in the pathophysiology of prion diseases in vivo, we have generated transgenic mice where the PrPC GPI-signal sequence (GPI-SS) is replaced for the one of Thy-1, a neuronal protein with a distinct GPI-anchor and membrane localization. We found that the resulting protein, PrPCGPIThy-1, shows a different GPI-anchor composition, increased axonal localization, and reduced enzymatic shedding. After prion infection, disease progression is significantly delayed, and the neuropathology and cellular signaling are changed. The present work demonstrates that the GPI-SS per se determines the GPI-anchor composition and localization of a given protein and it stresses the importance of PrPC membrane anchorage in prion disease.
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29
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Sang J, Meisl G, Thackray AM, Hong L, Ponjavic A, Knowles TPJ, Bujdoso R, Klenerman D. Direct Observation of Murine Prion Protein Replication in Vitro. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:14789-14798. [PMID: 30351023 PMCID: PMC6225343 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b08311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Prions are believed to propagate when an assembly of prion protein (PrP) enters a cell and replicates to produce two or more fibrils, leading to an exponential increase in PrP aggregate number with time. However, the molecular basis of this process has not yet been established in detail. Here, we use single-aggregate imaging to study fibril fragmentation and elongation of individual murine PrP aggregates from seeded aggregation in vitro. We found that PrP elongation occurs via a structural conversion from a PK-sensitive to PK-resistant conformer. Fibril fragmentation was found to be length-dependent and resulted in the formation of PK-sensitive fragments. Measurement of the rate constants for these processes also allowed us to predict a simple spreading model for aggregate propagation through the brain, assuming that doubling of the aggregate number is rate-limiting. In contrast, while α-synuclein aggregated by the same mechanism, it showed significantly slower elongation and fragmentation rate constants than PrP, leading to much slower replication rate. Overall, our study shows that fibril elongation with fragmentation are key molecular processes in PrP and α-synuclein aggregate replication, an important concept in prion biology, and also establishes a simple framework to start to determine the main factors that control the rate of prion and prion-like spreading in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason
C. Sang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Georg Meisl
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Alana M. Thackray
- Department
of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, U.K.
| | - Liu Hong
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, U.K.,Zhou
Pei-Yuan Center for Applied Mathematics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Aleks Ponjavic
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, U.K.,Cavendish
Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Raymond Bujdoso
- Department
of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, U.K.
| | - David Klenerman
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, U.K.,
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30
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Dhouafli Z, Cuanalo-Contreras K, Hayouni EA, Mays CE, Soto C, Moreno-Gonzalez I. Inhibition of protein misfolding and aggregation by natural phenolic compounds. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:3521-3538. [PMID: 30030591 PMCID: PMC11105286 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2872-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding and aggregation into fibrillar deposits is a common feature of a large group of degenerative diseases affecting the central nervous system or peripheral organs, termed protein misfolding disorders (PMDs). Despite their established toxic nature, clinical trials aiming to reduce misfolded aggregates have been unsuccessful in treating or curing PMDs. An interesting possibility for disease intervention is the regular intake of natural food or herbal extracts, which contain active molecules that inhibit aggregation or induce the disassembly of misfolded aggregates. Among natural compounds, phenolic molecules are of particular interest, since most have dual activity as amyloid aggregation inhibitors and antioxidants. In this article, we review many phenolic natural compounds which have been reported in diverse model systems to have the potential to delay or prevent the development of various PMDs, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, prion diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, systemic amyloidosis, and type 2 diabetes. The lower toxicity of natural compounds compared to synthetic chemical molecules suggest that they could serve as a good starting point to discover protein misfolding inhibitors that might be useful for the treatment of various incurable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohra Dhouafli
- Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, Center of Biotechnology of Borj-Cédria, BP 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - Karina Cuanalo-Contreras
- The Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - El Akrem Hayouni
- Laboratory of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, Center of Biotechnology of Borj-Cédria, BP 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - Charles E Mays
- The Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Claudio Soto
- The Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
- The Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology, Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Facultad Ciencias, Universidad de Malaga, Málaga, Spain.
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31
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Abstract
The development of multiple cell culture models of prion infection over the last two decades has led to a significant increase in our understanding of how prions infect cells. In particular, new techniques to distinguish exogenous from endogenous prions have allowed us for the first time to look in depth at the earliest stages of prion infection through to the establishment of persistent infection. These studies have shown that prions can infect multiple cell types, both neuronal and nonneuronal. Once in contact with the cell, they are rapidly taken up via multiple endocytic pathways. After uptake, the initial replication of prions occurs almost immediately on the plasma membrane and within multiple endocytic compartments. Following this acute stage of prion replication, persistent prion infection may or may not be established. Establishment of a persistent prion infection in cells appears to depend upon the achievement of a delicate balance between the rate of prion replication and degradation, the rate of cell division, and the efficiency of prion spread from cell to cell. Overall, cell culture models have shown that prion infection of the cell is a complex and variable process which can involve multiple cellular pathways and compartments even within a single cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzette A Priola
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, United States.
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32
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Lebreton S, Zurzolo C, Paladino S. Organization of GPI-anchored proteins at the cell surface and its physiopathological relevance. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 53:403-419. [PMID: 30040489 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2018.1485627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) are a class of proteins attached to the extracellular leaflet of the plasma membrane via a post-translational modification, the glycolipid anchor. The presence of both glycolipid anchor and protein portion confers them unique features. GPI-APs are expressed in all eukaryotes, from fungi to plants and animals. They display very diverse functions ranging from enzymatic activity, signaling, cell adhesion, cell wall metabolism, neuritogenesis, and immune response. Likewise other plasma membrane proteins, the spatio-temporal organization of GPI-APs is critical for their biological activities in physiological conditions. In this review, we will summarize the latest findings on plasma membrane organization of GPI-APs and the mechanism of its regulation in different cell types. We will also examine the involvement of specific GPI-APs namely the prion protein PrPC, the Folate Receptor alpha and the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor in human diseases focusing on neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Lebreton
- a Unité de Trafic Membranaire et Pathogénèse, Institut Pasteur , Paris , France
| | - Chiara Zurzolo
- a Unité de Trafic Membranaire et Pathogénèse, Institut Pasteur , Paris , France
| | - Simona Paladino
- b Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli Federico II , Napoli , Italy.,c CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate , Napoli , Italy
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Vilette D, Courte J, Peyrin JM, Coudert L, Schaeffer L, Andréoletti O, Leblanc P. Cellular mechanisms responsible for cell-to-cell spreading of prions. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:2557-2574. [PMID: 29761205 PMCID: PMC11105574 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2823-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Prions are infectious agents that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases. Current evidence indicates that they are essentially composed of an abnormally folded protein (PrPSc). These abnormal aggregated PrPSc species multiply in infected cells by recruiting and converting the host PrPC protein into new PrPSc. How prions move from cell to cell and progressively spread across the infected tissue is of crucial importance and may provide experimental opportunity to delay the progression of the disease. In infected cells, different mechanisms have been identified, including release of infectious extracellular vesicles and intercellular transfer of PrPSc-containing organelles through tunneling nanotubes. These findings should allow manipulation of the intracellular trafficking events targeting PrPSc in these particular subcellular compartments to experimentally address the relative contribution of these mechanisms to in vivo prion pathogenesis. In addition, such information may prompt further experimental strategies to decipher the causal roles of protein misfolding and aggregation in other human neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier Vilette
- UMR1225, INRA, ENVT, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, 23 Chemin des Capelles, Toulouse, France.
| | - Josquin Courte
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, UMR8246, Inserm U1130, IBPS, UPMC, Sorbonne Universités, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, UMR168, UPMC, IPGG, Sorbonne Universités, 6 Rue Jean Calvin, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Jean Michel Peyrin
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, UMR8246, Inserm U1130, IBPS, UPMC, Sorbonne Universités, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Coudert
- Insitut NeuroMyoGène, CNRS UMR5310, INSERM U1217, Faculté de Médecine Rockefeller, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 8 Avenue Rockefeller, 69373, Lyon Cedex 08, France
| | - Laurent Schaeffer
- Insitut NeuroMyoGène, CNRS UMR5310, INSERM U1217, Faculté de Médecine Rockefeller, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 8 Avenue Rockefeller, 69373, Lyon Cedex 08, France
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR1225, INRA, ENVT, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, 23 Chemin des Capelles, Toulouse, France
| | - Pascal Leblanc
- Insitut NeuroMyoGène, CNRS UMR5310, INSERM U1217, Faculté de Médecine Rockefeller, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 8 Avenue Rockefeller, 69373, Lyon Cedex 08, France.
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Abstract
During the course of prion infection, the normally soluble and protease-sensitive mammalian prion protein (PrPC) is refolded into an insoluble, partially protease-resistant, and infectious form called PrPSc. The conformational conversion of PrPC to PrPSc is a critical event during prion infection and is essential for the production of prion infectivity. This chapter briefly summarizes the ways in which cell biological approaches have enhanced our understanding of how PrP contributes to different aspects of prion pathogenesis.
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T. Islam AM, Adlard PA, Finkelstein DI, Lewis V, Biggi S, Biasini E, Collins SJ. Acute Neurotoxicity Models of Prion Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:431-445. [PMID: 29393619 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are phenotypically diverse, transmissible, neurodegenerative disorders affecting both animals and humans. Misfolding of the normal prion protein (PrPC) into disease-associated conformers (PrPSc) is considered the critical etiological event underpinning prion diseases, with such misfolded isoforms linked to both disease transmission and neurotoxicity. Although important advances in our understanding of prion biology and pathogenesis have occurred over the last 3-4 decades, many fundamental questions remain to be resolved, including consensus regarding the principal pathways subserving neuronal dysfunction, as well as detailed biophysical characterization of PrPSc species transmitting disease and/or directly associated with neurotoxicity. In vivo and in vitro models have been, and remain, critical to furthering our understanding across many aspects of prion disease patho-biology. Prion animal models are arguably the most authentic in vivo models of neurodegeneration that exist and have provided valuable and multifarious insights into pathogenesis; however, they are expensive and time-consuming, and it can be problematic to clearly discern evidence of direct PrPSc neurotoxicity in the overall context of pathogenesis. In vitro models, in contrast, generally offer greater tractability and appear more suited to assessments of direct acute neurotoxicity but have until recently been relatively simplistic, and overall there remains a relative paucity of validated, biologically relevant models with heightened reliability as far as translational insights, contributing to difficulties in redressing our knowledge gaps in prion disease pathogenesis. In this review, we provide an overview of the spectrum and methodological diversity of in vivo and in vitro models of prion acute toxicity, as well as the pathogenic insights gained from these studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - S. Biggi
- CIBIO, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - E. Biasini
- CIBIO, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
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Prion Protein Devoid of the Octapeptide Repeat Region Delays Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Pathogenesis in Mice. J Virol 2017; 92:JVI.01368-17. [PMID: 29046443 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01368-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Conformational conversion of the cellular isoform of prion protein, PrPC, into the abnormally folded, amyloidogenic isoform, PrPSc, is a key pathogenic event in prion diseases, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in animals. We previously reported that the octapeptide repeat (OR) region could be dispensable for converting PrPC into PrPSc after infection with RML prions. We demonstrated that mice transgenically expressing mouse PrP with deletion of the OR region on the PrP knockout background, designated Tg(PrPΔOR)/Prnp0/0 mice, did not show reduced susceptibility to RML scrapie prions, with abundant accumulation of PrPScΔOR in their brains. We show here that Tg(PrPΔOR)/Prnp0/0 mice were highly resistant to BSE prions, developing the disease with markedly elongated incubation times after infection with BSE prions. The conversion of PrPΔOR into PrPScΔOR was markedly delayed in their brains. These results suggest that the OR region may have a crucial role in the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc after infection with BSE prions. However, Tg(PrPΔOR)/Prnp0/0 mice remained susceptible to RML and 22L scrapie prions, developing the disease without elongated incubation times after infection with RML and 22L prions. PrPScΔOR accumulated only slightly less in the brains of RML- or 22L-infected Tg(PrPΔOR)/Prnp0/0 mice than PrPSc in control wild-type mice. Taken together, these results indicate that the OR region of PrPC could play a differential role in the pathogenesis of BSE prions and RML or 22L scrapie prions.IMPORTANCE Structure-function relationship studies of PrPC conformational conversion into PrPSc are worthwhile to understand the mechanism of the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc We show here that, by inoculating Tg(PrPΔOR)/Prnp0/0 mice with the three different strains of RML, 22L, and BSE prions, the OR region could play a differential role in the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc after infection with RML or 22L scrapie prions and BSE prions. PrPΔOR was efficiently converted into PrPScΔOR after infection with RML and 22L prions. However, the conversion of PrPΔOR into PrPScΔOR was markedly delayed after infection with BSE prions. Further investigation into the role of the OR region in the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc after infection with BSE prions might be helpful for understanding the pathogenesis of BSE prions.
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Mabbott NA. How do PrP Sc Prions Spread between Host Species, and within Hosts? Pathogens 2017; 6:pathogens6040060. [PMID: 29186791 PMCID: PMC5750584 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens6040060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are sub-acute neurodegenerative diseases that affect humans and some domestic and free-ranging animals. Infectious prion agents are considered to comprise solely of abnormally folded isoforms of the cellular prion protein known as PrPSc. Pathology during prion disease is restricted to the central nervous system where it causes extensive neurodegeneration and ultimately leads to the death of the host. The first half of this review provides a thorough account of our understanding of the various ways in which PrPSc prions may spread between individuals within a population, both horizontally and vertically. Many natural prion diseases are acquired peripherally, such as by oral exposure, lesions to skin or mucous membranes, and possibly also via the nasal cavity. Following peripheral exposure, some prions accumulate to high levels within the secondary lymphoid organs as they make their journey from the site of infection to the brain, a process termed neuroinvasion. The replication of PrPSc prions within secondary lymphoid organs is important for their efficient spread to the brain. The second half of this review describes the key tissues, cells and molecules which are involved in the propagation of PrPSc prions from peripheral sites of exposure (such as the lumen of the intestine) to the brain. This section also considers how additional factors such as inflammation and aging might influence prion disease susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil A Mabbott
- The Roslin Institute & Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
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Shan Z, Yamasaki T, Suzuki A, Hasebe R, Horiuchi M. Establishment of a simple cell-based ELISA for the direct detection of abnormal isoform of prion protein from prion-infected cells without cell lysis and proteinase K treatment. Prion 2017; 10:305-18. [PMID: 27565564 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2016.1189053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion-infected cells have been used for analyzing the effect of compounds on the formation of abnormal isoform of prion protein (PrP(Sc)). PrP(Sc) is usually detected using anti-prion protein (PrP) antibodies after the removal of the cellular isoform of prion protein (PrP(C)) by proteinase K (PK) treatment. However, it is expected that the PK-sensitive PrP(Sc) (PrP(Sc)-sen), which possesses higher infectivity and conversion activity than the PK-resistant PrP(Sc) (PrP(Sc)-res), is also digested through PK treatment. To overcome this problem, we established a novel cell-based ELISA in which PrP(Sc) can be directly detected from cells persistently infected with prions using anti-PrP monoclonal antibody (mAb) 132 that recognizes epitope consisting of mouse PrP amino acids 119-127. The novel cell-based ELISA could distinguish prion-infected cells from prion-uninfected cells without cell lysis and PK treatment. MAb 132 could detect both PrP(Sc)-sen and PrP(Sc)-res even if all PrP(Sc) molecules were not detected. The analytical dynamic range for PrP(Sc) detection was approximately 1 log. The coefficient of variation and signal-to-background ratio were 7%-11% and 2.5-3.3, respectively, demonstrating the reproducibility of this assay. The addition of a cytotoxicity assay immediately before PrP(Sc) detection did not affect the following PrP(Sc) detection. Thus, all the procedures including cell culture, cytotoxicity assay, and PrP(Sc) detection were completed in the same plate. The simplicity and non-requirement for cell lysis or PK treatment are advantages for the high throughput screening of anti-prion compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifu Shan
- a Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
| | - Takeshi Yamasaki
- a Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
| | - Akio Suzuki
- a Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
| | - Rie Hasebe
- a Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
| | - Motohiro Horiuchi
- a Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
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McDonald AJ, Wu B, Harris DA. An inter-domain regulatory mechanism controls toxic activities of PrP C. Prion 2017; 11:388-397. [PMID: 28960140 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1384894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The normal function of PrPC, the cellular prion protein, has remained mysterious since its first description over 30 years ago. Amazingly, although complete deletion of the gene encoding PrPC has little phenotypic consequence, expression in transgenic mice of PrP molecules carrying certain internal deletions produces dramatic neurodegenerative phenotypes. In our recent paper, 1 we have demonstrated that the flexible, N-terminal domain of PrPC possesses toxic effector functions, which are regulated by a docking interaction with the structured, C-terminal domain. Disruption of this inter-domain interaction, for example by deletions of the hinge region or by binding of antibodies to the C-terminal domain, results in abnormal ionic currents and degeneration of dendritic spines in cultured neuronal cells. This mechanism may contribute to the neurotoxicity of PrPSc and possibly other protein aggregates, and could play a role in the physiological activity of PrPC. These results also provide a warning about the potential toxic side effects of PrP-directed antibody therapies for prion and Alzheimer's diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J McDonald
- a Department of Biochemistry , Boston University School of Medicine , Boston , MA , USA
| | - Bei Wu
- a Department of Biochemistry , Boston University School of Medicine , Boston , MA , USA
| | - David A Harris
- a Department of Biochemistry , Boston University School of Medicine , Boston , MA , USA
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Abstract
Three decades after the discovery of prions as the cause of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, we are still nowhere close to finding an effective therapy. Numerous pharmacological interventions have attempted to target various stages of disease progression, yet none has significantly ameliorated the course of disease. We still lack a mechanistic understanding of how the prions damage the brain, and this situation results in a dearth of validated pharmacological targets. In this review, we discuss the attempts to interfere with the replication of prions and to enhance their clearance. We also trace some of the possibilities to identify novel targets that may arise with increasing insights into prion biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland;
| | - Asvin K K Lakkaraju
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland;
| | - Karl Frontzek
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland;
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Fehlinger A, Wolf H, Hossinger A, Duernberger Y, Pleschka C, Riemschoss K, Liu S, Bester R, Paulsen L, Priola SA, Groschup MH, Schätzl HM, Vorberg IM. Prion strains depend on different endocytic routes for productive infection. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6923. [PMID: 28761068 PMCID: PMC5537368 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07260-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions are unconventional agents composed of misfolded prion protein that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. Prion strains induce specific neuropathological changes in selected brain areas. The mechanism of strain-specific cell tropism is unknown. We hypothesised that prion strains rely on different endocytic routes to invade and replicate within their target cells. Using prion permissive cells, we determined how impairment of endocytosis affects productive infection by prion strains 22L and RML. We demonstrate that early and late stages of prion infection are differentially sensitive to perturbation of clathrin- and caveolin-mediated endocytosis. Manipulation of canonical endocytic pathways only slightly influenced prion uptake. However, blocking the same routes had drastic strain-specific consequences on the establishment of infection. Our data argue that prion strains use different endocytic pathways for infection and suggest that cell type-dependent differences in prion uptake could contribute to host cell tropism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Fehlinger
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hanna Wolf
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - André Hossinger
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Yvonne Duernberger
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Catharina Pleschka
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katrin Riemschoss
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Shu Liu
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Romina Bester
- Institut für Virologie, Technische Universität München, Trogerstr. 30, 81675, München, Germany
| | - Lydia Paulsen
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Suzette A Priola
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Martin H Groschup
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Hermann M Schätzl
- Dept. of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada
| | - Ina M Vorberg
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e.V., Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 27, 53127, Bonn, Germany. .,Department of Neurology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
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Sarnataro D, Pepe A, Zurzolo C. Cell Biology of Prion Protein. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2017; 150:57-82. [PMID: 28838675 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2017.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cellular prion protein (PrPC) is a mammalian glycoprotein which is usually found anchored to the plasma membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. The precise function of PrPC remains elusive but may depend upon its cellular localization. PrPC misfolds to a pathogenic isoform PrPSc, the causative agent of neurodegenerative prion diseases. Nonetheless some forms of prion disease develop in the apparent absence of infectious PrPSc, suggesting that molecular species of PrP distinct from PrPSc may represent the primary neurotoxic culprits. Indeed, in some inherited cases of human prion disease, the predominant form of PrP detectable in the brain is not PrPSc but rather CtmPrP, a transmembrane form of the protein. The relationship between the neurodegeneration occurring in prion diseases involving PrPSc and that associated with CtmPrP remains unclear. However, the different membrane topology of the PrP mutants, as well as the presence of the GPI anchor, could influence both the function and the intracellular localization and trafficking of the protein, all being potentially very important in the pathophysiological mechanism that ultimately causes the disease. Here, we review the latest findings on the fundamental aspects of prions biology, from the PrPC biosynthesis, function, and structure up to its intracellular traffic and analyze the possible roles of the different topological isoforms of the protein, as well as the GPI anchor, in the pathogenesis of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Sarnataro
- University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy; Ceinge-Biotecnologie avanzate, s.c.a r.l., Naples, Italy.
| | - Anna Pepe
- University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy; Unité de Trafic Membranaire et Pathogenese, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Chiara Zurzolo
- University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy; Unité de Trafic Membranaire et Pathogenese, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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Shrivastava AN, Aperia A, Melki R, Triller A. Physico-Pathologic Mechanisms Involved in Neurodegeneration: Misfolded Protein-Plasma Membrane Interactions. Neuron 2017; 95:33-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Abstract
The central mechanism for the transmission of the prion protein misfolding is the structural conversion of the normal cellular prion protein to the pathogenic misfolded prion protein, by the interaction with misfolded prion protein. This process might be enhanced due to the homo-dimerization/oligomerization of normal prion protein. However, the behaviors of normal prion protein in the plasma membrane have remained largely unknown. Here, using single fluorescent-molecule imaging, we found that both prion protein and Thy1, a control glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein, exhibited very similar intermittent transient immobilizations lasting for a few seconds within an area of 24.2 and 3.5 nm in diameter in CHO-K1 and hippocampal neurons cultured for 1- and 2-weeks, respectively. Prion protein molecules were immobile during 72% of the time, approximately 1.4× more than Thy1, due to prion protein’s higher immobilization frequency. When mobile, prion protein diffused 1.7× slower than Thy1. Prion protein’s slower diffusion might be caused by its transient interaction with other prion protein molecules, whereas its brief immobilization might be due to temporary association with prion protein clusters. Prion protein molecules might be newly recruited to prion protein clusters all the time, and simultaneously, prion protein molecules in the cluster might be departing continuously. Such dynamic interactions of normal prion protein molecules would strongly enhance the spreading of misfolded prion protein.
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Voisset C, Blondel M, Jones GW, Friocourt G, Stahl G, Chédin S, Béringue V, Gillet R. The double life of the ribosome: When its protein folding activity supports prion propagation. Prion 2017; 11:89-97. [PMID: 28362551 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1303587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It is no longer necessary to demonstrate that ribosome is the central machinery of protein synthesis. But it is less known that it is also key player of the protein folding process through another conserved function: the protein folding activity of the ribosome (PFAR). This ribozyme activity, discovered more than 2 decades ago, depends upon the domain V of the large rRNA within the large subunit of the ribosome. Surprisingly, we discovered that anti-prion compounds are also potent PFAR inhibitors, highlighting an unexpected link between PFAR and prion propagation. In this review, we discuss the ancestral origin of PFAR in the light of the ancient RNA world hypothesis. We also consider how this ribosomal activity fits into the landscape of cellular protein chaperones involved in the appearance and propagation of prions and other amyloids in mammals. Finally, we examine how drugs targeting the protein folding activity of the ribosome could be active against mammalian prion and other protein aggregation-based diseases, making PFAR a promising therapeutic target for various human protein misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Voisset
- a Inserm UMR 1078 , Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) Bretagne, CHRU Brest, Hôpital Morvan, Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire , Brest , France
| | - Marc Blondel
- a Inserm UMR 1078 , Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) Bretagne, CHRU Brest, Hôpital Morvan, Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire , Brest , France
| | - Gary W Jones
- b School of Clinical and Applied Sciences , Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University , Leeds , UK
| | - Gaëlle Friocourt
- a Inserm UMR 1078 , Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) Bretagne, CHRU Brest, Hôpital Morvan, Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire , Brest , France
| | - Guillaume Stahl
- c Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryotes , CNRS, Université de Toulouse , Toulouse , France
| | - Stéphane Chédin
- d Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), UMR 9198, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA/Saclay, SBIGeM , Gif-sur-Yvette , France
| | | | - Reynald Gillet
- f Université de Rennes 1, CNRS UMR 6290 IGDR , Rennes , France
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Macedo JA, Schrama D, Duarte I, Tavares E, Renaut J, Futschik ME, Rodrigues PM, Melo EP. Membrane-enriched proteome changes and prion protein expression during neural differentiation and in neuroblastoma cells. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:319. [PMID: 28431525 PMCID: PMC5401558 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3694-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The function of the prion protein, involved in the so-called prion diseases, remains a subject of intense debate and the possibility that it works as a pleiotropic protein through the interaction with multiple membrane proteins is somehow supported by recent reports. Therefore, the use of proteomic and bioinformatics combined to uncover cellular processes occurring together with changes in the expression of the prion protein may provide further insight into the putative pleiotropic role of the prion protein. Results This study assessed the membrane-enriched proteome changes accompanying alterations in the expression of the prion protein. A 2D-DIGE approach was applied to two cell lines after prefractionation towards the membrane protein subset: an embryonic stem cell line and the PK1 subline of neuroblastoma cells which efficiently propagates prion infection. Several proteins were differentially abundant with the increased expression of the prion protein during neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells and with the knockdown of the prion protein in PK1 cells. The identity of around 20% of the differentially abundant proteins was obtained by tandem MS. The catalytic subunit A of succinate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme for the aerobic energy metabolism and redox homeostasis, showed a similar abundance trend as the prion protein in both proteomic experiments. A gene ontology analysis revealed “myelin sheath”, “organelle membrane” and “focal adhesion” associated proteins as the main cellular components, and “protein folding” and “ATPase activity” as the biological processes enriched in the first set of differentially abundant proteins. The known interactome of these differentially abundant proteins was customized to reveal four interactors with the prion protein, including two heat shock proteins and a protein disulfide isomerase. Conclusions Overall, our study shows that expression of the prion protein occurs concomitantly with changes in chaperone activity and cell-redox homeostasis, emphasizing the functional link between these cellular processes and the prion protein. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3694-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Macedo
- CBMR, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - D Schrama
- CCMAR, Centre of Marine Sciences of Algarve, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - I Duarte
- CBMR, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - E Tavares
- CBMR, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - J Renaut
- LIST, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - M E Futschik
- CCMAR, Centre of Marine Sciences of Algarve, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal.,School of Biomedical & Healthcare Sciences, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth, UK
| | - P M Rodrigues
- CCMAR, Centre of Marine Sciences of Algarve, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - E P Melo
- CBMR, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal.
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Majumder P, Chakrabarti O. Lysosomal Quality Control in Prion Diseases. Mol Neurobiol 2017; 55:2631-2644. [PMID: 28421536 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0512-8] [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: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible, familial or sporadic. The prion protein (PrP), a normal cell surface glycoprotein, is ubiquitously expressed throughout the body. While loss of function of PrP does not elicit apparent phenotypes, generation of misfolded forms of the protein or its aberrant metabolic isoforms has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders such as scrapie, kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. These diseases are all phenotypically characterised by spongiform vacuolation of the adult brain, hence collectively termed as late-onset spongiform neurodegeneration. Misfolded form of PrP (PrPSc) and one of its abnormal metabolic isoforms (the transmembrane CtmPrP) are known to be disease-causing agents that lead to progressive loss of structure or function of neurons culminating in neuronal death. The aberrant forms of PrP utilise and manipulate the various intracellular quality control mechanisms during pathogenesis of these diseases. Amongst these, the lysosomal quality control machinery emerges as one of the primary targets exploited by the disease-causing isoforms of PrP. The autophagosomal-lysosomal degradation pathway is adversely affected in multiple ways in prion diseases and may hence be regarded as an important modulator of neurodegeneration. Some of the ESCRT pathway proteins have also been shown to be involved in the manifestation of disease phenotype. This review discusses the significance of the lysosomal quality control pathway in affecting transmissible and familial types of prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Majumder
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Sector-1, Block-AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700064, India
| | - Oishee Chakrabarti
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Sector-1, Block-AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700064, India.
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Endogenous Brain Lipids Inhibit Prion Amyloid Formation In Vitro. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.02162-16. [PMID: 28202758 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02162-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) resides in detergent-resistant outer membrane lipid rafts in which conversion to the pathogenic misfolded form is believed to occur. Once misfolding occurs, the pathogenic isoform polymerizes into highly stable amyloid fibrils. In vitro assays have demonstrated an intimate association between prion conversion and lipids, specifically phosphatidylethanolamine, which is a critical cofactor in the formation of synthetic infectious prions. In the current work, we demonstrate an alternative inhibitory function of lipids in the prion conversion process as assessed in vitro by real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC). Using an alcohol-based extraction technique, we removed the lipid content from chronic wasting disease (CWD)-infected white-tailed deer brain homogenates and found that lipid extraction enabled RT-QuIC detection of CWD prions in a 2-log10-greater concentration of brain sample. Conversely, addition of brain-derived lipid extracts to CWD prion brain or lymph node samples inhibited amyloid formation in a dose-dependent manner. Subsequent lipid analysis demonstrated that this inhibitory function was restricted to the polar lipid fraction in brain. We further investigated three phospholipids commonly found in lipid membranes, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylinositol, and found all three similarly inhibited RT-QuIC. These results demonstrating polar-lipid, and specifically phospholipid, inhibition of prion-seeded amyloid formation highlight the diverse roles lipid constituents may play in the prion conversion process.IMPORTANCE Prion conversion is likely influenced by lipid interactions, given the location of normal prion protein (PrPC) in lipid rafts and lipid cofactors generating infectious prions in in vitro models. Here, we use real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) to demonstrate that endogenous brain polar lipids can inhibit prion-seeded amyloid formation, suggesting that prion conversion is guided by an environment of proconversion and anticonversion lipids. These experiments also highlight the applicability of RT-QuIC to identify potential therapeutic inhibitors of prion conversion.
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PrP Knockout Cells Expressing Transmembrane PrP Resist Prion Infection. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.01686-16. [PMID: 27847358 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01686-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring of the prion protein (PrPC) influences PrPC misfolding into the disease-associated isoform, PrPres, as well as prion propagation and infectivity. GPI proteins are found in cholesterol- and sphingolipid-rich membrane regions called rafts. Exchanging the GPI anchor for a nonraft transmembrane sequence redirects PrPC away from rafts. Previous studies showed that nonraft transmembrane PrPC variants resist conversion to PrPres when transfected into scrapie-infected N2a neuroblastoma cells, likely due to segregation of transmembrane PrPC and GPI-anchored PrPres in distinct membrane environments. Thus, it remained unclear whether transmembrane PrPC might convert to PrPres if seeded by an exogenous source of PrPres not associated with host cell rafts and without the potential influence of endogenous expression of GPI-anchored PrPC To further explore these questions, constructs containing either a C-terminal wild-type GPI anchor signal sequence or a nonraft transmembrane sequence containing a flexible linker were expressed in a cell line derived from PrP knockout hippocampal neurons, NpL2. NpL2 cells have physiological similarities to primary neurons, representing a novel and advantageous model for studying transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) infection. Cells were infected with inocula from multiple prion strains and in different biochemical states (i.e., membrane bound as in brain microsomes from wild-type mice or purified GPI-anchorless amyloid fibrils). Only GPI-anchored PrPC supported persistent PrPres propagation. Our data provide strong evidence that in cell culture GPI anchor-directed membrane association of PrPC is required for persistent PrPres propagation, implicating raft microdomains as a location for conversion. IMPORTANCE Mechanisms of prion propagation, and what makes them transmissible, are poorly understood. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchoring of the prion protein (PrPC) directs it to specific regions of cell membranes called rafts. In order to test the importance of the raft environment on prion propagation, we developed a novel model for prion infection where cells expressing either GPI-anchored PrPC or transmembrane-anchored PrPC, which partitions it to a different location, were treated with infectious, misfolded forms of the prion protein, PrPres We show that only GPI-anchored PrPC was able to convert to PrPres and able to serially propagate. The results strongly suggest that GPI anchoring and the localization of PrPC to rafts are crucial to the ability of PrPC to propagate as a prion.
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Wu EL, Qi Y, Park S, Mallajosyula SS, MacKerell AD, Klauda JB, Im W. Insight into Early-Stage Unfolding of GPI-Anchored Human Prion Protein. Biophys J 2016; 109:2090-100. [PMID: 26588568 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Revised: 10/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders, which are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) converted from a normal host cellular prion protein (PrPC). Experimental studies suggest that PrPC is enriched with α-helical structure, whereas PrPSc contains a high proportion of β-sheet. In this study, we report the impact of N-glycosylation and the membrane on the secondary structure stability utilizing extensive microsecond molecular dynamics simulations. Our results reveal that the HB (residues 173 to 194) C-terminal fragment undergoes conformational changes and helix unfolding in the absence of membrane environments because of the competition between protein backbone intramolecular and protein-water intermolecular hydrogen bonds as well as its intrinsic instability originated from the amino acid sequence. This initiation of the unfolding process of PrPC leads to a subsequent increase in the length of the HB-HC loop (residues 195 to 199) that may trigger larger rigid body motions or further unfolding around this region. Continuous interactions between prion protein and the membrane not only constrain the protein conformation but also decrease the solvent accessibility of the backbone atoms, thereby stabilizing the secondary structure, which is enhanced by N-glycosylation via additional interactions between the N-glycans and the membrane surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia L Wu
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Center for Bioinformatics, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
| | - Yifei Qi
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Center for Bioinformatics, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
| | - Soohyung Park
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Center for Bioinformatics, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
| | - Sairam S Mallajosyula
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Chandkheda, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Alexander D MacKerell
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Chandkheda, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Jeffery B Klauda
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Biophysics Program, The University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Wonpil Im
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Center for Bioinformatics, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
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