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Molina-Fernández R, Picón-Pagès P, Barranco-Almohalla A, Crepin G, Herrera-Fernández V, García-Elías A, Fanlo-Ucar H, Fernàndez-Busquets X, García-Ojalvo J, Oliva B, Muñoz FJ. Differential regulation of insulin signaling by monomeric and oligomeric amyloid beta-peptide. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac243. [PMID: 36267327 PMCID: PMC9576151 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes are pathological processes associated to ageing. Moreover, there are evidences supporting a mechanistic link between Alzheimer’s disease and insulin resistance (one of the first hallmarks of Type 2 diabetes). Regarding Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid β-peptide aggregation into β-sheets is the main hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. At monomeric state, amyloid β-peptide is not toxic but its function in brain, if any, is unknown. Here we show, by in silico study, that monomeric amyloid β-peptide 1-40 shares the tertiary structure with insulin and is thereby able to bind and activate insulin receptor. We validated this prediction experimentally by treating human neuroblastoma cells with increasing concentrations of monomeric amyloid β-peptide 1-40. Our results confirm that monomeric amyloid β-peptide 1-40 activates insulin receptor autophosphorylation, triggering downstream enzyme phosphorylations and the glucose Transporter 4 translocation to the membrane. On the other hand, neuronal insulin resistance is known to be associated to Alzheimer’s disease since early stages. We thus modelled the docking of oligomeric amyloid β-peptide 1-40 to insulin receptor. We found that oligomeric amyloid β-peptide 1-40 blocks insulin receptor, impairing its activation. It was confirmed in vitro by observing the lack of insulin receptor autophosphorylation, and also the impairment of insulin-induced intracellular enzyme activations and the glucose Transporter 4 translocation to the membrane. By biological system analysis, we have carried out a mathematical model recapitulating the process that turns amyloid β-peptide binding to insulin receptor from the physiological to the pathophysiological regime. Our results suggest that monomeric amyloid β-peptide 1-40 contributes to mimic insulin effects in the brain, which could be good when neurons have an extra requirement of energy beside the well-known protective effects on insulin intracellular signalling, while its accumulation and subsequent oligomerization blocks the insulin receptor producing insulin resistance and compromising neuronal metabolism and protective pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Molina-Fernández
- Laboratory of Structural Bioinformatics (GRIB), Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Pol Picón-Pagès
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Alejandro Barranco-Almohalla
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Giulia Crepin
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Víctor Herrera-Fernández
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Anna García-Elías
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Hugo Fanlo-Ucar
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona) , 08036 Barcelona , Spain
- Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , 08028 Barcelona , Spain
- Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute (IN2UB), University of Barcelona , 08028 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Jordi García-Ojalvo
- Laboratory of Dynamical Systems Biology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Baldomero Oliva
- Laboratory of Structural Bioinformatics (GRIB), Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Francisco J Muñoz
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra , 08003 Barcelona , Spain
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