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Pintado-Grima C, Santos J, Iglesias V, Manglano-Artuñedo Z, Pallarès I, Ventura S. Exploring cryptic amyloidogenic regions in prion-like proteins from plants. Front Plant Sci 2023; 13:1060410. [PMID: 36726678 PMCID: PMC9885169 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1060410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Prion-like domains (PrLDs) are intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of low sequence complexity with a similar composition to yeast prion domains. PrLDs-containing proteins have been involved in different organisms' regulatory processes. Regions of moderate amyloid propensity within IDRs have been shown to assemble autonomously into amyloid fibrils. These sequences tend to be rich in polar amino acids and often escape from the detection of classical bioinformatics screenings that look for highly aggregation-prone hydrophobic sequence stretches. We defined them as cryptic amyloidogenic regions (CARs) and recently developed an integrated database that collects thousands of predicted CARs in IDRs. CARs seem to be evolutionary conserved among disordered regions because of their potential to stablish functional contacts with other biomolecules. Here we have focused on identifying and characterizing CARs in prion-like proteins (pCARs) from plants, a lineage that has been poorly studied in comparison with other prionomes. We confirmed the intrinsic amyloid potential for a selected pCAR from Arabidopsis thaliana and explored functional enrichments and compositional bias of pCARs in plant prion-like proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Pintado-Grima
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaime Santos
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valentín Iglesias
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
- Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zoe Manglano-Artuñedo
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Behbahanipour M, García-Pardo J, Ventura S. Decoding the role of coiled-coil motifs in human prion-like proteins. Prion 2021; 15:143-154. [PMID: 34428113 PMCID: PMC8386614 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2021.1961569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are self-propagating proteins that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans. However, increasing evidence suggests that eukaryotic cells exploit prion conformational conversion for functional purposes. A recent study delineated a group of twenty prion-like proteins in humans, characterized by the presence of low-complexity glutamine-rich sequences with overlapping coiled-coil (CCs) motifs. This is the case of Mediator complex subunit 15 (MED15), which is overexpressed in a wide range of human cancers. Biophysical studies demonstrated that the prion-like domain (PrLD) of MED15 forms homodimers in solution, sustained by CCs interactions. Furthermore, the same coiled-coil (CC) region plays a crucial role in the PrLD structural transition to a transmissible β-sheet amyloid state. In this review, we discuss the role of CCs motifs and their contribution to amyloid transitions in human prion-like domains (PrLDs), while providing a comprehensive overview of six predicted human prion-like proteins involved in transcription, gene expression, or DNA damage response and associated with human disease, whose PrLDs contain or overlap with CCs sequences. Finally, we try to rationalize how these molecular signatures might relate to both their function and involvement in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molood Behbahanipour
- Institut De Biotecnologia I De Biomedicina (Ibb) and Departament De Bioquímica I Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autónoma De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier García-Pardo
- Institut De Biotecnologia I De Biomedicina (Ibb) and Departament De Bioquímica I Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autónoma De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut De Biotecnologia I De Biomedicina (Ibb) and Departament De Bioquímica I Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autónoma De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Iglesias V, Santos J, Santos-Suárez J, Pintado-Grima C, Ventura S. SGnn: A Web Server for the Prediction of Prion-Like Domains Recruitment to Stress Granules Upon Heat Stress. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:718301. [PMID: 34490351 PMCID: PMC8416484 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.718301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins bearing prion-like domains (PrLDs) are essential players in stress granules (SG) assembly. Analysis of data on heat stress-induced recruitment of yeast PrLDs to SG suggests that this propensity might be connected with three defined protein biophysical features: aggregation propensity, net charge, and the presence of free cysteines. These three properties can be read directly in the PrLDs sequences, and their combination allows to predict protein recruitment to SG under heat stress. On this basis, we implemented SGnn, an online predictor of SG recruitment that exploits a feed-forward neural network for high accuracy classification of the assembly behavior of PrLDs. The simplicity and precision of our strategy should allow its implementation to identify heat stress-induced SG-forming proteins in complete proteomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentín Iglesias
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaime Santos
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Santos-Suárez
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Pintado-Grima
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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Garai S, Citu, Singla-Pareek SL, Sopory SK, Kaur C, Yadav G. Complex Networks of Prion-Like Proteins Reveal Cross Talk Between Stress and Memory Pathways in Plants. Front Plant Sci 2021; 12:707286. [PMID: 34381483 PMCID: PMC8350573 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.707286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Prions are often considered as molecular memory devices, generating reproducible memory of a conformational change. Prion-like proteins (PrLPs) have been widely demonstrated to be present in plants, but their role in plant stress and memory remains unexplored. In this work, we report the widespread presence of PrLPs in plants through a comprehensive meta-analysis of 39 genomes representing major taxonomic groups. We find diverse functional roles associated with these proteins in various species and term the full complement of PrLPs in a genome as its "prionome." In particular, we found the rice prionome being significantly enriched in transposons/retrotransposons (Ts/RTRs) and identified over 60 rice PrLPs that were differentially regulated in stress and developmental responses. This prompted us to explore whether and to what extent PrLPs may build stress memory. By integrating the available rice interactome, transcriptome, and regulome data sets, we could find links between stress and memory pathways that would not have otherwise been discernible. Regulatory inferences derived from the superimposition of these data sets revealed a complex network and cross talk between PrLPs, transcription factors (TFs), and the genes involved in stress priming. This integrative meta-analysis connects transient and transgenerational memory mechanisms in plants with PrLPs, suggesting that plant memory may rely upon protein-based signals in addition to chromatin-based epigenetic signals. Taken together, our work provides important insights into the anticipated role of prion-like candidates in stress and memory, paving the way for more focused studies for validating the role of the identified PrLPs in memory acclimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sampurna Garai
- Plant Stress Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Citu
- Computational Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India
| | - Sneh L. Singla-Pareek
- Plant Stress Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Sudhir K. Sopory
- Plant Stress Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Charanpreet Kaur
- Plant Stress Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
- Stress Physiology and Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Gitanjali Yadav
- Computational Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Sprunger ML, Jackrel ME. Prion-Like Proteins in Phase Separation and Their Link to Disease. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11071014. [PMID: 34356638 PMCID: PMC8301953 DOI: 10.3390/biom11071014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant protein folding underpins many neurodegenerative diseases as well as certain myopathies and cancers. Protein misfolding can be driven by the presence of distinctive prion and prion-like regions within certain proteins. These prion and prion-like regions have also been found to drive liquid-liquid phase separation. Liquid-liquid phase separation is thought to be an important physiological process, but one that is prone to malfunction. Thus, aberrant liquid-to-solid phase transitions may drive protein aggregation and fibrillization, which could give rise to pathological inclusions. Here, we review prions and prion-like proteins, their roles in phase separation and disease, as well as potential therapeutic approaches to counter aberrant phase transitions.
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Abstract
Amyloids display a highly ordered fibrillar structure. Many of these assemblies appear associated with human disease. However, the controllable, stable, tunable, and robust nature of amyloid fibrils can be exploited to build up remarkable nanomaterials with a wide range of applications in biomedicine and biotechnology. Functional prions constitute a particular class of amyloids. These transmissible proteins exhibit a modular architecture, with a disordered prion domain responsible for the assembly and one or more globular domains that account for the activity. Importantly, the original globular protein can be replaced with any protein of interest, without compromising the fibrillation potential. These genetic fusions form fibrils in which the globular domain remains folded, rendering functional nanostructures. However, in some cases, steric hindrance restricts the activity of these fibrils. This limitation can be solved by dissecting prion domains into shorter sequences that keep their self-assembling properties while allowing better access to the active protein in the fibrillar state. In this review, we will discuss the properties of prion-like functional nanomaterials and the amazing applications of these biocompatible fibrillar arrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Wang
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
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Chen C, Ding X, Akram N, Xue S, Luo SZ. Fused in Sarcoma: Properties, Self-Assembly and Correlation with Neurodegenerative Diseases. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24081622. [PMID: 31022909 PMCID: PMC6514960 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24081622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a DNA/RNA binding protein that is involved in RNA metabolism and DNA repair. Numerous reports have demonstrated by pathological and genetic analysis that FUS is associated with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and polyglutamine diseases. Traditionally, the fibrillar aggregation of FUS was considered to be the cause of those diseases, especially via its prion-like domains (PrLDs), which are rich in glutamine and asparagine residues. Lately, a nonfibrillar self-assembling phenomenon, liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), was observed in FUS, and studies of its functions, mechanism, and mutual transformation with pathogenic amyloid have been emerging. This review summarizes recent studies on FUS self-assembling, including both aggregation and LLPS as well as their relationship with the pathology of ALS, FTLD, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Xiufang Ding
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Nimrah Akram
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Song Xue
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Shi-Zhong Luo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
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Abstract
Considerable advances in understanding the protein features favoring prion formation in yeast have facilitated the development of effective yeast prion prediction algorithms. Here we discuss a recent study in which we systematically explored the utility of the yeast prion prediction algorithm PAPA for designing mutations to modulate the aggregation activity of the human prion-like protein hnRNPA2B1. Mutations in hnRNPA2B1 cause multisystem proteinopathy in humans, and accelerate aggregation of the protein in vitro. Additionally, mutant hnRNPA2B1 forms cytoplasmic inclusions when expressed in Drosophila, and the mutant prion-like domain can substitute for a portion of a yeast prion domain in supporting prion activity in yeast. PAPA was quite successful at predicting the effects of PrLD mutations on prion activity in yeast and on in vitro aggregation propensity. Additionally, PAPA successfully predicted the effects of most, but not all, mutations in the PrLD of the hnRNPA2B1 protein when expressed in Drosophila. These results suggest that PAPA is quite effective at predicting the effects of mutations on intrinsic aggregation propensity, but that intracellular factors can influence aggregation and prion-like activity in vivo. A more complete understanding of these intracellular factors may inform the next generation of prion prediction algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Cascarina
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Kacy R Paul
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Eric D Ross
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
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Abstract
Low complexity (LC) prion-like domains are over-represented among RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and contribute to the dynamic nature of RNA granules. Importantly, several neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by cytoplasmic "solid" aggregates formed by mainly nuclear RBPs harboring LC prion-like domains. Although RBP aggregation in disease has been extensively characterized, it remains unknown how the process of aging disturbs RBP dynamics. Our recent study revealed that RNA granule components including 2 key stress granule RBPs with LC prion-like domains, PAB-1 and TIAR-2, aggregate in aged Caenorhabditis elegans in the absence of disease. Here we present new evidence showing that sustained stress granule formation triggers RBP aggregation. In addition, we demonstrate that mild chronic stress during aging promotes mislocalization of nuclear RBPs. We discuss the consequences of aberrant interactions between age-related RBP aggregation and disease-associated RBP aggregation. In particular, we show that FUST-1 and PAB-1 co-localize in aberrant cytoplasmic accumulations. Significantly, long-lived animals with reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling abrogate stress granule RBP aggregation through activation of the transcription factors HSF-1 and DAF-16. We evaluate the different mechanisms that could maintain dynamic stress granules. Together these findings highlight how changes with age could contribute to pathogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases and disruption of RNA homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie C Lechler
- a German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) , Tübingen , Germany.,b Graduate School of Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience , Tübingen , Germany
| | - Della C David
- a German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) , Tübingen , Germany
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Boulay G, Sandoval GJ, Riggi N, Iyer S, Buisson R, Naigles B, Awad ME, Rengarajan S, Volorio A, McBride MJ, Broye LC, Zou L, Stamenkovic I, Kadoch C, Rivera MN. Cancer-Specific Retargeting of BAF Complexes by a Prion-like Domain. Cell 2017; 171:163-178.e19. [PMID: 28844694 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Alterations in transcriptional regulators can orchestrate oncogenic gene expression programs in cancer. Here, we show that the BRG1/BRM-associated factor (BAF) chromatin remodeling complex, which is mutated in over 20% of human tumors, interacts with EWSR1, a member of a family of proteins with prion-like domains (PrLD) that are frequent partners in oncogenic fusions with transcription factors. In Ewing sarcoma, we find that the BAF complex is recruited by the EWS-FLI1 fusion protein to tumor-specific enhancers and contributes to target gene activation. This process is a neomorphic property of EWS-FLI1 compared to wild-type FLI1 and depends on tyrosine residues that are necessary for phase transitions of the EWSR1 prion-like domain. Furthermore, fusion of short fragments of EWSR1 to FLI1 is sufficient to recapitulate BAF complex retargeting and EWS-FLI1 activities. Our studies thus demonstrate that the physical properties of prion-like domains can retarget critical chromatin regulatory complexes to establish and maintain oncogenic gene expression programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaylor Boulay
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Gabriel J Sandoval
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Nicolo Riggi
- Institute of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sowmya Iyer
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Rémi Buisson
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Beverly Naigles
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Mary E Awad
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Shruthi Rengarajan
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Angela Volorio
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Institute of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Matthew J McBride
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Liliane C Broye
- Institute of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lee Zou
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Ivan Stamenkovic
- Institute of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cigall Kadoch
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
| | - Miguel N Rivera
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
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Shattuck JE, Waechter AC, Ross ED. The effects of glutamine/asparagine content on aggregation and heterologous prion induction by yeast prion-like domains. Prion 2017; 11:249-264. [PMID: 28665753 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1344806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion-like domains are low complexity, intrinsically disordered domains that compositionally resemble yeast prion domains. Many prion-like domains are involved in the formation of either functional or pathogenic protein aggregates. These aggregates range from highly dynamic liquid droplets to highly ordered detergent-insoluble amyloid-like aggregates. To better understand the amino acid sequence features that promote conversion to stable, detergent-insoluble aggregates, we used the prediction algorithm PAPA to identify predicted aggregation-prone prion-like domains with a range of compositions. While almost all of the predicted aggregation-prone domains formed foci when expressed in cells, the ability to form the detergent-insoluble aggregates was highly correlated with glutamine/asparagine (Q/N) content, suggesting that high Q/N content may specifically promote conversion to the amyloid state in vivo. We then used this data set to examine cross-seeding between prion-like proteins. The prion protein Sup35 requires the presence of a second prion, [PIN+], to efficiently form prions, but this requirement can be circumvented by the expression of various Q/N-rich protein fragments. Interestingly, almost all of the Q/N-rich domains that formed SDS-insoluble aggregates were able to promote prion formation by Sup35, highlighting the highly promiscuous nature of these interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenifer E Shattuck
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Aubrey C Waechter
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Eric D Ross
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
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