1
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Broggini L, Barzago MM, Speranzini V, Schulte T, Sonzini F, Giono M, Romeo M, Milani P, Caminito S, Mazzini G, Rognoni P, Merlini G, Pappone C, Anastasia L, Nuvolone M, Palladini G, Diomede L, Ricagno S. Nanobodies counteract the toxicity of an amyloidogenic light chain by stabilizing a partially open dimeric conformation. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168320. [PMID: 37865287 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168320] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Light chain amyloidosis (AL) is a systemic disease where fibrillar deposition of misfolded immunoglobulin light chains (LCs) severely affects organ function and results in poor prognosis for patients, especially when heart involvement is severe. Particularly relevant in this context is the cardiotoxicity exerted by still uncharacterized soluble LC species. Here, with the final goal of identifying alternative therapeutic strategies to tackle AL amyloidosis, we produced five llama-derived nanobodies (Nbs) specific against H3, a well-characterized amyloidogenic and cardiotoxic LC from an AL patient with severe cardiac involvement. We found that Nbs are specific and potent agents capable of abolishing H3 soluble toxicity in C. elegans in vivo model. Structural characterization of H3-Nb complexes revealed that the protective effect of Nbs is related to their ability to bind to the H3 VL domain and stabilise an unexpected partially open LC dimer in which the two VL domains no longer interact with each other. Thus, while identifying potent inhibitors of LC soluble toxicity, we also describe the first non-native structure of an amyloidogenic LC that may represent a crucial step in toxicity and aggregation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Broggini
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy
| | - Maria Monica Barzago
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, Milano 20156, Italy
| | | | - Tim Schulte
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy
| | - Federica Sonzini
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy; Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Matteo Giono
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, Milano 20156, Italy
| | - Paolo Milani
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Serena Caminito
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Giulia Mazzini
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Paola Rognoni
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Merlini
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Carlo Pappone
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy; Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato, Milan 20097, Italy; Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan 20132, Italy
| | - Luigi Anastasia
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy; Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan 20132, Italy
| | - Mario Nuvolone
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Giovanni Palladini
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, Milano 20156, Italy
| | - Stefano Ricagno
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Piazza Malan 2, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy; Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy.
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Beeg M, Baroni S, Piotti A, Porta A, De Luigi A, Cagnotto A, Gobbi M, Diomede L, Salmona M. A Comprehensive Technology Platform for the Rapid Discovery of Peptide Inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 Pseudovirus Infection. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12146. [PMID: 37569522 PMCID: PMC10418426 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512146] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
We developed and validated a technology platform for designing and testing peptides inhibiting the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-based pseudoviruses. This platform integrates target evaluation, in silico inhibitor design, peptide synthesis, and efficacy screening. We generated a cyclic peptide library derived from the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The cell-free validation process by ELISA competition assays and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) studies revealed that the cyclic peptide c9_05, but not its linear form, binds well to ACE2. Moreover, it effectively inhibited the transduction in HEK293, stably expressing the human ACE2 receptor of pseudovirus particles displaying the SARS-CoV-2 spike in the Wuhan or UK variants. However, the inhibitory efficacy of c9_05 was negligible against the Omicron variant, and it failed to impede the entry of pseudoviruses carrying the B.1.351 (South African) spike. These variants contain three or more mutations known to increase affinity to ACE2. This suggests further refinement is needed for potential SARS-CoV-2 inhibition. Our study hints at a promising approach to develop inhibitors targeting viral infectivity receptors, including SARS-CoV-2's. This platform also promises swift identification and evaluation of inhibitors for other emergent viruses.
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Diomede L, Zanier ER, Moro F, Vegliante G, Colombo L, Russo L, Cagnotto A, Natale C, Xodo FM, De Luigi A, Mosconi M, Beeg M, Catania M, Rossi G, Tagliavini F, Di Fede G, Salmona M. Aβ1-6 A2V(D) peptide, effective on Aβ aggregation, inhibits tau misfolding and protects the brain after traumatic brain injury. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2433-2444. [PMID: 37198260 PMCID: PMC10611578 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02101-3] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia in older adults, is a double proteinopathy characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau pathology. Despite enormous efforts that have been spent in the last decades to find effective therapies, late pharmacological interventions along the course of the disease, inaccurate clinical methodologies in the enrollment of patients, and inadequate biomarkers for evaluating drug efficacy have not allowed the development of an effective therapeutic strategy. The approaches followed so far for developing drugs or antibodies focused solely on targeting Aβ or tau protein. This paper explores the potential therapeutic capacity of an all-D-isomer synthetic peptide limited to the first six amino acids of the N-terminal sequence of the A2V-mutated Aβ, Aβ1-6A2V(D), that was developed following the observation of a clinical case that provided the background for its development. We first performed an in-depth biochemical characterization documenting the capacity of Aβ1-6A2V(D) to interfere with the aggregation and stability of tau protein. To tackle Aβ1-6A2V(D) in vivo effects against a neurological decline in genetically predisposed or acquired high AD risk mice, we tested its effects in triple transgenic animals harboring human PS1(M146 V), APP(SW), and MAPT(P301L) transgenes and aged wild-type mice exposed to experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI), a recognized risk factor for AD. We found that Aβ1-6A2V(D) treatment in TBI mice improved neurological outcomes and reduced blood markers of axonal damage. Exploiting the C. elegans model as a biosensor of amyloidogenic proteins' toxicity, we observed a rescue of locomotor defects in nematodes exposed to the brain homogenates from TBI mice treated with Aβ1-6A2V(D) compared to TBI controls. By this integrated approach, we demonstrate that Aβ1-6A2V(D) not only impedes tau aggregation but also favors its degradation by tissue proteases, confirming that this peptide interferes with both Aβ and tau aggregation propensity and proteotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy.
| | - Elisa R Zanier
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Moro
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Gloria Vegliante
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Russo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Marta Xodo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Ada De Luigi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Mosconi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Catania
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Giacomina Rossi
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy.
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Conz A, Salmona M, Diomede L. Effect of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15081869. [PMID: 37111090 PMCID: PMC10144565 DOI: 10.3390/nu15081869] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The human gut microbiota, a complex community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, consists of more than 1500 species distributed in more than 50 different phyla, with 99% of bacteria coming from about 30-40 species. The colon alone, which contains the largest population of the diverse human microbiota, can harbor up to 100 trillion bacteria. The gut microbiota is essential in maintaining normal gut physiology and health. Therefore, its disruption in humans is often associated with various pathological conditions. Different factors can influence the composition and function of the gut microbiota, including host genetics, age, antibiotic treatments, environment, and diet. The diet has a marked effect, impacting the gut microbiota composition, beneficially or detrimentally, by altering some bacterial species and adjusting the metabolites produced in the gut environment. With the widespread use of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) in the diet, recent investigations have focused on their effect on the gut microbiota as a mediator of the potential impact generated by gastrointestinal-related disturbances, such as insulin resistance, obesity, and inflammation. We summarized the results from pre-clinical and clinical studies published over the last ten years that examined the single effects of the most consumed NNS: aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose, and saccharin. Pre-clinical studies have given conflicting results for various reasons, including the administration method and the differences in metabolism of the same NNS among the different animal species. A dysbiotic effect of NNS was observed in some human trials, but many other randomized controlled trials reported a lack of significant impacts on gut microbiota composition. These studies differed in the number of subjects involved, their dietary habits, and their lifestyle; all factors related to the baseline composition of gut microbiota and their response to NNS. The scientific community still has no unanimous consensus on the appropriate outcomes and biomarkers that can accurately define the effects of NNS on the gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Conz
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
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5
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Bollati M, Peqini K, Barone L, Natale C, Beeg M, Gobbi M, Diomede L, Trucchi M, de Rosa M, Pellegrino S. Rational Design of a Peptidomimetic Inhibitor of Gelsolin Amyloid Aggregation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232213973. [PMID: 36430461 PMCID: PMC9698219 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232213973] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gelsolin amyloidosis (AGel) is characterized by multiple systemic and ophthalmic features resulting from pathological tissue deposition of the gelsolin (GSN) protein. To date, no cure is available for the treatment of any form of AGel. More than ten single-point substitutions in the GSN gene are responsible for the occurrence of the disease and, among them, D187N/Y is the most widespread variant. These substitutions undergo an aberrant proteolytic cascade, producing aggregation-prone peptides of 5 and 8 kDa, containing the Gelsolin Amyloidogenic Core, spanning residues 182-192 (GAC182-192). Following a structure-based approach, we designed and synthesized three novel sequence-specific peptidomimetics (LB-5, LB-6, and LB-7) built on a piperidine-pyrrolidine unnatural amino acid. LB-5 and LB-6, but not LB-7, efficiently inhibit the aggregation of the GAC182-192 amyloidogenic peptides at sub-stoichiometric concentrations. These peptidomimetics resulted also effective in vivo, in a C. elegans-based assay, in counteracting the proteotoxicity of aggregated GAC182-192. These data pave the way to a novel pharmacological strategy against AGel and also validate a toolbox exploitable in other amyloidogenic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Bollati
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council (IBF-CNR), c/o Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Kaliroi Peqini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, “A. Marchesini” General and Organic Chemistry Section, University of Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Luigi Barone
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, “A. Marchesini” General and Organic Chemistry Section, University of Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Michelangelo Trucchi
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council (IBF-CNR), c/o Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Matteo de Rosa
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council (IBF-CNR), c/o Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.d.R.); (S.P.)
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, “A. Marchesini” General and Organic Chemistry Section, University of Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.d.R.); (S.P.)
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Palmioli A, Mazzoni V, De Luigi A, Bruzzone C, Sala G, Colombo L, Bazzini C, Zoia CP, Inserra M, Salmona M, De Noni I, Ferrarese C, Diomede L, Airoldi C. Alzheimer's Disease Prevention through Natural Compounds: Cell-Free , In Vitro, and In Vivo Dissection of Hop ( Humulus lupulus L.) Multitarget Activity. ACS Chem Neurosci 2022; 13:3152-3167. [PMID: 36283035 PMCID: PMC9673154 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The relevant social and economic costs associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), entail considerable efforts to develop effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. The search for natural compounds, whose intake through diet can help prevent the main biochemical mechanisms responsible for AD onset, led us to screen hops, one of the main ingredients of beer. To explore the chemical variability of hops, we characterized four hop varieties, i.e., Cascade, Saaz, Tettnang, and Summit. We investigated the potential multitarget hop activity, in particular its ability to hinder Aβ1-42 peptide aggregation and cytotoxicity, its antioxidant properties, and its ability to enhance autophagy, promoting the clearance of misfolded and aggregated proteins in a human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Moreover, we provided evidence of in vivo hop efficacy using the transgenic CL2006Caenorhabditis elegans strain expressing the Aβ3-42 peptide. By combining cell-free and in vitro assays with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MS-based metabolomics, NMR molecular recognition studies, and atomic force microscopy, we identified feruloyl and p-coumaroylquinic acids flavan-3-ol glycosides and procyanidins as the main anti-Aβ components of hop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Palmioli
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy,NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,
| | - Valeria Mazzoni
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Ada De Luigi
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Bruzzone
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Gessica Sala
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Bazzini
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Chiara Paola Zoia
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Mariagiovanna Inserra
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Ivano De Noni
- Department
of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Carlo Ferrarese
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy,Department
of Neuroscience, San Gerardo Hospital, ASST-Monza, Via Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, MB, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Cristina Airoldi
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy,NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,
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7
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Natale C, Barzago MM, Colnaghi L, De Luigi A, Orsini F, Fioriti L, Diomede L. A Combined Cell-Worm Approach to Search for Compounds Counteracting the Toxicity of Tau Oligomers In Vivo. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:11277. [PMID: 36232578 PMCID: PMC9569484 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911277] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A clear relationship between the tau assemblies and toxicity has still to be established. To correlate the tau conformation with its proteotoxic effect in vivo, we developed an innovative cell-worm-based approach. HEK293 cells expressing tau P301L under a tetracycline-inducible system (HEK T-Rex) were employed to produce different tau assemblies whose proteotoxic potential was evaluated using C. elegans. Lysates from cells induced for five days significantly reduced the worm's locomotor activity. This toxic effect was not related to the total amount of tau produced by cells or to its phosphorylation state but was related to the formation of multimeric tau assemblies, particularly tetrameric ones. We investigated the applicability of this approach for testing compounds acting against oligomeric tau toxicity, using doxycycline (Doxy) as a prototype drug. Doxy affected tau solubility and promoted the disassembly of already formed toxic aggregates in lysates of cells induced for five days. These effects translated into a dose-dependent protective action in C. elegans. These findings confirm the validity of the combined HEK T-Rex cells and the C. elegans-based approach as a platform for pharmacological screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Monica Barzago
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Colnaghi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Ada De Luigi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Franca Orsini
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luana Fioriti
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
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8
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Windheim J, Colombo L, Battajni NC, Russo L, Cagnotto A, Diomede L, Bigini P, Vismara E, Fiumara F, Gabbrielli S, Gautieri A, Mazzuoli-Weber G, Salmona M, Colnaghi L. Micro- and Nanoplastics’ Effects on Protein Folding and Amyloidosis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810329. [PMID: 36142234 PMCID: PMC9499421 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A significant portion of the world’s plastic is not properly disposed of and, through various processes, is degraded into microscopic particles termed micro- and nanoplastics. Marine and terrestrial faunae, including humans, inevitably get in contact and may inhale and ingest these microscopic plastics which can deposit throughout the body, potentially altering cellular and molecular functions in the nervous and other systems. For instance, at the cellular level, studies in animal models have shown that plastic particles can cross the blood–brain barrier and interact with neurons, and thus affect cognition. At the molecular level, plastics may specifically influence the folding of proteins, induce the formation of aberrant amyloid proteins, and therefore potentially trigger the development of systemic and local amyloidosis. In this review, we discuss the general issue of plastic micro- and nanoparticle generation, with a focus on their effects on protein folding, misfolding, and their possible clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Windheim
- Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Nora C. Battajni
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Russo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Bigini
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Vismara
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Fiumara
- Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125 Torino, Italy
- National Institute of Neuroscience (INN), University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Silvia Gabbrielli
- Biomolecular Engineering Lab, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Alfonso Gautieri
- Biomolecular Engineering Lab, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Gemma Mazzuoli-Weber
- Center for Systems Neuroscience (ZSN), 30559 Hannover, Germany
- Institute for Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Colnaghi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-02-2643-4818
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9
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Broggini L, Giono M, Speranzini V, Barzago MM, Palladini G, Diomede L, Pappone C, Ricagno S. Nanobodies as novel potential drugs to target cardiac light chain amyloidosis. Cardiovasc Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvac066.233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Type of funding sources: Private hospital(s). Main funding source(s): IRCCS GRUPPO SAN DONATO
Light chain amyloidosis (AL) is a systemic disease where fibrillar deposition of misfolded immunoglobulin light chains (LCs) severely affects organ functions. Cardiac involvement (75% of all AL cases) results in the worst prognosis for patients (1). Current AL therapies rely on repurposing of chemotherapeutic drugs targeting plasma cells as the source of LCs; however patients with cardiac damage are often too compromised to sustain such regiments. Alternative approaches aimed at destroying AL fibrils are being evaluated in clinical trials. Nevertheless, none of these treatments offer reliable solutions to counteract the life-threatening cardiac involvement in AL (2).
Here, we propose an alternative approach targeting soluble toxic LCs: these immunoglobulin fragments are frequently overexpressed in patients with cardiac damage and have been found to exert toxicity to cardiac cells, making them an ideal candidate as new drug targets for cardiac AL (3). We combined a multidisciplinary approach to scout for and probe next generation AL drugs based on nanobodies designed to specifically bind soluble toxic LCs. Compared to conventional monoclonal antibodies, nanobodies consist of just two heavy chains, with a single variable domain (VHH, ~15kDa) as the antigen-binding region. These nanoscale VHHs can retain full antigen-binding potential upon isolation, establishing them as the smallest, naturally-derived antigen-binding fragment (4).
To reach our aim, 11 different nanobodies against a cardiotoxic light chain (H3), derived from patient suffering from AL (5), were produced and characterized. To identify the most promising among the pool, a detailed characterization of the in vitro binding between H3 and each nanobody was performed, using a series of biophysical techniques, including isothermal titration calorimetry, microscale thermophoresis, bio-layer interferometry, and multi-angle light scattering. Notably, all the nanobodies efficiently bind to H3 forming stable complexes.
Then, to investigate the capability of nanobodies to prevent H3 cardiotoxicity, we used the nematode C. elegans as in vivo model. Indeed, in C. elegans the administration of cardiotropic LCs causes a profound functional and structural damage on the pharynx, considered an "ancestral heart" (6). Interestingly, we found that some of our nanobodies prevented H3 from exerting its toxic activity, as their presences preserve nematode functional parameters. Collectively, our data pinpointed the novel potential role of nanobodies in the development of alternative treatments of AL patients with cardiac involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Broggini
- IRCCS San Donato Polyclinic, Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology , San Donato Milanese , Italy
| | - M Giono
- University of Milan, Department of Biosciences , Milan , Italy
| | - V Speranzini
- University of Milan, Department of Biosciences , Milan , Italy
| | - MM Barzago
- The Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research , Milan , Italy
| | - G Palladini
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center , Pavia , Italy
| | - L Diomede
- The Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research , Milan , Italy
| | - C Pappone
- IRCCS San Donato Polyclinic , San Donato Milanese , Italy
| | - S Ricagno
- University of Milan, Department of Biosciences , Milan , Italy
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10
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Sitia G, Fiordaliso F, Violatto MB, Alarcon JF, Talamini L, Corbelli A, Ferreira LM, Tran NL, Chakraborty I, Salmona M, Parak WJ, Diomede L, Bigini P. Food-Grade Titanium Dioxide Induces Toxicity in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and Acute Hepatic and Pulmonary Responses in Mice. Nanomaterials 2022; 12:nano12101669. [PMID: 35630890 PMCID: PMC9147568 DOI: 10.3390/nano12101669] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Food-grade titanium dioxide (E171) contains variable percentages of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs), posing concerns for its potential effects on human and animal health. Despite many studies, the actual relationship between the physicochemical properties of E171 NPs and their interaction with biological targets is still far from clear. We evaluated the impact of acute E171 administration on invertebrate and vertebrate animals. In the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, the administration of up to 1.0 mg/mL of E171 did not affect the worm’s viability and lifespan, but significantly impaired its pharyngeal function, reproduction, and development. We also investigated whether the intravenous administration of E171 in mice (at the dose of 6 mg/kg/body weight) could result in an acute over-absorption of filter organs. A significant increase of hepatic titanium concentration and the formation of microgranulomas were observed. Interstitial inflammation and parenchymal modification were found in the lungs, coupled with titanium accumulation. This was probably due to the propensity of TiO2 NPs to agglomerate, as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy experiments showing that the incubation of E171 with serum promoted the formation of compact clusters. Overall, these data emphasize the actual risk for human and animal exposure to E171.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Sitia
- Experimental Hepatology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milano, Italy; (G.S.); (L.M.F.); (N.L.T.)
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Martina B. Violatto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Jennifer Fernandez Alarcon
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Laura Talamini
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Alessandro Corbelli
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Lorena Maria Ferreira
- Experimental Hepatology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milano, Italy; (G.S.); (L.M.F.); (N.L.T.)
| | - Ngoc Lan Tran
- Experimental Hepatology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milano, Italy; (G.S.); (L.M.F.); (N.L.T.)
| | - Indranath Chakraborty
- Center for Hybrid Nanostructures (CHyN), Hamburg University, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22607 Hamburg, Germany; (I.C.); (W.J.P.)
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
| | - Wolfgang J. Parak
- Center for Hybrid Nanostructures (CHyN), Hamburg University, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22607 Hamburg, Germany; (I.C.); (W.J.P.)
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence: (L.D.); (P.B.)
| | - Paolo Bigini
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (F.F.); (M.B.V.); (J.F.A.); (L.T.); (A.C.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence: (L.D.); (P.B.)
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11
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Russo R, Romeo M, Schulte T, Maritan M, Oberti L, Barzago MM, Barbiroli A, Pappone C, Anastasia L, Palladini G, Diomede L, Ricagno S. Cu(II) Binding Increases the Soluble Toxicity of Amyloidogenic Light Chains. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020950. [PMID: 35055136 PMCID: PMC8780072 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020950] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Light chain amyloidosis (AL) is caused by the aberrant overproduction of immunoglobulin light chains (LCs). The resulting abnormally high LC concentrations in blood lead to deposit formation in the heart and other target organs. Organ damage is caused not only by the accumulation of bulky amyloid deposits, but extensive clinical data indicate that circulating soluble LCs also exert cardiotoxic effects. The nematode C. elegans has been validated to recapitulate LC soluble toxicity in vivo, and in such a model a role for copper ions in increasing LC soluble toxicity has been reported. Here, we applied microscale thermophoresis, isothermal calorimetry and thermal melting to demonstrate the specific binding of Cu2+ to the variable domain of amyloidogenic H7 with a sub-micromolar affinity. Histidine residues present in the LC sequence are not involved in the binding, and yet their mutation to Ala reduces the soluble toxicity of H7. Copper ions bind to and destabilize the variable domains and induce a limited stabilization in this domain. In summary, the data reported here, elucidate the biochemical bases of the Cu2+-induced toxicity; moreover, they also show that copper binding is just one of the several biochemical traits contributing to LC soluble in vivo toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosaria Russo
- Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Medico-Chirurgica e Dei Trapianti, Università Degli Studi di Milano, 20090 Segrate, Italy;
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Dipartimento di Biochimica e Farmacologia Molecolare, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (M.M.B.)
| | - Tim Schulte
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 20097 Milan, Italy; (T.S.); (C.P.); (L.A.)
| | - Martina Maritan
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università Degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.M.); (L.O.)
| | - Luca Oberti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università Degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.M.); (L.O.)
| | - Maria Monica Barzago
- Dipartimento di Biochimica e Farmacologia Molecolare, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (M.M.B.)
| | - Alberto Barbiroli
- Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, La Nutrizione e L’Ambiente, Università Degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy;
| | - Carlo Pappone
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 20097 Milan, Italy; (T.S.); (C.P.); (L.A.)
- Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato, 20097 Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Anastasia
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 20097 Milan, Italy; (T.S.); (C.P.); (L.A.)
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Palladini
- Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Università Degli Studi di Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Dipartimento di Biochimica e Farmacologia Molecolare, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (M.M.B.)
- Correspondence: (L.D.); (S.R.)
| | - Stefano Ricagno
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 20097 Milan, Italy; (T.S.); (C.P.); (L.A.)
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università Degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (M.M.); (L.O.)
- Correspondence: (L.D.); (S.R.)
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12
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Bollati M, Diomede L, Giorgino T, Natale C, Fagnani E, Boniardi I, Barbiroli A, Alemani R, Beeg M, Gobbi M, Fakin A, Mastrangelo E, Milani M, Presciuttini G, Gabellieri E, Cioni P, de Rosa M. A novel hotspot of gelsolin instability triggers an alternative mechanism of amyloid aggregation. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:6355-6365. [PMID: 34938411 PMCID: PMC8649582 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Gelsolin comprises six homologous domains, named G1 to G6. Single point substitutions in this protein are responsible for AGel amyloidosis, a hereditary disease causing progressive corneal lattice dystrophy, cutis laxa, and polyneuropathy. Although several different amyloidogenic variants of gelsolin have been identified, only the most common mutants present in the G2 domain have been thoroughly characterized, leading to clarification of the functional mechanism. The molecular events underlying the pathological aggregation of 3 recently identified mutations, namely A551P, E553K and M517R, all localized at the interface between G4 and G5, are here explored for the first time. Structural studies point to destabilization of the interface between G4 and G5 due to three structural determinants: β-strand breaking, steric hindrance and/or charge repulsion, all implying impairment of interdomain contacts. Such rearrangements decrease the temperature and pressure stability of gelsolin but do not alter its susceptibility to furin cleavage, the first event in the canonical aggregation pathway. These variants also have a greater tendency to aggregate in the unproteolysed forms and exhibit higher proteotoxicity in a C. elegans-based assay. Our data suggest that aggregation of G4G5 variants follows an alternative, likely proteolysis-independent, pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Bollati
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Toni Giorgino
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Elisa Fagnani
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
| | - Irene Boniardi
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
| | - Alberto Barbiroli
- Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Rebecca Alemani
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Ana Fakin
- Eye Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eloise Mastrangelo
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
| | - Mario Milani
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Edi Gabellieri
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa, Italy
| | - Patrizia Cioni
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo de Rosa
- Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy
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13
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Annadurai N, Malina L, Salmona M, Diomede L, Bastone A, Cagnotto A, Romeo M, Šrejber M, Berka K, Otyepka M, Hajdúch M, Das V. Antitumour drugs targeting tau R3 VQIVYK and Cys322 prevent seeding of endogenous tau aggregates by exogenous seeds. FEBS J 2021; 289:1929-1949. [PMID: 34743390 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Emerging experimental evidence suggests tau pathology spreads between neuroanatomically connected brain regions in a prion-like manner in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau seeding, the ability of prion-like tau to recruit and misfold naïve tau to generate new seeds, is detected early in human AD brains before the development of major tau pathology. Many antitumour drugs have been reported to confer protection against neurodegeneration, supporting the repurposing of approved and experimental or investigational oncology drugs for AD therapy. In this study, we evaluated whether antitumour drugs that abrogate the generation of seed-competent aggregates of tau Repeat 3 (R3) domain peptides can prevent tau seeding and toxicity in Tau-RD P301S FRET Biosensor cells and Caenorhabditis elegans. We demonstrate that drugs that interact with the N-terminal VQIVYK or the C-terminal region housing the Cys322 prevent R3 dimerisation, abolishing the generation of prion-like R3 seeds. Preformed R3 seeds (fibrils) capped with, or R3 seeds formed in the presence of VQIVYK- or Cys322-targeting drugs have a reduced potency to cause aggregation of naïve tau in biosensor cells and protect worms from aggregate toxicity. These findings indicate that VQIVYK- or Cys322-targeting drugs may act as prophylactic agents against tau seeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendran Annadurai
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Malina
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Bastone
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Martin Šrejber
- Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN), Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM), Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Berka
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Otyepka
- Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN), Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM), Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.,IT4Innovations, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Marián Hajdúch
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Viswanath Das
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
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14
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Diomede L, Beeg M, Gamba A, Fumagalli O, Gobbi M, Salmona M. Can Antiviral Activity of Licorice Help Fight COVID-19 Infection? Biomolecules 2021; 11:855. [PMID: 34201172 PMCID: PMC8227143 DOI: 10.3390/biom11060855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The phytotherapeutic properties of Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) extract are mainly attributed to glycyrrhizin (GR) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA). Among their possible pharmacological actions, the ability to act against viruses belonging to different families, including SARS coronavirus, is particularly important. With the COVID-19 emergency and the urgent need for compounds to counteract the pandemic, the antiviral properties of GR and GA, as pure substances or as components of licorice extract, attracted attention in the last year and supported the launch of two clinical trials. In silico docking studies reported that GR and GA may directly interact with the key players in viral internalization and replication such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), spike protein, the host transmembrane serine protease 2, and 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease. In vitro data indicated that GR can interfere with virus entry by directly interacting with ACE2 and spike, with a nonspecific effect on cell and viral membranes. Additional anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of GR cannot be excluded. These multiple activities of GR and licorice extract are critically re-assessed in this review, and their possible role against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 and the features of COVID-19 disease is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (M.B.); (O.F.); (M.G.)
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (M.B.); (O.F.); (M.G.)
| | - Alessio Gamba
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy;
| | - Oscar Fumagalli
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (M.B.); (O.F.); (M.G.)
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (M.B.); (O.F.); (M.G.)
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy; (M.B.); (O.F.); (M.G.)
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15
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Beeg M, Battocchio E, De Luigi A, Colombo L, Natale C, Cagnotto A, Corbelli A, Fiordaliso F, Diomede L, Salmona M, Gobbi M. Nonphosphorylated tau slows down Aβ 1-42 aggregation, binds to Aβ 1-42 oligomers, and reduces Aβ 1-42 toxicity. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100664. [PMID: 33865852 PMCID: PMC8113980 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques accompanies the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Tangles are made of fibrillar aggregates formed by the microtubule-associated protein tau, whereas plaques comprise fibrillar forms of amyloid-beta (Aβ). Both form toxic oligomers during aggregation and are thought to interact synergistically to each promote the accumulation of the other. Recent in vitro studies have suggested that the monomeric nonphosphorylated full-length tau protein hinders the aggregation of Aβ1–40 peptide, but whether the same is true for the more aggregation-prone Aβ1–42 was not determined. We used in vitro and in vivo techniques to explore this question. We have monitored the aggregation kinetics of Aβ1–42 by thioflavine T fluorescence in the presence or the absence of different concentrations of nonphosphorylated tau. We observed that elongation of Aβ1–42 fibrils was inhibited by tau in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, the fibrils were structurally different in the presence of tau but did not incorporate tau. Surface plasmon resonance indicated that tau monomers bound to Aβ1–42 oligomers (but not monomers) and hindered their interaction with the anti-Aβ antibody 4G8, suggesting that tau binds to the hydrophobic central core of Aβ recognized by 4G8. Tau monomers also antagonized the toxic effects of Aβ oligomers in Caenorhabditis elegans. This suggests that nonphosphorylated tau might have a neuroprotective effect by binding Aβ1–42 oligomers formed during the aggregation and shielding their hydrophobic patches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Battocchio
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Ada De Luigi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Corbelli
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
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16
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Zanier ER, Barzago MM, Vegliante G, Romeo M, Restelli E, Bertani I, Natale C, Colnaghi L, Colombo L, Russo L, Micotti E, Fioriti L, Chiesa R, Diomede L. C. elegans detects toxicity of traumatic brain injury generated tau. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 153:105330. [PMID: 33711491 PMCID: PMC8039186 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with widespread tau pathology in about 30% of patients surviving late after injury. We previously found that TBI in mice induces the formation of an abnormal form of tau (tauTBI) which progressively spreads from the site of injury to remote brain regions. Intracerebral inoculation of TBI brain homogenates into naïve mice induced progressive tau pathology, synaptic loss and late cognitive decline, suggesting a pivotal role of tauTBI in post-TBI neurodegeneration. However, the possibility that tauTBI was a marker of TBI-associated neurodegeneration rather than a toxic driver of functional decline could not be excluded. Here we employed the nematode C. elegans as a biosensor to test the pathogenic role of TBI generated tau. The motility of this nematode depends on efficient neuromuscular transmission and is exceptionally sensitive to the toxicity of amyloidogenic proteins, providing a tractable model for our tests. We found that worms exposed to brain homogenates from chronic but not acute TBI mice, or from mice in which tauTBI had been transmitted by intracerebral inoculation, had impaired motility and neuromuscular synaptic transmission. Results were similar when worms were given brain homogenates from transgenic mice overexpressing tau P301L, a tauopathy mouse model, suggesting that TBI-induced and mutant tau have similar toxic properties. P301L brain homogenate toxicity was similar in wild-type and ptl-1 knock-out worms, indicating that the nematode tau homolog protein PTL-1 was not required to mediate the toxic effect. Harsh protease digestion to eliminate the protein component of the homogenates, pre-incubation with anti-tau antibodies or tau depletion by immunoprecipitation, abolished the toxicity. Homogenates of chronic TBI brains from tau knock-out mice were not toxic to C. elegans, whereas oligomeric recombinant tau was sufficient to impair their motility. This study indicates that tauTBI impairs motor activity and synaptic transmission in C. elegans and supports a pathogenic role of tauTBI in the long-term consequences of TBI. It also sets the groundwork for the development of a C. elegans-based platform for screening anti-tau compounds. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice induces a progressive tau pathology. Brain-injured tissue from chronic but not acute TBI mice impairs C. elegans motility. TBI tissue immunodepleted of tau or from tau knock-out mice has no toxic effect. Brain-injured tissue from TBI mice impairs neuromuscular transmission in worms. C. elegans is a tractable model for investigating tau toxicity generated by TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa R Zanier
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
| | - Maria Monica Barzago
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Gloria Vegliante
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Restelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Bertani
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Colnaghi
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Russo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Edoardo Micotti
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luana Fioriti
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Chiesa
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
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17
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Melotti P, Tridello G, Rizzo R, Volpi S, Passiu M, Meneghelli I, Cordioli S, Sorio C, Bergamini G, Calcaterra E, Boraso M, Salmona M, Diomede L, Rise P, Cipolli M, Assael B, D’Orazio C. P183 Increase of HLA-G in plasma of cystic fibrosis paediatric patients treated with Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). J Cyst Fibros 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/s1569-1993(20)30518-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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18
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Wang G, Zhai Y, Zhang S, Diomede L, Bigini P, Romeo M, Cambier S, Contal S, Nguyen NHA, Rosická P, Ševců A, Nickel C, Vijver MG, Peijnenburg WJGM. An across-species comparison of the sensitivity of different organisms to Pb-based perovskites used in solar cells. Sci Total Environ 2020; 708:135134. [PMID: 31796277 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising candidates as photovoltaic cells. Recently, they have attracted significant attention due to certified power conversion efficiencies exceeding 23%, low-cost engineering, and superior electrical/optical characteristics. These PSCs extensively utilize a perovskite-structured composite with a hybrid of Pb-based nanomaterials. Operation of them may cause the release of Pb-based nanoparticles. However, limited information is available regarding the potential toxicity of Pb-based PSCs on various organisms. This study conducted a battery of in vitro and in vivo toxicity bioassays for three quintessential Pb-based PSCs (CH3NH3PbI3, NHCHNH3PbBr3, and CH3NH3PbBr3) using progressively more complex forms of life. For all species tested, the three different perovskites had comparable toxicities. The viability of Caco-2/TC7 cells was lower than that of A549 cells in response to Pb-based PSC exposure. Concentration-dependent toxicity was observed for the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri, for soil bacterial communities, and for the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Neither of the tested Pb-based PSCs particles had apparent toxicity to Pseudomonas putida. Among all tested organisms, V. fischeri showed the highest sensitivity with EC50 values (30 min of exposure) ranging from 1.45 to 2.91 mg L-1. Therefore, this study recommends that V. fischeri should be preferably utilized to assess. PSC toxicity due to its increased sensitivity, low costs, and relatively high throughput in a 96-well format, compared with the other tested organisms. These results highlight that the developed assay can easily predict the toxic potency of PSCs. Consequently, this approach has the potential to promote the implementation of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) principle in toxicology and decrease the dependence on animal testing when determining the safety of novel PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guiyin Wang
- College of Environmental Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China; Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Yujia Zhai
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands; Oasen Water Company, P.O. Box 122, 2800AC, Gouda, The Netherlands.
| | - Shirong Zhang
- College of Environmental Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Bigini
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Sebastien Cambier
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Servane Contal
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Nhung H A Nguyen
- Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec (TUL), Studentská 2, 46117 Liberec, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Rosická
- Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec (TUL), Studentská 2, 46117 Liberec, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Ševců
- Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec (TUL), Studentská 2, 46117 Liberec, Czech Republic
| | - Carmen Nickel
- Air Quality & Sustainable Nanotechnology, Institute of Energy and Environmental Technology (IUTA) e.V, 47229 Duisburg, Germany
| | - Martina G Vijver
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Willie J G M Peijnenburg
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands; National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
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19
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Passoni A, Favagrossa M, Colombo L, Bagnati R, Gobbi M, Diomede L, Birolini G, Di Paolo E, Valenza M, Cattaneo E, Salmona M. Efficacy of Cholesterol Nose-to-Brain Delivery for Brain Targeting in Huntington's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:367-372. [PMID: 31860272 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The current pharmacological treatment of Huntington's disease (HD) is palliative, and therapies to restore functions in patients are needed. One of the pathways affected in HD involves brain cholesterol (Chol) synthesis, which is essential for optimal synaptic transmission. Recently, it was reported that in a HD mouse model, the delivery of exogenous Chol to the brain with brain-permeable nanoparticles protected animals from cognitive decline and rescued synaptic communication, indicating Chol as a therapeutic candidate. We examined whether nose-to-brain delivery, already used in human therapy, could be an alternative, noninvasive strategy to deliver Chol to the adult brain and, in the future, replenish Chol in the HD brain. We gave wild-type (WT) mice a single intranasal (IN) dose of liposomes loaded with deuterium-labeled cholesterol (Chol-D6, to distinguish and quantify the exogenous cholesterol from the native one) (200 μg Chol-D6/dose). After different intervals, Chol-D6 levels, determined by LC-MS in plasma, striatum, cortex, and cerebellum, reached a steady-state concentration of 0.400 ng/mg between 24 and 72 h. A subsequent acute study confirmed the kinetic profiles of Chol-D6 in all tissues, indicating correspondence between the dose (two doses of 200 μg Chol-D6/dose) and the calculated brain area concentration (0.660 ng/mg). Finally, in WT mice given repeated IN doses, the average Chol-D6 level after 24 h was about 1.5 ng/mg in all brain areas. Our data indicate the effectiveness of IN Chol-loaded liposomes to deliver Chol in different brain regions, opening the way to future investigations in HD mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Passoni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Favagrossa
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Renzo Bagnati
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Birolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via G. Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi,″ via F. Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Eleonora Di Paolo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via G. Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi,″ via F. Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Valenza
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via G. Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi,″ via F. Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Cattaneo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via G. Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi,″ via F. Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
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Zanier E, Bertani I, Vegliante G, Sammali E, Menon D, Fiordaliso F, Diomede L, Stocchetti N, Stewart W, Chiesa R. Development and spread of tau pathology after TBI. J Neurol Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2019.10.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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21
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Talamini L, Gimondi S, Violatto MB, Fiordaliso F, Pedica F, Tran NL, Sitia G, Aureli F, Raggi A, Nelissen I, Cubadda F, Bigini P, Diomede L. Repeated administration of the food additive E171 to mice results in accumulation in intestine and liver and promotes an inflammatory status. Nanotoxicology 2019; 13:1087-1101. [DOI: 10.1080/17435390.2019.1640910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Talamini
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Gimondi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Martina B. Violatto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Federica Pedica
- Division of Molecular Oncology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Ngoc Lan Tran
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Giovanni Sitia
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Federica Aureli
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Raggi
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Inge Nelissen
- Health Department, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Francesco Cubadda
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Bigini
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy
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22
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Giorgino T, Mattioni D, Hassan A, Milani M, Mastrangelo E, Barbiroli A, Verhelle A, Gettemans J, Barzago MM, Diomede L, de Rosa M. Nanobody interaction unveils structure, dynamics and proteotoxicity of the Finnish-type amyloidogenic gelsolin variant. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2019; 1865:648-660. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Amigoni L, Airoldi C, Natalello A, Romeo M, Diomede L, Tortora P, Regonesi ME. Methacycline displays a strong efficacy in reducing toxicity in a SCA3 Caenorhabditis elegans model. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2019; 1863:279-290. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Bonì F, Milani M, Barbiroli A, Diomede L, Mastrangelo E, de Rosa M. Gelsolin pathogenic Gly167Arg mutation promotes domain-swap dimerization of the protein. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 27:53-65. [PMID: 29069428 PMCID: PMC5886171 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddx383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
AGel amyloidosis is a genetic degenerative disease characterized by the deposition of insoluble gelsolin protein aggregates in different tissues. Until recently, this disease was associated with two mutations of a single residue (Asp187 to Asn/Tyr) in the second domain of the protein. The general opinion is that pathogenic variants are not per se amyloidogenic but rather that the mutations trigger an aberrant proteolytic cascade, which results in the production of aggregation prone fragments. Here, we report the crystal structure of the second domain of gelsolin carrying the recently identified Gly167Arg mutation. This mutant dimerizes through a three-dimensional domain swapping mechanism, forming a tight but flexible assembly, which retains the structural topology of the monomer. To date, such dramatic conformational changes of this type have not been observed. Structural and biophysical characterizations reveal that the Gly167Arg mutation alone is responsible for the monomer to dimer transition and that, even in the context of the full-length protein, the pathogenic variant is prone to form dimers. These data suggest that, in addition to the well-known proteolytic-dependent mechanism, an alternative oligomerization pathway may participate in gelsolin misfolding and aggregation. We propose to integrate this alternative pathway into the current model of the disease that may also be relevant for other types of AGel amyloidosis, and other related diseases with similar underlying pathological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Bonì
- CNR Istituto di Biofisica, c/o Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Milani
- CNR Istituto di Biofisica, c/o Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Barbiroli
- Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Dipartimento di Biochimica e Farmacologia Molecolare, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche 'Mario Negri', 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Eloise Mastrangelo
- CNR Istituto di Biofisica, c/o Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo de Rosa
- CNR Istituto di Biofisica, c/o Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
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25
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Maritan M, Ambrosetti A, Oberti L, Barbiroli A, Diomede L, Romeo M, Lavatelli F, Sormanni P, Palladini G, Bolognesi M, Merlini G, Ricagno S. Modulating the cardiotoxic behaviour of immunoglobulin light chain dimers through point mutations. Amyloid 2019; 26:105-106. [PMID: 31343361 DOI: 10.1080/13506129.2019.1583185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Maritan
- a Department of Bioscience, University of Milan , Milan , Italy
| | | | - Luca Oberti
- a Department of Bioscience, University of Milan , Milan , Italy
| | - Alberto Barbiroli
- b Department of Nutritional Science, University of Milan , Milan , Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- c IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , Milano , Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- c IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , Milano , Italy
| | - Francesca Lavatelli
- d Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo , Pavia , Italy
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- e Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK
| | - Giovanni Palladini
- d Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo , Pavia , Italy
| | | | - Giampaolo Merlini
- d Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo , Pavia , Italy
| | - Stefano Ricagno
- a Department of Bioscience, University of Milan , Milan , Italy
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Bonì
- a Biophysics Institute, National Research Council , Milan , Italy
| | - Mario Milani
- a Biophysics Institute, National Research Council , Milan , Italy
| | | | - Alberto Babiroli
- b Department of Food Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan , Milan , Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- c Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , Milan , Italy
| | - Matteo de Rosa
- a Biophysics Institute, National Research Council , Milan , Italy
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Abstract
Magnolia officinalis and Magnolia obovata bark extracts have been used for thousands of years in Chinese and Japanese traditional medicines and are still widely employed as herbal preparations for their sedative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and antispastic effects. Neolignans, particularly magnolol and honokiol, are the main substances responsible for the beneficial properties of the magnolia bark extract (MBE). The content of magnolol and honokiol in MBE depends on different factors, including the Magnolia plant species, the area of origin, the part of the plant employed, and the method used to prepare the extract. The biological and pharmacological activities of magnolol and honokiol have been extensively investigated. Here we review the safety and toxicological properties of magnolol and honokiol as pure substances or as components of concentrated MBE, including the potential side-effects in humans after oral intake. In vitro and in vivo genotoxicity studies indicated that concentrated MBE has no mutagenic and genotoxic potential, while a subchronic study performed according to OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) guidelines established a no adverse effect level for concentrated MBE > 240 mg/kg b.w/d. Similar to other dietary polyphenols, magnolol and honokiol are subject to glucuronidation, and despite a relatively quick clearance, an interaction with pharmaceutical active principles or other herbal constituents cannot be excluded. However, intervention trials employing concentrated MBE for up to 1 y did not report adverse effects. In conclusion, over the recent years different food safety authorities evaluated magnolol and honokiol and considered them safe.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri," Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri," Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri," Milan, Italy
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28
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He W, Mazzuca P, Yuan W, Varney K, Bugatti A, Cagnotto A, Giagulli C, Rusnati M, Marsico S, Diomede L, Salmona M, Caruso A, Lu W, Caccuri F. Identification of amino acid residues critical for the B cell growth-promoting activity of HIV-1 matrix protein p17 variants. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2018; 1863:13-24. [PMID: 30248376 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2018.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV-1 matrix protein p17 variants (vp17s) detected in HIV-1-infected patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (HIV-NHL) display, differently from the wild-type protein (refp17), B cell growth-promoting activity. Biophysical analysis revealed that vp17s are destabilized as compared to refp17, motivating us to explore structure-function relationships. METHODS We used: biophysical techniques (circular dichroism (CD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and thermal/GuHCL denaturation) to study protein conformation and stability; Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to study interactions; Western blot to investigate signaling pathways; and Colony Formation and Soft Agar assays to study B cell proliferation and clonogenicity. RESULTS By forcing the formation of a disulfide bridge between Cys residues at positions 57 and 87 we obtained a destabilized p17 capable of promoting B cell proliferation. This finding prompted us to dissect refp17 to identify the functional epitope. A synthetic peptide (F1) spanning from amino acid (aa) 2 to 21 was found to activate Akt and promote B cell proliferation and clonogenicity. Three positively charged aa (Arg15, Lys18 and Arg20) proved critical for sustaining the proliferative activity of both F1 and HIV-NHL-derived vp17s. Lack of any interaction of F1 with the known refp17 receptors suggests an alternate one involved in cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS The molecular reasons for the proliferative activity of vp17s, compared to refp17, relies on the exposure of a functional epitope capable of activating Akt. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Our findings pave the way for identifying the receptor(s) responsible for B cell proliferation and offer new opportunities to identify novel treatment strategies in combating HIV-related NHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wangxiao He
- Center for Translational Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an, China.
| | - Pietro Mazzuca
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Medical School, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Weirong Yuan
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
| | - Kristen Varney
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
| | - Antonella Bugatti
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Medical School, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- IRCCS Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy.
| | - Cinzia Giagulli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Medical School, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Marco Rusnati
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Medical School, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Stefania Marsico
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy.
| | - Luisa Diomede
- IRCCS Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy.
| | - Mario Salmona
- IRCCS Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy.
| | - Arnaldo Caruso
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Medical School, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Wuyuan Lu
- Center for Translational Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an, China; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
| | - Francesca Caccuri
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Medical School, Brescia, Italy.
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29
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Fiordaliso F, Foray C, Salio M, Salmona M, Diomede L. Realistic Evaluation of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Exposure in Chewing Gum. J Agric Food Chem 2018; 66:6860-6868. [PMID: 29877708 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b00747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
There is growing concern about the presence of nanoparticles (NPs) in titanium dioxide (TiO2) as food additive (E171). To realistically estimate the number and the amount of TiO2 NPs ingested with food, we applied a transmission electron microscopy method combined with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Different percentages of TiO2 NPs (6-18%) were detected in E171 from various suppliers. In the eight chewing gums analyzed as food prototypes, TiO2 NPs were absent in one sample and ranged 0.01-0.66 mg/gum, corresponding to 7-568 billion NPs/gum, in the other seven. We estimated that the mass-based TiO2 NPs ingested with chewing gums by the European population ranged from 0.28 to 112.40 μg/kg b.w./day, and children ingested more nanosized titanium than adolescents and adults. Although this level may appear negligible it corresponds to 0.1-84 billion TiO2 NPs/kg b.w/day, raising important questions regarding their potential accumulation in the body, possibly causing long-term effects on consumers' health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Fiordaliso
- Unit of Bio-imaging, Department of Cardiovascular Research , IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , 20156 Milan , Italy
| | - Claudia Foray
- Unit of Bio-imaging, Department of Cardiovascular Research , IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , 20156 Milan , Italy
| | - Monica Salio
- Unit of Bio-imaging, Department of Cardiovascular Research , IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , 20156 Milan , Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology , IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , 20156 Milan , Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology , IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" , 20156 Milan , Italy
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30
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Stravalaci M, Tapella L, Beeg M, Rossi A, Joshi P, Pizzi E, Mazzanti M, Balducci C, Forloni G, Biasini E, Salmona M, Diomede L, Chiesa R, Gobbi M. The Anti-Prion Antibody 15B3 Detects Toxic Amyloid-β Oligomers. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 53:1485-97. [PMID: 27392850 PMCID: PMC5044783 DOI: 10.3233/jad-150882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
15B3 is a monoclonal IgM antibody that selectively detects pathological aggregates of the prion protein (PrP). We report the unexpected finding that 15B3 also recognizes oligomeric but not monomeric forms of amyloid-β (Aβ)42, an aggregating peptide implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The 15B3 antibody: i) inhibits the binding of synthetic Aβ42 oligomers to recombinant PrP and neuronal membranes; ii) prevents oligomer-induced membrane depolarization; iii) antagonizes the inhibitory effects of oligomers on the physiological pharyngeal contractions of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; and iv) counteracts the memory deficits induced by intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ42 oligomers in mice. Thus this antibody binds to pathologically relevant forms of Aβ, and offers a potential research, diagnostic, and therapeutic tool for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Stravalaci
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Tapella
- Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rossi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Pooja Joshi
- Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | - Erika Pizzi
- Department of Life Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Claudia Balducci
- Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Forloni
- Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Emiliano Biasini
- Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Chiesa
- Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
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31
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Diomede L, Romeo M, Rognoni P, Beeg M, Foray C, Ghibaudi E, Palladini G, Cherny RA, Verga L, Capello GL, Perfetti V, Fiordaliso F, Merlini G, Salmona M. Cardiac Light Chain Amyloidosis: The Role of Metal Ions in Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Damage. Antioxid Redox Signal 2017; 27:567-582. [PMID: 28132512 PMCID: PMC5567464 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2016.6848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The knowledge of the mechanism underlying the cardiac damage in immunoglobulin light chain (LC) amyloidosis (AL) is essential to develop novel therapies and improve patients' outcome. Although an active role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in LC-induced cardiotoxicity has already been envisaged, the actual mechanisms behind their generation remain elusive. This study was aimed at further dissecting the action of ROS generated by cardiotoxic LC in vivo and investigating whether transition metal ions are involved in this process. In the absence of reliable vertebrate model of AL, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, whose pharynx is an "ancestral heart." RESULTS LC purified from patients with severe cardiac involvement intrinsically generated high levels of ROS and when administered to C. elegans induced ROS production, activation of the DAF-16/forkhead transcription factor (FOXO) pathway, and expression of proteins involved in stress resistance and survival. Profound functional and structural ROS-mediated mitochondrial damage, similar to that observed in amyloid-affected hearts from AL patients, was observed. All these effects were entirely dependent on the presence of metal ions since addition of metal chelator or metal-binding 8-hydroxyquinoline compounds (chelex, PBT2, and clioquinol) permanently blocked the ROS production and prevented the cardiotoxic effects of amyloid LC. Innovation and Conclusion: Our findings identify the key role of metal ions in driving the ROS-mediated toxic effects of LC. This is a novel conceptual advance that paves the way for new pharmacological strategies aimed at not only counteracting but also totally inhibiting the vicious cycle of redox damage. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27, 567-582.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- 1 Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri ," Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- 1 Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri ," Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Rognoni
- 2 Amyloid Research and Treatment Center , Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- 1 Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri ," Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Foray
- 3 Bio-imaging Unit, Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri ," Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Ghibaudi
- 4 Department of Chemistry, University of Turin , Turin, Italy
| | - Giovanni Palladini
- 2 Amyloid Research and Treatment Center , Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy .,5 Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia , Pavia, Italy
| | - Robert A Cherny
- 6 The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne , Royal Pde, Parkville, Australia .,7 Prana Biotechnology Ltd. , Parkville, Australia
| | - Laura Verga
- 8 Pathologic Unit, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo , Pavia, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Capello
- 8 Pathologic Unit, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo , Pavia, Italy
| | - Vittorio Perfetti
- 9 Medical Oncology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo , Pavia, Italy
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- 3 Bio-imaging Unit, Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri ," Milan, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Merlini
- 2 Amyloid Research and Treatment Center , Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy .,5 Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia , Pavia, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- 1 Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri ," Milan, Italy
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32
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Zeinolabediny Y, Caccuri F, Colombo L, Morelli F, Romeo M, Rossi A, Schiarea S, Ciaramelli C, Airoldi C, Weston R, Donghui L, Krupinski J, Corpas R, García-Lara E, Sarroca S, Sanfeliu C, Slevin M, Caruso A, Salmona M, Diomede L. HIV-1 matrix protein p17 misfolding forms toxic amyloidogenic assemblies that induce neurocognitive disorders. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10313. [PMID: 28871125 PMCID: PMC5583282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10875-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1)-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remains an important neurological manifestation that adversely affects a patient’s quality of life. HIV-1 matrix protein p17 (p17) has been detected in autoptic brain tissue of HAND individuals who presented early with severe AIDS encephalopathy. We hypothesised that the ability of p17 to misfold may result in the generation of toxic assemblies in the brain and may be relevant for HAND pathogenesis. A multidisciplinary integrated approach has been applied to determine the ability of p17 to form soluble amyloidogenic assemblies in vitro. To provide new information into the potential pathogenic role of soluble p17 species in HAND, their toxicological capability was evaluated in vivo. In C. elegans, capable of recognising toxic assemblies of amyloidogenic proteins, p17 induces a specific toxic effect which can be counteracted by tetracyclines, drugs able to hinder the formation of large oligomers and consequently amyloid fibrils. The intrahippocampal injection of p17 in mice reduces their cognitive function and induces behavioral deficiencies. These findings offer a new way of thinking about the possible cause of neurodegeneration in HIV-1-seropositive patients, which engages the ability of p17 to form soluble toxic assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin Zeinolabediny
- School of Healthcare Science, John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
| | - Francesca Caccuri
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Piazza del Mercato 15, 25121, Brescia, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Federica Morelli
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rossi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Schiarea
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, IRCCS- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Carlotta Ciaramelli
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milano, Italy
| | - Cristina Airoldi
- Department of Biotechnologies and Biosciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milano, Italy
| | - Ria Weston
- School of Healthcare Science, John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
| | - Liu Donghui
- School of Healthcare Science, John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
| | - Jerzy Krupinski
- School of Healthcare Science, John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK.,Hospital Universitari Mútua de Terrassa, Department of Neurology, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rubén Corpas
- Institut d'Investigaciones Biomèdiques de Barcelona, CSIC and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elisa García-Lara
- Institut d'Investigaciones Biomèdiques de Barcelona, CSIC and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.,University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Targu Mures, Romania
| | - Sara Sarroca
- Institut d'Investigaciones Biomèdiques de Barcelona, CSIC and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Coral Sanfeliu
- Institut d'Investigaciones Biomèdiques de Barcelona, CSIC and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mark Slevin
- School of Healthcare Science, John Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK.,University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Targu Mures, Romania.,Department of Pathology/Medicine, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Arnaldo Caruso
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Piazza del Mercato 15, 25121, Brescia, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy.
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Romeo M, Stravalaci M, Beeg M, Rossi A, Fiordaliso F, Corbelli A, Salmona M, Gobbi M, Cagnotto A, Diomede L. Humanin Specifically Interacts with Amyloid-β Oligomers and Counteracts Their in vivo Toxicity. J Alzheimers Dis 2017; 57:857-871. [PMID: 28282805 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The 24-residue peptide humanin (HN) has been proposed as a peptide-based inhibitor able to interact directly with amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers and interfere with the formation and/or biological properties of toxic Aβ species. When administered exogenously, HN, or its synthetic S14G-derivative (HNG), exerted multiple cytoprotective effects, counteracting the Aβ-induced toxicity. Whether these peptides interact directly with Aβ, particularly with the soluble oligomeric assemblies, remains largely unknown. We here investigated the ability of HN and HNG to interact directly with highly aggregating Aβ42, and interfere with the formation and toxicity of its oligomers. Experiments were run in cell-free conditions and in vivo in a transgenic C. elegans strain in which the Aβ toxicity was specifically due to oligomeric species. Thioflavin-T assay indicated that both HN and HNG delay the formation and reduce the final amount of Aβ42 fibrils. In vitro surface plasmon resonance studies indicated that they interact with Aβ42 oligomers favoring the formation of amorphous larger assemblies, observed with turbidity and electron microscopy. In vivo studies indicated that both HN and HNG decrease the relative abundance of A11-positive prefibrillar oligomers as well as OC-positive fibrillar oligomers and had similar protective effects. However, while HN possibly decreased the oligomers by promoting their assembly into larger aggregates, the reduction of oligomers caused by HNG can be ascribed to a marked decrease of the total Aβ levels, likely the consequence of the HNG-induced overexpression of the Aβ-degrading enzyme neprilysin. These findings provide information on the mechanisms underlying the anti-oligomeric effects of HN and HNG and illustrate the role of S14G substitution in regulating the in vivo mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Stravalaci
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rossi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, Unit of Bio-imaging, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Corbelli
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, Unit of Bio-imaging, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
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34
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Sciacca MFM, Romanucci V, Zarrelli A, Monaco I, Lolicato F, Spinella N, Galati C, Grasso G, D’Urso L, Romeo M, Diomede L, Salmona M, Bongiorno C, Di Fabio G, La Rosa C, Milardi D. Inhibition of Aβ Amyloid Growth and Toxicity by Silybins: The Crucial Role of Stereochemistry. ACS Chem Neurosci 2017; 8:1767-1778. [PMID: 28562008 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The self-assembling of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide into neurotoxic aggregates is considered a central event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on the "amyloid hypothesis", many efforts have been devoted to designing molecules able to halt disease progression by inhibiting Aβ self-assembly. Here, we combine biophysical (ThT assays, TEM and AFM imaging), biochemical (WB and ESI-MS), and computational (all-atom molecular dynamics) techniques to investigate the capacity of four optically pure components of the natural product silymarin (silybin A, silybin B, 2,3-dehydrosilybin A, 2,3-dehydrosilybin B) to inhibit Aβ aggregation. Despite TEM analysis demonstrated that all the four investigated flavonoids prevent the formation of mature fibrils, ThT assays, WB and AFM investigations showed that only silybin B was able to halt the growth of small-sized protofibrils thus promoting the formation of large, amorphous aggregates. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that silybin B interacts mainly with the C-terminal hydrophobic segment 35MVGGVV40 of Aβ40. Consequently to silybin B binding, the peptide conformation remains predominantly unstructured along all the simulations. By contrast, silybin A interacts preferentially with the segments 17LVFF20 and 27NKGAII32 of Aβ40 which shows a high tendency to form bend, turn, and β-sheet conformation in and around these two domains. Both 2,3-dehydrosilybin enantiomers bind preferentially the segment 17LVFF20 but lead to the formation of different small-sized, ThT-positive Aβ aggregates. Finally, in vivo studies in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans strain expressing human Aβ indicated that silybin B is the most effective of the four compounds in counteracting Aβ proteotoxicity. This study underscores the pivotal role of stereochemistry in determining the neuroprotective potential of silybins and points to silybin B as a promising lead compound for further development in anti-AD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele. F. M. Sciacca
- Institute of Biostructures and
Bioimages—Catania, National Research Council, Via Paolo Gaifami 8, 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Romanucci
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli “Federico II”, Via Cintia 4, I-80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Armando Zarrelli
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli “Federico II”, Via Cintia 4, I-80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Irene Monaco
- Institute of Biostructures and
Bioimages—Catania, National Research Council, Via Paolo Gaifami 8, 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Fabio Lolicato
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Physics, Tampere University of Technology, P.O.
Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
| | | | - Clelia Galati
- STMicroelectronics, Stradale Primosole 50, 95121 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Grasso
- Dipartimento di Scienze
Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale Andrea
Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Luisa D’Urso
- Dipartimento di Scienze
Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale Andrea
Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156, Milano, Italy
| | - Corrado Bongiorno
- Institute for Microelectronics
and Microsystems, National Research Council, Stradale Primosole 50, 95121 Catania, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Fabio
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli “Federico II”, Via Cintia 4, I-80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Carmelo La Rosa
- Dipartimento di Scienze
Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale Andrea
Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Danilo Milardi
- Institute of Biostructures and
Bioimages—Catania, National Research Council, Via Paolo Gaifami 8, 95126 Catania, Italy
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Kel I, Chang Z, Galluccio N, Romeo M, Beretta S, Diomede L, Mezzelani A, Milanesi L, Dieterich C, Merelli I. SPIRE, a modular pipeline for eQTL analysis of RNA-Seq data, reveals a regulatory hotspot controlling miRNA expression in C. elegans. Mol Biosyst 2017; 12:3447-3458. [PMID: 27722582 DOI: 10.1039/c6mb00453a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The interpretation of genome-wide association study is difficult, as it is hard to understand how polymorphisms can affect gene regulation, in particular for trans-regulatory elements located far from their controlling gene. Using RNA or protein expression data as phenotypes, it is possible to correlate their variations with specific genotypes. This technique is usually referred to as expression Quantitative Trait Loci (eQTLs) analysis and only few packages exist for the integration of genotype patterns and expression profiles. In particular, tools are needed for the analysis of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data on a genome-wide scale, which is essential to identify eQTLs able to control a large number of genes (hotspots). Here we present SPIRE (Software for Polymorphism Identification Regulating Expression), a generic, modular and functionally highly flexible pipeline for eQTL processing. SPIRE integrates different univariate and multivariate approaches for eQTL analysis, paying particular attention to the scalability of the procedure in order to support cis- as well as trans-mapping, thus allowing the identification of hotspots in NGS data. In particular, we demonstrated how SPIRE can handle big association study datasets, reproducing published results and improving the identification of trans-eQTLs. Furthermore, we employed the pipeline to analyse novel data concerning the genotypes of two different C. elegans strains (N2 and Hawaii) and related miRNA expression data, obtained using RNA-Seq. A miRNA regulatory hotspot was identified in chromosome 1, overlapping the transcription factor grh-1, known to be involved in the early phases of embryonic development of C. elegans. In a follow-up qPCR experiment we were able to verify most of the predicted eQTLs, as well as to show, for a novel miRNA, a significant difference in the sequences of the two analysed strains of C. elegans. SPIRE is publicly available as open source software at , together with some example data, a readme file, supplementary material and a short tutorial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Kel
- Instituto di Tecnologie Biomediche - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milano, Italy.
| | - Zisong Chang
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Nadia Galluccio
- Instituto di Tecnologie Biomediche - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milano, Italy.
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Dipartimento di Biochimica e Farmacologia Molecolare, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, Milan, Italy.
| | - Stefano Beretta
- Dipartimento di Informatica Sistemistica e Comunicazione, Università degli studi di Milano-Biccoca, Viale Sarca 336, 20125 Milano, Italy.
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Dipartimento di Biochimica e Farmacologia Molecolare, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, Milan, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Mezzelani
- Instituto di Tecnologie Biomediche - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milano, Italy.
| | - Luciano Milanesi
- Instituto di Tecnologie Biomediche - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milano, Italy.
| | - Christoph Dieterich
- Section of Bioinformatics and Systems Cardiology, Klaus Tschira Institute for Integrative Computational Cardiology and Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, Grabengasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Ivan Merelli
- Instituto di Tecnologie Biomediche - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milano, Italy.
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Davoli E, Bastone A, Bianchi G, Salmona M, Diomede L. A simple headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the quantitative determination of the release of the antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene from chewing gum. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2017; 31:859-864. [PMID: 28297743 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7854] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are widely used to prevent oxidation and rancidity in foodstuffs, pharmaceutical preparations and cosmetic formulations. Although their safety has been thoroughly investigated, possible endocrine side-effects have been suggested. A useful method for the determination of BHA and BHT in foods is needed to estimate their daily intake through the diet. METHODS We selected commercial chewing gums as a model of a complex food matrix and developed a new method based on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. This allows the determination of 130 pg/gum of BHA and 9 pg/gum of BHT. RESULTS Analysis of different chewing gums from the European market indicated that the two antioxidants were never used together and that the content of BHA was in the range of 220-348 μg/gum and BHT ranged from 278 up to 479 μg/gum. These amounts correspond to 86-157 mg/kg gum for BHA and 170-185 mg/kg gum for BHT, and are both within the maximum levels established by the European Food Safety Authority. Chewing a piece of gum for 15 min resulted in the release of up to 28% of BHA, but no release of BHT was detectable. CONCLUSIONS A new, simple and rapid method for the determination of BHA and BHT in chewing gums was described. This analytical method, based on headspace sampling, did not require the extraction of antioxidants from chewing gum samples, assuring the absence of any gum material contaminants that might affect the instrumentation. It is also automatable, employing a sequential automatic sampler. This method could be of interest to academic researchers and to food industrialists looking for a new methodological approach for BHA and BHT determination in foodstuffs with complex matrices. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Davoli
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Bastone
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Bianchi
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy
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Paolo ED, Valenza M, Chen JY, Ruozi B, Belletti D, Cepeda C, Colombo L, Diomede L, Cagnotto A, Salmona M, Levine MS, Tosi G, Cattaneo E. L16 Identifying a therapeutic regimen for cholesterol delivery to huntington’s disease brain. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2016. [DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2016-314597.271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Beeg M, Stravalaci M, Romeo M, Carrá AD, Cagnotto A, Rossi A, Diomede L, Salmona M, Gobbi M. Clusterin Binds to Aβ1-42 Oligomers with High Affinity and Interferes with Peptide Aggregation by Inhibiting Primary and Secondary Nucleation. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:6958-66. [PMID: 26884339 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.689539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [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: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of amyloid β protein (Aβ) is a fundamental pathogenic mechanism leading to the neuronal damage present in Alzheimer disease, and soluble Aβ oligomers are thought to be a major toxic culprit. Thus, better knowledge and specific targeting of the pathways that lead to these noxious species may result in valuable therapeutic strategies. We characterized some effects of the molecular chaperone clusterin, providing new and more detailed evidence of its potential neuroprotective effects. Using a classical thioflavin T assay, we observed a dose-dependent inhibition of the aggregation process. The global analysis of time courses under different conditions demonstrated that clusterin has no effect on the elongation rate but mainly interferes with the nucleation processes (both primary and secondary), reducing the number of nuclei available for further fibril growth. Then, using a recently developed immunoassay based on surface plasmon resonance, we obtained direct evidence of a high-affinity (KD= 1 nm) interaction of clusterin with biologically relevant Aβ1-42oligomers, selectively captured on the sensor chip. Moreover, with the same technology, we observed that substoichiometric concentrations of clusterin prevent oligomer interaction with the antibody 4G8, suggesting that the chaperone shields hydrophobic residues exposed on the oligomeric assemblies. Finally, we found that preincubation with clusterin antagonizes the toxic effects of Aβ1-42oligomers, as evaluated in a recently developedin vivomodel inCaenorhabditis elegans.These data substantiate the interaction of clusterin with biologically active regions exposed on nuclei/oligomers of Aβ1-42, providing a molecular basis for the neuroprotective effects of the chaperone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marten Beeg
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Stravalaci
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Dorotea Carrá
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rossi
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- From the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
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Diomede L, Romeo M, Cagnotto A, Rossi A, Beeg M, Stravalaci M, Tagliavini F, Di Fede G, Gobbi M, Salmona M. The new β amyloid-derived peptide Aβ1-6A2V-TAT(D) prevents Aβ oligomer formation and protects transgenic C. elegans from Aβ toxicity. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 88:75-84. [PMID: 26792398 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 05/27/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
One attractive pharmacological strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is to design small peptides to interact with amyloid-β (Aβ) protein reducing its aggregation and toxicity. Starting from clinical observations indicating that patients coding a mutated Aβ variant (AβA2V) in the heterozygous state do not develop AD, we developed AβA2V synthetic peptides, as well as a small peptide homologous to residues 1-6. These hindered the amyloidogenesis of Aβ and its neurotoxicity in vitro, suggesting a basis for the design of a new small peptide in D-isomeric form, linked to the arginine-rich TAT sequence [Aβ1-6A2V-TAT(D)], to allow translocation across biological membranes and the blood-brain barrier. Aβ1-6A2V-TAT(D) was resistant to protease degradation, stable in serum and specifically able to interfere with Aβ aggregation in vitro, reducing the appearance of toxic soluble species and protecting transgenic C. elegans from toxicity related to the muscular expression of human Aβ. These observations offer a proof of concept for future pharmacological studies in mouse models of AD, providing a foundation for the design of AβA2V-based peptidomimetic molecules for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy.
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rossi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Stravalaci
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Division of Neurology and Neuropathology, "Carlo Besta" National Neurological Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Division of Neurology and Neuropathology, "Carlo Besta" National Neurological Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
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Iannarelli L, Giovannozzi AM, Morelli F, Viscotti F, Bigini P, Maurino V, Spoto G, Martra G, Ortel E, Hodoroaba VD, Rossi AM, Diomede L. Shape engineered TiO2 nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans: a Raman imaging based approach to assist tissue-specific toxicological studies. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra09686g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
C. elegans model organism was fed with commercial and shape engineered titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs). Raman mapping were performed in order to guide specific toxicological studies in those tissues in which NPs were detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Iannarelli
- Department of Quality of Life
- Food Metrology Group
- INRiM
- Turin
- Italy
| | | | - Federica Morelli
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology
- IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”
- Milan
- Italy
| | - Francesco Viscotti
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology
- IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”
- Milan
- Italy
| | - Paolo Bigini
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology
- IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”
- Milan
- Italy
| | | | | | | | - Erik Ortel
- Surface Analysis and Interfacial Chemistry Division
- Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing (BAM)
- Berlin
- Germany
| | - Vasile-Dan Hodoroaba
- Surface Analysis and Interfacial Chemistry Division
- Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing (BAM)
- Berlin
- Germany
| | | | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology
- IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”
- Milan
- Italy
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Sola I, Viayna E, Gómez T, Galdeano C, Cassina M, Camps P, Romeo M, Diomede L, Salmona M, Franco P, Schaeffer M, Colantuono D, Robin D, Brunner D, Taub N, Hutter-Paier B, Muñoz-Torrero D. Multigram synthesis and in vivo efficacy studies of a novel multitarget anti-Alzheimer's compound. Molecules 2015; 20:4492-515. [PMID: 25764491 PMCID: PMC6272704 DOI: 10.3390/molecules20034492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We describe the multigram synthesis and in vivo efficacy studies of a donepezil‒huprine hybrid that has been found to display a promising in vitro multitarget profile of interest for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Its synthesis features as the key step a novel multigram preparative chromatographic resolution of intermediate racemic huprine Y by chiral HPLC. Administration of this compound to transgenic CL4176 and CL2006 Caenorhabditis elegans strains expressing human Aβ42, here used as simplified animal models of AD, led to a significant protection from the toxicity induced by Aβ42. However, this protective effect was not accompanied, in CL2006 worms, by a reduction of amyloid deposits. Oral administration for 3 months to transgenic APPSL mice, a well-established animal model of AD, improved short-term memory, but did not alter brain levels of Aβ peptides nor cortical and hippocampal amyloid plaque load. Despite the clear protective and cognitive effects of AVCRI104P4, the lack of Aβ lowering effect in vivo might be related to its lower in vitro potency toward Aβ aggregation and formation as compared with its higher anticholinesterase activities. Further lead optimization in this series should thus focus on improving the anti-amyloid/anticholinesterase activity ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Sola
- Laboratori de Química Farmacèutica (Unitat Associada al CSIC), Facultat de Farmàcia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, 27-31, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
| | - Elisabet Viayna
- Laboratori de Química Farmacèutica (Unitat Associada al CSIC), Facultat de Farmàcia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, 27-31, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
| | - Tània Gómez
- Laboratori de Química Farmacèutica (Unitat Associada al CSIC), Facultat de Farmàcia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, 27-31, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
| | - Carles Galdeano
- Laboratori de Química Farmacèutica (Unitat Associada al CSIC), Facultat de Farmàcia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, 27-31, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
| | - Matteo Cassina
- Laboratori de Química Farmacèutica (Unitat Associada al CSIC), Facultat de Farmàcia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, 27-31, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
| | - Pelayo Camps
- Laboratori de Química Farmacèutica (Unitat Associada al CSIC), Facultat de Farmàcia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, 27-31, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, Milan 20156, Italy.
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, Milan 20156, Italy.
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, Milan 20156, Italy.
| | - Pilar Franco
- Chiral Technologies Europe, Parc d'Innovation, Bd. Gonthier d'Andernach, Illkirch F-67400, France.
| | - Mireille Schaeffer
- Chiral Technologies Europe, Parc d'Innovation, Bd. Gonthier d'Andernach, Illkirch F-67400, France.
| | - Diego Colantuono
- Chiral Technologies Europe, Parc d'Innovation, Bd. Gonthier d'Andernach, Illkirch F-67400, France.
| | - David Robin
- Chiral Technologies Europe, Parc d'Innovation, Bd. Gonthier d'Andernach, Illkirch F-67400, France.
| | - Daniela Brunner
- Neuropharmacology Department of QPS Austria-Gmbh, Parkring 12, Grambach 8074, Austria.
| | - Nicole Taub
- Neuropharmacology Department of QPS Austria-Gmbh, Parkring 12, Grambach 8074, Austria.
| | - Birgit Hutter-Paier
- Neuropharmacology Department of QPS Austria-Gmbh, Parkring 12, Grambach 8074, Austria.
| | - Diego Muñoz-Torrero
- Laboratori de Química Farmacèutica (Unitat Associada al CSIC), Facultat de Farmàcia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, 27-31, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.
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Diomede L, Rognoni P, Lavatelli F, Romeo M, di Fonzo A, Foray C, Fiordaliso F, Palladini G, Valentini V, Perfetti V, Salmona M, Merlini G. Investigating heart-specific toxicity of amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chains: A lesson from C. elegans. Worm 2014; 3:e965590. [PMID: 26430549 DOI: 10.4161/21624046.2014.965590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 09/01/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Abnormalities in protein folding are involved in many localized and systemic diseases, all of which are characterized by insoluble amyloid formation and deposition. In immunoglobulin light chain (LC) amyloidosis, the most frequent systemic form of amyloidosis, the amyloid involvement of the heart dictates the prognosis and the elucidation of the mechanism of heart targeting and toxicity is essential for designing and testing new effective treatments. To this end, the availability of an appropriate animal model is crucial. We recently described the use of C. elegans as an innovative experimental system to investigate in vivo the pathogenic effects of monoclonal LC. This idea stems from the knowledge that the worm's pharynx is an "ancestral heart" with the additional ability to recognize stressor compounds. The feeding of worms with LC purified from patients suffering from cardiomyopathy, selectively and permanently impaired the pharyngeal function. This irreversible damage resulted in time, in a significant reduction in the lifespan of worms. We also reported that the ability of LC to generate reactive oxygen species was associated with their toxic effects and was counteracted by anti-oxidant compounds. This new nematode-based assay represents a promising model for elucidating the heart-specific toxicity of LC and for a rapid screening of new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology; IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" ; Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Rognoni
- Amyloid Research and Treatment Center; Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo ; Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Lavatelli
- Amyloid Research and Treatment Center; Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo ; Pavia, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology; IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" ; Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea di Fonzo
- Amyloid Research and Treatment Center; Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo ; Pavia, Italy
| | - Claudia Foray
- Bio-imaging Unit, Department of Cardiovascular Research; IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" ; Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Bio-imaging Unit, Department of Cardiovascular Research; IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" ; Milano, Italy
| | - Giovanni Palladini
- Amyloid Research and Treatment Center; Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo ; Pavia, Italy ; Department of Molecular Medicine; University of Pavia ; Pavia, Italy
| | - Veronica Valentini
- Amyloid Research and Treatment Center; Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo ; Pavia, Italy
| | - Vittorio Perfetti
- Medical Oncology Unit; Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo ; Pavia, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology; IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" ; Milan, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Merlini
- Amyloid Research and Treatment Center; Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo ; Pavia, Italy ; Department of Molecular Medicine; University of Pavia ; Pavia, Italy
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Baderna D, Colombo A, Romeo M, Cambria F, Teoldi F, Lodi M, Diomede L, Benfenati E. Soil quality in the Lomellina area using in vitro models and ecotoxicological assays. Environ Res 2014; 133:220-231. [PMID: 24968084 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 05/31/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Soil quality is traditionally evaluated by chemical characterization to determine levels of pollutants. Biological tools are now employed for soil monitoring since they can take account of the global biological effects induced by all xenobiotics. A combined monitoring of soils based on chemical analyses, human-related in vitro models and ecotoxicological assay was applied in the Lomellina, a semirural area of northern Italy. Chemical characterization indicated overall good quality of the soils, with low levels of toxic and carcinogenic pollutants such as heavy metals, PAHs, PCDD/Fs and PCBs. HepG2 cells were used as a model for the human liver and BALB/c 3T3 cells to evaluate carcinogenic potential. Cells were treated with soil extractable organic matter (EOM) and the MTS assay, DNA release and morphological transformation were selected as endpoints for toxicity and carcinogenicity. Soil EOMs induced dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth at low doses and cytotoxicity only at doses of 500 and 1000 mg soil equivalents/ml. Potential issues for human health can be hypothesized after ingestion of soil samples from some sites. No statistically significant inductions of foci were recorded after exposure to EOMs, indicating that the levels of the soil-extracted organic pollutants were too low to induce carcinogenesis in our experimental conditions. An acute phytotoxicity test and studies on Caenorhabditis elegans were used as ecotoxicological assays for plants and small invertebrates. No significant alerts for ecotoxicity were found. In this proposed case study, HepG2 cells detected differences in the toxicity of soil EOMs, indicating that this cell line could be appropriate to assess the potential harm caused by the ingestion of contaminated soil. Additional information on the carcinogenic potential of mixtures was provided by the cell transformation assay, strengthening the combined approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Baderna
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy.
| | - Andrea Colombo
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Felice Cambria
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Teoldi
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Lodi
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Emilio Benfenati
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
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Diomede L, Di Fede G, Romeo M, Bagnati R, Ghidoni R, Fiordaliso F, Salio M, Rossi A, Catania M, Paterlini A, Benussi L, Bastone A, Stravalaci M, Gobbi M, Tagliavini F, Salmona M. Expression of A2V-mutated Aβ in Caenorhabditis elegans results in oligomer formation and toxicity. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 62:521-32. [PMID: 24184799 PMCID: PMC4068289 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2013.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2012] [Revised: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although Alzheimer's disease (AD) is usually sporadic, in a small proportion of cases it is familial and can be linked to mutations in β-amyloid precursor protein (APP). Unlike the other genetic defects, the mutation [alanine-673→valine-673] (A673V) causes the disease only in the homozygous condition with enhanced amyloid β (Aβ) production and aggregation; heterozygous carriers remain unaffected. It is not clear how misfolding and aggregation of Aβ is affected in vivo by this mutation and whether this correlates with its toxic effects. No animal models over-expressing the A673V–APP gene or alanine-2-valine (A2V) mutated human Aβ protein are currently available. Using the invertebrate Caenorhabditis elegans, we generated the first transgenic animal model to express the human Aβ1–40 wild-type (WT) in neurons or possess the A2V mutation (Aβ1–40A2V). Insertion of an Aβ-mutated gene into this nematode reproduced the homozygous state of the human pathology. Functional and biochemical characteristics found in the A2V strain were compared to those of transgenic C. elegans expressing Aβ1–40WT. The expression of both WT and A2V Aβ1–40 specifically reduced the nematode's lifespan, causing behavioral defects and neurotransmission impairment which were worse in A2V worms. Mutant animals were more resistant than WT to paralysis induced by the cholinergic agonist levamisole, indicating that the locomotor defect was specifically linked to postsynaptic dysfunctions. The toxicity caused by the mutated protein was associated with a high propensity to form oligomeric assemblies which accumulate in the neurons, suggesting this to be the central event involved in the postsynaptic damage and early onset of the disease in homozygous human A673V carriers. We generated the first transgenic animal model expressing in neurons the human Aβ1–40 wild-type or has the A2V mutation. Aβ1–40 expression reduced the worm's lifespan, caused behavioral and neuronal defects which were worse in the A2V strain. The behavioral defects of mutant worms were specifically linked to postsynaptic dysfunctions. The toxicity of Aβ1–40A2V was associated with its high propensity to form oligomers which accumulate in the neurons. These transgenic strains represent an attractive tools for an in vivo screening of compounds interfering with oligomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Division of Neurology and Neuropathology, "Carlo Besta" National Neurological Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Renzo Bagnati
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Ghidoni
- Proteomics Unit, IRCCS "Centro S. Giovanni di Dio-Fatebenefratelli", Via Pilastroni 4, 25125 Brescia, Italy
| | - Fabio Fiordaliso
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Salio
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rossi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Catania
- Division of Neurology and Neuropathology, "Carlo Besta" National Neurological Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Paterlini
- Proteomics Unit, IRCCS "Centro S. Giovanni di Dio-Fatebenefratelli", Via Pilastroni 4, 25125 Brescia, Italy
| | - Luisa Benussi
- Proteomics Unit, IRCCS "Centro S. Giovanni di Dio-Fatebenefratelli", Via Pilastroni 4, 25125 Brescia, Italy
| | - Antonio Bastone
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Stravalaci
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Division of Neurology and Neuropathology, "Carlo Besta" National Neurological Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
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Fluharty BR, Biasini E, Stravalaci M, Sclip A, Diomede L, Balducci C, La Vitola P, Messa M, Colombo L, Forloni G, Borsello T, Gobbi M, Harris DA. An N-terminal fragment of the prion protein binds to amyloid-β oligomers and inhibits their neurotoxicity in vivo. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:7857-7866. [PMID: 23362282 PMCID: PMC3597823 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.423954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [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] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD) is the accumulation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in the brain. Considerable evidence suggests that soluble Aβ oligomers are responsible for the synaptic dysfunction and cognitive deficit observed in AD. However, the mechanism by which these oligomers exert their neurotoxic effect remains unknown. Recently, it was reported that Aβ oligomers bind to the cellular prion protein with high affinity. Here, we show that N1, the main physiological cleavage fragment of the cellular prion protein, is necessary and sufficient for binding early oligomeric intermediates during Aβ polymerization into amyloid fibrils. The ability of N1 to bind Aβ oligomers is influenced by positively charged residues in two sites (positions 23–31 and 95–105) and is dependent on the length of the sequence between them. Importantly, we also show that N1 strongly suppresses Aβ oligomer toxicity in cultured murine hippocampal neurons, in a Caenorhabditis elegans-based assay, and in vivo in a mouse model of Aβ-induced memory dysfunction. These data suggest that N1, or small peptides derived from it, could be potent inhibitors of Aβ oligomer toxicity and represent an entirely new class of therapeutic agents for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R Fluharty
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Emiliano Biasini
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118.
| | - Matteo Stravalaci
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Sclip
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Balducci
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro La Vitola
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Messa
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Forloni
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziana Borsello
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - David A Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
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Diomede L. P1‐312: Neuronal expression of Aß1‐40 containing the A2V mutation in
C. elegans
produces synaptic dysfunctions mediated by oligomerization. Alzheimers Dement 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2012.05.2141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario NegriMilanItaly
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47
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Stravalaci M, Bastone A, Beeg M, Cagnotto A, Colombo L, Di Fede G, Tagliavini F, Cantù L, Del Favero E, Mazzanti M, Chiesa R, Salmona M, Diomede L, Gobbi M. Specific recognition of biologically active amyloid-β oligomers by a new surface plasmon resonance-based immunoassay and an in vivo assay in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:27796-805. [PMID: 22736768 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.334979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Soluble oligomers of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, but their elusive nature makes their detection challenging. Here we describe a novel immunoassay based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) that specifically recognizes biologically active Aβ oligomers. As a capturing agent, we immobilized on the sensor chip the monoclonal antibody 4G8, which targets a central hydrophobic region of Aβ. This SPR assay allows specific recognition of oligomeric intermediates that rapidly appear and disappear during the incubation of synthetic Aβ(1-42), discriminating them from monomers and higher order aggregates. The species recognized by SPR generate ionic currents in artificial lipid bilayers and inhibit the physiological pharyngeal contractions in Caenorhabditis elegans, a new method for testing the toxic potential of Aβ oligomers. With these assays we found that the formation of biologically relevant Aβ oligomers is inhibited by epigallocatechin gallate and increased by the A2V mutation, previously reported to induce early onset dementia. The SPR-based immunoassay provides new opportunities for detection of toxic Aβ oligomers in biological samples and could be adapted to study misfolding proteins in other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Stravalaci
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156 Milan, Italy
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48
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Pastori C, Tudor D, Diomede L, Drillet AS, Jegerlehner A, Röhn TA, Bomsel M, Lopalco L. Virus like particle based strategy to elicit HIV-protective antibodies to the alpha-helic regions of gp41. Virology 2012; 431:1-11. [PMID: 22658900 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2012.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2012] [Revised: 03/23/2012] [Accepted: 05/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Natural antibodies to gp41 inhibit HIV-1 replication through the recognition of two different regions, corresponding to the leucine zipper motif in the HR1 alpha-helix and to another motif within HR2 region, hosting 2F5 and 4E10 epitope. This study aimed at reproducing such protective responses through VLP vaccination. Six regions covering the alpha-helical regions of gp41 were conjugated to the surface of AP205 phage-based VLPs. Once administered in mice via systemic or mucosal route, these immunogens elicited high titers of gp41-specific IgG. Immunogenicity and HIV infectivity reduction were obtained either with HR2 regions or with peptides where aminoacid strings were added to either the C-terminus or N-terminus of core epitope in HR1 region. Antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity was induced by one of the HR2 epitopes only. These results may have relevant implications for the development of new vaccinal approaches against HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Pastori
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Stamira D'Ancona 20, 20127 Milan, Italy
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Lazzari S, Moscatelli D, Codari F, Salmona M, Morbidelli M, Diomede L. Colloidal stability of polymeric nanoparticles in biological fluids. J Nanopart Res 2012; 14:920. [PMID: 23162376 PMCID: PMC3496558 DOI: 10.1007/s11051-012-0920-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2011] [Accepted: 05/10/2012] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Estimating the colloidal stability of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) in biological environments is critical for designing optimal preparations and to clarify the fate of these devices after administration. To characterize and quantify the physical stability of nanodevices suitable for biomedical applications, spherical NPs composed of poly-lactic acid (PLA) and poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA), in the range 100-200 nm, were prepared. Their stability in salt solutions, biological fluids, serum and tissue homogenates was analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The PMMA NPs remained stable in all fluids, while PLA NPs aggregated in gastric juice and spleen homogenate. The proposed stability test is therefore useful to see in advance whether NPs might aggregate when administered in vivo. To assess colloidal stability ex vivo as well, spectrophotofluorimetric analysis was employed, giving comparable results to DLS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Lazzari
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Davide Moscatelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Codari
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Morbidelli
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy
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50
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