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Stroo E, Janssen L, Sin O, Hogewerf W, Koster M, Harkema L, Youssef SA, Beschorner N, Wolters AH, Bakker B, Becker L, Garrett L, Marschall S, Hoelter SM, Wurst W, Fuchs H, Gailus-Durner V, Hrabe de Angelis M, Thathiah A, Foijer F, van de Sluis B, van Deursen J, Jucker M, de Bruin A, Nollen EA. Deletion of SERF2 in mice delays embryonic development and alters amyloid deposit structure in the brain. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201730. [PMID: 37130781 PMCID: PMC10155860 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In age-related neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, disease-specific proteins become aggregation-prone and form amyloid-like deposits. Depletion of SERF proteins ameliorates this toxic process in worm and human cell models for diseases. Whether SERF modifies amyloid pathology in mammalian brain, however, has remained unknown. Here, we generated conditional Serf2 knockout mice and found that full-body deletion of Serf2 delayed embryonic development, causing premature birth and perinatal lethality. Brain-specific Serf2 knockout mice, on the other hand, were viable, and showed no major behavioral or cognitive abnormalities. In a mouse model for amyloid-β aggregation, brain depletion of Serf2 altered the binding of structure-specific amyloid dyes, previously used to distinguish amyloid polymorphisms in the human brain. These results suggest that Serf2 depletion changed the structure of amyloid deposits, which was further supported by scanning transmission electron microscopy, but further study will be required to confirm this observation. Altogether, our data reveal the pleiotropic functions of SERF2 in embryonic development and in the brain and support the existence of modifying factors of amyloid deposition in mammalian brain, which offer possibilities for polymorphism-based interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Stroo
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Leen Janssen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Olga Sin
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Wytse Hogewerf
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam Koster
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Harkema
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sameh A Youssef
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Molecular Genetics Section, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Natalie Beschorner
- Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anouk Hg Wolters
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bjorn Bakker
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lore Becker
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Lilian Garrett
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Susan Marschall
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Sabine M Hoelter
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wurst
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Chair of Developmental Genetics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- Deutsches Institut für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) Site Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Adolf-Butenandt-Institut, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Helmut Fuchs
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Valerie Gailus-Durner
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Martin Hrabe de Angelis
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
- Chair of Experimental Genetics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Amantha Thathiah
- VIB Center for the Biology of Disease, KU Leuven Center for Human Genetics, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Floris Foijer
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart van de Sluis
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Matthias Jucker
- Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alain de Bruin
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Molecular Genetics Section, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen Aa Nollen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Chemical modifications of RNA molecules can affect translation in multiple ways. Therefore, it is critical to understand how their absence changes cellular translation dynamics and in particular codon-specific translation. In this chapter, we discuss the application of ribosome profiling to analyze changes in codon-specific translation and differential translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeji Kim
- University of Bern, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cristian Eggers
- University of Bern, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ekaterina Shvetsova
- University of Bern, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Leon Kleemann
- University of Bern, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Olga Sin
- University of Bern, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian A Leidel
- University of Bern, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland.
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Abstract
C. elegans is widely used to investigate biological processes related to health and disease. To study protein localization, fluorescently-tagged proteins can be used in vivo or immunohistochemistry can be performed in whole worms. Here, we describe a technique to localize a protein of interest at a subcellular level in C. elegans lysates, which can give insight into the location, function and/or toxicity of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olga Sin
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Cells-in-Motion Cluster of Excellence, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Renée I Seinstra
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ellen A A Nollen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Sin O, Mata-Cabana A, Seinstra RI, Nollen EAA. Filter Retardation Assay for Detecting and Quantifying Polyglutamine Aggregates Using Caenorhabditis elegans Lysates. Bio Protoc 2018; 8:e3042. [PMID: 30450365 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.3042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases and is associated with impaired protein homeostasis. This imbalance is caused by the loss of the protein's native conformation, which ultimately results in its aggregation or abnormal localization within the cell. Using a C. elegans model of polyglutamine diseases, we describe in detail the filter retardation assay, a method that captures protein aggregates in a cellulose acetate membrane and allows its detection and quantification by immunoblotting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Sin
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany.,Cells-in-Motion Cluster of Excellence, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Renée I Seinstra
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ellen A A Nollen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Sin O, de Jong T, Mata-Cabana A, Kudron M, Zaini MA, Aprile FA, Seinstra RI, Stroo E, Prins RW, Martineau CN, Wang HH, Hogewerf W, Steinhof A, Wanker EE, Vendruscolo M, Calkhoven CF, Reinke V, Guryev V, Nollen EAA. Identification of an RNA Polymerase III Regulator Linked to Disease-Associated Protein Aggregation. Mol Cell 2017; 65:1096-1108.e6. [PMID: 28306505 PMCID: PMC5364375 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2017.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Protein aggregation is associated with age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and polyglutamine diseases. As a causal relationship between protein aggregation and neurodegeneration remains elusive, understanding the cellular mechanisms regulating protein aggregation will help develop future treatments. To identify such mechanisms, we conducted a forward genetic screen in a C. elegans model of polyglutamine aggregation and identified the protein MOAG-2/LIR-3 as a driver of protein aggregation. In the absence of polyglutamine, MOAG-2/LIR-3 regulates the RNA polymerase III-associated transcription of small non-coding RNAs. This regulation is lost in the presence of polyglutamine, which mislocalizes MOAG-2/LIR-3 from the nucleus to the cytosol. We then show biochemically that MOAG-2/LIR-3 can also catalyze the aggregation of polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin. These results suggest that polyglutamine can induce an aggregation-promoting activity of MOAG-2/LIR-3 in the cytosol. The concept that certain aggregation-prone proteins can convert other endogenous proteins into drivers of aggregation and toxicity adds to the understanding of how cellular homeostasis can be deteriorated in protein misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Sin
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands; Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tristan de Jong
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Alejandro Mata-Cabana
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Michelle Kudron
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Mohamad Amr Zaini
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Renée I Seinstra
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Esther Stroo
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Roméo Willinge Prins
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Céline N Martineau
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hai Hui Wang
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wytse Hogewerf
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Anne Steinhof
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Erich E Wanker
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Cornelis F Calkhoven
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Valerie Reinke
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Victor Guryev
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Ellen A A Nollen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Sin O, Nollen EAA. Regulation of protein homeostasis in neurodegenerative diseases: the role of coding and non-coding genes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:4027-47. [PMID: 26190021 PMCID: PMC4605983 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-1985-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2015] [Revised: 06/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Protein homeostasis is fundamental for cell function and survival, because proteins are involved in all aspects of cellular function, ranging from cell metabolism and cell division to the cell's response to environmental challenges. Protein homeostasis is tightly regulated by the synthesis, folding, trafficking and clearance of proteins, all of which act in an orchestrated manner to ensure proteome stability. The protein quality control system is enhanced by stress response pathways, which take action whenever the proteome is challenged by environmental or physiological stress. Aging, however, damages the proteome, and such proteome damage is thought to be associated with aging-related diseases. In this review, we discuss the different cellular processes that define the protein quality control system and focus on their role in protein conformational diseases. We highlight the power of using small organisms to model neurodegenerative diseases and how these models can be exploited to discover genetic modulators of protein aggregation and toxicity. We also link findings from small model organisms to the situation in higher organisms and describe how some of the genetic modifiers discovered in organisms such as worms are functionally conserved throughout evolution. Finally, we demonstrate that the non-coding genome also plays a role in maintaining protein homeostasis. In all, this review highlights the importance of protein and RNA homeostasis in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Sin
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, 4099-003, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ellen A A Nollen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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7
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Sin O, Michels H, Nollen EAA. Genetic screens in Caenorhabditis elegans models for neurodegenerative diseases. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2014; 1842:1951-1959. [PMID: 24525026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2013] [Revised: 12/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans comprises unique features that make it an attractive model organism in diverse fields of biology. Genetic screens are powerful to identify genes and C. elegans can be customized to forward or reverse genetic screens and to establish gene function. These genetic screens can be applied to "humanized" models of C. elegans for neurodegenerative diseases, enabling for example the identification of genes involved in protein aggregation, one of the hallmarks of these diseases. In this review, we will describe the genetic screens employed in C. elegans and how these can be used to understand molecular processes involved in neurodegenerative and other human diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: From Genome to Function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Sin
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands; Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, 4099-003 Porto, Portugal
| | - Helen Michels
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen A A Nollen
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands.
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