scholarly journals C-terminal sequence of amyloid-resistant type F apolipoprotein A-II inhibits amyloid fibril formation of apolipoprotein A-II in mice

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (8) ◽  
pp. E836-E845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinko Sawashita ◽  
Beiru Zhang ◽  
Kazuhiro Hasegawa ◽  
Masayuki Mori ◽  
Hironobu Naiki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Mouse Strains ◽  
Strong Inhibitor ◽  
Apolipoprotein A ◽  
Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation ◽  
Type C

In murine senile amyloidosis, misfolded serum apolipoprotein (apo) A-II deposits as amyloid fibrils (AApoAII) in a process associated with aging. Mouse strains carrying type C apoA-II (APOA2C) protein exhibit a high incidence of severe systemic amyloidosis. Previously, we showed that N- and C-terminal sequences of apoA-II protein are critical for polymerization into amyloid fibrils in vitro. Here, we demonstrate that congenic mouse strains carrying type F apoA-II (APOA2F) protein, which contains four amino acid substitutions in the amyloidogenic regions of APOA2C, were absolutely resistant to amyloidosis, even after induction of amyloidosis by injection of AApoAII. In vitro fibril formation tests showed that N- and C-terminal APOA2F peptides did not polymerize into amyloid fibrils. Moreover, a C-terminal APOA2F peptide was a strong inhibitor of nucleation and extension of amyloid fibrils during polymerization. Importantly, after the induction of amyloidosis, we succeeded in suppressing amyloid deposition in senile amyloidosis-susceptible mice by treatment with the C-terminal APOA2F peptide. We suggest that the C-terminal APOA2F peptide might inhibit further extension of amyloid fibrils by blocking the active ends of nuclei (seeds). We present a previously unidentified model system for investigating inhibitory mechanisms against amyloidosis in vivo and in vitro and believe that this system will be useful for the development of novel therapies.

scholarly journals Adsorption of unfolded Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase onto hydrophobic surfaces catalyzes its formation of amyloid fibrils

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ashhar I Khan ◽  
Ulrich Weininger ◽  
Sven Kjellström ◽  
Shashank Deep ◽  
Mikael Akke
Keyword(s):  
Superoxide Dismutase ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Hydrophobic Surface ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Hydrophobic Surfaces ◽  
Molecular Features ◽  
Denaturant Concentration

Abstract Intracellular aggregates of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In vivo, aggregation occurs in a complex and dense molecular environment with chemically heterogeneous surfaces. To investigate how SOD1 fibril formation is affected by surfaces, we used an in vitro model system enabling us to vary the molecular features of both SOD1 and the surfaces, as well as the surface area. We compared fibril formation in hydrophilic and hydrophobic sample wells, as a function of denaturant concentration and extraneous hydrophobic surface area. In the presence of hydrophobic surfaces, SOD1 unfolding promotes fibril nucleation. By contrast, in the presence of hydrophilic surfaces, increasing denaturant concentration retards the onset of fibril formation. We conclude that the mechanism of fibril formation depends on the surrounding surfaces and that the nucleating species might correspond to different conformational states of SOD1 depending on the nature of these surfaces.

scholarly journals Kinetic Transition in Amyloid Assembly as a Screening Assay for Oligomer-Selective Dyes

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Barton ◽  
D. Sebastian Arias ◽  
Chamani Niyangoda ◽  
Gustavo Borjas ◽  
Nathan Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Violet ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Thioflavin T ◽  
Screening Assay ◽  
Kinetic Transition ◽  
Amyloid Assembly

Assembly of amyloid fibrils and small globular oligomers is associated with a significant number of human disorders that include Alzheimer’s disease, senile systemic amyloidosis, and type II diabetes. Recent findings implicate small amyloid oligomers as the dominant aggregate species mediating the toxic effects in these disorders. However, validation of this hypothesis has been hampered by the dearth of experimental techniques to detect, quantify, and discriminate oligomeric intermediates from late-stage fibrils, in vitro and in vivo. We have shown that the onset of significant oligomer formation is associated with a transition in thioflavin T kinetics from sigmoidal to biphasic kinetics. Here we showed that this transition can be exploited for screening fluorophores for preferential responses to oligomer over fibril formation. This assay identified crystal violet as a strongly selective oligomer-indicator dye for lysozyme. Simultaneous recordings of amyloid kinetics with thioflavin T and crystal violet enabled us to separate the combined signals into their underlying oligomeric and fibrillar components. We provided further evidence that this screening assay could be extended to amyloid-β peptides under physiological conditions. Identification of oligomer-selective dyes not only holds the promise of biomedical applications but provides new approaches for unraveling the mechanisms underlying oligomer versus fibril formation in amyloid assembly.

scholarly journals Selective binding to transthyretin and tetramer stabilization in serum from patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy by an iodinated diflunisal derivative

2004 ◽  
Vol 381 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rosário ALMEIDA ◽  
Bárbara MACEDO ◽  
Isabel CARDOSO ◽  
Isabel ALVES ◽  
Gregorio VALENCIA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Proteins ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy ◽  
Flufenamic Acid ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Partially Unfolded

In familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, TTR (transthyretin) variants are deposited as amyloid fibrils. It is thought that this process involves TTR tetramer dissociation, which leads to partially unfolded monomers that aggregate and polymerize into amyloid fibrils. This process can be counteracted by stabilization of the tetramer. Several small compounds, such as diclofenac, diflunisal and flufenamic acid, have been reported to bind to TTR in vitro, in the T4 (thyroxine) binding channel that runs through the TTR tetramer, and consequently are considered to stabilize TTR. However, if these agents bind plasma proteins other than TTR, decreased drug availability will occur, compromising their use as therapeutic agents for TTR amyloidosis. In the present work, we compared the action of these compounds and of new derivatives designed to increase both selectivity of binding to TTR and inhibitory potency in relation to TTR amyloid fibril formation. We found two diflunisal derivatives that, in contrast with diclofenac, flufenamic acid and diflunisal, displaced T4 from TTR in plasma preferentially over binding to albumin and thyroxine binding globulin. The same diflunisal derivatives also had a stabilizing effect on TTR tetramers in plasma, as studied by isoelectric focusing of whole plasma under semi-denaturing conditions. In addition, by transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrated that, in contrast with other proposed TTR stabilizers (namely diclofenac, flufenamic acid and diflunisal), one of the diflunisal derivatives tested efficiently inhibited TTR aggregation. Taken together, our ex vivo and in vitro studies present evidence for the selectivity and efficiency of novel diflunisal derivates as TTR stabilizers and as inhibitors of fibril formation.

The dissociated form of κ-casein is the precursor to its amyloid fibril formation

2010 ◽  
Vol 429 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heath Ecroyd ◽  
David C. Thorn ◽  
Yanqin Liu ◽  
John A. Carver
Keyword(s):  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Amyloid Fibril ◽  
Bovine Milk ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Native Form ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation ◽  
Disulfide Linkages ◽  
Related Proteins

Bovine milk κ-casein forms a self-associating oligomeric micelle-like species, in equilibrium with dissociated forms. In its native form, intra- and inter-molecular disulfide bonds lead to the formation of multimeric species ranging from monomers to decamers. When incubated under conditions of physiological pH and temperature, both reduced and non-reduced κ-casein form highly structured β-sheet amyloid fibrils. We investigated whether the precursor to κ-casein fibril formation is a dissociated state of the protein or its oligomeric micelle-like form. We show that reduced κ-casein is capable of forming fibrils well below its critical micelle concentration, i.e. at concentrations where only dissociated forms of the protein are present. Moreover, by regulating the degree of disulfide linkages, we were able to investigate how oligomerization of κ-casein influences its propensity for fibril formation under conditions of physiological pH and temperature. Thus, using fractions containing different proportions of multimeric species, we demonstrate that the propensity of the disulfide-linked multimers to form fibrils is inversely related to their size, with monomeric κ-casein being the most aggregation prone. We conclude that dissociated forms of κ-casein are the amyloidogenic precursors to fibril formation rather than oligomeric micelle-like species. The results highlight the role of oligomerization and natural binding partners in preventing amyloid fibril formation by disease-related proteins in vivo.

Abstract 312: Amyloids of Oxidized Apolipoprotein A-I Induce Amyloid Fibril Formation in Intact Apolipoprotein A-I

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary K Chan ◽  
Andrzej Witkowski ◽  
Giorgio Cavigiolio
Keyword(s):  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Amyloid Fibril ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Atherosclerotic Plaques ◽  
Amyloid Formation ◽  
Atherosclerotic Lesions ◽  
Apolipoprotein A ◽  
Amyloid Deposits ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation ◽  
Tht Fluorescence

Background: Amyloid deposition in atherosclerotic plaques increases with aging. Although a correlation between arterial amyloid deposits and cardiovascular events is yet to be established, the high incidence of amyloids associated with aortic intima and with atherosclerotic lesions indicates that amyloid deposits may contribute to atherosclerosis progression. Remarkably, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is the main component of these amyloids. We previously demonstrated that oxidation of apoA-I methionines by myeloperoxidase, at a concentration similar to that produced by activated macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions, promotes apoA-I amyloid fibril formation. Furthermore, recent studies revealed a hundred-fold increase in the amount of lipid-free apoA-I in atherosclerotic arteries compared to normal arteries. Notably, this apoA-I is heavily oxidized. Thus in the atherosclerotic plaques, high concentration of lipid-free apoA-I and an oxidative milieu are favorable conditions for apoA-I amyloid formation. Hypothesis: We tested the hypothesis that amyloid fibrils constituted of oxidized apoA-I can transfer the dysfunctional phenotype to intact apoA-I. Methods: Pre-formed amyloid fibrils constituted of oxidized apoA-I were incubated with a 10-fold excess of intact apoA-I at 37 °C, pH 6.0, with continuous vortexing. Kinetics of amyloid fibril formation by the pool of intact apoA-I were derived by measuring Thioflavin-T (ThT) fluorescence over a 6-day period. Results: After a lag-phase of 24-48 h, fibril formation proceeded with typical sigmoidal kinetics and reached plateau levels after about 6 days. In control samples, in which intact apoA-I was incubated in the absence of pre-formed fibrils, no significant changes in ThT fluorescence were detected for the same time course. Conclusions: Oxidized apoA-I amyloid fibrils can catalyze the aggregation of a large excess of intact protein. This observation bears important pathophysiological implications. In vivo , a small amount of amyloid fibrils could be produced by oxidized apoA-I in specific microenvironments of the atheroma; when transferred to the surrounding tissues, these amyloid seeds could induce extended amyloid formation in the large available pool of lipid-free apoA-I.

scholarly journals Searching for the Best Transthyretin Aggregation Protocol to Study Amyloid Fibril Disruption

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 391
Author(s):  
Elisabete Ferreira ◽  
Zaida L. Almeida ◽  
Pedro F. Cruz ◽  
Marta Silva e Sousa ◽  
Paula Veríssimo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Amyloid Fibril ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Amyloid Aggregates ◽  
Screening Protocol

Several degenerative amyloid diseases, with no fully effective treatment, affect millions of people worldwide. These pathologies—amyloidoses—are known to be associated with the formation of ordered protein aggregates and highly stable and insoluble amyloid fibrils, which are deposited in multiple tissues and organs. The disruption of preformed amyloid aggregates and fibrils is one possible therapeutic strategy against amyloidosis; however, only a few compounds have been identified as possible fibril disruptors in vivo to date. To properly identify chemical compounds as potential fibril disruptors, a reliable, fast, and economic screening protocol must be developed. For this purpose, three amyloid fibril formation protocols using transthyretin (TTR), a plasma protein involved in several amyloidoses, were studied using thioflavin-T fluorescence assays, circular dichroism (CD), turbidity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in order to characterize and select the most appropriate fibril formation protocol. Saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (STD NMR) was successfully used to study the interaction of doxycycline, a known amyloid fibril disruptor, with preformed wild-type TTR (TTRwt) aggregates and fibrils. DLS and TEM were also used to characterize the effect of doxycycline on TTRwt amyloid species disaggregation. A comparison of the TTR amyloid morphology formed in different experimental conditions is also presented.

scholarly journals Doxycycline reduces fibril formation in a transgenic mouse model of AL amyloidosis

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (25) ◽  
pp. 6610-6617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Ellis Ward ◽  
Ruiyi Ren ◽  
Gianluca Toraldo ◽  
Pam SooHoo ◽  
Jian Guan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Cell Clone ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Organ Damage ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Al Amyloidosis ◽  
Cmv Promoter

AbstractSystemic AL amyloidosis results from the aggregation of an amyloidogenic immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain (LC) usually produced by a plasma cell clone in the bone marrow. AL is the most rapidly fatal of the systemic amyloidoses, as amyloid fibrils can rapidly accumulate in tissues including the heart, kidneys, autonomic or peripheral nervous systems, gastrointestinal tract, and liver. Chemotherapy is used to eradicate the cellular source of the amyloidogenic precursor. Currently, there are no therapies that target the process of LC aggregation, fibril formation, or organ damage. We developed transgenic mice expressing an amyloidogenic λ6 LC using the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter to circumvent the disruption of B cell development by premature expression of recombined LC. The CMV-λ6 transgenic mice develop neurologic dysfunction and Congophilic amyloid deposits in the stomach. Amyloid deposition was inhibited in vivo by the antibiotic doxycycline. In vitro studies demonstrated that doxycycline directly disrupted the formation of recombinant LC fibrils. Furthermore, treatment of ex vivo LC amyloid fibrils with doxycycline reduced the number of intact fibrils and led to the formation of large disordered aggregates. The CMV-λ6 transgenic model replicates the process of AL amyloidosis and is useful for testing the antifibril potential of orally available agents.

scholarly journals Universal amyloidogenicity of patient-derived immunoglobulin light chains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Sternke-Hoffmann ◽  
Thomas Pauly ◽  
Rasmus K Norrild ◽  
Jan Hansen ◽  
Mathieu Dupre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Amyloid Fibril ◽  
Fibril Formation ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Light Chains ◽  
Immunoglobulin Light Chains ◽  
Aggregation Behaviour ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation

The deposition of immunoglobulin light chains (IgLCs) in the form of amorphous aggregates or amyloid fibrils in different tissues of patients can lead to severe and potentially fatal organ damage, requiring transplantation in some cases. There has been great interest in recent years to elucidate the origin of the very different in vivo solubilities of IgLCs, as well as the molecular determinants that drive either the formation of ordered amyloid fibrils or disordered amorphous aggregates. It is commonly thought that the reason of this differential aggregation behaviour is to be found in the amino acid sequences of the respective IgLCs, i.e. that some sequences display higher intrinsic tendencies to form amyloid fibrils. Here we perform in depth Thermodynamic and Aggregation Fingerprinting (ThAgg-Fip) of 9 multiple myeloma patient-derived IgLCs, the amino acid sequences of all of which we have solved by de novo protein sequencing with mass spectrometry. The latter technique was also used for one IgLc from a patient with AL amyloidosis. We find that all samples also contain proteases that fragment the proteins under physiologically relevant mildly acidic pH conditions, leading to amyloid fibril formation in all cases. Our results suggest that while every pathogenic IgLC has a unique ThAgg fingerprint, all sequences have comparable amyloidogenic potential. Therefore, extrinsic factors, in particular presence of, and susceptibility to, proteolytic cleavage is likely to be a strong determinant of in vivo aggregation behaviour. The important conclusion, which is corroborated by systematic analysis of our sequences, as well as many sequences of IgLCs from amyloidosis patients reported in the literature, challenges the current paradigm of the link between sequence and amyloid fibril formation of pathogenic light chains.

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