scholarly journals Unusual duplication mutation in a surface loop of human transthyretin leads to an aggressive drug-resistant amyloid disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (28) ◽  
pp. E6428-E6436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena S. Klimtchuk ◽  
Tatiana Prokaeva ◽  
Nicholas M. Frame ◽  
Hassan A. Abdullahi ◽  
Brian Spencer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Tertiary Structure ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Surface Loop ◽  
Amyloid Disease ◽  
Poor Treatment ◽  
The Stability

Transthyretin (TTR) is a globular tetrameric transport protein in plasma. Nearly 140 single amino acid substitutions in TTR cause life-threatening amyloid disease. We report a one-of-a-kind pathological variant featuring a Glu51, Ser52 duplication mutation (Glu51_Ser52dup). The proband, heterozygous for the mutation, exhibited an unusually aggressive amyloidosis that was refractory to treatment with the small-molecule drug diflunisal. To understand the poor treatment response and expand therapeutic options, we explored the structure and stability of recombinant Glu51_Ser52dup. The duplication did not alter the protein secondary or tertiary structure but decreased the stability of the TTR monomer and tetramer. Diflunisal, which bound with near-micromolar affinity, partially restored tetramer stability. The duplication had no significant effect on the free energy and enthalpy of diflunisal binding, and hence on the drug–protein interactions. However, the duplication induced tryptic digestion of TTR at near-physiological conditions, releasing a C-terminal fragment 49–129 that formed amyloid fibrils under conditions in which the full-length protein did not. Such C-terminal fragments, along with the full-length TTR, comprise amyloid deposits in vivo. Bioinformatics and structural analyses suggested that increased disorder in the surface loop, which contains the Glu51_Ser52dup duplication, not only helped generate amyloid-forming fragments but also decreased structural protection in the amyloidogenic residue segment 25–34, promoting misfolding of the full-length protein. Our studies of a unique duplication mutation explain its diflunisal-resistant nature, identify misfolding pathways for amyloidogenic TTR variants, and provide therapeutic targets to inhibit amyloid fibril formation by variant TTR.

scholarly journals The Instability of Dimeric Fc-Fusions Expressed in Plants Can Be Solved by Monomeric Fc Technology

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia Gattinger ◽  
Shiva Izadi ◽  
Clemens Grünwald-Gruber ◽  
Somanath Kallolimath ◽  
Alexandra Castilho
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Degradation Products ◽  
Therapeutic Proteins ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Peptide Sequence ◽  
Reporter Protein ◽  
The Stability

The potential therapeutic value of many proteins is ultimately limited by their rapid in vivo clearance. One strategy to limit clearance by metabolism and excretion, and improving the stability of therapeutic proteins, is their fusion to the immunoglobulin fragment crystallizable region (Fc). The Fc region plays multiple roles in (i) dimerization for the formation of “Y”-shaped structure of Ig, (ii) Fc-mediated effector functions, (iii) extension of serum half-life, and (iv) a cost-effective purification tag. Plants and in particular Nicotiana benthamiana have proven to be suitable expression platforms for several recombinant therapeutic proteins. Despite the enormous success of their use for the production of full-length monoclonal antibodies, the expression of Fc-fused therapeutic proteins in plants has shown limitations. Many Fc-fusion proteins expressed in plants show different degrees of instability resulting in high amounts of Fc-derived degradation products. To address this issue, we used erythropoietin (EPO) as a reporter protein and evaluated the efforts to enhance the expression of full-length EPO-Fc targeted to the apoplast of N. benthamiana. Our results show that the instability of the fusion protein is independent from the Fc origin or IgG subclass and from the peptide sequence used to link the two domains. We also show that a similar instability occurs upon the expression of individual heavy chains of monoclonal antibodies and ScFv-Fc that mimic the “Y”-shape of antibodies but lack the light chain. We propose that in this configuration, steric hindrance between the protein domains leads to physical instability. Indeed, mutations of critical residues located on the Fc dimerization interface allowed the expression of fully stable EPO monomeric Fc-fusion proteins. We discuss the limitations of Fc-fusion technology in N. benthamiana transient expression systems and suggest strategies to optimize the Fc-based scaffolds on their folding and aggregation resistance in order to improve the stability.

scholarly journals Positive and Negative Regulation of Poly(A) Nuclease

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 5521-5533 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Mangus ◽  
Matthew C. Evans ◽  
Nathan S. Agrin ◽  
Mandy Smith ◽  
Preetam Gongidi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Negative Regulation ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Carboxy Terminus ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
C Terminus

ABSTRACT PAN, a yeast poly(A) nuclease, plays an important nuclear role in the posttranscriptional maturation of mRNA poly(A) tails. The activity of this enzyme is dependent on its Pan2p and Pan3p subunits, as well as the presence of poly(A)-binding protein (Pab1p). We have identified and characterized the associated network of factors controlling the maturation of mRNA poly(A) tails in yeast and defined its relevant protein-protein interactions. Pan3p, a positive regulator of PAN activity, interacts with Pab1p, thus providing substrate specificity for this nuclease. Pab1p also regulates poly(A) tail trimming by interacting with Pbp1p, a factor that appears to negatively regulate PAN. Pan3p and Pbp1p both interact with themselves and with the C terminus of Pab1p. However, the domains required for Pan3p and Pbp1p binding on Pab1p are distinct. Single amino acid changes that disrupt Pan3p interaction with Pab1p have been identified and define a binding pocket in helices 2 and 3 of Pab1p's carboxy terminus. The importance of these amino acids for Pab1p-Pan3p interaction, and poly(A) tail regulation, is underscored by experiments demonstrating that strains harboring substitutions in these residues accumulate mRNAs with long poly(A) tails in vivo.

scholarly journals Effects of osmolytes and macromolecular crowders on stable GAAA tetraloops and their preference for a CG closing base pair

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4236
Author(s):  
Kaethe N. Leonard ◽  
Joshua M. Blose
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Structure ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Tertiary Structure ◽  
Vis Spectroscopy ◽  
Rna Tertiary Structure ◽  
The Stability ◽  
And Function ◽  
Peg 8000

Osmolytes and macromolecular crowders have the potential to influence the stability of secondary structure motifs and alter preferences for conserved nucleic acid sequences in vivo. To further understand the cellular function of RNA we observed the effects of a model osmolyte, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 200, and a model macromolecular crowding agent, PEG 8000, on the GAAA tetraloop motif. GAAA tetraloops are conserved, stable tetraloops, and are critical participants in RNA tertiary structure. They also have a thermodynamic preference for a CG closing base pair. The thermal denaturation of model hairpins containing GAAA loops was monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy in the presence and absence of PEG 200 or PEG 8000. Both of the cosolutes tested influenced the thermodynamic preference for a CG base pair by destabilizing the loop with a CG closing base pair relative to the loop with a GC closing base pair. This result also extended to a related DNA triloop, which provides further evidence that the interactions between the loop and closing base pair are identical for the d(GCA) triloop and the GAAA tetraloop. Our results suggest that in the presence of model PEG molecules, loops with a GC closing base pair may retain some preferential interactions with the cosolutes that are lost in the presence of the CG closing base pair. These results reveal that relatively small structural changes could influence how neutral cosolutes tune the stability and function of secondary structure motifs in vivo.

scholarly journals Cingulin Contains Globular and Coiled-Coil Domains and Interacts with Zo-1, Zo-2, Zo-3, and Myosin

1999 ◽  
Vol 147 (7) ◽  
pp. 1569-1582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelangelo Cordenonsi ◽  
Fabio D'Atri ◽  
Eva Hammar ◽  
David A.D. Parry ◽  
John Kendrick-Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Mdck Cells ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Cytoplasmic Surface ◽  
Terminal Fragment ◽  
Reticulocyte Lysates ◽  
Actomyosin Cytoskeleton

We characterized the sequence and protein interactions of cingulin, an Mr 140–160-kD phosphoprotein localized on the cytoplasmic surface of epithelial tight junctions (TJ). The derived amino acid sequence of a full-length Xenopus laevis cingulin cDNA shows globular head (residues 1–439) and tail (1,326–1,368) domains and a central α-helical rod domain (440–1,325). Sequence analysis, electron microscopy, and pull-down assays indicate that the cingulin rod is responsible for the formation of coiled-coil parallel dimers, which can further aggregate through intermolecular interactions. Pull-down assays from epithelial, insect cell, and reticulocyte lysates show that an NH2-terminal fragment of cingulin (1–378) interacts in vitro with ZO-1 (Kd ∼5 nM), ZO-2, ZO-3, myosin, and AF-6, but not with symplekin, and a COOH-terminal fragment (377–1,368) interacts with myosin and ZO-3. ZO-1 and ZO-2 immunoprecipitates contain cingulin, suggesting in vivo interactions. Full-length cingulin, but not NH2-terminal and COOH-terminal fragments, colocalizes with endogenous cingulin in transfected MDCK cells, indicating that sequences within both head and rod domains are required for TJ localization. We propose that cingulin is a functionally important component of TJ, linking the submembrane plaque domain of TJ to the actomyosin cytoskeleton.

scholarly journals Evidence for Multimerization of Neu Proteins Involved in Polysialic Acid Synthesis in Escherichia coliK1 Using Improved LexA-Based Vectors

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (18) ◽  
pp. 5267-5270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayle A. Daines ◽  
Richard P. Silver
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Polysialic Acid ◽  
Genetic System ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Fragment ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
E Coli

ABSTRACT Recently, M. Dmitrova et al. (Mol. Gen. Genet. 257:205–212, 1998) described a LexA-based genetic system to monitor protein-protein interactions in an Escherichia coli background. However, the plasmids used in this system, pMS604 and pDP804, were not readily amenable for general use. In this report, we describe modifications of both plasmids that allow fragments of DNA to be fused to either vector in any reading frame. Homodimerization and heterodimerization of full-length proteins involved in polysialic acid synthesis in E. coli K1, as well as heterodimerization between a full-length protein and a protein fragment, demonstrate the usefulness of the modified plasmids for investigating bacterial protein-protein interactions in vivo.

scholarly journals Activation of brain calcineurin (Cn) by Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) depends on direct SOD1–Cn protein interactions occurring in vitro and in vivo

2007 ◽  
Vol 405 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulbaki Agbas ◽  
Dongwei Hui ◽  
Xinsheng Wang ◽  
Vekalet Tek ◽  
Asma Zaidi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Superoxide Dismutase ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Conformational State ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Poor Correlation ◽  
Calcineurin Activity ◽  
Human Sod1

Cn (calcineurin) activity is stabilized by SOD1 (Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase), a phenomenon attributed to protection from superoxide (O2•−). The effects of O2•− on Cn are still controversial. We found that O2•−, generated either in vitro or in vivo did not affect Cn activity. Yet native bovine, recombinant human or rat, and two chimaeras of human SOD1–rat SOD1, all activated Cn, but SOD2 (Mn-superoxide dismutase) did not affect Cn activity. There was also a poor correlation between SOD1 dismutase activity and Cn activation. A chimaera of human N-terminal SOD1 and rat C-terminal SOD1 had little detectable dismutase activity, yet stimulated Cn activity the same as full-length human or rat SOD1. Nevertheless, there was evidence that the active site of SOD1 was involved in Cn activation based on the loss of activation following chelation of Cu from the active site of SOD1. Also, SOD1 engaged in the catalysis of O2•− dismutation was ineffective in activating Cn. SOD1 activation of Cn resulted from a 90-fold decrease in phosphatase Km without a change in Vmax. A possible mechanism for the activation of Cn was identified in our studies as the prevention of Fe and Zn losses from the active site of Cn, suggesting a conformation-dependent SOD1–Cn interaction. In neurons, SOD1 and Cn were co-localized in cytoplasm and membranes, and SOD1 co-immunoprecipitated with Cn from homogenates of brain hippocampus and was present in immunoprecipitates as large multimers. Pre-incubation of pure SOD1 with Cn caused SOD1 multimer formation, an indication of an altered conformational state in SOD1 upon interaction with Cn.

scholarly journals Piv Site-Specific Invertase Requires a DEDD Motif Analogous to the Catalytic Center of the RuvC Holliday Junction Resolvases

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (10) ◽  
pp. 3431-3437 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Buchner ◽  
Anne E. Robertson ◽  
David J. Poynter ◽  
Shelby S. Denniston ◽  
Anna C. Karls
Keyword(s):  
Catalytic Activity ◽  
Tertiary Structure ◽  
Rnase H ◽  
Holliday Junction ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Acidic Residues ◽  
Insertion Elements ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Retroviral Integrase

ABSTRACT Piv, a unique prokaryotic site-specific DNA invertase, is related to transposases of the insertion elements from the IS110/IS492 family and shows no similarity to the site-specific recombinases of the tyrosine- or serine-recombinase families. Piv tertiary structure is predicted to include the RNase H-like fold that typically encompasses the catalytic site of the recombinases or nucleases of the retroviral integrase superfamily, including transposases and RuvC-like Holliday junction resolvases. Analogous to the DDE and DEDD catalytic motifs of transposases and RuvC, respectively, four Piv acidic residues D9, E59, D101, and D104 appear to be positioned appropriately within the RNase H fold to coordinate two divalent metal cations. This suggests mechanistic similarity between site-specific inversion mediated by Piv and transposition or endonucleolytic reactions catalyzed by enzymes of the retroviral integrase superfamily. The role of the DEDD motif in Piv catalytic activity was addressed using Piv variants that are substituted individually or multiply at these acidic residues and assaying for in vivo inversion, intermolecular recombination, and DNA binding activities. The results indicate that all four residues of the DEDD motif are required for Piv catalytic activity. The DEDD residues are not essential for inv recombination site recognition and binding, but this acidic tetrad does appear to contribute to the stability of Piv-inv interactions. On the basis of these results, a working model for Piv-mediated inversion that includes resolution of a Holliday junction is presented.

scholarly journals Differential effects of two catalytic mutations on full-length PRDM9 and its isolated PR/SET domain reveal a case of pseudo-modularity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petko M. Petkov ◽  
Natalie R. Powers ◽  
Timothy Billings ◽  
Kenneth Paigen
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Structure ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Female Fertility ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Set Domain ◽  
Methyltransferase Activity ◽  
The Difference

PRDM9 is a DNA-binding histone methyltransferase that designates and activates recombination hotspots in mammals by locally trimethylating lysines 4 and 36 of histone H3. In mice, we recently reported two independently produced point mutations at the same residue, glu360pro (Prdm9EP) and glu360lys (Prdm9EK), which severely reduce its H3K4 and H3K36 methyltransferase activities in vivo. Prdm9EP is slightly less hypomorphic than Prdm9EK, but both mutations reduce both the number and amplitude of PRDM9-dependent H3K4me3 and H3K36me3 peaks in spermatocytes. While both mutations cause infertility with complete meiotic arrest in males, Prdm9EP, but not Prdm9EK, is compatible with some female fertility. When we tested the effects of these mutations in vitro, both Prdm9EP and Prdm9EK abolished H3K4 and H3K36 methyltransferase activity in full-length PRDM9. However, in the isolated PRDM9 PR/SET domain, these mutations selectively compromised H3K36 methyltransferase activity, while leaving H3K4 methyltransferase activity intact. The difference in these effects on the PR/SET domain versus the full-length protein show that PRDM9 is not an intrinsically modular enzyme; its catalytic domain is influenced by its tertiary structure and possibly by its interactions with DNA and other proteins in vivo. These two informative mutations illuminate the enzymatic chemistry of PRDM9, and potentially of PR/SET domains in general, reveal the minimal threshold of PRDM9-dependent catalytic activity for female fertility, and potentially have some practical utility for genetic mapping and genomics.

scholarly journals Pathogenic D76N Variant of β2-Microglobulin: Synergy of Diverse Effects in Both the Native and Amyloid States

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1197
Author(s):  
Éva Bulyáki ◽  
Judit Kun ◽  
Tamás Molnár ◽  
Alexandra Papp ◽  
András Micsonai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Conformational Stability ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Amyloid Formation ◽  
Mhc I ◽  
Mutant Proteins ◽  
Β2 Microglobulin ◽  
Partial Unfolding ◽  
The Stability

β2-microglobulin (β2m), the light chain of the MHC-I complex, is associated with dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA). Recently, a hereditary systemic amyloidosis was discovered, caused by a naturally occurring D76N β2m variant, which showed a structure remarkably similar to the wild-type (WT) protein, albeit with decreased thermodynamic stability and increased amyloidogenicity. Here, we investigated the role of the D76N mutation in the amyloid formation of β2m by point mutations affecting the Asp76-Lys41 ion-pair of WT β2m and the charge cluster on Asp38. Using a variety of biophysical techniques, we investigated the conformational stability and partial unfolding of the native state of the variants, as well as their amyloidogenic propensity and the stability of amyloid fibrils under various conditions. Furthermore, we studied the intermolecular interactions of WT and mutant proteins with various binding partners that might have in vivo relevance. We found that, relative to WT β2m, the exceptional amyloidogenicity of the pathogenic D76N β2m variant is realized by the deleterious synergy of diverse effects of destabilized native structure, higher sensitivity to negatively charged amphiphilic molecules (e.g., lipids) and polyphosphate, more effective fibril nucleation, higher conformational stability of fibrils, and elevated affinity for extracellular components, including extracellular matrix proteins.

scholarly journals A Transgenic Mouse Model of Cardiac AL Amyloidosis

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1592-1592
Author(s):  
Gemma Martinez-Rivas ◽  
Maria Ayala ◽  
Sebastien Bender ◽  
Murielle Roussel ◽  
Arnaud Jaccard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Transgenic Mouse ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Plasma Cells ◽  
Transgenic Mouse Model ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Al Amyloidosis ◽  
Advisory Committees

Abstract Background: AL amyloidosis is the most frequent type of amyloidosis caused by the deposition in tissues of fibrillar aggregates composed of an abnormal immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain (LC) and leading to organ dysfunction. The most frequent and severe forms involve kidney and heart. Research on this disease suffers from the lack of reliable animal models, that could allow a better understanding of the disease and the design of new therapeutic strategies. In the present study, we aimed at reproducing AL amyloidosis in a mouse model. Methods: We developed an original transgenic approach using an insertion of a human pathogenic LC gene in the endogenous mouse kappa locus, such as the LC is produced by the naturally Ig producing B and plasma cells. Then, to avoid the association of human LCs with endogenous murine HCs, we backcrossed this strain with the DH-LMP2A mice, characterized by a high number of plasma cells devoid of endogenous HC. This strategy leads to a production of the human free LC similar or higher than in patients and proved efficient to reproduce in mice several monoclonal gammopathies of clinical significance (MGCS) (Fig.1A). Results: Despite strong LC production (Fig.1B), mice did not naturally develop AL amyloidosis. In vitro, the full length LC was resistant to amyloid formation at physiological conditions but the variable domain (IGLV6) showed high propensity to form fibrils. A single injection of amyloid fibrils and/or seeds, obtained from the variable domain (VL) of the human LC gene, led to amyloid deposits starting at 1 month post-injection, especially in the heart, spleen, liver and, to a lesser extent, in the kidney (Fig.1C). We confirmed that the deposits contain the full-length human LCs, which elongate VL fibrils in vivo (Fig.1D). Conclusions: This is, to our knowledge, the first transgenic mouse model of AL amyloidosis closely reproducing human lesions, especially in heart. Further studies are needed to better understand the early biochemical events leading to AL amyloidosis in vivo, but this model already shows that a partial degradation of the LC is likely required to initiate amyloid fibrils and that once seeded, the full length LC can elongate these fibrils. This mouse model opens new perspectives to better understand the toxicity of amyloid LC, their involvements in different biological processes and organ dysfunction and of course, to test new therapeutic approaches. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Roussel: Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy. Jaccard: Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria. Bridoux: Janssen: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Sirac: Attralus, Inc: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding.

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