scholarly journals Wild-type sTREM2 blocks Aβ aggregation and neurotoxicity, while the Alzheimer’s R47H mutant does the opposite

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Vilalta ◽  
Ye Zhou ◽  
Jean Sevalle ◽  
Jennifer K. Griffin ◽  
Kanayo Satoh ◽  
...  

AbstractMissense mutations (e.g. R47H) of the microglial receptor TREM2 increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the soluble ectodomain of wild-type TREM2 (sTREM2) appears to protect in vivo, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We show that Aβ oligomers bind to TREM2, inducing shedding of sTREM2. Wild-type sTREM2 inhibits Aβ oligomerization, fibrillization and neurotoxicity, and disaggregates preformed Aβ oligomers and protofibrils. In contrast, the R47H AD-risk variant of sTREM2 is less able to bind and disaggregate oligomeric Aβ, but rather promotes Aβ protofibril formation and neurotoxicity. Thus, in addition to mediating phagocytosis, wild-type TREM2 may protect against amyloid pathology by Aβ-induced release of sTREM2 that blocks Aβ aggregation and neurotoxicity; while R47H sTREM2 promotes Aβ aggregation into neurotoxic forms, which may explain why the R47H variant gene increases AD risk several fold.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreyas Bhat ◽  
Daryl A. Guthrie ◽  
Ameya Kasture ◽  
Ali El-Kasaby ◽  
Jianjing Cao ◽  
...  

AbstractMissense mutations that give rise to protein misfolding are rare, but collectively, defective protein folding diseases are consequential. Folding deficiencies are amenable to pharmacological correction (pharmacochaperoning), but the underlying mechanisms remain enigmatic. Ibogaine and its active metabolite noribogaine correct folding defects in the dopamine transporter (DAT), but they rescue only a very limited number of folding-deficient DAT mutants, which give rise to infantile Parkinsonism and dystonia. Herein, a series of analogs was generated by reconfiguring the complex ibogaine ring system and exploring the structural requirements for binding to wild type transporters, and for rescuing two equivalent synthetic folding-deficient mutants, SERT-PG601,602AA and DAT-PG584,585AA. The most active tropane-based analog (9b) was also an effective pharmacochaperone in vivo, in Drosophila harboring DAT-PG584,585AA and rescued six out of 13 disease-associated human DAT mutants in vitro. Hence, a novel lead pharmacochaperone has been identified that demonstrates medication development potential for patients harboring DAT mutants.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 377-377
Author(s):  
Irina Vasilevskaya ◽  
Jennifer McCann ◽  
Christopher McNair ◽  
Neermala Poudel Neupane ◽  
Peter Gallagher ◽  
...  

377 Background: The most common TP53 alterations are missense mutations occurring in the DNA binding domain. The majority of missense p53 mutants (mut-p53) demonstrate oncogenic gain-of-function (GOF) abilities, irrespective of wild-type p53 presence, and thus contribute to a more aggressive disease. In prostate cancer (PCa), characterized by comparatively low overall mutational burden, TP53 is frequently mutated in both primary and advanced disease. Despite significant progress made in the field, detailed mechanisms of GOF in PCa remain undefined due to differing features of p53 mutants. Methods: Analysis of available datasets was performed to assess TP53 mutational status in PCa patient samples and its correlation with the clinical outcome. Using hormone therapy sensitive and CRPC cells, a panel of cell lines was generated to model the two most frequently occurring mutations in the presence or absence of wild-type TP53, as occurs clinically. CHIP-seq, gene expression arrays, and in vitro and in vivo biological assays were performed to interrogate the significance of mut-p53 in PCa. Results: In PCa, missense mutations are significantly associated with decreased progression-free and overall survival. In PCa patient samples these mutations most commonly occur at the R273 residue, demonstrating specific enrichment when compared to other cancers, with R273C alteration being the most frequent. Using our cell panel, CHIP-seq data revealed an expansion of the p53 cistrome upon expression of R273C and R273H mutants in a manner distinct from p53 stabilization in the presence of wt-p53. Moreover, analysis of the TP53 missense mutant-sensitive transcriptomes demonstrated differential gene expression between these mutants, related to the expression of wild-type TP53 in those cells. Finally, R273C and R273H p53 mutants elicited context dependent effects on canonical p53 functions, thereby modulating distinct downstream biological outcomes. Conclusions: These data expand our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms by which distinct gain-of-function p53 mutants affect prostate cancer, and can lead to identification of novel therapeutic targets to improve clinical outcomes in PCa patients harboring these mutations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takamasa Kinoshita ◽  
Hiroyuki Tomita ◽  
Hideshi Okada ◽  
Ayumi Niwa ◽  
Fuminori Hyodo ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Heparan sulfate (HS) is one of the factors that has been suggested to be associated with angiogenesis and invasion of glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive and fast-growing brain tumor. However, it remains unclear how HS of endothelial cells is involved in angiogenesis in glioblastoma and its prognosis. Thus, we investigated the effect of endothelial cell HS on GBM development. Methods We generated endothelial cell-specific knockout of Ext1, a gene encoding a glycosyltransferase and essential for HS synthesis, and murine GL261 glioblastoma cells were orthotopically transplanted. Two weeks after transplantation, we examined the tumor progression and underlying mechanisms. Results The endothelial cell-specific Ext1 knockout (Ext1CKO) mice exhibited reduced HS expression specifically in the vascular endothelium of the brain capillaries compared with the control wild-type (WT) mice. GBM growth was significantly suppressed in Ext1CKO mice compared with that in WT mice. After GBM transplantation, the survival rate was significantly higher in Ext1CKO mice than in WT mice. We investigated how the effect of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), which is known as an angiogenesis-promoting factor, differs between Ext1CKO and WT mice by using an in vivo Matrigel assay and demonstrated that endothelial cell-specific HS reduction attenuated the effect of FGF2 on angiogenesis. Conclusions HS reduction in the vascular endothelium of the brain suppressed GBM growth and neovascularization in mice.


2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (12) ◽  
pp. 1022-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Takagi ◽  
Moe Murata ◽  
Toshihiro Kozuka ◽  
Yukiko Nakata ◽  
Ryo Hasebe ◽  
...  

SummaryAntithrombin (AT) and thrombomodulin (TM) play important roles in the process of natural anticoagulation in vivo. Recently, we reported that the prothrombin Yukuhashi mutation (p.Arg596Leu) was associated with AT and TM resistance-related thrombophilia. To assess the AT and TM resistances associated with other missense mutations by single base substitution in the Arg596 codon, we generated recombinant variants (596Gln, 596Trp, 596Gly, and 596Pro) and investigated the effects on AT and TM anticoagulant functions. All variants except 596Pro were secreted in amounts comparable to that of the wild-type but exhibited variable procoagulant activities. After a 30-minute inactivation by AT, the relative residual activity of wild-type thrombin decreased to 15 ± 4.0%, in contrast to values of all variants were maintained at above 80%. The thrombin–AT complex formation, as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, was reduced with all tested variants in the presence and absence of heparin. In the presence of soluble TM (sTM), the relative fibrinogen clotting activity of wild-type thrombin decreased to 16 ± 0.12%, whereas that of tested variants was 37%–56%. In a surface plasmon resonance assay, missense Arg596 mutations reduced thrombin–TM affinity to an extent similar to the reduction of fibrinogen clotting inhibition. In the presence of sTM or cultured endothelial-like cells, APC generation was enhanced differently by variant thrombins in a thrombin–TM affinity- dependent manner. These data indicate that prothrombin Arg596 missense mutations lead to AT and TM resistance in the variant thrombins and suggest that prothrombin Arg596 is important for AT- and TM- mediated anticoagulation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 190179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Xue ◽  
Joyce Tran ◽  
Hongsu Wang ◽  
Giovanna Park ◽  
Frederick Hsu ◽  
...  

Amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Oligomers of different sizes, morphology and structures have been reported in both in vivo and in vitro studies, but there is a general lack of understanding about where to place these oligomers in the overall process of Aβ aggregation and fibrillization. Here, we show that Aβ42 spontaneously forms oligomers with a wide range of sizes in the same sample. These Aβ42 samples contain predominantly oligomers, and they quickly form fibrils upon incubation at 37°C. When fractionated using ultrafiltration filters, the samples enriched with smaller oligomers form fibrils at a faster rate than the samples enriched with larger oligomers, with both a shorter lag time and faster fibril growth rate. This observation is independent of Aβ42 batches and hexafluoroisopropanol treatment. Furthermore, the fibrils formed by the samples enriched with larger oligomers are more readily solubilized by epigallocatechin gallate, a main catechin component of green tea. These results suggest that the fibrils formed by larger oligomers may adopt a different structure from fibrils formed by smaller oligomers, pointing to a link between oligomer heterogeneity and fibril polymorphism.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (574) ◽  
pp. eaao7232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuhiko Itoh ◽  
Gen Kondoh ◽  
Hitoshi Miyachi ◽  
Manabu Sugai ◽  
Yoshiyuki Kaneko ◽  
...  

The posttranslational modification of histones is crucial in spermatogenesis, as in other tissues; however, during spermiogenesis, histones are replaced with protamines, which are critical for the tight packaging of the DNA in sperm cells. Protamines are also posttranslationally modified by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, which prompted our investigation of the underlying mechanisms and biological consequences of their regulation. On the basis of a screen that implicated the heat shock protein Hspa4l in spermatogenesis, we generated mice deficient in Hspa4l (Hspa4l-null mice), which showed male infertility and the malformation of sperm heads. These phenotypes are similar to those of Ppp1cc-deficient mice, and we found that the amount of a testis- and sperm-specific isoform of the Ppp1cc phosphatase (Ppp1cc2) in the chromatin-binding fraction was substantially less in Hspa4l-null spermatozoa than that in those of wild-type mice. We further showed that Ppp1cc2 was a substrate of the chaperones Hsc70 and Hsp70 and that Hspa4l enhanced the release of Ppp1cc2 from these complexes, enabling the freed Ppp1cc2 to localize to chromatin. Pull-down and in vitro phosphatase assays suggested the dephosphorylation of protamine 2 at serine 56 (Prm2 Ser56) by Ppp1cc2. To confirm the biological importance of Prm2 Ser56 dephosphorylation, we mutated Ser56 to alanine in Prm2 (Prm2 S56A). Introduction of this mutation to Hspa4l-null mice (Hspa4l−/−; Prm2S56A/S56A) restored the malformation of sperm heads and the infertility of Hspa4l−/− mice. The dephosphorylation signal to eliminate phosphate was crucial, and these results unveiled the mechanism and biological relevance of the dephosphorylation of Prm2 for sperm maturation in vivo.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (8) ◽  
pp. 2774-2782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julianne H. Grose ◽  
Ulfar Bergthorsson ◽  
John R. Roth

ABSTRACT The three activities of NadR were demonstrated in purified protein and assigned to separate domains by missense mutations. The N-terminal domain represses transcription of genes for NAD synthesis and salvage. The C-terminal domain has nicotinamide ribose kinase (NmR-K; EC 2.7.1.22) activity, which is essential for assimilation of NmR, converting it internally to nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). The central domain has a weak adenylyltransferase (NMN-AT; EC 2.7.7.1) activity that converts NMN directly to NAD but is physiologically irrelevant. This central domain mediates regulatory effects of NAD on all NadR activities. In the absence of effectors, pure NadR protein binds operator DNA (the default state) and is released by ATP (expected to be present in vivo). NAD allows NadR to bind DNA in the presence of ATP and causes repression in vivo. A superrepressor mutation alters an ATP-binding residue in the central (NMN-AT) domain. This eliminates NMN-AT activity and places the enzyme in its default (DNA binding) state. The mutant protein shows full NmR kinase activity that is 10-fold more sensitive to NAD inhibition than the wild type. It is proposed that NAD and the superrepressor mutation exert their effects by preventing ATP from binding to the central domain.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Jun Cho ◽  
Anuj K. Sharma ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Michael L. Gross ◽  
Liviu M. Mirica

<div>Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative degenerative disease, and its main hallmark is the deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides. However, several clinical trials focusing on Aβ-targeting agents have failed recently, and thus new therapeutic leads are focusing on alternate targets such as tau protein pathology, Aβ-metal induced oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. To address these different pathological aspects of AD, we have employed a multifunctional compound (MFC) L1 that integrates Aβ-interacting and metal-binding functional groups in a single molecular framework. By perturbing the interactions between the Aβ species and metal ions during the Aβ aggregation process, L1 alleviates the formation of neurotoxic Aβ oligomers and promotes the formation of nontoxic, amorphous Aβ aggregates. Furthermore, the significant antioxidant activity and strong metal chelating ability of L1 are operating cooperatively to rescue neuroblastoma N2A cells from Cu2+-induced Aβ neurotoxicity. Along with in vivo Aβ-binding and favorable BBB permeability properties, the treatment of transgenic 5xFAD mice with L1 significantly reduces the amount of both amyloid plaques and associated phosphorylated tau (p-tau) aggregates in the brain by 40–50% versus the vehicle-treated 5xFAD mice. Besides, L1 mitigates the neuroinflammatory response of the activated microglia during the Aβ-induced inflammation process. Overall, these results suggest that L1 not only efficiently attenuates the formation of amyloid plaques and p-tau aggregates in vivo, but also reduces the microgliamediated neuroinflammatory response, which is quite uncommon among the previously reported amyloid-targeting chemical agents, and thus L1 could be envisioned as a lead compound for the development of novel AD therapeutics.</div>


2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (05) ◽  
pp. 854-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel P. Birch ◽  
Peter J. Browett ◽  
Paul B. Coughlin ◽  
Anita J. Horvath ◽  
Neil S. Van de Water ◽  
...  

SummaryProtein Z-dependent protease inhibitor (ZPI) is a plasma inhibitor of factor (F)Xa and FXIa. In an earlier study, five mutations were identified within the ZPI gene of venous thrombosis patients and healthy controls. Two of these were nonsense mutations and three were missense mutations in important regions of the protein. Here we report that two of these latter three mutations, F145L and Q384R, impair the inhibitory function of ZPI in vitro. Recombinant wild-type and mutant proteins were prepared; stability in response to thermal challenge was similar. Inhibition of FXa in the presence of the cofactor protein Z was reduced 68-fold by the Q384R mutant; inhibition of FXIa by the F145L mutant was reduced two- to three-fold compared to the wild-type ZPI. An analysis of all five ZPI mutations was undertaken in a cohort of venous thrombosis patients (n=550) compared to healthy controls (n=600). Overall, there was a modest increase in incidence of these mutations in the thrombosis group (odds ratio 2.0, 1.05–3.7, p=0.044). However, in contrast to W324X (nonsense mutation), the Q384R missense mutation and R88X nonsense mutation were evenly distributed in patients and controls; F145L was rare. The final mutation (S143Y) was also rare and did not significantly alter ZPI function in laboratory studies. The F145L and particularly the Q384R mutation impaired the function of the coagulation inhibitor ZPI; however, there was no convincing association between these mutations and venous thrombosis risk. The functional role for ZPI in vivo has yet to be clarified.


Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 3521-3521
Author(s):  
Yuheng Hong ◽  
Tianyuan Ren ◽  
Xiaoxuan Wang ◽  
Kai Fu ◽  
Xianhuo Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common lymphoid malignancy and is characterized by its pronounced genetic and clinical heterogeneity. Although the first-line therapy (R-CHOP) improves the curability of patients with DLBCL, nearly 40% remainder ultimately undergo relapsed or refractory disease. Emerging evidence has shown that TP53 mutations correlate with the recurrence and progression of DLBCL. APR-246, also known as PRIMA-1MET, can reactivate the trans-activation of TP53 mutants by facilitating their DNA binding to target genes, making it a promising therapeutic compound for mutated TP53 carcinomas. Although APR-246 in combination with other chemicals has been applied in clinical trials for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the efficacy and the underlying molecular mechanisms of APR-246 on DLBCL remain unclear. The arms are to investigate the TP53 mutations and the correlation of mutated TP53 with the prognosis. Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of APR-246 on DLBCL in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Multiple datasets, including the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and cBioPortal, were searched for available data for DLBCL. For evaluation of APR-246 effect on DLBCL in vitro, ten DLBCL cell lines harbouring different and representative molecular properties, especially distinct TP53 mutation status, were tested. To validate the therapeutic effect of APR-246 in vivo, NSG mice were injected subcutaneously with the DLBCL cells with TP53 mutations to establish a xenograft animal model, and then these mice received the APR-246 administration. The cell viability of DLBCL was measured post addition of APR-246. Pharmaceutical inhibition of different cell death pathways was applied to elucidate the mechanisms by which APR-246 functions. Results: Total 2204 patients with DLBCL were evaluated, of which nearly 15% contained TP53 mutations. The missense mutation of TP53 was up to 76% and mutations occurring in the DNA binding domain (DBD) was about 90%. Patients with TP53 mutations had poor OS (p=0.0118). Further, we found that patients with TP53 mutations in GCB and UNC subtypes exhibited inferior OS (p=0.043; p=0.049, respectively), but no in ABC subtype. Notably, TP53 single mutations located in the DBD (exon 5-8) led to an unfavorable survival (p=0.0263), while patients carrying TP53 multiple mutations and single mutations in other domains exhibited no difference in survival time than those with wild-type TP53. APR-246 induced the cell death in a dose dependent manner for all DLBCL cell lines. DLBCL cells with TP53 missense mutations in the DBD were the most sensitive to APR-246 than those with intact or other types of mutated TP53. APR-246 mediated the cell death via p53-dependent ferritinophagy for DLBCL cells with TP53 missense mutations in the DBD. In addition, APR-246 also induced the ferroptosis for other DLBCL cells harbouring wild type TP53 and other forms of TP53 mutations. Conclusions: Nearly 15% of patients with DLBCL harbouring TP53 mutations had inferior prognosis than those with wild-type TP53. Patients with TP53 single mutations occurred in the DBD (exon 5-8) showed poorer prognosis than those with TP53 multiple mutations and single mutations in other domains. APR-246 induced the cell death of DLBCL through different mechanisms, depend on different forms of TP53 mutations, which provided an evidence for clinical application of APR-246 in the treatment of DLBCL. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


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