scholarly journals Polyphosphate initiates tau aggregation through intra- and intermolecular scaffolding

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Wickramasinghe ◽  
J. Lempart ◽  
H. E. Merens ◽  
J. Murphy ◽  
U. Jakob ◽  
...  

AbstractThe aggregation and deposition of tau is a hallmark of a class of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. Despite intensive study, cellular and molecular factors that trigger tau aggregation are not well understood. Here we provide evidence for two mechanisms relevant to the initiation of tau aggregation in the presence of cytoplasmic polyphosphates (polyP): changes in the conformational ensemble of monomer tau and noncovalent cross-linking of multiple tau monomers. We identified conformational changes throughout full-length tau, most notably diminishment of long-range interactions between the termini coupled with compaction of the microtubule binding and proline rich regions. We found that while the proline rich and microtubule binding regions both contain polyP binding sites, the proline rich region is a requisite for compaction of the microtubule binding region upon binding. Additionally, both the magnitude of the conformational change and the aggregation of tau are dependent on the chain length of the polyP polymer. Longer polyP chains are more effective at intermolecular, noncovalent cross-linking of tau. These observations provide an understanding of the initial steps of tau aggregation through interaction with a physiologically relevant aggregation inducer.


Author(s):  
Emmanuel Prikas ◽  
Holly Ahel ◽  
Kristie Stefanoska ◽  
Prita Riana Asih ◽  
Alexander Volkerling ◽  
...  

The microtubule-associated protein tau is a key factor in neurodegenerative proteinopathies and is predominantly found in the neuronal axon. However, somatodendritic localization of tau occurs for a subset of pathological and physiologic tau. Dendritic tau can localize to post-synapses where it interacts with proteins of the post-synaptic density (PSD) protein PSD-95, a membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) scaffold factor for organization of protein complexes within the PSD, to mediate downstream signals. The sub-molecular details of this interaction, however, remain unclear. Here, we use interaction mapping in cultured cells to demonstrate that tau interacts with the guanylate kinase (GUK) domain in the C-terminal region of PSD-95. The PSD-95 GUK domain is required and sufficient for a complex with full-length human tau. Mapping the interaction of the MAGUK core on tau revealed the microtubule binding repeats 2 and 3 and the proline-rich region contribute to this interaction, while the N- and C-terminal regions of tau inhibit interaction. These results reveal intramolecular determinants of the protein complex of tau and PSD-95 and increase our understanding of tau interactions regulating neurotoxic signaling at the molecular level.



2001 ◽  
Vol 357 (3) ◽  
pp. 759-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen EIDENMÜLLER ◽  
Thomas FATH ◽  
Thorsten MAAS ◽  
Madeline POOL ◽  
Estelle SONTAG ◽  
...  

The microtubule-associated tau proteins represent a family of closely related phosphoproteins that become enriched in the axons during brain development. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), tau aggregates somatodendritically in paired helical filaments in a hyperphosphorylated form. Most of the sites that are phosphorylated to a high extent in paired helical filament tau are clustered in the proline-rich region (P-region; residues 172–251) and the C-terminal tail region (C-region; residues 368–441) that flank tau's microtubule-binding repeats. This might point to a role of a region-specific phosphorylation cluster for the pathogenesis of AD. To determine the functional consequences of such modifications, mutated tau proteins were produced in which a P- or C-region-specific phosphorylation cluster was simulated by replacement of serine/threonine residues with glutamate. We show that a phosphorylation-mimicking glutamate cluster in the P-region is sufficient to block microtubule assembly and to inhibit tau's interaction with the dominant brain phosphatase protein phosphatase 2A isoform ABαC. P-region-specific mutations also decrease tau aggregation into filaments and decrease tau's process-inducing activity in a cellular transfection model. In contrast, a phosphorylation-mimicking glutamate cluster in the C-region is neutral with regard to these activities. A glutamate cluster in both the P- and C-regions induces the formation of SDS-resistant conformational domains in tau and suppresses tau's interaction with the neural membrane cortex. The results indicate that modifications in the proline-rich region are sufficient to induce the functional deficiencies of tau that have been observed in AD. They suggest that phosphorylation of the proline-rich region has a crucial role in mediating tau-related changes during disease.



2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen McKibben ◽  
Elizabeth Rhoades

AbstractTau is an intrinsically disordered, microtubule-associated protein with a role in regulating microtubule dynamics. Despite intensive research, the molecular mechanisms of taumediated microtubule polymerization are poorly understood. Here we use single molecule fluorescence to investigate the role of tau’s N-terminal domain (NTD) and proline rich region (PRR) in regulating interactions of tau with soluble tubulin. Both full-length tau isoforms and truncated variants are assayed for their ability to bind soluble tubulin and stimulate microtubule polymerization. We describe a novel role for tau’s PRR as an independent tubulin-binding domain with polymerization capacity. In contrast to the relatively weak tubulin interactions distributed throughout the microtubule binding repeats (MTBR), resulting in heterogeneous tau:tubulin complexes, the PRR binds tubulin tightly and stoichiometrically. Moreover, we demonstrate that interactions between the PRR and MTBR are reduced by the NTD through a conserved conformational ensemble. Based on our data, we propose that tau’s PRR can serve as a core tubulin-binding domain, while the MTBR enhances polymerization capacity by increasing the local tubulin concentration. The NTD negatively regulates tubulin-binding interactions of both of these domains. This study draws attention to the central role of the PRR in tau function, as well as providing mechanistic insight into tau-mediated polymerization of tubulin.Significance StatementTau is an intrinsically disordered, microtubule associated protein linked to a number of neurodegenerative disorders. Here we identify tau’s proline rich region as having autonomous tubulin binding and polymerization capacity, which is enhanced by the flanking microtubule binding repeats. Moreover, we demonstrate that tau’s N-terminal domain negatively regulates both binding and polymerization. We propose a novel model for tau-mediated polymerization whereby the proline rich region serves as a core tubulin-binding domain, while the microtubule binding repeats increase the local concentration. Our work draws attention to the importance of the proline rich region and N-terminal domain in tau function, and highlights the proline rich region as a putative target for the development of therapeutics.



1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (01) ◽  
pp. 138-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takaaki Hato ◽  
Akito Watanabe ◽  
Shingo Nakatani ◽  
Yoko Minamoto ◽  
Shigeru Fujita

SummaryConformational changes in platelet membrane glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa, whose nature is not defined, lead to exposure of fibrinogen binding sites. We have reported previously that F(ab’)2fragments of a monoclonal antibody, PMA4, directed against the GPIIb-IIIa complex- specific domain, induced binding of fibrinogen to platelets without causing intracellular activation, whereas Fab did not. In this study, we examined the mechanism responsible for the difference in the ability of PMA4 F(ab’)2and Fab to expose fibrinogen binding sites. PMA4 Fab had affinity for GPIIb-IIIa similar to that of PMA4 F(ab’)2. Addition of F(ab’)2goat anti-mouse Fab antibody to cross-link PMA4 Fab-bound GPIIb-IIIa molecules induced fibrinogen binding. There was a direct correlation between the number of molecules of PMA4 F(ab’)2and the amount of fibrinogen bound. PMA4 did not recognize ligand-induced binding sites (LIBS). These results suggest that the cross-linking of special sites on the GPIIb-IIIa complex-specific domain by bivalent antibody alters the conformation of GPIIb-IIIa to a state competent to bind soluble fibrinogen and that conformational changes in non-LIBS are involved in the mechanism for exposing fibrinogen binding sites on GPIIb-IIIa.



1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
B L Goode ◽  
P E Denis ◽  
D Panda ◽  
M J Radeke ◽  
H P Miller ◽  
...  

Tau is a neuronal microtubule-associated protein that promotes microtubule assembly, stability, and bundling in axons. Two distinct regions of tau are important for the tau-microtubule interaction, a relatively well-characterized "repeat region" in the carboxyl terminus (containing either three or four imperfect 18-amino acid repeats separated by 13- or 14-amino acid long inter-repeats) and a more centrally located, relatively poorly characterized proline-rich region. By using amino-terminal truncation analyses of tau, we have localized the microtubule binding activity of the proline-rich region to Lys215-Asn246 and identified a small sequence within this region, 215KKVAVVR221, that exerts a strong influence on microtubule binding and assembly in both three- and four-repeat tau isoforms. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments indicate that these capabilities are derived largely from Lys215/Lys216 and Arg221. In marked contrast to synthetic peptides corresponding to the repeat region, peptides corresponding to Lys215-Asn246 and Lys215-Thr222 alone possess little or no ability to promote microtubule assembly, and the peptide Lys215-Thr222 does not effectively suppress in vitro microtubule dynamics. However, combining the proline-rich region sequences (Lys215-Asn246) with their adjacent repeat region sequences within a single peptide (Lys215-Lys272) enhances microtubule assembly by 10-fold, suggesting intramolecular interactions between the proline-rich and repeat regions. Structural complexity in this region of tau also is suggested by sequential amino-terminal deletions through the proline-rich and repeat regions, which reveal an unusual pattern of loss and gain of function. Thus, these data lead to a model in which efficient microtubule binding and assembly activities by tau require intramolecular interactions between its repeat and proline-rich regions. This model, invoking structural complexity for the microtubule-bound conformation of tau, is fundamentally different from previous models of tau structure and function, which viewed tau as a simple linear array of independently acting tubulin-binding sites.



Author(s):  
D. James Morré ◽  
Charles E. Bracker ◽  
William J. VanDerWoude

Calcium ions in the concentration range 5-100 mM inhibit auxin-induced cell elongation and wall extensibility of plant stems. Inhibition of wall extensibility requires that the tissue be living; growth inhibition cannot be explained on the basis of cross-linking of carboxyl groups of cell wall uronides by calcium ions. In this study, ultrastructural evidence was sought for an interaction of calcium ions with some component other than the wall at the cell surface of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) hypocotyls.



1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 2294-2301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Wu ◽  
Stathis Frillingos ◽  
John Voss ◽  
H. Ronald Kaback


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6293-6304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vesco Mutskov ◽  
Delphine Gerber ◽  
Dimitri Angelov ◽  
Juan Ausio ◽  
Jerry Workman ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In this study, we examined the effect of acetylation of the NH2 tails of core histones on their binding to nucleosomal DNA in the absence or presence of bound transcription factors. To do this, we used a novel UV laser-induced protein-DNA cross-linking technique, combined with immunochemical and molecular biology approaches. Nucleosomes containing one or five GAL4 binding sites were reconstituted with hypoacetylated or hyperacetylated core histones. Within these reconstituted particles, UV laser-induced histone-DNA cross-linking was found to occur only via the nonstructured histone tails and thus presented a unique tool for studying histone tail interactions with nucleosomal DNA. Importantly, these studies demonstrated that the NH2 tails were not released from nucleosomal DNA upon histone acetylation, although some weakening of their interactions was observed at elevated ionic strengths. Moreover, the binding of up to five GAL4-AH dimers to nucleosomes occupying the central 90 bp occurred without displacement of the histone NH2 tails from DNA. GAL4-AH binding perturbed the interaction of each histone tail with nucleosomal DNA to different degrees. However, in all cases, greater than 50% of the interactions between the histone tails and DNA was retained upon GAL4-AH binding, even if the tails were highly acetylated. These data illustrate an interaction of acetylated or nonacetylated histone tails with DNA that persists in the presence of simultaneously bound transcription factors.



1995 ◽  
Vol 270 (23) ◽  
pp. 14209-14213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Wu ◽  
Michael J. Matunis ◽  
Doris Kraemer ◽  
Günter Blobel ◽  
Elias Coutavas


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