Thursday, March 11, 2021

Beta Amyloid Peptide: Research Paper : Concomitant gain and loss of function pathomechanisms in C9ORF72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Concomitant gain and loss of function pathomechanisms in C9ORF72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

Intronic hexanucleotide repeat expansions (HREs) in C9ORF72 are the most frequent genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a devastating, incurable motoneuron (MN) disease. The mechanism by which HREs trigger pathogenesis remains elusive. The discovery of repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation of dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) from HREs along with reduced exonic C9ORF72 expression suggests gain of toxic functions (GOFs) through DPRs versus loss of C9ORF72 functions (LOFs). Through multiparametric high-content (HC) live profiling in spinal MNs from induced pluripotent stem cells and comparison to mutant FUS and TDP43, we show that HRE C9ORF72 caused a distinct, later spatiotemporal appearance of mainly proximal axonal organelle motility deficits concomitant to augmented DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), RNA foci, DPRs, and apoptosis. We show that both GOFs and LOFs were necessary to yield the overall C9ORF72 pathology. Increased RNA foci and DPRs concurred with onset of axon trafficking defects, DSBs, and cell death, although DSB induction itself did not phenocopy C9ORF72 mutants. Interestingly, the majority of LOF-specific DEGs were shared with HRE-mediated GOF DEGs. Finally, C9ORF72 LOF was sufficient-albeit to a smaller extent-to induce premature distal axonal trafficking deficits and increased DSBs.

This article originally appeared in the "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33619157/" and has their copyrights. We do not claim copyright on the content. This information is for research purposes only. This Blog is made available by publishers for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding , not to provide specific advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no client relationship between you and the Blog publisher. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent research advice.  



Beta Amyloid Peptide: Research Paper : Exploring new avenues for modifying course of progression of Alzheimer's disease: The rise of natural medicine

Exploring new avenues for modifying course of progression of Alzheimer's disease: The rise of natural medicine

Abstract

With a constantly growing elderly population worldwide, a focus on developing efficient prevention and therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) seems timely and topical. Emphasis on natural medicine is increasingly popular in the search for drug candidates that are capable of preventing and treating AD related pathology, particularly where suppression of amyloid accumulation, neurofibrillary tangle formation, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are equally significant. A number of phytochemical compounds have been shown to collectively reduce these AD hallmarks with the progression of natural drug candidates into human clinical trials. This review focuses on current research surrounding the therapies emerging within natural medicines and their related therapeutic potential for AD treatment.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Natural medicine; Neuro-inflammation; Oxidative stress.

This article originally appeared in the "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33607542/" and has their copyrights. We do not claim copyright on the content. This information is for research purposes only. This Blog is made available by publishers for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding , not to provide specific advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no client relationship between you and the Blog publisher. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent research advice.  



Beta Amyloid Peptide: Research Paper : AAV9-mediated gene delivery of MCT1 to oligodendrocytes does not provide a therapeutic benefit in a mouse model of ALS

AAV9-mediated gene delivery of MCT1 to oligodendrocytes does not provide a therapeutic benefit in a mouse model of ALS

Abstract

Oligodendrocyte dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor neuron loss. The failure of trophic support provided by oligodendrocytes is associated with a concomitant reduction in oligodendroglial monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) expression and is detrimental for the long-term survival of motor neuron axons. Therefore, we established an adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-based platform by which MCT1 was targeted mostly to white matter oligodendrocytes to investigate whether this approach could provide a therapeutic benefit in the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS. Despite good oligodendrocyte transduction and AAV-mediated MCT1 transgene expression, the disease outcome of SOD1G93A mice was not altered. Our study further increases our current understanding about the complex nature of oligodendrocyte pathology in ALS and provides valuable insights into the future development of therapeutic strategies to efficiently modulate these cells.

Keywords: adeno-associated virus; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; gene therapy; monocarboxylate transporter 1; oligodendrocytes.

This article originally appeared in the "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33614825/" and has their copyrights. We do not claim copyright on the content. This information is for research purposes only. This Blog is made available by publishers for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding , not to provide specific advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no client relationship between you and the Blog publisher. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent research advice.  



Beta Amyloid Peptide: Research Paper : Smallest Secondary Nucleation Competent Aβ Aggregates Probed by an ATP-Independent Molecular Chaperone Domain

Smallest Secondary Nucleation Competent Aβ Aggregates Probed by an ATP-Independent Molecular Chaperone Domain

Abstract

Protein oligomerization is a commonly encountered strategy by which the functional repertoire of proteins is increased. This, however, is a double-edged sword strategy because protein oligomerization is notoriously difficult to control. Living organisms have therefore developed a number of chaperones that prevent protein aggregation. The small ATP-independent molecular chaperone domain proSP-C BRICHOS, which is mainly trimeric, specifically inhibits fibril surface-catalyzed nucleation reactions that give rise to toxic oligomers during the aggregation of the Alzheimer's disease-related amyloid-β peptide (Aβ42). Here, we have created a stable proSP-C BRICHOS monomer mutant and show that it does not bind to monomeric Aβ42 but has a high affinity for Aβ42 fibrils, using surface plasmon resonance. Kinetic analysis of Aβ42 aggregation profiles, measured by thioflavin T fluorescence, reveals that the proSP-C BRICHOS monomer mutant strongly inhibits secondary nucleation reactions and thereby reduces the level of catalytic formation of toxic Aβ42 oligomers. To study binding between the proSP-C BRICHOS monomer mutant and small soluble Aβ42 aggregates, we analyzed fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy measurements with the maximum entropy method for fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We found that the proSP-C BRICHOS monomer mutant binds to the smallest emerging Aβ42 aggregates that are comprised of eight or fewer Aβ42 molecules, which are already secondary nucleation competent. Our approach can be used to provide molecular-level insights into the mechanisms of action of substances that interfere with protein aggregation.

This article originally appeared in the "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33621049/" and has their copyrights. We do not claim copyright on the content. This information is for research purposes only. This Blog is made available by publishers for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding , not to provide specific advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no client relationship between you and the Blog publisher. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent research advice.  



Beta Amyloid Peptide: Research Paper : Secondary Structures of Proteins: A Comparison of Models and Experimental Results

Secondary Structures of Proteins: A Comparison of Models and Experimental Results

Abstract

Secondary structure predictions of proteins were compared to experimental results by wide-line 1H NMR. IUPred2A was used to generate predictions of disordered protein or binding regions. Thymosin-β4 and the stabilin-2 cytoplasmic domain were found to be mainly disordered, in agreement with the experimental results. α-Synuclein variants were predicted to be disordered, as in the experiments, but the A53T mutant showed less predicted disorder, in contrast with the wide-line 1H NMR result. A disordered binding site was found for thymosin-β4, whereas the stabilin-2 cytoplasmic domain was indicated as such in its entire length. The last third of the α-synuclein variant's sequence was a disordered binding site. Thymosin-β4 and the stabilin-2 cytoplasmic domain contained only coils and helices according to five secondary structure prediction methods (SPIDER3-SPOT-1D, PSRSM, MUFold-SSW, Porter 5, and RaptorX). β-Sheets are present in α-synucleins, and they extend to more amino acid residues in the A53T mutant according to the predictions. The latter is verified by experiments. The comparison of the predictions with the experiments suggests that helical parts are buried.

This article originally appeared in the "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33620224/" and has their copyrights. We do not claim copyright on the content. This information is for research purposes only. This Blog is made available by publishers for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding , not to provide specific advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no client relationship between you and the Blog publisher. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent research advice.  



Beta Amyloid Peptide: Research Paper : Mechanistic Insights into the Co-Aggregation of Aβ and hIAPP: An All-Atom Molecular Dynamic Study

Mechanistic Insights into the Co-Aggregation of Aβ and hIAPP: An All-Atom Molecular Dynamic Study

Abstract

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have a high risk of developing Type II diabetes (T2D). The co-aggregation of the two disease-related proteins, Aβ and hIAPP, has been proposed as a potential molecular mechanism. However, the detailed Aβ-hIAPP interactions and structural characteristics of co-aggregates are mostly unknown at atomic level. Here, we explore the conformational ensembles of the Aβ-hIAPP heterodimer and Aβ or hIAPP homodimer by performing all-atom explicit-solvent replica exchange molecular dynamic simulations. Our simulations show that the interaction propensity of Aβ-hIAPP in the heterodimer is comparable with that of Aβ-Aβ/hIAPP-hIAPP in the homodimer. Similar hot spot residues of Aβ/hIAPP in the homodimer and heterodimer are identified, indicating that both Aβ and hIAPP have similar molecular recognition sites for self-aggregation and co-aggregation. Aβ in the heterodimer possesses three high β-sheet probability regions: the N-terminal region E3-H6, the central hydrophobic core region K16-E22, and the C-terminal hydrophobic region I31-A41, which is highly similar to Aβ in the homodimer. More importantly, in the heterodimer, the regions E3-H6, F19-E22, and I31-M35 of Aβ and the amyloid core region N20-T30 of hIAPP display higher β-sheet probability than they do in homodimer, implying their crucial roles in the formation of β-sheet-rich co-aggregates. Our study sheds light on the co-aggregation of Aβ and hIAPP at an atomic level, which will be helpful for an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanism for epidemiological correlation of AD and T2D.

This article originally appeared in the "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33616398/" and has their copyrights. We do not claim copyright on the content. This information is for research purposes only. This Blog is made available by publishers for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding , not to provide specific advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no client relationship between you and the Blog publisher. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent research advice.  



Beta Amyloid Peptide: Research Paper : Peptidomimetic-Based Vesicles Inhibit Amyloid-β Fibrillation and Attenuate Cytotoxicity

Peptidomimetic-Based Vesicles Inhibit Amyloid-β Fibrillation and Attenuate Cytotoxicity

Abstract

An interruption in Aβ homeostasis leads to the deposit of neurotoxic amyloid plaques and is associated with Alzheimer's disease. A supramolecular strategy based on the assembly of peptidomimetic agents into functional vesicles has been conceived for the simultaneous inhibition of Aβ42 fibrillation and expedited clearance of Aβ42 aggregates. Tris-pyrrolamide peptidomimetic, ADH-353, contains one hydrophobic N-butyl and two hydrophilic N-propylamine side chains and readily forms vesicles under physiological conditions. These vesicles completely rescue both mouse neuroblastoma N2a and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells from the cytotoxicity that follows from Aβ42 misfolding likely in mitochondria. Biophysical studies, including confocal imaging, demonstrate the biocompatibility and selectivity of the approach toward this aberrant protein assembly in cellular milieu.

This article originally appeared in the "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33600171/" and has their copyrights. We do not claim copyright on the content. This information is for research purposes only. This Blog is made available by publishers for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding , not to provide specific advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no client relationship between you and the Blog publisher. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent research advice.