Cytotoxicity of albebetin oligomers depends on cross-β-sheet formation

AbstractPrefibrillar cytotoxicity was suggested as a common amyloid characteristic. We showed two types of albebetin prefibrillar oligomers are formed during incubation at pH 7.3. Initial round-shaped oligomers consist of 10–15 molecules determined by atomic force microscopy, do not bind thioflavin-T and do not affect viability of granular neurons and SH-SY5Y cells. They are converted into ca. 30–40-mers possessing cross-β-sheet and reducing viability of neuronal cells. Neither monomers nor fibrils possess cytotoxicity. We suggest that oligomeric size is important for stabilising cross-β-sheet core critical for cytotoxicity. As albebetin was used as a carrier-protein for drug delivery, examination of amyloidogenicity is required prior polypeptide biomedical applications

Pro-Inflammatory S100A8 and S100A9 Proteins: Self-Assembly into Multifunctional Native and Amyloid Complexes

S100A8 and S100A9 are EF-hand Ca2+ binding proteins belonging to the S100 family. They are abundant in cytosol of phagocytes and play critical roles in numerous cellular processes such as motility and danger signaling by interacting and modulating the activity of target proteins. S100A8 and S100A9 expression levels increased in many types of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and they are implicated in the numerous disease pathologies. The Ca2+ and Zn2+-binding properties of S100A8/A9 have a pivotal influence on their conformation and oligomerization state, including self-assembly into homo- and heterodimers, tetramers and larger oligomers. Here we review how the unique chemical and conformational properties of individual proteins and their structural plasticity at the quaternary level account for S100A8/A9 functional diversity. Additional functional diversification occurs via non-covalent assembly into oligomeric and fibrillar amyloid complexes discovered in the aging prostate and reproduced in vitro. This process is also regulated by Ca2+and Zn2+-binding and effectively competes with the formation of the native complexes. High intrinsic amyloid-forming capacity of S100A8/A9 proteins may lead to their amyloid depositions in numerous ailments characterized by their elevated expression patterns and have additional pathological significance requiring further thorough investigation

Amyloids here, amyloids there…What’s wrong with them?

Amyloid formation is inherent property of proteins which under certain circumstances can become a pathologic feature of a group of diseases called amyloidosis. There are about 30 known human amyloidosis and more than 27 identified proteins involved in these pathologies.  Besides these proteins, there are a growing number of proteins non-related to diseases shown to form amyloid-like structures in vitro, which make them excellent tools for studying amyloid formation mechanisms, physicochemical properties of different amyloid species and the nature of their influence on tissues and cells.  It is important to understand the mechanisms by which amyloids interact with different types of cells, as the leading hypothesis in amyloid field suggests that amyloids and especially their intermediate states are the main harmful, toxic species causing tissue and cell degeneration. Using de-novo synthesized protein albebetin as a model of amyloidogenic protein, we demonstrated that it forms amyloid-like structures under physiological conditions (pH 7 and 37°C). During aggregation it forms 2 different types of intermediate oligomers — cross-b sheet containing and lacking β-sheet oligomers. Only the former induces cellular toxicity in a dose dependent manner. Further aggregation leads to the formation of fully mature amyloid-like fibrils, which are not toxic to the cells during studied period of incubation. Another model protein in our studies was hen egg white lysozyme, which readily forms amyloid under denaturing conditions (pH 2,2 and 57°C). In contrast to albebetin and many other proteins reported in the literature, we showed that both oligomers and mature fibrils from hen lysozyme affect cell viability. Targeting different mechanisms involved in cellular death, we revealed that oligomers induce slow and apoptotic-like cell death, while mature fibrils cause rapid and mainly necrotic-like cellular death.    One of the important aspects of amyloid studies is to develop measures for inhibiting or re-directing the process of amyloid formation to abolish or neutralize toxic amyloid species. Among the agents having inhibitory or modulatory properties small, phenol containing molecules are widely studied. We investigated the effect of the novel nootropic drug noopept on amyloid formation process of α-synuclein, as this drug is a small dipeptide containing a phenol ring. We showed that noopept is able to modulate amyloid formation process by accelerating it to rapid conversion of α-synuclein into fully mature fibrils, thus eliminating the stage of population of toxic oligomeric species.  Using wide range of cytotoxicity assays we showed that amyloid-like fibrils formed in the presence of noopept have no cytotoxic properties.  As this medicine is becoming popular and freely available in some countries as a cognitive enhancer, neuroprotective and nootropic agent, further detailed investigations and clinical trials are needed to assess the safety and benefit of noopept in particular for the patients with amyloid related neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases).     While in vitro models are useful to study some specific aspects of protein aggregation, their properties and effects on cell viability, it is very difficult or practically impossible to create an absolutely accurate model of in vivo situation. Therefore, it is important to turn to in vivo/ex vivo studies to relate the knowledge accumulated from in vitro studies to the real situation in the body. Using human brain hippocampus tissues from individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, we found that besides well-known and widely accepted main pathological hallmark — Ab peptide deposition, S100A9 and S100A8 pro-inflammatory calcium-binding proteins are also localized in the plaques and in surrounding tissues and very explicitly co-localized with Ab. Moreover, we found the presence of S100A9 within the neuronal cells, which has not been reported before and can be an important clue for understanding the mechanisms of neurodegeneration. In vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that S100A9 protein can efficiently induce cytotoxicity when added exogenously to the neuronal cell culture. These findings suggest that S100A8 and S100A9 proteins play an important role in Alzheimer’s pathology, and potentially can be candidates for the amyloid plaque formation and neurodegeneration. Whether they are associated with inflammatory processes underlying the early onset of disease or produced and accumulated as a consequence of A-beta induced pathology remain to be clarified. We found that Alzheimer’s disease is not the only pathology associated with A-beta and S100A9 deposition in a form of plaques. Immunohistochemical studies of an aortic valve surgically removed from a patient with aortic stenosis revealed plaque-like structures positively stained with A-beta and S100A9 proteins. These areas are also positively stained with fibril-specific antibodies as well as with Congo red, which also shows very distinct apple-green birefringence under the polarized light. Besides, there is intracellular localization and co-localization of both proteins in interstitial cells throughout the whole fibrous tissue of the valve. The presented case report is the first finding suggesting inflammatory protein S100A9 as well as A-beta peptide as potential candidates for amyloid formation in aortic stenosis valves.  We suggest that there is a specific interaction between A-beta and S100A9 during amyloid formation, which can be involved in amyloid-associated pathology in various tissues and organs in the body, which can potentially be caused by inflammatory processes, particularly by its chronic, long lasting forms

Amyloids here, amyloids there…What’s wrong with them?

Amyloid formation is inherent property of proteins which under certain circumstances can become a pathologic feature of a group of diseases called amyloidosis. There are about 30 known human amyloidosis and more than 27 identified proteins involved in these pathologies.  Besides these proteins, there are a growing number of proteins non-related to diseases shown to form amyloid-like structures in vitro, which make them excellent tools for studying amyloid formation mechanisms, physicochemical properties of different amyloid species and the nature of their influence on tissues and cells.  It is important to understand the mechanisms by which amyloids interact with different types of cells, as the leading hypothesis in amyloid field suggests that amyloids and especially their intermediate states are the main harmful, toxic species causing tissue and cell degeneration. Using de-novo synthesized protein albebetin as a model of amyloidogenic protein, we demonstrated that it forms amyloid-like structures under physiological conditions (pH 7 and 37°C). During aggregation it forms 2 different types of intermediate oligomers — cross-b sheet containing and lacking β-sheet oligomers. Only the former induces cellular toxicity in a dose dependent manner. Further aggregation leads to the formation of fully mature amyloid-like fibrils, which are not toxic to the cells during studied period of incubation. Another model protein in our studies was hen egg white lysozyme, which readily forms amyloid under denaturing conditions (pH 2,2 and 57°C). In contrast to albebetin and many other proteins reported in the literature, we showed that both oligomers and mature fibrils from hen lysozyme affect cell viability. Targeting different mechanisms involved in cellular death, we revealed that oligomers induce slow and apoptotic-like cell death, while mature fibrils cause rapid and mainly necrotic-like cellular death.    One of the important aspects of amyloid studies is to develop measures for inhibiting or re-directing the process of amyloid formation to abolish or neutralize toxic amyloid species. Among the agents having inhibitory or modulatory properties small, phenol containing molecules are widely studied. We investigated the effect of the novel nootropic drug noopept on amyloid formation process of α-synuclein, as this drug is a small dipeptide containing a phenol ring. We showed that noopept is able to modulate amyloid formation process by accelerating it to rapid conversion of α-synuclein into fully mature fibrils, thus eliminating the stage of population of toxic oligomeric species.  Using wide range of cytotoxicity assays we showed that amyloid-like fibrils formed in the presence of noopept have no cytotoxic properties.  As this medicine is becoming popular and freely available in some countries as a cognitive enhancer, neuroprotective and nootropic agent, further detailed investigations and clinical trials are needed to assess the safety and benefit of noopept in particular for the patients with amyloid related neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases).     While in vitro models are useful to study some specific aspects of protein aggregation, their properties and effects on cell viability, it is very difficult or practically impossible to create an absolutely accurate model of in vivo situation. Therefore, it is important to turn to in vivo/ex vivo studies to relate the knowledge accumulated from in vitro studies to the real situation in the body. Using human brain hippocampus tissues from individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, we found that besides well-known and widely accepted main pathological hallmark — Ab peptide deposition, S100A9 and S100A8 pro-inflammatory calcium-binding proteins are also localized in the plaques and in surrounding tissues and very explicitly co-localized with Ab. Moreover, we found the presence of S100A9 within the neuronal cells, which has not been reported before and can be an important clue for understanding the mechanisms of neurodegeneration. In vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that S100A9 protein can efficiently induce cytotoxicity when added exogenously to the neuronal cell culture. These findings suggest that S100A8 and S100A9 proteins play an important role in Alzheimer’s pathology, and potentially can be candidates for the amyloid plaque formation and neurodegeneration. Whether they are associated with inflammatory processes underlying the early onset of disease or produced and accumulated as a consequence of A-beta induced pathology remain to be clarified. We found that Alzheimer’s disease is not the only pathology associated with A-beta and S100A9 deposition in a form of plaques. Immunohistochemical studies of an aortic valve surgically removed from a patient with aortic stenosis revealed plaque-like structures positively stained with A-beta and S100A9 proteins. These areas are also positively stained with fibril-specific antibodies as well as with Congo red, which also shows very distinct apple-green birefringence under the polarized light. Besides, there is intracellular localization and co-localization of both proteins in interstitial cells throughout the whole fibrous tissue of the valve. The presented case report is the first finding suggesting inflammatory protein S100A9 as well as A-beta peptide as potential candidates for amyloid formation in aortic stenosis valves.  We suggest that there is a specific interaction between A-beta and S100A9 during amyloid formation, which can be involved in amyloid-associated pathology in various tissues and organs in the body, which can potentially be caused by inflammatory processes, particularly by its chronic, long lasting forms

Endogenous Human Proteins Interfering with Amyloid Formation

Amyloid formation is a pathological process associated with a wide range of degenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes mellitus type 2. During disease progression, abnormal accumulation and deposition of proteinaceous material are accompanied by tissue degradation, inflammation, and dysfunction. Agents that can interfere with the process of amyloid formation or target already formed amyloid assemblies are consequently of therapeutic interest. In this context, a few endogenous proteins have been associated with an anti-amyloidogenic activity. Here, we review the properties of transthyretin, apolipoprotein E, clusterin, and BRICHOS protein domain which all effectively interfere with amyloid in vitro, as well as displaying a clinical impact in humans or animal models. Their involvement in the amyloid formation process is discussed, which may aid and inspire new strategies for therapeutic interventions

Morphological analysis of Apolipoprotein E binding to A beta Amyloid using a combination of Surface Plasmon Resonance, Immunogold Labeling and Scanning Electron Microscopy

Background: Immunogold labeling in combination with transmission electron microscopy analysis is a technique frequently used to correlate high-resolution morphology studies with detailed information regarding localization of specific antigens. Although powerful, the methodology has limitations and it is frequently difficult to acquire a stringent system where unspecific low-affinity interactions are removed prior to analysis. Results: We here describe a combinatorial strategy where surface plasmon resonance and immunogold labeling are used followed by a direct analysis of the sensor-chip surface by scanning electron microscopy. Using this approach, we have probed the interaction between amyloid-beta fibrils, associated to Alzheimer's disease, and apolipoprotein E, a well-known ligand frequently found co-deposited to the fibrillar form of A beta in vivo. The results display a lateral binding of ApoE along the amyloid fibrils and illustrates how the gold-beads represent a good reporter of the binding. Conclusions: This approach exposes a technique with generic features which enables both a quantitative and a morphological evaluation of a ligand-receptor based system. The methodology mediates an advantage compared to traditional immunogold labeling since all washing steps can be monitored and where a high stringency can be maintained throughout the experiment

Similarities in Blood Mononuclear Cell Membrane Phospholipid Profiles During Malignancy

Phospholipids (PLs), key elements of cellular membranes, are regulated reciprocally with membrane proteins and can act as sensors for alterations in physiological or pathological states of cells including initiation and development of cancer. On the other hand, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) play an important role in antitumor immune response by reacting to cancerous modifications in distant organs. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that tumor initiation and development are reflected in the alteration pattern of the MNC PL component. We analyzed MNC membrane PL fractions in samples from healthy individuals and from patients with diverse types of cancers to reveal possible alterations induced by malignancy. Compared to healthy controls, the cancer samples demonstrated shifts in several membrane PL profiles. In particular, when analyzing cancer data pooled together, there were significantly higher levels in lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine fractions, and significantly lower quantities in phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid fractions in cancer samples compared to controls. The levels of sphingomyelins and diphosphatidylglycerols were relatively unaffected. Most of the differences in PLs were sustained during the analysis of individual cancers such as breast cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Our findings suggest the presence of a common pattern of changes in MNC PLs during malignancy

Mechanisms of Transthyretin Inhibition of IAPP Amyloid Formation

Amyloid-formation by the islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), produced by the β-cells in the human pancreas, has been associated with the development of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The human plasma-protein transthyretin (TTR), a well-known amyloid-inhibiting protein, is interestingly also expressed within the IAPP producing β-cells. In the present study, we have characterized the ability of TTR to interfere with IAPP amyloid-formation, both in terms of its intrinsic stability as well as with regard to the effect of TTR-stabilizing drugs. The results show that TTR can prolong the lag-phase as well as impair elongation in the course of IAPP-amyloid formation. We also show that the interfering ability correlates inversely with the thermodynamic stability of TTR, while no such correlation was observed as a function of kinetic stability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the ability of TTR to interfere is maintained also at the low pH environment within the IAPP-containing granules of the pancreatic β-cells. However, at both neutral and low pH, the addition of TTR-stabilizing drugs partly impaired its efficacy. Taken together, these results expose mechanisms of TTR-mediated inhibition of IAPP amyloid-formation and highlights a potential therapeutic target to prevent the onset of T2DM

Scanning electron microscopy as a tool for evaluating morphology of amyloid structures formed on surface plasmon resonance chips

We demonstrate the use of Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) to probe and verify the formation of amyloid and its morphology on an SPR chip. SPR is a technique that measures changes in the immobilized weight on the chip surface and is frequently used to probe the formation and biophysical properties of amyloid structures. In this context it is of interest to also monitor the morphology of the formed structures. The SPR chip surface is made of a layer of gold, which represent a suitable material for direct analysis of the surface using SEM. The standard SPR chip used here (CM5-chip, GE Healthcare, Uppsala, Sweden) can easily be disassembled and directly analyzed by SEM. In order to verify the formation of amyloid fibrils in our experimental conditions we analyzed also in-solution produced structures by using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). For further details and experimental findings, please refer to the article published in Journal of Molecular Biology, (Brännström K. et al., 2018) [1].Refers to: Kristoffer Brännström, Tohidul Islam, Anna L. Gharibyan, Irina Iakovleva, Lina Nilsson, Cheng Choo Lee, Linda Sandblad, Annelie Pamrén, Anders Olofsson. The Properties of Amyloid-β Fibrils Are Determined by their Path of Formation. Journal of Molecular Biology, Volume 430, Issue 13, 22 June 2018, Pages 1940-1949</p