ND disease - protein misfolding Flashcards
Seminal Experiment
Anfisen- seminal experiments using ribonuclease A as model. Used 2- mercaptoethanol and urea to denature the protein, showed spontaenous refolding when conditions removed.
Reasons why we can’t rely on spontaenous formation (4)
1) Some proteins too big - levinthal’s paradox
2) Crowded intracellular environment -
3) folding is diffusional search on a free energy surface and molecules must cross energy barriers to fold correctly
4) some proteins are metastable - devoid of ordered 3D structure.
3 main mechanisms for proteostasis
Molecular chaperones
Ubiquitin-proteasome system
Macroautophagy
Molecular chaperone example
HSp70- associates with short peptide sequences rich in hydrophobic and basic AA, co-chaperone Hsp40 provides substrate specificity. Can act synergistically with UPS.
Example Chaperonin
TriC/CCT larger, barrell shaped complex that encapsulates substrates providing protected folding environment.
Major risk factor for AD
ApoE4 variant of apolipoprotein. Jiang et al. add to cultured microglia and measure degradation of GFP tagged Abeta. Facilitatory role for ApoE in proteolytic clearance of soluble Abeta, effect enhanced by liver X receptors.
Clusterin
Found to sequester aggregation prone species in the ECS- GWAS studies by Lambert (2009) show strong genetic link with LOAD.
Kopito (2001)
investigate protein aggregation impairing proteostasis systems. HEK expressed reporter protein with degron-GFP construct. Transiently expressed mutant Huntingtin- produced near complete inhibition of system. + feedback explain sudden loss of neuronal function?
Why do ND diseases increase prevalence with age?
1) protein aggregation is stochastic - requiring years to initiate disease.
2) age = decrease in detoxification efficiency, aggregates build up
3) Cohen C. elegans, toxicity of Abeta mutant decreased when aging slowed by decreased IGF1 signalling. Suggestive of mechanistic link between aging and proteotoxicity.
Cohen (2006)
Work with C.Elegans shown that aggregation mediated Abeta1-42 toxicity was reduced when aging was slowed by decreased IGF1-like signalling, central to regulation of longevity in worms. Suggestive of a mechanistic link between the aging process and proteotoxicity
Cotman and Pike (1991)
In vitro demonstration that non-toxic abeta peptide could be converted to a toxic species after incubation for several days in buffer. SDS page analysis revealed species to have high molecular weight.
McClean (1999)
showed how soluble Abeta oligomeric species could be extracted using saline buffers from brain tissues of AD patients. Prescence of these species was more strongly correlated with disease symptoms than amyloid plaques.
Why can’t the toxic oligomer be isolated? 3
- possibility of artificially inducing oligomerization or denaturation during extraction or measurement.
- Generating oligomers in vitro challenged by dynamic conformation of these proteins in aqueous solutions.
- Possibility that a mixture of various aggregates and oligomers that interact with membranes and proteins in numerous non-specific ways.
Olzscha (2011)
cellular model based on expression of artificial proteins designed to form beta sheet structures, self assembling into fibrils in vitro. As de novo, effects attributed to aggregating protein alone, not loss of function. Expression in human cells lead to aggregation and toxicity- quantitative proteonomic analysis showed aggregates interacted with and sequestered many existing and new proteins.
What is the normal prion protein and what does it convert to? How do they differ
PrPc to PrPsc. Latter more beta sheets, amyloid fibrils form.
What characterises prion diseases? 3
- Vacuolation
- Astrocytic gliosis
- Spongifrom deposition
Name 3 prion diseases
- Creutzfeld Jakob disease
- Fatal familial insomnia
- Gerstmann-Straussler-Schinker disease
Kordower (2008)
Case reports show how grafted embryonic neurons transplanted into PD patients displayed slow but significant development of aggregates containing alpha-synuclein.
Eisele (2010)
cerebral beta-amyloidosis can be seeded in the brain by homologous protein aggregates delivered to the peritoneal cavity in transgenic mice
Kopito (2010) theory
Theorised that classical spread of neuropathology seed in both PD and AD could be attributable to spread along axonal pathways of infectious protein.