Sun Christopher, Slade Leah, Mbonu Prisca, Ordner Hunter, Mitchell Connor, Mitchell Matthew, Liang Fu-Cheng
Department of Biology, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX, USA.
Department of Chemistry, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX, USA.
FEBS J. 2024 Jan;291(1):158-176. doi: 10.1111/febs.16967. Epub 2023 Oct 11.
Protein aggregation is a biological phenomenon caused by the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides are derived from the cleavage of a larger membrane protein molecule and accumulate to form plaques extracellularly. According to the amyloid hypothesis, accumulation of Aβ aggregates in the brain is primarily responsible for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, the disassembly of Aβ aggregates may provide opportunities for alleviating or treating AD. Here, we show that the novel protein targeting machinery from chloroplast, chloroplast signal recognition particle 43 (cpSRP43), is an ATP-independent membrane protein chaperone that can both prevent and reverse Aβ aggregation effectively. Using of thioflavin T dye, we obtained the aggregation kinetics of Aβ aggregation and determined that the chaperone prevents Aβ aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner. Size exclusion chromatography and sedimentation assays showed that 10-fold excess of cpSRP43 can keep Aβ in the soluble monomeric form. Electron microscopy showed that the fibril structure was disrupted in the presence of this chaperone. Importantly, cpSRP43 utilizes the binding energy to actively remodel the preformed Aβ aggregates without assistance by a co-chaperone and ATP, emphasizing its unique function among protein chaperones. Moreover, when sodium chloride concentration is higher than 25 mm, the Aβ aggregation rate increases drastically to form tightly associated aggregates and generate more oligomers. Our results demonstrate that the presence of cpSRP43 and low NaCl levels inhibit or retard Aβ peptide aggregation, potentially opening new avenues to strategically develop an effective treatment for AD.
蛋白质聚集是由错误折叠的蛋白质积累引起的一种生物学现象。淀粉样β(Aβ)肽源自一种较大的膜蛋白分子的裂解,并在细胞外积累形成斑块。根据淀粉样蛋白假说,大脑中Aβ聚集体的积累是阿尔茨海默病(AD)发病机制的主要原因。因此,Aβ聚集体的拆解可能为缓解或治疗AD提供机会。在此,我们表明来自叶绿体的新型蛋白质靶向机制,即叶绿体信号识别颗粒43(cpSRP43),是一种不依赖ATP的膜蛋白伴侣,它可以有效预防和逆转Aβ聚集。使用硫黄素T染料,我们获得了Aβ聚集的动力学,并确定该伴侣以浓度依赖的方式预防Aβ聚集。尺寸排阻色谱和沉降分析表明,过量10倍的cpSRP43可以使Aβ保持可溶单体形式。电子显微镜显示在该伴侣存在的情况下原纤维结构被破坏。重要的是,cpSRP43利用结合能在没有共伴侣和ATP协助的情况下主动重塑预先形成的Aβ聚集体,强调了其在蛋白质伴侣中的独特功能。此外,当氯化钠浓度高于25 mM时,Aβ聚集速率急剧增加,形成紧密结合的聚集体并产生更多寡聚体。我们的结果表明,cpSRP43的存在和低NaCl水平会抑制或延缓Aβ肽聚集,这可能为战略性地开发AD的有效治疗方法开辟新途径。