Nanomedicine and protein misfolding diseases

Misfolding and self assembly of proteins in nano-aggregates of different sizes and morphologies (nano-ensembles, primarily nanofilaments and nano-rings) is a complex phenomenon that can be facilitated, impeded, or prevented, by interactions with various intracellular metabolites, intracellular nanomachines controlling protein folding and interactions with other proteins. A fundamental understanding of molecular processes leading to misfolding and self-aggregation of proteins involved in various neurodegenerative diseases will provide critical information to help identify appropriate therapeutic routes to control these processes. An elevated propensity of misfolded protein conformation in solution to aggregate with the formation of various morphologies impedes the use of traditional physical chemical approaches for studies of misfolded conformations of proteins. In our recent alternative approach, the protein molecules were tethered to surfaces to prevent aggregation and AFM force spectroscopy was used to probe the interaction between protein molecules depending on their conformations. It was shown that formation of filamentous aggregates is facilitated at pH values corresponding to the maximum of rupture forces. In this paper, a novel surface chemistry was developed for anchoring of amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides at their N-terminal moieties. The use of the site specific immobilization procedure allowed to measure the rupture of Abeta-Abeta contacts at single molecule level. The rupture of these contacts is accompanied by the extension of the peptide chain detected by a characteristic elasto-mechanical component of the force-distance curves. Potential applications of the nanomechanical studies to understanding the mechanisms of development of protein misfolding diseases are discussed.     

Inhibition of autophosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor by small peptides in vitro

1. Inhibition of uncontrolled epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the approaches for the treatment of breast and lung cancers. We designed oligopeptides consisting of amino-acid sequences of the major (Y1068, Y1148, and Y1173) and minor (Y992) autophosphorylation sites of EGFR. These peptides may be exogenous substrates or pseudosubstrates that interfere with the autophosphorylation of EGFR. The effects of the peptides on autophosphorylation of EGFR were studied. 2. Purified EGFR was phosphorylated in vitro with EGF in the presence of various synthetic peptides. The phosphorylation level of EGFR was then evaluated after SDS-PAGE separation, followed by Western blot analysis with antiphosphotyrosine antibody. 3. Ac-VPEYINQ-NH2 (Y1068) and Ac-DYQQD-NH2 (Y1148) showed the most potent inhibitory effects, followed by Ac-ENAEYLR-NH2 (Y1173). These peptides at 4 mM suppressed phosphorylation to 30-50%. 4. Combination of the three kinds of peptides much more strongly inhibited autophosphorylation. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value was 0.5 mM as a mixture and was comparable to that of AG1478 (IC50, 0.3 mM) at 0.2 mM ATP. 5. Neither Ac-DIYET-NH2 or Ac-KIYEK-NH2, designed previously based on the amino-acid sequence of an autophosphorylation site of insulin receptor, nor their related (Ac-KIFMK-NH2) or unrelated (Ac-LPFFD-NH2) peptides showed an inhibitory effect. These results suggest that the small peptides that originated from the autophosphorylation sites of EGFR interact solely with EGFR. 6. The peptides containing the sequences surrounding Y1068, Y1148, and Y1173 may be a promising seed for the development of therapeutic agents for breast and lung cancers.     

Inhibition of protein kinase C by defensins, antibiotic peptides from human neutrophils

Defensins, human neutrophil peptide (HNP) antibiotics, potently inhibited phospholipid/Ca2+ protein kinase (protein kinase C, PKC) and phosphorylation of endogenous proteins from rat brains catalyzed by the enzyme. Of the three defensin peptides, HNP-2 appeared to be more potent than HNP-1 and HNP-3. Kinetic studies indicated that defensins inhibited PKC noncompetitively with respect to phosphatidylserine (a phospholipid cofactor), Ca2+ (an activator), ATP (a phosphoryl donor) and histone H1 (a substrate protein) with Ki values ranging from 1.2 to 1.7 microM. Defensins, unlike polymyxin B (another peptide inhibitor of PKC), did not inhibit the binding of [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate to PKC; however, defensins, like polymyxin B, inhibited the PKC activity stimulated by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Defensins had little or no effect on myosin light chain kinase (a calmodulin/Ca2+-dependent protein kinase) and the holoenzyme or catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, indicating a specificity of action of defensins. It is suggested that defensins, among the most potent peptide inhibitors of PKC so far identified, may have profound effects on functions of neutrophils and other mammalian cells, in addition to their well-recognized antimicrobial activities.     

Inhibition of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation by uteroglobin

Uteroglobin, a steroid-dependent, small molecular weight (15K) protein in the rabbit, inhibited thrombin-induced aggregation of both rabbit and human gel-filtered platelets (GFP). GFP aggregation by arachidonic acid was not affected by uteroglobin. There were no effects of uteroglobin on thrombin-induced clotting of plasma or purified fibrinogen, or inhibition of thrombin by antithrombin III. Additionally, preliminary results suggest that uteroglobin does not interfere with binding of thrombin to platelets. We suggest that inhibition of platelet aggregation by uteroglobin may function in preventing thrombosis and ensuring free flow of blood through the microvasculature of the uterus and the placenta and may induce some of the antimotility effects of progesterone on the uterus.     

Inhibition of aggregate formation as therapeutic target in protein misfolding diseases: effect of tetracycline and trehalose

Importance of the field: The identification of molecules that inhibit protein deposition or reverse fibril formation could open new strategies for therapeutic intervention in misfolding diseases. Numerous compounds have been shown to inhibit amyloid fibril formation in vitro. Among these compounds, tetracycline and the disaccharide trehalose have been reported to inhibit or reverse amyloid aggregation but their efficiency as potential drugs is controversial.

Areas covered in this review: The results obtained using tetracycline and trehalose, reported in the last 15 years, are described and discussed.

What the reader will gain: The conclusions have important implications for the development of therapeutic agents for protein deposition diseases. If fibrillar proteins contribute to cell degeneration, then the disassembly of fibrils may reverse or slow down disease progression; however, if the action of therapeutic agents produces intermediates of fibrillation and/or products of fibril disaggregation, then their accumulation could be harmful.

Take home message: Care should be taken to ensure that strategies aimed at inhibiting fibril formation do not cause a corresponding increase in the concentration of toxic oligomeric species.     

Protein G, protein A and protein A-derived peptides inhibit the agitation induced aggregation of IgG

Controlling and preventing aggregation is critical to the development of safe and effective antibody drug products. The studies presented here test the hypothesis that protein A and protein G inhibit the agitation-induced aggregation of IgG. The hypothesis is motivated by the enhanced conformational stability of proteins upon ligand binding and the specific binding affinity of protein A and protein G to the Fc region of IgG. The aggregation of mixed human IgG from pooled human plasma was induced by agitation alone or in the presence of (i) protein A, (ii) protein G or (iii) a library of 24 peptides derived from the IgG-binding domain of protein A. Aggregation was assessed by UV spectroscopy, SDS-PAGE, high performance size-exclusion chromatography (HP-SEC), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Additional information on IgG-ligand interactions was obtained using differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) and competitive binding studies. The results demonstrate that protein A provides near-complete inhibition of agitation-induced aggregation, while protein G and two peptides from the peptide library show partial inhibition. The findings indicate that the IgG protein A-binding site is involved in the agitation-induced aggregation of IgG, and suggest a dominant role of colloidal interactions.     

Inhibition of platelet aggregation by adenosine receptor agonists

2-(Ar)alkoxyadenosines, which are agonists selective for the A_2AAR in PC 12 cell and rat striatum membranes, are also agonists at the A₂AR coupled to adenylate cyclase (AC) that mediates the inhibition of platelet aggregation. A panel of twelve well-characterized adenosine analogues stimulated human platelet AC and inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation at sub- to low-micromolar concentrations with a potency ranking CGS 21680 < adenosine < R-PIA. There were significant correlations between the ECso of anti-aggregatory activity and either the ECso of stimulation of platelet and PC 12 cell AC (r ² = 0.66 and 0.67, respectively) or the K₁ of inhibition of [³H]NECA binding to the rat striatum membranes (r ² = 0.75). Likewise, platelet AC stimulation correlated well with stimulation of PC 12 cell AC and with [³H]NECA binding (r ² = 0.94 and 0.91, respectively). Ten 2-(ar)alkoxyadenosines stimulated platelet AC at EC₅₀s ranging between 0.16 and 2.3 μM and inhibited platelet aggregation at EC₅₀s ranging between 2 and 30 μM. There were no correlations between the EC₅₀s of anti-aggregatory activity and either the EC₅₀s of the stimulation of platelet or PC 12 AC (r ² = 0.08 and 0.06, respectively) or with the K₁ of the inhibition of [³H]NECA binding to the A_2aAR in rat striatum (r ² = 0.02). The EC₅₀s of the stimulation of platelet AC correlated with those of the stimulation of PC 12 AC (r ² = 0.48), and also with the K₁ of [³H]NECA binding (r ² = 0.71). Each of the 23 adenosines completely inhibited platelet aggregation and thus, functionally, all behaved as full agonists. As stimulants of PC 12 cell AC, Group A and B analogues were equally efficacious. As stimulants of platelet AC, however, the efficacy relative to NECA ( = 1.0) of Group B analogues was significantly less than that of Group A analogues, 0.49 ± 0.2 vs. 0.72 ± 0.05, P±0.01. The partial agonist activity of Group B analogues at the platelet A2AR but full agonist activity at the PC 12 cell A_2aAR, as well as the relatively low correlations between platelet AC stimulation and other indices of A_2aAR agonist actlVlty, suggest the platelet receptor is not a typical A_2aAR. Further, the lack of a correlation between the platelet anti-aggregatory and AC stimulatory activity suggests that (a) the 2-(ar)alkoxyadenosines might affect platelet aggregation by mechanisms other than AC stimulation or (b) that the stimulation of the platelet membrane AC by 2-(ar)alkoxy-adenosines does not correspond to the accumulation of cyclic AMP in intact platelets.     

牛心内膜腺苷三磷酸双磷酸酶对血小板聚集的抑制作用(英文)

目的:研究牛心内膜内皮细胞(EEC)腺苷三磷酸双磷酸酶的抗血小板聚集效应。方法:培养牛EEC。以高效液相色谱法测定ADP,用比浊法测血小板聚集。结果:ADP 500μmol·L~(-1)与EEC温孵后,引起ADP浓度进行性地降低。与此相适应的是,未代谢的ADP诱导血小板聚集的能力也降低。在阿司匹林处理过的EEC 1×10~9cells·L~(-1)存在下,凝血酶500U·L~(-1)及PAF 1nmol·L~(-1)诱导的经阿司匹林1mmol·L~(-1)及亚甲基蓝10μmol·L~(-1)处理过的血小板聚集明显受到抑制,且聚集是可逆的;EEC的此种作用类似于腺苷三磷酸双磷酸酶的作用。EEC明显抑制ADP 5μmol·L~(-1)诱导的血小板聚集,但不能抑制ADP-β-S 15μmol·L~(-1)诱导的血小板聚集。结论:腺苷三磷酸双磷酸酶水解ADP是牛EEC重要的抗血栓机制。     

Inhibition of platelet aggregation by polyaspartoyl L-arginine and its mechanism

AIM: To observe the oral anti-platelet efficacy and the potential action mechanism of polyaspartoyl L-arginine (PDR), a new L-arginine rich compound. METHODS: Platelet aggregation was conducted by Born's method; bleeding time was determined using tail's bleeding time in mice; platelet adhesion was carried out with glass bottle method; nitric oxide (NO) was tested with Griess's method; and cAMP, thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)) and 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha ) were assessed with commercial kits. RESULTS: The inhibition by PDR (15-60 mg/kg i.g. or 10 mg/kg i.v.) of platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP), collagen or thrombin at 1 h after oral administration or at 20 min after i.v. injection for rats (P<0.01), and its (15 mg/kg, i.g.) inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation for rabbits during 6 h after administration were observed. PDR (15-60 mg/kg) prolonged the bleeding time of mice (P<0.05) and (30 mg/kg) increased NO concentration in plasma. On the other hand PDR did not change the contents of cAMP in platelet and TXB2 or 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) in plasma. CONCLUSION: PDR is a novel, oral effective platelet aggregation inhibitor and its action mechanism possibly related to increasing NO generation.     

Inhibition of thrombocyte aggregation by oral motapizone and other drugs

Summary Ten healthy subjects took single oral doses of placebo, 8.8±1.8 mg motapizone, 40±13 mg captopril, 25 mg dihydralazine, 20 mg nifedipine and 4.5±1.1 mg prazosin in random order, and, as the last preparation 500 mg acetylsalicylic acid. Thrombocyte aggregation induced ex-vivo with collagen, ADP and adrenaline was measured before and after 60 min.Immediately before each dose, the threshold concentration of each agent was determined in each subject, i.e. the concentration producing about 90% of maximal aggregation. After the preparation had been taken, aggregation was induced with 1-, 2- and 4-times the threshold concentration.Both motapizone and also acetylsalicylic acid caused marked inhibition of aggregation at up to 4-times the threshold concentration; the dose ratio was about 1:50. Motapizone produced greater inhibition of the aggregation induced by ADP and acetylsalicylic acid than of that due to collagen. The inhibitory actions after captopril, dihydralazine, nifedipine and prazosin were weak and did not significantly differ from placebo.     

Inhibition of human and rabbit platelet aggregation by chlorophenoxyacid herbicides

Inhibition of human platelet aggregation by eight chlorophenoxyacid herbicides was studied in vitro. Thrombocyte aggregation in the platelet-rich plasma was induced by 1.0–32.0 M adenosine diphosphate (ADP), 0.32–32.0 M adrenaline or 7.5–30.0 g/ml collagen with and without chlorophenoxyacid (0.05–2.0 mg/ml). Platelet aggregation by each inducer was inhibited dose dependently by all the eight chlorophenoxyacids at concentrations between 0.1 and 2.0 mg/ml. Increasing the concentrations of ADP and collagen but not of adrenaline inhibited the antiaggregatory action of chlorophenoxy-acids. No essential differences in inhibitory effect were found between different chlorophenoxyacids varying in respect of their ring substituents and the length of the carboxylic side chain. In the platelet-rich plasma prepared from rabbits 2.5 h after subcutaneous injection of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy-acetic acid (100–150 mg/kg), platelet aggregation by ADP was inhibited 20–30%, compared to plasma taken from the rabbits before the chlorophenoxyacid treatment. The inhibition had disappeared by 20–23 h after administration. The results indicate that chlorophenoxyacid herbicides inhibit human platelet aggregation. Furthermore, the inhibition is probably involved in haemorrhages known to occur in various tissues of animals intoxicated by chlorophenoxyacid herbicides.     

Inhibition of platelet activation and aggregation

It has recently been established that platelets are involved at all stages of atherosclerotic disease. A major platelet mediated process is the acute vessel closure at the site of atherosclerotic plaque rupture and there is emerging evidence for platelet adhesion to endothelial cells in the early stage of atherosclerotic disease. This, through engagement of other cells, leads to the development of the atherosclerotic plaque. Beside dietary, cholesterol- and lipid-lowering, and other pharmaceutical approaches antiplatelet therapy plays an important part in the treatment of atherosclerosis and its multifarious clinical manifestations. Antiplatelet therapy and the currently approved substances for oral (acetylsalicylic acid, dipyridamole, cilostazol, ticlopidin and clopidogrel) and parenteral (acetylsalicylic acid, abciximab, eptifibatide and tirofiban) administration are discussed in the following section. Attention is given to each single agent and its mechanism of action. Differences in pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties are elucidated and outlook on future antiplatelet strategies is discussed.     

Inhibition of calmodulin activity by insect venom peptides

Several peptides found in insect venom, including melittin, apamin and mastoparan, inhibited the activity of calmodulin-stimulated phosphodiesterase at concentrations that had no appreciable effect on basal phosphodiesterase activity; the Ki value of melittin for inhibiting calmodulin activity was 30 nM. Acetylation of the peptides reduced their inhibitory effect on calmodulin, suggesting that a net positive charge was an important determinant of anti-calmodulin activity. An examination of other structural features of these peptides suggested that the most potent inhibitors of calmodulin had an alpha-helical conformation. Equilibrium dialysis experiments showed that melittin inhibited the calcium-dependent binding of 3H-chlorpromazine to calmodulin (IC50 0.9 microM); kinetic analyses of these data indicated that this inhibition was non-competitive, suggesting that melittin and chlorpromazine act at different sites on calmodulin. Since calmodulin regulates a number of processes that these peptides inhibit, our results raise the possibility that the inhibition of calmodulin activity by these insect venom peptides may explain some of their biochemical or toxicological effects.     

牛心内膜腺苷三磷酸双磷酸酶对血小板聚集的抑制作用

AIM: To study the anti-aggregatory effect of bovine endocardial endothelial cell (EEC)-associated apyrase. METHODS: Cultured bovine EEC was used. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was analyzed by reversed phase HPLC, and rabbit platelet aggregation was measured turbimetrically. RESULTS: Incubation of EEC with ADP 500 mumol.L-1 resulted in a progressive decrease in ADP concentration, which was paralleled by the decrease in platelet aggregating potential of the unmetabolized ADP. In the presence of aspirin (Asp 1 mmol.L-1)-treated EEC 1 x 10(9) cells.L-1, the aggregation of Asp (1 mmol.L-1) and methylene blue (10 mumol.L-1)-treated platelets in response to thrombin 500 U.L-1 and platelet activating factor (PAF 1 nmol.L-1) was markedly inhibited and was reversible, which was very similar to that in apyrase-treated platelets. The supernatants of EEC had no effect on platelet aggregation. EEC inhibited ADP (5 mumol.L-1)-induced platelet aggregation, but failed to inhibit adenosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (ADP-beta-S, an unmetabolizable structural analog of ADP, 15 mumol.L-1)-induced platelet aggregation. CONCLUSION: ADP hydrolysis by EEC-associated apyrase is a major anti-thrombotic mechanism of bovine EEC.     

Natural animal models of neurodegenerative protein misfolding diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are some of the most debilitating human illnesses. Research over the past 10 years has provided evidence for a common mechanism of neurodegeneration in which the critical event is the brain accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates. Although it is well established that misfolded proteins play an important role in these diseases, the mechanisms by which they cause cellular and tissue dysfunction are still unknown. To understand the molecular basis of NDs and to develop therapeutic strategies against them, numerous transgenic rodent models have been produced, which reproduce some (but not all) of the features of these diseases. Importantly, some NDs are not exclusive to human beings, such as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Moreover, other diseases which are associated to aging (e.g. Alzheimer's disease) could be studied in aged mammals, which could reproduce the human disease in a more natural way. Although the usefulness of transgenic mice is unquestionable, the information obtained from natural non-transgenic models could be very valuable to fully understand the pathogenesis of these devastating diseases.