Could inhibition of the proteasome cause mad cow disease?

The proteasome is the cellular machinery responsible for the degradation of normal and misfolded proteins. Inhibitors of the proteasome are being evaluated as therapeutic agents and recent work suggests that such inhibition might promote the neurotoxic properties of the prion protein (the causative agent of mad cow disease) and its conformational conversion to the infectious form, thus raising the question as to whether proteasome inhibitors might facilitate the development of prion diseases.     

Disease-associated prion protein oligomers inhibit the 26S proteasome

The mechanism of cell death in prion disease is unknown but is associated with the production of a misfolded conformer of the prion protein. We report that disease-associated prion protein specifically inhibits the proteolytic beta subunits of the 26S proteasome. Using reporter substrates, fluorogenic peptides, and an activity probe for the beta subunits, this inhibitory effect was demonstrated in pure 26S proteasome and three different cell lines. By challenge with recombinant prion and other amyloidogenic proteins, we demonstrate that only the prion protein in a nonnative beta sheet conformation inhibits the 26S proteasome at stoichiometric concentrations. Preincubation with an antibody specific for aggregation intermediates abrogates this inhibition, consistent with an oligomeric species mediating this effect. We also present evidence for a direct relationship between prion neuropathology and impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in prion-infected UPS-reporter mice. Together, these data suggest a mechanism for intracellular neurotoxicity mediated by oligomers of misfolded prion protein.     

Molecular mechanisms of neurotoxicity of pathological prion protein

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies or prion related disorders are fatal and infectious neurodegenerative diseases characterized by extensive neuronal apoptosis and accumulation of a misfolded form of the cellular prion protein (PrP), denoted PrP(Sc). Although the mechanism of neurodegeneration and the involvement of PrP(Sc) is far from clear, data indicates that neuronal apoptosis might be related to activation of several signaling pathways, including proteasome dysfunction, alterations in prion maturation pathway and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In this article we describe recent studies investigating the molecular mechanism of PrP(Sc) neurotoxicity. We propose a model in which the key step in the pathogenesis of prion disorders, independent on their etiology, is the alteration of ER-homeostasis due to drastic modifications of the physicochemical properties of PrP, leading to the activation of ER-dependent signaling pathways that controls cellular survival.     

Prions: Generation and Spread Versus Neurotoxicity

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the aggregation of misfolded proteins in the brain. Among these disorders are the prion diseases, which are transmissible, and in which the misfolded proteins (“prions”) are also the infectious agent. Increasingly, it appears that misfolded proteins in Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases and the tauopathies also propagate in a “prion-like” manner. However, the association between prion formation, spread, and neurotoxicity is not clear. Recently, we showed that in prion disease, protein misfolding leads to neurodegeneration through dysregulation of generic proteostatic mechanisms, specifically, the unfolded protein response. Genetic and pharmacological manipulation of the unfolded protein response was neuroprotective despite continuing prion replication, hence dissociating this from neurotoxicity. The data have clear implications for treatment across the spectrum of these disorders, targeting pathogenic processes downstream of protein misfolding.     

The Mechanistic Links Between Proteasome Activity,Aging and Age-related Diseases

Damaged and misfolded proteins accumulate during the aging process, impairing cell function and tissue homeostasis. These perturbations to protein homeostasis (proteostasis) are hallmarks of age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease. Damaged proteins are degraded by cellular clearance mechanisms such as the proteasome, a key component of the proteostasis network. Proteasome activity declines during aging, and proteasomal dysfunction is associated with late-onset disorders. Modulation of proteasome activity extends lifespan and protects organisms from symptoms associated with proteostasis disorders. Here we review the links between proteasome activity, aging and neurodegeneration. Additionally, strategies to modulate proteasome activity and delay the onset of diseases associated to proteasomal dysfunction are discussed herein.     

Cells and prions: A license to replicate

Prion diseases are neurodegenerative, infectious disorders characterized by the aggregation of a misfolded isoform of the cellular prion protein (PrP^C). The infectious agent - termed prion - is mainly composed of misfolded PrP^Sc. In addition to the central nervous system prions can colonize secondary lymphoid organs and inflammatory foci. Follicular dendritic cells are important extraneural sites of prion replication. However, recent data point to a broader range of cell types that can replicate prions. Here, we review the state of the art in regards to peripheral prion replication, neuroinvasion and the determinants of prion replication competence.     

Aggresomes do not represent a general cellular response to protein misfolding in mammalian cells

Background

Aggresomes are juxtanuclear inclusion bodies that have been proposed to represent a general cellular response to misfolded proteins in mammalian cells. Yet, why aggresomes are not a pathological characteristic of protein misfolding diseases is unclear. Here, we investigate if a misfolded protein inevitably forms aggresomes in mammalian cells.

Results

We show that a cytoplasmic form of the prion protein may form aggresomes or dispersed aggregates in different cell lines. In contrast to aggresomes, the formation of dispersed aggregates is insensitive to histone deacetylase 6 inhibitors and does not result in cytoskeleton rearrangements. Modulation of expression levels or proteasome inhibitors does not alter the formation of dispersed aggregates.

Conclusion

Our results establish that aggresomes are not obligatory products of protein misfolding in vivo.     

Coordination of oxidized protein hydrolase and the proteasome in the clearance of cytotoxic denatured proteins

Intracellular accumulation of denatured proteins impairs cellular function. The proteasome is recognized as an enzyme responsible for the effective clearance of those cytotoxic denatured proteins. As another enzyme that participates in the destruction of damaged proteins, we have identified oxidized protein hydrolase (OPH) and found that OPH confers cellular resistance to various kinds of oxidative stress. In this study, we demonstrate the roles of the proteasome and OPH in the clearance of denatured proteins. The inhibition of proteasome activity results in the elevation of protein carbonyls in cells under oxidative stress. On the other hand, cells overexpressing OPH retain higher resistance to oxidative stress, even though the proteasome activity is inhibited. Furthermore, upon inhibition of the proteasome activity, OPH is recruited to a novel organelle termed the aggresome where misfolded or denatured proteins are processed. Thus, OPH and the proteasome coordinately contribute to the clearance of cytotoxic denatured proteins.     

Proteasomal dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress enhance trafficking of prion protein aggregates through the secretory pathway and increase accumulation of pathologic prion protein

A conformational change of the cellular prion protein (PrP(c)) underlies formation of PrP(Sc), which is closely associated with pathogenesis and transmission of prion diseases. The precise conformational prerequisites and the cellular environment necessary for this post-translational process remain to be completely elucidated. At steady state, glycosylated PrP(c) is found primarily at the cell surface, whereas a minor fraction of the population is disposed of by the ER-associated degradation-proteasome pathway. However, chronic ER stress conditions and proteasomal dysfunctions lead to accumulation of aggregation-prone PrP molecules in the cytosol and to neurodegeneration. In this study, we challenged different cell lines by inducing ER stress or inhibiting proteasomal activity and analyzed the subsequent repercussion on PrP metabolism, focusing on PrP in the secretory pathway. Both events led to enhanced detection of PrP aggregates and a significant increase of PrP(Sc) in persistently prion-infected cells, which could be reversed by overexpression of proteins of the cellular quality control. Remarkably, upon proteasomal impairment, an increased fraction of misfolded, fully glycosylated PrP molecules traveled through the secretory pathway and reached the plasma membrane. These findings suggest a novel pathway that possibly provides additional substrate and template necessary for prion formation when protein clearance by the proteasome is impaired.     

Probing the role of structural features of mouse PrP in yeast by expression as Sup35-PrP fusions

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a tractable model organism in which both to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of disease-associated protein misfolding and to map the cellular responses to potentially toxic misfolded proteins. Specific targets have included proteins which in certain disease states form amyloids and lead to neurodegeneration. Such studies are greatly facilitated by the extensive ‘toolbox’ available to the yeast researcher that provides a range of cell engineering options. Consequently, a number of assays at the cell and molecular level have been set up to report on specific protein misfolding events associated with endogenous or heterologous proteins. One major target is the mammalian prion protein PrP because we know little about what specific sequence and/or structural feature(s) of PrP are important for its conversion to the infectious prion form, PrP^Sc. Here, using a study of the expression in yeast of fusion proteins comprising the yeast prion protein Sup35 fused to various regions of mouse PrP protein, we show how PrP sequences can direct the formation of non-transmissible amyloids and focus in particular on the role of the mouse octarepeat region. Through this study we illustrate the benefits and limitations of yeast-based models for protein misfolding disorders.     

Probing the role of structural features of mouse PrP in yeast by expression as Sup35-PrP fusions

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a tractable model organism in which both to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of disease-associated protein misfolding and to map the cellular responses to potentially toxic misfolded proteins. Specific targets have included proteins which in certain disease states form amyloids and lead to neurodegeneration. Such studies are greatly facilitated by the extensive ‘toolbox’ available to the yeast researcher that provides a range of cell engineering options. Consequently, a number of assays at the cell and molecular level have been set up to report on specific protein misfolding events associated with endogenous or heterologous proteins. One major target is the mammalian prion protein PrP because we know little about what specific sequence and/or structural feature(s) of PrP are important for its conversion to the infectious prion form, PrP^Sc. Here, using a study of the expression in yeast of fusion proteins comprising the yeast prion protein Sup35 fused to various regions of mouse PrP protein, we show how PrP sequences can direct the formation of non-transmissible amyloids and focus in particular on the role of the mouse octarepeat region. Through this study we illustrate the benefits and limitations of yeast-based models for protein misfolding disorders.     

Aggresome-like structure induced by isothiocyanates is novel proteasome-dependent degradation machinery

Unwanted or misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperones or degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). When UPS is impaired, misfolded proteins form aggregates, which are transported along microtubules by motor protein dynein towards the juxta-nuclear microtubule-organizing center to form aggresome, a single cellular garbage disposal complex. Because aggresome formation results from proteasome failure, aggresome components are degraded through the autophagy/lysosome pathway. Here we report that small molecule isothiocyanates (ITCs) can induce formation of aggresome-like structure (ALS) through covalent modification of cytoplasmic α- and β-tubulin. The formation of ALS is related to neither proteasome inhibition nor oxidative stress. ITC-induced ALS is a proteasome-dependent assembly for emergent removal of misfolded proteins, suggesting that the cell may have a previously unknown strategy to cope with misfolded proteins.     

RNA-Binding Proteins Associated Molecular Mechanisms of Motor Neuron Degeneration Pathogenesis

Motor neuron diseases are neurodegenerative disorders that trigger motor neurons to degenerate and lead to paralysis. Our understanding on the mechanisms of motor neuron degeneration has been enhanced by recent cellular and molecular researches. In this review, I highlight advances in RNA-binding proteins associated molecular mechanisms of motor neuron degeneration pathogenesis including ribonucleoprotein-associated motor neuron degeneration which is focused on RNA-binding protein aggregation associated aberrant RNA metabolism and stress granules mediated translational repression, neurofilament associated aggregate formation, and prion protein associated accumulation of misfolded proteins. Progress overviewed above will be valuable to the development of more targeted diagnostic tests and therapies.     

Inhibition of retrograde transport modulates misfolded protein accumulation and clearance in motoneuron diseases

Motoneuron diseases, like spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are associated with proteins that because of gene mutation or peculiar structures, acquire aberrant (misfolded) conformations toxic to cells. To prevent misfolded protein toxicity, cells activate a protein quality control (PQC) system composed of chaperones and degradative pathways (proteasome and autophagy). Inefficient activation of the PQC system results in misfolded protein accumulation that ultimately leads to neuronal cell death, while efficient macroautophagy/autophagy-mediated degradation of aggregating proteins is beneficial. The latter relies on an active retrograde transport, mediated by dynein and specific chaperones, such as the HSPB8-BAG3-HSPA8 complex. Here, using cellular models expressing aggregate-prone proteins involved in SBMA and ALS, we demonstrate that inhibition of dynein-mediated retrograde transport, which impairs the targeting to autophagy of misfolded species, does not increase their aggregation. Rather, dynein inhibition correlates with a reduced accumulation and an increased clearance of mutant ARpolyQ, SOD1, truncated TARDBP/TDP-43 and expanded polyGP C9ORF72 products. The enhanced misfolded protein clearance is mediated by the proteasome, rather than by autophagy and correlates with the upregulation of the HSPA8 cochaperone BAG1. In line, overexpression of BAG1 increases the proteasome-mediated clearance of these misfolded proteins. Our data suggest that when the misfolded proteins cannot be efficiently transported toward the perinuclear region of the cells, where they are either degraded by autophagy or stored into the aggresome, the cells activate a compensatory mechanism that relies on the induction of BAG1 to target the HSPA8-bound cargo to the proteasome in a dynein-independent manner.     

Regulation of proteasome-mediated protein degradation during oxidative stress and aging

Protein degradation is a physiological process required to maintain cellular functions. There are distinct proteolytic systems for different physiological tasks under changing environmental and pathophysiological conditions. The proteasome is responsible for the removal of oxidatively damaged proteins in the cytosol and nucleus. It has been demonstrated that proteasomal degradation increases due to mild oxidation, whereas at higher oxidant levels proteasomal degradation decreases. Moreover, the proteasome itself is affected by oxidative stress to varying degrees. The ATP-stimulated 26S proteasome is sensitive to oxidative stress, whereas the 20S form seems to be resistant. Non-degradable protein aggregates and cross-linked proteins are able to bind to the proteasome, which makes the degradation of other misfolded and damaged proteins less efficient. Consequently, inhibition of the proteasome has dramatic effects on cellular aging processes and cell viability. It seems likely that during oxidative stress cells are able to keep the nuclear protein pool free of damage, while cytosolic proteins may accumulate. This is because of the high proteasome content in the nucleus, which protects the nucleus from the formation and accumulation of non-degradable proteins. In this review we highlight the regulation of the proteasome during oxidative stress and aging.     

The threads that tie protein-folding diseases

From unicellular organisms to humans, cells have evolved elegant systems to facilitate careful folding of proteins and the maintenance of protein homeostasis. Key modulators of protein homeostasis include a large, conserved family of proteins known as molecular chaperones, which augment the folding of nascent polypeptides and temper adverse consequences of cellular stress. However, errors in protein folding can still occur, resulting in the accumulation of misfolded proteins that strain cellular quality-control systems. In some cases, misfolded proteins can be targeted for degradation by the proteasome or via autophagy. Nevertheless, protein misfolding is a feature of many complex, genetically and clinically pleiotropic diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in unraveling the complexity of protein folding using model systems, and we are now closer to being able to diagnose and treat the growing number of protein-folding diseases. To showcase some of these important recent advances, and also to inspire discussion on approaches to tackle unanswered questions, Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) presents a special collection of reviews from researchers at the cutting-edge of the field.KEY WORDS: Chaperones, Neurodegeneration, Protein folding     

From Alzheimer to Huntington: why is a structural understanding so difficult?

An increasing family of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, prion encephalopathies and cystic fibrosis is associated with aggregation of misfolded polypeptide chains which are toxic to the cell. Knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of the proteins implicated is essential for understanding why and how endogenous proteins may adopt a non-native fold. Yet, structural work has been hampered by the difficulty of handling proteins insoluble or prone to aggregation, and at the same time that is why it is interesting to study these molecules. In this review, we compare the structural knowledge accumulated for two paradigmatic misfolding disorders, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the family of poly-glutamine diseases (poly-Q) and discuss some of the hypotheses suggested for explaining aggregate formation. While a common mechanism between these pathologies remains to be proven, a direct comparison may help in designing new strategies for approaching their study.     

JAMP optimizes ERAD to protect cells from unfolded proteins

Clearance of misfolded proteins from the ER is central for maintenance of cellular homeostasis. This process requires coordinated recognition, ER-cytosol translocation, and finally ubiquitination-dependent proteasomal degradation. Here, we identify an ER resident seven-transmembrane protein (JAMP) that links ER chaperones, channel proteins, ubiquitin ligases, and 26S proteasome subunits, thereby optimizing degradation of misfolded proteins. Elevated JAMP expression promotes localization of proteasomes at the ER, with a concomitant effect on degradation of specific ER-resident misfolded proteins, whereas inhibiting JAMP promotes the opposite response. Correspondingly, a jamp-1 deleted Caenorhabditis elegans strain exhibits hypersensitivity to ER stress and increased UPR. Using biochemical and genetic approaches, we identify JAMP as important component for coordinated clearance of misfolded proteins from the ER.     

ER stress and neurodegenerative diseases

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is caused by disturbances in the structure and function of the ER with the accumulation of misfolded proteins and alterations in the calcium homeostasis. The ER response is characterized by changes in specific proteins, causing translational attenuation, induction of ER chaperones and degradation of misfolded proteins. In case of prolonged or aggravated ER stress, cellular signals leading to cell death are activated. ER stress has been suggested to be involved in some human neuronal diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and prion disease, as well as other disorders. The exact contributions to and casual effects of ER stress in the various disease processes, however, are not known. Here we will discuss the possible role of ER stress in neurodegenerative diseases, and highlight current knowledge in this field that may reveal novel insight into disease mechanisms and help to design better therapies for these disorders.