首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 39 毫秒
1.
Nie CL  Wei Y  Chen X  Liu YY  Dui W  Liu Y  Davies MC  Tendler SJ  He RG 《PloS one》2007,2(7):e629
Recent studies have shown that neurodegeneration is closely related to misfolding and aggregation of neuronal tau. Our previous results show that neuronal tau aggregates in formaldehyde solution and that aggregated tau induces apoptosis of SH-SY5Y and hippocampal cells. In the present study, based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation, we have found that formaldehyde at low concentrations induces tau polymerization whilst acetaldehyde does not. Neuronal tau misfolds and aggregates into globular-like polymers in 0.01-0.1% formaldehyde solutions. Apart from globular-like aggregation, no fibril-like polymerization was observed when the protein was incubated with formaldehyde for 15 days. SDS-PAGE results also exhibit tau polymerizing in the presence of formaldehyde. Under the same experimental conditions, polymerization of bovine serum albumin (BSA) or alpha-synuclein was not markedly detected. Kinetic study shows that tau significantly misfolds and polymerizes in 60 minutes in 0.1% formaldehyde solution. However, presence of 10% methanol prevents protein tau from polymerization. This suggests that formaldehyde polymerization is involved in tau aggregation. Such aggregation process is probably linked to the tau's special "worm-like" structure, which leaves the epsilon-amino groups of Lys and thiol groups of Cys exposed to the exterior. Such a structure can easily bond to formaldehyde molecules in vitro and in vivo. Polymerizing of formaldehyde itself results in aggregation of protein tau. Immunocytochemistry and thioflavin S staining of both endogenous and exogenous tau in the presence of formaldehyde at low concentrations in the cell culture have shown that formaldehyde can induce tau into amyloid-like aggregates in vivo during apoptosis. The significant protein tau aggregation induced by formaldehyde and the severe toxicity of the aggregated tau to neural cells may suggest that toxicity of methanol and formaldehyde ingestion is related to tau misfolding and aggregation.  相似文献   

2.
Specific bonding of puromycin to full-length protein at the C-terminus   总被引:4,自引:3,他引:1  
Puromycin, an analog of the 3′ end of aminoacyl-tRNA, causes premature termination of translation by being linked non-specifically to growing polypeptide chains. Here we report the interesting phenomenon that puromycin acting as a non-inhibitor at very low concentration (e.g. 0.04 µM) can bond only to full-length protein at the C-terminus. This was proved by using a carboxypeptidase digestion assay of the products obtained by Escherichia coli cell-free translation of human tau 4 repeat (tau4R) mRNA in the presence of low concentrations of puromycin or its derivatives. The tau4R mRNA was modified to code for three C-terminal methionines, which were radioactively labeled, followed by a stop codon. The translation products could not be digested by carboxy-peptidase if puromycin or a derivative was present at the C-terminus of full-length tau4R. Puromycin and its derivatives at 0.04–1.0 µM bonded to 721% of full-length tau4R, depending on the ability to act as acceptor substrates. Furthermore, the bonding efficiency of a puromycin derivative to tau4R was decreased by addition of release factors. These results suggest that puromycin and its derivatives at concentrations lower than those able to compete effectively with aminoacyl-tRNA can bond specifically to full-length protein at a stop codon. This specific bonding of puromycin to full-length protein should be useful for in vitro selection of proteins and for in vitro and in vivo C-terminal end protein labeling.  相似文献   

3.
Functioning of membrane proteins, in particular ionic channels, can be modulated by alteration of their arrangement in membranes. We addressed this issue by studying the effect of different chain length polylysines on the kinetics of ionic channels formed in a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) by O-pyromellitylgramicidin carrying three negative charges at the C-terminus. The method of sensitized photoinactivation was applied to the analysis of the channel association-dissociation kinetics (characterized by the exponential factor of the curve describing the time course of the flash-induced decrease in the transmembrane current, tau). Addition of polylysine to the bathing solutions of BLM led to the deceleration of the photoinactivation kinetics, i.e. to the increase in tau. It was shown here that for a series of polylysines differing in their chain lengths, the value of tau grew as their concentration increased above a threshold level until at a certain concentration of each polylysine tau reached maximum. At higher polylysine concentrations tau began to decrease and finally became close to the control level observed in the absence of polylysine. With lengthening of the polylysine chain the maximum value of tau increased, the concentration dependence became steeper, and the threshold concentration decreased. The increase in the ionic strength of the medium shifted the concentration dependence of tau to higher polylysine concentrations and decreased the maximum value of tau. It was concluded that the increase in tau was caused by the formation of domains of O-pyromellitylgramicidin molecules induced by binding of polylysines. This can be related to functional aspects of polycation-induced sequestering of negatively charged transmembrane peptides in neutral membranes.  相似文献   

4.
In search of the optimal way to reduce the hazards of environmental contamination by formaldehyde (FD) and methanol the use of unconventional yeasts is proposed as exemplified by the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha. In a very simplified environment of a model wastewater solution, H. polymorpha cells were able to grow on, and metabolize formaldehyde and methanol, applied as sole carbon sources, at concentrations typical for wastewaters of the chemical industry. Several experimental conditions were tested for cell growth and biodegradation kinetics. It was found that the yeast culture inoculated at low cell density was able to grow on initial FD levels up to 400mg/l and the biomass yield was dependent on both, the amount of total carbon added and the physiological state of the cells. When high density of pre-adapted cell culture was used, the methylotrophs were fully viable and able to degrade formaldehyde present at initial concentrations up to 700 mg/l. The maximum limiting FD consumption rate was determined as approx. 400 mg/1 per hour. Methanol, at concentrations up to 2%, was easily utilized and did not have a negative effect on cell growth and respiration. It is suggested that in real wastewaters the eukaryotic microorganisms--in contrast to bacteria--might reveal greater adaptation potential to toxic levels of formaldehyde as well as to other wastewater constituents.  相似文献   

5.
It is well established that lead (Pb) exposure in humans leads to learning and memory impairment. However, the biological and molecular mechanisms are still not clearly understood. When over activated, serine/threonine protein phosphatases are known to function as a constraint on learning and memory. Activation of these phosphatases can also result in cytoskeletal changes that will adversely affect learning and memory. We investigated the effects of Pb exposure on these phosphatases in primary cultures of human neurons. Neurons were exposed to physiologically relevant concentrations of Pb (5, 10, 20 and 40 μg/dL) and total phosphatase and PP2A activities were determined in neuronal lysate using para-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP), and a PP2A-specific phosphopeptide as substrates. Expression of various serine/threonine phosphatases, tau and its phosphorylation state were determined by Western blot (WB) and immunocytochemistry (ICC). We found that the total phosphatase activity in the neuronal lysate was increased by 30–50% by all the concentrations of Pb tested. PP2A activity was increased by 5 μg/dL Pb only. PP1 expression was increased (ranging from 25–50%) by 10, 20 and 40 μg/dL of Pb. PP2B expression was increased substantially (up to 2.5-fold) by 10 μg/dL Pb, whereas, higher concentrations did not show any effect. On the other hand, Pb (at all concentrations used) decreased expression of PP2A and PP5. Pb exposure induced substantial hyperphosphorylation of tau at serine 199/202 by 5 and 10 μg/dL Pb, and Threonine 231 at higher doses. Expression of total tau was mostly unaffected by lead. Immunocytochemistry data confirmed the WB results of expression of PP1, PP2A, tau protein and the phosphorylation of tau. These results support our hypothesis that Pb exposure up regulates some of the serine/threonine phosphatases (PP1 and PP2B) that are known to impair memory formation, and suggest a novel mechanism of Pb neurotoxicity.  相似文献   

6.
Abstract: The degradation of different isoforms of human recombinant tau (R-tau; T39, T40, and T44) and fetal tau (F-tau) by cathepsin D (CD) was investigated. Gel electrophoresis and Coomassie Blue staining of different R-tau species digested at pH 3.5 showed very little differences in CD susceptibility. Immunoblotting analyses revealed that amino and carboxy termini of tau were cleaved before other regions. F-tau was most vulnerable to proteolysis at both termini. Digestion of R-tau with 0.01 unit of CD/ml at pH 3.5 resulted in cleavage between Phe8-Glu9, Met419-Val420, Thr427-Leu428-Ala429, and Leu436-Ala437 as determined by amino acid sequencing and mass spectroscopy (numbering of amino acids was based on T40). With higher concentrations of CD (1 unit/ml), additional sites of digestion were detected between amino acids 34–161, 200–257, and 267–358. The cleavage sites at amino acids 34–161 and 267–358 were observed at pH 3.5, whereas that at amino acids 200–257 was detected at pH 7.0. Our results suggest that CD cleavage of tau could generate tau fragments with intact microtubule binding domains, which could have a role in the pathogenesis of paired helical filaments (PHFs) in Alzheimer's disease. Such proteolysis might also contribute to the changes of PHF phenotype observed in intracellular and extracellular tangles.  相似文献   

7.
Fan H  Bao H  Zhang L  Chen G 《Proteomics》2011,11(16):3420-3423
Trypsin was covalently immobilized on poly(urea‐formaldehyde)‐coated fiberglass cores based on the condensation reaction between poly(urea‐formaldehyde) and trypsin for efficient microfluidic proteolysis in this work. Prior to use, a piece of the trypsin‐immobilized fiber was inserted into the main channel of a microchip under a magnifier to form a core‐changeable bioreactor. Because trypsin was not permanently immobilized on the channel wall, the novel bioreactor was regenerable. Two standard proteins, hemoglobin (HEM) and lysozyme (LYS), were digested by the unique bioreactor to demonstrate its feasibility and performance. The interaction time between the flowing proteins and the immobilized trypsin was evaluated to be less than 10 s. The peptides in the digests were identified by MALDI‐TOF MS to obtain PMF. The results indicated that digestion performance of the microfluidic bioreactor was better than that of 12‐h in‐solution digestion.  相似文献   

8.
Some of the tryptophan catabolites produced through the kynurenine pathway (KP), and more particularly the excitotoxin quinolinic acid (QA), are likely to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer''s disease (AD). We have previously shown that the KP is over activated in AD brain and that QA accumulates in amyloid plaques and within dystrophic neurons. We hypothesized that QA in pathophysiological concentrations affects tau phosphorylation. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that QA is co-localized with hyperphosphorylated tau (HPT) within cortical neurons in AD brain. We then investigated in vitro the effects of QA at various pathophysiological concentrations on tau phosphorylation in primary cultures of human neurons. Using western blot, we found that QA treatment increased the phosphorylation of tau at serine 199/202, threonine 231 and serine 396/404 in a dose dependent manner. Increased accumulation of phosphorylated tau was also confirmed by immunocytochemistry. This increase in tau phosphorylation was paralleled by a substantial decrease in the total protein phosphatase activity. A substantial decrease in PP2A expression and modest decrease in PP1 expression were observed in neuronal cultures treated with QA. These data clearly demonstrate that QA can induce tau phosphorylation at residues present in the PHF in the AD brain. To induce tau phosphorylation, QA appears to act through NMDA receptor activation similar to other agonists, glutamate and NMDA. The QA effect was abrogated by the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine. Using PCR arrays, we found that QA significantly induces 10 genes in human neurons all known to be associated with AD pathology. Of these 10 genes, 6 belong to pathways involved in tau phosphorylation and 4 of them in neuroprotection. Altogether these results indicate a likely role of QA in the AD pathology through promotion of tau phosphorylation. Understanding the mechanism of the neurotoxic effects of QA is essential in developing novel therapeutic strategies for AD.  相似文献   

9.
Atmospheric formaldehyde (CH(2)O) was detected under continuous flow conditions by an on-line system comprising of a wet scrubber for a continuous transfer of the pollutant to an aqueous solution, a micro-reactor containing immobilized formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FDH) and a conductometric transducer. By this system atmospheric formaldehyde concentrations in the range 0.05-2 ppm were detected with a sensitivity of 20 microS/ppm. In this concentration range the immobilized enzyme oxidized all the sampled formaldehyde molecules to formic acid, avoiding cumbersome calibration procedures. The operational stability of the biosensor was at least 3 months, working continuously 10 h/day at room temperature.  相似文献   

10.
11.
Hyperphosphorylation of tau protein is associated with neurofibrillary lesion formation in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathic neurodegenerative diseases. It fosters lesion formation by increasing the concentration of free tau available for aggregation and by directly modulating the tau aggregation reaction. To clarify how negative charge incorporation into tau directly affects aggregation behavior, the fibrillization of pseudophosphorylation mutant T212E prepared in a full-length four-repeat tau background was examined in vitro as a function of time and submicromolar tau concentrations using electron microscopy assay methods. Kinetic constants for nucleation and extension phases of aggregation were then estimated by direct measurement and mathematical simulation. Kinetic analysis revealed that pseudophosphorylation increased tau aggregation rate by increasing the rate of filament nucleation. In addition, it increased aggregation propensity by stabilizing mature filaments against disaggregation. The data suggest that incorporation of negative charge into the T212 site can directly promote tau filament formation at multiple steps in the aggregation pathway.  相似文献   

12.
The accumulation of polymers of the microtubule associated protein tau is correlative with increased neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease and other related tauopathies. In vitro models have been developed in order to investigate molecular mechanisms that regulate the polymerization of tau. Arachidonic acid and heparin have been proposed to induce tau polymerization via a ligand dependent nucleation-elongation mechanism. However, certain aspects of these in vitro results are inconsistent with a classic nucleation-elongation mechanism. Using steady state and kinetic analyses of tau polymerization at a variety of protein and inducer concentrations, we have found that the thermodynamic barrier for nucleation in the presence of inducers is negligible, which was manifested by increases in protein polymerization at low tau concentrations and very rapid kinetics of polymerization. However, the mechanism of polymerization is complicated by the observation that high concentrations of inducer molecules result in the inhibition of tau fibril formation through different mechanisms for arachidonic acid and heparin. These observations indicate that the molar ratio of inducer to protein is a greater determinant of the rate and extent of tau polymerization than the concentration of tau itself. Our results are therefore not consistent with a canonical nucleation-elongation reaction but rather are more consistent with an allosteric regulation model in which the presence of small molecules induce a conformational change in the protein that decreases the thermodynamic barrier for polymerization essentially to zero.  相似文献   

13.
Adequate fixative in immunohistochemistry requires not only a rapid and total immobilization of the antigen, but also a sufficient preservation of its immunoreactivity and maintenance of its accessibility to the immunochemical reagents for localization. Thus, the optimal fixation condition for a specific antigen necessitates a compromise between these opposing variables and can be determined by the preparation of a series of tissues with a progressively increasing degree of fixation. Unless the results of localization using such a series is available, one must be satisfied with adequate but less than optimal results. In the present study, this principle is demonstrated using the localization of tyrosine hydroxylase in the dopaminergic system with formaldehyde as the fixative. The rate and degree of fixation with formaldehyde was shown to be highly pH dependent. By perfusing the tissue with formaldehyde at pH 6.5 (where the rate of fixation is extremely slow) it is possible to rapidly distribute the fixative homogeneously into the tissue. By suddenly changing to a formaldehyde perfusate of higher pH, the cross-linking reaction is rapidly increased. This two-step fixation procedure provides a means of obtaining a rapid and uniform immobilization of the antigen, so that its translocation can be avoided. The final degree of fixation is controlled by the duration and pH of the second fixative solution. The results obtained by increasing the pH of the second solution demonstrated that complete fixation of tyrosine hydroxylase in the dopaminergic system with formaldehyde maybe obtained using a very basic formaldehyde solution (pH 11) while still retaining immunoreactivity of the enzyme. The localization that was achieved at lower pH appeared adequate until it was compared to the results obtained by perfusion at pH 11 in the second step.  相似文献   

14.
H S Lopez  A M Brown 《Neuron》1991,7(6):1061-1068
Membrane depolarization relieves the G protein-mediated inhibition or block of high threshold Ca2+ channel currents. We found that the net rate of reblocking depended on the extent of G protein activation. With low intracellular concentrations of GTP gamma S reblocking rates resembled inactivation rates; with higher concentrations reblocking rates increased progressively. Reblocking kinetics were fit with a sum of two exponential functions having time constants (in ms) tau F greater than or equal to 10 and tau S greater than or equal to 30. Unblock during depolarization was fit by a single exponential function with time constant tau A similar to tau F. A model was developed in which unblocking followed dissociation of a blocking molecule, possibly the G protein itself, from Ca2+ channels, and reblocking occurred at rates that depended on the concentration of the blocking molecule. The time course of Ca2+ entry and thus presynaptic Ca2+ levels can be regulated by both the concentration of the G-protein-dependent blocking particle and membrane potential.  相似文献   

15.
Microtubule-binding domain of tau proteins   总被引:12,自引:0,他引:12  
Limited chymotryptic digestion of whole tau proteins produced a fragment of Mr 14,000 (CT14), which was able to bind to microtubules reconstituted from tubulin alone in the presence of taxol. This fragment was also found to persist in microtubules when microtubules consisting of tau proteins and tubulin were digested by chymotrypsin. Analysis of amino acid composition revealed that CT14 was rich in lysine and proline residues, suggesting unique structure of microtubule-binding domain of tau proteins. Amino-terminal sequence of CT14 was determined to be Ser-Ser-Pro-Gly-Ser-Pro-Gly-Thr-Pro-Gly-Ser-Arg-Ser-Arg-X-Pro-Ser-Leu-Pr o. No heterogeneity was detected in this amino-terminal sequence of 19 residues. Five species of polypeptides consisting of tau proteins were separated from each other by gel electrophoresis and subjected to chymotryptic digestion. CT14 was produced from each of the tau polypeptides by chymotryptic digestion, indicating that all tau polypeptides have a common microtubule-binding domain.  相似文献   

16.
Potent inhibition of tau fibrillization with a multivalent ligand   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
Small-molecule inhibitors of tau fibrillization are under investigation as tools for interrogating the tau aggregation pathway and as potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease. Established inhibitors include thiacarbocyanine dyes, which can inhibit recombinant tau fibrillization in the presence of anionic surfactant aggregation inducers. In an effort to increase inhibitory potency, a cyclic bis-thiacarbocyanine molecule containing two thiacarbocyanine moieties was synthesized and characterized with respect to tau fibrillization inhibitory activity by electron microscopy and ligand aggregation state by absorbance spectroscopy. Results showed that the inhibitory activity of the bis-thiacarbocyanine was qualitatively similar to a monomeric cyanine dye, but was more potent with 50% inhibition achieved at approximately 80nM concentration. At all concentrations tested in aqueous solution, the bis-thiacarbocyanine collapsed to form a closed clamshell structure. However, the presence of tau protein selectively stabilized the open conformation. These results suggest that the inhibitory activity of bis-thiacarbocyanine results from multivalency, and reveal a route to more potent tau aggregation inhibitors.  相似文献   

17.
Surface-decoration of microtubules by human tau   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
Tau is a neuronal, microtubule-associated protein that stabilizes microtubules and promotes neurite outgrowth. Tau is largely unfolded in solution and presumably forms mostly random coil. Because of its hydrophilic nature and flexible structure, tau complexed to microtubules is largely invisible by standard electron microscopy methods. We applied a combination of high-resolution metal-shadowing and cryo-electron microscopy to study the interactions between tau and microtubules. We used recombinant tau variants with different domain compositions, (1) full length tau, (2) the repeat domain that mediates microtubule binding (K19), and (3) two GFP-tau fusion proteins that contain a globular marker (GFP) attached to full-length tau at either end. All of these constructs bind exclusively to the outside of microtubules. Most of the tau-related mass appears randomly distributed, creating a "halo" of low-density mass spread across the microtubule surface. Only a small fraction of tau creates a periodic signal at an 8 nm interval, centered on alpha-tubulin subunits. Our data suggest that tau retains most of its disordered structure even when bound to the microtubule surface. Hence, it binds along, as well as across protofilaments. Nevertheless, even minute concentrations of tau have a strong stabilizing effect and effectively scavenge unpolymerized tubulin.  相似文献   

18.
The perception of sweetness and flavour were studied in viscous solutions containing 50 g/l sucrose, 100 p.p.m. iso-amyl acetate and varying concentrations of three hydrocolloid thickeners (guar gum, lambda-carrageenan and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose). Zero-shear viscosity of the samples ranged from 1 to 5000 mPas. Perception of both sweetness and aroma was suppressed at thickener concentrations above c* (coil overlap concentration, the point at which there is an abrupt increase in solution viscosity as thickener concentration is increased). Sensory data for the three hydrocolloids was only loosely correlated with their concentration relative to c* (c/c* ratio), particularly above c*. However, when perceptual data were plotted against the Kokini oral shear stress (tau), calculated from rheological measurements, data for the three hydrocolloids aligned to form a master-curve, enabling the prediction of flavour intensity in such systems. The fact that oral shear stress can be used to model sweetness and aroma perception supports the hypothesis that somatosensory tactile stimuli can interact with taste and aroma signals to modulate their perception.  相似文献   

19.
The microtubule-associated protein tau is implicated in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases, including fronto-temporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17), in which both RNA splicing and amino acid substitution mutations in tau cause dominantly inherited early onset dementia. RNA-splicing FTDP-17 mutations alter the wild-type approximately 50:50 3-repeat (3R) to 4-repeat (4R) tau isoform ratio, usually resulting in an excess of 4R tau. To examine further how splicing mutations might cause dysfunction by misregulation of microtubule dynamics, we used video microscopy to determine the in vitro behavior of individual microtubules stabilized by varying amounts of human 4R and 3R tau. At low tau:tubulin ratios (1:55 and 1:45), all 3R isoforms reduced microtubule growth rates relative to the no-tau control, whereas all 4R isoforms increased them; however, at a high tau:tubulin ratio (1:20), both 4R and 3R tau increased the growth rates. Further analysis revealed two distinct subpopulations of growing microtubules in the absence of tau. Increasing concentrations of both 4R and 3R tau resulted in an increase in the size of the faster growing subpopulation of microtubules; however, 4R tau caused a redistribution to the faster growing subpopulation at lower tau:tubulin ratios than 3R tau. This modulation of discrete growth rate subpopulations by tau suggests that tau causes a conformational shift in the microtubule resulting in altered dynamics. Quantitative and qualitative differences observed between 4R and 3R tau are consistent with a "microtubule misregulation" model in which abnormal tau isoform expression results in the inability to properly regulate microtubule dynamics, leading to neuronal death and dementia.  相似文献   

20.
3种观赏植物对室内甲醛污染的净化及生长生理响应   总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2  
在密封条件下,采取熏蒸法研究了常春藤、绿萝、驱蚊草对不同浓度梯度的甲醛气体胁迫的吸收能力及其生理响应。结果显示:(1)3种植物对室内甲醛气体均有不同程度的吸收能力,其吸收率随室内甲醛气体浓度的升高而逐渐增加,且吸收能力表现为常春藤>驱蚊草>绿萝。(2)与对照相比,随着室内甲醛气体胁迫浓度的增加,驱蚊草、绿萝、常春藤的叶绿素含量先升高再降低,而叶绿素a/b值的变化趋势各有不同。(3)不同浓度甲醛气体胁迫下,3种植物的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性和过氧化物酶(POD)活性均显著升高,并以常春藤的增加量最大(分别为113.21%和120.84%),驱蚊草的增加量最小(分别为69.04%和60.76%);而3种植物的过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性与对照相比显著降低,并以驱蚊草的变化量最大(49.54%),绿萝的变化量最小(14.66%)。(4)驱蚊草、绿萝、常春藤的丙二醛(MDA)含量和脯氨酸含量随着甲醛气体浓度的增加呈升高趋势。综合分析表明,3种室内植物耐受甲醛胁迫的能力存在显著差异,常春藤属于吸收多、耐性强的植物,驱蚊草属于吸收多、耐性弱的植物,而绿萝属于吸收少、耐性强的植物。  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号