神经退行性疾病中的TDP-43蛋白聚集和相变

随着全球老龄化人口的急剧增加,神经退行性变已经成为危害公共健康的主要疾病.在神经退行性疾病(肌萎缩侧索硬化症(ALS)、额颞叶变性病(FTLD)和阿尔茨海默病(AD)等)患者脑组织中均能观察到蛋白质聚集形成的包涵体,其中TAR DNA结合蛋白43 (TDP-43)是主要成分之一.目前已发现多个TDP-43基因突变与家族...     

TDP-43在神经退行性疾病中的功能和作用

核蛋白TAR DNA/RNA结合蛋43(TDP-43)目前被认为是肌萎缩侧索硬化症(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,ALS)、额颞叶变性(frontotemporal lobar degeneration,FTLD)等神经退行性疾病的病理学标记蛋白。在中枢神经系统中,TDP-43作为必要的转录调控因子,参与mRNA前体的剪接,维持RNA稳态和运输。在突变和过表达TDP-43的转基因啮齿类动物模型中,受损伤的神经元呈现出胞核和胞质中TDP-43泛素化、磷酸化聚集,以及细胞周期进程的改变。在此,着重阐述基于TDP-43突变或过表达建立神经退行性疾病动物模型的研究进展,探讨其发病机制、病理学改变及治疗方法。     

综述与专论: 星形胶质细胞对神经退行性疾病影响的研究进展

神经退行性疾病是常见且难以治愈的疾病,给患者的生活带来了极大的不便。星形胶质细胞在神经退行性疾病中发挥重要作用。在神经退行性疾病患者神经系统中,受损的神经胶质细胞对周围的神经元可以产生毒性作用,造成神经元功能障碍,从而死亡。同时,受疾病影响产生的一些反应性星形胶质细胞可以保护神经元,清除神经元周围的有害物质,暂缓疾病的恶化。本综述将讨论星形胶质细胞在部分常见神经退行性疾病中发挥的作用,包括肌萎缩侧索硬化（amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,ALS）、阿尔茨海默病（Alzheimer’s disease,AD）和帕金森病（Parkinson’s disease,PD）。同时总结了星形胶质细胞对这些疾病发挥的共同作用,旨在进一步促进神经退行性疾病的研究进展。     

综述与专论：突变和修饰β淀粉样蛋白与阿尔茨海默病

淀粉样蛋白级联假说是阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer’s disease,AD)病因学的核心,但在过去几年中,靶向淀粉样斑块并未实现成功的免疫治疗。最近几年,不同形式的β淀粉样蛋白(Aβ)引起人们的关注。本文总结了关于早发性AD患者大脑中不同Aβ突变体和散发性AD患者大脑中已经鉴定出的经过酶切及修饰产生的不同形式Aβ的研究进展,重点阐述了这些Aβ的聚集特性和在AD发展中的影响,并对目前报道的Aβ变体检测分析方法进行了概述。本文旨在为今后深入研究不同形式的Aβ及相关分子在AD病理过程中的作用、开发诊断和治疗AD新方法提供参考。     

β淀粉样蛋白和tau蛋白磷酸化程度与颞叶癫痫患者认知缺陷相关性研究

摘要 目的：探究β淀粉样蛋白（Aβ）和tau蛋白磷酸化程度与颞叶癫痫患者认知缺陷相关性。方法：2019年至2020年于我院接受治疗的70例颞叶癫痫患者作为本研究的实验组,同时纳入同期健康体检者70例作为本研究的对照组。对比两组一般临床指标、外周血清中β淀粉样蛋白和tau蛋白磷酸化程度;评估两组的智力、记忆力和认知功能障碍;通过Person法分析β淀粉样蛋白和tau蛋白磷酸化程度与颞叶癫痫患者认知缺陷相关性。结果：（1）比较显示实验组的Aβ1-28蛋白、Aβ1-40蛋白、tau蛋白和p-tau蛋白均高于对照组,但Aβ1-42蛋白低于对照组（P<0.05）;（2）实验组语言智商（VIQ）、操作智商（PIQ）以及总智商（FIQ）评分均低于对照组（P<0.05）;（3）实验组评估低于对照组（P<0.05）;（4）实验组的MoCA评分显著低于对照组（P<0.05）;（5）Aβ1-28蛋白、Aβ1-40蛋白、Tau蛋白和p-tau蛋白与颞叶癫痫患者认知缺陷存在正相关关系;Aβ1-42蛋白与颞叶癫痫患者认知缺陷则存在负相关关系（P<0.05）。结论：颞叶癫痫患者认知缺陷与tau蛋白磷酸化程度、Aβ1-28蛋白、Aβ1-42蛋白和Aβ1-40蛋白水平具有相关性,可作为认知缺陷的判断指标,为体检或临床发现颞叶癫痫患者是否存在认知功能缺陷提供依据。     

综述与专论：蛋白质错误折叠相关疾病的多肽药物研究进展

蛋白质和多肽发生错误折叠形成不可溶的淀粉样纤维的过程,与阿尔茨海默病、帕金森病等多种神经退行性疾病密切相关。这些疾病可导致认知能力下降以及运动缺陷等症状。虽然已有多种相关治疗方案处于临床试验中,但目前仍无明确有效的方法可治愈或长期减缓疾病的进展。探寻和研究抑制淀粉样聚集、识别并促进毒性聚集物清除的抑制剂分子是药物研发的重要策略之一。在不同类型的抑制剂中,多肽类抑制剂因具有高特异性、低毒性、多样性,以及修饰后的抗水解稳定性和血脑屏障通透性,有望成为候选药物分子。本文总结了针对阿尔茨海默病相关的Aβ和Tau蛋白以及帕金森病相关的α-synuclein蛋白淀粉样纤维化的多肽抑制剂研究进展。基于淀粉样纤维化核心序列及纤维核心结构进行合理设计,或通过随机筛选,均可获得多肽抑制剂。这些天然和非天然的多肽分子大多具有抑制淀粉样纤维化、解聚成熟纤维和降低细胞毒性的作用,其中一些多肽在退行性疾病动物模型实验中,显示出降低脑损伤和缓解认知及运动障碍的效果。这些研究揭示了多肽作为蛋白质错误折叠和聚集相关疾病药物的特点,为研发一类新的有效药物奠定了基础。     

综述与专论：ABCA7与阿尔茨海默病的研究进展

阿尔茨海默病（Alzheimer’s disease,AD）是一种严重的中枢神经系统退行性疾病,也是老年人痴呆最常见的原因,其病因目前尚未阐明。三磷酸腺苷结合盒转运体A7 (ATP-binding cassette transporter A7,ABCA7)在脑中有较高的表达水平,参与脑内脂质代谢、吞噬作用以及免疫反应等过程。自从全基因组关联研究将ABCA7确定为AD的风险基因以后,越来越多的来自体内外和基于人的研究证实,ABCA7是早发和迟发型AD最重要的风险基因之一。本文对ABCA7在AD发生发展中的作用进行综述,以期为AD的防治提供新的治疗靶点和途径。     

综述与专论：血浆低分子量蛋白与多肽的研究进展

血浆是临床上使用频率最高的体液样本,具有采样无创、使用便捷以及内含物丰富等特点,是挖掘疾病相关潜在生物标志物的重要来源。血浆中低分子量蛋白与多肽(low molecular weight proteins and peptides,LMWPs)包括细胞因子、生长因子、多肽类激素和蛋白质降解产物等,其以分子质量较小、序列可表征、来源广泛等优势,得到了研究人员的青睐。近年来,随着高分辨率、高灵敏度质谱仪与计算科学的不断发展,新技术新方法的融入,LMWPs相关研究也有了新的发展。本文结合当前本领域的研究热点,介绍了血浆LMWPs的分类,包括完整小蛋白、蛋白质降解物、神经肽、免疫多肽、载体蛋白结合的LMWPs和小开放阅读框编码的多肽,同时总结了血浆LMWPs在富集方法、研究策略、功能研究以及疾病相关生物标志物方面的研究进展,并对血浆LMWPs面临的挑战和未来的研究方向进行了讨论。     

综述与专论：免疫吸附治疗自身免疫疾病的研究进展

自身免疫疾病治疗的常规方法 (如免疫抑制剂和血浆置换等)缺乏足够的安全性和有效性,因此,寻找新的治疗方法十分必要。免疫吸附(immunoadsorption,IA)是一种通过选择性或非选择性去除自身致病抗体,从而实现对自身免疫疾病治疗的方法。本文介绍了免疫吸附在扩张型心肌病、特发性膜性肾病、系统性红斑狼疮、重症肌无力4种自身免疫疾病中的研究和临床应用,讨论了该治疗方法的有效性和安全性;同时指出,免疫吸附要在更多的疾病中实现临床应用,还需要在可信度、地域性、样本量等方面做更加深入的临床前试验。     

ALS‐associated fused in sarcoma (FUS) mutations disrupt Transportin‐mediated nuclear import

Mutations in fused in sarcoma (FUS) are a cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). Patients carrying point mutations in the C‐terminus of FUS show neuronal cytoplasmic FUS‐positive inclusions, whereas in healthy controls, FUS is predominantly nuclear. Cytoplasmic FUS inclusions have also been identified in a subset of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD‐FUS). We show that a non‐classical PY nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the C‐terminus of FUS is necessary for nuclear import. The majority of fALS‐associated mutations occur within the NLS and impair nuclear import to a degree that correlates with the age of disease onset. This presents the first case of disease‐causing mutations within a PY‐NLS. Nuclear import of FUS is dependent on Transportin, and interference with this transport pathway leads to cytoplasmic redistribution and recruitment of FUS into stress granules. Moreover, proteins known to be stress granule markers co‐deposit with inclusions in fALS and FTLD‐FUS patients, implicating stress granule formation in the pathogenesis of these diseases. We propose that two pathological hits, namely nuclear import defects and cellular stress, are involved in the pathogenesis of FUS‐opathies.     

Arginine methylation next to the PY‐NLS modulates Transportin binding and nuclear import of FUS

Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a nuclear protein that carries a proline‐tyrosine nuclear localization signal (PY‐NLS) and is imported into the nucleus via Transportin (TRN). Defects in nuclear import of FUS have been implicated in neurodegeneration, since mutations in the PY‐NLS of FUS cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Moreover, FUS is deposited in the cytosol in a subset of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) patients. Here, we show that arginine methylation modulates nuclear import of FUS via a novel TRN‐binding epitope. Chemical or genetic inhibition of arginine methylation restores TRN‐mediated nuclear import of ALS‐associated FUS mutants. The unmethylated arginine–glycine–glycine domain preceding the PY‐NLS interacts with TRN and arginine methylation in this domain reduces TRN binding. Inclusions in ALS‐FUS patients contain methylated FUS, while inclusions in FTLD‐FUS patients are not methylated. Together with recent findings that FUS co‐aggregates with two related proteins of the FET family and TRN in FTLD‐FUS but not in ALS‐FUS, our study provides evidence that these two diseases may be initiated by distinct pathomechanisms and implicates alterations in arginine methylation in pathogenesis.     

The roles of intrinsic disorder-based liquid-liquid phase transitions in the “Dr. Jekyll–Mr. Hyde” behavior of proteins involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Pathological developments leading to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are associated with misbehavior of several key proteins, such as SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1), TARDBP/TDP-43, FUS, C9orf72, and dipeptide repeat proteins generated as a result of the translation of the intronic hexanucleotide expansions in the C9orf72 gene, PFN1 (profilin 1), GLE1 (GLE1, RNA export mediator), PURA (purine rich element binding protein A), FLCN (folliculin), RBM45 (RNA binding motif protein 45), SS18L1/CREST, HNRNPA1 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1), HNRNPA2B1 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2/B1), ATXN2 (ataxin 2), MAPT (microtubule associated protein tau), and TIA1 (TIA1 cytotoxic granule associated RNA binding protein). Although these proteins are structurally and functionally different and have rather different pathological functions, they all possess some levels of intrinsic disorder and are either directly engaged in or are at least related to the physiological liquid-liquid phase transitions (LLPTs) leading to the formation of various proteinaceous membrane-less organelles (PMLOs), both normal and pathological. This review describes the normal and pathological functions of these ALS- and FTLD-related proteins, describes their major structural properties, glances at their intrinsic disorder status, and analyzes the involvement of these proteins in the formation of normal and pathological PMLOs, with the ultimate goal of better understanding the roles of LLPTs and intrinsic disorder in the “Dr. Jekyll–Mr. Hyde” behavior of those proteins.     

Progranulin: normal function and role in neurodegeneration

Progranulin (PGRN) is a multifunctional protein that has attracted significant attention in the neuroscience community following the recent discovery of PGRN mutations in some cases of frontotemporal dementia. Most of the pathogenic mutations result in null alleles, and it is thought that frontotemporal dementia in these families results from PGRN haploinsufficiency. The neuropathology associated with PGRN mutations is characterized by the presence of tau-negative, ubiquitin-immunoreactive neuronal inclusions (frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitinated inclusions) that are also positive for the transactivation response DNA binding protein with M_r 43 kD. The clinical phenotype includes behavioral abnormalities, language disorders and parkinsonism but not motor neuron disease. There is significant clinical variation between families with different PGRN mutations and among members of individual families. The normal function of PGRN is complex, with the full-length form of the protein having trophic and anti-inflammatory activity, whereas proteolytic cleavage generates granulin peptides that promote inflammatory activity. In the periphery, PGRN functions in wound healing responses and modulates inflammatory events. In the CNS, PGRN is expressed by neurons and microglia; consequently, reduced levels of PGRN could affect both neuronal survival and CNS inflammatory processes. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of the molecular genetics, neuropathology, clinical phenotype and functional aspects of PGRN in the context of neurodegenerative disease.     

Phosphorylation of TAR DNA-binding Protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) by Truncated Casein Kinase 1δ Triggers Mislocalization and Accumulation of TDP-43

Intracellular aggregates of phosphorylated TDP-43 are a major component of ubiquitin-positive inclusions in the brains of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration and ALS and are considered a pathological hallmark. Here, to gain insight into the mechanism of intracellular TDP-43 accumulation, we examined the relationship between phosphorylation and aggregation of TDP-43. We found that expression of a hyperactive form of casein kinase 1 δ (CK1δ1-317, a C-terminally truncated form) promotes mislocalization and cytoplasmic accumulation of phosphorylated TDP-43 (ubiquitin- and p62-positive) in cultured neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Insoluble phosphorylated TDP-43 prepared from cells co-expressing TDP-43 and CK1δ1-317 functioned as seeds for TDP-43 aggregation in cultured cells, indicating that CK1δ1-317-induced aggregated TDP-43 has prion-like properties. A striking toxicity and alterations of TDP-43 were also observed in yeast expressing TDP-43 and CK1δ1-317. Therefore, abnormal activation of CK1δ causes phosphorylation of TDP-43, leading to the formation of cytoplasmic TDP-43 aggregates, which, in turn, may trigger neurodegeneration.