Project description:The transactive response DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) is a multi-facet protein involved in phase separation, RNA-binding, and alternative splicing. In the context of neurodegenerative diseases, abnormal aggregation of TDP-43 has been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration through the aggregation of its C-terminal domain. Here, we report a cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM)-based structural characterization of TDP-43 fibrils obtained from the full-length protein. We find that the fibrils are polymorphic and contain three different amyloid structures. The structures differ in the number and relative orientation of the protofilaments, although they share a similar fold containing an amyloid key motif. The observed fibril structures differ from previously described conformations of TDP-43 fibrils and help to better understand the structural landscape of the amyloid fibril structures derived from this protein.
Project description:Parkinson's disease is a progressive neuropathological disorder that belongs to the class of synucleinopathies, in which the protein alpha-synuclein is found at abnormally high concentrations in affected neurons. Its hallmark are intracellular inclusions called Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. We here report the structure of cytotoxic alpha-synuclein fibrils (residues 1-121), determined by cryo-electron microscopy at a resolution of 3.4 Å. Two protofilaments form a polar fibril composed of staggered ?-strands. The backbone of residues 38 to 95, including the fibril core and the non-amyloid component region, are well resolved in the EM map. Residues 50-57, containing three of the mutation sites associated with familial synucleinopathies, form the interface between the two protofilaments and contribute to fibril stability. A hydrophobic cleft at one end of the fibril may have implications for fibril elongation, and invites for the design of molecules for diagnosis and treatment of synucleinopathies.
Project description:Systemic light chain amyloidosis (AL) is a life-threatening disease caused by aggregation and deposition of monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains (LC) in target organs. Severity of heart involvement is the most important factor determining prognosis. Here, we report the 4.0 Å resolution cryo-electron microscopy map and molecular model of amyloid fibrils extracted from the heart of an AL amyloidosis patient with severe amyloid cardiomyopathy. The helical fibrils are composed of a single protofilament, showing typical 4.9 Å stacking and cross-β architecture. Two distinct polypeptide stretches (total of 77 residues) from the LC variable domain (Vl) fit the fibril density. Despite Vl high sequence variability, residues stabilizing the fibril core are conserved through different cardiotoxic Vl, highlighting structural motifs that may be common to misfolding-prone LCs. Our data shed light on the architecture of LC amyloids, correlate amino acid sequences with fibril assembly, providing the grounds for development of innovative medicines.
Project description:Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disease characterized by the extracellular deposition of amyloid plaques. Investigation into the composition of these plaques revealed a high amount of amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrils and a high concentration of lipids, suggesting that fibril-lipid interactions may also be relevant for the pathogenesis of AD. Therefore, we grew Aβ40 fibrils in the presence of lipid vesicles and determined their structure by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to high resolution. The fold of the major polymorph is similar to the structure of brain-seeded fibrils reported previously. The majority of the lipids are bound to the fibrils, as we show by cryo-EM and NMR spectroscopy. This apparent lipid extraction from vesicles observed here in vitro provides structural insights into potentially disease-relevant fibril-lipid interactions.
Project description:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and several other neurodegenerative diseases are associated with brain deposits of amyloid-like aggregates formed by the C-terminal fragments of TDP-43 that contain the low complexity domain of the protein. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of amyloid formed from the entire TDP-43 low complexity domain in vitro at pH 4. This structure reveals single protofilament fibrils containing a large (139-residue), tightly packed core. While the C-terminal part of this core region is largely planar and characterized by a small proportion of hydrophobic amino acids, the N-terminal region contains numerous hydrophobic residues and has a non-planar backbone conformation, resulting in rugged surfaces of fibril ends. The structural features found in these fibrils differ from those previously found for fibrils generated from short protein fragments. The present atomic model for TDP-43 LCD fibrils provides insight into potential structural perturbations caused by phosphorylation and disease-related mutations.
Project description:The amyloid-antimicrobial link hypothesis is based on antimicrobial properties found in human amyloids involved in neurodegenerative and systemic diseases, along with amyloidal structural properties found in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Supporting this hypothesis, we here determined the fibril structure of two AMPs from amphibians, uperin 3.5 and aurein 3.3, by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), revealing amyloid cross-β fibrils of mated β-sheets at atomic resolution. Uperin 3.5 formed a 3-blade symmetrical propeller of nine peptides per fibril layer including tight β-sheet interfaces. This cross-β cryo-EM structure complements the cross-α fibril conformation previously determined by crystallography, substantiating a secondary structure switch mechanism of uperin 3.5. The aurein 3.3 arrangement consisted of six peptides per fibril layer, all showing kinked β-sheets allowing a rounded compactness of the fibril. The kinked β-sheets are similar to LARKS (Low-complexity, Amyloid-like, Reversible, Kinked Segments) found in human functional amyloids.
Project description:Catalytic amyloid fibrils are novel types of bioinspired, functional materials that combine the chemical and mechanical robustness of amyloids with the ability to catalyze a certain chemical reaction. In this study we used cryo-electron microcopy to analyze the amyloid fibril structure and the catalytic center of amyloid fibrils that hydrolyze ester bonds. Our findings show that catalytic amyloid fibrils are polymorphic and consist of similarly structured, zipper-like building blocks that consist of mated cross-β sheets. These building blocks define the fibril core, which is decorated by a peripheral leaflet of peptide molecules. The observed structural arrangement differs from previously described catalytic amyloid fibrils and yielded a new model of the catalytic center.
Project description:Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) functions as a glucose-regulating hormone but deposits as amyloid fibrils in more than 90% of patients with type II diabetes (T2D). Here we report the cryo-EM structure of recombinant full-length hIAPP fibrils. The fibril is composed of two symmetrically related protofilaments with ordered residues 14-37. Our hIAPP fibril structure (i) supports the previous hypothesis that residues 20-29 constitute the core of the hIAPP amyloid; (ii) suggests a molecular mechanism for the action of the hIAPP hereditary mutation S20G; (iii) explains why the six residue substitutions in rodent IAPP prevent aggregation; and (iv) suggests regions responsible for the observed hIAPP cross-seeding with β-amyloid. Furthermore, we performed structure-based inhibitor design to generate potential hIAPP aggregation inhibitors. Four of the designed peptides delay hIAPP aggregation in vitro, providing a starting point for the development of T2D therapeutics and proof of concept that the capping strategy can be used on full-length cryo-EM fibril structures.
Project description:Mammalian prions propagate as distinct strains and are composed of multichain assemblies of misfolded host-encoded prion protein (PrP). Here, we present a near-atomic resolution cryo-EM structure of PrP fibrils present in highly infectious prion rod preparations isolated from the brains of RML prion-infected mice. We found that prion rods comprise single-protofilament helical amyloid fibrils that coexist with twisted pairs of the same protofilaments. Each rung of the protofilament is formed by a single PrP monomer with the ordered core comprising PrP residues 94-225, which folds to create two asymmetric lobes with the N-linked glycans and the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor projecting from the C-terminal lobe. The overall architecture is comparable to that of recently reported PrP fibrils isolated from the brain of hamsters infected with the 263K prion strain. However, there are marked conformational variations that could result from differences in PrP sequence and/or represent distinguishing features of the distinct prion strains.
Project description:The formation of Aβ amyloid fibrils is a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. However, the structure of Aβ amyloid fibrils from brain tissue is poorly understood. Here we report the purification of Aβ amyloid fibrils from meningeal Alzheimer's brain tissue and their structural analysis with cryo-electron microscopy. We show that these fibrils are polymorphic but consist of similarly structured protofilaments. Brain derived Aβ amyloid fibrils are right-hand twisted and their peptide fold differs sharply from previously analyzed Aβ fibrils that were formed in vitro. These data underscore the importance to use patient-derived amyloid fibrils when investigating the structural basis of the disease.