alpha-Synuclein is the major component of the intracellular Lewy body inclusions present in Parkinson disease (PD) neurons. PD involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the subsequent depletion of dopamine (DA) in the striatum. DA can inhibit alpha-synuclein fibrillization in vitro and promote alpha-synuclein aggregation into soluble oligomers. We have studied the mechanism by which DA mediates alpha-synuclein aggregation into soluble oligomers. Reacting alpha-synuclein with DA increased the mass of alpha-synuclein by 64 Da. NMR showed that all four methionine residues were oxidized by DA, consistent with the addition of 64 Da. Substituting all four methionines to alanine significantly reduced the formation of DA-mediated soluble oligomers. The (125)YEMPS(129) motif in alpha-synuclein can modulate DA inhibition of alpha-synuclein fibrillization. However, alpha-synuclein ending before the (125)YEMPS(129) motif (residues 1-124) could still form soluble oligomers. The addition of exogenous synthetic YEMPS peptide inhibited the formation of soluble oligomers and resulted in the YEMPS peptide being oxidized. Therefore, the (125)YEMPS(129) acts as an antioxidant rather than interacting directly with DA. Our study defines methionine oxidation as the dominant mechanism by which DA generates soluble alpha-synuclein oligomers and highlights the potential role for oxidative stress in modulating alpha-synuclein aggregation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2009.02.009 | DOI Listing |
Chem Sci
December 2024
Institute of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology Wrocław Poland
Near-infrared (NIR) emitters with high two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-sections are of interest to enable imaging in the tissue transparency windows. This study explores the potential of DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters (Ag -DNAs) as water-soluble two-photon absorbers. We investigate 2PA of four different atomically precise Ag -DNA species with far-red to NIR emission and varying nanocluster and ligand compositions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytother Res
December 2024
Graduate School of Education in Physical Education, Sangmyung University, Seoul, Korea.
Regular exercise enhances life quality, lowers the risk of cognitive damage, and slows the advancement of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Natural compounds rich in polyphenols have garnered attention as a non-pharmacological means of treating and preventing AD. The primary component of wine, grape seeds, and nuts is polyphenols.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem B
December 2024
Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
The ultrashort peptide -fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-phenylalanyl-phenylalanine (FmocFF) has been largely investigated due to its ability to self-assemble into fibrils (100 nm-μm scale) that can form a sample-spanning gel network. The initiation of the gelation process requires either a solvent switch (water added to dimethyl sulfoxide) or a pH-switch (alkaline to neutral) protocol, both of which ensure the solubility of the peptide as a necessary step preceding gelation. While the respective gel phases are well understood in structural and material characteristics terms the pregelation conditions are known to a lesser extent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin 300457, PR China; College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, PR China. Electronic address:
Soluble cytotoxic oligomers produced during the fibrillation of both α-synuclein (αS) and amyloid-β protein (Aβ) are key pathogenic factors in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Reducing toxic oligomers by regulating the aggregation process of αS and Aβ is an important strategy for the treatment of PD and AD. Herein, tetrahydrofolic acid (THF) is found to accelerate amyloid fibrillization, decreases cytotoxic oligomers and suppresses their toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein Sci
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
After overexpression in a suitable host, recombinant protein purification often relies on affinity (e.g., poly-histidine) and solubility-enhancing (e.
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