Osmolytes stabilize protein structure and suppress protein aggregation. The mechanism of how osmolytes impact polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregation implicated in Huntington's disease was studied. By using a reverse-phase chromatography assay, we show that methylamines-trimethylamine N-oxide and betaine are generic in enhancing polyQ aggregation, while a disaccharide trehalose and an amino acid citrulline moderately retard polyQ aggregation in a sequence specific manner. Despite the altered kinetics, the fundamental nucleation mechanism of polyQ aggregation and the nature of end stage aggregates remains unaffected. These results highlight the importance of using osmolytes as modulatory agents of polyQ aggregation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/psc.3115 | DOI Listing |
PLoS Biol
January 2025
Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America.
Ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) are key for protein turnover and quality control via ubiquitination. Some E2s also physically interact with the proteasome, but it remains undetermined which E2s maintain proteostasis during aging. Here, we find that E2s have diverse roles in handling a model aggregation-prone protein (huntingtin-polyQ) in the Drosophila retina: while some E2s mediate aggregate assembly, UBE2D/effete (eff) and other E2s are required for huntingtin-polyQ degradation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethods Cell Biol
January 2025
State University of Minas Gerais, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Health, Passos, MG, Brazil. Electronic address:
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a repeat of the cytosine-adenine-guanine trinucleotide (CAG) in the huntingtin gene (HTT). This results in the translation of a mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein with an abnormally long polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat. The pathology of HD leads to neuronal cell loss, motor abnormalities, and dementia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Mol Biosci
January 2025
Center for Biomolecular and Cellular Structure, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Huntington's disease (HD) is primarily caused by the aberrant aggregation of the N-terminal exon 1 fragment of mutant huntingtin protein (mHttex1) with expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) repeats in neurons. The first 17 amino acids of the N-terminus of Httex1 (N17 domain) immediately preceding the polyQ repeat domain are evolutionarily conserved across vertebrates and play multifaceted roles in the pathogenesis of HD. Due to its amphipathic helical properties, the N17 domain, both alone and when membrane-associated, promotes mHttEx1 aggregation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Department of Biomaterials & Biomedical Technology (BBT), University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), Antonius Deusinglaan 1, Groningen, 9713 AV, The Netherlands.
Free radicals are believed to play a secondary role in the cell death cascade associated with various diseases. In Huntington's disease (HD), the aggregation of polyglutamine (PolyQ) not only contributes to the disease but also elevates free radical levels. However, measuring free radicals is difficult due to their short lifespan and limited diffusion range.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntioxidants (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Nutrition, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), caused by the abnormal expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ) in the ataxin-3 protein, is one of the inherited polyQ neurodegenerative diseases that share similar genetic and molecular features. Mutant polyQ-expanded ataxin-3 protein is prone to aggregation in affected neurons and is predominantly degraded by autophagy, which is beneficial for neurodegenerative disease treatment. Not only does mutant polyQ-expanded ataxin-3 increase susceptibility to oxidative cytotoxicity, but it also hampers antioxidant potency in neuronal cells.
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