Amyloid beta protein enhances the survival of hippocampal neurons in vitro

The beta-amyloid protein is progressively deposited in Alzheimer's disease as vascular amyloid and as the amyloid cores of neuritic plaques. Contrary to its metabolically inert appearance, this peptide may have biological activity. To evaluate this possibility, a peptide ligand homologous to the first 28 residues of the beta-amyloid protein (beta 1-28) was tested in cultures of hippocampal pyramidal neurons for neurotrophic or neurotoxic effects. The beta 1-28 appeared to have neurotrophic activity because it enhanced neuronal survival under the culture conditions examined. This finding may help elucidate the sequence of events leading to plaque formation and neuronal damage in Alzheimer's disease.     

A portrait of Alzheimer secretases--new features and familiar faces

The amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) is a principal component of the cerebral plaques found in the brains of patients with Alzeheimer's disease (AD). This insoluble 40- to 42-amino acid peptide is formed by the cleavage of the Abeta precursor protein (APP). The three proteases that cleave APP, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-secretases, have been implicated in the etiology of AD. beta-Secretase is a membrane-anchored protein with clear homology to soluble aspartyl proteases, and alpha-secretase displays characteristics of certain membrane-tethered metalloproteases. gamma-Secretase is apparently an oligomeric complex that includes the presenilins, which may be the catalytic component of this protease. Identification of the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-secretases provides potential targets for designing new drugs to treat AD.     

T cell receptor peptide therapy triggers autoregulation of experimental encephalomyelitis

Encephalitogenic T cells specific for myelin basic protein share common V beta 8 peptide sequences in their T cell receptor (TCR) that can induce autoregulatory T cells and antibodies that prevent clinical signs of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). It is not known, however, if TCR peptides can treat established disease. To test its therapeutic value, TCR-V beta 8-39-59 peptide was injected into rats with clinical signs of EAE. This treatment reduced disease severity and speeded recovery, apparently by boosting anti-V beta 8 T cells and antibodies raised naturally in response to encephalitogenic V beta 8+ T cells. These results demonstrate that synthetic TCR peptides can be used therapeutically, and implicate the TCR-V beta 8-39-59 sequence as a natural idiotope involved in EAE recovery. Similarly, human TCR peptides may be effective in enhancing natural regulation of autoreactive T cells that share common V genes.     

The crystal structure of a T cell receptor in complex with peptide and MHC class II

The crystal structure of a complex involving the D10 T cell receptor (TCR), 16-residue foreign peptide antigen, and the I-Ak self major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule is reported at 3.2 angstrom resolution. The D10 TCR is oriented in an orthogonal mode relative to its peptide-MHC (pMHC) ligand, necessitated by the amino-terminal extension of peptide residues projecting from the MHC class II antigen-binding groove as part of a mini beta sheet. Consequently, the disposition of D10 complementarity-determining region loops is altered relative to that of most pMHCI-specific TCRs; the latter TCRs assume a diagonal orientation, although with substantial variability. Peptide recognition, which involves P-1 to P8 residues, is dominated by the Valpha domain, which also binds to the class II MHC beta1 helix. That docking is limited to one segment of MHC-bound peptide offers an explanation for epitope recognition and altered peptide ligand effects, suggests a structural basis for alloreactivity, and illustrates how bacterial superantigens can span the TCR-pMHCII surface.     

Calcium-induced peptide association to form an intact protein domain: 1H NMR structural evidence

The 70-residue carboxyl-terminal domain of the muscle contractile protein troponin-C contains two helix-loop-helix calcium (Ca)-binding sites that are related to each other by approximate twofold rotational symmetry. Hydrophobic residues from the helices and a short three residue beta sheet at the interface of the two sites act to stabilize the protein domain in the presence of Ca. A synthetic 34-residue peptide representing one of these sites (site III) has been synthesized and studied by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In solution this peptide undergoes a Ca-induced conformational change to form the helix-loop-helix Ca-binding motif. Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectra have provided evidence for the formation of a beta sheet and interactions between several hydrophobic residues from opposing helices as found in troponin-C. It is proposed that a symmetric two-site dimer similar in tertiary structure to the carboxyl-terminal domain of troponin-C forms from the assembly of two site III peptides in the Ca-bound form.     

Atomic view of a toxic amyloid small oligomer

Amyloid diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and the prion conditions, are each associated with a particular protein in fibrillar form. These amyloid fibrils were long suspected to be the disease agents, but evidence suggests that smaller, often transient and polymorphic oligomers are the toxic entities. Here, we identify a segment of the amyloid-forming protein αB crystallin, which forms an oligomeric complex exhibiting properties of other amyloid oligomers: β-sheet-rich structure, cytotoxicity, and recognition by an oligomer-specific antibody. The x-ray-derived atomic structure of the oligomer reveals a cylindrical barrel, formed from six antiparallel protein strands, that we term a cylindrin. The cylindrin structure is compatible with a sequence segment from the β-amyloid protein of Alzheimer's disease. Cylindrins offer models for the hitherto elusive structures of amyloid oligomers.     

Brain to plasma amyloid-beta efflux: a measure of brain amyloid burden in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

The deposition of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides into amyloid plaques precedes the cognitive dysfunction of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by years. Biomarkers indicative of brain amyloid burden could be useful for identifying individuals at high risk for developing AD. As in AD in humans, baseline plasma Abeta levels in a transgenic mouse model of AD did not correlate with brain amyloid burden. However, after peripheral administration of a monoclonal antibody to Abeta (m266), we observed a rapid increase in plasma Abeta and the magnitude of this increase was highly correlated with amyloid burden in the hippocampus and cortex. This method may be useful for quantifying brain amyloid burden in patients at risk for or those who have been diagnosed with AD.     

Conservation of brain amyloid proteins in aged mammals and humans with Alzheimer's disease

The formation of clusters of altered axons and dendrites surrounding extracellular deposits of amyloid filaments (neuritic plaques) is a major feature of the human brain in both aging and Alzheimer's disease. A panel of antibodies against amyloid filaments and their constituent proteins from humans with Alzheimer's disease cross-reacted with neuritic plaque and cerebrovascular amyloid deposits in five other species of aged mammals, including monkey, orangutan, polar bear, and dog. Antibodies to a 28-amino acid peptide representing the partial protein sequence of the human amyloid filaments recognized the cortical and microvascular amyloid of all of the aged mammals examined. Plaque amyloid, plaque neurites, and neuronal cell bodies in the aged animals showed no reaction with antibodies to human paired helical filaments. Thus, with age, the amyloid proteins associated with progressive cortical degeneration in Alzheimer's disease are also deposited in the brains of other mammals. Aged primates can provide biochemically relevant models for principal features of Alzheimer's disease: cerebrovascular amyloidosis and neuritic plaque formation.     

Linkage of plasma Abeta42 to a quantitative locus on chromosome 10 in late-onset Alzheimer's disease pedigrees

Plasma Abeta42 (amyloid beta42 peptide) is invariably elevated in early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it is also increased in the first-degree relatives of patients with typical late-onset AD (LOAD). To detect LOAD loci that increase Abeta42, we used plasma Abeta42 as a surrogate trait and performed linkage analysis on extended AD pedigrees identified through a LOAD patient with extremely high plasma Abeta. Here, we report linkage to chromosome 10 with a maximal lod score of 3.93 at 81 centimorgans close to D10S1225. Remarkably, linkage to the same region was obtained independently in a genome-wide screen of LOAD sibling pairs. These results provide strong evidence for a novel LOAD locus on chromosome 10 that acts to increase Abeta.     

Prion domain initiation of amyloid formation in vitro from native Ure2p

The [URE3] non-Mendelian genetic element of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an infectious protein (prion) form of Ure2p, a regulator of nitrogen catabolism. Here, synthetic Ure2p1-65 were shown to polymerize to form filaments 40 to 45 angstroms in diameter with more than 60 percent beta sheet. Ure2p1-65 specifically induced full-length native Ure2p to copolymerize under conditions where native Ure2p alone did not polymerize. Like Ure2p in extracts of [URE3] strains, these 180- to 220-angstrom-diameter filaments were protease resistant. The Ure2p1-65-Ure2p cofilaments could seed polymerization of native Ure2p to form thicker, less regular filaments. All filaments stained with Congo Red to produce the green birefringence typical of amyloid. This self-propagating amyloid formation can explain the properties of [URE3].     

NaCl浓度和pH对甘薯蛋白肽乳化特性的影响

【目的】明确不同NaCl浓度和pH对甘薯蛋白肽乳化特性的影响,为甘薯蛋白肽在食品工业中的应用提供理论依据。【方法】测定不同NaCl浓度（0.2、0.4、0.6、0.8和1.0 mol·L^-1）和不同pH（3、5、7和9）条件下,甘薯蛋白肽乳化液的显微结构、乳化颗粒平均粒径（d_4,3）、乳化活性、乳化稳定性、流变学性质和甘薯蛋白肽的表面疏水活性。【结果】与未添加NaCl的相比,添加浓度为0.2 mol·L^-1的NaCl时,甘薯蛋白肽乳化液的d_4,3由54.19 μm增大至59.70 μm;乳化活性指数由86.29 m²·g^-1显著降低为56.35 m²·g^-1（P＜0.05）;乳化稳定性指数由14.84 min降为13.19 min。然而,随着NaCl浓度的增大,甘薯蛋白肽乳化颗粒均一程度降低,d_4,3进一步由0.2 mol·L^-1时的59.70 μm增加至69.72 μm;而乳化活性由56.35 m²·g^-1逐渐降低至32.32 m²·g^-1,乳化稳定性呈先升高后降低的趋势,在0.4 m²·g^-1时达最大值,为15.55 min;初始表观黏度增大,并有剪切变稀现象发生;表面疏水活性降低。此外,随着pH增加,乳化颗粒均一程度升高,d_4,3由pH 3时的64.45 μm减小至pH 9时的51.21 μm;而乳化活性由pH 3时的3.99 m²·g^-1升高至pH 9时的120.47 m²·g^-1,乳化稳定性呈先降低后升高的变化趋势,pH 3时其最佳值为29.13 min;初始表观黏度降低,并有剪切变稀现象发生;表面疏水活性升高。【结论】甘薯蛋白肽的乳化特性与NaCl浓度和pH密切相关,添加≥0.2 mol·L^-1 NaCl降低了甘薯蛋白肽的乳化活性和稳定性,而增加pH可有效提高甘薯蛋白肽的乳化活性。     

Amyloid beta protein precursor is possibly a heparan sulfate proteoglycan core protein

The amyloid beta protein peptide is a major constituent of amyloid plaque cores in Alzheimer's disease and is apparently derived from a higher molecular weight precursor. It is now shown that the core protein of a heparan sulfate proteoglycan secreted from a nerve cell line (PC12) has an amino acid sequence and a size very similar to those of the amyloid beta protein precursor and that these molecules are antigenically related. This amyloid beta protein precursor-related protein is not found in the conditioned medium of a variant cell line (F3 PC12) that does not secrete heparan sulfate proteoglycan. The synaptic localization and metabolism of this class of proteoglycans are consistent with its potential involvement in central nervous system dysfunction.     

Self-propagating, molecular-level polymorphism in Alzheimer's beta-amyloid fibrils

Amyloid fibrils commonly exhibit multiple distinct morphologies in electron microscope and atomic force microscope images, often within a single image field. By using electron microscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance measurements on fibrils formed by the 40-residue beta-amyloid peptide of Alzheimer's disease (Abeta(1-40)), we show that different fibril morphologies have different underlying molecular structures, that the predominant structure can be controlled by subtle variations in fibril growth conditions, and that both morphology and molecular structure are self-propagating when fibrils grow from preformed seeds. Different Abeta(1-40) fibril morphologies also have significantly different toxicities in neuronal cell cultures. These results have implications for the mechanism of amyloid formation, the phenomenon of strains in prion diseases, the role of amyloid fibrils in amyloid diseases, and the development of amyloid-based nano-materials.     

Cleavage of amyloid beta peptide during constitutive processing of its precursor

The amyloid beta peptide (A beta P) is a small fragment of the much larger, broadly distributed amyloid precursor protein (APP). Abundant A beta P deposition in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease suggests that altered APP processing may represent a key pathogenic event. Direct protein structural analyses showed that constitutive processing in human embryonic kidney 293 cells cleaves APP in the interior of the A beta P, thus preventing A beta P deposition. A deficiency of this processing event may ultimately prove to be the etiological event in Alzheimer's disease that gives rise to senile plaque formation.     

Structural basis of Smad2 recognition by the Smad anchor for receptor activation

The Smad proteins mediate transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) signaling from the transmembrane serine-threonine receptor kinases to the nucleus. The Smad anchor for receptor activation (SARA) recruits Smad2 to the TGFbeta receptors for phosphorylation. The crystal structure of a Smad2 MH2 domain in complex with the Smad-binding domain (SBD) of SARA has been determined at 2.2 angstrom resolution. SARA SBD, in an extended conformation comprising a rigid coil, an alpha helix, and a beta strand, interacts with the beta sheet and the three-helix bundle of Smad2. Recognition between the SARA rigid coil and the Smad2 beta sheet is essential for specificity, whereas interactions between the SARA beta strand and the Smad2 three-helix bundle contribute significantly to binding affinity. Comparison of the structures between Smad2 and a comediator Smad suggests a model for how receptor-regulated Smads are recognized by the type I receptors.     

Neurotoxicity of a fragment of the amyloid precursor associated with Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid deposition in senile plaques and the cerebral vasculature is a marker of Alzheimer's disease. Whether amyloid itself contributes to the neurodegenerative process or is simply a by-product of that process is unknown. Pheochromocytoma (PC12) and fibroblast (NIH 3T3) cell lines were transfected with portions of the gene for the human amyloid precursor protein. Stable PC12 cell transfectants expressing a specific amyloid-containing fragment of the precursor protein gradually degenerated when induced to differentiate into neuronal cells with nerve growth factor. Conditioned medium from these cells was toxic to neurons in primary hippocampal cultures, and the toxic agent could be removed by immunoabsorption with an antibody directed against the amyloid polypeptide. Thus, a peptide derived from the amyloid precursor may be neurotoxic.     

Alzheimer's disease is a synaptic failure

In its earliest clinical phase, Alzheimer's disease characteristically produces a remarkably pure impairment of memory. Mounting evidence suggests that this syndrome begins with subtle alterations of hippocampal synaptic efficacy prior to frank neuronal degeneration, and that the synaptic dysfunction is caused by diffusible oligomeric assemblies of the amyloid beta protein.     

Prokaryotic Expression of Gly-GIn Dipeptide and Its Bioactive Analysis： A Novel Method for Short Peptide Production

Small bioactive peptides, with diverse biological functions, have received increasing attention as physiologically beneficial substances in animal production. The main obstacle to wide application of small bioactive peptides is a lack of costeffective methods for mass production. In this study, we mass-production method for small bioactive peptides. used glycyl-glutamine （Gly-Gln） as a test case to develop a novel The oligonucleotide encoding Gly-Gln pro-peptide （Gpp） was designed and synthesized. Gpp includes 3 Gly-Gln dipeptides and 2 enzymatic sites for pepsin and trypase, allowing direct digestion and absorption of Gly-Gln in the gastrointestinal tract. The Gpp oligonucleotides were linked to generate an oligomeric oligonucleotide segment containing 12 tandem copies of Gpp. This 12Gpp segment was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli vector pET32a. By optimizing culture conditions [0.1 mmol L^-1 isopropyl-β-D- thiogalactopyranoside （IPTG）, 50 μg mL^-1 ampicillin （Amp）, 30℃ for 12 h], the thioredoxin fusion peptides reached 40% of total bacterial protein. After purification, the fusion protein was fed to Kunming mice to determine its effect on mouse immune function. The results showed that similar to Gly-Gln dipeptide, Gpp polymer protein could significantly suppress the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes in blood and spleen, and additionally could significantly improve interleukin-2 （IL-2） and interleukin-6 （IL-6） secretion of blood and spleen lymphocytes. These effects were not observed in mice fed a 2 amino acids mix （glycine and glutamine）. These evidences indicated that an efficient digestion of Gpp polymer protein could be achieved when ingested into the animal gut. The expression system in this study provides a potential production method for not only Gly-Gln dipeptide but also other short bioactive peptides.     

Prokaryotic Expression of Gly-Gln Dipeptide and Its Bioactive Analysis: A Novel Method for Short Peptide Production

Small bioactive peptides, with diverse biological functions, have received increasing attention as physiologically beneficial substances in animal production. The main obstacle to wide application of small bioactive peptides is a lack of cost-effective methods for mass production. In this study, we used glycyl-glutamine (Gly-Gln) as a test case to develop a novel mass-production method for small bioactive peptides. The oligonucleotide encoding Gly-Gln pro-peptide (Gpp) was designed and synthesized. Gpp includes 3 Gly-Gln dipeptides and 2 enzymatic sites for pepsin and trypase, allowing direct digestion and absorption of Gly-Gln in the gastrointestinal tract. The Gpp oligonucleotides were linked to generate an oligomeric oligonucleotide segment containing 12 tandem copies of Gpp. This 12Gpp segment was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli vector pET32a. By optimizing culture conditions [0.1 mmol L-1 isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), 50 lag mL-1 ampicillin (Amp), 30℃ for 12 h], the thioredoxin fusion peptides reached 40% of total bacterial protein. After purification, the fusion protein was fed to Kunming mice to determine its effect on mouse immune function. The results showed that similar to Gly-Gln dipeptide, Gpp polymer protein could significantly suppress the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes in blood and spleen, and additionally could significantly improve interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion of blood and spleen lymphocytes. These effects were not observed in mice fed a 2 amino acids mix (glycine and glutamine). These evidences indicated that an efficient digestion of Gpp polymer protein could be achieved when ingested into the animal gut. The expression system in this study provides a potential production method for not only Gly-Gln dipeptide but also other short bioactive peptides.     

花后不同时期遮光对玉米粒重及品质影响的细胞学研究

【目的】从细胞学角度探讨玉米花后不同时期遮光对玉米籽粒重量及品质的影响。【方法】以普通玉米泰玉2号为材料,大田条件下分别于授粉后1—14d(S1)、15—28d(S2)及29—42d(S3)遮光55%,以大田自然光照条件下生长的玉米作为对照(S0),对不同遮光处理下玉米粒重、品质、胚乳细胞增殖变化及穗轴可溶性糖含量进行了分析测定,对小穗柄维管束截面积、胚乳细胞及胚乳传递细胞的超微结构进行了观察。【结果】各时期遮光使籽粒重量、淀粉含量、胚乳细胞数量和体积降低,籽粒胚/胚乳比、蛋白质含量、粗脂肪含量升高。遮光延迟了淀粉粒的发育,降低了胚乳细胞的充实度;前期遮光籽粒胚乳细胞数目最少,中期遮光淀粉粒体积最小,胚乳细胞的充实状态最差。遮光后穗轴中可溶性糖含量升高,小穗柄维管束截面积无明显变化;遮光使胚乳细胞中蛋白质体增多,胚乳传递细胞变小,传递细胞壁内突变稀、变短,不同层次间连接程度下降,养分传输能力降低,胚乳传递细胞中线粒体数量减少。【结论】花后不同时期遮光改变了玉米籽粒品质,系籽粒中胚比重增加及胚乳细胞内含物比例变化所致。遮光后胚乳传递细胞形态与功能的变化及较低的线粒体数量限制了养分的传输,"流"不畅是生育后期遮光玉米粒重降低的重要原因之一。