The physiology and pathology of microtubule-associated protein tau

2014 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 111-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Zhi Wang ◽  
Xinya Gao ◽  
Zhi-Hao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
Tau Proteins ◽  
Microtubule Assembly ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Wide Range

Tau belongs to the family of microtubule-associated proteins predominantly expressed in neurons where they play an important role in promoting microtubule assembly and stabilizing microtubules. In addition, tau proteins interact with other cytoskeletal elements to allow spacing between microtubules. Recent studies have shown that tau is also actively involved in regulating cell viability and activity. Translated from a single gene located on chromosome 17q21, six isoforms of tau are produced by alternative splicing in adult human brain. Due to multiple post-translational modifications, heterogeneous tau species with a wide range of apparent molecular masses have been observed by denaturing polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Since tau gene mutations and abnormal post-translational modifications have been detected in over 20 neurodegenerative disorders, namely the tauopathies, tau has gained widespread attention as a target protein in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. In the present chapter, research progress regarding physiology and pathology of tau is reviewed, particularly in terms of the role of post-translational modification.

Genetic and morphological analysis of floral homeotic mutants tepal-like bract and fagopyrum apetala of Fagopyrum esculentum

Botany ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria D. Logacheva ◽  
Ivan N. Fesenko ◽  
Aleksey N. Fesenko ◽  
Aleksey A. Penin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
Fagopyrum Esculentum ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fagopyrum Esculentum Moench ◽  
Mutant Phenotypes ◽  
Floral Homeotic

The studies on floral homeotic mutants of the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. and Antirrhinum majus L. have clarified many important aspects of the genetic control of flower development. However, the details of this process can vary in species representing different lineages of flowering plants. The studies on floral homeotic mutants of nonmodel plant species may significantly improve the understanding of the mechanisms of morphological evolution of flowers. We report here the results of the genetic and morphological analysis of two floral homeotic mutants of common buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.). The mutant, tepal-like bract (tlb), is characterized by the transformation of bracts into petaloid organs, whereas fagopyrum apetala (fap), has a carpelloid perianth. Both mutant phenotypes are caused by a single recessive nuclear mutation. The double mutant fap tlb combines the features of tlb and fap. Our results show that single gene mutations are sufficient to convert the buckwheat bract into a tepal and to confer carpel identity on first whorl organs. These results are consistent with the premise that variations on the ABC model can be used to explain a wide range of floral architectures.

scholarly journals Engineering and Characterisation of Bacterial Phosphopantetheinyl Transferases and their Peptide Substrates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jack Alexander Sissons
Keyword(s):  
Single Gene ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Rapid Identification ◽  
Phosphopantetheinyl Transferase ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Peptide Motifs ◽  
Wide Range

<p>Throughout all domains of life, phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) enzymes catalyse a post-translational modification that is important in both primary and secondary metabolism; the transfer of a phosphopantetheine (PPant) group derived from Coenzyme A to specific protein domains within large, multi-modular biosynthetic enzymes, thereby activating each module for biosynthesis. The short peptide motif of the protein to which this group is attached is known as a ‘tag’, and can be fused to other proteins, making them also substrates for post-translational modification by a PPTase. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that PPTases can utilise a diverse range of CoA analogues, such as biotin-linked or click-chemistry capable CoA derivatives, as substrates for tag attachment. Together, these characteristics make post-translational modification by PPTases an attractive system for many different biotechnological applications. Perhaps the most significant application is in vivo and in vitro site-specific labelling of proteins, for which current technologies are hindered by cumbersome fusion protein requirements, toxicity of the process, or limited reporter groups that can be attached. Confoundingly, most PPTases exhibit a high degree of substrate promiscuity which limits the number of PPTase-tag pairs that can be used simultaneously, and therefore the number of protein targets that can be simultaneously labelled. To address this, directed evolution at a single gene level was used in an attempt to generate multiple PPTase variants that have non-overlapping tag specificity which have applications in orthogonal labelling. Furthermore, assays for the rapid identification, characterisation and evolution of short, novel peptide motifs that are recognised by PPTases has further diversified the labelling toolkit. These developments have enhanced the utility of the PPTase system and potentially have a wide range of applications in a number of fields.</p>

scholarly journals Non-Canonical Roles of Tau and Their Contribution to Synaptic Dysfunction

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 10145
Author(s):  
Giacomo Siano ◽  
Chiara Falcicchia ◽  
Nicola Origlia ◽  
Antonino Cattaneo ◽  
Cristina Di Primio
Keyword(s):  
Tau Protein ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Neuronal Degeneration ◽  
Synaptic Dysfunction ◽  
Cell Soma ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Synaptic Homeostasis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
And Function ◽  
Tau Aggregation

Tau plays a central role in a group of neurodegenerative disorders collectively named tauopathies. Despite the wide range of diverse symptoms at the onset and during the progression of the pathology, all tauopathies share two common hallmarks, namely the misfolding and aggregation of Tau protein and progressive synaptic dysfunctions. Tau aggregation correlates with cognitive decline and behavioural impairment. The mechanistic link between Tau misfolding and the synaptic dysfunction is still unknown, but this correlation is well established in the human brain and also in tauopathy mouse models. At the onset of the pathology, Tau undergoes post-translational modifications (PTMs) inducing the detachment from the cytoskeleton and its release in the cytoplasm as a soluble monomer. In this condition, the physiological enrichment in the axon is definitely disrupted, resulting in Tau relocalization in the cell soma and in dendrites. Subsequently, Tau aggregates into toxic oligomers and amyloidogenic forms that disrupt synaptic homeostasis and function, resulting in neuronal degeneration. The involvement of Tau in synaptic transmission alteration in tauopathies has been extensively reviewed. Here, we will focus on non-canonical Tau functions mediating synapse dysfunction.

Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies detect a new type of post-translational modification of axonemal tubulin

1995 ◽  
Vol 108 (9) ◽  
pp. 3013-3028 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Levilliers ◽  
A. Fleury ◽  
A.M. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Polyclonal Antibodies ◽  
Microtubule Assembly ◽  
Fusion Peptides ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Beta Tubulin ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Alpha Tubulin ◽  
Tubulin Isoforms ◽  
Molecular Masses ◽  
New Type

Polyclonal (PAT) and monoclonal (AXO 49) antibodies against Paramecium axonemal tubulin were used as probes to reveal tubulin heterogeneity. The location, the nature and the subcellular distribution of the epitopes recognized by these antibodies were, respectively, determined by means of: (i) immunoblotting on peptide maps of Paramecium, sea urchin and quail axonemal tubulins; (ii) immunoblotting on ciliate tubulin fusion peptides generated in E. coli to discriminate antibodies directed against sequential epitopes (reactive) from post-translational ones (non reactive); and (iii) immunofluorescence on Paramecium cells, using throughout an array of antibodies directed against tubulin sequences and post-translational modifications as references. AXO 49 monoclonal antibody and PAT serum were both shown to recognize epitopes located near the carboxyl-terminal end of both subunits of Paramecium axonemal tubulin, whereas the latter recognized additional epitopes in alpha-tubulin; AXO 49 and a fraction of the PAT serum proved to be unreactive over fusion proteins; both PAT and AXO 49 labelled a restricted population of very stable microtubules in Paramecium, consisting of axonemal and cortical ones, and their reactivity was sequentially detected following microtubule assembly; finally, both antibodies stained two upward spread bands in Paramecium axonemal tubulin separated by SDS-PAGE, indicating the recognition of various alpha- and beta-tubulin isoforms displaying different apparent molecular masses. These data, taken as a whole, definitely establish that PAT and AXO 49 recognize a post-translational modification occurring in axonemal microtubules of protozoa as of metazoa. This modification appears to be distinct from the previously known ones, and all the presently available evidence indicates that it corresponds to the very recently discovered polyglycylation of Paramecium axonemal alpha- and beta-tubulin.

scholarly journals Engineering and Characterisation of Bacterial Phosphopantetheinyl Transferases and their Peptide Substrates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jack Alexander Sissons
Keyword(s):  
Single Gene ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Rapid Identification ◽  
Phosphopantetheinyl Transferase ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Peptide Motifs ◽  
Wide Range

<p>Throughout all domains of life, phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) enzymes catalyse a post-translational modification that is important in both primary and secondary metabolism; the transfer of a phosphopantetheine (PPant) group derived from Coenzyme A to specific protein domains within large, multi-modular biosynthetic enzymes, thereby activating each module for biosynthesis. The short peptide motif of the protein to which this group is attached is known as a ‘tag’, and can be fused to other proteins, making them also substrates for post-translational modification by a PPTase. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that PPTases can utilise a diverse range of CoA analogues, such as biotin-linked or click-chemistry capable CoA derivatives, as substrates for tag attachment. Together, these characteristics make post-translational modification by PPTases an attractive system for many different biotechnological applications. Perhaps the most significant application is in vivo and in vitro site-specific labelling of proteins, for which current technologies are hindered by cumbersome fusion protein requirements, toxicity of the process, or limited reporter groups that can be attached. Confoundingly, most PPTases exhibit a high degree of substrate promiscuity which limits the number of PPTase-tag pairs that can be used simultaneously, and therefore the number of protein targets that can be simultaneously labelled. To address this, directed evolution at a single gene level was used in an attempt to generate multiple PPTase variants that have non-overlapping tag specificity which have applications in orthogonal labelling. Furthermore, assays for the rapid identification, characterisation and evolution of short, novel peptide motifs that are recognised by PPTases has further diversified the labelling toolkit. These developments have enhanced the utility of the PPTase system and potentially have a wide range of applications in a number of fields.</p>

scholarly journals Microtubule chemical complexity: mechanism of tubulin modification enzymes

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (a1) ◽  
pp. C1286-C1286
Author(s):  
Antonina Roll-Mecak ◽  
Agnieszka Szyk ◽  
Vasilisa Kormendi
Keyword(s):  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Alpha Tubulin ◽  
Dimer Interface ◽  
Chemical Complexity ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Tubulin Tyrosine Ligase ◽  
Stimulation Of

Tubulin is subject to an abundant and diverse set of post-translational modifications that include phosphorylation, acetylation, poly-glutamylation, poly-glycylation and tyrosination. The highest density and variety of post-translational modifications are found in especially complex microtubule arrays like those of neurons or cilia. Not surprisingly, tubulin modification enzymes have been linked to human diseases including cancers and neurodegenerative disorders. I will present recent data from my lab on the mechanism of action of two tubulin modification enzymes that illustrate two divergent paradigms of tubulin recognition. Tubulin tyrosine ligase (TTL) adds a C-terminal Tyr to the exposed C-terminus of alpha-tubulin as part of a tyrosination/detyrosination cycle present in most eukaryotic cells. We solved the first crystal structure of tubulin tyrosine ligase that revealed how the TTL scaffold supported the expansion of the repertory of tubulin post-translational modification enzymes of the TTL like family that recognize either alpha- or beta-tubulin C-terminal tails. In addition to modifying tubulin, TTL also prevents tubulin from incorporating into microtubules by recognizing a tubulin dimer interface that would otherwise be involved in microtubule lattice interactions. I will also present recent work from my group on the structure and mechanism of action of tubulin acetyltransferase (TAT). TAT acetylates Lys-40 on alpha-tubulin in the microtubule lumen. We solved the 2.7Å structure of TAT bound to its ac-coA substrate as well as the 2.45Å structure of a catalytic inactive TAT mutant that reveals a domain swapped dimer in which the functionally essential N-terminus shows evidence of unprecedented structural plasticity. Implications for catalysis and microtubule stimulation of TAT activity will be discussed.

Dicarbonyl derived post-translational modifications: chemistry bridging biology and aging-related disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
Christian Sibbersen ◽  
Mogens Johannsen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Dicarbonyl Compounds ◽  
Protein Targets ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Glycation End Products ◽  
Direct Mass Spectrometry

Abstract In living systems, nucleophilic amino acid residues are prone to non-enzymatic post-translational modification by electrophiles. α-Dicarbonyl compounds are a special type of electrophiles that can react irreversibly with lysine, arginine, and cysteine residues via complex mechanisms to form post-translational modifications known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and 3-deoxyglucosone are the major endogenous dicarbonyls, with methylglyoxal being the most well-studied. There are several routes that lead to the formation of dicarbonyl compounds, most originating from glucose and glucose metabolism, such as the non-enzymatic decomposition of glycolytic intermediates and fructosyl amines. Although dicarbonyls are removed continuously mainly via the glyoxalase system, several conditions lead to an increase in dicarbonyl concentration and thereby AGE formation. AGEs have been implicated in diabetes and aging-related diseases, and for this reason the elucidation of their structure as well as protein targets is of great interest. Though the dicarbonyls and reactive protein side chains are of relatively simple nature, the structures of the adducts as well as their mechanism of formation are not that trivial. Furthermore, detection of sites of modification can be demanding and current best practices rely on either direct mass spectrometry or various methods of enrichment based on antibodies or click chemistry followed by mass spectrometry. Future research into the structure of these adducts and protein targets of dicarbonyl compounds may improve the understanding of how the mechanisms of diabetes and aging-related physiological damage occur.

scholarly journals Immunological discrimination of β-tubulin isoforms in developing mouse brain. Post-translational modification of non-class-III β-tubulins

1992 ◽  
Vol 288 (3) ◽  
pp. 919-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Linhartová ◽  
P Dráber ◽  
E Dráberová ◽  
V Viklický
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Brain ◽  
Specific Class ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Beta Tubulin ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Tubulin Isotypes ◽  
Tubulin Isoforms ◽  
Developing Mouse Brain

Individual beta-tubulin isoforms in developing mouse brain were characterized using immunoblotting, after preceding high-resolution isoelectric focusing, with monoclonal antibodies against different structural regions of beta-tubulin. Some of the antibodies reacted with a limited number of tubulin isoforms in all stages of brain development and in HeLa cells. The epitope for the TU-14 antibody was located in the isotype-defining domain and was present on the beta-tubulin isotypes of classes I, II and IV, but absent on the neuron-specific class-III isotype. The data suggest that non-class-III beta-tubulins in mouse brain are substrates for developmentally regulated post-translational modifications and that beta-tubulins of non-neuronal cells are also post-translationally modified.

scholarly journals Post translational modifications of milk proteins in geographically diverse goat breeds

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Rout ◽  
M. Verma
Keyword(s):  
Protein Function ◽  
Whey Proteins ◽  
Milk Proteins ◽  
Goat Milk ◽  
Peptide Sequence ◽  
Cow Milk ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Dpp Iv

AbstractGoat milk is a source of nutrition in difficult areas and has lesser allerginicity than cow milk. It is leading in the area for nutraceutical formulation and drug development using goat mammary gland as a bioreactor. Post translational modifications of a protein regulate protein function, biological activity, stabilization and interactions. The protein variants of goat milk from 10 breeds were studied for the post translational modifications by combining highly sensitive 2DE and Q-Exactive LC-MS/MS. Here we observed high levels of post translational modifications in 201 peptides of 120 goat milk proteins. The phosphosites observed for CSN2, CSN1S1, CSN1S2, CSN3 were 11P, 13P, 17P and 6P, respectively in 105 casein phosphopeptides. Whey proteins BLG and LALBA showed 19 and 4 phosphosites respectively. Post translational modification was observed in 45 low abundant non-casein milk proteins mainly associated with signal transduction, immune system, developmental biology and metabolism pathways. Pasp is reported for the first time in 47 sites. The rare conserved peptide sequence of (SSSEE) was observed in αS1 and αS2 casein. The functional roles of identified phosphopeptides included anti-microbial, DPP-IV inhibitory, anti-inflammatory and ACE inhibitory. This is first report from tropics, investigating post translational modifications in casein and non-casein goat milk proteins and studies their interactions.

scholarly journals System-wide identification and prioritization of enzyme substrates by thermal analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Ata Saei ◽  
Christian M. Beusch ◽  
Pierre Sabatier ◽  
Juan Astorga Wells ◽  
Hassan Gharibi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Analysis ◽  
Thioredoxin Reductase ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Enzyme Substrate ◽  
Thioredoxin Reductase 1 ◽  
Enzyme Substrates ◽  
Substrate Proteins

AbstractDespite the immense importance of enzyme–substrate reactions, there is a lack of general and unbiased tools for identifying and prioritizing substrate proteins that are modified by the enzyme on the structural level. Here we describe a high-throughput unbiased proteomics method called System-wide Identification and prioritization of Enzyme Substrates by Thermal Analysis (SIESTA). The approach assumes that the enzymatic post-translational modification of substrate proteins is likely to change their thermal stability. In our proof-of-concept studies, SIESTA successfully identifies several known and novel substrate candidates for selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase 1, protein kinase B (AKT1) and poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase-10 systems. Wider application of SIESTA can enhance our understanding of the role of enzymes in homeostasis and disease, opening opportunities to investigate the effect of post-translational modifications on signal transduction and facilitate drug discovery.

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