| 1. |
- Alikhani, Nyosha, et al.
(författare)
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Decreased proteolytic activity of the mitochondrial amyloid-β degrading enzyme, PreP peptidasome, in Alzheimer's disease brain mitochondria
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 27:1, s. 75-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), the neurotoxic peptide implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), has been shown in brain mitochondria of AD patients and of AD transgenic mouse models. The presence of Aβ in mitochondria leads to free radical generation and neuronal stress. Recently, we identified the presequence protease, PreP, localized in the mitochondrial matrix in mammalian mitochondria as the novel mitochondrial Aβ-degrading enzyme. In the present study, we examined PreP activity in the mitochondrial matrix of the human brain's temporal lobe, an area of the brain highly susceptible to Aβ accumulation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We found significantly lower hPreP activity in AD brains compared with non-AD age-matched controls. By contrast, in the cerebellum, a brain region typically spared from Aβ accumulation, there was no significant difference in hPreP activity when comparing AD samples to non-AD controls. We also found significantly reduced PreP activity in the mitochondrial matrix of AD transgenic mouse brains (Tg mAβPP and Tg mAβPP/ABAD) when compared to non-transgenic aged-matched mice. Furthermore, mitochondrial fractions isolated from AD brains and Tg mAβPP mice had higher levels of 4-hydroxynonenal, an oxidative product, as compared with those from non-AD and nonTg mice. Accordingly, activity of cytochrome c oxidase was significantly reduced in the AD mitochondria. These findings suggest that decreased PreP proteolytic activity, possibly due to enhanced ROS production, contributes to Aβ accumulation in mitochondria leading to the mitochondrial toxicity and neuronal death that is exacerbated in AD. Clearance of mitochondrial Aβ by PreP may thus be of importance in the pathology of AD.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Andrade, Pedro, et al.
(författare)
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Regulatory changes in pterin and carotenoid genes underlie balanced color polymorphisms in the wall lizard
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 116:12, s. 5633-5642
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reptiles use pterin and carotenoid pigments to produce yellow, orange, and red colors. These conspicuous colors serve a diversity of signaling functions, but their molecular basis remains unresolved. Here, we show that the genomes of sympatric color morphs of the European common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), which differ in orange and yellow pigmentation and in their ecology and behavior, are virtually undifferentiated. Genetic differences are restricted to two small regulatory regions near genes associated with pterin [sepiapterin reductase (SPR)] and carotenoid [beta-carotene oxygenase 2 (BCO2)] metabolism, demonstrating that a core gene in the housekeeping pathway of pterin biosynthesis has been coopted for bright coloration in reptiles and indicating that these loci exert pleiotropic effects on other aspects of physiology. Pigmentation differences are explained by extremely divergent alleles, and haplotype analysis revealed abundant transspecific allele sharing with other lacertids exhibiting color polymorphisms. The evolution of these conspicuous color ornaments is the result of ancient genetic variation and cross-species hybridization.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Canoy, Dexter, et al.
(författare)
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Antihypertensive drug effects on long-term blood pressure : an individual-level data meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials
- 2022
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Ingår i: Heart. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 1355-6037 .- 1468-201X. ; 108:16, s. 1281-1289
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Evidence from randomised trials of pharmacological treatments on long-term blood pressure (BP) reduction is limited. We investigated the antihypertensive drug effects on BP over time and across different participant characteristics.Methods: We conducted an individual patient-level data meta-analysis of 52 large-scale randomised clinical trials in the Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration using mixed models to examine treatment effects on BP over 4 years of mean follow-up.Results: There were 363 684 participants (42% women), with baseline mean age=65 years and mean systolic/diastolic BP=152/87 mm Hg, and among whom 19% were current smokers, 49% had cardiovascular disease, 28% had diabetes and 69% were taking antihypertensive treatment at baseline. Drugs were effective in lowering BP showing maximal effect after 12 months and gradually attenuating towards later years. Based on measures taken >= 12 months postrandomisation, mean systolic/diastolic BP difference (95% CI) between more and less intense BP-lowering treatment was -11.1 (-11.3 to -10.8)/-5.6 (-5.7 to -5.4) mm Hg; between active treatment and placebo was -5.1 (-5.3 to -5.0)/-2.3 (-2.4 to -2.2) mm Hg; and between active and control arms for drug comparison trials was -1.4 (-1.5 to -1.3)/-0.6 (-0.7 to -0.6) mm Hg. BP reductions were observed across different baseline BP values and ages, and by sex, history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and prior antihypertensive treatment use.Conclusion: These findings suggest that BP-lowering pharmacotherapy is effective in lowering BP, up to 4 years on average, in people with different characteristics. Appropriate treatment strategies are needed to sustain substantive long-term BP reductions.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Hedskog, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Biochemical studies of poly t variants in the alzheimer's disease associated tomm40 gene
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 31:3, s. 527-536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene remains the most strongly established risk factor for late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Recently the gene, TOMM40, which is in linkage disequilibrium with APOE, was identified to be associated with LOAD in genome-wide association studies. One of the identified polymorphisms in TOMM40 is rs10524523, which is located in intron 6 and composed of thymidine repeats varying between 14 to 36 base-pairs in length. Reported results are contradictory in regard to the very long poly-T variant that has been associated with both increased and decreased risk of LOAD. Our study aimed to elucidate the functional implication of rs10524523 in an in vitro model of human fibroblast cells obtained from cognitively healthy APOE epsilon 3/epsilon 4 carriers harboring very long or short poly-T variants coupled to their APOE epsilon 3 allele. We have studied (i) expression levels of TOM40 protein and mRNA, (ii) TOM40 mRNA splicing, and (iii) mitochondrial function and morphology; and we have found no significant differences in regards to very long or short poly-T variant.
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| 8. |
- Hedskog, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Modulation of the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria interface in Alzheimer's disease and related models
- 2013
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 110:19, s. 7916-7921
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well-established that subcompartments of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are in physical contact with the mitochondria. These lipid raft-like regions of ER are referred to as mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs), and they play an important role in, for example, lipid synthesis, calcium homeostasis, and apoptotic signaling. Perturbation of MAM function has previously been suggested in Alzheimer's disease (AD) as shown in fibroblasts from AD patients and a neuroblastoma cell line containing familial presenilin-2 AD mutation. The effect of AD pathogenesis on the ER-mitochondria interplay in the brain has so far remained unknown. Here, we studied ER-mitochondria contacts in human AD brain and related AD mouse and neuronal cell models. We found uniform distribution of MAM in neurons. Phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting protein-2 and sigma 1 receptor, two MAM-associated proteins, were shown to be essential for neuronal survival, because siRNA knockdown resulted in degeneration. Up-regulated MAM-associated proteins were found in the AD brain and amyloid precursor protein (APP)(Swe/Lon) mouse model, in which up-regulation was observed before the appearance of plaques. By studying an ER-mitochondria bridging complex, inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor-voltage-dependent anion channel, we revealed that nanomolar concentrations of amyloid beta-peptide increased inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor and voltage-dependent anion channel protein expression and elevated the number of ER-mitochondria contact points and mitochondrial calcium concentrations. Our data suggest an important role of ER-mitochondria contacts and cross-talk in AD pathology.
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| 9. |
- Marcos, Nuno T., et al.
(författare)
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Role of the Human ST6GalNAc-I and ST6GalNAc-II in the Synthesis of the Cancer-Associated Sialyl-Tn Antigen
- 2004
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Ingår i: CANCER RESEARCH. - 0008-5472. ; 64:19, s. 7050-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Sialyl-Tn antigen (Neu5Acalpha2-6GaINAc-O-Ser/Thr) is highly expressed in several human carcinomas and is associated with carcinoma aggressiveness and poor prognosis. We characterized two human sialyltransferases,(CMP)-C-.-Neu5Ac:GaINAc-R alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6GaINAc)-I and ST6GaINAc-II, that are candidate enzymes for Sialyl-Tn synthases. We expressed soluble recombinant hST6GaINAc-I and hST6GaINAc-II and characterized the substrate specificity of both enzymes toward a panel of glycopeptides, glycoproteins, and other synthetic glycoconjugates. The recombinant ST6GaINAc-I and ST6GaINAc-II showed similar substrate specificity toward glycoproteins and GaINAcalpha-O-Ser/Thr glycopeptides, such as glycopeptides derived from the MUC2 mucin and the HIVgp120. We also observed that the amino acid sequence of the acceptor glycopeptide contributes to the in vitro substrate specificity of both enzymes. We additionally established a gastric cell line, MKN45, stably transfected with the full length of either ST6GaINAc-I or ST6GaINAc-II and evaluated the carbohydrate antigens expression profile induced by each enzyme. MKN45 transfected with ST6GaINAc-I showed high expression of Sialyl-Tn, whereas MKN45 transfected with ST6GaINAc-II showed the biosynthesis of the Sialyl-6T structure [GaIbeta1-3 (Neu5Acalpha2-6)GaINAc-O-Ser/Thr].In conclusion, although both enzymes show similar in vitro activities when Tn antigen alone is available, whenever both Tn and T antigens are present, ST6GaINAc-I acts preferentially on Tn antigen, whereas the ST6GaINAc-II acts preferentially on T antigen. Our results show that ST6GaINAc-I is the major Sialyl-Tn synthase and strongly support the hypothesis that the expression of the Sialyl-Tn antigen in cancer cells is due to ST6GaINAc-I activity.
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| 10. |
- Moreira Pinho, Catarina, 1986-
(författare)
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Mitochondria in Alzheimer's Disease : The Presequence Protease and Mitochondria-Associated ER Membranes
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent age-related neurodegenerative disorders and the accumulation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in the temporal lobe has been implicated in the pathology of AD. Synaptic transmission in neuronal cells is a highly energy dependent process, which relies on the presence and proper function of mitochondria. A growing number of studies have analyzed the roles of mitochondria in AD. Interestingly, Aβ accumulation in mitochondria was detected in AD patient brains and in AD mouse models, which was associated with the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neuronal death. In mitochondria, the only protease capable of clearing Aβ is the Presequence Protease, PreP.The aim of this thesis was to study the involvement of mitochondria and hPreP in AD. We investigated how the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (MAM), which are involved in the regulation of Ca2+ signaling, phospholipids synthesis and apoptosis, are affected in AD. We observed MAM at synapses and found that these structures are essential for neuronal and astrocytic survival. We detected altered MAM protein levels in AD patient brains and in AD mouse models in early stages of the disease and found that MAM can be functionally modulated by Aβ. We analyzed human PreP (hPreP) activity in brain extracts from AD patients and different factors that can affect hPreP function. Interestingly, we detected low hPreP activity in AD patient brains and in AD mouse models, which were associated with increased ROS levels and lower cytochrome c oxidase activity. This suggested that protein oxidation could contribute to impaired activity. Furthermore, we investigated a potential correlation between 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PITRM1 gene, encoding hPreP, and the risk for developing AD. Even though we could not find any genetic correlation in the Swedish population examined, biochemical analysis of four non-synonymous hPreP-SNPs, selected on the basis of their location in hPreP structure, showed lower hPreP activity. Furthermore, we demonstrated in vivo and in vitro that the hPreP presequence is processed at amino acid 28 by mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP) and that inefficient processing does not affect the enzymatic activity of hPreP but it decreases the stability of the protein.Together, these results indicate that MAM dysfunctions, inefficient Aβ clearance in mitochondria by hPreP, hPreP mutations or inefficient processing, may contribute to the development of AD.
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