| 1. |
- Appelqvist, Hanna, et al.
(author)
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Sensitivity to Lysosome-Dependent Cell Death is Directly Regulated by Lysosomal Cholesterol Content
- 2012
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 7:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alterations in lipid homeostasis are implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases, although the mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. We evaluated the impact of cholesterol accumulation, induced by U18666A, quinacrine or mutations in the cholesterol transporting Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1) protein, on lysosomal stability and sensitivity to lysosome-mediated cell death. We found that neurons with lysosomal cholesterol accumulation were protected from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. In addition, human fibroblasts with cholesterol-loaded lysosomes showed higher lysosomal membrane stability than controls. Previous studies have shown that cholesterol accumulation is accompanied by the storage of lipids such as sphingomyelin, glycosphingolipids and sphingosine and an up regulation of lysosomal associated membrane protein-2 (LAMP-2), which may also influence lysosomal stability. However, in this study the use of myriocin and LAMP deficient fibroblasts excluded these factors as responsible for the rescuing effect and instead suggested that primarily lysosomal cholesterol content determined the cellular sensitivity to toxic insults. Further strengthening this concept, depletion of cholesterol using methyl-β-cyclodextrin or 25-hydroxycholesterol decreased the stability of lysosomes and cells became more prone to undergo apoptosis. In conclusion, cholesterol content regulated lysosomal membrane permeabilization and thereby influenced cell death sensitivity. Our data suggests that lysosomal cholesterol modulation might be used as a therapeutic strategy for conditions associated with accelerated or repressed apoptosis.
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| 2. |
- Armstrong, Andrea, et al.
(author)
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Lysosomal Network Proteins as Potential Novel CSF Biomarkers for Alzheimers Disease
- 2014
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In: Neuromolecular medicine. - : Humana Press. - 1535-1084 .- 1559-1174. ; 16:1, s. 150-160
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The success of future intervention strategies for Alzheimers disease (AD) will likely rely on the development of treatments starting early in the disease course, before irreversible brain damage occurs. The pre-symptomatic stage of AD occurs at least one decade before the clinical onset, highlighting the need for validated biomarkers that reflect this early period. Reliable biomarkers for AD are also needed in research and clinics for diagnosis, patient stratification, clinical trials, monitoring of disease progression and the development of new treatments. Changes in the lysosomal network, i.e., the endosomal, lysosomal and autophagy systems, are among the first alterations observed in an AD brain. In this study, we performed a targeted search for lysosomal network proteins in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Thirty-four proteins were investigated, and six of them, early endosomal antigen 1 (EEA1), lysosomal-associated membrane proteins 1 and 2 (LAMP-1, LAMP-2), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), Rab3 and Rab7, were significantly increased in the CSF from AD patients compared with neurological controls. These results were confirmed in a validation cohort of CSF samples, and patients with no neurochemical evidence of AD, apart from increased total-tau, were found to have EEA1 levels corresponding to the increased total-tau levels. These findings indicate that increased levels of LAMP-1, LAMP-2, LC3, Rab3 and Rab7 in the CSF might be specific for AD, and increased EEA1 levels may be a sign of general neurodegeneration. These six lysosomal network proteins are potential AD biomarkers and may be used to investigate lysosomal involvement in AD pathogenesis.
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| 3. |
- Bergkvist, Liza, et al.
(author)
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A beta PP processing results in greater toxicity per amount of A beta(1-42) than individually expressed and secreted A beta(1-42) in Drosophila melanogaster
- 2016
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In: BIOLOGY OPEN. - : COMPANY OF BIOLOGISTS LTD. - 2046-6390. ; 5:8, s. 1030-1039
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aggregation of the amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide into fibrillar deposits has long been considered the key neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimers disease (AD). A beta peptides are generated from proteolytic processing of the transmembrane A beta precursor protein (A beta PP) via sequential proteolysis through the beta-secretase activity of beta-site A beta PP-cleaving enzyme (BACE1) and by the intramembranous enzyme gamma-secretase. For over a decade, Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a model organism to study AD, and two different approaches have been developed to investigate the toxicity caused by AD-associated gene products in vivo. In one model, the A beta peptide is directly over-expressed fused to a signal peptide, allowing secretion of the peptide into the extracellular space. In the other model, human A beta PP is co-expressed with human BACE1, resulting in production of the A beta peptide through the processing of A beta PP by BACE1 and by endogenous fly gamma-secretase. Here, we performed a parallel study of flies that expressed the A beta(1-42) peptide alone or that co-expressed A beta PP and BACE1. Toxic effects (assessed by eye phenotype, longevity and locomotor assays) and levels of the A beta(1-42), A beta(1-40) and A beta(1-38) peptides were examined. Our data reveal that the toxic effect per amount of detected A beta(1-42) peptide was higher in the flies co-expressing A beta PP and BACE1 than in the A beta(1-42)-expressing flies, and that the co-existence of A beta(1-42) and A beta(1-40) in the flies co-expressing A beta PP and BACE1 could be of significant importance to the neurotoxic effect detected in these flies. Thus, the toxicity detected in these two fly models seems to have different modes of action and is highly dependent on how and where the peptide is generated rather than on the actual level of the A beta(1-42) peptide in the flies. This is important knowledge that needs to be taken into consideration when using Drosophila models to investigate disease mechanisms or therapeutic strategies in AD research.
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| 4. |
- Civitelli, Livia, et al.
(author)
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The Luminescent Oligothiophene p-FTAA Converts Toxic A beta(1-42) Species into Nontoxic Amyloid Fibers with Altered Properties
- 2016
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - : AMER SOC BIOCHEMISTRY MOLECULAR BIOLOGY INC. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 291:17, s. 9233-9243
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aggregation of the amyloid-(beta) peptide (A beta) in the brain leads to the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques, which is one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD). It is a general hypothesis that soluble prefibrillar assemblies of the A beta peptide, rather than mature amyloid fibrils, cause neuronal dysfunction and memory impairment in AD. Thus, reducing the level of these prefibrillar species by using molecules that can interfere with the A beta fibrillation pathway may be a valid approach to reduce A beta cytotoxicity. Luminescent-conjugated oligothiophenes (LCOs) have amyloid binding properties and spectral properties that differ when they bind to protein aggregates with different morphologies and can therefore be used to visualize protein aggregates. In this study, cell toxicity experiments and biophysical studies demonstrated that the LCO p-FTAA was able to reduce the pool of soluble toxic A beta species in favor of the formation of larger insoluble nontoxic amyloid fibrils, there by counteracting A beta-mediated cytotoxicity. Moreover, p-FTAA bound to early formed A beta species and induced a rapid formation of beta-sheet structures. These p-FTAA generated amyloid fibrils were less hydrophobic and more resistant to proteolysis by proteinase K. In summary, our data show that p-FTAA promoted the formation of insoluble and stable A beta species that were nontoxic which indicates that p-FTAA might have therapeutic potential.
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| 5. |
- Helmfors, Linda, et al.
(author)
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A protective role of lysozyme in Alzheimer disease
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Alzheimer disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder where extracellular plaques composed of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides and neuroinflammation are some of the main hallmarks of the disease. Activated microglial cells, which are the resident macrophages in the central nervous system, are suggested to trigger the inflammation response in AD. To discover neuroinflammation biomarkers would be important to reveal the pathological mechanisms of AD and develop therapies that target inflammation mediators. Lysozyme is part of the innate immune system and is secreted from macrophages during various inflammation conditions. However, the involvement of lysozyme in AD pathology has not been explored previously. We have discovered that lysozyme is up-regulated in cerebrospinal fluid from AD patients. Cells exposed to Aβ increased the expression of lysozyme indicating that Aβ might be responsible for the upregulation of lysozyme detected in cerebrospinal fluid. In vitro studies revealed that lysozyme binds to monomeric Aβ1-42 and alters the aggregation pathway counteracting formation of toxic Aβ species. In a newly developed Drosophila model, co-expression of lysozyme with Aβ in brain neurons reduced the formation of insoluble Aβ species, prolonged the survival and improved the activity of the double transgenic flies compared to flies only expressing Aβ. Our findings identify lysozyme as a modulator of Aβ aggregation and toxicity and our discoveries has the potential to be used for development of new treatment strategies and to use lysozyme as a biomarker for AD.
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| 6. |
- Helmfors, Linda, et al.
(author)
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Protective properties of lysozyme on β-amyloid pathology : implications for Alzheimer disease
- 2015
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In: Neurobiology of Disease. - : Elsevier. - 0969-9961 .- 1095-953X. ; 83, s. 122-133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The hallmarks of Alzheimer disease are amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles accompanied by signs of neuroinflammation. Lysozyme is a major player in the innate immune system and has recently been shown to prevent the aggregation of amyloid-β1-40 in vitro. In this study we found that patients with Alzheimer disease have increased lysozyme levels in the cerebrospinal fluid and lysozyme co-localized with amyloid-β in plaques. In Drosophila neuronal co-expression of lysozyme and amyloid-β1-42 reduced the formation of soluble and insoluble amyloid-β species, prolonged survival and improved the activity of amyloid-β1-42 transgenic flies. This suggests that lysozyme levels rise in Alzheimer disease as a compensatory response to amyloid-β increases and aggregation. In support of this, in vitro aggregation assays revealed that lysozyme associates with amyloid-β1-42 and alters its aggregation pathway to counteract the formation of toxic amyloid-β species. Overall, these studies establish a protective role for lysozyme against amyloid-β associated toxicities and identify increased lysozyme in patients with Alzheimer disease. Therefore, lysozyme has potential as a new biomarker as well as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer disease.
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| 7. |
- Sandin, Linnea, et al.
(author)
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Beneficial effects of increased lysozyme levels in Alzheimer’s disease modelled in Drosophila melanogaster
- 2016
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In: The FEBS Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1742-464X .- 1742-4658. ; 283:19, s. 3508-3522
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genetic polymorphisms of immune genes that associate with higher risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have led to an increased research interest on the involvement of the immune system in AD pathogenesis. A link between amyloid pathology and immune gene expression was suggested in a genome-wide gene expression study of transgenic amyloid mouse models. In this study, the gene expression of lysozyme, a major player in the innate immune system, was found to be increased in a comparable pattern as the amyloid pathology developed in transgenic mouse models of AD. A similar pattern was seen at protein levels of lysozyme in human AD brain and CSF, but this lysozyme pattern was not seen in a tau transgenic mouse model. Lysozyme was demonstrated to be beneficial for different Drosophila melanogaster models of AD. In flies that expressed Aβ1-42 or AβPP together with BACE1 in the eyes, the rough eye phenotype indicative of toxicity was completely rescued by coexpression of lysozyme. In Drosophila flies bearing the Aβ1-42 variant with the Arctic gene mutation, lysozyme increased the fly survival and decreased locomotor dysfunction dose dependently. An interaction between lysozyme and Aβ1-42 in the Drosophila eye was discovered. We propose that the increased levels of lysozyme, seen in mouse models of AD and in human AD cases, were triggered by Aβ1-42 and caused a beneficial effect by binding of lysozyme to toxic species of Aβ1-42, which prevented these from exerting their toxic effects. These results emphasize the possibility of lysozyme as biomarker and therapeutic target for AD.
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| 8. |
- Sandin, Linnea, 1984-
(author)
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The influence of lysozyme and oligothiophenes on amyloid-β toxicity in models of Alzheimer’s disease
- 2016
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia worldwide. Apart from dominantly inherited mutations, age is the major risk factor and as life expectancy increases the prevalence for AD escalates dramatically. AD causes substantial problems for the affected persons and their families, and the society suffers economically. To date the available treatments only temporarily relieve the symptoms, wherefore the development of a cure is of utmost importance. The etiology of AD is still inconclusive but many believe that small aggregates (oligomers) of the protein amyloid-β (Aβ) are central for the onset of AD.The aims of this thesis were to investigate how different molecules affect the aggregation and toxicity of Aβ. In paper I and II, two oligothiophenes were studied; p-FTAA and h-FTAA and in paper III and IV the inflammatory protein lysozyme was explored. Differentiated neuroblastoma cells and Drosophila melanogaster were used as models of AD to address the issue.The results show that p-FTAA rescues neuroblastoma cells from Aβ toxicity when Aβ is coaggregated with lysozyme. Various biophysical studies show that the co-aggregation increases the formation of fibrillar Aβ structures rich in β-sheets. Noteworthy, these Aβ fibrils were more resistant to both degradation and denaturation, and less prone to propagate seeding from Aβ monomers. Furthermore, h-FTAA, but not p-FTAA, was able to protect neuroblastoma cell toxicity when exposed to Aβ with the Arctic mutation (AβArc), which probably reflects the weaker binding of AβArc to p-FTAA, compared to h-FTAA.Lysozyme levels were increased in CSF from patients that were both biochemically and clinically diagnosed with AD. In mice models of AD it was revealed that the mRNA increase in lysozyme correlates to increased Aβ pathology, but not to tau pathology, indicating that Aβ could drive the expression of lysozyme. To evaluate the effect for increased expression of lysozyme, co-expression of lysozyme was achieved in flies that expressed Aβ in the retina of the eyes, or in flies that expressed AβArc in the central nervous system. In all AD fly models, co-expression of lysozyme protected the cells from the Aβ induced toxicity. Of note, flies that expressed the toxic AβArc in the CNS of the flies showed an improvement in both lifespan and activity. Finally, we demonstrate that Aβ aggregating in the presence of lysozyme inhibits the cellular uptake of Aβ and also the cytotoxic effect of Aβ.The work included in this thesis demonstrates that the oligothiophenes p-FTAA and h-FTAA, and also lysozyme have the potential to be used as treatment strategies for sporadic AD, but remarkable, also in familial AD with the highly toxic Arctic mutation. The protective mechanism of p-FTAA seems to be attributed to the ability to generate stable Aβ fibrils with reduced seeding capacity, and that lysozyme inhibits the neuronal uptake of Aβ, which could prevent both the intracellular toxicity and cell-to-cell transmission of Aβ.
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| 9. |
- Sandin, Linnea, et al.
(author)
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The Luminescent Conjugated Oligothiophene h-FTAA Attenuates the Toxicity of Different A beta Species
- 2021
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In: Biochemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0006-2960 .- 1520-4995. ; 60:37, s. 2773-2780
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The prevailing opinion is that prefibrillar beta-amyloid (A beta) species, rather than end-stage amyloid fibrils, cause neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimers disease, although the mechanisms behind A beta neurotoxicity remain to be elucidated. Luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes (LCOs) exhibit spectral properties upon binding to amyloid proteins and have previously been reported to change the toxicity of A beta(1- 42) and prion protein. In a previous study, we showed that an LCO, pentamer formyl thiophene acetic acid (p-FTAA), changed the toxicity of A beta(1-42). Here we investigated whether an LCO, heptamer formyl thiophene acetic acid (h-FTAA), could change the toxicity of A beta(1-42) by comparing its behavior with that of p-FTAA. Moreover, we investigated the effects on toxicity when A ss with the Arctic mutation (A beta Arc) was aggregated with both LCOs. Cell viability assays on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells demonstrated that h-FTAA has a stronger impact on A beta(1-42) toxicity than does p-FTAA. Interestingly, h-FTAA, but not p-FTAA, rescued the A beta(Arc)-mediated toxicity. Aggregation kinetics and binding assay experiments with A beta(1-42) and A beta(Arc) when aggregated with both LCOs showed that h-FTAA and p-FTAA either interact with different species or affect the aggregation in different ways. In conclusion, h-FTAA protects against A beta(1-42) and A beta(Arc) toxicity, thus showing h-FTAA to be a useful tool for improving our understanding of the process of A beta aggregation linked to cytotoxicity.
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