Structure-based inhibitors of tau aggregation.

Aggregated tau protein is associated with over 20 neurological disorders, which include Alzheimer's disease. Previous work has shown that tau's sequence segments VQIINK and VQIVYK drive its aggregation, but inhibitors based on the structure of the VQIVYK segment only partially inhibit full-length tau aggregation and are ineffective at inhibiting seeding by full-length fibrils. Here we show that the VQIINK segment is the more powerful driver of tau aggregation. Two structures of this segment determined by the cryo-electron microscopy method micro-electron diffraction explain its dominant influence on tau aggregation. Of practical significance, the structures lead to the design of inhibitors that not only inhibit tau aggregation but also inhibit the ability of exogenous full-length tau fibrils to seed intracellular tau in HEK293 biosensor cells into amyloid. We also raise the possibility that the two VQIINK structures represent amyloid polymorphs of tau that may account for a subset of prion-like strains of tau.

The formation, function and regulation of amyloids: insights from structural biology.

Amyloid diseases are characterized by the accumulation of insoluble, ß-strand-rich aggregates. The underlying structural conversions are closely associated with cellular toxicity, but can also drive the formation of functional protein assemblies. In recent years, studies in the field of structural studies have revealed astonishing insights into the origins, mechanisms and implications of amyloid formation. Notably, high-resolution crystal structures of peptides in amyloid-like fibrils and prefibrillar oligomers have become available despite their challenging chemical nature. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has revealed that dynamic local polymorphisms in the benign form of the prion protein affect the transformation into amyloid fibrils and the transmissibility of prion diseases. Studies of the structures and interactions of chaperone proteins help us to understand how the cellular proteostasis network is able to recognize different stages of aberrant protein folding and prevent aggregation. In this review, we will focus on recent developments that connect the different aspects of amyloid biology and discuss how understanding the process of amyloid formation and the associated defence mechanisms can reveal targets for pharmacological intervention that may become the first steps towards clinically viable treatment strategies.

The TB structural genomics consortium: a resource for Mycobacterium tuberculosis biology.

The TB Structural Genomics Consortium is an organization devoted to encouraging, coordinating, and facilitating the determination and analysis of structures of proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Consortium members hope to work together with other M. tuberculosis researchers to identify M. tuberculosis proteins for which structural information could provide important biological information, to analyze and interpret structures of M. tuberculosis proteins, and to work collaboratively to test ideas about M. tuberculosis protein function that are suggested by structure or related to structural information. This review describes the TB Structural Genomics Consortium and some of the proteins for which the Consortium is in the progress of determining three-dimensional structures.

The crystal structure of a heptameric archaeal Sm protein: Implications for the eukaryotic snRNP core.

Sm proteins form the core of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs), making them key components of several mRNA-processing assemblies, including the spliceosome. We report the 1.75-A crystal structure of SmAP, an Sm-like archaeal protein that forms a heptameric ring perforated by a cationic pore. In addition to providing direct evidence for such an assembly in eukaryotic snRNPs, this structure (i) shows that SmAP homodimers are structurally similar to human Sm heterodimers, (ii) supports a gene duplication model of Sm protein evolution, and (iii) offers a model of SmAP bound to single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) that explains Sm binding-site specificity. The pronounced electrostatic asymmetry of the SmAP surface imparts directionality to putative SmAP-RNA interactions.

An amyloid-forming peptide from the yeast prion Sup35 reveals a dehydrated beta-sheet structure for amyloid.

X-ray diffraction and other biophysical tools reveal features of the atomic structure of an amyloid-like crystal. Sup35, a prion-like protein in yeast, forms fibrillar amyloid assemblies intrinsic to its prion function. We have identified a polar peptide from the N-terminal prion-determining domain of Sup35 that exhibits the amyloid properties of full-length Sup35, including cooperative kinetics of aggregation, fibril formation, binding of the dye Congo red, and the characteristic cross-beta x-ray diffraction pattern. Microcrystals of this peptide also share the principal properties of the fibrillar amyloid, including a highly stable, beta-sheet-rich structure and the binding of Congo red. The x-ray powder pattern of the microcrystals, extending to 0.9-A resolution, yields the unit cell dimensions of the well-ordered structure. These dimensions restrict possible atomic models of this amyloid-like structure and demonstrate that it forms packed, parallel-stranded beta-sheets. The unusually high density of the crystals shows that the packed beta-sheets are dehydrated, despite the polar character of the side chains. These results suggest that amyloid is a highly intermolecularly bonded, dehydrated array of densely packed beta-sheets. This dry beta-sheet could form as Sup35 partially unfolds to expose the peptide, permitting it to hydrogen-bond to the same peptide of other Sup35 molecules. The implication is that amyloid-forming units may be short segments of proteins, exposed for interactions by partial unfolding.

Utility of spiral CT in minimally invasive approach for aortic valve replacement.

OBJECTIVE: Several surgical approaches exist for a minimally invasive replacement of the aortic valve. A great concern exists about the variable exposure of the aortic root. We suggest the use of spiral CT as a non-invasive method for accurate determination of aortic annulus position. METHODS: Three patients scheduled for minimally invasive aortic valve replacement underwent chest spiral CT, (Select SP, Elscint, Haifa, Israel). Scanning was performed during breath holding using 5-mm thick slices, reconstructed every 2 mm (3 mm overlap), and a 1.5 pitch. Average scanning time was 30 s. No intravenous contrast media was used. Multiplannar and 3D images were reconstructed, using an Omnipro work station (Elscint LTD, Haifa, Israel). The position of the aortic valve annulus, in relation to the anterior chest wall was defined on these images. RESULTS: In all patients, the length and location of the incision were determined by the preoperative measurements. The location of the aortic valve was found highly correlative to the preliminary study. There was no need to extend the length of the incision, or change the surgical approach. CONCLUSIONS: We find spiral CT scanning enables accurate pre-operative anatomical assessment. This assessment, provides the surgeon with the advantage of preliminary planning of the appropriate approach for minimally invasive aortic valve replacement.

Tertiary structure of plant RuBisCO: domains and their contacts.

The three-dimensional structure of ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RuBisCO), has been determined at 2.6 A resolution. This enzyme initiates photosynthesis by combining carbon dioxide with ribulose bisphosphate to form two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate. In plants, RuBisCO is built from eight large (L) and eight small (S) polypeptide chains, or subunits. Both S chains and the NH2-terminal domain (N) of L are antiparallel beta, "open-face-sandwich" domains with four-stranded beta sheets and flanking alpha helices. The main domain (B) of L is an alpha/beta barrel containing most of the catalytic residues. The active site is in a pocket at the opening of the barrel that is partly covered by the N domain of a neighboring L chain. The domain contacts of the molecule and its conserved residues are discussed in terms of this structure.