Wei-Hui Wu

TiO2 nanoparticles promote beta-amyloid fibrillation in vitro

Alzheimers disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. The pathogenesis of AD is associated with beta-amyloid (Abeta) fibrillation. Nanoparticles have large surface area and can access the brain. But no investigation has been made to study the relationship between nanoparticles and AD. In our study, we observed Abeta fibril formation in the presence of six kinds of nanoparticles and found that TiO2 nanoparticles can promote Abeta fibrillation by shortening nucleation process, which is the key rate-determining step of fibrillation. Hereby the interaction between Abeta and nanoparticles may contribute to AD etiology.

Sequestration of Copper from β-Amyloid Promotes Selective Lysis by Cyclen-Hybrid Cleavage Agents

Decelerated degradation of β-amyloid (Aβ) and its interaction with synaptic copper may be pathogenic in Alzheimer disease. Recently, Co(III)-cyclen tagged to an aromatic recognition motif was shown to degrade Aβ in vitro. Here, we report that apocyclen attached to selective Aβ recognition motifs (KLVFF or curcumin) can capture copper bound to Aβ and use the Cu(II) in place of Co(III) to become proteolytically active. The resultant complexes interfere with Aβ aggregation, degrade Aβ into fragments, preventing H2O2 formation and toxicity in neuronal cell culture. Because Aβ binds Cu in amyloid plaques, apocyclen-tagged targeting molecules may be a promising approach to the selective degradation of Aβ in Alzheimer disease. The principle of copper capture could generalize to other amyloidoses where copper is implicated.

Copper-induced cytotoxicity: reactive oxygen species or islet amyloid polypeptide oligomer formation

Copper enhances amyloid cytotoxicity and mediates human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) oligomerization; nickel, a redox inactive metal with similar protein binding affinity to copper, also mimics this effect, thereby demonstrating copper-mediated hIAPP cytotoxicity is due mainly to granular oligomer generation rather than ROS accumulation in type 2 diabetes.

Copper (II) modulates in vitro aggregation of a tau peptide.

Copper (II) has been implicated in the pathology of Alzheimers disease (AD) for the impaired homeostatic mechanism found in the brains of AD patients. Here we studied the binding properties of Cu(II) with the first microtubule-binding repeat, encompassing residues 256-273 of the human tau441 sequence. Additionally, the effect of Cu(II) on the assembly of this repeat was also investigated. Our results indicate that Cu(II) can bind to this repeat with His(268) involved and has an inhibiting effect on the in vitro aggregation of this repeat. This work provides new insight into the role of Cu(II) in Alzheimers disease.

O-GlcNAcylation modulates the self-aggregation ability of the fourth microtubule-binding repeat of tau

In Alzheimers disease (AD), tau protein is abnormally hyperphosphorylated and aggregated into paired helical filaments (PHFs). It was discovered recently that tau is also O-GlcNAcylated in human brains. And O-GlcNAcylation may regulate phosphorylation of tau in a site-specific manner. In this work, we focused on the fourth microtubule-binding repeat (R4) of tau, which has an O-GlcNAcylation site-Ser356. The aggregation behavior of this repeat and its O-GlcNAcylated form was investigated by turbidity, precipitation assay and electron microscopy. In addition, conformations of these two peptides were analyzed with circular dichroism (CD). Our results revealed that O-GlcNAcylation at Ser356 could greatly slow down the aggregation speed of R4 peptide. This modulation of O-GlcNAcylation on tau aggregation implies a new perspective of tau pathology.

Insulin is a kinetic but not a thermodynamic inhibitor of amylin aggregation

One of the most important pathological features of type 2 diabetes is the formation of islet amyloid, of which the major component is amylin peptide. However, the presence of a natural inhibitor such as insulin may keep amylin stable and physiologically functional in healthy individuals. Some previous studies demonstrated that insulin was a potent inhibitor of amylin fibril formation in vitro, but others obtained contradictory results. Hence, it is necessary to elucidate the effects of insulin on amylin aggregation. Here we report that insulin is a kinetic inhibitor of amylin aggregation, only keeping its inhibitory effect for a limited time period. Actually, insulin promotes amylin aggregation after long‐term incubation. Furthermore, we found that this promotional effect could be attributed to the copolymerization of insulin and amylin. We also found that insulin copolymerized with amylin monomer or oligomer rather than preformed amylin fibrils. These results suggest that the interaction between insulin and amylin may contribute not only to the inhibition of amylin aggregation but also to the coaggregation of both peptides in type 2 diabetes.

Phosphorylation modulates the local conformation and self‐aggregation ability of a peptide from the fourth tau microtubule‐binding repeat

Phosphorylation of tau protein modulates both its physiological role and its aggregation into paired helical fragments, as observed in Alzheimers diseased neurons. It is of fundamental importance to study paired helical fragment formation and its modulation by phosphorylation. This study focused on the fourth microtubule‐binding repeat of tau, encompassing an abnormal phosphorylation site, Ser356. The aggregation propensities of this repeat peptide and its corresponding phosphorylated form were investigated using turbidity, thioflavin T fluorescence and electron microscopy. There is evidence for a conformational change in the fourth microtubule‐binding repeat of tau peptide upon phosphorylation, as well as changes in aggregation activity. Although both tau peptides have the ability to aggregate, this is weaker in the phosphorylated peptide. This study reveals that both tau peptides are capable of self‐aggregation and that phosphorylation at Ser356 can modulate this process.

Dual functions of β-amyloid oligomer and fibril in Cu(II)-induced H2O2 production

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregation and Cu(II)-related oxidative stress are involved in the dysfunction and death of neurons in Alzheimers disease (AD). However, the relationship between Abeta and Cu(II) is not clear. Furthermore, the pro- or anti-oxidant properties of Abeta are also under great debate. Here the H2O2 generating ability of Abeta42 in its monomeric, oligomeric and fibrillar forms was studied in the presence of Cu(II). The results show that Abeta42 in both oligomeric and fibrillar forms can promote H2O2 generation at lower concentrations of Cu(II) and Abeta42 oligomer can promote H2O2 generation to a higher extent. Nevertheless, the promoting effect of Abeta42 oligomer and fibril may convert to an inhibitory effect when the concentration of Cu(II) is increased. This indicates the dual functions of Abeta42 oligomer and fibril in Cu(II)-induced H2O2 production. Hereby we present a new perspective on the roles of Abeta42 in Cu(II)-mediated oxidative stress and add new evidence to the viewpoint that Abeta42 oligomer may be primarily responsible for the pathogenesis of AD.

Cyclen-hybrid compound captures copper to protect INS-1 cells from islet amyloid polypeptide cytotoxicity by inhibiting and lysing effects.

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) deposit is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes pathology. Here, we report that apo-cyclen, attached to a specific hIAPP recognition motif (NYGAIL), captured copper ions and became proteolytically active. This cyclen-NYGAIL-copper complex was able to interfere with hIAPP aggregation and cleave hIAPP. These activities rescued INS-1 cells from hIAPP induced cytotoxicity.

Prevention and promotion effects of apolipoprotein E4 on amylin aggregation

The misfolding of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP, amylin) results in the formation of islet amyloid, which is one of the most common pathological features of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Amylin, a 37-amino-acid peptide co-secreted with insulin and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) from the beta-cells of pancreatic islets, is thought to be responsible for the reduced mass of insulin-producing beta-cells. However, neither the relationship between amylin and ApoE nor the biological consequence of amylin misfolding is known. Here we have characterized the interaction between ApoE4 and amylin in vitro. We found that ApoE4 can strongly bind to amylin, and insulin can hardly inhibit amylin-ApoE binding. We further found that amylin fibrillization can be prevented by low concentration of ApoE4 and promoted by high concentration of ApoE4. Taken together, we propose that under physiological conditions ApoE4 efficiently binds and sequesters amylin, preventing its aggregation, and in T2D the enhanced ApoE4-amylin binding leads to the critical accumulation of amylin, facilitating islet amyloid formation.