Antibodies to human serum amyloid P component eliminate visceral amyloid deposits

Accumulation of amyloid fibrils in the viscera and connective tissues causes systemic amyloidosis, which is responsible for about one in a thousand deaths in developed countries. Localized amyloid can also have serious consequences; for example, cerebral amyloid angiopathy is an important cause of haemorrhagic stroke. The clinical presentations of amyloidosis are extremely diverse and the diagnosis is rarely made before significant organ damage is present. There is therefore a major unmet need for therapy that safely promotes the clearance of established amyloid deposits. Over 20 different amyloid fibril proteins are responsible for different forms of clinically significant amyloidosis and treatments that substantially reduce the abundance of the respective amyloid fibril precursor proteins can arrest amyloid accumulation. Unfortunately, control of fibril-protein production is not possible in some forms of amyloidosis and in others it is often slow and hazardous. There is no therapy that directly targets amyloid deposits for enhanced clearance. However, all amyloid deposits contain the normal, non-fibrillar plasma glycoprotein, serum amyloid P component (SAP). Here we show that administration of anti-human-SAP antibodies to mice with amyloid deposits containing human SAP triggers a potent, complement-dependent, macrophage-derived giant cell reaction that swiftly removes massive visceral amyloid deposits without adverse effects. Anti-SAP-antibody treatment is clinically feasible because circulating human SAP can be depleted in patients by the bis-d-proline compound CPHPC, thereby enabling injected anti-SAP antibodies to reach residual SAP in the amyloid deposits. The unprecedented capacity of this novel combined therapy to eliminate amyloid deposits should be applicable to all forms of systemic and local amyloidosis.     

Formation of amyloid-like fibrils in COS cells overexpressing part of the Alzheimer amyloid protein precursor

A pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of amyloid fibrils in the brain. The principal component of the amyloid fibril is beta/A4 protein, which is derived from a large membrane-bound glycoprotein, Alzheimer amyloid protein precursor (APP). Although the deposition of amyloid is thought to result from the aberrant processing of APP, the detailed molecular mechanisms of amyloidogenesis remain unclear. A C-terminal fragment of APP which spans the beta/A4 and cytoplasmic domains has a tendency to self-aggregate. In an attempt to establish a cultured-cell model for amyloid fibril formation, we have transfected COS-1 cells with complementary DNA encoding the C-terminal 100 residues of APP. In the perinuclear regions of a small population of DNA-transfected cells, we observed inclusion-like deposits which showed a strong immunohistochemical reaction towards an anti-C-terminal APP antibody or an anti-beta/A4 amyloid core-specific antibody. Electron microscope observations of the inclusion-carrying cells revealed an accumulation of amyloid-like fibrils of 8-22 nm diameter near and on the nuclear membrane. The fibrils showed a beaded or helical structure, and reacted positively with the anti-C-terminus antibody by immunoelectron microscopy. These results suggest that the formation of amyloid fibrils is an inherent characteristic of the C-terminal peptide of APP. The present system provides a suitable model for the molecular dissection of the process of brain amyloidogenesis.     

Review： Protein folding pathology in domestic animals

Fibrillar proteins form structural elements of cells and the extracellular matrix. Pathological lesions of fibrillar microanatomical structures, or secondary fibrillar changes in globular proteins are well known. A special group concerns histologically amorphous deposits, amyloid. The major characteristics of amyloid are: apple green birefringence after Congo red staining of histological sections, and non-branching 7-10nm thick fibrils on electron microscopy revealing a high content of cross beta pleated sheets. About 25 different types of amyloid have been characterised. In animals, AA-amyloid is the most frequent type. Other types of amyloid in animals represent: AIAPP (in cats), AApoAⅠ, AApoAⅡ, localised AL-amyloid, amyloid in odontogenic or mammary tumors and amyloid in the brain. In old dogs Aβ and in sheep APrP^sc-amyloid can be encountered. AA-amyloidosis is a systemic disorder with a precursor in blood, acute phase serum amyloid A (SAA). In chronic inflammatory processes AA-amyloid can be deposited. A rapid crystallization of SAA to amyloid fibrils on small beta-sheeted fragments, the ‘amyloid enhancing factor‘ (AEF), is known and the AEF has been shown to penetrate the enteric barrier. Amyloid fibrils can aggregate from various precursor proteins in vitro in particular at acidic pH and when proteolytic fragments are formed. Molecular chaperones influence this process. Tissue data point to amyloid fibrillogenesis in lysosomes and near cell surfaces. A comparison can be made of the fibrillogenesis in prion diseases and in enhanced AA-amyloidosis. In the reactive form, acute phase SAA is the supply of the precursor protein, whereas in the prion diseases, cell membrane proteins form a structural source. AI3-amyloid in brain tissue of aged dogs showing signs of dementia forms a canine counterpart of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (ccSDAT) in man. Misfolded proteins remain potential food hazards. Developments concerning prevention of amyloidogenesis and therapy of amyloid deposits are shortly commented.     

Inherent toxicity of aggregates implies a common mechanism for protein misfolding diseases

A range of human degenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, light-chain amyloidosis and the spongiform encephalopathies, is associated with the deposition in tissue of proteinaceous aggregates known as amyloid fibrils or plaques. It has been shown previously that fibrillar aggregates that are closely similar to those associated with clinical amyloidoses can be formed in vitro from proteins not connected with these diseases, including the SH3 domain from bovine phosphatidyl-inositol-3'-kinase and the amino-terminal domain of the Escherichia coli HypF protein. Here we show that species formed early in the aggregation of these non-disease-associated proteins can be inherently highly cytotoxic. This finding provides added evidence that avoidance of protein aggregation is crucial for the preservation of biological function and suggests common features in the origins of this family of protein deposition diseases.     

第一个共价键形成的三维冠醚配合物:{[Na(B18-C-6)]6[Pt(SCN)6]}[Pt(SCN)6](SCN)2

合成了新颖苯并18冠6配合物{[Na(B18-C-6)]_6[Pt(SCN)_6]}[Pt(SCN)_6](SCN)_2,通过红外光谱、单晶X-射线衍射对该配合物进行了表征。配合物为三方晶系,空间群为R-3,晶体学数据a=b=1.993 3(3),c=2.976 0(6)nm,α=β=90,γ=120°,V=10.240(3)nm~3,Z=3,D_(calcd)=1.564 g/cm~3,F(000)=4 908,配合物由一个配阴离子[Pt(SCN)_6]~(2-)与一个配阳离子{[Na(B18-C-6)]_6[Pt(SCN)_6]}~(4+)和两个SCN~-阴离子组成,相邻{[Na(B18-C-6)]_6[Pt(SCN)_6]}~(4+)通过Na-O键相互作用形成三维网状结构,[Pt(SCN)_6]~(2-)配阴离子和两个SCN~-阴离子起平衡电荷的作用。     

Correlation of structural elements and infectivity of the HET-s prion

Prions are believed to be infectious, self-propagating polymers of otherwise soluble, host-encoded proteins. This concept is now strongly supported by the recent findings that amyloid fibrils of recombinant prion proteins from yeast, Podospora anserina and mammals can induce prion phenotypes in the corresponding hosts. However, the structural basis of prion infectivity remains largely elusive because acquisition of atomic resolution structural properties of amyloid fibrils represents a largely unsolved technical challenge. HET-s, the prion protein of P. anserina, contains a carboxy-terminal prion domain comprising residues 218-289. Amyloid fibrils of HET-s(218-289) are necessary and sufficient for the induction and propagation of prion infectivity. Here, we have used fluorescence studies, quenched hydrogen exchange NMR and solid-state NMR to determine the sequence-specific positions of amyloid fibril secondary structure elements of HET-s(218-289). This approach revealed four beta-strands constituted by two pseudo-repeat sequences, each forming a beta-strand-turn-beta-strand motif. By using a structure-based mutagenesis approach, we show that this conformation is the functional and infectious entity of the HET-s prion. These results correlate distinct structural elements with prion infectivity.     

The most infectious prion protein particles

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are characterized by abnormal protein deposits, often with large amyloid fibrils. However, questions have arisen as to whether such fibrils or smaller subfibrillar oligomers are the prime causes of disease. Abnormal deposits in TSEs are rich in PrP(res), a protease-resistant form of the PrP protein with the ability to convert the normal, protease-sensitive form of the protein (PrP(sen)) into PrP(res) (ref. 3). TSEs can be transmitted between organisms by an enigmatic agent (prion) that contains PrP(res) (refs 4 and 5). To evaluate systematically the relationship between infectivity, converting activity and the size of various PrP(res)-containing aggregates, PrP(res) was partially disaggregated, fractionated by size and analysed by light scattering and non-denaturing gel electrophoresis. Our analyses revealed that with respect to PrP content, infectivity and converting activity peaked markedly in 17-27-nm (300-600 kDa) particles, whereas these activities were substantially lower in large fibrils and virtually absent in oligomers of < or =5 PrP molecules. These results suggest that non-fibrillar particles, with masses equivalent to 14-28 PrP molecules, are the most efficient initiators of TSE disease.     

Structure-based design of non-natural amino-acid inhibitors of amyloid fibril formation

Many globular and natively disordered proteins can convert into amyloid fibrils. These fibrils are associated with numerous pathologies as well as with normal cellular functions, and frequently form during protein denaturation. Inhibitors of pathological amyloid fibril formation could be useful in the development of therapeutics, provided that the inhibitors were specific enough to avoid interfering with normal processes. Here we show that computer-aided, structure-based design can yield highly specific peptide inhibitors of amyloid formation. Using known atomic structures of segments of amyloid fibrils as templates, we have designed and characterized an all-D-amino-acid inhibitor of the fibril formation of the tau protein associated with Alzheimer's disease, and a non-natural L-amino-acid inhibitor of an amyloid fibril that enhances sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus. Our results indicate that peptides from structure-based designs can disrupt the fibril formation of full-length proteins, including those, such as tau protein, that lack fully ordered native structures. Because the inhibiting peptides have been designed on structures of dual-β-sheet 'steric zippers', the successful inhibition of amyloid fibril formation strengthens the hypothesis that amyloid spines contain steric zippers.     

抗滴虫药1—（2—乙基磺酰基乙基）—2—甲基—5—硝基咪唑的合成

文中报道了一种抗滴虫药物1-(2-乙基磺酰基乙基)-2-甲基-5-硝基咪唑[即替硝唑,(1)]的简便合成方法。该方法以2-甲基-5-硝基味唑(5)为原料,(5)与β-羟基乙基乙硫醚(4)在酸催化下缩合生成1-(2-乙硫基乙基)-2-甲基-5-硝基味唑(6),过量的2-甲基-5-硝基咪唑可回收利用,(6)经过氧化氢氧化生成替硝唑。     

新型有机光致变色材料螺噁嗪的合成

文中以1,3,3-三甲基-2-甲叉吲哚啉和亚硝基酚为原料合成了四种螺噁嗪光致变色化合物,分别是:(1)化合物A:1,3,3-三甲基螺吲哚啉-2,3′-[3H]萘并[2,12b][1,4]嗪;(2)化合物B:1,3,3-三甲基-6′-哌啶-螺吲哚啉-2,3′-[3H]萘并[2,12b][1,4]嗪;(3)化合物C:1,3,3-三甲基-6′-二甲胺基-螺吲哚啉-2,3′-[3H]苯并[2,12b][1,4]嗪;(4)化合物D:1,3,3-三甲基-6′-二乙胺基-螺吲哚啉-2,3′-[3H]苯并[2,12b][1,4]嗪。对各化合物进行了一些光致变色试验,并对所产生的现象进行了简要的讨论。     

Degeneration in vitro of post-mitotic neurons overexpressing the Alzheimer amyloid protein precursor.

A pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of amyloid fibrils in the brain. The principal component of amyloid fibrils is beta/A4 amyloid protein, which can be generated by the aberrant processing of a large membrane-bound glycoprotein, the beta/A4 amyloid protein precursor (APP)3. To test whether overexpression of APP generates abnormally processed derivatives that affect the viability of neurons, we stably transfected full-length human APP complementary DNA into murine embryonal carcinoma P19 cells. These cells differentiate into post-mitotic neurons and astrocytes after exposure to retinoic acid. When differentiation of the APP cDNA-transfected P19 cells was induced, all neurons showed severe degenerative changes and disappeared within a few days. The degenerating neurons contained large amounts of APP derivatives that were truncated at the amino terminus and encompassed the entire beta/A4 domain. These results suggest that post-mitotic neurons are vulnerable to overexpressed APP, which undergoes aberrant processing to generate potentially amyloidogenic fragments.     

Naturally secreted oligomers of amyloid beta protein potently inhibit hippocampal long-term potentiation in vivo

Although extensive data support a central pathogenic role for amyloid beta protein (Abeta) in Alzheimer's disease, the amyloid hypothesis remains controversial, in part because a specific neurotoxic species of Abeta and the nature of its effects on synaptic function have not been defined in vivo. Here we report that natural oligomers of human Abeta are formed soon after generation of the peptide within specific intracellular vesicles and are subsequently secreted from the cell. Cerebral microinjection of cell medium containing these oligomers and abundant Abeta monomers but no amyloid fibrils markedly inhibited hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in rats in vivo. Immunodepletion from the medium of all Abeta species completely abrogated this effect. Pretreatment of the medium with insulin-degrading enzyme, which degrades Abeta monomers but not oligomers, did not prevent the inhibition of LTP. Therefore, Abeta oligomers, in the absence of monomers and amyloid fibrils, disrupted synaptic plasticity in vivo at concentrations found in human brain and cerebrospinal fluid. Finally, treatment of cells with gamma-secretase inhibitors prevented oligomer formation at doses that allowed appreciable monomer production, and such medium no longer disrupted LTP, indicating that synaptotoxic Abeta oligomers can be targeted therapeutically.     

Protease inhibitor domain encoded by an amyloid protein precursor mRNA associated with Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid B-protein/amyloid A4 is a peptide present in the neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and cerebrovascular deposits in patients with Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome (trisomy 21) and may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Recent molecular genetic studies have indicated that amyloid protein is encoded as part of a larger protein by a gene on human chromosome 21 (refs 6-9). The amyloid protein precursor (APP) gene is expressed in brain and in several peripheral tissues, but the specific biochemical events leading to deposition of amyloid are not known. We have now screened complementary DNA libraries constructed from peripheral tissues to determine whether the messenger RNA encoding APP in these tissues is identical to that expressed in brain, and we identify a second APP mRNA that encodes an additional internal domain with a sequence characteristic of a Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor. The alternative APP mRNA is present in both brain and peripheral tissues of normal individuals and those with Alzheimer's disease, but its pattern of expression differs from that of the previously reported APP mRNA.     

手性配合物[Mn（csal-R,R-chxn）]Cl的CD光谱和不对称催化作用

以5-氯-水杨醛双缩（1R,2R）-环己二胺（CSA-DMC）为原料制备了手性[Mn（csal-R,R-chxn）]Cl配合物,测定了手性配体CSA-DMC的荧光光谱,研究了手性配合物[Mn（csal-R,R-chxn）]Cl的CD光谱及催化苯乙烯不对称环氧化反应的催化性能.结果表明：手性配体CSA-DMC的荧光发射峰处于517 nm;利用激子裂分方法和d-d跃迁关联法推测了手性席夫碱配合物[Mn（csal-R,R-chxn）]Cl绝对构型为（R）Δλ构型;最适宜反应条件下,催化苯乙烯的不对称环氧化反应的转化率为74.9%,催化剂选择性为67.6%,对映体过量百分率（e.e.）为12.3%     

维药多伞阿魏的化学成分研究

为明确维药多伞阿魏(Ferula ferulaeoides)的主要化学成分及其抗肿瘤活性,采用硅胶柱色谱、Sephadex LH-20 凝胶柱色谱及半制备高效液相色谱法等技术进行分离纯化,运用NMR和HRMS等波谱学方法鉴定各化合物的结构,采用计算电子圆二色谱法（ECD）判定新化合物的绝对构型. 同时运用MTT法对分离得到的单体化合物在人源乳腺癌（MCF-7）细胞系上进行细胞毒活性测试. 结果从多伞阿魏的乙酸乙酯萃取物中分离得到15个化合物,分别鉴定为1- (2- hydroxyl- 4- methoxybenzoyl)- 2S*- hydroxy- 5,9,13- trimethyl- 4(E),8(E),12- tetradecatrien- 1- one ( 1 ),愈创木醇 ( 2 ),1- (2,4- dihydroxyphenyl)- 3,7,11- trimethyl- 3- vinyl- 6(E),10- dodecadiene- 1- one ( 3 ),dshamirone ( 4 ),2,3- dihydro-7- hydroxy- 2S*,3R*- dimethyl- 2- [4,8-dimethyl- 3(E),7- nonadienyl]- furo[3,2-c]coumarin ( 5 ),3- (2-hydroxyl-4-methoxybenzoyl)- 4S*,5R*- dimethyl- 5- [4,8- dimethyl- 3(E),7(E)- nonadien- 1- yl]tetrahydro- 2- furanone ( 6 ),fukanedone A ( 7 ),2,3- dihydro- 7- methoxy- 2S*,3R*- dimethyl- 2- [4- methyl- 5- (4-methyl-2-furyl)- 3(E)- pentenyl]- furo[3,2-c]coumarin ( 8 ),伞形花素 ( 9 ),2,3- dihydro- 7- methoxy- 2S*,3S*- dimethyl- 3- [4,8- dimethyl- 3(E),7- nonadienyl]- furo[3,2-c]coumarin ( 10 ),2,3- dihydro- 7- methoxy- 2S*,3R*- dimethyl- 3- [4,8-dimethyl-3(E),7-nonadienyl]- furo[3,2-c]coumarin ( 11 ),2,3- dihydro- 7- hydroxy- 2S*,3R*- dimethyl- 3- [4,8- dimethyl- 3(E),7- nonadienyl]- furo[3,2-c]coumarin ( 12 ),2,3- dihydro- 7- methoxy- 2S*,3R*- dimethyl- 2- [4,8- dimethyl- 3(E),7- nonadienyl]- furo[3,2-c]coumarin ( 13 ),2,3- dihydro- 7- methoxy- 2R*,3R*- dimethyl- 2- [4,8- dimethyl- 3(E),7- nonadienyl]- furo[3,2-c]coumarin ( 14 ),ferulaeone C ( 15 ). 其中,化合物 1 为新杂萜类化合物,化合物 9 是从该植物中首次分离得到. 化合物 3 、 4 、 5 和 15 表现出潜在的抗肿瘤活性,半数抑制浓度（IC₅₀）分别为15.11,12.98,18.01和12.87 μmol/L.      

Nanomechanics of individual amyloid fibrils using atomic force microscopy

Compression elasticity of glucagon amyloid fibrils in the transverse direction was investigated by a nanoindentation approach based on atomic force microscopy (AFM).With force-volume mapping, we obtained the correlations between radially applied force and compression of amyloid fibrils, from which the radial compressive elasticity can be deduced.The estimated elastic modulus at three typical locations of fibrils varied from (0.72±0.80) GPa to (1.26±0.62) GPa under small external forces, imply-ing the struct...     

新型离子型有机锡化合物{[Ph2Sn]2[2,6-Py(CO2)]3H2O}2-[HNEt3]+2的晶体结构研究

利用三苯基氯化锡和2,6-吡啶二甲酸在三乙胺存在下以1:1摩尔比反应,合成了离子型有机锡化合物[Ph_2Sn]_2[2,6-Py(CO_2)]_3H_2O~(2-)[HNEt_3]_2~+.通过元素分析、红外光谱和核磁共振氢谱对其结构进行了表征.用X-射线单晶衍射测定了该化合物的晶体结构.化合物的单斜晶系,空间群P2_1/n,α=1.707 3(7)nm,b=1.744 7(7)nm,c=2.433 3(10)nm,β=109.694(7)°,Z=4,V=6.824(5)nm~3,Dc=1.282 g/cm~3,μ=0.793 mm~(-1),F(000)=2 696,R_1=0.056 3,WR_2=0.1539.化合物中两个锡原子呈七配位畸变五角双锥构型.     

对称二环己基取代六元瓜环与对咪唑苯胺自组装实体的晶体结构

本文以(CyH)2Q[6]为主体分子和4-(1H-咪唑-2-基)苯胺盐酸盐为客体分子,通过X-射线单晶衍射方法研究发现,主体与客体分子之间通过离子—偶极作用,客体分子的苯胺部分包结在(CyH)2Q[6]的疏水性空腔内,形成(CyH)2Q[6]部分包结客体分子的1:1主客体包结配合物.又通过离子-偶极作用和氢键互相作用,...     

金属离子主导的Schiff碱配体重构

利用2-羟基萘醛、三乙撑四胺与ZnSO4·7H2O或NiCl2·6H2O的溶剂热反应,合成了三个新的Schiff碱的配合物,即[ZnII(L1)(H2O)](1)(H2L1=N,N’-二-(2-羟基萘甲叉基)乙二胺)、[NiII(L2)]Cl·H2O(2)(HL2=9-(9-萘甲叉基,3,6,9-三氮杂壬基)-3,4;7,8-二-(1,2-萘并)-2,6-二氧,9-氮-二环[3,3,1]-3,7-庚二烷)和[NiII2(L3)(Cl)2](3)(H2L3=N,N′-二-[(2-羟基萘甲叉胺)乙基]吡嗪).晶体结构分析揭示:这些配合物中的Schiff碱配体都经历了由金属离子主导的重构,从而例证了金属离子的模板作用.此外,荧光分析表明:1具有光致发光的性质.     

Molecular recycling within amyloid fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are thread-like protein aggregates with a core region formed from repetitive arrays of beta-sheets oriented parallel to the fibril axis. Such structures were first recognized in clinical disorders, but more recently have also been linked to a variety of non-pathogenic phenomena ranging from the transfer of genetic information to synaptic changes associated with memory. The observation that many proteins can convert into similar structures in vitro has suggested that this ability is a generic feature of polypeptide chains. Here we have probed the nature of the amyloid structure by monitoring hydrogen/deuterium exchange in fibrils formed from an SH3 domain using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The results reveal that under the conditions used in this study, exchange is dominated by a mechanism of dissociation and re-association that results in the recycling of molecules within the fibril population. This insight into the dynamic nature of amyloid fibrils, and the ability to determine the parameters that define this behaviour, have important implications for the design of therapeutic strategies directed against amyloid disease.