Aggregation Of γD-crystallin Research Articles

Quercetin-Loaded Nanocarriers as Effective Inhibitors for Copper Metal Ion-Induced γD-Crystallin Aggregation.

Cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Till date, the only solution for cataracts is surgery, which is a resource-intensive solution. A much simpler solution is to find a potential drug that could inhibit aggregation. It is well established that nonamyloid aggregates of eye lens protein result in cataract. γD-Crystallin, a thermodynamically stable protein, is one of the most abundant proteins in the core of the eye lens and is found to aggregate under stress conditions, leading to the cataract. It has also been found that in cataractous lens, the concentration of metals like copper is elevated significantly as compared to healthy eye lens, suggesting their role in inducing aggregation. In our present study, aggregation of γD-Crystallin was carried out in the presence of Cu (II). Using techniques like turbidity assay, CD spectroscopy, ANS binding assay, and microscopic studies like TEM, it could be confirmed that protein aggregates in the presence of Cu (II) and the nature of aggregates is amorphous. Various polyphenols were tested to suppress aggregation of the protein. Quercetin was observed to be the most efficient. To overcome the problems associated with the delivery of polyphenols, such as solubility and bioavailability, quercetin was encapsulated in two types of nanocarriers. Their characterization was done using TEM, DLS, and other techniques. The potency of quercetin-loaded CS-TPP/CS-PLGA NPs as inhibitors of γD-Crystallin aggregation was confirmed by various experiments.

Participation of Lens Proteins and miRs in Traumatic and Inheritance Cataract: A Review on Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches for Cataract Management.

Traumatic and inherited cataract spiking blindness is caused by accumulated deposition of mutant eye lens protein or lens microarchitecture alteration. A traumatic cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens that occurs as a result of physical trauma to the eye. This trauma can be caused by various incidents such as blunt force injury, penetration by a foreign object, or a significant impact on the eye area. Inheritance cataracts or hereditary cataracts are cataracts that are genetically inherited from one or both parents. Complications following cataract surgery encompass various adverse outcomes such as inflammation, infection, bleeding, swelling, drooping eyelid, glaucoma, secondary cataracts, and complete loss of vision. The main purpose of the review is to highlight common pathophysiology associated with traumatic and inherited cataracts. Also, the review discusses diagnosis and treatment strategies for such cataract types by targeting their key pathological hallmarks. γD-crystallin plays a crucial role in maintaining the optical properties of the lens during the life span of an individual. Carbamazepine, Resveratrol, and Myricetin (CRM) are effectively bound at the γD-crystallin binding site and thereby could minimize misfolding and aggregation of γD-crystallin. miR-202, miR-193b, miR-135a, miR365, and miR-376a had the highest levels of abundance in the aqueous humor of individuals diagnosed with cataracts. The validation of these miRs will provide more insights into their functional roles and may be used for diagnostic purposes. The effective CRM combination as a multidrug formulation may postpone both traumatic and inherited cataracts and protect the eye from blindness.

Myo-inositol suppresses γD-crystallin aggregation by interacting with a non-native state

Myo-inositol suppresses γD-crystallin aggregation by interacting with a non-native state

Investigating the chaperone mechanism of α-crystallin in preventing γD-crystallin aggregation in cataract formation

Investigating the chaperone mechanism of α-crystallin in preventing γD-crystallin aggregation in cataract formation

Molecular Insights into the Inhibitory Role of α-Crystallin against γD-Crystallin Aggregation.

Cataracts, a major cause of global blindness, contribute significantly to the overall prevalence of blindness. The opacification of the lens, resulting in cataract formation, primarily occurs due to the aggregation of crystallin proteins within the eye lens. Despite the high concentration of these crystallins, they remarkably maintain the lens transparency and refractive index. α-Crystallins (α-crys), acting as chaperones, play a crucial role in preventing crystallin aggregation, although the exact molecular mechanism remains uncertain. In this study, we employed a combination of molecular docking, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, and advanced free energy calculations to investigate the interaction between γD-crystallin (γD-crys), a major structural protein of the eye lens, and α-crystallin proteins. Our findings demonstrate that α-crys exhibits an enhanced affinity for the NTD2 and CTD4 regions of γD-crys. The NTD2 and CTD4 regions form the interface between the N-terminal domain (NTD) and the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the γD-crys protein. By binding to the interface region between the NTD and CTD of the protein, α-crys effectively inhibits the formation of domain-swapped aggregates and mitigates protein aggregation. Analysis of the Markov state models using molecular dynamics trajectories confirms that minimum free energy conformations correspond to the binding of the α-crystallin domain (ACD) of α-crys to NTD2 and CTD4 that form the interdomain interface.

Nanocarriers for the Delivery of Quercetin to Inhibit the UV-Induced Aggregation of γD-Crystallin.

Due to gradual environmental changes like ozone layer depletion and global warming, human eyes are exposed to UV light. Exposure to UV light can be a cause of cataracts, one of the ocular diseases that may cause vision impairment. To date, lens replacement has been the only treatment available for cataracts. In our present study, we carried out an extensive examination of polyphenols as inhibitors for UV-induced aggregation of γD-crystallin. On exposure to UV-C light, γD-crystallin forms fibrils instead of amorphous aggregates. Various polyphenols were tested as inhibitors; out of them, quercetin, baicalein, and caffeic acid were found to be effective. As polyphenols are insoluble in water, nanoencapsulation was used to enhance their bioavailability. CS-TPP and CS-PLGA encapsulating systems were considered, as they form biodegradable nanocapsules. Out of three polyphenols (quercetin, baicalein, and caffeic acid), quercetin forms nanocarriers of smaller sizes, a must for crossing the retinal barrier. Quercetin nanocarriers were considered an effective system that could be used for therapeutic applications. For these nanocarriers, encapsulation efficiency and polyphenol release kinetics were studied. CS-PLGA NPs were found to have a better loading efficiency for quercetin than CS-TPP NPs.

Investigating the mechanism of suppression of human γD-crystallin aggregation by myo-inositol.

Aggregation of γ-crystallins in the lens of the eye is implicated in cataract disease. Misfolding of this protein under oxidative conditions, such as those present in the ageing eye lens, and mutations in the CRYGD gene correlate with cataract formation. Previous studies from our group indicated that non-native disulfide bonds in early unfolding intermediates kinetically trap misfolded conformations of γD-crystallin, which then aggregate by a mechanism akin to domain-swapping. Recent biophysical experiments from our group have shown that myo-inositol, a small molecule that is abundant in the healthy lens, disrupts the aggregation of human γD-crystallin in vitro and inhibits formation of the aggregation precursors. In this project, theoretical techniques are used to complement these experiments by providing more detailed, atomistic insights into the mechanism of aggregation suppression. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations with a statistical potential, replica exchange and umbrella biasing are used to generate structures for folding intermediates for γD-crystallin and several constructs with experimentally relevant, aggregation-prone mutations, and folding pathways are elucidated from these simulations using our group's previously validated DBFOLD algorithm. Theoretical results are validated against experimental data by comparing calculated misfolding parameters with known experimental aggregation propensities. In addition, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are used to probe the transient chemical interactions between myo-inositol and γD-crystallin folding intermediates, and results from these simulations are compared to insights from aggregation assays, NMR data, and other spectroscopic experiments. The aim is to predict and characterize key chemical interactions whereby myo-inositol shifts γD-crystallin away from aggregation-permissive conformations, which would enable development of improved drug candidates to treat or prevent cataract disease. Our approach to simulating structures of γD-crystallin aggregation precursors and modelling their interactions with small molecules may generalize to other protein misfolding diseases.

Nano-Formulation of Antioxidants as Effective Inhibitors of γD-Crystallin Aggregation.

The aggregation of crystallin proteins is related to cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Apart from surgical replacement of the cataract lens, no other alternative treatment is available till date for this ailment. In the current work, we carried out an in-depth investigation of the effect of polyphenol-loaded nano-formulations on the aggregation of γD-crystallin. At first, the protein was allowed to form amorphous aggregates under denaturing conditions. Several polyphenols were then tried to inhibit the aggregation of the protein. Among the polyphenols tested, resveratrol and quercetin were found to be the most effective. Since polyphenols are prone to degradation, they were encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles in order to provide ambient conditions for them to function effectively. The loading efficiency and polyphenol release kinetics were subsequently tested. Finally, the efficacy of resveratrol/quercetin-loaded chitosan nano-particles as inhibitors of γD-crystallin aggregation was confirmed in a series of experiments demonstrating the potency of the system in the prospective therapeutic intervention of eye ailments concerning self-assembly of γD-crystallin proteins.

The mechanism for thermal-enhanced chaperone-like activity of α-crystallin against UV irradiation-induced aggregation of γD-crystallin

Exposure to solar UV irradiation damages γ-crystallin, leading to cataract formation via aggregation. α-Crystallin, as a small heat shock protein, efficiently suppresses this irreversible aggregation by selectively binding the denatured γ-crystallin monomer. In this study, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used to evaluate UV-325 nm irradiation-induced photodamage of human γD-crystallin in the presence of bovine α-crystallin, atomic force microscope (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques were used to detect the quaternary structure changes of the α-crystallin oligomer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and temperature-jump nanosecond time-resolved IR absorbance difference spectroscopy were used to probe the secondary structure changes of bovine α-crystallin. We find that the thermal-induced subunit dissociation of the α-crystallin oligomer involves the breaking of hydrogen bonds at the dimeric interface, leading to three different spectral components at varied temperature regions as resolved from temperature-dependent IR spectra. Under UV-325 nm irradiation, unfolded γD-crystallin binds to the dissociated α-crystallin subunit to form an αγ-complex, then follows the reassociation of the αγ-complex to the partially dissociated α-crystallin oligomer. This prevents the aggregation of denatured γD-crystallin. The formation of the γD-bound α-crystallin oligomer is further confirmed by AFM and DLS analysis, which reveals an obvious size expansion in the reassociated αγ-oligomers. In addition, UV-325 nm irradiation causes a peptide bond cleavage of γD-crystallin at Ala158 in the presence of α-crystallin. Our results suggest a very effective protection mechanism for subunits dissociated from α-crystallin oligomers against UV irradiation-induced aggregation of γD-crystallin, at the expense of a loss of a short C-terminal peptide in γD-crystallin.

Protection of human γD-crystallin protein from ultraviolet C-induced aggregation by ortho-vanillin

Cataract is known as one of the leading causes of vision impairment worldwide. While the detailed mechanism of cataratogenesis remains unclear, cataract is believed to be correlated with the aggregation and/or misfolding of human ocular lens proteins called crystallins. A 173-residue structural protein human γD-crystallin is a major γ-crystallin protein in the human eye lens and associated with the development of juvenile and mature-onset cataracts. This work is aimed at investigating the effect of a small molecule, e.g., ortho-vanillin, on human γD-crystallin aggregation upon exposure to ultraviolet-C irradiation. According to the findings of right-angle light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and gel electrophoresis, ortho-vanillin was demonstrated to dose-dependently suppress ultraviolet-C-triggered aggregation of human γD-crystallin. Results from the synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, tryptophan fluorescence quenching, and molecular docking studies revealed the structural change of γD-crystallin induced by the interaction/binding between ortho-vanillin and protein. We believe the outcome from this work may contribute to the development of potential therapeutics for cataract.

Transgenic zebrafish models reveal distinct molecular mechanisms for cataract-linked αA-crystallin mutants

Mutations in the small heat shock proteins α-crystallins have been linked to autosomal dominant cataracts in humans. Extensive studies in vitro have revealed a spectrum of alterations to the structure and function of these proteins including shifts in the size of the oligomer, modulation of subunit exchange and modification of their affinity to client proteins. Although mouse models of these mutants were instrumental in identifying changes in cellular proliferation and lens development, a direct comparative analysis of their effects on lens proteostasis has not been performed. Here, we have transgenically expressed cataract-linked mutants of αA- and αB-crystallin in the zebrafish lens to dissect the underlying molecular changes that contribute to the loss of lens optical properties. Zebrafish lines expressing these mutants displayed a range of morphological lens defects. Phenotype penetrance and severity were dependent on the mutation even in fish lines lacking endogenous α-crystallin. The mechanistic origins of these differences were investigated by the transgenic co-expression of a destabilized human γD-crystallin mutant. We found that the R49C but not the R116C mutant of αA-crystallin drove aggregation of γD-crystallin, although both mutants have similar affinity to client proteins in vitro. Our working model attributes these differences to the propensity of R49C, located in the buried N-terminal domain of αA-crystallin, to disulfide crosslinking as previously demonstrated in vitro. Our findings complement and extend previous work in mouse models and emphasize the need of investigating chaperone/client protein interactions in appropriate cellular context.

Investigation of the early stages of human γD-crystallin aggregation process

Cataract, a major cause of visual impairment worldwide, is a common disease of the eye lens related to protein aggregation. Several factors including the exposure of ultraviolet irradiation and possibly acidic condition may induce the unfolding and subsequent aggregation of the crystallin proteins leading to crystalline lens opacification. Human γD-crystallin (HγDC), a 173 residue monomeric protein, abundant in the nucleus of the human eye lens, has been shown to aggregate and form amyloid fibrils under acidic conditions and that this aggregation route is thought to be a potential initiation pathway for the onset of age-related nuclear cataract. However, the underlying mechanism of fibril formation remains elusive. This report is aimed at examining the structural changes and possible amyloid fibril formation pathway of HγDC using molecular dynamics and molecular docking simulations. Our findings demonstrated that incubation of HγDC under the acidic condition redistributes the protein surface charges and affects the protein interaction with its surrounding solvent environment. This brings about a twist motion in the overall tertiary structure that gives rise to newly formed anti-parallel β-strands in the C-terminal flexible loop regions. The change in protein structural conformation also involves an alteration in specific salt-bridge interactions. Altogether, these findings revealed a plausible mechanism for amyloid fibril formation of HγDC that is important to the early stages of HγDC aggregation involved in cataractogenesis.

Human CCT4 and CCT5 Chaperonin Subunits Expressed in Escherichia coli Form Biologically Active Homo-oligomers

Chaperonins are a family of chaperones that encapsulate their substrates and assist their folding in an ATP-dependent manner. The ubiquitous eukaryotic chaperonin, TCP-1 ring complex (TRiC), is a hetero-oligomeric complex composed of two rings, each formed from eight different CCT (chaperonin containing TCP-1) subunits. Each CCT subunit may have distinct substrate recognition and ATP hydrolysis properties. We have expressed each human CCT subunit individually in Escherichia coli to investigate whether they form chaperonin-like double ring complexes. CCT4 and CCT5, but not the other six CCT subunits, formed high molecular weight complexes within the E. coli cells that sedimented about 20S in sucrose gradients. When CCT4 and CCT5 were purified, they were both organized as two back-to-back rings of eight subunits each, as seen by negative stain and cryo-electron microscopy. This morphology is consistent with that of the hetero-oligomeric double-ring TRiC purified from bovine testes and HeLa cells. Both CCT4 and CCT5 homo-oligomers hydrolyzed ATP at a rate similar to human TRiC and were active as assayed by luciferase refolding and human γD-crystallin aggregation suppression and refolding. Thus, both CCT4 and CCT5 homo-oligomers have the property of forming 8-fold double rings absent the other subunits, and these complexes carry out chaperonin reactions without other partner subunits.

Human γD-crystallin aggregation induced by ultraviolet C irradiation is suppressed by resveratrol

Human γD-crystallin, a 173-residue protein, is a major protein component of the human eye lens and associated with the development of juvenile and mature-onset cataracts. The study reported here is aimed at examining the effects of resveratrol on human γD-crystallin aggregation and/or precipitation triggered by ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light. Our turbidity, electron microscopy (TEM), and SDS–PAGE results showed that, under UV-C irradiation, resveratrol was able to suppress the formation of human γD-crystallin aggregates and the observed aggregation inhibition was dependent upon the concentration of resveratrol added. Through the use of Ellman reagent, the concentration of sulfhydryl group was observed to decrease upon prolonged UV-C irradiation. Also, there existed a positive correlation between the content of sulfhydryl group in human γD-crystallin and the concentration of resveratrol. Furthermore, we propose that resveratrol's free radical scavenging ability is likely to be correlated with its mechanism of action in inhibiting human γD-crystallin aggregation induced by UV-C irradiation. We believe this work may aid in the development of potential therapeutics for cataract.