A single-domain antibody for the detection of pathological Tau protein in the early stages of oligomerization.

BACKGROUND: Soluble oligomeric forms of Tau protein have emerged as crucial players in the propagation of Tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our objective is to introduce a single-domain antibody (sdAb) named 2C5 as a novel radiotracer for the efficient detection and longitudinal monitoring of oligomeric Tau species in the human brain. METHODS: The development and production of 2C5 involved llama immunization with the largest human Tau isoform oligomers of different maturation states. Subsequently, 2C5 underwent comprehensive in vitro characterization for affinity and specificity via Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and immunohistochemistry on human brain slices. Technetium-99m was employed to radiolabel 2C5, followed by its administration to healthy mice for biodistribution analysis. RESULTS: 2C5 exhibited robust binding affinity towards Tau oligomers (Kd = 6.280 nM ± 0.557) and to Tau fibers (Kd = 5.024 nM ± 0.453), with relatively weaker binding observed for native Tau protein (Kd = 1791 nM ± 8.714) and amyloid peptide (Kd > 10,000 nM). Remarkably, this SdAb facilitated immuno-histological labeling of pathological forms of Tau in neurons and neuritic plaques, yielding a high-contrast outcome in AD patients, closely mirroring the performance of reference antibodies AT8 and T22. Furthermore, 2C5 SdAb was successfully radiolabeled with 99mTc, preserving stability for up to 6 h post-radiolabeling (radiochemical purity > 93%). However, following intravenous injection into healthy mice, the predominant uptake occurred in kidneys, amounting to 115.32 ± 3.67, 97.70 ± 43.14 and 168.20 ± 34.52% of injected dose per gram (% ID/g) at 5, 10 and 45 min respectively. Conversely, brain uptake remained minimal at all measured time points, registering at 0.17 ± 0.03, 0.12 ± 0.07 and 0.02 ± 0.01% ID/g at 5, 10 and 45 min post-injection respectively. CONCLUSION: 2C5 demonstrates excellent affinity and specificity for pathological Tau oligomers, particularly in their early stages of oligomerization. However, the current limitation of insufficient blood-brain barrier penetration necessitates further modifications before considering its application in nuclear medicine imaging for humans.

A structural snapshot of type II pilus formation in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Pili are fibrous appendages expressed on the surface of a vast number of bacterial species, and their role in surface adhesion is important for processes such as infection, colonization, andbiofilm formation. The human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae expresses two different types of pili, PI-1 and PI-2, both of which require the concerted action of structural proteins and sortases for their polymerization. The type PI-1 streptococcal pilus is a complex, well studied structure, but the PI-2 type, present in a number of invasive pneumococcal serotypes, has to date remained less well understood. The PI-2 pilus consists of repeated units of a single protein, PitB, whose covalent association is catalyzed by cognate sortase SrtG-1 and partner protein SipA. Here we report the high resolution crystal structures of PitB and SrtG1 and use molecular modeling to visualize a "trapped" 1:1 complex between the two molecules. X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy reveal that the pneumococcal PI-2 backbone fiber is formed by PitB monomers associated in head-to-tail fashion and that short, flexible fibers can be formed even in the absence of coadjuvant proteins. These observations, obtained with a simple pilus biosynthetic system, are likely to be applicable to other fiber formation processes in a variety of Gram-positive organisms.

A compact viral processing proteinase/ubiquitin hydrolase from the OTU family.

Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV)--a member of the alphavirus-like supergroup of viruses--serves as a model system for positive-stranded RNA virus membrane-bound replication. TYMV encodes a precursor replication polyprotein that is processed by the endoproteolytic activity of its internal cysteine proteinase domain (PRO). We recently reported that PRO is actually a multifunctional enzyme with a specific ubiquitin hydrolase (DUB) activity that contributes to viral infectivity. Here, we report the crystal structure of the 150-residue PRO. Strikingly, PRO displays no homology to other processing proteinases from positive-stranded RNA viruses, including that of alphaviruses. Instead, the closest structural homologs of PRO are DUBs from the Ovarian tumor (OTU) family. In the crystal, one molecule's C-terminus inserts into the catalytic cleft of the next, providing a view of the N-terminal product complex in replication polyprotein processing. This allows us to locate the specificity determinants of PRO for its proteinase substrates. In addition to the catalytic cleft, at the exit of which the active site is unusually pared down and solvent-exposed, a key element in molecular recognition by PRO is a lobe N-terminal to the catalytic domain. Docking models and the activities of PRO and PRO mutants in a deubiquitylating assay suggest that this N-terminal lobe is also likely involved in PRO's DUB function. Our data thus establish that DUBs can evolve to specifically hydrolyze both iso- and endopeptide bonds with different sequences. This is achieved by the use of multiple specificity determinants, as recognition of substrate patches distant from the cleavage sites allows a relaxed specificity of PRO at the sites themselves. Our results thus shed light on how such a compact protein achieves a diversity of key functions in viral genome replication and host-pathogen interaction.

Structural and Functional Characterization of the Type Three Secretion System (T3SS) Needle of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The type three secretion system (T3SS) is a macromolecular protein nano-syringe used by different bacterial pathogens to inject effectors into host cells. The extracellular part of the syringe is a needle-like filament formed by the polymerization of a 9-kDa protein whose structure and proper localization on the bacterial surface are key determinants for efficient toxin injection. Here, we combined in vivo, in vitro, and in silico approaches to characterize the Pseudomonas aeruginosa T3SS needle and its major component PscF. Using a combination of mutagenesis, phenotypic analyses, immunofluorescence, proteolysis, mass spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy, and molecular modeling, we propose a model of the P. aeruginosa needle that exposes the N-terminal region of each PscF monomer toward the outside of the filament, while the core of the fiber is formed by the C-terminal helix. Among mutations introduced into the needle protein PscF, D76A, and P47A/Q54A caused a defect in the assembly of the needle on the bacterial surface, although the double mutant was still cytotoxic on macrophages in a T3SS-dependent manner and formed filamentous structures in vitro. These results suggest that the T3SS needle of P. aeruginosa displays an architecture that is similar to that of other bacterial needles studied to date and highlight the fact that small, targeted perturbations in needle assembly can inhibit T3SS function. Therefore, the T3SS needle represents an excellent drug target for small molecules acting as virulence blockers that could disrupt pathogenesis of a broad range of bacteria.

Pore-forming activity of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system translocon alters the host epigenome.

Recent studies highlight that bacterial pathogens can reprogram target cells by influencing epigenetic factors. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a bacterial nanomachine that resembles a syringe on the bacterial surface. The T3SS 'needle' delivers translocon proteins into eukaryotic cell membranes, subsequently allowing injection of bacterial effectors into the cytosol. Here we show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces early T3SS-dependent dephosphorylation and deacetylation of histone H3 in eukaryotic cells. This is not triggered by any of the P. aeruginosa T3SS effectors, but results from the insertion of the PopB-PopD translocon into the membrane. This suggests that the P. aeruginosa translocon is a genuine T3SS effector acting as a pore-forming toxin. We visualized the translocon plugged into the host cell membrane after the bacterium has left the site of contact, and demonstrate that subsequent ion exchange through this pore is responsible for histone H3 modifications and host cell subversion.