Browsing by Author "Opazo, C"

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    Acetylcholinesterase promotes the aggregation of amyloid-beta-peptide fragments by forming a complex with the growing fibrils
    (1997) Alvarez, A; Opazo, C; Alarcon, R; Garrido, J; Inestrosa, NC
    Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, consistently colocalizes with the amyloid deposits characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and may contribute to the generation of amyloid proteins and/or physically affect fibril assembly. Ln order to identify the structural domains of the amyloid-beta-peptide (A beta) involved in the aggregation induced by AChE, we have studied the effect of this cholinergic enzyme on A beta peptide fragments of different sizes. AChE enhanced the aggregation of the A beta(12-28) and A beta(25-35) peptides but not of the A beta(1-16) fragment. The inductive effect of AChE on the aggregation of A beta(12-28) was abolished by the presence of either A beta(1-16) or A beta(9-21). The effect of the enzyme was also analysed using two different mutant fragments, possessing a low and the other a high capacity for fibrillogenesis. The fragments used were A beta(12-28)(Val18-->Ala) and A beta(12-28)(Glu22-->Gln), respectively. AChE was able to promote the aggregation of these fragments in a very specific way and both mutant peptides were able to form amyloid fibrils, as revealed by negative staining under the electron microscope. Binding assays indicated that AChE was bound to A beta(12-28), as well as to the A beta(1-16) peptide. AChE was seen to form strong complexes with the A beta(12-28) fibrils as such complexes stained positively for both thioflavine-T and AChE activity, were resistant to high ionic strength treatment, and were partially sensitive to detergents, suggesting that hydrophobic interactions may play a role in the stabilization of the AChE-A beta complex. Our results suggest that such amyloid-AChE complexes are formed when AChE interacts with the growing amyloid fibrils and accelerates the assembly of A beta peptides. This is consistent with the fact that AChE is known to be present within A beta deposits including the pre-amyloid diffuse and mature senile plaques found in Alzheimer's brain. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.
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    Amyloid-β-peptide reduces copper(II) to copper(I) independent of its aggregation state
    (2000) Opazo, C; Ruiz, FH; Inestrosa, NC
    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the deposition of amyloid beta -peptide (A beta) and neuronal degeneration in brain regions involved in learning and memory. One of the leading etiologic hypotheses regarding AD is the involvement of free radical-mediated oxidative stress in neuronal degeneration. Recent evidence suggests that metals concentrated in amyloid deposits may contribute to the oxidative insults observed in AD-affected brains. We hypothesized that A beta peptide in the presence of copper enhances its neurotoxicity generating free radicals via copper reduction. In the present study, we have examined the effect of the aggregation state of amyloid-beta -peptide on copper reduction. In independent experiments we measured the copper-reducing ability of soluble and fibrillar A beta (1-40) forms by bathocuproine assays. As it was previously observed for the amyloid precursor protein (APP), the A beta peptide showed copper-reducing ability. The capacity of A beta to reduce copper was independent of the aggregation state. Finally, the A beta peptide derived from the human sequence has a greater effect than the A beta peptide derived from the rat sequence, suggesting that histidine 13 may play a role in copper reduction. In agreement with this possibility, the A beta peptide reduces less copper in the presence of exogenous histidine.
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    Crosslinking of amyloid-β peptide to brain acetylcholinesterase
    (1998) Opazo, C; Inestrosa, NC
    Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central nervous system. Recently, we have found that AChE promotes the assembly of amyloid-beta peptides (A beta) into Alzheimer fibrils. The action of AChE on the state of aggregation of the A beta peptide supposes a near neighbor relationship between these two molecules. In the present work, we have studied A beta-AChE interactions using the crosslinker reagent disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS), in the presence of [I-125]-A beta peptide The A beta-AChE complexes formed by crosslinking were then analyzed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. We observed the formation of [I-125] A beta-labeled complexes of 70, 160, 250, and 300 kDa corresponding to monomers, dimers, tetramers, and oligomers of AChE, respectively crosslinked with the A beta peptide. Our results suggest that AChE and the A beta peptide may be involved in physiologically relevant interactions, related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD).
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    Cysteine 144 is a key residue in the copper reduction by the β-amyloid precursor protein
    (1999) Ruiz, FH; González, Y; Bodini, M; Opazo, C; Inestrosa, NC
    The beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) contains a copper-binding site localized between amino acids 135 and 156 (beta-APP(135-156)). We have employed synthetic beta-APP peptides to characterize their capacities to reduce Cu(II) to Cu(I). Analogues of the wild-type beta-APP(135-156) peptide, containing specific amino acid substitutions, were used to establish which residues are specifically involved in the reduction of copper by beta-APP(135-156). We report here that beta-APP's copper-binding domain reduced Cu(II) to Cu(I). The single-mutant beta-APP(His147-->Ala) and the double-mutant beta-APP(His147-->Ala/His149-->Ala) showed a small decrease in copper reduction in relation to the wild-type peptide and the beta-APP(Cys144-->Ser) mutation abolished it, suggesting that Cys144 is the key amino acid in the oxidoreduction reaction. Our results confirm that soluble beta-APP is involved in the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I).
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    Stable complexes involving acetylcholinesterase and amyloid-β peptide change the biochemical properties of the enzyme and increase the neurotoxicity of Alzheimer's fibrils
    (1998) Alvarez, A; Alarcón, R; Opazo, C; Campos, EO; Muñoz, FJ; Calderón, FH; Dajas, F; Gentry, MK; Doctor, BP; De Mello, FG; Inestrosa, NC
    Brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) forms stable complexes with amyloid-beta peptide (A beta) during its assembly into filaments, in agreement with its colocalization with the A beta deposits of Alzheimer's brain. The association of the enzyme with nascent A beta aggregates occurs as early as after 30 min of incubation. Analysis of the catalytic activity of the AChE incorporated into these complexes shows an anomalous behavior reminiscent of the AChE associated with senile plaques, which includes a resistance to low pH, high substrate concentrations, and lower sensitivity to AChE inhibitors. Furthermore, the toxicity of the AChE-amyloid complexes is higher than that of the A beta aggregates alone. Thus, in addition to its possible role as a heterogeneous nucleator during amyloid formation, AChE, by forming such stable complexes, may increase the neurotoxicity of A beta fibrils and thus may determine the selective neuronal loss observed in Alzheimer's brain.
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    The N-terminal copper-binding domain of the amyloid precursor protein protects against Cu2+ neurotoxicity in vivo
    (2004) Cerpa, WF; Barría, MI; Chacón, MA; Suazo, M; González, M; Opazo, C; Bush, AI; Inestrosa, NC
    The amyloid precursor protein (APP) contains a Cu binding domain (CuBD) localized between amino acids 135 and 156 (APP(135-156)), which can reduce Cu2+ to Cu1+ in vitro. The physiological function of this APP domain has not yet being established; nevertheless several studies support the notion that the CuBD of APP is involved in Cu homeostasis. We used APP synthetic peptides to evaluate their protective properties against Cu2+ neurotoxicity in a bilateral intra-hippocampal injection model. We found that human APP135-156 protects against Cu2+-induced neurotoxic effects, such as, impairment of spatial memory, neuronal cell loss, and astrogliosis. APP135-156 lacking two histidine residues showed protection against Cu2+; however, APP135-156 mutated in cysteine 144, a key residue in the reduction of Cu2+ to Cu1+, did not protect against Cu2+ neurotoxicity. In accordance with recent reports, the CuBD of the Caenorhabditis elegans, APL-1 protected against Cu2+ neurotoxicity in vivo. We also found that Cu2+ neurotoxicity is associated with an increase in nitrotyrosine immunofluorescence as well as with a decrease in Cu2+ uptake. The CuBD of APP therefore may play a role in the detoxification of brain Cu.
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    Vitamin E but not 17β-estradiol protects against vascular toxicity induced by β-amyloid wild type and the Dutch amyloid variant
    (2002) Muñoz, FJ; Opazo, C; Gil-Gómez, G; Tapia, G; Fernández, V; Valverde, MA; Inestrosa, NC
    Amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) fibril deposition on cerebral vessels produces cerebral amyloid angiopathy that appears in the majority of Alzheimer's disease patients. An early onset of a cerebral amyloid angiopathy variant called hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis of the Dutch type is caused by a point mutation in Abeta yielding Abeta(Glu22-->Gln). The present study addresses the effect of amyloid fibrils from both wild-type and mutated Abeta on vascular cells, as well as the putative protective role of antioxidants on amyloid angiopathy. For this purpose, we studied the cytotoxicity induced by Abeta(1-40 Glu22-->Gln) and Abeta(1-40 wild-type) fibrils on human venule endothelial cells and rat aorta smooth muscle cells. We observed that Abeta(Glu22-->Gln) fibrils are more toxic for vascular cells than the wild-type fibrils. We also evaluated the cytotoxicity of Abeta fibrils bound with acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a common component of amyloid deposits. Abeta(1-40 wild-type)-AChE fibrillar complexes, similar to neuronal cells, resulted in an increased toxicity on vascular cells. Previous reports showing that antioxidants are able to reduce the toxicity of Abeta fibrils on neuronal cells prompted us to test the effect of vitamin E, vitamin C, and 17beta-estradiol on vascular damage induced by Abeta(wild-type) and Abeta(Glu22-->Gln). Our data indicate that vitamin E attenuated significantly the Abeta-mediated cytotoxicity on vascular cells, although 17beta-estradiol and vitamin C failed to inhibit the cytotoxicity induced by Abeta fibrils.