Targeted degradation of aberrant tau in frontotemporal dementia patient-derived neuronal cell models
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, United States
- Harvard Medical School, United States
Figures
Figure 1 with 2 supplements
Design and working model for a new hetero-bifunctional tau degrader.
(A) A degrader molecule was designed to preferentially recognize disease-associated forms of tau (Module 1), and simultaneously engage with CRBN in the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase complex (Module …
Figure 1—figure supplement 1
In vitro characterization of tau-binding affinity to QC-01–175 and control compounds.
(A) Association-dissociation curves for BLI biosensor measurements (64 μM compound is shown, except for PE859 at 50 μM) and (B) BLI steady-state graphs, representing human recombinant …
Figure 1—figure supplement 2
QC-01–175 effect on MAO activity.
(A) Monoamine oxidase activity assay shows that the inhibitory effect of T807 is greater than that of QC-01–175. Parnate is a known MAO inhibitor (positive control) and pomalidomide is used as a …
Figure 2 with 2 supplements
Concentration effect of QC-01–175
(A) on tau protein levels of A152T and control neurons. Analysis of total tau (TAU5) and phospho-tau (S396 P-tau) levels upon treatment by western blot (B) and ELISA (C). Analysis of total tau …
-
Figure 2—source data 1
Human neural cell lines derived from tauopathy-affected (progressive supranuclear palsy, PSP or behavioral variant of FTD, bvFTD) and age-matched unaffected individuals, and MAPT KO line employed in this study.
± refers to heterozygous variant carriers.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.008
-
Figure 2—source data 2
Numerical description and statistics for data presented in Figure 2 and respective supplement 2 ELISAs.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.009
Figure 2—figure supplement 1
Variability of the effect of QC-01–175 across biological replicates.
(A– I) Western blot analysis of total tau (TAU5) and S396 P-Tau protein, upon 24 hr treatment with QC-01–175 or the negative controls lenalidomide, T807 and QC-03–075. Assessment of the variability …
Figure 2—figure supplement 2
Demonstration of QC-01–175 effect in tau-P301L neurons.
(A-B) Concentration effect of QC-01–175 and QC-03–075 on total tau (TAU5) and S396 P-Tau by ELISA, in P301L neurons at 6 weeks of differentiation. Data points represent mean values of tau normalized …
Figure 3 with 1 supplement
Mechanism of QC-01–175 clearance of tau is CRL4CRBN and UPS-dependent.
Neurons were pre-treated for 6 hr with (A) either CRBN ligand excess lenalidomide or tau ligand excess T807, (B) the NAE inhibitor MLN4924, the autophagy inhibitor Baf.A1, or (C) the proteasome …
Figure 3—figure supplement 1
Additional specificity controls for QC-01–175-mediated tau clearance.
(A–C) Western blot and densitometry analysis of total tau, S396 P-tau and CRBN upon 24 hr treatment with QC-01–175 or the negative controls QC-03–075, T807 and a thalidomide analog, lenalidomide (1 …
Figure 4
Demonstration of ternary complex formation in A152T neurons upon QC-01–175 treatment, by co-IP and western blot analysis.
Neurons (6-week differentiated) were treated for 4 hr with 1 μM QC-01–175 ± 30 min pre-treatment with proteasome inhibitors (carfilzomib or bortezomib at 5 μM), with the goal of capturing maximum …
Figure 5 with 1 supplement
Comparative analysis of the effect of QC-01–175 at (A)
0.01 μM, (B) 0.1 μM, (C) 1 μM, and (D) 10 μM after 4 hr, 8 hr or 24 hr of treatment. Graph bars represent mean levels of total tau (TAU5) and S396 P-tau protein measured by ELISA, normalized to …
-
Figure 5—source data 1
Numerical description and statistics for data presented in Figure 5 and respective supplement 1.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.014
Figure 5—figure supplement 1
Degrader concentration and time effect on tau, in A152T and P301L neurons.
(A–C) Concentration and time effect of QC-01–175 on total tau (TAU5) and S396 P-tau levels, in A152T 6-week differentiated neurons, treated for (A) a short 4 hr interval, (B) an intermediate 8 hr …
Figure 6
Mass spectrometry-based proteomics to quantify the effect of QC-01–175 treatment on the proteome of A152T neurons.
6-week differentiated neurons were treated for 4 hr with (A) 1 μM of QC-01–175, (B) 1 μM of the negative control QC-03–075, or (C) 10 μM MLN4924 (NAE inhibitor, 30 min pre-treatment) and 1 μM of …
Figure 7
QC-01–175 treatment rescued stress vulnerability of A152T neurons.
(A) Aβ(1-42) proteotoxicity causes concentration- and genotype-dependent loss of neuronal vulnerability, affecting preferentially A152T and P301L neurons, with a rescue by MAPT KO. Data points …
-
Figure 7—source data 1
Numerical description and statistics for data presented.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.018
Scheme 1
Synthesis route for the tau degrader QC-01-175.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.019
Chemical structure 1
3-(4-(4-nitropyridin-3-yl)phenyl)propan-1-ol (3)
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.020
Chemical structure 2
3-(4-(3-((tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy)propyl)phenyl)-4-nitropyridine (4)
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.021
Chemical structure 3
7-(3-((tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy)propyl)-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (5)
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.022
Chemical structure 4
tert-butyl 7-(3-((tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy)propyl)-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole-5-carboxylate (6)
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.023
Chemical structure 5
tert-butyl 7-(3-hydroxypropyl)-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole-5-carboxylate (7)
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.024
Chemical structure 6
3-(5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indol-7-yl)propanoic acid (10)
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.025
Chemical structure 7
QC-01-175
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.026
Chemical structure 8
QC-03-075: Was prepared according to Scheme 1.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.027Tables
Key resources table
| Reagent type (species) or resource | Designation | Source or reference | Identifiers | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cell line (H. sapiens) | 8330–8-RC1 | Silva et al. (2016) Stem Cell Reports. | Figure 2—source data 1. Human iPSC-derived NPC line, non-mutant tau. Original fibroblasts GM08330 from Coriell Institute for Medical Research. | |
| Cell line (H. sapiens) | MGH2069-RC1 | Seo et al. (2017) J. Neuroscience. Manuscript in preparation. | Figure 2—source data 1. Human iPSC-derived NPC line, non-mutant tau. Original fibroblasts MGH-2069 from Massachusetts General Hospital Frontotemporal Dementia Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital Neurodegeneration Repository. | |
| Cell line (H. sapiens) | CTR2-L17-RC2 | Almeida et al., 2012 Cell Reports. Silva et al. (2016) Stem Cell Reports | Figure 2—source data 1. Human iPSC-derived NPC line, non-mutant tau. | |
| Cell line (H. sapiens) | FTD19-L5-RC6 | Silva et al. (2016) Stem Cell Reports | Figure 2—source data 1. Human iPSC-derived NPC line, tau-A152T (NCBI RefSeq NM_001123066; rs143624519). | |
| Cell line (H. sapiens) | FTD19-L5-RC6;MAPT-KO | Silva et al. (2016) Stem Cell Reports | Figure 2—source data 1. Human iPSC-derived NPC FTD19-L5-RC6 line, CRISPR/Cas9-engineered MAPT knockout. | |
| Cell line (H. sapiens) | MGH2046-RC1 | Seo et al. (2017) J. Neuroscience. Manuscript in preparation. | Figure 2—source data 1. Human iPSC-derived NPC line, tau-P301L (NCBI RefSeq NM_001123066; rs63751273). Original fibroblasts MGH-2046 from Massachusetts General Hospital Frontotemporal Dementia Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital Neurodegeneration Repository. | |
| Antibody | TAU5 | Invitrogen | Cat. AHB0042 RRID:AB_2536235 | WB 1:1000 |
| Antibody | TAU5 | AbCam | Cat. ab80579 RRID:AB_1603723 | Co-IP |
| Antibody | Tau K9JA | DAKO, Agilent | Cat. A002401-2 | IF 1:1000, WB 1:10,000 |
| Antibody | P-Tau S396 | Invitrogen | Cat. 44752G RRID:AB_1502108 | WB 1:1000 |
| Antibody | P-Tau PHF-1 | Dr. Peter Davies | Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY | IF 1:400 |
| Antibody | MAP2 | Chemicon, Millipore | Cat. AB5543 RRID:AB_571049 | IF 1:1000 |
| Antibody | DDB1 | AbCam | Cat. ab109027 RRID:AB_10859111 | WB 1:50,000/Co-IP |
| Antibody | CUL4A | Cell Signaling Technology | Cat. 2699 RRID:AB_2086563 | WB 1:1000 |
| Antibody | CRBN | ProteinTech | Cat. 11435–1-AP RRID:AB_2085739 | WB 1:500 |
| Antibody | Ubiquitin, Ubi-1 | Millipore | Cat. MAB1510 RRID:AB_2180556 | WB 1:500 |
| Antibody | β-Actin | Sigma-Aldrich | Cat. A1978 RRID:AB_476692 | WB 1:10,000 |
| Antibody | GAPDH | AbCam | Cat. ab8245 RRID:AB_2107448 | WB 1:5000 |
| Antibody | AlexaFluor-488 2° antibody | Life Technologies | Cat. A11039 RRID:AB_142924 | IF 1:500 |
| Antibody | AlexaFluor-594 2° antibody | Life Technologies | Cat. A11012 RRID:AB_141359 | IF 1:500 |
| Antibody | AlexaFluor-594 2° antibody | Life Technologies | Cat. A11032 RRID:AB_141672 | IF 1:500 |
| Antibody | Anti-mouse IgG, HRP-linked | Cell Signaling Technology | Cat. 7076S RRID:AB_330924 | Western blotting, 1:4000 |
| Antibody | Anti-rabbit IgG, HRP-linked | Cell Signaling Technology | Cat. 7074S RRID:AB_2099233 | Western blotting, 1:4000 |
| Antibody | Hoechst 33342 | Invitrogen | Cat. H3570 | IF Nuclear stain, 1:1000 |
| Peptide, Recombinant Protein | Tau-441(WT), Biotinylated | SignalChem | Cat. T08-54BN Lot. H2681-10 | Human recombinant protein expressed in E. coli cells. |
| Peptide, Recombinant Protein | Tau-441(A152T) Protein | SignalChem | Cat. T08-56VN Lot. B2157-7 | Human recombinant protein expressed in E. coli cells, tag-free. Accession no. P10636-8. |
| Peptide, Recombinant Protein | Tau-441(P301L) Protein | SignalChem | Cat. T08-56FN Lot. O917-2 | Human recombinant protein expressed in E. coli cells, tag-free. Accession no. P10636-8. |
| Peptide, Recombinant Protein | Aβ(1-42) | Enzo Lifesciences | Cat. ALX-151–002 | CAS No. 107761-42-2 |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | EZ-Link NHS-PEG4-Biotinylation Kit | Thermo Fisher Scientific | Cat. 21455 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | MAO-Glo Assay Kit | Promega | Cat. V1401 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | Pierce BCA Protein Assay Kit | Thermo Fisher Scientific | Cat. 23227 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | Human Total Tau ELISA | Invitrogen | Cat. KHB0041 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | P-Tau[pS396] Human ELISA | Invitrogen | Cat. KHB7031 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | ELISA Compatible Lysis Buffer | Invitrogen | Cat. FNN0011 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | Immunoprecipitation Kit Dynabeads Protein G | Novex, Life Technologies | Cat. 10007D | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | Pierce IP Lysis Buffer | Thermo Fisher Scientific | Cat. 87787 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | Tandem mass tag (TMT) reagents | Thermo Fisher Scientific | Cat. A34807 | |
| Commercial Assay, Kit | AlamarBlue Cell Viability Reagent | Thermo Fisher Scientific | Cat. DAL1025 | |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | T807 (AV-1451) | MedChem Express | Cat. HY-101184 | CAS No. 1415379-56-4 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | T807 core scaffold | This paper | (Intermediate 10) | Methods, Synthetic methods general protocols. Figure 1C. |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Pomalidomide | Sigma Aldrich | Cat. P0018 | CAS No. 19171-19-8 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Lenalidomide | Sigma Aldrich | Cat. 901558 | CAS No. 191732-72-6 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | QC-01–175 | This paper | Methods, Synthetic methods general protocols. Figure 1C. | |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | QC-03–075 | This paper | Methods, Synthetic methods general protocols. Figure 1C. | |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | MLN4924 | MedChem Express | Cat. HY-70062 | CAS No. 905579-51-3 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Bafilomycin A1 | Enzo LifeSciences | Cat. BML-CM110 | CAS No. 88899-55-2 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Carfilzomib | MedChem Express | Cat. HY-10455 | CAS No. 868540-17-4 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Bortezomib | Selleckchem | Cat. S1013 | CAS No. 179324-69-7 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | PE859 | MedChem Express | Cat. HY-12662 | CAS No. 1402727-29-0 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Parnate (Tranylcypromine) | Sigma-Aldrich | Cat. P8511 | CAS No. 1986-47-6 |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Protease inhibitor cocktail | Roche | Cat. 04 693 124 001 | |
| Chemical Compound, Drug | Phosphatase inhibitor cocktail 2 | Sigma-Aldrich | Cat. P5726 | |
| Software, Algorithm | Data Acquisition HT 11.0 | ForteBio (www.fortebio.com/octet-software.html) | Version 11 (BLI Analysis and KD calculation) | |
| Software, Algorithm | Adobe Photoshop CS5 | Adobe Photoshop (www.adobe.com/Photoshop) | Version 12.0.4 (Histogram function, western blots densitometry) | |
| Software, Algorithm | GraphPad Prism | GraphPad Prism (www.graphpad.com) | Version 8 | |
| Software, Algorithm | Proteome Discoverer 2.2 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | RRID:SCR_014477 | Version 2.2 |
| Software, Algorithm | R framework | Team RCR: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing http://www.R-project.org/; accessed Nov. 1, 2017 | R Version 3.5.1 – Feather Spray | |
| Software, Algorithm | Statistical Analysis Limma Package (R framework) | Bioconductor | Ritchie et al. (2015) Nucleic Acids Res. | |
| Other | Octet Red384 Instrument | ForteBio | https://www.fortebio.com/octet-red384.html | |
| Other | IN Cell Analyzer 6000 Cell Imaging System | GE Healthcare Life Sciences | ||
| Other | EnVision Multilabel Plate Reader | Perkin Elmer | ||
| Other | HPLC | Waters 2489/2545 | ||
| Other | UPLC | Waters Aquity I UPLC | ||
| Other | HPLC | Agilent 1260 Infinity II LC System | ||
| Other | Orbitrap Fusion Lumos mass spectrometer | Thermo Fisher Scientific | IQLAAEGAAPFADBMBHQ | |
| Other | Proxeon EASY-nLC 1200 LC pump | Thermo Fisher Scientific | LC140 | |
| Other | EasySpray ES803 75 μm inner diameter microcapillary column | Thermo Fisher Scientific | ES803 |
Additional files
-
Supplementary file 1
1H NMR Spectra of QC-01-175.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.028
-
Supplementary file 2
1H NMR Spectra of QC-03-075.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.029
-
Supplementary file 3
UPLC chromatogram and mass spectra of QC-01-175.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.030
-
Supplementary file 4
UPLC chromatogram and mass spectra of QC-03-075.
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.031
-
Transparent reporting form
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.45457.032
