In familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, TTR (transthyretin) variants are deposited as amyloid fibrils. It is thought that this process involves TTR tetramer dissociation, which leads to partially unfolded monomers that aggregate and polymerize into amyloid fibrils. This process can be counteracted by stabilization of the tetramer. Several small compounds, such as diclofenac, diflunisal and flufenamic acid, have been reported to bind to TTR in vitro, in the T4 (thyroxine) binding channel that runs through the TTR tetramer, and consequently are considered to stabilize TTR. However, if these agents bind plasma proteins other than TTR, decreased drug availability will occur, compromising their use as therapeutic agents for TTR amyloidosis. In the present work, we compared the action of these compounds and of new derivatives designed to increase both selectivity of binding to TTR and inhibitory potency in relation to TTR amyloid fibril formation. We found two diflunisal derivatives that, in contrast with diclofenac, flufenamic acid and diflunisal, displaced T4 from TTR in plasma preferentially over binding to albumin and thyroxine binding globulin. The same diflunisal derivatives also had a stabilizing effect on TTR tetramers in plasma, as studied by isoelectric focusing of whole plasma under semi-denaturing conditions. In addition, by transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrated that, in contrast with other proposed TTR stabilizers (namely diclofenac, flufenamic acid and diflunisal), one of the diflunisal derivatives tested efficiently inhibited TTR aggregation. Taken together, our ex vivo and in vitro studies present evidence for the selectivity and efficiency of novel diflunisal derivates as TTR stabilizers and as inhibitors of fibril formation.

Two synthetic O-GlcNAc-bearing peptides that elicit H-2Db-restricted glycopeptide-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL) have been shown to display nonreciprocal patterns of cross-reactivity. Here, we present the crystal structures of the H-2Db glycopeptide complexes to 2.85 A resolution or better. In both cases, the glycan is solvent exposed and available for direct recognition by the T cell receptor (TCR). We have modeled the complex formed between the MHC-glycopeptide complexes and their respective TCRs, showing that a single saccharide residue can be accommodated in the standard TCR-MHC geometry. The models also reveal a possible molecular basis for the observed cross-reactivity patterns of the CTL clones, which appear to be influenced by the length of the CDR3 loop and the nature of the immunizing ligand.

SummaryCytotoxic T cells (CTL) recognize short peptide epitopes presented by class I glycoproteins encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). It is not yet known whether peptides containing posttranslationally modified amino acids can also be recognized by CTL. To address this issue, we have studied the immunogenicity and recognition of a glycopeptide carrying an O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) monosaccharide-substituted serine residue. This posttranslational modification is catalyzed by a recently described cytosolic glycosyltransferase. We show that glycosylation does not affect peptide binding to MHC class I and that glycopeptides can elicit a strong CTL response that is glycopeptide specific. Furthermore, glycopeptide recognition by cytotoxic T cells is dependent on the chemical structure of the glycan as well as its position within the peptide.T lymphocytes recognize peptide antigens as they are presented on the cell surface by polymorphic proteins encoded in the MHC class I or II. Class I MHC presents peptide fragments ofintracelhlar synthesized protein, whereas class II MHC predominantly presents peptide fragments of extracellular proteins that have been degraded in the endocytic compartment (1). The allelic specificity of peptide binding to MHC is governed by pockets in the MHC binding groove that confer the preferred binding of certain amino acid residues within an allele-specific motif (2).All natural T cell antigens identified to date consist of peptides with unmodified amino acid side chains. However, it is not known whether some of the posttranslational modifications that occur on proteins in vivo contribute to the recognition of peptide antigens by T cells. Thus, it is not known whether sulfated, phosphorylated, carboxylated, or glycosylated peptides can be selected for presentation by MHC with the posttranslational modification intact.Studies on the recognition by CTLs ofpeptides haptenated with trinitrophenyl have demonstrated that T cells will specifically recognize chemically modified peptide antigens (3). It is therefore possible that peptides carrying natural posttranslational modifications, such as glycosylation, might similarly be recognized by T cells.Several different types of protein glycosylation are known including the N-linked glycosylation of asparagine and O-linked glycosylation of serine and threonine occurring in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus. In addition, a novel O-linked glycosylation, occurring almost exclusively on nuclear and cytosolic proteins, has been described (4). This glycosylation is characterized by substitution of serines or threonines with single O-3-1inked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residues catalyzed by a cytosolic N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase (reviewed in reference 5).Since peptide fragments of cytosolic and nuclear proteins are the preferred substrates for antigen presentation by class I MHC, it is possible that glycopeptides derived from O-GlcNAc substituted cytosolic proteins could enter the class I presentation pat...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and now represents 50-70% of total dementia cases. Over the last two decades, transthyretin (TTR) has been associated with AD and, very recently, a novel concept of TTR stability has been established in vitro as a key factor in TTR/amyloid-β (Aβ) interaction. Small compounds, TTR stabilizers (usually non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs), bind to the thyroxine (T4) central binding channel, increasing TTR tetrameric stability and TTR/Aβ interaction. In this work, we evaluated in vivo the effects of one of the TTR stabilizers identified as improving TTR/Aβ interaction, iododiflunisal (IDIF), in Aβ deposition and other AD features, using AβPPswe/PS1A246E transgenic mice, either carrying two or just one copy of the TTR gene (AD/TTR+/+ or AD/TTR+/-, respectively), available and characterized in our laboratory. The results showed that IDIF administered orally bound TTR in plasma and stabilized the protein, as assessed by T4 displacement assays, and was able to enter the brain as revealed by mass spectrometry analysis of cerebrospinal fluid. TTR levels, both in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, were not altered. In AD/TTR+/- mice, IDIF administration resulted not only in decreased brain Aβ levels and deposition but also in improved cognitive function associated with the AD-like neuropathology in this mouse model, although no improvements were detectable in the AD/TTR+/+ animals. Further, in AD/TTR+/- mice, Aβ levels were reduced in plasma suggesting TTR promoted Aβ clearance from the brain and from the periphery. Taken together, these results strengthen the importance of TTR stability in the design of therapeutic drugs, highlighting the capacity of IDIF to be used in AD treatment to prevent and to slow the progression of the disease.