Identification of peptides interfering with the LRRK2/PP1 interaction

PLoS One. 2020 Aug 13;15(8):e0237110. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237110. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Serine/threonine phosphatases are responsible for modulating the activities of the protein kinases implicated in the development of several pathologies. Here we identified by a PEP-scan approach a peptide of LRRK2, a Parkinson's disease associated protein, interacting with the phosphatase PP1. In order to study its biological activity, the peptide was fused via its N-terminal to an optimized cell penetrating peptide. We synthesized from the original peptide five interfering peptides and identified two (Mut3DPT-LRRK2-Short and Mut3DPT-LRRK2-Long) able to disrupt the LRRK2/PP1 interaction by competition in anti-LRRK2 immunoprecipitates. Using FITC-labelled peptides, we confirmed their internalization into cell lines as well as into primary cells obtained from healthy or ill human donors. We confirmed by ELISA test the association of Mut3DPT-LRRK2-Long peptide to purified PP1 protein. The peptides Mut3DPT-LRRK2-5 to 8 with either N or C-terminal deletions were not able to disrupt the association LRRK2/PP1 nor to associate with purified PP1 protein. The interfering sequences blocking the PP1/LRRK2 interaction were also fused to a shuttle peptide able to cross the blood brain barrier and showed that the newly generated peptides BBB-LRRK2-Short and BBB-LRRK2-Long were highly resistant to protease degradation. Furthermore, they blocked PP1/LRRK2 interaction and they penetrated into cells. Hence, these newly generated peptides can be employed as new tools in the investigation of the role of the LRRK2/PP1 interaction in normal and pathological conditions.

MeSH terms

  • Binding Sites
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Humans
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2 / chemistry
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2 / metabolism*
  • Oligopeptides / chemical synthesis
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry*
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Protein Phosphatase 1 / metabolism*
  • Proteolysis

Substances

  • Oligopeptides
  • LRRK2 protein, human
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2
  • Protein Phosphatase 1

Grants and funding

PT, AR and KD are employed by the public national organism of research Inserm. CZD is employed by the public University (Universite de Paris). The rest of authors are employed by public French hospitals (Hopital Saint Louis and Pitie Salpetriere).