The expanding scope of amyloid signalling

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Supramolecular complex formation is key in immune and cell-death signaling pathways.
• Functional amyloid motifs are involved in the assembly of some signalosomes.
• Fungal prions like [Het-s] provide early insights into these systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an integrated view of amyloid signaling in microbes, drawing parallels with animal systems.
• To analyze recent studies on functional amyloids in microbial signaling.
• To explore conserved folds, seeding mechanisms, and evolutionary links in amyloid-based signaling.

Main Methods:

• Review and commentary on three recent studies concerning amyloid signaling in microbes.
• Comparative analysis of fungal amyloid motifs and mammalian RHIM domains.
• Exploration of Nod-like receptor-based amyloid signalosomes in prokaryotes.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated conserved folds in functional amyloids and elucidated the structural basis of seeding.
• Established a relationship between fungal amyloid motifs and mammalian RIP homotypic interaction motifs (RHIM).
• Expanded the understanding of amyloid signalosomes to include prokaryotic systems.

Conclusions:

• Functional amyloids play a conserved role in diverse signaling pathways from fungi to mammals.
• The structural and mechanistic insights into amyloid formation are crucial for understanding cell death and immunity.
• Amyloid-based signaling represents an ancient mechanism with broad implications across prokaryotes and eukaryotes.