Title
Effect of Phosphatidylserine and Cholesterol on Membrane-mediated Fibril Formation by the N-terminal Amyloidogenic Fragment of Apolipoprotein A-I
Author
Chiharu Mizuguchi, Mitsuki Nakamura, Naoko Kurimitsu, Takashi Ohgita, Kazuchika Nishitsuji, Teruhiko Baba, Akira Shigenaga, Toshinori Shimanouchi, Keiichiro Okuhira, Akira Otaka, Hiroyuki Saito
Year
2018
Journal
Scientific Reports
Abstract
Here, we examined the effects of phosphatidylserine (PS) and cholesterol on the fibril-forming properties of the N-terminal 1‒83 fragment of an amyloidogenic G26R variant of apoA-I bound to small unilamellar vesicles. A thioflavin T fluorescence assay together with microscopic observations showed that PS significantly retards the nucleation step in fibril formation by apoA-I 1‒83/G26R, whereas cholesterol slightly enhances fibril formation. Circular dichroism analyses demonstrated that PS facilitates a structural transition from random coil to α-helix in apoA-I 1‒83/G26R with great stabilization of the α-helical structure upon lipid binding. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements revealed that PS induces a marked increase in capacity for binding of apoA-I 1‒83/G26R to the membrane surface, perhaps due to electrostatic interactions of positively charged amino acids in apoA-I with PS. Such effects of PS to enhance lipid interactions and inhibit fibril formation of apoA-I were also observed for the amyloidogenic region-containing apoA-I 8‒33/G26R peptide. Fluorescence measurements using environment-sensitive probes indicated that PS induces a more solvent-exposed, membrane-bound conformation in the amyloidogenic region of apoA-I without affecting membrane fluidity. Since cell membranes have highly heterogeneous lipid compositions, our findings may provide a molecular basis for the preferential deposition of apoA-I amyloid fibrils in tissues and organs.
Full Article
Instrument
J-1500
Keywords
Circular dichroism, Secondary structure, Protein denaturation, Membrane interactions, Thermodynamics, Biochemistry