Donatella Bulone

Protofibril Formation of Amyloid β-Protein at Low pH via a Non-cooperative Elongation Mechanism

Deposition of the amyloid β-protein (Aβ) in senile or diffuse plaques is a distinctive feature of Alzheimers disease. The role of Aβ aggregates in the etiology of the disease is still controversial. The formation of linear aggregates, known as amyloid fibrils, has been proposed as the onset and the cause of pathological deposition. Yet, recent findings suggest that a more crucial role is played by prefibrillar oligomeric assemblies of Aβ that are highly toxic in the extracellular environment. In the present work, the mechanism of protofibril formation is studied at pH 3.1, starting from a solution of oligomeric precursors. By combining static light scattering and photon correlation spectroscopy, the growth of the mass and the size of aggregates are determined at different temperatures. Analysis and scaling of kinetic data reveal that under the studied conditions protofibrils are formed via a single non-cooperative elongation mechanism, not prompted by nucleation. This process is well described as a linear colloidal aggregation due to diffusion and coalescence of growing aggregates. The rate of elongation follows an Arrhenius law with an activation enthalpy of 15 kcal mol–1. Such a value points to a conformational change of peptides or oligomers being involved in binding to protofibrils or in general to a local reorganization of each aggregate. These results contribute to establishing a clearer relation at the molecular level between the fibrillation mechanism and fibrillar precursors. The observation of a non-cooperative aggregation pathway supports the hypothesis that amyloid formation may represent an escape route from a dangerous condition, induced by the presence of toxic oligomeric species.

The interplay between PolyQ and protein context delays aggregation by forming a reservoir of protofibrils.

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by the expansion of CAG codon repeats, which code for polyQ in the corresponding gene products. These diseases are associated with the presence of amyloid-like protein aggregates, induced by polyQ expansion. It has been suggested that the soluble aggregates rather than the mature fibrillar aggregates are the toxic species, and that the aggregation properties of polyQ can be strongly modulated by the surrounding protein context. To assess the importance of the protein carrier in polyQ aggregation, we have studied the misfolding pathway and the kinetics of aggregation of polyQ of lengths above (Q41) and below (Q22) the pathological threshold fused to the well-characterized protein carrier glutathione S-transferase (GST). This protein, chosen as a model system, is per se able to misfold and aggregate irreversibly, thus mimicking the behaviour of domains of naturally occurring polyQ proteins. We prove that, while it is generally accepted that the aggregation kinetics of polyQ depend on its length and are faster for longer polyQ tracts, the presence of GST alters the polyQ aggregation pathway and reverses this trend. Aggregation occurs through formation of a reservoir of soluble intermediates whose populations and kinetic stabilities increase with polyQ length. Our results provide a new model that explains the toxicity of expanded polyQ proteins, in which the interplay between polyQ regions and other aggregation-prone domains plays a key role in determining the aggregation pathway.

Microgel regions in dilute agarose solutions: the notion of non-gelling concentration, and the role of spinodal demixing

Abstract Freely drifting microgel regions are found in aqueous solutions of agarose, a representative biostructural polysaccharide, at concentrations between 0.01% and 0.05% w/v when quenched from 100°C to lower temperature. The size of these domains depends on the quench temperature and agarose concentration. The results agree with recent findings on the role that fluctuations within or close to the instability region of solution have as the initial step towards the self-assembly of supramolecular structures, and throw a new light on the notion of the lowest solute concentration needed for gelation.

Inhibiting effect of αs1-casein on Aβ1–40 fibrillogenesis

BACKGROUND α(s1)-Casein is one of the four types of caseins, the largest protein component of bovine milk. The lack of a compact folded conformation and the capability to form micelles suggest a relationship of α(s1)-casein with the class of the intrinsically disordered (or natively unfolded) proteins. These proteins are known to exert a stabilizing activity on biomolecules through specific interaction with hydrophobic surfaces. In the present work we focused on the effect of α(s1)-casein on the fibrillogenesis of 1-40 β-amyloid peptide, involved in Alzheimers disease. METHODS The aggregation kinetics of β-peptide in presence and absence of α(s1)-casein was followed under shear at 37°C by recording the Thioflavine fluorescence, usually taken as an indicator of fibers formation. Measurements of Static and Dynamic Light Scattering, Circular Dichroism, and AFM imaging were done to reveal the details of α(s1)-casein-Aβ(1-40) interaction. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS α(s1)-Casein addition sizably increases the lag-time of the nucleation phase and slows down the entire fibrillization process. α(s1)-Casein sequesters the amyloid peptide on its surface thus exerting a chaperone-like activity by means a colloidal inhibition mechanism. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Insights on the working mechanism of natural chaperones in preventing or controlling the amyloid aggregation.

Minimalism in Radiation Synthesis of Biomedical Functional Nanogels

A scalable, single-step, synthetic approach for the manufacture of biocompatible, functionalized micro- and nanogels is presented. In particular, poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone)-grafted-(aminopropyl)methacrylamide microgels and nanogels were generated through e-beam irradiation of PVP aqueous solutions in the presence of a primary amino-group-carrying monomer. Particles with different hydrodynamic diameters and surface charge densities were obtained at the variance of the irradiation conditions. Chemical structure was investigated by different spectroscopic techniques. Fluorescent variants were generated through fluorescein isothiocyanate attachment to the primary amino groups grafted to PVP, to both quantify the available functional groups for bioconjugation and follow nanogels localization in cell cultures. Finally, a model protein, bovine serum albumin, was conjugated to the nanogels to demonstrate the attachment of biologically relevant molecules for targeting purposes in drug delivery. The described approach provides a novel strategy to fabricate biohybrid nanogels with a very promising potential in nanomedicine.

Different effects of Alzheimer's peptide Aβ(1–40) oligomers and fibrils on supported lipid membranes

Beta-amyloid (1-40) is one of the two most abundant species of amyloid-beta peptides present as fibrils in the extracellular senile plaques in the brain of Alzheimers patients. Recently, the molecular aggregates constituting the early stage of fibril formation, i.e., oligomers and protofibrils, have been investigated as the main responsible for amyloid-beta cytotoxic effect. The molecular mechanism leading to neurodegeneration is still under debate, and it is common opinion that it may reside in the interaction between amyloid species and the neural membrane. In this investigation Atomic Force Microscopy and spectroscopy have been used to understand how structural (and mechanical) properties of POPC/POPS lipid bilayers, simulating the phospholipid composition and negative net charge of neuritic cell membranes, are influenced by the interaction with Aβ(1-40), in different stages of the peptide aggregation. Substantial differences in the damage caused to the lipid bilayers have been observed, confirming the toxic effect exerted especially by Aβ(1-40) prefibrillar oligomers.

Interaction between external medium and haem pocket in myoglobin probed by low-temperature optical spectroscopy☆

The visible absorption spectra of carbonmonoxymyoglobin in the temperature range 300 to 20 K are reported and compared with the analogous spectra of carbonomonoxyhaemoglobin. The temperature dependence of the zeroth, first and second moment of the observed bands is analysed to obtain information on the local dynamics in the proximity of the haem. Contrary to haemoglobin, the first moment of the observed bands in myoglobin is markedly affected by the solvent composition and its value saturates at temperatures at which the solvent undergoes the glass transition. These data indicate that solvent properties influence the haem pocket stereodynamics in myoglobin; moreover, the different behaviour between myoglobin and haemoglobin suggests that the process should involve the surfaces that are buried in the haemoglobin tetramer and exposed to the solvent in myoglobin, and/or the different protein compressibility.

Human Hsp60 with Its Mitochondrial Import Signal Occurs in Solution as Heptamers and Tetradecamers Remarkably Stable over a Wide Range of Concentrations

It has been established that Hsp60 can accumulate in the cytosol in various pathological conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Part or all of the cytosolic Hsp60 could be naïve, namely, bear the mitochondrial import signal (MIS), but neither the structure nor the in solution oligomeric organization of this cytosolic molecule has still been elucidated. Here we present a detailed study of the structure and self-organization of naïve cytosolic Hsp60 in solution. Results were obtained by different biophysical methods (light and X ray scattering, single molecule spectroscopy and hydrodynamics) that all together allowed us to assay a wide range of concentrations of Hsp60. We found that Naïve Hsp60 in aqueous solution is assembled in very stable heptamers and tetradecamers at all concentrations assayed, without any trace of monomer presence.

Amyloid β-peptide insertion in liposomes containing GM1-cholesterol domains

Neuronal membrane damage is related to the early impairments appearing in Alzheimers disease due to the interaction of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) with the phospholipid bilayer. In particular, the ganglioside GM1, present with cholesterol in lipid rafts, seems to be able to initiate Aβ aggregation on membrane. We studied the thermodynamic and structural effects of the presence of GM1 on the interaction between Aβ and liposomes, a good membrane model system. Isothermal Titration Calorimetry highlighted the importance of the presence of GM1 in recruiting monomeric Aβ toward the lipid bilayer. Light and Small Angle X-ray Scattering revealed a different pattern for GM1 containing liposomes, both before and after interaction with Aβ. The results suggest that the interaction with GM1 brings to insertion of Aβ in the bilayer, producing a structural perturbation down to the internal layers of the liposome, as demonstrated by the obtained electron density profiles.

Pectin from Opuntia ficus indica: Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction and preliminary characterization

Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of water-soluble pectin (WSP) from Opuntia ficus indica cladodes was performed using Response Surface Methodology. The effect of extraction time (X1), microwave power (X2), pH (X3) and solid-to-liquid ratio (X4) on the extraction yield was examined. The optimum conditions of MAE were as follows: X1=2.15min; X2=517W; X3=2.26 and X4=2g/30.6mL. The maximum obtained yield of pectin extraction was 12.57%. Total carbohydrate content of WSP is about 95.5% including 34.4% of Galacturonic acid. Pectin-related proteins represent only the 0.66% of WSP mass. HPSEC and light scattering analyses reveal that WSP is mostly constituted of high molecular pectin and FTIR measurements show that the microwave treatment does not alter the chemical structure of WSP, in which Galacturonic acid content and yield are 34.4% and 4.33%, respectively. Overall, application of MAE can give rise to high quality pectin.