Janine Seeliger

Macromolecular crowding as a suppressor of human IAPP fibril formation and cytotoxicity.

The biological cell is known to exhibit a highly crowded milieu, which significantly influences protein aggregation and association processes. As several cell degenerative diseases are related to the self-association and fibrillation of amyloidogenic peptides, understanding of the impact of macromolecular crowding on these processes is of high biomedical importance. It is further of particular relevance as most in vitro studies on amyloid aggregation have been performed in diluted solution which does not reflect the complexity of their cellular surrounding. The study presented here focuses on the self-association of the type-2 diabetes mellitus related human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) in various crowded environments including network-forming macromolecular crowding reagents and protein crowders. It was possible to identify two competing processes: a crowder concentration and type dependent stabilization of globular off-pathway species and a – consequently - retarded or even inhibited hIAPP fibrillation reaction. The cause of these crowding effects was revealed to be mainly excluded volume in the polymeric crowders, whereas non-specific interactions seem to be most dominant in protein crowded environments. Specific hIAPP cytotoxicity assays on pancreatic β-cells reveal non-toxicity for the stabilized globular species, in contrast to the high cytotoxicity imposed by the normal fibrillation pathway. From these findings it can be concluded that cellular crowding is able to effectively stabilize the monomeric conformation of hIAPP, hence enabling the conduction of its normal physiological function and prevent this highly amyloidogenic peptide from cytotoxic aggregation and fibrillation.

A molecular tweezer antagonizes seminal amyloids and HIV infection

Semen is the main vector for HIV transmission and contains amyloid fibrils that enhance viral infection. Available microbicides that target viral components have proven largely ineffective in preventing sexual virus transmission. In this study, we establish that CLR01, a ‘molecular tweezer’ specific for lysine and arginine residues, inhibits the formation of infectivity-enhancing seminal amyloids and remodels preformed fibrils. Moreover, CLR01 abrogates semen-mediated enhancement of viral infection by preventing the formation of virion–amyloid complexes and by directly disrupting the membrane integrity of HIV and other enveloped viruses. We establish that CLR01 acts by binding to the target lysine and arginine residues rather than by a non-specific, colloidal mechanism. CLR01 counteracts both host factors that may be important for HIV transmission and the pathogen itself. These combined anti-amyloid and antiviral activities make CLR01 a promising topical microbicide for blocking infection by HIV and other sexually transmitted viruses. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05397.001

Choline-releasing glycerophosphodiesterase EDI3 links the tumor metabolome to signaling network activities.

Recently, EDI3 was identified as a key factor for choline metabolism that controls tumor cell migration and is associated with metastasis in endometrial carcinomas. EDI3 cleaves glycerophosphocholine (GPC) to form choline and glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P). Choline is then further metabolized to phosphatidylcholine (PtdC), the major lipid in membranes and a key player in membrane-mediated cell signaling. The second product, G3P, is a precursor molecule for several lipids with central roles in signaling, for example lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), phosphatidic acid (PA) and diacylglycerol (DAG). LPA activates intracellular signaling pathways by binding to specific LPA receptors, including membrane-bound G protein-coupled receptors and the intracellular nuclear receptor, PPARγ. Conversely, PA and DAG mediate signaling by acting as lipid anchors that bind and activate several signaling proteins. For example, binding of GTPases and PKC to PA and DAG, respectively, increases the activation of signaling networks, mediating processes such as migration, adhesion, proliferation or anti-apoptosis—all relevant for tumor development. We present a concept by which EDI3 either directly generates signaling molecules or provides “membrane anchors” for downstream signaling factors. As a result, EDI3 links choline metabolism to signaling activities resulting in a more malignant phenotype.

Islet amyloid polypeptide: aggregation and fibrillogenesis in vitro and its inhibition.

The development of type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with the dysfunction of b-cells which is correlated to the formation of deposits consisting of the islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). The process of human IAPP (hIAPP) self-association, the intermediate structures formed as well as the interaction of hIAPP with membrane systems seem to be responsible for the cytotoxicity. For monomeric hIAPP, a natively random coil conformation with transient a-helical parts could be determined in bulk solution, which rapidly converts to an amyloid structure consisting of cross b-sheets. By comparing the amyloidogenic propensities of hIAPP in the bulk and in the presence of various neutral and charged lipid bilayer systems as well as biological membranes, an enhancing effect of anionic and heterogeneous membranes to hIAPP fibril formation has been found. We also discuss the cross-interaction of hIAPP with other amyloidogenic peptides (e.g., insulin and Ab) and present first small-molecule inhibitors of the fibrillation process of hIAPP.