Jonathan P. Lee

Point Substitution in the Central Hydrophobic Cluster of a Human β-Amyloid Congener Disrupts Peptide Folding and Abolishes Plaque Competence†

Alzheimers disease (AD) is pathologically characterized by the presence of numerous insoluble amyloid plaques in the brain composed primarily of a 40-43 amino acid peptide, the human beta-amyloid peptide (A beta). The process of A beta deposition can be modeled in vitro by deposition of physiological concentrations of radiolabeled A beta onto preexisting amyloid in preparations of unfixed AD cerebral cortex. Using this model system, it has been shown that A beta deposition is biochemically distinct from A beta aggregation and occurs readily at physiological A beta concentrations, but which regions and conformations of A beta are essential to A beta deposition is poorly understood. We report here that an active congener, A beta (10-35)-NH2, displays time dependence, pH-activity profile, and kinetic order of deposition similar to A beta (1-40), and is sufficiently soluble for NMR spectroscopy in water under conditions where it actively deposits. To examine the importance of the central hydrophobic cluster of A beta (LVFFA, residues 17-21) for in vitro A beta deposition, an A beta (10-35)-NH2 analog with a single point substitution (F19T) in this region was synthesized and examined. Unlike A beta (10-35)-NH2, the F19T analog was plaque growth incompetent, and NMR analysis indicated that the mutant peptide was significantly less folded than wild-type A beta. These results support previous studies suggesting that the plaque competence of A beta correlates with peptide folding. Since compounds that alter A beta folding may reduce amyloid deposition, the central hydrophobic cluster of A beta will be a tempting target for structure-based drug design when high-resolution structural information becomes available.

Simulation Study of the Structure and Dynamics of the Alzheimer’s Amyloid Peptide Congener in Solution

The amyloid Abeta(10-35)-NH2 peptide is simulated in an aqueous environment on the nanosecond time scale. One focus of the study is on the validation of the computational model through a direct comparison of simulated statistical averages with experimental observations of the peptides structure and dynamics. These measures include (1) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy-derived amide bond order parameters and temperature-dependent H(alpha) proton chemical shifts, (2) the peptides radius of gyration and end-to-end distance, (3) the rates of peptide self-diffusion in water, and (4) the peptides hydrodynamic radius as measured by quasielastic light scattering experiments. A second focus of the study is the identification of key intrapeptide interactions that stabilize the central structural motif of the peptide. Particular attention is paid to the structure and fluctuation of the central LVFFA hydrophobic cluster (17-21) region and the VGSN turn (24-27) region. There is a strong correlation between preservation of the structure of these elements and interactions between the cluster and turn regions in imposing structure on the peptide monomer. The specific role of these interactions in relation to proposed mechanisms of amyloidosis is discussed.

Residual structure in the Alzheimer's disease peptide: probing the origin of a central hydrophobic cluster.

BACKGROUND . Structure-function studies on the Alzheimers disease peptide sh w that a central hydrophobic cluster - Abeta(17-21), LVFFA - is a prominent structural feature linked to plaque competence. The origin and stability of this cluster was probed in a 17-residue fragment which includes flanking residues that potentially help stabilize the cluster. RESULTS After residue substitution, the measurement of pKas, amide exchange rates and other NMR data show that any coulombic interactions between His14 and Glu22 are not required for the stability of the central hydrophobic cluster. In contrast, a single substitution within the cluster disrupts its integrity and causes the largest pKa shift for flanking residues, while increasing the solvent accessibility of the backbone. CONCLUSIONS The integrity of the structurally dominant cluster relies primarily upon local hydrophobic interactions, rather than on interactions between the sidechains of charged flanking residues. Moreover, the conformational disposition of the cluster affects the pKas of flanking residues, underscoring its structural dominance.