Lucie Khemtémourian

Membrane damage by human islet amyloid polypeptide through fibril growth at the membrane

Fibrillar protein deposits (amyloid) in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans are thought to be involved in death of the insulin-producing islet β cells in type 2 diabetes mellitus. It has been suggested that the mechanism of this β cell death involves membrane disruption by human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), the major constituent of islet amyloid. However, the molecular mechanism of hIAPP-induced membrane disruption is not known. Here, we propose a hypothesis that growth of hIAPP fibrils at the membrane causes membrane damage. We studied the kinetics of hIAPP-induced membrane damage in relation to hIAPP fibril growth and found that the kinetic profile of hIAPP-induced membrane damage is characterized by a lag phase and a sigmoidal transition, which matches the kinetic profile of hIAPP fibril growth. The observation that seeding accelerates membrane damage supports the hypothesis. In addition, variables that are well known to affect hIAPP fibril formation, i.e., the presence of a fibril formation inhibitor, hIAPP concentration, and lipid composition, were found to have the same effect on hIAPP-induced membrane damage. Furthermore, electron microscopy analysis showed that hIAPP fibrils line the surface of distorted phospholipid vesicles, in agreement with the notion that hIAPP fibril growth at the membrane and membrane damage are physically connected. Together, these observations point toward a mechanism in which growth of hIAPP fibrils, rather than a particular hIAPP species, is responsible for the observed membrane damage. This hypothesis provides an additional mechanism next to the previously proposed role of oligomers as the main cytotoxic species of amyloidogenic proteins.

Low pH acts as inhibitor of membrane damage induced by human islet amyloid polypeptide.

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is the major component of the amyloid deposits found in the pancreatic islets of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. After synthesis, IAPP is stored in the β-cell granules of the pancreas at a pH of approximately 5.5 and released into the extracellular compartment at a pH of 7.4. To gain insight into the possible consequences of pH differences for properties and membrane interaction of IAPP, we here compared the aggregational and conformational behavior of IAPP as well as IAPP-membrane interactions at pH 5.5 and pH 7.4. Our data reveal that a low pH decreases the rate of fibril formation both in solution and in the presence of membranes. We observed by CD spectroscopy that these differences in kinetics are directly linked to changes in the conformational behavior of the peptide. Mechanistically, the processes that occur at pH 5.5 and pH 7.4 appear to be similar. At both pH values, we found that the kinetic profile of IAPP fibril growth matches the kinetic profile of IAPP-induced membrane damage, and that both are characterized by a lag phase and a sigmoidal transition. Furthermore, monolayer studies as well as solid-state NMR experiments indicate that the differences in kinetics and conformational behavior as function of pH are not due to a different mode of membrane insertion. Our study suggests that a low pH prevents aggregation and membrane damage of IAPP in the secretory granules, most likely by affecting the ionization properties of the peptide.

Evaluation of membrane models and their composition for islet amyloid polypeptide-membrane aggregation

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) forms amyloid fibrils in the pancreatic islets of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The formation of IAPP fibrils has been shown to cause membrane damage which most likely is responsible for the death of pancreatic islet β-cells during the pathogenesis of T2DM. Several studies have demonstrated a clear interaction between IAPP and lipid membranes. However the effect of different lipid compositions and of various membrane mimetics (including micelles, bicelles, SUV and LUV) on fibril formation kinetics and fibril morphology has not yet systematically been analysed. Here we report that the interaction of IAPP with various membrane models promoted different processes of fibril formation. Our data reveal that in SDS and DPC micelles, IAPP adopts a stable α-helical structure for several days, suggesting that the micelle models may stabilize monomeric or small oligomeric species of IAPP. In contrast, zwitterionic DMPC/DHPC bicelles and DOPC SUV accelerate the fibril formation compared to zwitterionic DOPC LUV, indicating that the size of the membrane model and its curvature influence the fibrillation process. Negatively charged membranes decrease the lag-time of the fibril formation kinetics while phosphatidylethanolamine and cholesterol have an opposite effect, probably due to the modulation of the physical properties of the membrane and/or due to direct interactions with IAPP within the membrane core. Finally, our results show that the modulation of lipid composition influences not only the growth of fibrils at the membrane surface but also the interactions of β-sheet oligomers with membranes.

Sugar-based peptidomimetics inhibit amyloid β-peptide aggregation

Alzheimers disease is characterized by the oligomerization and amyloid fibril formation of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ). We describe a novel class of small water-soluble Aβ binding peptidomimetics based on two hydrophobic Ala-Val and Val-Leu dipeptides linked to a D-glucopyranosyl scaffold through aminoalkyl and carboxyethyl links in C1 and C6 positions. These compounds combine the targeting of hydrophobic recognition interfaces with an original hydrophilic sugar β-breakage strategy. These molecules were shown, by fluorescence thioflavin-T assays, to dramatically slow down the kinetics of amyloid fibril formation even at a low peptidomimetics to Aβ ratio of 0.1:1. Electron microscopy images revealed that the peptidomimetics efficiently reduced the amount of typical amyloid fibrils. NMR saturation transfer difference experiments indicated that these molecules interact with Aβ aggregated species through their hydrophobic amino acid residues. This inhibition effect was found to be sequence-specific since these molecules did not alter the kinetics of aggregation of another amyloid peptide, IAPP, involved in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Impaired Processing of Human Pro-Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Is Not a Causative Factor for Fibril Formation or Membrane Damage in Vitro

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) forms amyloid fibrils in pancreatic islets of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). hIAPP is synthesized by islet beta-cells initially as a preprohormone, processing of which occurs in several steps. It has been suggested that in DM2 this processing is defective and that aggregation of the processing intermediates prohIAPP and prohIAPP(1-48) may represent the initial step in formation of islet amyloid. Here we investigate this possibility by analyzing the aggregation, the structure, and the membrane interaction of mature hIAPP and its precursors, prohIAPP and prohIAPP(1-48), in vitro. Our data reveal that both precursors form amyloid fibrils in solution but not in the presence of membranes. This inhibition is in contrast to the catalyzing effect of membranes on fibril formation of mature hIAPP. Importantly, in the presence of membranes, both precursors are able to inhibit fibrillogenesis of mature hIAPP. These differences in behavior between mature hIAPP and its precursors are most likely related to differences in their mode of membrane insertion. Both precursors insert efficiently and adopt an alpha-helical structure even with a high lipid/peptide ratio, while mature hIAPP rapidly adopts a beta-sheet conformation. Furthermore, while mature hIAPP affects the barrier properties of lipid vesicles, neither of the precursors is able to induce membrane leakage. Our study suggests that the hIAPP precursors prohIAPP and prohIAPP(1-48) do not serve as amyloid initiators but rather prevent aggregation and membrane damage of mature hIAPP in early stages of its biosynthesis and intracellular transport.

Biophysical investigation of the membrane-disrupting mechanism of the antimicrobial and amyloid-like peptide dermaseptin S9.

Dermaseptin S9 (Drs S9) is an atypical cationic antimicrobial peptide with a long hydrophobic core and with a propensity to form amyloid-like fibrils. Here we investigated its membrane interaction using a variety of biophysical techniques. Rather surprisingly, we found that Drs S9 induces efficient permeabilisation in zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles, but not in anionic phosphatidylglycerol (PG) vesicles. We also found that the peptide inserts more efficiently in PC than in PG monolayers. Therefore, electrostatic interactions between the cationic Drs S9 and anionic membranes cannot explain the selectivity of the peptide towards bacterial membranes. CD spectroscopy, electron microscopy and ThT fluorescence experiments showed that the peptide adopts slightly more β-sheet and has a higher tendency to form amyloid-like fibrils in the presence of PC membranes as compared to PG membranes. Thus, induction of leakage may be related to peptide aggregation. The use of a pre-incorporation protocol to reduce peptide/peptide interactions characteristic of aggregates in solution resulted in more α-helix formation and a more pronounced effect on the cooperativity of the gel-fluid lipid phase transition in all lipid systems tested. Calorimetric data together with 2H- and 31P-NMR experiments indicated that the peptide has a significant impact on the dynamic organization of lipid bilayers, albeit slightly less for zwitterionic than for anionic membranes. Taken together, our data suggest that in particular in membranes of zwitterionic lipids the peptide binds in an aggregated state resulting in membrane leakage. We propose that also the antimicrobial activity of Drs S9 may be a result of binding of the peptide in an aggregated state, but that specific binding and aggregation to bacterial membranes is regulated not by anionic lipids but by as yet unknown factors.

Molecular Structure, Membrane Interactions, and Toxicity of the Islet Amyloid Polypeptide in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) is the major component of the amyloid deposits found in the pancreatic islets of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Mature hIAPP, a 37-aa peptide, is natively unfolded in its monomeric state but forms islet amyloid in T2DM. In common with other misfolded and aggregated proteins, amyloid formation involves aggregation of monomers of hIAPP into oligomers, fibrils, and ultimately mature amyloid deposits. hIAPP is coproduced and stored with insulin by the pancreatic islet β-cells and is released in response to the stimuli that lead to insulin secretion. Accumulating evidence suggests that hIAPP amyloid deposits that accompany T2DM are not just an insignificant phenomenon derived from the disease progression but that hIAPP aggregation induces processes that impair the functionality and the viability of β-cells. In this review, we particularly focus on hIAPP structure, hIAPP aggregation, and hIAPP-membrane interactions. We will also discuss recent findings on the mechanism of hIAPP-membrane damage and on hIAPP-induced cell death. Finally, the development of successful antiamyloidogenic agents that prevent hIAPP fibril formation will be examined.

The role of the disulfide bond in the interaction of islet amyloid polypeptide with membranes

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) forms amyloid fibrils in pancreatic islets of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It has been suggested that the N-terminal part, which contains a conserved intramolecular disulfide bond between residues 2 and 7, interacts with membranes, ultimately leading to membrane damage and β-cell death. Here, we used variants of the hIAPP1–19 fragment and model membranes of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine (7:3, molar ratio) to examine the role of this disulfide in membrane interactions. We found that the disulfide bond has a minor effect on membrane insertion properties and peptide conformational behavior, as studied by monolayer techniques, 2H NMR, ThT-fluorescence, membrane leakage, and CD spectroscopy. The results suggest that the disulfide bond does not play a significant role in hIAPP–membrane interactions. Hence, the fact that this bond is conserved is most likely related exclusively to the biological activity of IAPP as a hormone.

ERα17p, a peptide reproducing the hinge region of the estrogen receptor α associates to biological membranes: A biophysical approach

Recently, we identified a peptide (ERα17p, P(295)LMIKRSKKNSLALSLT(311)) that corresponds to the 295-311 sequence of the estrogen receptor α (ERα, hinge region) and which exerts a panel of pharmacological effects in breast cancer cells. Remarkably, these effects can result from the interaction of ERα17p with the plasma membrane. Herein, we show that ERα17p adopts a β-sheet secondary structure when in contact with anionic phospholipids and that it is engulfed within the lipid bilayer. While ERα17p increases the fluidity of membrane mimics, it weakly internalizes in living cells. In light of the above, one may evoke one important role of the 295-311 region of the ERα: the corresponding peptide could be secreted/delivered to the extracellular medium to interact with neighboring cells, both intracellularly and at the membrane level. Finally, the 295-311 region of ERα being in proximity to the cystein-447, the palmitoylation site of the ERα raises the question of its involvement in the interaction/stabilization of the protein with the membrane.

Investigating the role of GXXXG motifs in helical folding and self-association of plasticins, Gly/Leu-rich antimicrobial peptides☆

Plasticins (PTC) are dermaseptin-related antimicrobial peptides characterized by a large number of leucine and glycine residues arranged in GXXXG motifs that are often described to promote helix association within biological membranes. We report the structure and interaction properties of two plasticins, PTC-B1 from Phyllomedusa bicolor and a cationic analog of PTC-DA1 from Pachymedusa dacnicolor, which exhibit membrane-lytic activities on a broad range of microorganisms. Despite a high number of glycine, CD and NMR spectroscopy show that the two plasticins adopt mainly alpha-helical conformations in a wide variety of environments such as trifluoroethanol, detergent micelles and lipid vesicles. In DPC and SDS, plasticins adopt well-defined helices that lie parallel to the micelle surface, all glycine residues being located on the solvent-exposed face. Spectroscopic data and cross-linking experiments indicate that the GXXXG repeats in these amphipathic helices do not provide a strong oligomerization interface, suggesting a different role from GXXXG motifs found in transmembrane helices.