Surface chemistry of Alzheimer's disease: a Langmuir monolayer approach

Comparative studies of nontoxic and toxic amyloids interacting with membrane models at the air-water interface

Many in vitro studies have pointed out the interaction between amyloids and membranes, and their potential involvement in amyloid toxicity. In a previous study, we generated a yeast toxic mutant (M8) of the harmless model amyloid protein HET-s((218-289)). In this study, we compared the self-assembling process of the nontoxic wild-type (WT) and toxic (M8) protein at the air-water interface and in interaction with various phospholipid monolayers (DOPE, DOPC, DOPI, DOPS and DOPG). We first demonstrate using ellipsometry measurements and polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PMIRRAS) that the air-water interface promotes and modifies the assembly of WT since an amyloid-like film was instantaneously formed at the interface with an antiparallel β-sheet structuration instead of the parallel β-sheet commonly observed for amyloid fibers generated in solution. The toxic mutant (M8) behaves in a similar manner at the air-water interface or in bulk, with a fast self-assembling and an antiparallel β-sheet organization. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images established the fibrillous morphology of the protein films formed at the air-water interface. Second, we demonstrate for the first time that the main driving force between this particular fungus amyloid and membrane interaction is based on electrostatic interactions with negatively charged phospholipids (DOPG, DOPI, DOPS). Interestingly, the toxic mutant (M8) clearly induces perturbations of the negatively charged phospholipid monolayers, leading to a massive surface aggregation, whereas the nontoxic (WT) exhibits a slight effect on the membrane models. This study allows concluding that the toxicity of the M8 mutant could be due to its high propensity to interact with membranes.

Drug resistance in breast cancer cells: biophysical characterization of and doxorubicin interactions with membrane lipids

Understanding the role of lipids in drug transport is critical in cancer chemotherapy to overcome drug resistance. In this study, we isolated lipids from doxorubicin-sensitive (MCF-7) and -resistant (MCF-7/ADR) breast cancer cells to characterize the biophysical properties of membrane lipids (particularly lipid packing and membrane fluidity) and to understand the role of the interaction of cell membrane lipids with drug/nanocarrier on drug uptake and efficacy. Resistant cell membrane lipids showed significantly different composition and formed more condensed, less fluid monolayers than did lipids from sensitive cells. Doxorubicin, used as a model anticancer agent, showed a strong hydrophobic interaction with resistant cell membrane lipids but significantly less interaction, as well as a different pattern of interaction (i.e., ionic), with sensitive ones. The threshold intracellular doxorubicin concentration required to produce an antiproliferative effect was similar for both sensitive and resistant cell lines, suggesting that drug transport is a major barrier in determining drug efficacy in resistant cells. In addition to the biophysical characteristics of resistant cell membrane lipids, lipid-doxorubicin interactions appear to decrease intracellular drug transport via diffusion as the drug is trapped in the lipid bilayer. The rigid nature of resistant cell membranes also seems to influence endosomal functions that inhibit drug uptake when a liposomal formulation of doxorubicin is used. In conclusion, biophysical properties of resistant cell membrane lipids significantly influence drug transport, and hence drug efficacy. A better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer drug resistance is vital to developing more effective therapeutic interventions. In this regard, biophysical interaction studies with cell membrane lipids might be helpful to improve drug transport and efficacy through drug discovery and/or drug delivery approaches by overcoming the lipid barrier in resistant cells.

Effect of trehalose on the interaction of Alzheimer's Aβ-peptide and anionic lipid monolayers

The interaction of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) with cell membranes is believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. In particular, recent experimental evidence indicates that bilayer and monolayer membranes accelerate the aggregation and amyloid fibril formation rate of Aβ. Understanding that interaction could help develop therapeutic strategies for treatment of the disease. Trehalose, a disaccharide of glucose, has been shown to be effective in preventing the aggregation of numerous proteins. It has also been shown to delay the onset of certain amyloid-related diseases in a mouse model. Using Langmuir monolayers and molecular simulations of the corresponding system, we study several thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the insertion of Aβ peptide into DPPG monolayers in water and trehalose subphases. In the water subphase, the insertion of the Aβ peptide into the monolayer exhibits a lag time which decreases with increasing temperature of the subphase. In the presence of trehalose, the lag time is completely eliminated and peptide insertion is completed within a shorter time period compared to that observed in pure water. Molecular simulations show that more peptide is inserted into the monolayer in the water subphase, and that such insertion is deeper. The peptide at the monolayer interface orients itself parallel to the monolayer, while it inserts with an angle of 50° in the trehalose subphase. Simulations also show that trehalose reduces the conformational change that the peptide undergoes when it inserts into the monolayer. This observation helps explain the experimentally observed elimination of the lag time by trehalose and the temperature dependence of the lag time in the water subphase.

Molecular insights into amyloid regulation by membrane cholesterol and sphingolipids: common mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases

Alzheimer, Parkinson and other neurodegenerative diseases involve a series of brain proteins, referred to as ‘amyloidogenic proteins’, with exceptional conformational plasticity and a high propensity for self-aggregation. Although the mechanisms by which amyloidogenic proteins kill neural cells are not fully understood, a common feature is the concentration of unstructured amyloidogenic monomers on bidimensional membrane lattices. Membrane-bound monomers undergo a series of lipid-dependent conformational changes, leading to the formation of oligomers of varying toxicity rich in β-sheet structures (annular pores, amyloid fibrils) or in α-helix structures (transmembrane channels). Condensed membrane nano- or microdomains formed by sphingolipids and cholesterol are privileged sites for the binding and oligomerisation of amyloidogenic proteins. By controlling the balance between unstructured monomers and α or β conformers (the chaperone effect), sphingolipids can either inhibit or stimulate the oligomerisation of amyloidogenic proteins. Cholesterol has a dual role: regulation of protein–sphingolipid interactions through a fine tuning of sphingolipid conformation (indirect effect), and facilitation of pore (or channel) formation through direct binding to amyloidogenic proteins. Deciphering this complex network of molecular interactions in the context of age- and disease-related evolution of brain lipid expression will help understanding of how amyloidogenic proteins induce neural toxicity and will stimulate the development of innovative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

Interactions of the natural antimicrobial mycosubtilin with phospholipid membrane models

Among the secondary metabolite lipopeptides produced by Bacillus subtilis, mycosubtilin is characterized by its strong antifungal activities. Even though its structure and its cellular target, the cytoplasmic membrane, have been determined, the molecular mechanisms of the biological activity of mycosubtilin have not been completely elucidated. In this work, the interactions between mycosubtilin and cytoplasmic membranes were modelled by using biomimetic systems such as Langmuir monolayers at the air-water interface and lipid multilamellar vesicles. The interactions of mycosubtilin with these biomimetic systems were examined, for the first time, by using specific techniques such as polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, Brewster angle microscopy and high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR. Our findings indicate that mycosubtilin alone, at the air-water interface, forms a monolayer film and keeps its turn conformation. In the presence of DMPC, mycosubtilin binds to phospholipid monolayers, in a surface pressure-dependent manner. This binding results in the appearance of condensed domains which can be due to the formation of mycosubtilin clusters and/or to the lipopeptide aggregation with some phospholipid molecules and/or the formation of liquid-condensed domains of DMPC. Furthermore, in multilamellar vesicles, the mycosubtilin-DMPC interactions take place at the level of the aliphatic chains of the phospholipid because the phase transition temperature of DMPC decreased in the presence of mycosubtilin.

How cholesterol constrains glycolipid conformation for optimal recognition of Alzheimer's beta amyloid peptide (Abeta1-40)

Membrane lipids play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, which is associated with conformational changes, oligomerization and/or aggregation of Alzheimer's beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides. Yet conflicting data have been reported on the respective effect of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids (GSLs) on the supramolecular assembly of Abeta peptides. The aim of the present study was to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which cholesterol modulates the interaction between Abeta(1-40) and chemically defined GSLs (GalCer, LacCer, GM1, GM3). Using the Langmuir monolayer technique, we show that Abeta(1-40) selectively binds to GSLs containing a 2-OH group in the acyl chain of the ceramide backbone (HFA-GSLs). In contrast, Abeta(1-40) did not interact with GSLs containing a nonhydroxylated fatty acid (NFA-GSLs). Cholesterol inhibited the interaction of Abeta(1-40) with HFA-GSLs, through dilution of the GSL in the monolayer, but rendered the initially inactive NFA-GSLs competent for Abeta(1-40) binding. Both crystallographic data and molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the active conformation of HFA-GSL involves a H-bond network that restricts the orientation of the sugar group of GSLs in a parallel orientation with respect to the membrane. This particular conformation is stabilized by the 2-OH group of the GSL. Correspondingly, the interaction of Abeta(1-40) with HFA-GSLs is strongly inhibited by NaF, an efficient competitor of H-bond formation. For NFA-GSLs, this is the OH group of cholesterol that constrains the glycolipid to adopt the active L-shape conformation compatible with sugar-aromatic CH-pi stacking interactions involving residue Y10 of Abeta(1-40). We conclude that cholesterol can either inhibit or facilitate membrane-Abeta interactions through fine tuning of glycosphingolipid conformation. These data shed some light on the complex molecular interplay between cell surface GSLs, cholesterol and Abeta peptides, and on the influence of this molecular ballet on Abeta-membrane interactions.

Altered ion channel formation by the Parkinson's-disease-linked E46K mutant of alpha-synuclein is corrected by GM3 but not by GM1 gangliosides

Alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) is an amyloidogenic protein that plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). The ability of alpha-syn oligomers to form ionic channels is postulated as a channelopathy mechanism in human brain. Here we identified a ganglioside-binding domain in alpha-syn (fragment 34-50), which includes the mutation site 46 linked to a familial form of PD (E46K). We show that this fragment is structurally related to the common glycosphingolipid-binding domain (GBD) shared by various microbial and amyloid proteins, including Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide. alpha-Syn GBD interacts with several glycosphingolipids but has a marked preference for GM3, a minor brain ganglioside whose expression increases with aging. The alpha-syn mutant E46K has a stronger affinity for GM3 than the wild-type protein, and the interaction is inhibited by 3'-sialyllactose (the glycone part of GM3). Alanine substitutions of Lys34 and Tyr39 in synthetic GBD peptides resulted in limited interaction with GM3, demonstrating the critical role of these residues in GM3 recognition. When incubated with reconstituted phosphatidylcholine bilayers, the E46K protein formed channels that are five times less conductive than those formed by wild-type alpha-syn, exhibit a higher selectivity for cations, and present an asymmetrical response to voltage and nonstop single-channel activity. This E46K-associated channelopathy was no longer observed when GM3 was present in phosphatidylcholine bilayers. This corrective effect was highly specific for GM3, since it was not obtained with the major brain ganglioside GM1 but was still detected in bilayer membranes containing both GM3 and GM1. Moreover, synthetic GBD peptides prevented the interaction of alpha-syn proteins with GM3, thus abolishing the regulatory effects of GM3 on alpha-syn-mediated channel formation. Overall, these data show that GM3 can specifically regulate alpha-syn-induced channel formation and raise the intriguing possibility that this minor brain ganglioside could play a key protective role in the pathogenesis of PD.

Critical role of interfaces and agitation on the nucleation of Abeta amyloid fibrils at low concentrations of Abeta monomers

Amyloid deposits are pathological hallmarks of various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), where amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) polymerizes into amyloid fibrils by a nucleation-dependent polymerization mechanism. The biological membranes or other interfaces as well as the convection of the extracellular fluids in the brain may influence Abeta amyloid fibril formation in vivo. Here, we examined the polymerization kinetics of 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 microM Abeta in the presence or absence of air-water interface (AWI) using fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy with the amyloid specific dye, thioflavin T. When the solutions were incubated with AWI and in quiescence, amyloid fibril formation was observed at all Abeta concentrations examined. In contrast, when incubated without AWI, amyloid fibril formation was observed only at higher Abeta concentrations (10 and 20 microM). Importantly, when the 5 microM Abeta solution was incubated with AWI, a ThT-reactive film was first observed at AWI without any other ThT-reactive aggregates in the bulk. When 5 microM Abeta solutions were voltexed or rotated with AWI, amyloid fibril formation was considerably accelerated, where a ThT-reactive film was first observed at AWI before ThT-reactive aggregates were observed throughout the mixture. When 5 microM Abeta solutions containing a polypropylene disc were rotated without AWI, amyloid fibril formation was also considerably accelerated, where fine ThT-reactive aggregates were first found attached at the edge of the disc. These results indicate the critical roles of interfaces and agitation for amyloid fibril formation. Furthermore, elimination of AWI may be essential for proper evaluation of the roles of various biological molecules in the amyloid formation studies in vitro.