Threshold effects on the lectin-mediated aggregation of synthetic glycolipid-containing liposomes

Identification of Transthyretin Tetramer Kinetic Stabilizers That Are Capable of Inhibiting the Retinol-Dependent Retinol Binding Protein 4-Transthyretin Interaction: Potential Novel Therapeutics for Macular Degeneration, Transthyretin Amyloidosis, and Their Common Age-Related Comorbidities

Dissociation of transthyretin (TTR) tetramers may lead to misfolding and aggregation of proamyloidogenic monomers, which underlies TTR amyloidosis (ATTR) pathophysiology. ATTR is a progressive disease resulting from the deposition of toxic fibrils in tissues that predominantly presents clinically as amyloid cardiomyopathy and peripheral polyneuropathy. Ligands that bind to and kinetically stabilize TTR tetramers prohibit their dissociation and may prevent ATTR onset. Drawing from clinically investigated AG10, we designed a constrained congener (14) that exhibits excellent TTR tetramer binding potency, prevents TTR aggregation in a gel-based assay, and possesses desirable pharmacokinetics in mice. Additionally, 14 significantly lowers murine serum retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels despite a lack of binding at that protein's all-trans-retinol site. We hypothesize that kinetic stabilization of TTR tetramers via 14 is allosterically hindering all-trans-retinol-dependent RBP4-TTR tertiary complex formation and that the compound could present ancillary therapeutic utility for indications treated with RBP4 antagonists, such as macular degeneration.

Influence of Spacer Length on the Agglutination of Glycolipid‐Incorporated Liposomes by ConA as Model Membrane

Through a systematic investigation of the agglutination of long chain mannolipid and glucolipid incorporated liposomes by concanavalin A (ConA) it was found that the agglutination was dependent on different factors. The studied factors reported here are (1) spacer length and (2) ground lipid matrix. The threshold and the relative saturating ConA binding concentration (saturation point to attain the binding saturation condition) of glycosides with varying spacer length for agglutination are dependent on the spacer length of the glycolipid. These concentrations decrease with the increasing number of in-built ethyleneoxy spacer length in the glycolipid and find its minimum with 6 spacer units; it increases then more and more with increasing number of spacer units (>6 units). This is supposed to be due to the requirement of a proper distance of the hydrophilic determinant from the liposome surface for the response by ConA (response invoking distance), which may be most favorable in case of 6 spacer units. Further increase in number of spacer units (>6) results to an increasing probability of the bending of the spacer chain along with the terminal polar head group more and more towards the liposome surface; this leads to a reduction of the factual distance of the terminal hydrophilic head group from the liposome surface, weakening the response for ConA binding. The threshold concentration or saturation point decreases also with the rigidity of the ground lipid matrix. Increased rigidity of the ground matrix leads to a phase separation and localized 'Domain' formation with the glycolipid inside the ground matrix layer due to their immiscibility, invoking better response resulting to a reduction of required incorporated glycolipid concentration.

Interaction of alpha-agglutinin with Saccharomyces cerevisiae a cells

Binding of Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-agglutinin to target a cells was assayed by agglutination inhibition and 125I-alpha-agglutinin binding. The assays showed characteristics of equilibrium binding, namely saturability, competability, and the establishment of a kinetic endpoint in the presence of free alpha-agglutinin and free receptor. The binding was heterogeneous, displaying strong binding (10(9) liters/mol) and a weaker interaction. There were about 2 X 10(4) strong binding sites per a cell. Denaturing gels displayed identical labeled species binding to the a cells in the weak and strong interactions. Furthermore, weakly bound material could subsequently bind tightly to fresh a cells, implying that the same species of alpha-agglutinin was bound in the two states.

Use of a fluorescent cholesterol derivative to measure lateral mobility of cholesterol in membranes

N1-Cholesterylcarbamoyl-N8-(4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)-3,6-dioxaoctyl-1,8-diamine (NBD-Chol), a new fluorescent derivative of cholesterol, was incorporated into L-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (Myr2PtdCho)-based liposomes. The lateral mobility of this derivative, as well as that of N-(4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)phosphatidylethanolamine (NBD-PtdEtn), was measured by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching techniques. In Myr2PtdCho liposomes, the diffusion coefficients (D) of the two probes are the same within experimental error below (D, approximately equal to 2 X 10(-10) cm2 X sec-1) and above (D, approximately equal to 2 X 10(-8) cm2 X sec-1) the main phase transition temperature of the bulk lipid (Tm). There is, however, a distinct difference between the mobilities of the derivatives at concentrations of added cholesterol between 5 and 20 mol % at temperatures below the main phase transition. Under these conditions, the diffusion coefficient of NBD-Chol is approximately twice that of NBD-PtdCho, a result consistent with the idea that cholesterol undergoes a lateral phase separation in these membranes at concentrations less than 20 mol %. At cholesterol concentrations greater than 20 mol % or temperatures above the Tm, the D values of the two probes are identical. The lateral mobility of a cholesterol derivative has thus been monitored directly in cholesterol-containing membranes.

Lectin-mediated agglutination of liposomes containing glycophorin. Effect of acyl chain length

Glycophorin from human erythrocytes has been incorporated into liposomes of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC). The thermal properties of unsonicated liposomes with glycophorin/lipid molar ratios up to 4.10(-3) have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry and the numbers of lipids withdrawn from participation in the gel-to-lamellar phase transition were found to be 42 +/- 22 (DMPC), 197 +/- 28 (DPPC) and 240 +/- 64 (DSPC). The initial rates of agglutination of sonicated liposomes with glycophorin/lipid molar ratios up to 4.10(-3) by wheat germ agglutinin in the concentration range 0-7 microM have been measured over a range of temperature. Below the gel-to-lamellar phase transition (Tc) the rates of agglutination increase with acyl chain length in the sequence DMPC less than DPPC less than DSPC. Agglutination is found to be second order in liposome concentration and is completely reversed on saturation of the wheat germ agglutinin-binding sites by N-acetylglucosamine. Agglutination rates decrease with increasing temperature below Tc and are largely independent of temperature above Tc. The results are discussed in relation to the clustering of glycophorin in the phospholipid bilayers and its effect on binding and subsequent interliposomal bridge formation by wheat germ agglutinin.

Functional incorporation of synthetic glycolipids into cells

Synthetic glycolipids containing an alpha-mannoside group linked by a hydrophilic spacer arm to cholesterol were incorporated into bovine erythrocytes by exchange from glycolipid-containing liposomes. When the distance between the sugar and the cholesterol moieties was approximately 26 A, functional incorporation of these glycolipids could be easily detected, as revealed by the concanavalin A-mediated agglutination of these cells. Bovine erythrocytes are not themselves susceptible to concanavalin A-mediated agglutination. The minimal concentration of concanavalin A required for agglutination of modified erythrocytes, containing 9.15 x 10(6) glycolipid molecules per cell, was 4 microgram/ml. Under these conditions, only approximately 4% of the membrane-bound cholesterol had been exchanged for the synthetic glycolipid. The observed aggregation was reversible in the presence of alpha-methyl mannoside and did not occur when beta-galactosyl-containing glycolipids were used in place of their alpha-mannoside isomers. These studies demonstrate a technique of sugar incorporation into cell membranes which should be of great advantage in studies on the roles of cell surface sugars in biological recognition. Furthermore, they demonstrate that the sugars need only be a short distance (26 A) from the membrane in order to functionally bind concanavalin A.