Electrochemical Assessment of Dielectric Damage to Phospholipid Bilayers by Amyloid β-Oligomers

Pro-inflammatory protein S100A9 alters membrane organization by dispersing ordered domains

Pro-inflammatory, calcium-binding protein S100A9 is localized in the cytoplasm of many cells and regulates several intracellular and extracellular processes. S100A9 is involved in neuroinflammation associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The number of studies on the impact of S100A9 in co-aggregation processes with amyloid-like proteins is increasing. However, there is still a lack of data on how this protein interacts with lipid membranes. We employed atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and fluorescence measurements (Laurdan and Thioflavin-T) to study the interaction between protein and the membrane surface. We used lipid vesicles in bulk and planar tethered lipid bilayers as biomimetic membrane models. We demonstrated that the protein accumulates on negatively charged lipid bilayers but with no further loss of the bilayer's integrity. The most important result is that the initial adsorption and accumulation of apo-form of S100A9 on the lipid membrane surface is lipid phase-sensitive. The breaking down of raft-like and disappearance of gel-like domains indicate that protein incorporates into the hydrophobic part of the lipid bilayer. We observed the most noticeable loss of integrity in lipid bilayers constructed from a lipid mixture (brain total lipid extract). Understanding the function and interactions of these proteins in cellular environments might expand the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for AD or other related diseases.

The interactions of amyloid β aggregates with phospholipid membranes and the implications for neurodegeneration

Misfolding, aggregation and accumulation of Amyloid-β peptides (Aβ) in neuronal tissue and extracellular matrix are hallmark features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Soluble Aβ oligomers are involved in neuronal toxicity by interacting with the lipid membrane, compromising its integrity, and affecting the function of receptors. These facts indicate that the interaction between Aβ oligomers and cell membranes may be one of the central molecular level factors responsible for the onset of neurodegeneration. The present review provides a structural understanding of Aβ neurotoxicity via membrane interactions and contributes to understanding early events in Alzheimer's disease.

Electrografting a Hybrid Bilayer Membrane via Diazonium Chemistry for Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy of Amyloid-β Aggregation

Herein, a novel hybrid bilayer membrane is introduced as a platform to study the aggregation of amyloid-β_1–42 (Aβ_1–42) peptide on surfaces. The first layer was covalently attached to a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via diazonium electrodeposition, which provided a highly stable template for the hybrid bilayer formation. To prepare the long-chain hybrid bilayer membrane (lcHBLM)-modified electrodes, GCE surfaces were modified with 4-dodecylbenzenediazonium (DDAN) followed by the modification with dihexadecyl phosphate (DHP) as the second layer. For the preparation of short-chain hybrid bilayer membrane (scHBLM)-modified electrodes, GCE surfaces were modified with 4-ethyldiazonium (EDAN) as the first layer and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (BEHP) was utilized as the second layer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) were used to characterize the bilayer formation. Both positively charged [Ru(NH₃)₆]³⁺ and negatively charged ([Fe(CN)₆]^3-/4-) redox probes were used for electrochemical characterization of the modified surfaces using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS results showed a decrease in charge transfer resistance (R_ct) upon incubation of Aβ_1–42 on the hybrid bilayer-modified surfaces. This framework provides a promising electrochemical platform for designing hybrid bilayers with various physicochemical properties to study the interaction of membrane-bound receptors and biomolecules on surfaces.