Effects of Metal Ions on Aβ42 Peptide Conformations from Molecular Simulation Studies

Computational Study of Amyloidβ42 Familial Mutations and Metal Interaction: Impact on Monomers and Aggregates Dynamical Behaviors

One of the main hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease is the formation of β-amyloid plaques, whose formation may be enhanced by metal binding or the appearance of familial mutations. In the present study, the simultaneous effect of familial mutations (E22Q, E22G, E22K, and D23N) and binding to metal ions (Cu(II) or Al(III)) is studied at the Aβ42 monomeric and fibrillar levels. With the application of GaMD and MD simulations, it is observed that the effects of metal binding and mutations differ in the monomeric and fibrillar forms. In the monomeric structures, without metal binding, all mutations reduce the amount of α-helix and increase, in some cases, the β-sheet content. In the presence of Cu(II) and Al(III) metal ions, the peptide becomes less flexible, and the β-sheet content decreases in favor of forming α-helix motifs that stabilize the system through interhelical contacts. Regarding the fibrillar structures, mutations decrease the opening of the fiber in the vertical axis, thereby stabilizing the S-shaped structure of the fiber. This effect is, in general, enhanced upon metal binding. These results may explain the different Aβ42 aggregation patterns observed in familial mutations.

Identification of new pentapeptides as potential inhibitors of amyloid-β42 aggregation using virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease mainly characterized by extracellular accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. Previous studies reported pentapeptide RIIGL as an effective inhibitor of Aβ aggregation and neurotoxicity induced by Aβ aggregates. In this work, a library of 912 pentapeptides based on RIIGL has been designed and assessed for their efficacy to inhibit Aβ42 aggregation using computational techniques. The top hit pentapeptides revealed by molecular docking were further assessed for their binding affinity with Aβ42 monomer using MM-PBSA (molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area) method. The MM-PBSA analysis identified RLAPV, RVVPI, and RIAPA, which bind to Aβ42 monomer with a higher binding affinity -55.80, -46.32, and -44.26 kcal/mol, respectively, as compared to RIIGL (ΔGbinding = -41.29 kcal/mol). The residue-wise binding free energy predicted hydrophobic contacts between Aβ42 monomer and pentapeptides. The secondary structure analysis of the conformational ensembles generated by molecular dynamics (MD) depicted remarkably enhanced sampling of helical and no β-sheet conformations in Aβ42 monomer on the incorporation of RVVPI and RIAPA. Notably, RVVPI and RIAPA destabilized the D23-K28 salt bridge in Aβ42 monomer, which plays a crucial role in Aβ42 oligomer stability and fibril formation. The MD simulations highlighted that the incorporation of proline and arginine in pentapeptides contributed to their strong binding with Aβ42 monomer. Furthermore, RVVPI and RIAPA prevented conformational conversion of Aβ42 monomer to aggregation-prone structures, which, in turn, resulted in a lower aggregation tendency of Aβ42 monomer.

Structural and molecular insights into tacrine-benzofuran hybrid induced inhibition of amyloid-β peptide aggregation and BACE1 activity

Amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation and β-amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) are the potential therapeutic drug targets for Alzheimer's disease (AD). A recent study highlighted that tacrine-benzofuran hybrid C1 displayed anti-aggregation activity against Aβ42 peptide and inhibit BACE1 activity. However, the inhibition mechanism of C1 against Aβ42 aggregation and BACE1 activity remains unclear. Thus, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of Aβ42 monomer and BACE1 with and without C1 were performed to inspect the inhibitory mechanism of C1 against Aβ42 aggregation and BACE1 activity. In addition, a ligand-based virtual screening followed by MD simulations was employed to explore potent new small-molecule dual inhibitors of Aβ42 aggregation and BACE1 activity. MD simulations highlighted that C1 promotes the non aggregating helical conformation in Aβ42 and destabilizes D23-K28 salt bridge that plays a vital role in the self-aggregation of Aβ42. C1 displays a favourable binding free energy (-50.7 ± 7.3 kcal/mol) with Aβ42 monomer and preferentially binds to the central hydrophobic core (CHC) residues. MD simulations highlighted that C1 strongly interacted with the BACE1 active site (Asp32 and Asp228) and active pockets. The scrutiny of interatomic distances among key residues of BACE1 highlighted the close flap (non-active) position in BACE1 on the incorporation of C1. The MD simulations explain the observed high inhibitory activity of C1 against Aβ aggregation and BACE1 in the in vitro studies. The ligand-based virtual screening followed by MD simulations identified CHEMBL2019027 (C2) as a promising dual inhibitor of Aβ42 aggregation and BACE1 activity.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Computational assessment of the impact of Cu(II) and Al(III) on β-amyloid42 fibrils: Binding sites, structural stability, and possible physiological implications

One of Alzheimer's disease major hallmarks is the aggregation of β-amyloid peptide, a process in which metal ions play an important role. In the present work, an integrative computational study has been performed to identify the metal-binding regions and determine the conformational impact of Cu(II) and Al(III) ion binding to the β-amyloid (Aβ₄₂) fibrillary structure. Through classical and Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics, it has been observed that the metal-free fiber shows a hinge fan-like motion of the S-shaped structure, maintaining the general conformation. Upon metal coordination, distinctive patterns are observed depending on the metal. Cu(II) binds to the flexible N-terminal region and induces structural changes that could ultimately disrupt the fibrillary structure. In contrast, Al(III) binding takes place with the residues Glu22 and Asp23, and its binding reinforces the core stability of the system. These results give clues on the molecular impact of the interaction of metal ions with the aggregates and sustain their non-innocent roles in the evolution of the illness.

Exploring Heterogeneous Dynamical Environment around an Ensemble of Aβ42 Peptide Monomer Conformations

Exploring the conformational properties of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides and the role of solvent (water) in guiding the dynamical environment at their interfaces is crucial for microscopic understanding of Aβ misfolding, which is involved in causing the most common neurodegenerative disorder, i.e., Alzheimer's disease. While numerous studies in the past have emphasized examining the conformational states of Aβ peptides, the role of water has not received much attention. Here, we have performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of several full-length Aβ₄₂ peptide monomers with different initial configurations. Our efforts are directed toward probing the origin of the heterogeneous dynamics of water around various segments of the Aβ peptide, identified as the two terminal segments (N-term and C-term) and the two hydrophobic segments (hp1 and hp2), along with the central turn region interconnecting hp1 and hp2. Our results revealed that water hydrating hp1, hp2, and turn (nonterminal segments) and C-term segments exhibit nonuniformly restricted translational as well as rotational motions. The degree of such restriction has been found to be correlated with the hydrogen bond relaxation time scales at the interface. Importantly, it is revealed that the water molecules around hp1 and, to some extent, around hp2, form relatively rigid hydration layers, compared to that around the other segments. Such rigid hydration layers arise due to relatively more solid-like caging motions resulting in relatively lesser hydration entropy. As hp1 and hp2 have been demonstrated to play a central role in Aβ aggregation, we believe that distinct water dynamics in the vicinity of these two segments, as outlined in this study, can provide vital information in understanding the early stages of the onset of the aggregation process of such peptides at higher concentration that can further aid toward advances in AD therapeutics.

Deciphering the Effect of Lysine Acetylation on the Misfolding and Aggregation of Human Tau Fragment 171IPAKTPPAPK180 Using Molecular Dynamic Simulation and the Markov State Model

The formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) with β-sheet-rich structure caused by abnormal aggregation of misfolded microtubule-associated protein Tau is a hallmark of tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s Disease. It has been reported that acetylation, especially K174 located in the proline-rich region, can largely promote Tau aggregation. So far, the mechanism of the abnormal acetylation of Tau that affects its misfolding and aggregation is still unclear. Therefore, revealing the effect of acetylation on Tau aggregation could help elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of tauopathies. In this study, molecular dynamics simulation combined with multiple computational analytical methods were performed to reveal the effect of K174 acetylation on the spontaneous aggregation of Tau peptide ¹⁷¹IPAKTPPAPK¹⁸⁰, and the dimerization mechanism as an early stage of the spontaneous aggregation was further specifically analyzed by Markov state model (MSM) analysis. The results showed that both the actual acetylation and the mutation mimicking the acetylated state at K174 induced the aggregation of the studied Tau fragment; however, the effect of actual acetylation on the aggregation was more pronounced. In addition, acetylated K174 plays a major contributing role in forming and stabilizing the antiparallel β-sheet dimer by forming several hydrogen bonds and side chain van der Waals interactions with residues I171, P172, A173 and T175 of the corresponding chain. In brief, this study uncovered the underlying mechanism of Tau peptide aggregation in response to the lysine K174 acetylation, which can deepen our understanding on the pathogenesis of tauopathies.

Interactions of the Aβ(1-42) Peptide with Boron Nitride Nanoparticles of Varying Curvature in an Aqueous Medium: Different Pathways to Inhibit β-Sheet Formation

The aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide triggered by its conformational changes leads to the commonly known neurodegenerative disease of Alzheimer's. It is believed that the formation of β sheets of the peptide plays a key role in its aggregation and subsequent fibrillization. In the current study, we have investigated the interactions of the Aβ(1-42) peptide with boron nitride nanoparticles and the effects of the latter on conformational transitions of the peptide through a series of molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, the effects of curvature of the nanoparticle surface are studied by considering boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) of varying diameter and also a planar boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS). Altogether, the current study involves the generation and analysis of 9.5 μs of dynamical trajectories of peptide-BNNT/BNNS pairs in an aqueous medium. It is found that BN nanoparticles of different curvatures that are studied in the present work inhibit the conformational transition of the peptide to its β-sheet form. However, such an inhibition effect follows different pathways for BN nanoparticles of different curvatures. For the BNNT with the highest surface curvature, i.e., (3,3) BNNT, the nanoparticle is found to inhibit β-sheet formation by stabilizing the helical structure of the peptide, whereas for planar BNNS, the β-sheet formation is prevented by making more favorable pathways available for transitions of the peptide to conformations of random coils and turns. The BNNTs with intermediate curvatures are found to exhibit diverse pathways of their interactions with the peptide, but in all cases, essentially no formation of the β sheet is found whereas substantial β-sheet formation is observed for Aβ(1-42) in water in the absence of any nanoparticle. The current study shows that BN nanoparticles have the potential to act as effective tools to prevent amyloid formation from Aβ peptides.

Molecular dynamics simulations reveal the disruption mechanism of a 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivative C30 against tau hexapeptide (PHF6) oligomer

Derivatives of 2,4-thiazolidinedione have been reported to inhibit the aggregation of tau protein, in which compound 30 (C30) not only inhibit 80% of paired helical filament 6 (PHF6) aggregation, but also inhibit K18 and full-length tau aggregation. However, its inhibitory mechanism is unclear. In this study, to investigate the effect of C30 on tau protein, all-atom molecular dynamics simulation was performed on the PHF6 oligomer with and without C30. The results show that C30 can cause significant conformational changes in the PHF6 oligomer. The nematic order parameter P2 and secondary structure analyses show that C30 destroys the ordered structure of PHF6 oligomer, reduces the content of β-sheet structure, and transforms β-sheet into random coil structure. By clustering analysis, it was found that C30 has four possible binding sites on the PFH6 oligomer, and the binding ability order is S1 > S2 > S4 > S3. Following a more in-depth analyses of each site, it was determined that the S1 site is the most possible binding site mainly located between layers of L1 and L3. The hydrophobic interaction is the driving force for the binding of C30 to PHF6 oligomer. In addition, L1P4_Y310, L1P5_Y310, L3P1_V309, and L3P2_V309 are key residues for C30 binding to oligomer. Moreover, π-π interaction formed by L1P4_Y310 and L1P5_Y310 with C30 and the hydrogen bonding interaction formed by C30 with L3P3_Q307 are beneficial to the combination of C30 and oligomer. The fully understanding disrupt the mechanism of 2,4-thiazolidinedione derivative on PHF6 oligomer and the identification of binding sites will help design and discover new AD inhibitors in the future.

Impact of Cu(II) and Al(III) on the conformational landscape of amyloidβ1-42

Metal ions have been found to play an important role in the formation of extracellular β-amyloid plaques, a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, the conformational landscape of Aβ42 with Al(iii) and Cu(ii) has been explored using Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics. Both metals reduce the flexibility of the peptide and entail a higher structural organization, although to different degrees. As a general trend, Cu(ii) binding leads to an increased α-helix content and to the formation of two α-helices that tend to organize in a U-shape. By contrast, most Al(iii) complexes induce a decrease in helical content, leading to more extended structures that favor the appearance of transitory β-strands.

Zinc

Since the discovery of manifest Zn deficiency in 1961, the increasing number of studies demonstrated the association between altered Zn status and multiple diseases. In this chapter, we provide a review of the most recent advances on the role of Zn in health and disease (2010-20), with a special focus on the role of Zn in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, diabetes and obesity, male and female reproduction, as well as COVID-19. In parallel with the revealed tight association between ASD risk and severity and Zn status, the particular mechanisms linking Zn2+ and ASD pathogenesis like modulation of synaptic plasticity through ProSAP/Shank scaffold, neurotransmitter metabolism, and gut microbiota, have been elucidated. The increasing body of data indicate the potential involvement of Zn2+ metabolism in neurodegeneration. Systemic Zn levels in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease were found to be reduced, whereas its sequestration in brain may result in modulation of amyloid β and α-synuclein processing with subsequent toxic effects. Zn2+ was shown to possess adipotropic effects through the role of zinc transporters, zinc finger proteins, and Zn-α2-glycoprotein in adipose tissue physiology, underlying its particular role in pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2. Recent findings also contribute to further understanding of the role of Zn2+ in spermatogenesis and sperm functioning, as well as oocyte development and fertilization. Finally, Zn2+ was shown to be the potential adjuvant therapy in management of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), underlining the perspectives of zinc in management of old and new threats.

Helix-coil transition and conformational deformity in Aβ42-monomer: a case study using the Zn2+ cation

The metal ions (like Fe2+, Zn²⁺, Cu2+) are known to influence the amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation. In this study, we have examined the conformational and dynamical changes during the coordination of Aβ-monomer with the Zn2+ ion using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using explicit solvent models. We have probed the unfolding of the full-length Aβ₄₂ monomer both inclusive and exclusive of the Zn2+ cation, with 1:1 ratio of the peptide and the Zn2+ cation. The inclusion of the Zn2+ cation shows differential intra-peptide interactions which has been probed using various analyses. The Helix - Coil transition of the wild type Aβ42 monomer is studied using the steered molecular dynamics simulations by taking the end-to-end C-α distance across the peptide. This gives an idea of the unequal intra - peptide and peptide - water interactions being found across the length of the Aβ monomer. The transition of an α-helix dominated wild-type (WT) Aβ structure to the unfolded coil structure gives significant evidence of the intra-peptide hydrogen bonding shifts in the presence of the Zn2+ cation. This accounts for the structural and the dynamical variations that take place in the Aβ monomer in the presence of the Zn2+ cation to mimic the conditions/environment at the onset of fibrillation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Disclosing the Mechanism of Spontaneous Aggregation and Template-Induced Misfolding of the Key Hexapeptide (PHF6) of Tau Protein Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation

The microtubule-associated protein tau is critical for the development and maintenance of the nervous system. Tau dysfunction is associated with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies, which are characterized by neurofibrillary tangles formed by abnormally aggregated tau protein. Studying the aggregation mechanism of tau protein is of great significance for elucidating the etiology of tauopathies. The hexapeptide ³⁰⁶VQIVYK³¹¹ (PHF6) of R3 has been shown to play a vital role in promoting tau aggregation. In this study, long-term all-atom molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent were performed to investigate the mechanisms of spontaneous aggregation and template-induced misfolding of PHF6, and the dimerization at the early stage of nucleation was further specifically analyzed by the Markov state model (MSM). Our results show that PHF6 can spontaneously aggregate to form multimers enriched with β-sheet structure and the β-sheets in multimers prefer to exist in a parallel way. It is observed that PHF6 monomer can be induced to form a β-sheet structure on either side of the template but in a different way. In detail, the β-sheet structure is easier to form on the left side but does not extend well, but on the right side, the monomer can form the extended β-sheet structure. Furthermore, MSM analysis shows that the formation of dimer mainly occurs in three steps. First, the separated monomers collide with each other at random orientations, and then a dimer with short β-sheet structure at the N-terminal forms; finally, β-sheets elongate to form an extended parallel β-sheet dimer. During these processes, multiple intermediate states are identified and multiple paths can form a parallel β-sheet dimer from the disordered coil structure. Moreover, the residues I308, V309, and Y310 play an essential role in the dimerization. In a word, our results uncover the aggregation and misfolding mechanism of PHF6 from the atomic level, which can provide useful theoretical guidance for rational design of effective therapeutic drugs against tauopathies.