Phospholipid binding and self-association of the major apoprotein of human and baboon high-density lipoproteins

The apparent preferential interaction of human plasma high density apolipoprotein A-I with gel-state phospholipids

The enthalpy, entropy and free energy of activation was measured for the transfer of the tryptophan residues of apolipoprotein A-I from a more hydrophobic environment of a lipoprotein particle containing dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (with or without 12% cholesterol) to an aqueous solvent in the presence of varying concentrations of guanidinium chloride. The free energy of activation was approximately 25 kcal/mol at 50 degrees C for all the conditions studied. The enthalpy of activation was greatest under conditions where a large degree of unfolding occurs when the protein dissociated from lipid. However, under these conditions the unfavourable activation enthalpy was compensated for by a favourable activation entropy resulting in the insensitivity of the free energy of activation to the condition of measurement. Apolipoprotein A-I has an apparent affinity for gel-state lipid which results from the very slow rate of dissociation of the lipoprotein particle below 40 degrees C. It is unlikely that the association of apolipoprotein A-I with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine is thermodynamically stable only in the temperature region of the phase transition but that the association exhibits a large kinetic stability, especially at lower temperatures or in the absence of guanidinium chloride.

Displacement of the human apoprotein A-I by the human apoprotein A-II from complexes of (apoprotein A-I)-phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol

Reassembly experiments, involving isolated human apoproteins A-I and A-II and (dimyristoylglycerophosphocholine)-cholesterol vesicles were performed with apoprotein mixtures at apoprotein A-I/A-II molar ratios varying between 0 and 3. The apoproteins were incubated at 24 degrees C. 28 degrees C and 32 degrees C with either pure dimyristoyl-glycerophosphocholine vesicles or with dimyristoylglycerophosphocholine cholesterol vesicles containing 2, 5, 10, 15 mol/100 mol cholesterol. The kinetics of association were followed by measuring the increase of the fluorescence polarization ratio after labeling the lipids with diphenyl hexatriene. The complexes were separated from the free protein by gradient ultracentrifugation. Total protein was assayed and the apoproteins A-I and A-II were quantified separately by immunonephelometry. The content of apoprotein A-I was also monitored by measuring the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence. The results suggest that apoprotein A-II has a greater affinity than apoprotein A-I for the phospholipid-cholesterol vesicles and that apoprotein A-II is able to quantitatively displace apoprotein A-I from the lipid-protein complexes. The content of apoprotein A-II in the complexes increases proportionally to the concentration of apoprotein A-II in the incubation mixture until saturation is reached. At saturation the dimyristoylglycerophosphocholine/apoprotein A-II ratio in the complex is dependent upon the cholesterol content of the original vesicles and increases from 60 to 275 mol/mol between 0 and 15 mol/100 mol cholesterol. From these experiments one can calculate that 1 mol human apoprotein A-I is displaced by 2 mol human apoprotein A-II.

Reassembly of human apoproteins A-I and A-II with unilamellar phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes. Association kinetics and characterization of the complexes

The kinetics of association between the human apoprotein A-I and apoprotein A-II and cholesterol dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) vesicles are compared in this study and the lipid-apoprotein complexes are characterized. The association kinetics are followed by turbidity measurements monitoring the decrease of the vesicular size and by fluorescence polarization measurements monitoring the decrease in the mobility of the phospholipid acyl chains during complex formation. The influence of the incubation temperature and of the cholesterol/DMPC ratio has been studied by both techniques. Under all incubation conditions the apoprotein A-II associates more readily with cholesterol-DMPC vesicles than apoprotein A-I, as the kinetics are faster and the complex yield larger. With both apoproteins optimal complex formation takes place around the phospholipid transition temperature and around 10 mol% cholesterol. The apoprotein A-I/lipid association seems restricted to this narrow range for the temperature and the cholesterol/DMPC ratio, while the apoprotein A-II still associates with vesicles containing 20 mol% cholesterol and at temperatures up to 32 degrees C. The lipid-apoprotein complexes were isolated by gradient ultracentrifugation and by gel chromatography. According to these data the apoprotein A-II associates more readily than apoprotein A-I with cholesterol-DMPC vesicles to form protein-rich complexes, whilst the optimal apoprotein A-I-lipid association requires a more disordered lipid structure.

Bovine apolipoproteins C. I. Isolation and spectroscopic investigations of the phospholipid binding properties

Seven low-molecular weight proteins of the C class of apolipoproteins have been isolated from bovine serum high density lipoprotein. Amino acid analysis has shown five of these to be equivalent to the apolipoproteins previously described (Lim, C.T. and Scanu, A.M. (1976) Artery 2, 483-496). A spectroscopic examination of these proteins in the presence of increasing amounts of L-alpha-dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine single-bilayer vesicles indicates that all bovine apolipoproteins C exhibit changes in secondary and tertiary structure as shown by intrinsic fluorescence intensity, wavelength, and polarization changes, and increases in alpha-helical content as seen by circular dichroism. Evidence is presented to show that bovine apolipoproteins C, like all human apolipoproteins of the A and C classes, can cause phospholipid multilamellar liposomes to disrupt and/or rearrange into a smaller complex which scatters less light. This paper details the screening of the bovine apolipoproteins for their phospholipid binding properties, whereas the following paper will examine the nature of their complexes with phospholipid in more detail. Together, these papers represent the first investigation of protein-lipid interactions involving any nonhuman apolipoproteins C.

The apoprotein fraction of the bile lipoprotein complex: isolation, partial characterization and phospholipid binding properties

A bile apoprotein fraction (Apo BLC) was isolated by preparative isoelectric focusing (I.E.F.) from the detergent-free form of the bile lipoprotein complex (BLC). Analytical I.E.F. of Apo BLC yields a characteristic and reproducible pattern of two narrow acidic bands (pI 4,8-5,0). This apoprotein presents a strong tendency to undergo self-aggregation in aqueous buffer. A low molecular weight constituent of Apo BLC has been isolated after gel filtration, its mean Mw is estimated by SDS-PAGE at 7,500 daltons. The binding capacity of Apo BLC for phospholipids was investigated on dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes by gel filtration and zone electrophoresis. The resulting structures, larger than the original single-shelled vesicles, acquire and anodic electrophoretic mobility. Apo BLC has a weaker affinity for lysophosphatidylcholines: these phospholipids decrease the degree of aggregation of the apoprotein. These studies contribute additional data concerning the high affinity of Apo BLC for phosphatidylcholines, which are the major phospholipid constituents of bile. The discussion deals with the fact that association of Apo BLC with bile phosphatidylcholines may present some implications in the pathogeny of LpX and in the process of intestinal fat absorption.