Quantitative Assessment of Serine-8 Phosphorylated β-Amyloid Using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

The study of the molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is extremely important for identifying potential therapeutic targets as well as early markers. In this regard, the study of the role of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides is of particular relevance. Serine-8 phosphorylated forms (pSer8-Aβ) have been shown to have an increased aggregation capacity and may reflect the severity of amyloidosis. Here, an approach for quantitative assessment of pSer8-Aβ based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is proposed. The relative fraction of pSer8-Aβ was estimated in the total Aβ-pool with a detection limit of 1 fmol for pSer8-Aβ (1-16) and an accuracy of 2% for measurements in the reflectron mode. The sensitivity of the developed method is suitable for determining the proportion of phosphorylated peptides in biological samples.

Evaluation of MALDI-TOF/TOF Mass Spectrometry Approach for Quantitative Determination of Aspartate Residue Isomerization in the Amyloid-β Peptide

Immunoprecipitation (IP) combined with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is a powerful instrument for peptide and protein identification in biological samples. In this study, the analytical capabilities of MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry for relative quantitation of isoAsp7 in Aβ(1-42) and Aβ(1-16) were investigated. The possibility of quantitative determination of isoAsp7 in Aβ(1-42) with the detection limit as low as 2 pmol has been demonstrated. The same approach was applied for a shorter peptide Aβ(1-16) and resulted in enhanced accuracy (± 3.2%), and lower detection limit (50 fmol). Pilot experiments with artificial cerebrospinal fluid and mouse brain tissue were performed and showed that the proposed IP-MALDI-TOF/TOF approach could be applied for measuring isoAβ content in biological fluids and tissues. Additionally, it was shown that 6E10 anti-amyloid antibodies might affect the accuracy of the amyloid-β quantitation in the presence of the isomerized peptide.

Phosphorylation of a full length amyloid-β peptide modulates its amyloid aggregation, cell binding and neurotoxic properties

Amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) is the major protein component of the amyloid plaques that are present in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Aβ42 peptide is a known neurotoxic agent that binds to neurons and, under specific aggregation conditions, triggers cell death. Aβ peptide can undergo specific amino acid posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation, that are important for modulating its proteolytic degradation, aggregation, binding to lipid membranes and neurotoxic functions. Peptides phosphorylated at serine 8 in full-length Aβ42 (pAβ42) were synthesised and compared to native Aβ42 peptide. Their secondary structures, aggregation properties and interactions with plasma membranes of primary cortical neurons were investigated. The results revealed that pAβ42 has increased β-sheet formation with rapid amyloid formation in a synthetic lipid environment, which was associated with increased cellular binding but concomitant diminished neurotoxicity. Our data support the notion that phosphorylation of Aβ42 promotes the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, which lack the neurotoxic properties associated with oligomeric species causing pathogenesis in AD.