The structure of lipoprotein(a) and ligand-induced conformational changes

Lipoprotein(a) is composed of low-density lipoprotein linked both covalently and noncovalently to apolipoprotein(a). The structure of lipoprotein(a) and the interactions between low-density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein(a) were investigated by electron microscopy and correlated with analytical ultracentrifugation. Electron microscopy of rotary-shadowed and unidirectionally shadowed lipoprotein(a) prepared without glycerol revealed that it is a nearly spherical particle with no large projections. After extraction of both lipoprotein(a) and low-density lipoprotein with glycerol prior to rotary shadowing, the protein components were observed to consist of a ring of density made up of nodules of different sizes, with apolipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein B-100 closely associated with each other. However, when lipoprotein(a) was treated with a lysine analogue, 6-aminohexanoic acid, much of the apolipoprotein(a) separated from the apolipoprotein B-100. In 6-aminohexanoic acid-treated preparations without glycerol extraction, lipoprotein(a) particles had an irregular mass of density around the core. In contrast, lipoprotein(a) particles treated with 6-aminohexanoic acid in the presence of glycerol had a long tail, in which individual kringles could be distinguished, extending from the ring of apolipoprotein B-100. The length of the tail was dependent on the particular isoform of apolipoprotein(a). Dissociation of the noncovalent interactions between apolipoprotein(a) and low-density lipoprotein as a result of shear forces or changes in the microenvironment may contribute to selective retention of lipoprotein(a) in the vasculature.

Defensin promotes the binding of lipoprotein(a) to vascular matrix

Retention of lipoproteins within the vasculature is a central event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. However, the signals that mediate this process are only partially understood. Prompted by putative links between inflammation and atherosclerosis, we previously reported that alpha-defensins released by neutrophils are present in human atherosclerotic lesions and promote the binding of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] to vascular cells without a concomitant increase in degradation. We have now tested the hypothesis that this accumulation results from the propensity of defensin to form stable complexes with Lp(a) that divert the lipoprotein from its normal cellular degradative pathways to the extracellular matrix (ECM). In accord with this hypothesis, defensin stimulated the binding of Lp(a) to vascular matrices approximately 40-fold and binding of the reactants to the matrix was essentially irreversible. Defensin formed stable, multivalent complexes with Lp(a) and with its components, apoprotein (a) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), as assessed by optical biosensor analysis, gel filtration, and immunoelectron microscopy. Binding of defensin/Lp(a) complexes to matrix was inhibited (>90%) by heparin and by antibodies to fibronectin (>70%), but not by antibodies to vitronectin or thrombospondin. Defensin increased the binding of Lp(a) (10 nmol/L) to purified fibronectin more than 30-fold. Whereas defensin and Lp(a) readily traversed the endothelial cell membranes individually, defensin/Lp(a) complexes lodged on the cell surface. These studies demonstrate that alpha-defensins released from activated or senescent neutrophils stimulate the binding of an atherogenic lipoprotein to the ECM of endothelial cells, a process that may contribute to lipoprotein accumulation in atherosclerotic lesions.

The structure of human lipoprotein A-I. Evidence for the "belt" model

The two main competing models for the structure of discoidal lipoprotein A-I complexes both presume that the protein component is helical and situated around the perimeter of a lipid bilayer disc. However, the more popular "picket fence" model orients the protein helices perpendicular to the surface of the lipid bilayer, while the alternative "belt" model orients them parallel to the bilayer surface. To distinguish between these models, we have investigated the structure of human lipoprotein A-I using a novel form of polarized internal reflection infrared spectroscopy that can characterize the relative orientation of protein and lipid components in the lipoprotein complexes under native conditions. Our results verify lipid bilayer structure in the complexes and point unambiguously to the belt model.

Determinants of lipoprotein(a) assembly: a study of wild-type and mutant apolipoprotein(a) phenotypes isolated from human and rhesus monkey lipoprotein(a) under mild reductive conditions

We previously observed that rhesus monkey lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], is lysine-binding defective (Lys-) and attributed this deficiency to the presence of Arg72 in the lysine-binding site (LBS) of kringle IV-10 of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] [Scanu, A.M., Miles, L.A., Fless, G.M., Pfaffinger, D., Eisenbart, J., Jackson, E., Hoover-Plow, J.L., Brunck, T., & Plow, E.F. (1993) J. Clin. Invest. 91, 283-291]. We also identified human mutants having Arg72 instead of Trp72 (wild type) in the LBS of kringle IV-10 [Scanu, A M., Pfaffinger, D., lEE, J.C., & Hinman, J. (1994) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1227, 41-45]. Unique to the human mutant phenotype were the very low levels of plasma Lp(a), suggesting structural differences between human and rhesus apo(a) and a possible divergent mode of Lp(a) assembly. In order to explore the possibility of a relationship between apo(a) LBS and Lp(a) assembly, we developed a novel method for isolating wild-type and mutant apo(a) phenotypes in a free form by subjecting each parent Lp(a) to mild reductive conditions using 2 mM dithioerythritol (DTE) and 100 mM of the lysine analogue, epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA). The application of this method to the study of wild-type and mutant apo(a) species showed that regardless of the source of Lp(a), i.e., positive lysine binding (Lys+) or negative lysine binding (Lys-), all of the isolated free apo(a)s were Lys+. Moreover, incubation of free apo(a)s with their autologous human or rhesus low-density lipoproteins (LDL) generated Lp(a) complexes which were structurally and functionally indistinguishable from their parent native Lp(a). In each instance, the reassembly process was inhibited by the presence of either EACA or proline. These two reagents had a minimal effect on either Lp(a) or reassembled Lp(a) [RLp(a)]. Free apo(a) bound to apoB100 of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) to form a triglyceride-rich Lp(a). These results show that (1) both human and rhesus Lp(a) are amenable to dissassembly and reassembly, (2) the presence of Arg72 in the LBS of kringle IV-10 is not involved, at least directly, in this process, (3) its cleavage from apoB100 opens up in apo(a) a domain that is both EACA and proline sensitive and involved in Lp(a) assembly, and (4) the apoB100 of VLDL is also competent to bind apo(a). Our observations also suggest that the difference in plasma Lp(a) levels between the rhesus and the human mutant, both having Arg72 in the LBS of apo(a) kringle IV-10, is not related to the assembly process, but more likely to a divergence in production/secretion rates between the two apo(a) phenotypes.

Electron cryomicroscopy and digital image processing of lipoprotein(a)

Electron cryomicroscopy was used to study the structure of human lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), a plasma lipoprotein implicated in cardiovascular disease. An individual Lp(a) particle consists of a neutral lipid core within a shell of phospholipid, cholesterol and glycoprotein. In principle, electron cryomicroscopy images of single particles should contain structural detail attributable to the density differences among these components and the surrounding buffer. We observed such structural detail in images of frozen, hydrated Lp(a) particles. Lp(a) particles appeared to be roughly spherical in shape with an average diameter of 210 A. As is generally true for unstained samples in vitreous ice, imaged with a low electron dose, these images have low contrast with low signal-to-noise ratios. To increase the signal-to-noise ratio, we averaged classes of similar particles. We began with a set of 5813 randomly oriented Lp(a) particles and generated classes using a linear multivariate statistical method, followed by hierarchical ascendant classification. Our initial classification, based on only the first eight eigenvectors, separated particles on the basis of gross size and shape. After a rough reference-free alignment step, a second classification used the finer details in the images. This approach yielded class averages with structural detail only faintly visible in the raw, single images.