Biochemical identification of a linear cholesterol-binding domain within Alzheimer's ? amyloid peptide.
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ABSTRACT: Alzheimer's ?-amyloid (A?) peptides can self-organize into amyloid pores that may induce acute neurotoxic effects in brain cells. Membrane cholesterol, which regulates A? production and oligomerization, plays a key role in this process. Although several data suggested that cholesterol could bind to A? peptides, the molecular mechanisms underlying cholesterol/A? interactions are mostly unknown. On the basis of docking studies, we identified the linear fragment 22-35 of A? as a potential cholesterol-binding domain. This domain consists of an atypical concatenation of polar/apolar amino acid residues that was not previously found in cholesterol-binding motifs. Using the Langmuir film balance technique, we showed that synthetic peptides A?17-40 and A?22-35, but not A?1-16, could efficiently penetrate into cholesterol monolayers. The interaction between A?22-35 and cholesterol was fully saturable and lipid-specific. Single-point mutations of Val-24 and Lys-28 in A?22-35 prevented cholesterol binding, whereas mutations at residues 29, 33, and 34 had little to no effect. These data were consistent with the in silico identification of Val-24 and Lys-28 as critical residues for cholesterol binding. We conclude that the linear fragment 22-35 of A? is a functional cholesterol-binding domain that could promote the insertion of ?-amyloid peptides or amyloid pore formation in cholesterol-rich membrane domains.
SUBMITTER: Di Scala C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3605813 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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