Bioinorganic chemistry of shepherin II complexes helps to fight Candida albicans?

The fungal cell wall and cell membrane are an important target for antifungal therapies, and a needle-like cell wall or membrane disruption may be an entirely novel antifungal mode of action. In this work, we show how the coordination of Zn(II) triggers the antifungal properties of shepherin II, a glycine- and histidine-rich antimicrobial peptide from the root of Capsella bursa-pastoris. We analyze Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes of this peptide using experimental and theoretical methods, such as: mass spectrometry, potentiometry, UV-Vis and CD spectroscopies, AFM imaging, biological activity tests and DFT calculations in order to understand the correlation between their metal binding mode, structure, morphology and biological activity. We observe that Zn(II) coordinates to Shep II and causes a structural change, resulting in fibril formation, what has a pronounced biological consequence - a strong anticandidal activity. This phenomenon was observed neither for the peptide itself, nor for its copper(II) complex. The Zn(II) - shepherin II complex can be considered as a starting point for further anticandidal drug discovery, which is extremely important in the era of increasing antifungal drug resistance.

The potential role of glycosaminoglycans in serum amyloid A fibril formation by in silico approaches

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SAA dimer binds GAGs stronger than its monomer.

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Due to its net negative charge SAA prefers to bind short GAG sequences.

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GAG binding by SAA is electrostatics-driven and rather unspecific.

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GAG binding site is constituted predominantly by the N-terminal helix residues.

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GAG binding could potenitally attenuate unfolding of the N-terminal helix.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is actively involved in such pathological processes as atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease by its aggregation. One of the factors that can attenuate its aggregation and so affects its physiological role is its interactions with glycosminoglycans (GAGs), linear anionic periodic polysaccharides. These molecules located in the extracellular matrix of the cell are highly variable in their chemical composition and sulfation patterns. Despite the available experimental evidence of SAA-GAG interactions, no mechanistic details at atomic level have been reported for these systems so far. In our work we aimed to apply diverse computational tools to characterize SAA-GAG complexes formation and to answer questions about their potential specificity, energetic patterns, particular SAA residues involved in these interactions, favourable oligomeric state of the protein and the potential influence of GAGs on SAA aggregation. Molecular docking, conventional and replica exchange molecular dynamics approaches were applied to corroborate the experimental knowledge and to propose the corresponding molecular models. SAA-GAG complex formation was found to be electrostatics-driven and rather unspecific of a GAG sulfation pattern, more favorable for the dimer than for the monomer when binding to a short GAG oligosaccharide through its N-terminal helix, potentially contributing to the unfolding of this helix, which could lead to the promotion of the protein aggregation. The data obtained add to the specific knowledge on SAA-GAG systems and deepen the general understanding of protein-GAG interactions that is of a considerable value for the development of GAG-based approaches in a broad theurapeutic context.

Characterisation of the structural, dynamic and aggregation properties of the W64R amyloidogenic variant of human lysozyme

The accumulation in vital organs of amyloid fibrils made of mutational variants of lysozyme (HuL) is associated with a human systemic amyloid disease. The detailed comparison of the in vitro properties of the I56T and D67H amyloidogenic variants to those of the T70N non-amyloidogenic variant and the wild-type (WT) protein suggested that the deposition of large amounts of aggregated disease-related lysozyme variants is initiated by the formation of transient intermediate species. The ability to populate such intermediates is essentially due to the destabilisation of the protein and the loss of the global structural cooperativity under physiologically relevant conditions. Here, we report the characterisation of a third naturally occurring amyloidogenic lysozyme variant, W64R, in comparison with the I56T and WT proteins. The X-ray crystal structure of the W64R variant at 1.15 Å resolution is very similar to that of the WT protein; a few interactions within the β-domain and at the interface between the α- and β-domains differ, however, from those in the WT protein. Consequently, the W64R mutation destabilizes the protein to an extent that is similar to that observed for the I56T and D67H mutations. The ΔG°_NU(H₂O) is reduced by 24 kJ·mol^-1 and the T_m is about 12 °C lower than that of the WT protein. Under native conditions, the W64R and I56T proteins are readily digested by proteinase K, while the WT protein remains intact. These results suggest that the two variant proteins transiently populate similar partially unfolded states in which proteinase K cleavage sites are accessible to the protease. Moreover, the in vitro aggregation properties of the W64R protein are similar to those of the I56T variant. Altogether, these results indicate that the properties of the W64R protein are astonishingly similar to those of the I56T variant. They further corroborate the idea that HuL variants associated with the disease are those whose stability and global structural cooperativity are sufficiently reduced to allow the formation of aggregation prone partially folded intermediates under physiological conditions.

Effects of phosphate ion concentration on in-vitro fibrillogenesis of sturgeon type I collagen

Nonmammalian collagens have attracted significant attention owing to their potential for use as a source of cell scaffolds for tissue engineering. Since the morphology of collagen fibrils controls cell proliferation and differentiation, its regulation is essential for fabricating scaffolds with desirable characteristics. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the phosphate ion (Pi) concentration on the characteristics of fibrils formed from swim bladder type I collagen (SBC) and skin type I collagen (SC) from the Bester sturgeon. An increase in the Pi concentration decreased the fibril formation rate, promoted the formation of thick fibrils, and increased the thermal stability of the fibrils for both SBC and SC. However, the SBC and SC fibrils exhibited different fibril formation rates, degrees of fibrillogenesis, morphologies, and denaturation temperatures for the same reaction conditions. Finally, by regulating the Pi concentration, various types of SBC and SC fibrils could be coated on cell culture wells, and fibroblasts could be cultured on them. The results showed that thin fibrils enhance fibroblast extension and proliferation, whereas thick fibrils restrain fibroblast extension but orient them in the same direction. The results of this study suggest that SBC fibrils, which exhibit diverse morphologies, are suitable for use as a novel scaffold material, whose characteristics can be tailored readily by varying the Pi concentration.

Intensification of serum albumin amyloidogenesis by a glycation-peroxidation loop (GPL)

The interaction of reducing sugars with proteins leads to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGE) and reactive oxidative species (ROS). ROS peroxidise free or membrane included unsaturated fatty acids, leading to generate reactive aldehydes as advanced lipid peroxidation end products (ALE). Aldehydes from lipid peroxidation (LPO) react with proteins to cause alteration of protein structure to exacerbate complication of diseases. Here we studied serum albumin glycation in the presence and absence of liposomes as a bio-membrane model to investigate protein structural changes using various techniques including intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence spectroscopies and electron microscopy analysis. Accordingly, serum albumin glycation and fibrillation were accelerated and intensified in the presence of liposomes through a hypothesized glycation-peroxidation loop (GPL). Together, our results shed light on the necessity of reconsidering diabetic protein glycation to make it close to physiological conditions mimicry, more importantly, proteins structural change due to diabetic glycation is intensified in the proximity of cell membranes which probably potentiates programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis.

Effect of site-specific amino acid D-isomerization on β-sheet transition and fibril formation profiles of Tau microtubule-binding repeat peptides

d-amino acid-containing proteins have been found in several human tissues, and the spontaneous accumulation of d-amino acids in proteins is thought to be involved in age-dependent diseases including dementia. Tau, a microtubule-associated protein, is a major component of neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease. Site-specific amino acid D-isomerization in Tau has been observed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Here, we conducted amino acid D-isomerization at specific sites in microtubule-binding repeat peptides of Tau (Tau R2 and R3) and examined the effects on Tau structure and fibril formation. Our results demonstrate that amino acid D-isomerization in Tau R2 peptides decreased the rates of β-sheet transition and fibril formation compared with those of the wild-type peptide composed of all l-amino acids. In contrast, Tau R3 peptides that had undergone amino acid D-isomerization at either Asp314, Ser316, or Ser324 showed increased rates of β-sheet transition and fibril formation compared with those of the wild-type Tau R3 peptide.

Strontium-modification of porous scaffolds from mineralized collagen for potential use in bone defect therapy

The present study describes the development and characterization of strontium(II)-modified biomimetic scaffolds based on mineralized collagen type I as potential biomaterial for the local treatment of defects in systemically impaired (e.g. osteoporotic) bone. In contrast to already described collagen/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites calcium was substituted with strontium to the extent of 25, 50, 75 and 100mol% by substituting the CaCl₂-stock solution (0.1M) with SrCl₂ (0.1M) during the scaffold synthesis. Simultaneous fibrillation and mineralization of collagen led to the formation of collagen-mineral nanocomposites with mineral phases shifting from nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (Sr0) over poorly crystalline Sr-rich phases towards a mixed mineral phase (Sr100), consisting of an amorphous strontium phosphate (identified as Collin's salt, Sr₆H₃(PO₄)₅∗2 H₂O, CS) and highly crystalline strontium hydroxyapatite (Sr₅(PO₄)₃OH, SrHA). The formed mineral phases were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and RAMAN spectroscopy. All collagen/mineral nanocomposites with graded strontium content were processed to scaffolds exhibiting an interconnected porosity suitable for homogenous cell seeding in vitro. Strontium ions (Sr²⁺) were released in a sustained manner from the modified scaffolds, with a clear correlation between the released Sr²⁺ concentration and the degree of Sr-substitution. The accumulated specific Sr²⁺ release over the course of 28days reached 141.2μg (~27μgmg^-1) from Sr50 and 266.1μg (~35μgmg^-1) from Sr100, respectively. Under cell culture conditions this led to maximum Sr²⁺ concentrations of 0.41mM (Sr50) and 0.73mM (Sr100) measured on day 1, which declined to 0.08mM and 0.16mM, respectively, at day 28. Since Sr²⁺ concentrations in this range are known to have an osteo-anabolic effect, these scaffolds are promising biomaterials for the clinical treatment of defects in systemically impaired bone.

Jellyfish collagen scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

Porous scaffolds were engineered from refibrillized collagen of the jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum for potential application in cartilage regeneration. The influence of collagen concentration, salinity and temperature on fibril formation was evaluated by turbidity measurements and quantification of fibrillized collagen. The formation of collagen fibrils with a typical banding pattern was confirmed by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis. Porous scaffolds from jellyfish collagen, refibrillized under optimized conditions, were fabricated by freeze-drying and subsequent chemical cross-linking. Scaffolds possessed an open porosity of 98.2%. The samples were stable under cyclic compression and displayed an elastic behavior. Cytotoxicity tests with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) did not reveal any cytotoxic effects of the material. Chondrogenic markers SOX9, collagen II and aggrecan were upregulated in direct cultures of hMSCs upon chondrogenic stimulation. The formation of typical extracellular matrix components was further confirmed by quantification of sulfated glycosaminoglycans.

Testing synthetic amyloid-β aggregation inhibitor using single molecule atomic force spectroscopy

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease with no known cure and few effective treatment options. The principal neurotoxic agent is an oligomeric form of the amyloid-β peptide and one of the treatment options currently being studied is the inhibition of amyloid aggregation. In this work, we test a novel pseudopeptidic aggregation inhibitor designated as SG1. SG1 has been designed to bind at the amyloid-β self-recognition site and prevent amyloid-β from misfolding into β sheet. We used atomic force spectroscopy, a nanoscale measurement technique, to quantify the binding forces between two single amyloid peptide molecules. For the first time, we demonstrate that single molecule atomic force spectroscopy can be used to assess the effectiveness of amyloid aggregation inhibitors by measuring the experimental yield of binding and can potentially be used as a screening technique for quick testing of efficacy of inhibitor drugs for amyloid aggregation.