scholarly journals Mechanisms of self-assembly and fibrillization of the prion-like domains

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yimei Lu ◽  
Liangzhong Lim ◽  
Yanming Tan ◽  
Lu Wang ◽  
Jianxing Song

AbstractThe mechanism of the self-assembly and fibrillization of the prion-like domains lies at the heart of their physiology and pathology. Here with the same methods previously established, we aimed to further decipher the mechanism by characterizing two prion-like sequences with the electrostatic properties very different from that of the full-length TDP-43 prion-like domain with a very basic pI value: namely the C-half of the TDP-43 prion-like domain only abundant in Gly, Ser, Asn and Gln with a pI of ~6.3, and the FUS prion-like domain enriched with Gly, Ser, Gln and Tyr with a pI of ~3.5. Interestingly, the C-half with the TDP-43 unique hydrophobic region removed is no longer able to form insoluble aggregates/fibrils but still capable of self-assembling into the reversible hydrogel with cross-β structures, despite being much slower than the full-length. On the other hand, the FUS prion-like domain rapidly self-assembles into the reversible hydrogel with cross-β fibrillar structures in 1 mM phosphate buffer at pH 6.8 but its self-assembly becomes very slow in 50 mM MES buffer at pH 5.5. Our study reveals that despite having completely different electrostatic properties, the full-length and C-half of the TDP-43 prion-like domain, as well as FUS prion-like domain all have the similar pH-dependence in self-assembly as we previously reported (Lim et al., [2016] PLOS Biol 14:e1002338). This unambiguously indicates that the self-assembly of the prion-like domains is not generally governed by the electrostatic interaction. Rather, their self-assembly and fibrillization are specified by the sequences despite being highly polar and degenerative. Furthermore, our study provides the first evidence that the formation of reversible hydrogel with cross-β structures is separable from fibrillization of the prion-like domain. Finally, our results also successfully reconcile the previous discrepancy about the conformation and mechanism of the self-assembly of the FUS prion-like domain.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 923-929
Author(s):  
Gaurav Pandey ◽  
Prem Prakash Das ◽  
Vibin Ramakrishnan

Background: RADA-4 (Ac-RADARADARADARADA-NH2) is the most extensively studied and marketed self-assembling peptide, forming hydrogel, used to create defined threedimensional microenvironments for cell culture applications. Objectives: In this work, we use various biophysical techniques to investigate the length dependency of RADA aggregation and assembly. Methods: We synthesized a series of RADA-N peptides, N ranging from 1 to 4, resulting in four peptides having 4, 8, 12, and 16 amino acids in their sequence. Through a combination of various biophysical methods including thioflavin T fluorescence assay, static right angle light scattering assay, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), electron microscopy, CD, and IR spectroscopy, we have examined the role of chain-length on the self-assembly of RADA peptide. Results: Our observations show that the aggregation of ionic, charge-complementary RADA motifcontaining peptides is length-dependent, with N less than 3 are not forming spontaneous selfassemblies. Conclusion: The six biophysical experiments discussed in this paper validate the significance of chain-length on the epitaxial growth of RADA peptide self-assembly.


Soft Matter ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (28) ◽  
pp. 6599-6607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pijush Singh ◽  
Souvik Misra ◽  
Nayim Sepay ◽  
Sanjoy Mondal ◽  
Debes Ray ◽  
...  

The self-assembly and photophysical properties of 4-nitrophenylalanine (4NP) are changed with the alteration of solvent and final self-assembly state of 4NP in competitive solvent mixture and are dictated by the solvent ratio.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharti Koshti ◽  
Ramesh Singh ◽  
Vivekshinh Kshtriya ◽  
Shanka Walia ◽  
Dhiraj Bhatia ◽  
...  

<p>.<br></p><p>The self-assembly of single amino acids is very important topic of research since there are plethora of diseases like phenylketonuria, tyrosinemia, hypertryptophanemia, hyperglycinemia, cystinuria and maple syrup urine disease to name a few which are caused by the accumulation or excess of amino acids. These are in-born errors of metabolisms (IEM’s) which are caused due to the deficiency of enzymes involved in catabolic pathways of these enzymes. Hence, it is very pertinent to understand the fate of these excess amino acids in the body and their self-assembling behaviour at molecular level. From the previous literature reports it may be surmised that the single amino acids like Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Tryptophan, Cysteine and Methionine assemble to amyloid like structures, and hence have important implications in the pathophysiology of IEM’s like phenylketonuria, tyrosinemia, hypertryptophanemia, cystinuria and hypermethioninemia respectively. In this manuscript we report the self-assembly of lysine hydrocholride to fiber like structures in deionized water. It could be observed that lysine assemble to globular structures in fresh condition and then gradually changes to fiber like morphologies by self-association over time after 24 hours. These fibers gradually change to tubular morphologies after 3 day followed by fractal irregular morphologies in 10 and 15 days respectively. Notably, lysine exists as positively charged amino acid at physiological pH and the amine groups in lysine remain protonated. Hence, the self-assembling properties of lysine hydrochloride in deionized water is also pertinent and give insights into the fate of this amino acid in body in case it remains unmetabolized. Further, MTT assays were done to analyse the toxicities of these aggregates and the assay suggest their cytotoxic nature on SHSY5Y neural cell lines. Hence, the aggregation of lysine may be attributed to the pathological symptoms caused in diseases like hyperlysinemia which is associated with the neurological problems like seizures and short-term memory as observed in case of amyloid diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to name a few.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 550-553 ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
Hao Li ◽  
Yong Hong Deng ◽  
Kai Huang

Alkali lignin (AL) was used as a polyanion to form layer-by-layer self-assembled film with PDAC as a polycation. The effects of temperature and concentration on the adsorption characteristics of AL were investigated. Iodine was added into AL solutions to study the role of π-π interaction in self-assembly of AL and PDAC. Results show that the self-assembly of AL/PDAC is mainly driven by π-π interaction and electrostatic interaction. A higher temperature or a larger concentration can enhance the aggregation of lignin. I2 can form lignin–iodine charge–transfer complexes with AL to reduce the degree of aggregation of AL, so the adsorbed amount of AL decreases significantly with increasing iodine contents.


RSC Advances ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (58) ◽  
pp. 30654-30657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rie Wakabayashi ◽  
Yuko Abe ◽  
Noriho Kamiya ◽  
Masahiro Goto

New GALA-related peptide amphiphiles were designed and the influence of their self-assembling propensity and the secondary structure on the membrane permeability was studied.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeimmy González-Masís ◽  
Jorge M. Cubero-Sesin ◽  
Simón Guerrero ◽  
Sara González-Camacho ◽  
Yendry Regina Corrales-Ureña ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Collagen, the most abundant protein in the animal kingdom, represents a promising biomaterial for regenerative medicine applications due to its structural diversity and self-assembling complexity. Despite collagen’s widely known structural and functional features, the thermodynamics behind its fibrillogenic self-assembling process is still to be fully understood. In this work we report on a series of spectroscopic, mechanical, morphological and thermodynamic characterizations of high purity type I collagen (with a D-pattern of 65 nm) extracted from Wistar Hannover rat tail. Our herein reported results can be of help to elucidate differences in self-assembly states of proteins using ITC to improve the design of energy responsive and dynamic materials for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Methods Herein we report the systematic study on the self-assembling fibrillogenesis mechanism of type I collagen, we provide morphological and thermodynamic evidence associated to different self-assembly events using ITC titrations. We provide thorough characterization of the effect of pH, effect of salts and protein conformation on self-assembled collagen samples via several complementary biophysical techniques, including circular dichroism (CD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results Emphasis was made on the use of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) for the thermodynamic monitoring of fibrillogenesis stages of the protein. An overall self-assembly enthalpy value of 3.27 ± 0.85 J/mol was found. Different stages of the self-assembly mechanism were identified, initial stages take place at pH values lower than the protein isoelectric point (pI), however, higher energy release events were recorded at collagen’s pI. Denatured collagen employed as a control exhibited higher energy absorption at its pI, suggesting different energy exchange mechanisms as a consequence of different aggregation routes. Graphical abstract


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoming Jin ◽  
Zhongyao Du ◽  
Pengjie Wang ◽  
Huiyuan Guo ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
...  

Folic acid has been widely introduced into nano-drug delivery systems to give nanoparticle-targeted characteristics. However, the poor water solubility of folic acid may hinder the exploitation of its ability to load antineoplastic drugs. In the present study, we designed a new folate derivative (FA-2-DG) synthesized from folic acid and 2-Deoxyglucose (2-DG). The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-assembly characteristics of FA-2-DG, and its ability of loading cisplatin. The critical micelle concentration was 7.94 × 10−6 mol L−1. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that hydrogen bonding interaction is a main driving force for the self–assembly of FA-2-DG. The particle was stable in pure water or 0.5% bovine serum albumin dispersions. By forming a coordination bond, the particles assembled from FA-2-DG can load cisplatin. The loading efficiency was maximal when the molar ratio of FA-2-DG to cisplatin was 2:1.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (22) ◽  
pp. 8557
Author(s):  
Marco Savioli ◽  
Manuela Stefanelli ◽  
Gabriele Magna ◽  
Francesca Zurlo ◽  
Maria Federica Caso ◽  
...  

Supramolecular chirality is one of the most important issues in different branches of science and technology, as stereoselective molecular recognition, catalysis, and sensors. In this paper, we report on the self-assembly of amphiphilic porphyrin derivatives possessing a chiral information on the periphery of the macrocycle (i.e., D- or L-proline moieties), in the presence of chiral amines as co-solute, such as chiral benzylamine derivatives. The aggregation process, steered by hydrophobic effect, has been studied in aqueous solvent mixtures by combined spectroscopic and topographic techniques. The results obtained pointed out a dramatic effect of these ligands on the morphology and on the supramolecular chirality of the final self-assembled structures. Scanning electron microscopy topography, as well as fluorescence microscopy studies revealed the formation of rod-like structures of micrometric size, different from the fractal structures formerly observed when the self-assembly process is carried out in the absence of chiral amine co-solutes. On the other hand, comparative experiments with an achiral porphyrin analogue strongly suggested that the presence of the prolinate moiety is mandatory for the achievement of the observed highly organized suprastructures. The results obtained would be of importance for unraveling the intimate mechanisms operating in the selection of the homochirality, and for the preparation of sensitive materials for the detection of chiral analytes, with tunable stereoselectivity and morphology.


Soft Matter ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 4366-4374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Mu ◽  
Jian-Quan Li ◽  
Sheng-Yu Feng

We designed twelve types of weak polyelectrolytes (i.e., PEO-b-PMMA copolymers (BCP) in multi-arm structures, where six include EO blocks as joint points and the other six have MMA blocks as joint points). Of these, six are displayed; structures with EO blocks as joint points on the left, and those with MMA blocks as joint points on the right.


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