1,4-二巯基苏糖醇对溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化的抑制作用

蛋白质淀粉样纤维化是很多人类疾病的重要特征,筛选蛋白质淀粉样纤维化的抑制剂对于研究和开发相关疾病的治疗药物具有重要意义。本文采用溶菌酶作为模型,探索巯基化合物1,4-二巯基苏糖醇(DTT)对蛋白质淀粉样纤维化的抑制作用。结果表明,DTT对溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化具有较强的抑制作用,其IC50数值为17μmol.L-1。DTT抑制溶菌酶纤维化的作用与其巯基结构有关。在溶菌酶分子高级结构改变产生聚集和纤维化的过程中,DTT分子的巯基通过与溶菌酶的二硫键作用改变了多肽的构象,从而改变了溶菌酶纤维化的进程。     

拉曼光谱研究镍离子对鸡蛋清溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化动力学影响的浓度效应（英文）

本文采用拉曼光谱研究了Ni(Ⅱ)离子在高温和酸性条件下对鸡蛋清溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化动力学的影响.利用蛋白质三级和二级结构的拉曼光谱指针,检测分析了Ni(Ⅱ)离子对蛋白质三级结构展开和二级结构转化影响的浓度效应.结果证实了金属离子在动力学的加速作用.值得注意的是,通过对酰胺Ⅰ谱带的光谱分析并结合ThT荧光分析都表明,Ni(Ⅱ)离子对于形成有组织β-片层结构的淀粉样纤维有抑制作用,而在组装成其他无序结构的聚集体时,则会表现出显著的促进作用.本文为金属介导的蛋白质纤维化过程研究提供了参考信息.     

基于原子力显微镜研究农药对溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化过程的影响

本文利用原子力显微镜(AFM)在分子水平上研究了三氯杀螨醇、氟氯氰菊酯、三唑酮和西维因四种农药对淀粉样纤维化过程的影响。结果发现,四种农药对溶菌酶淀粉样纤维的形貌特征均没有明显的影响。但是,三氯杀螨醇和氟氯氰菊酯缩短了淀粉样纤维生长的指数生长期,对溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化过程有促进作用,而三唑酮和西维因对纤维化过程没有明显的影响。结合表面等离子体共振技术和荧光光谱技术的分析结果,可以推测三氯杀螨醇和氟氯氰菊酯与溶菌酶结合后,使蛋白质构象发生变化而促进了淀粉样纤维的形成。本文不仅从分子水平上研究农药与淀粉样纤维化过程的关系,还有望为预防淀粉样变性疾病提供理论参考。     

表没食子儿茶素(EGC)对溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化的抑制作用

天然多酚化合物是蛋白质淀粉样纤维化相关疾病的潜在治疗药物。本文采用溶菌酶和表没食子儿茶素(EGC)研究了多酚化合物对蛋白质淀粉样纤维的作用。结果表明,EGC能够抑制溶菌酶的淀粉样纤维化,并能够破坏成熟的纤维结构,使纤维的淀粉样特性降低。巯基化合物二巯基苏糖醇(DTT)能够部分抑制EGC破坏纤维的作用,表明EGC可能通过与巯基结合而对多肽链进行共价修饰,从而改变了淀粉样纤维的自组装结构。根据上述结果,我们认为,多酚化合物形成醌类中间体并对多肽链的自由巯基进行修饰,是其抑制蛋白质淀粉样纤维化的主要途径。     

硫酸钠对胰岛素淀粉样纤维化及其细胞毒性的作用

超过20种人类疾病与蛋白质或者多肽淀粉样纤维化密切相关,探究影响蛋白质的结构稳定性及其淀粉样纤维化的环境条件具有重要意义.本文采用牛胰岛素作为模型蛋白质,研究了Na2SO4对蛋白质淀粉样纤维化的作用.实验结果表明,不同浓度的Na2SO4对胰岛素淀粉样纤维化过程具有不同的影响,低浓度条件下可促进纤维化,较高浓度可明显抑制淀粉样纤维的形成,更高的浓度则使胰岛素形成非纤维状聚集体.ANS荧光分析结果表明,所有浓度的Na2SO4均可减小胰岛素聚集体的表面疏水性,并导致聚集体对细胞膜的损害作用降低.Na2SO4的上述作用可能与其改变蛋白质分子间的静电作用力及溶剂效应有关.     

酚化合物对胰岛素淀粉样纤维化的抑制作用

采用牛胰岛素作为模型多肽分子, 对几种结构相近的简单多酚的抗多肽淀粉样纤维化作用进行了研究. 结果表明, 邻苯二酚和对苯二酚对胰岛素纤维化具有抑制作用, 并通过形成醌中间体对多肽链进行修饰, 与对苯醌作用类似; 而苯酚和间二苯酚在相同条件下, 既不能修饰多肽也无抑制纤维化作用. 在无氧条件下, 邻苯二酚和对苯二酚对胰岛素纤维化的抑制作用明显降低, 说明酚化合物经氧化形成的醌中间体是其抗胰岛素纤维化的主要活性结构.     

淀粉样蛋白聚集纤维化的抑制作用研究

总结了不同抑制剂对淀粉样蛋白聚集及纤维化的抑制作用,主要介绍了金属配合物作为淀粉样蛋白抑制剂的研究,并概述了淀粉样蛋白相互作用体系的热力学研究进展.     

3种苯丙胺类药物与溶菌酶的作用机制及构效关系研究

在模拟人体生理条件下,采用荧光光谱法研究了3种不同结构的苯丙胺类药物(麻黄碱、伪麻黄碱和甲基麻黄碱)与溶菌酶之间的相互作用,计算了其结合常数、结合位点数和热力学参数,并探讨了3种药物对溶菌酶构象的影响.研究发现,三者可对溶菌酶内源性荧光产生强烈的猝灭作用,其猝灭过程均为静态猝灭.麻黄碱、伪麻黄碱和甲基麻黄碱与溶菌酶均形...     

基于ThT荧光寿命检测蛋清溶菌酶蛋白寡聚体

采用时间分辨荧光技术, 检测了不同形态蛋白聚集体的荧光染料硫磺素T(ThT)荧光寿命. 利用蛋清溶菌酶体外制备了蛋白聚集体; 采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)及ThT稳态荧光检测了结合蛋白纤维生长的动力学曲线, 确定其形成寡聚体及纤维样聚集体的特征和时间. 通过时间相关单光子计数(TCSPC)技术测定了蛋清溶菌酶单体、 寡聚体和淀粉样纤维的ThT荧光寿命曲线, 并拟合、 计算其荧光寿命. 根据圆二色谱(CD)分析结果推测聚集体的结构不同导致其与ThT的结合状态不同, 从而影响ThT荧光寿命. 结果表明, 通过测定ThT荧光寿命可以区分蛋白单体、 寡聚体和纤维样聚集体, 并监测蛋白寡聚体的形成, 为后续病理蛋白聚集过程中形成寡聚体物质的监测提供了研究基础.     

功能金属碘酸盐的结构与性能

金属碘酸盐由于含有处于不对称配位环境和孤对电子的碘(V)离子可形成丰富奇特的结构,其中不少化合物是潜在的新型二阶非线性光学材料.它们的透过波段宽、倍频系数大、损伤阈值高而且热稳定性良好.本文总结了金属碘酸盐的结构与性能.将d0过渡金属复合到碘酸盐中可得到很多新颖结构的金属碘酸盐,其抗衡阳离子包括碱金属、碱土金属和稀土元素.由于两种不对称结构单元极化作用的叠加,它们中许多化合物具有非中心对称结构并表现出优良的二阶非线性光学性能.一些稀土碘酸盐在可见或近红外区有很强的荧光.如果碘酸根的孤对电子能排列适当,电子结构为dn(n≠0)的过渡金属与碘酸盐的复合也可得到非中心对称结构的化合物.这些dn过渡金属通常具有八面体或四方平面配位环境.此外两种不同孤对电子阳离子的复合也是设计新倍频材料的一条有效策略.     

Concentration-Dependent Influence of Silver Nanoparticles on Amyloid Fibrillation Kinetics of Hen Egg-White Lysozyme

Understanding the influence of nanoparticles on the formation of protein amyloid fibrillation is crucial to extend their application in related biological diagnosis and nanomedicines. In this work, Raman spectroscopy was used to probe the amyloid fibrillation of hen egg-white lysozyme in the presence of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at different concentrations, combined with atomic force microscopy and thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assays. Four representative Raman indicators were utilized to monitor transformation of the protein tertiary and secondary structures at the molecular level: the Trp doublet bands at 1340 and 1360 cm^-1, the disulfide stretching vibrational peak at 507 cm^-1, the N-C$\alpha$-C stretching vibration at 933 cm^-1, and the amide Ⅰ band. All experimental results confirmed the concentration-dependent influence of AgNPs on the hen egg-white lysozyme amyloid fibrillation kinetics. In the presence of AgNPs at low concentration (17 μg/mL), electrostatic interaction of the nanoparticles stabilizes disulfide bonds, and protects the Trp residues from exposure to hydrophilic environment, thus leading to formation of amorphous aggregates rather than fibrils. However, with the action of AgNPs at high concentration (1700 μg/mL), the native disulfide bonds of hen egg-white lysozyme are broken to form Ag-S bonds owing to the competition of electrostatic interaction from a great deal of nanoparticles. As for providing functional surfaces for protein to interact with, AgNPs play a bridge role in direct transformation from $\alpha$-helices to organized $\beta$-sheets. The present investigation sheds light on the controversial effects of AgNPs on the kinetics of hen egg-white lysozyme amyloid fibrillation.     

Population of nonnative states of lysozyme variants drives amyloid fibril formation

The propensity of protein molecules to self-assemble into highly ordered, fibrillar aggregates lies at the heart of understanding many disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease to systemic lysozyme amyloidosis. In this paper we use highly accurate kinetic measurements of amyloid fibril growth in combination with spectroscopic tools to quantify the effect of modifications in solution conditions and in the amino acid sequence of human lysozyme on its propensity to form amyloid fibrils under acidic conditions. We elucidate and quantify the correlation between the rate of amyloid growth and the population of nonnative states, and we show that changes in amyloidogenicity are almost entirely due to alterations in the stability of the native state, while other regions of the global free-energy surface remain largely unmodified. These results provide insight into the complex dynamics of a macromolecule on a multidimensional energy landscape and point the way for a better understanding of amyloid diseases.     

Local cooperativity in an amyloidogenic state of human lysozyme observed at atomic resolution

The partial unfolding of human lysozyme underlies its conversion from the soluble state into amyloid fibrils observed in a fatal hereditary form of systemic amyloidosis. To understand the molecular origins of the disease, it is critical to characterize the structural and physicochemical properties of the amyloidogenic states of the protein. Here we provide a high-resolution view of the unfolding process at low pH for three different lysozyme variants, the wild-type protein and the mutants I56T and I59T, which show variable stabilities and propensities to aggregate in vitro. Using a range of biophysical techniques that includes differential scanning calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrate that thermal unfolding under amyloidogenic solution conditions involves a cooperative loss of native tertiary structure, followed by progressive unfolding of a compact, molten globule-like denatured state ensemble as the temperature is increased. The width of the temperature window over which the denatured ensemble progressively unfolds correlates with the relative amyloidogenicity and stability of these variants, and the region of lysozyme that unfolds first maps to that which forms the core of the amyloid fibrils formed under similar conditions. Together, these results present a coherent picture at atomic resolution of the initial events underlying amyloid formation by a globular protein.     

On the Protein Fibrillation Pathway: Oligomer Intermediates Detection Using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy

Oligomeric intermediates on the pathway of amyloid fibrillation are suspected as the main cytotoxins responsible for amyloid-related pathogenicity. As they appear to be a part of the lag phase of amyloid fibrillation when analyzed using standard methods such as Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, a more sensitive method is needed for their detection. Here we apply Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode for fast and cheap analysis of destabilized hen-egg-white lysozyme solution and detection of oligomer intermediates of amyloid fibrillation. Standard methods of protein aggregation analysis— Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulphonic acid (ANS) fluorescence were applied and compared to FTIR spectroscopy data. Results show the great potential of FTIR for both, qualitative and quantitative monitoring of oligomer formation based on the secondary structure changes. While oligomer intermediates do not induce significant changes in ThT fluorescence, their secondary structure changes were very prominent. Normalization of specific Amide I region peak intensities by using Amide II peak intensity as an internal standard provides an opportunity to use FTIR spectroscopy for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of biological samples and detection of potentially toxic oligomers, as well as for screening of efficiency of fibrillation procedures.     

Inhibition of Amyloid Fibril Growth and Dissolution of Amyloid Fibrils by Curcumin–Gold Nanoparticles

Inhibition of amyloid fibrillation and clearance of amyloid fibrils/plaques are essential for the prevention and treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders involving protein aggregation. Herein, we report curcumin‐functionalized gold nanoparticles (Au‐curcumin) of hydrodynamic diameter 10–25 nm, which serve to inhibit amyloid fibrillation and disintegrate/dissolve amyloid fibrils. In nanoparticle form, curcumin is water‐soluble and can efficiently interact with amyloid protein/peptide, offering enhanced performance in inhibiting amyloid fibrillation and dissolving amyloid fibrils. Our results imply that nanoparticle‐based artificial molecular chaperones may offer a promising therapeutic approach to combat neurodegenerative disease.     

Supramolecular Inhibition of Amyloid Fibrillation by Cucurbit[7]uril

Amyloid fibrils are insoluble protein aggregates comprised of highly ordered β‐sheet structures and they are involved in the pathology of amyloidoses, such as Alzheimer’s disease. A supramolecular strategy is presented for inhibiting amyloid fibrillation by using cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]). CB[7] prevents the fibrillation of insulin and β‐amyloid by capturing phenylalanine (Phe) residues, which are crucial to the hydrophobic interactions formed during amyloid fibrillation. These results suggest that the Phe‐specific binding of CB[7] can modulate the intermolecular interaction of amyloid proteins and prevent the transition from monomeric to multimeric states. CB[7] thus has potential for the development of a therapeutic strategy for amyloidosis.     

Structure and function of proteins in hydrated choline dihydrogen phosphate ionic liquid

Ionic liquids are being intensely studied as promising media for the stabilization of proteins and other biomolecules. Choline dihydrogen phosphate (CDHP) has been identified as one of the most promising candidates for this application. In this work we have probed in more detail the effects that CDHP may have on the thermodynamics, structure, and stability of proteins, including one of therapeutic interest. Microcalorimetry and circular dichroism spectropolarimetry (CD) were used to assess the thermal stability of protein solutions in CDHP/water mixtures at various concentrations. Increasing thermal stability of lysozyme and interleukin-2 in proportion to CDHP concentration was observed. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to quantify binding interactions, and indicate that the mechanism for stability does not appear to be dependent upon CDHP binding to protein. CD and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses were used to probe for structural changes due to the presence of CDHP. SAXS indicates charge effects on the surface of the protein play a role in protein stability in ionic liquids, and no significant alteration of the overall tertiary conformation of lysozyme was observed at 25 °C. However, after incubation at 37 °C or at higher concentrations of CDHP, small changes in protein structure were seen. Effects on protein activity were monitored using turbidity assays, and CDHP decreases protein activity but does not eliminate it. Protein solubility was also monitored using a turbidity assay and was found to be inversely proportional to the concentration of CDHP in solution.     

Conformational changes of protein adsorbed on tailored flat substrates with different chemistries

Changes in the bioactivity of a protein after being adsorbed on a material surface may result from conformational changes of the protein. Unfortunately, however, direct evidence of such conformational changes of proteins adsorbed on a flat material surface is sparse so far. This is because probing the conformation of an adsorbed protein on material surfaces, especially flat ones, remains a challenge due to considerable experimental difficulties. In this study, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique is used to characterize the conformational changes of a protein (lysozyme) adsorbed on tailored flat gold substrates with different chemistries. Two such substrates are formed by self-assembly of octadecanethiol and thiolated PEG on gold chips (Au-C18 and Au-PEG). Preliminary results reveal that, compared to the hydrophobic Au-C18 surface, the hydrophilic Au-PEG surface has much smaller effect on the conformation of lysozyme in aqueous solution, which thereby keeps its high bioactivity. The conformational changes of lysozyme adsorbed on material surfaces with different chemistries are well correlated with changes in its bioactivity.