ABSTRACT
A hallmark of the common Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the pathological conversion of its amphiphatic amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide into neurotoxic aggregates. In AD patients, these aggregates are often found to be tightly associated with neuronal G(M1) ganglioside lipids, suggesting an involvement of G(M1) not only in aggregate formation but also in neurotoxic events. Significant interactions were found between micelles made of newly synthesized fluorescent G(M1) gangliosides labeled in the polar headgroup or the hydrophobic chain and Abeta(1-40) peptide labeled with a BODIPY-FL-C1 fluorophore at positions 12 and 26, respectively. From an analysis of energy transfer between the different fluorescence labels and their location in the molecules, we were able to place the Abeta peptide inside G(M1) micelles, close to the hydrophobic-hydrophilic interface. Large unilamellar vesicles composed of a raftlike G(M1)/bSM/cholesterol lipid composition doped with labeled G(M1) at various positions also interact with labeled Abeta peptide tagged to amino acids 2 or 26. A faster energy transfer was observed from the Abeta peptide to bilayers doped with 581/591-BODIPY-C(11)-G(M1) in the nonpolar part of the lipid compared with 581/591-BODIPY-C(5)-G(M1) residing in the polar headgroup. These data are compatible with a clustering process of G(M1) molecules, an effect that not only increases the Abeta peptide affinity, but also causes a pronounced Abeta peptide penetration deeper into the lipid membrane; all these factors are potentially involved in Abeta peptide aggregate formation due to an altered ganglioside metabolism found in AD patients.
Subject(s)
Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Fluorescent Dyes/metabolism , G(M1) Ganglioside/metabolism , Micelles , Peptide Fragments/metabolism , Unilamellar Liposomes/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Peptides/chemistry , Amyloid beta-Peptides/genetics , Boron Compounds/metabolism , Cell Membrane/chemistry , Cell Membrane/metabolism , Electron Transport , Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions , Lipid Bilayers/chemistry , Lipid Bilayers/metabolism , Models, Molecular , Mutagenesis, Site-Directed , Peptide Fragments/chemistry , Peptide Fragments/genetics , Phosphatidylcholines/chemistry , Protein Binding , Protein Conformation , Spectrometry, Fluorescence , Time Factors , Unilamellar Liposomes/chemistryABSTRACT
The extended Förster theory (EFT) of electronic energy transport accounts for translational and rotational dynamics, which are neglected by the classical Förster theory (FT). EFT has been developed for electronic energy transfer within donor-acceptor pairs [Isaksson, et al, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 9, 1941(2007)] and donor-donor pairs [Johansson, et al, J. Chem. Phys., 105, 10896 (1996); Norlin, et al, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 10, 6962(2008)]. For donors that exhibit different or identical non-exponential fluorescence relaxation within a donor-donor pair, the process of reverberating energy migration is reversible to a higher or lower degree. Here the impact of the EFT has been studied with respect to its influence on fluorescence quantum yields, fluorescence lifetimes as well as depolarisation experiments. The FT predicts relative fluorescence quantum yields which usually agree with the EFT within experimental accuracy, however, substantial deviations occurs in the steady-state and in particular the time-resolved depolarisation data.
Subject(s)
Macromolecular Substances/chemistry , Quantum Theory , Computer Simulation , Energy Transfer , Fluorescence , Spectrometry, Fluorescence , Time FactorsABSTRACT
An extended Förster theory (EFT) is derived and outlined for electronic energy migration between two fluorescent molecules which are chemically identical, but photophysically non-identical. These molecules exhibit identical absorption and fluorescence spectra, while their fluorescence lifetimes differ. The latter means that the excitation probability becomes irreversible. Unlike the case of equal lifetimes, which is often referred to as, donor-donor energy migration (DDEM), the observed fluorescence relaxation is then no longer invariant to the energy migration process. To distinguish, the present case is therefore referred to as partial donor-donor energy migration (PDDEM). The EFT of PPDEM is described by a stochastic master equation (SME), which has been derived from the stochastic Liouville equation (SLE) of motion. The SME accounts for the reorienting as well as the translational motions of the interacting chromophores. Synthetic fluorescence lifetime and depolarisation data that mimics time-correlated single photon counting experiments have been generated and re-analysed. The rates of reorientation, as well as the orientational configurations of the interacting D-groups were examined. Moreover the EFT of PPDEM overcomes the classical "kappa(2)-problem" and the frequently applied approximation of kappa(2) = 2/3 in the data analyses. An outline for the analyses of fluorescence lifetime and depolarisation data is also given, which might prove applicable to structural studies of D-labelled macromolecules, e.g. proteins. The EFT presented here brings the analyses of PDDEM data to the same level of molecular detail as that used in ESR- and NMR-spectroscopy.
