Impact of nanoparticles on amyloid peptide and protein aggregation: a review with a focus on gold nanoparticles.

Society is increasingly exposed to nanoparticles as they are ubiquitous in nature and introduced as man-made air pollutants and as functional ingredients in cosmetic products as well as in nanomedicine. Nanoparticles differ in size, shape and material properties. In addition to their intended function, the side effects on biochemical processes in organisms remain unclear. Nanoparticles can significantly influence the nucleation and aggregation process of peptides. The development of several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, is related to the aggregation of peptides into amyloid fibrils. However, there is no comprehensive or universal mechanism to predict or explain apparent acceleration or inhibition of these aggregation processes. In this work, selected studies and possible mechanisms for amyloid peptide nucleation and aggregation, in the presence of nanoparticles, are highlighted. These studies are discussed in the context of recent data from our group on the role of gold nanoparticles in amyloid peptide aggregation using experimental methods and large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. A complex interplay of the surface properties of the nanoparticles, the properties of the peptides, as well as the resulting forces between both the nanoparticles and the peptides, appear to determine whether amyloid peptide aggregation is influenced, catalysed or inhibited by the presence of nanoparticles.

Studies of Carbon Monoxide Release from Ruthenium(II) Bipyridine Carbonyl Complexes upon UV-Light Exposure.

The UV-light-induced CO release characteristics of a series of ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes of the form trans-Cl[RuLCl2(CO)2] (L = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, 4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine-4-carboxylic acid, or 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid) have been elucidated using a combination of UV-vis absorbance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, multivariate curve resolution alternating least-squares analysis, and density functional theory calculations. In acetonitrile, photolysis appears to proceed via a serial three-step mechanism involving the sequential formation of [RuL(CO)(CH3CN)Cl2], [RuL(CH3CN)2Cl2], and [RuL(CH3CN)3Cl]+. Release of the first CO molecule occurs quickly (k1 ≫ 3 min-1), while release of the second CO molecule proceeds at a much more modest rate (k2 = 0.099-0.17 min-1) and is slowed by the presence of electron-withdrawing carboxyl substituents on the bipyridine ligand. In aqueous media (1% dimethyl sulfoxide in H2O), the two photodecarbonylation steps proceed much more slowly (k1 = 0.46-1.3 min-1 and k2 = 0.026-0.035 min-1, respectively) and the influence of the carboxyl groups is less pronounced. These results have implications for the design of new light-responsive CO-releasing molecules ("photoCORMs") intended for future medical use.

Effects of guanidino modified aminoglycosides on mammalian membranes studied using a quartz crystal microbalance.

The increase in bacterial and viral resistance to current therapeutics has led to intensive research for new antibacterial and antiviral agents. Among these, aminoglycosides and their guanidino derivatives are potent candidates targeting specific RNA sequences. It is necessary that these substances can pass across mammalian membranes in order to reach their intracellular targets. This study investigated the effects of the aminoglycosides kanamycin A and neomycin B and their guanidino derivatives on mammalian mimetic membranes using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Lipid bilayers as membrane models were deposited onto gold coated quartz crystals and aminoglycosides added afterwards. Notably, the guanidino derivatives exhibited an initial stiffening of the membrane layer indicating a quick insertion of the planar guanidino groups into the membrane. The guanidino derivatives also reached their maximum binding to the membrane at lower concentrations than the native compounds. Therefore, these modified aminoglycosides are promising agents for the development of new antimicrobial treatments.

Electrochemistry of cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450c17).

Within the superfamily of cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s), there is a small class which is functionally employed for steroid biosynthesis. The enzymes in this class appear to have a small active site to accommodate the steroid substrates specifically and snuggly, prior to the redox transformation or hydroxylation to form a product. Cytochrome P450c17 is one of these and is also a multi-functional P450, with two activities, the first 17α-hydroxylation of pregnenolone is followed by a subsequent 17,20-lyase transformation to dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) as the dominant pathways to cortisol precursors or androgens in humans, respectively. How P450c17 regulates these two redox reactions is of special interest. There is a paucity of direct electrochemical studies on steroidogenic P450s, and in this mini-review we provide an overview of these studies with P450c17. Historical consideration as to the difficulties in obtaining reliable electrochemistry due to issues of handling proteins on an electrode, together with advances in the electrochemical techniques are addressed. Recent work using Fourier transformed alternating current voltammetry is highlighted as this technique can provide both catalytic information simultaneously with the underlying redox transfer with the P450 haem.

Membrane-Mediated Protein-Protein Interactions of Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Cytochrome†P450 with its Associated Electron Transport Proteins.

Cytochrome P450scc (P450scc or CYP11A1) catalyses the first enzymatic step of steroid biosynthesis, the cleavage of the side chain of cholesterol to produce pregnenolone in the mitochondrion. The activity of P450scc is dependent upon electron delivery from NADPH-dependent adrenodoxin reductase (AdR), via adrenodoxin (Adx), to the P450scc. However, despite the structural and kinetic data that supports the mechanism by which Adx shuttles electrons one at a time between AdR and the P450scc, there are limited data available on the influence of the lipid membrane on these essential interactions. In this paper, the protein-membrane interactions between P450scc and its redox partners were examined on 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) membranes containing cholesterol (20 %), using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. P450scc showed strong binding to these membranes, whereas AdR and Adx both showed weaker association. If pre-mixed, all three proteins bound independently to the membrane layer in a distinctive two-stage process, as observed by frequency changes upon binding. Concomitant changes in the dissipation revealed specific protein-protein interaction occurs upon reaching a critical concentration of proteins in the membrane layer. These changes were specific for the binding of the three pre-mixed proteins and were not observed for a binary mixture of P450 and Adx, or sequential binding of the three proteins. A simple model was developed for the binding of all three proteins in a 1:1:1 mixture to the membrane and reproduces the experimental data describing the interaction of P450scc with the other proteins (AdR and Adx) after initial binding of the individual proteins. Thus, we conclude that the lipid membrane assists in the assembly of electron transport proteins and the activity of P450scc by providing a surface for the localised concentration of proteins, enabling them to act together as a metabolon.

Double layer effects at nanosized electrodes.

This paper discusses numerical simulations of double layer effects at shrouded electrodes with dimensions below 100 nm. Special focus is given to the surface charge on the shrouding material. The Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations are solved to study the effects on the limiting current arising from the electrical double layer of the shrouding.