Reduction of conformational mobility and aggregation in W60G ß2-microglobulin: assessment by 15N NMR relaxation.

The amyloid pathology associated with long-term haemodialysis is due to the deposition of ß2-microglobulin, the non-polymorphic light chain of class I major histocompatibility complex, that accumulates at bone joints into amyloid fibrils. Several lines of evidence show the relevance of the tryptophan residue at position 60 for the fibrillogenic transition of the protein. A comparative (15)N NMR relaxation analysis is presented for wild-type human ß2-microglobulin and W60G ß2-microglobulin, i.e. the mutant with a glycyne replacing the natural tryptophan residue at position 60. The experimental data, collected at 11.4 T and 310 K, were analyzed by means of the reduced spectral density approach. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and corresponding thermodynamic integration, together with hydrodynamic calculations were performed to support data interpretation. The analysis results for the mutant protein are consistent with a reduced aggregation with respect to the wild-type counterpart, as a consequence of an increased conformational rigidity probed by either NMR relaxation and MD simulations. Although dynamics in solution is other than fibrillar competence, the assessed properties of the mutant protein can be related with its reduced ability of forming fibrils when seeded in 20% trifluoroethanol.

Molecular dynamics simulation of ß2-microglobulin in denaturing and stabilizing conditions.

ß2-Microglobulin has been a model system for the study of fibril formation for 20 years. The experimental study of ß2-microglobulin structure, dynamics, and thermodynamics in solution, at atomic detail, along the pathway leading to fibril formation is difficult because the onset of disorder and aggregation prevents signal resolution in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance experiments. Moreover, it is difficult to characterize conformers in exchange equilibrium. To gain insight (at atomic level) on processes for which experimental information is available at molecular or supramolecular level, molecular dynamics simulations have been widely used in the last decade. Here, we use molecular dynamics to address three key aspects of ß2-microglobulin, which are known to be relevant to amyloid formation: (1) 60 ns molecular dynamics simulations of ß2-microglobulin in trifluoroethanol and in conditions mimicking low pH are used to study the behavior of the protein in environmental conditions that are able to trigger amyloid formation; (2) adaptive biasing force molecular dynamics simulation is used to force cis-trans isomerization at Proline 32 and to calculate the relative free energy in the folded and unfolded state. The native-like trans-conformer (known as intermediate 2 and determining the slow phase of refolding), is simulated for 10 ns, detailing the possible link between cis-trans isomerization and conformational disorder; (3) molecular dynamics simulation of highly concentrated doxycycline (a molecule able to suppress fibril formation) in the presence of ß2-microglobulin provides details of the binding modes of the drug and a rationale for its effect.

The controlling roles of Trp60 and Trp95 in beta2-microglobulin function, folding and amyloid aggregation properties.

Amyloidosis associated to hemodialysis is caused by persistently high beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)m) serum levels. beta(2)m is an intrinsically amyloidogenic protein whose capacity to assemble into amyloid fibrils in vitro and in vivo is concentration dependent; no beta(2)m genetic variant is known in the human population. We investigated the roles of two evolutionary conserved Trp residues in relation to beta(2)m structure, function and folding/misfolding by means of a combined biophysical and functional approach. We show that Trp60 plays a functional role in promoting the association of beta(2)m in class I major histocompatibility complex; it is exposed to the solvent at the apex of a protein loop in order to accomplish such function. The Trp60-->Gly mutation has a threefold effect: it stabilizes beta(2)m, inhibits beta(2)m amyloidogenic propensity and weakens the interaction with the class I major histocompatibility complex heavy chain. On the contrary, Trp95 is buried in the beta(2)m core; the Trp95-->Gly mutation destabilizes the protein, which is unfolded in solution, yielding nonfibrillar beta(2)m aggregates. Trp60 and Trp95 therefore play differential and complementary roles in beta(2)m, being relevant for function (Trp60) and for maintenance of a properly folded structure (Trp95) while affecting in distinct ways the intrinsic propensity of wild-type beta(2)m towards self-aggregation into amyloid fibrils.

Helix mobility and recognition function of the rat thyroid transcription factor 1 homeodomain - hints from 15N-NMR relaxation studies.

The backbone dynamics of the (15)N-labeled homeodomain of the rat thyroid transcription factor 1 has been studied by 2D NMR spectroscopy. Longitudinal (R(1)) and transverse (R(2)) (15)N relaxation rate constants and steady-state {(1)H}-(15)N NOEs were measured at 11.7 T. These data were analyzed by both the model-free formalism and the reduced spectral density mapping (RSDM) approaches. The global rotational correlation time, tau(m), of the thyroid transcription factor 1 homeodomain in aqueous solution at 286 K was found to be 10.51 +/- 0.05 ns by model-free formalism and 9.85 +/- 1.79 ns by RSDM calculation. The homogeneity of the values of the overall correlation time calculated from the individual (R(2)/R(1)) ratios suggested a good degree of isotropy of the global molecular motion, consistent with the similar global tau(m) results obtained with the two different methods. Tyr25 was found to undergo slow conformational exchange by both methods, whereas this contribution was identified also for Lys21, Gln22, Ile38 and His52 only by RSDM. With both methods, the C-terminal fragment of helix III was found to be more flexible than the preceding N-terminal portion, with slightly different limits between rigid and mobile moieties. Additionally, Arg53 appeared to be characterized by an intermediate motional freedom between the very flexible N-terminal and C-terminal residues and the structured core of the molecule, suggesting the occurrence of a hinge point. Finally, slow-time-scale motions observed at the end of helix I, at the end of helix II and within helix III appear to be consistent with typical fraying transitions at helical C-termini.