6533b824fe1ef96bd12800c0

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Cholesterol facilitates interactions between α‐synuclein oligomers and charge‐neutral membranes

Andreas Van MaarschalkerweerdValeria VetriBente Vestergaard

subject

AmyloidParkinson's diseaseFluorescent DyeBiophysicsPlasma protein bindingBiochemistryOligomerProtein Structure SecondaryMultiphoton microscopyMembrane phase separationCell membranechemistry.chemical_compoundGeneticStructural Biology2-NaphthylamineLaurdan fluorescenceGeneticsFluorescence microscopemedicineMolecular BiologyFluorescent DyesLaurateα-SynucleinMembranesChemistryMedicine (all)2-NaphthylamineCell MembraneMembraneCell BiologySettore FIS/07 - Fisica Applicata(Beni Culturali Ambientali Biol.e Medicin)CholesterolMembranemedicine.anatomical_structureBiophysicBiochemistryStructural biologyOligomeralpha-SynucleinParkinson’s diseaseProtein MultimerizationLaurdanLauratesProtein Binding

description

AbstractOligomeric species formed during α-synuclein fibrillation are suggested to be membrane-disrupting agents, and have been associated with cytotoxicity in Parkinson’s disease. The majority of studies, however, have revealed that the effect of α-synuclein oligomers is only noticeable on systems composed of anionic lipids, while the more physiologically relevant zwitterionic lipids remain intact. We present experimental evidence for significant morphological changes in zwitterionic membranes containing cholesterol, induced by α-synuclein oligomers. Depending on the lipid composition, model membranes are either unperturbed, disrupt, or undergo dramatic morphological changes and segregate into structurally different components, which we visualize by 2-photon fluorescence microscopy and generalized polarization analysis using the fluorescent probe Laurdan. Our results highlight the crucial role of cholesterol for mediating interactions between physiologically relevant membranes and α-synuclein.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2015.08.013