Effect of association state and conformational stability on the kinetics of immunoglobulin light chain amyloid fibril formation at physiological pH

J Biol Chem. 2002 Apr 12;277(15):12657-65. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109230200. Epub 2002 Jan 28.

Abstract

Light chain amyloidosis involves the systemic deposition of fibrils in patients overproducing monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains. The kinetics of fibril formation of LEN, a benign light chain variable domain, were investigated at physiological pH in the presence of urea. Despite the lack of in vivo fibril formation, LEN readily forms fibrils in vitro under mildly destabilizing conditions. The effect of low to moderate concentrations of urea on the conformation, association state, stability, and kinetics of fibrillation of LEN were investigated. The conformation of LEN was only slightly affected by the addition of up to 4 m urea. The fibrillation kinetics were highly dependent on protein and urea concentrations, becoming faster with decreasing protein concentration and increasing urea concentration. Changes in spectral probes were concomitant to fibril formation throughout the protein and urea concentration ranges, indicating the absence of off-pathway oligomeric species or amorphous aggregates prior to fibril formation. Reducing the amount of dimers initially present in solution by either decreasing the protein concentration or adding urea resulted in faster fibril formation. Thus, increasing concentrations of urea, by triggering dissociation of dimeric LEN, lead to increased rates of fibrillation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid / metabolism*
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration*
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains / chemistry
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains / metabolism*
  • Kinetics
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Denaturation
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Temperature
  • Urea / chemistry

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Urea