The role of the disulfide bond in the interaction of islet amyloid polypeptide with membranes

Eur Biophys J. 2010 Aug;39(9):1359-64. doi: 10.1007/s00249-009-0572-4. Epub 2010 Jan 6.

Abstract

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) forms amyloid fibrils in pancreatic islets of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It has been suggested that the N-terminal part, which contains a conserved intramolecular disulfide bond between residues 2 and 7, interacts with membranes, ultimately leading to membrane damage and beta-cell death. Here, we used variants of the hIAPP(1-19) fragment and model membranes of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine (7:3, molar ratio) to examine the role of this disulfide in membrane interactions. We found that the disulfide bond has a minor effect on membrane insertion properties and peptide conformational behavior, as studied by monolayer techniques, (2)H NMR, ThT-fluorescence, membrane leakage, and CD spectroscopy. The results suggest that the disulfide bond does not play a significant role in hIAPP-membrane interactions. Hence, the fact that this bond is conserved is most likely related exclusively to the biological activity of IAPP as a hormone.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amyloid / chemistry*
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism*
  • Disulfides*
  • Humans
  • Islets of Langerhans / cytology*
  • Islets of Langerhans / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry*
  • Peptide Fragments / metabolism*
  • Phosphatidylcholines / metabolism
  • Phosphatidylserines / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Secondary

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Disulfides
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Phosphatidylserines
  • 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylglycero-3-phosphoserine
  • 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine