Amyloidogenic Properties of Short α-L-Glutamic Acid Oligomers

Langmuir. 2015 Sep 29;31(38):10500-7. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b02915. Epub 2015 Sep 18.

Abstract

Poly-L-glutamic acid (PLGA) forms amyloid-like β2-fibrils with the main spectral component of vibrational amide I' band unusually shifted below 1600 cm(-1). This distinct infrared feature has been attributed to the presence of bifurcated hydrogen bonds coupling C═O and N-D (N-H) groups of the main chains to glutamate side chains. Here, we investigate how decreasing the chain length of PLGA affects its capacity to form β2-fibrils. A series of acidified aqueous solutions of synthetic (l-Glu)n peptides (n ≈ 200, 10, 6, 5, 4, and 3) were incubated at high temperature. We observed that n = 4 is the critical chain length for which formation of aggregates with the β2-like infrared features is still observed under such conditions. Interestingly, according to atomic force microscopy (AFM), the self-assembly of (L-Glu)n chains varying vastly in length produces fibrils with rather uniform diameters of approximately 4-6 nm. Kinetic experiments on (L-Glu)5 and (L-Glu)200 peptides indicate that the fibrillation is significantly accelerated not only in the presence of homologous seeds but also upon cross-seeding, suggesting thereby a common self-assembly theme for (L-Glu)n chains of various lengths. Our results are discussed in the context of mechanisms of amyloidogenic fibrillation of homopolypeptides.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid / chemistry*
  • Kinetics
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Polyglutamic Acid / chemistry*

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Polyglutamic Acid