Structural studies of the process of aggregation between amyloid proteins in solution

Author(s)

Elisa Morandé Sales

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI)
• Defense date: 2012-04-02

Examining board members

Rosangela Itri; Ricardo Aparicio; Ana Paula Ulian de Araujo

• Advisor: Rosangela Itri

Abstract

Septins are proteins from the GTP-binding family and participate in cell division cycle performing functions such as secretion and cytoskeletal division. They can also be found in neurodegenerative conditions as Alzheimer\'s and Parkinson\'s diseases and some kinds of cancer as leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors. In this work, we investigated the influence of temperature and concentration on the septin 2 GTPase domain (SEPT2G) aggregation using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). DLS results revealed the protein aggregation kinetic is around seconds for temperatures above 25ºC. SAXS data of the protein at 0.5 mg/mL showed that SEPT2G is a dimer in aqueous solution at 4_C and this condition is kept stable for approximately one hour of experimental observation. At 15ºC, SAXS results revealed the coexistence of three populations in solution composed by 88% of dimers, 10% of cylinder-like smaller aggregates (protofibrils) and 2% of aggregates bigger than the technique detection. After 30 minutes there is a preferential rearrangement of dimers into very large aggregates which contribution on the scattering curve becomes 8%. At 25ºC, the dimers percentage decreases to 70% with a contribution of circa 30% of bigger aggregates, even at the beginning of data acquisition. At temperatures of 37ºC and 45ºC, dimers and very large aggregates coexist in solution since the beginning of data acquisition, which equilibrium quickly shifts in such a way that after 20 minutes of observation the solution is mostly composed by very large aggregates, indented as amyloid structures by the thioflavine fluorescence technique, which intercalates in the cross- structures. At 1 mg/mL and 4ºC, the protein was stable over 1 hour of observation where an equilibrium of dimers (93%) and elongated structures (composed by approximately 80 monomers) in solution takes place. Increasing the temperature to 15ºC, most of the protein remains dimeric. On the other hand, at 25ºC the very large aggregates contribution is around 30% coexisting with dimers and oligomers. At 37ºC and 45ºC there is the formation of large aggregates, similar to what was observed at 0.5 mg/mL. In conclusion, our SAXS results indicated that the aggregation process of SEPT2G in solution may follow different pathways depending on concentration and temperature. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/12485-3 - Aggregation process in amyloid proteins: a structural investigation and low laser therapy effect
• Grantee: Elisa Morandé Sales
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master