Protective effect of trehalose sugar on amyloid-membrane interactions using BLM electrophysiology.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by dementia and memory loss in the elderly population. The amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) is one of the main pathogenic factors in AD and is known to cause damage to neuronal cellular membranes. There is no cure currently available for AD, and new approaches, including preventive strategies, are highly desirable. In this work, we explore the possibility of protecting neuronal membranes from amyloid-induced damage with naturally existing sugar trehalose. Trehalose has been shown to protect plant cellular membranes in extreme conditions and modify Aß misfolding. We hypothesize that trehalose can protect the neuronal membrane from amyloid toxicity. In this work, we studied the protective effect of trehalose against Aß1-42-induced damage in model lipid membranes (DPPC/POPC/cholesterol) using atomic force microscopy and black lipid membrane electrophysiology. Our results demonstrate that Aß1-42 damaged membranes and led to ionic current leakage across these membranes due to the formation of various defects and pores. The presence of trehalose reduced the ion current across membranes caused by Aß1-42 peptide damage, thus efficiently protecting the membranes. These findings suggest that the trehalose sugar can potentially be useful in protecting neuronal membranes against amyloid toxicity in AD.

C subunit of the ATP synthase is an amyloidogenic calcium dependent channel-forming peptide with possible implications in mitochondrial permeability transition.

The c subunit is an inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) protein encoded by three nuclear genes. Best known as an integral part of the F0 complex of the ATP synthase, the c subunit is also present in other cytoplasmic compartments in ceroid lipofuscinoses. Under physiological conditions, this 75 residue-long peptide folds into an α-helical hairpin and forms oligomers spanning the lipid bilayer. In addition to its physiological role, the c subunit has been proposed as a key participant in stress-induced IMM permeabilization by the mechanism of calcium-induced permeability transition. However, the molecular mechanism of the c subunit participation in IMM permeabilization is not completely understood. Here we used fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and black lipid membrane methods to gain insights into the structural and functional properties of unmodified c subunit protein that might make it relevant to mitochondrial toxicity. We discovered that c subunit is an amyloidogenic peptide that can spontaneously fold into ß-sheets and self-assemble into fibrils and oligomers in a Ca2+-dependent manner. C subunit oligomers exhibited ion channel activity in lipid membranes. We propose that the toxic effects of c subunit might be linked to its amyloidogenic properties and are driven by mechanisms similar to those of neurodegenerative polypeptides such as Aß and α-synuclein.