Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2008-10-17
pubmed:abstractText
Amyloid-induced toxicity is a well-known phenomenon but the molecular background remains unclear. One hypothesis relates toxicity to amyloid-membrane interactions, predicting that amyloid oligomers make pores into membranes. Therefore, the toxicity and membrane interaction of prefibrillar aggregates and individual oligomers of a non-pathological yet highly amyloidogenic protein human stefin B (cystatin B) was examined. By monitoring caspase-3 activity and by testing cell viability, we showed that the lag phase aggregates obtained at pH 5 and 3 were toxic to neuroblastoma cells. Of equal toxicity were the higher-order oligomers prepared at pH 7 by freeze-thaw cycles. The higher-order oligomers eluted on size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) as a broad peak comprising hexamers, octamers, 12- and 16-mers, well separated from monomers, dimers and tetramers. Only oligomers higher than the tetramers (Rh >3.5 nm) proved toxic, in contrast to dimers and tetramers. In accordance with data from SEC, dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy data indicate that the toxic oligomers have diameters larger than 4 nm. Critical pressure measurements showed that the toxic higher-order oligomers inserted more effectively into model lipid monolayers than dimers and tetramers. They also bound, similarly to prefibrillar aggregates, to the plasma membrane and became internalized. Taken together, our results confirm the importance of membrane interaction and perforation in the phenomenon of cytotoxicity.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
1744-2818
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
15
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
147-59
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2008
pubmed:articleTitle
Size and morphology of toxic oligomers of amyloidogenic proteins: a case study of human stefin B.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biochemistry, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't