title: High-resolution NMR studies of the zinc-binding site of the Alzheimer's amyloid beta-peptide.
abstract: Metal binding to the amyloid beta-peptide is suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. We used high-resolution NMR to study zinc binding to amyloid beta-peptide 1-40 at physiologic pH. Metal binding induces a structural change in the peptide, which is in chemical exchange on an intermediate rate, between the apo-form and the holo-form, with respect to the NMR timescale. This causes loss of NMR signals in the resonances affected by the binding. Heteronuclear correlation experiments, (15)N-relaxation and amide proton exchange experiments on amyloid beta-peptide 1-40 revealed that zinc binding involves the three histidines (residues 6, 13 and 14) and the N-terminus, similar to a previously proposed copper-binding site [Syme CD, Nadal RC, Rigby SE, Viles JH (2004) J Biol Chem 279, 18169-18177]. Fluorescence experiments show that zinc shares a common binding site with copper and that the metals have similar affinities for amyloid beta-peptide. The dissociation constant K(d) of zinc for the fragment amyloid beta-peptide 1-28 was measured by fluorescence, using competitive binding studies, and that for amyloid beta-peptide 1-40 was measured by NMR. Both methods gave K(d) values in the micromolar range at pH 7.2 and 286 K. Zinc also has a second, weaker binding site involving residues between 23 and 28. At high metal ion concentrations, the metal-induced aggregation should mainly have an electrostatic origin from decreased repulsion between peptides. At low metal ion concentrations, on the other hand, the metal-induced structure of the peptide counteracts aggregation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Danielsson
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pierattelli
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Banci
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gräslund
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D006639:Histidine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C078592:amyloid beta-protein (1-40); D006639:Histidine; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc