title: Investigation of alpha-synuclein fibril structure by site-directed spin labeling.
abstract: The misfolding and fibril formation of alpha-synuclein plays an important role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson disease. Here we used electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, together with site-directed spin labeling, to investigate the structural features of alpha-synuclein fibrils. We generated fibrils from a total of 83 different spin-labeled derivatives and observed single-line, exchange-narrowed EPR spectra for the majority of all sites located within the core region of alpha-synuclein fibrils. Such exchange narrowing requires the orbital overlap between multiple spin labels in close contact. The core region of alpha-synuclein fibrils must therefore be arranged in a parallel, in-register structure wherein same residues from different molecules are stacked on top of each other. This parallel, in-register core region extends from residue 36 to residue 98 and is tightly packed. Only a few sites within the core region, such as residues 62-67 located at the beginning of the NAC region, as well as the N- and C-terminal regions outside the core region, are significantly less ordered. Together with the accessibility measurements that suggest the location of potential beta-sheet regions within the fibril, the data provide significant structural constraints for generating three-dimensional models. Furthermore, the data support the emerging view that parallel, in-register structure is a common feature shared by a number of naturally occurring amyloid fibrils.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Margittai
authors.forename: Jeannie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langen
mesh_terms: D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009154:Mutation; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D013113:Spin Labels; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013113:Spin Labels; D051844:alpha-Synuclein