title: Cysteine inhibits amyloid fibrillation of lysozyme and directs the formation of small worm-like aggregates through non-covalent interactions.
abstract: In this article, we discuss the effects of amino acids on amyloid aggregation of lysozyme. l-cysteine (Cys) dramatically inhibited fibrillation of lysozyme, whereas other amino acids (including l-arginine) did not. In the presence of Cys, the aggregation pathway of lysozyme shifted from fibrillation to the formation of the small worm-like aggregates with unfolding. The interaction between Cys and lysozyme was observed to be non-covalent, suggesting that the thiophilic interaction between the thiol group on the side chain of Cys and the core sequence of lysozyme significantly contributes to the inhibition of amyloid aggregation. These findings provide a new basis for the design of a biocompatible additive to prevent amyloid fibrillation.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8573, Japan.
authors.forename: Eisuke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uda
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Yui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shikiya
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiraki
authors.forename: Tamotsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zako
authors.forename: Mizuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D000682:Amyloid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009113:Muramidase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D066329:Protein Aggregates / Q000187:drug effects*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000682:Amyloid; D066329:Protein Aggregates; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; C421864:hen egg lysozyme; D009113:Muramidase; D003545:Cysteine
keywords: L-cysteine; aggregation; amyloid fibrils; lysozyme; thiophilic interaction