title: Human LDL structural diversity studied by IR spectroscopy.
abstract: Lipoproteins are responsible for cholesterol traffic in humans. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) delivers cholesterol from liver to peripheral tissues. A misleading delivery can lead to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. LDL has a single protein, apoB-100, that binds to a specific receptor. It is known that the failure associated with a deficient protein-receptor binding leads to plaque formation. ApoB-100 is a large single lipid-associated polypeptide difficulting the study of its structure. IR spectroscopy is a technique suitable to follow the different conformational changes produced in apoB-100 because it is not affected by the size of the protein or the turbidity of the sample. We have analyzed LDL spectra of different individuals and shown that, even if there are not big structural changes, a different pattern in the intensity of the band located around 1617 cm(-1) related with strands embedded in the lipid monolayer, can be associated with a different conformational rearrangement that could affect to a protein interacting region with the receptor.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Biofísica (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fernández-Higuero
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Biofísica (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Salvador
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Biofísica (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: José Carlos G
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Milicua
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Biofísica (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: José L R
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arrondo
mesh_terms: D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004952:Esters; D006801:Humans; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
chemical_list: D001053:Apolipoproteins; D004952:Esters; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL