Effect of molecular chaperones on aberrant protein oligomers in vitro: super-versus sub-stoichiometric chaperone concentrations

Biol Chem. 2016 May;397(5):401-15. doi: 10.1515/hsz-2015-0250.

Abstract

Living systems protect themselves from aberrant proteins by a network of chaperones. We have tested in vitro the effects of different concentrations, ranging from 0 to 16 μm, of two molecular chaperones, namely αB-crystallin and clusterin, and an engineered monomeric variant of transthyretin (M-TTR), on the morphology and cytotoxicity of preformed toxic oligomers of HypF-N, which represent a useful model of misfolded protein aggregates. Using atomic force microscopy imaging and static light scattering analysis, all were found to bind HypF-N oligomers and increase the size of the aggregates, to an extent that correlates with chaperone concentration. SDS-PAGE profiles have shown that the large aggregates were predominantly composed of the HypF-N protein. ANS fluorescence measurements show that the chaperone-induced clustering of HypF-N oligomers does not change the overall solvent exposure of hydrophobic residues on the surface of the oligomers. αB-crystallin, clusterin and M-TTR can diminish the cytotoxic effects of the HypF-N oligomers at all chaperone concentration, as demonstrated by MTT reduction and Ca2+ influx measurements. The observation that the protective effect is primarily at all concentrations of chaperones, both when the increase in HypF-N aggregate size is minimal and large, emphasizes the efficiency and versatility of these protein molecules.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carboxyl and Carbamoyl Transferases / chemistry*
  • Carboxyl and Carbamoyl Transferases / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Clusterin / chemistry*
  • Clusterin / genetics
  • Clusterin / metabolism
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Prealbumin / chemistry
  • Prealbumin / genetics
  • Prealbumin / metabolism
  • Protein Aggregates
  • Protein Folding
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • alpha-Crystallin B Chain / chemistry*
  • alpha-Crystallin B Chain / genetics
  • alpha-Crystallin B Chain / metabolism

Substances

  • Clusterin
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Prealbumin
  • Protein Aggregates
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • alpha-Crystallin B Chain
  • Carboxyl and Carbamoyl Transferases
  • hypF protein, E coli