Intra- and Intersubunit Ion-Pair Interactions Determine the Ability of Apolipoprotein C-II Mutants to Form Hybrid Amyloid Fibrils

Abstract

The apolipoprotein family is structurally defined by amphipathic α-helical regions that interact with lipid surfaces. In the absence of lipid, human apolipoprotein (apo) C-II also forms well-defined amyloid fibrils with cross-β structure. Formation of this β-structure is accompanied by the burial of two charged residues, K30 and D69, that form an ion-pair within the amyloid fibril core. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate these buried residues form both intra- and intersubunit ion-pair interactions that stabilize the fibril. Mutations of the ion-pair (either K30D or D69K) reduce fibril stability and prevent fibril formation by K30D apoC-II under standard conditions. We investigated ..