Solution Conditions Affect the Ability of the K30D Mutation To Prevent Amyloid Fibril Formation by Apolipoprotein C-II: Insights from Experiments and Theoretical Simulations

Apolipoproteins form amphipathic helical structures that bind lipid surfaces. Paradoxically, lipid-free apolipoproteins display a strong propensity to form cross-β structure and self-associate into disease-related amyloid fibrils. Studies of apolipoprotein C-II (apoC-II) amyloid fibrils suggest that a K30-D69 ion pair accounts for the dual abilities to form helix and cross-β structure. Consistent with this is the observation that a K30D mutation prevents fibril formation under standard fibril forming conditions. However, we found that fibril formation by K30D apoC-II proceeded readily at low pH and a higher salt or protein concentration. Structural analysis demonstrated that K30D apoC-II fibrils at pH 7 have a structure similar to that of the wild-type fibrils but are less stable. Molecular dynamics simulations of the wild-type apoC-II fibril model at pH 7 and 3 showed that the loss of charge on D69 at pH 3 leads to greater separation between residues K30 and D69 within the fibril with a corresponding red...