Self-assembled peptide and protein amyloid nanostructures have traditionally been considered only as pathological aggregates implicated in human neurodegenerative diseases. In more recent times, these nanostructures have found interesting applications as advanced materials in biomedicine, tissue engineering, renewable energy, environmental science, nanotechnology and material science, to name only a few fields. In all these applications, the final function depends on: (i) the specific mechanisms of protein aggregation, (ii) the hierarchical structure of the protein and peptide amyloids from the atomistic to mesoscopic length scales and (iii) the physical properties of the amyloids in the context of their surrounding environment (biological or artificial). In this review, we will discuss recent progress made in the field of functional and artificial amyloids and highlight connections between protein/peptide folding, unfolding and aggregation mechanisms, with the resulting amyloid structure and functionality. We also highlight current advances in the design and synthesis of amyloid-based biological and functional materials and identify new potential fields in which amyloid-based structures promise new breakthroughs.

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Self-assembling peptide and protein amyloids: from structure to tailored function in nanotechnology

Α-synuclein misfolding and Parkinson's disease.

The toxicity of amyloid-forming proteins is correlated with their interactions with cell membranes. Binding events between amyloidogenic proteins and membranes result in mutually disruptive structural perturbations, which are associated with toxicity. Membrane surfaces promote the conversion of amyloid-forming proteins into toxic aggregates, and amyloidogenic proteins, in turn, compromise the structural integrity of the cell membrane. Recent studies with artificial model membranes have highlighted the striking resemblance of the mechanisms of membrane permeabilization of amyloid-forming proteins to those of pore-forming toxins and antimicrobial peptides.

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Amyloidogenic Protein–Membrane Interactions: Mechanistic Insight from Model Systems

Direct Membrane Association Drives Mitochondrial Fission by the Parkinson Disease-associated Protein α-Synuclein

Effects of Curvature and Composition on α-Synuclein Binding to Lipid Vesicles

Effect of Surface Treatment on Diffusion and Domain Formation in Supported Lipid Bilayers

Clustering of α-Synuclein on Supported Lipid Bilayers: Role of Anionic Lipid, Protein, and Divalent Ion Concentration

α-Synuclein is a presynaptic protein that binds to phospholipid membranes and is involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this paper, we describe the effects of adding wild-type α-synuclein (WT) and three familial PD mutants (A53T, A30P, and E46K) to membranes containing 15-35 mol % anionic lipid. Tubules were observed to form in the membranes to an extent that depended on the α-synuclein variant, the anionic lipid content, and the protein concentration. For all four variants, tubule formation decreased with increasing anionic lipid content. Tubules were more readily observed with A30P and E46K than with WT or A53T. The results are consistent with a model wherein the helical content of α-synuclein increases with increasing anionic lipid content, and α-synuclein conformers with low helical content have a high propensity to induce tubule formation. This work, combined with previous work from our laboratory (Pandey et al. Biophys. J. 2009, 96, 540), shows that WT adsorption of the protein has deleterious effects on the membrane when the anionic lipid concentration is less than 30 mol % (tubule formation) or greater than 40 mol % (reorganization of the bilayer, clustering of protein).

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α-Synuclein-induced tubule formation in lipid bilayers.

The interaction of α-synuclein with phospholipid membranes has been examined using supported lipid bilayers and epi-fluorescence microscopy. The membranes contained phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidic acid (PA), which mix at physiological pH. Upon protein adsorption, the lipids undergo fluid−fluid phase separation into PC-rich and PA-rich regions. The protein preferentially adsorbs to the PA-rich regions. The adsorption and subsequent aggregation of α-synuclein was probed by tuning several parameters: the charge on the lipids, the charge on the protein, and the screening environment. Conditions which promoted the greatest extent of adsorption resulted in structurally heterogeneous aggregates, while comparatively homogeneous aggregates were observed under conditions whereby adsorption did not occur as readily. Our observation that different alterations to the system lead to different degrees of aggregation and different aggregate structures poses a challenge for drug discovery. Namely, therapies aime...

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Anjan P. Pandey

Papers

Effect of Surface Treatment on Diffusion and Domain Formation in Supported Lipid Bilayers

Clustering of α-Synuclein on Supported Lipid Bilayers: Role of Anionic Lipid, Protein, and Divalent Ion Concentration

α-Synuclein-induced tubule formation in lipid bilayers.

Adsorption of α-Synuclein on Lipid Bilayers: Modulating the Structure and Stability of Protein Assemblies