Thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) catalyzes the S-methylation of thiopurine drugs. TPMT genetic polymorphisms represent a striking example of the potential clinical value of pharmacogenetics. Subjects homozygous for TPMT*3A, the most common variant allele for low activity, an allele that encodes a protein with two changes in amino acid sequence, are at greatly increased risk for life-threatening toxicity when treated with standard doses of thiopurines. These subjects have virtually undetectable levels of TPMT protein.In this study, we tested the hypothesis that TPMT*3A might result in protein misfolding and aggregation. We observed that TPMT*3A forms aggresomes in cultured cells and that it aggregates in vitro, functional mechanisms not previously described in pharmacogenetics. Furthermore, there was a correlation among TPMT half-life values in rabbit reticulocyte lysate, aggresome formation in COS-1 cells, and protein aggregation in vitro for the three variant allozymes encoded by alleles that include the two TPMT*3A single-nucleotide polymorphisms. These observations were compatible with a common structural explanation for all of these effects, a conclusion supported by size-exclusion chromatography and CD spectroscopy. The results of these experiments provide insight into a unique pharmacogenetic mechanism by which common polymorphisms affect TPMT protein function and, as a result, therapeutic response to thiopurine drugs. thiopurine toxicity ͉ protein aggregation ͉ pharmacogenomics ͉ protein degradation

Light-chain amyloidosis (AL) is characterized by immunoglobulin light-chain fragments aggregating into amyloid fibrils that deposit extracellularly in vital organs such as the kidney, the heart, and the liver, resulting in tissue degeneration and organ failure, leading to death. Cardiac involvement is found in 50% of AL patients and presents the most severe cases with a life expectancy of less than a year after diagnosis. In this study, we have characterized the variable domain of a cardiac AL patient light chain called AL-09. AL-09 folds as a b-sheet and is capable of forming amyloid fibrils both in the presence of sodium sulfate and in self-seeded reactions under physiological conditions. Glycosaminoglycans such as dermatan sulfate and heparin promote amyloid formation of self-seeded AL-09 reactions, while the glycosaminoglycan chondroitin sulfate A stabilized oligomeric intermediates and did not elongate the preformed fibrils (nucleus) present in the reaction. Finally, the histological dye Congo red, known to bind to the cross b-sheet structure of amyloid fibrils, inhibits AL-09 amyloid fibril formation in the presence of sodium sulfate and in self-seeded reactions. This paper provides insight into the impact of different reagents on light-chain stability, structure, amyloid fibril formation, and inhibition.

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BackgroundThe amyloidoses are protein misfolding diseases characterized by the deposition of amyloid that leads to cell death and tissue degeneration. In immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL), each patient has a unique monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain (LC) that forms amyloid deposits. Somatic mutations in AL LCs make these proteins less thermodynamically stable than their non-amyloidogenic counterparts, leading to misfolding and ultimately the formation of amyloid fibrils. We hypothesize that location rather than number of non-conservative mutations determines the amyloidogenicity of light chains.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe performed sequence alignments on the variable domain of 50 κ and 91 λ AL light chains and calculated the number of non-conservative mutations over total number of patients for each secondary structure element in order to identify regions that accumulate non-conservative mutations. Among patients with AL, the levels of circulating immunoglobulin free light chain varies greatly, but even patients with very low levels can have very advanced amyloid deposition.ConclusionsOur results show that in specific secondary structure elements, there are significant differences in the number of non-conservative mutations between normal and AL sequences. AL sequences from patients with different levels of secreted light chain have distinct differences in the location of non-conservative mutations, suggesting that for patients with very low levels of light chains and advanced amyloid deposition, the location of non-conservative mutations rather than the amount of free light chain in circulation may determine the amyloidogenic propensity of light chains.

Amyloid fibrils are associated with sulfated glycosaminoglycans in the extracellular matrix. The presence of sulfated glycosaminoglycans is known to promote amyloid formation in vitro and in vivo, with the sulfate groups playing a role in this process. In order to understand the role that sulfate plays in amyloid formation, we have studied the effect of salts from the Hofmeister series on the protein structure, stability and amyloid formation of an amyloidogenic light chain protein, AL-12. We have been able to show for the first time a direct correlation between protein stability and amyloid formation enhancement by salts from the Hofmeister series, where SO(4)(2-) conferred the most protein stability and enhancement of amyloid formation. Our study emphasizes the importance of the effect of ions in the protein bound water properties and downplays the role of specific interactions between the protein and ions.

Deposition of immunoglobulin light chains is a result of clonal proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells that secrete free immunoglobulin light chains, also called Bence Jones proteins (BJP). These BJP are present in circulation in large amounts and excreted in urine in various light chain diseases such as light chain amyloidosis (AL), light chain deposition disease (LCDD) and multiple myeloma (MM). BJP from patients with AL, LCDD and MM were purified from their urine and studies were performed to determine their secondary structure, thermodynamic stability and aggregate formation kinetics. Our results show that LCDD and MM proteins have the lowest free energy of folding while all proteins show similar melting temperatures. Incubation of the BJP at their melting temperature produced morphologically different aggregates: amyloid fibrils from the AL proteins, amorphous aggregates from the LCDD proteins and large spherical species from the MM proteins. The aggregates formed under in vitro conditions suggested that the various proteins derived from patients with different light chain diseases might follow different aggregation pathways.

Light-chain amyloidosis (AL) is a devastating protein-misfolding disease characterized by abnormal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow that secrete monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains that misfold and form amyloid fibrils, thus causing organ failure and death. Numerous reports on different protein-misfolding diseases show that soluble oligomeric species populated by amyloidogenic proteins can be quite toxic to cells. However, it is not well established whether the soluble immunoglobulin light-chain species found in circulation in patients with AL are toxic to cells in target organs. We determined the cellular toxicity of two well-characterized light-chain variable domain proteins from cardiac AL patients and their corresponding germline protein, devoid of somatic mutations. Our results show that the soluble form of the AL proteins we characterized are toxic to cardiomyocytes, and that the species found in cell culture correspond, for the most part, to the species present in circulation in these patients.

The major heat shock protein (Hsp) chaperones Hsp70 and Hsp90 both bind the co-chaperone Hop (Hsp70/Hsp90 organizing protein), which coordinates Hsp actions in folding protein substrates. Hop contains three tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains that have binding sites for the conserved EEVD C termini of Hsp70 and Hsp90. Crystallographic studies have shown that EEVD interacts with positively charged amino acids in Hop TPR-binding pockets (called carboxylate clamps), and point mutations of these carboxylate clamp positions can disrupt Hsp binding. In this report, we use circular dichroism to assess the effects of point mutations and Hsp70/Hsp90 peptide binding on Hop conformation. Our results show that Hop global conformation is destabilized by single point mutations in carboxylate clamp positions at pH 5, while the structure of individual TPR domains is unaffected. Binding of peptides corresponding to the C termini of Hsp70 and Hsp90 alters the global conformation of wild-type Hop, whereas peptide binding does not alter conformation of individual TPR domains. These results provide biophysical evidence that Hop-binding pockets are directly involved with domain:domain interactions, both influencing Hop global conformation and Hsp binding, and contributing to proper coordination of Hsp70 and Hsp90 interactions with protein substrates.Keywords: protein structure/folding; chaperonins; circular dichroism; tetratricopeptide repeatThe dynamic assembly and functional maturation of steroid receptor complexes involves the major molecular chaperones and heat shock proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 as well as several Hsp-binding co-chaperones. Free receptor undergoes sequential association with Hsp40, Hsp70, the dual co-chaperone Hop, and ultimately Hsp90; only when Hsp90 directly binds receptor is high-affinity hormone binding established (Scherrer et al. 1990;Smith 1993). The progression of chaperone interactions observed with steroid receptors is representative of Hsp70 and Hsp90 interactions with a variety of Hsp90 client proteins, so there likely are common mechanisms underlying the manner in which Hsp90/client protein interactions are established (Wegele et al. 2004). Hop provides an important link between Hsp70 and Hsp90 since it can simultaneously bind both Abbreviations: CD, circular dichroism; HOP, Hsp70/Hsp90 organizing protein; HSP, heat shock protein; TPR, tetratricopeptide repeat.Article published online ahead of print. Article and publication date are at http://www.proteinscience.org/cgi