Issue 4, 2024

Computational investigation of copper-mediated conformational changes in α-synuclein dimer

Abstract

We report molecular dynamics simulation of dimers of α-synuclein, the peptide closely associated with onset of Parkinson's disease, both as metal-free dimer and with inter-chain bridging provided by Cu(II) ions. Our investigation reveals that the presence of copper-induced inter-chain bridging not only stabilizes α-synuclein dimers, but also leads to enhanced β-sheet formation at critical regions within the N-terminal and NAC regions of the protein. These contacts are larger and longer-lived in the presence of copper, and as a result each peptide chain is more extended and less flexible than in the metal-free dimer. The persistence of these inter-peptide contacts underscores their significance in stabilising the dimers, potentially influencing the aggregation pathway. Moreover, the increased flexibility in the two termini, as well as the absence of persistent contacts in the metal-free dimer, correlates with the presence of amorphous aggregates. This phenomenon is known to mitigate fibrillation, while their absence in the metal-bound dimer suggests an increased propensity to form fibrils in the presence of copper ions.

Graphical abstract: Computational investigation of copper-mediated conformational changes in α-synuclein dimer

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Sep 2023
Accepted
21 Dec 2023
First published
04 Jan 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024,26, 2926-2935

Computational investigation of copper-mediated conformational changes in α-synuclein dimer

L. Savva and J. A. Platts, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024, 26, 2926 DOI: 10.1039/D3CP04697D

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