Probing the roles of membrane and cholesterol on Aβ biogenesis and prion protein interactions

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Project Summary Aggregation of proteins of known sequence is linked to a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Familial mutations in the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), from which the amyloid β (Aβ) protein is derived, have been linked with the early onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). After fifteen years of fundamental research using computer simulations guided by experiments to identify the factors that determine in vitro aggregation of Aβ, the stage is now set to address questions of utmost relevance to AD. They arise in the context of how heterogeneous membrane environments, cholesterol, and downstream interactions with cofactors affect the cleavage of APP, the production of Aβ, and subsequent interactions of Aβ oligomers and receptors mediating their toxic effects. We are uniquely poised to use computational models to answer these questions and drive advances in critical areas of AD research. In this computational and theoretical research proposal, augmented by synergistic experimental research collaborations, we address fundamental biophysical questions with substantial practical implications articulated in three specific aims. (1) Developing a quantitative understanding of how membrane lipid composition and structural heterogeneity impacts the partitioning of APP and secretases critical to the processing of APP in the genesis Aβ. (2) Elucidating the crucial role cholesterol plays in determining the extent of amyloidogenic cleavage in the differential processing of APP. (3) Characterizing at the molecular-level the conformational transitions and interactions involved in the binding of Aβ monomer and oligomers to cellular prion protein (PrPC), implicated in a plausible mechanism of Aβ cytotoxicity. The proposed coordinated studies will lead to a fundamental molecular-level understanding of the network of interactions that are essential to the biogenesis of Aβ protein and its role as a pathogenic agent in AD. Through the development of novel computational models and identification of new concepts, the expected outcomes could change the landscape for the use of simulations and theory not only in the AD field but also in the general study of membrane- protein interactions.!