Conformational dynamics and misfolding of the fibril precursor proteins studied by NMR

系统性AL淀粉样变性是由于免疫球蛋白轻链的错误折叠和/或截断，以及由轻链片段组成的淀粉样纤维沉积引起的，称为AL蛋白。在这个项目中，我们将在残基特定的(如果不是原子特定的)水平上分析轻链的结构和错误折叠。具体目标将是：(1)用核磁共振表征全长轻链的结构和错误折叠。(Ii)用核磁共振表征AL蛋白的错误折叠动力学。(3)用固体核磁共振技术分析AL蛋白聚集体的结构。通过这项工作，我们将检验这一假设，即有必要对蛋白质构象进行广泛的重组，以解释患者组织中聚集体的异质性和定位。我们将比较来自AL患者的蛋白质和来自非AL淀粉样变性多发性骨髓瘤的蛋白质的结构特性。通过分析可变光和恒定光域之间的相互作用，我们将确定这些相互作用是否会干扰轻链的进一步处理。对不同序列得到的结构进行比较，可以得出AL淀粉样原纤维形成的更一般原理。

Systemic AL amyloidosis arises from the misfolding and/or truncation of immunoglobulin light chains and the deposition of amyloid fibrils consisting of light chain fragments, termed AL proteins. In this project we will analyze the structure and the misfolding of the light chains at a residue-specific, if not atom-specific, levels. The detailed aims will be: (i) To characterize with nuclear magnetic resonance the structure and misfolding of full-length light chains. (ii) To characterize with nuclear magnetic resonance the misfolding kinetics of the AL proteins. (iii) To analyse the structure of AL protein aggregates by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. Through this work we will test the hypothesis that an extensive restructuring of the protein conformation is necessary to account for the heterogeneity and the localization of the aggregates in patient tissue. We will compare the structural properties of proteins derived from AL patients with proteins derived from multiple myeloma without AL amyloidosis. Through analysis of the interactions between the variable light and the constant light domain we will define as to whether or not these interactions interfere with the further processing of the light chains. Comparison of structures obtained from differing sequences shall enable the derivation of more general principles for AL amyloid fibril formation.