1. Molecular Mechanism of Aggregation of the Cataract-Related γD-Crystallin W42R Variant from Multiscale Atomistic Simulations.
- Author
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Wong EK, Prytkova V, Freites JA, Butts CT, and Tobias DJ
- Subjects
- Amino Acid Substitution genetics, Arginine genetics, Cataract metabolism, Humans, Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions, Lens, Crystalline metabolism, Models, Molecular, Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Mutant Proteins chemistry, Mutant Proteins genetics, Mutant Proteins metabolism, Protein Aggregation, Pathological genetics, Protein Aggregation, Pathological metabolism, Protein Conformation, Protein Denaturation, Protein Folding, Protein Multimerization genetics, Tryptophan genetics, gamma-Crystallins metabolism, Cataract genetics, Protein Aggregates genetics, gamma-Crystallins chemistry, gamma-Crystallins genetics
- Abstract
The mechanisms leading to aggregation of the crystallin proteins of the eye lens remain largely unknown. We use atomistic multiscale molecular simulations to model the solution-state conformational dynamics of γD-crystallin and its cataract-related W42R variant at both infinite dilution and physiologically relevant concentrations. We find that the W42R variant assumes a distinct conformation in solution that leaves the Greek key domains of the native fold largely unaltered but lacks the hydrophobic interdomain interface that is key to the stability of wild-type γD-crystallin. At physiologically relevant concentrations, exposed hydrophobic regions in this alternative conformation become primary sites for enhanced interprotein interactions leading to large-scale aggregation.
- Published
- 2019
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