Time-resolved grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering studies of lipid multibilayers with the insertion of amyloid peptide during the swelling process

The β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) (1–40) is one of the major components that form Alzheimer's amyloid deposits. Studies of the membrane insertion of amyloid showed that amyloid is surface active and can insert into lipid monolayers [Ji et al. (2002). Biochemistry (Moscow), 67, 1283–1288; Ege & Lee (2004). Biophys. J. 87, 1732–1740]. The interaction between the peptide and a lipid monolayer or bilayer is critical to the understanding of the formation of amyloid peptide deposits on the membrane. In this paper, we have studied the structural transition of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) multibilayers with the insertion of amyloid peptide 1–40 by grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering at different bilayer hydration levels (changing the relatively humidity). We mixed the DPPC and amyloid peptide in an organic solvent at a 10 to 1 weight ratio, then cast it onto a silicon wafer to form the mixed lipid multibilayer film. In this study of the pure DPPC multibilayer film and the DPPC multibilayer film inserted with amyloid peptide, it was found that the hydration process was bimodal with a better-hydrated top layer and a less-hydrated bottom layer. The gel-to-ripple phase transition suffers a strong confinement effect due to the presence of the solid substrate. With the insertion of the amyloid peptide, the ripple phase of the membrane bilayers was suppressed at high humidity and the whole film can be swollen more uniformly at lower incubation time than the pure DPPC film supported on a silicon wafer. This means water vapor can penetrate more easily into the DPPC bilayers inserted with Aβ than into the pure DPPC bilayers. Amyloid peptides were found to form clusters in the bilayer and possess in-plane correlation. From analyzing the diffuse scattering around the Bragg peak in the lateral direction, the amyloid peptides are found to form clusters in the bilayer with a radius of about 9 nm. It is also estimated that the number of Aβ molecules in one cluster is about 12 and on average each Aβ molecule occupies an interface area of about 22 nm2. As the relative humidity exceeds about 94%, the Aβ clusters seem to develop an ordered structure with a spacing of about 300 A.