Transthyretin microheterogeneity and molecular interactions: implications for amyloid formation

Autor: Landreh Michael, Östberg Linus J., Pettersson Tom M., Jörnvall Hans
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Biomolecular Concepts, Vol 5, Iss 3, Pp 257-264 (2014)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1868-5021
1868-503X
DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2014-0006
Popis: Aggregation of transthyretin (TTR), a plasma-binding protein for thyroxine and retinol-binding protein, is the cause of several amyloid diseases. Disease-associated mutations are well known, but wild-type TTR is, to a lesser extent, also amyloidogenic. Monomerization, not oligomer formation as in several other depository diseases, is the rate-limiting step in TTR aggregation, and stabilization of the natively tetrameric form can inhibit amyloid formation. Modifications on Cys10, as well as interactions with native ligands in plasma, were early found to influence the equilibrium between tetrameric and monomeric TTR by dissociating or stabilizing the tetramer. Following these discoveries, synthetic ligands for pharmacological prevention of TTR aggregation could be developed. In this article, we outline how the different types of TTR interactions and its microheterogeneity in plasma are related to its propensity to form amyloid fibrils. We conclude that plasma constituents and dietary components may act as natural TTR stabilizers whose mechanisms of action provide cues for the amelioration of TTR amyloid disease.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals