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Different spectroscopic approaches are often used to probe specific aspects of amyloid fibril formation but are usually performed separately and under different conditions. This makes it problematic to relate different aspects of the aggregation process when these are monitored by different methods. We report on a multispectral approach for simultaneous acquisition of infrared, fluorescence and light scattering spectra of proteins undergoing aggregation. We have applied our approach to study β-lactoglobulin, a milk protein known to form amyloid fibrils under well-established conditions. Our real-time multispectral measurements show that unfolding of this protein is followed by formation of early aggregates consisting of intermolecular β-sheets with a typical infrared absorption at ∼1619 cm(-1) in (2)H2O. These aggregates, which lead to an increase in the light scattering signal, do not bind the amyloid-specific fluorophore ThT and therefore consist of oligomers or protofibrils. Fibril growth is then observed as a sigmoidal increase in ThT fluorescence. After ∼25 h, a plateau is observed in the intensities of ThT emission and of the band at 1619 cm(-1), indicating that no new fibrils are forming. However, a second phase in the light scattering signal taking place after ∼25 h suggests that the fibrils are assembling into larger structures, known as mature fibrils. This is associated with an upshift of the main β-sheet band in the infrared spectrum. TEM analyses confirmed the existence of thick fibrils comprising 3-5 filaments.

Infrared spectroscopy was used to characterise recombinant sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA1a). In the amide I region, its spectrum differed from that of Ca2+-ATPase prepared from rabbit fast twitch muscle below 1650 cm−1. A band at 1642 cm−1 is reduced in the spectrum of the recombinant protein and a band at 1631 cm−1 is more prominent. By comparison of amide I band areas with the known secondary structure content of the protein, we assigned the 1642 cm−1 band to β-sheet structure. Further investigation revealed that the 1642 cm−1 band decreased and the 1631 cm−1 band increased upon storage at room temperature and upon repeated washing of a protein film with water. Also protein aggregates obtained after solubilisation of the rabbit muscle enzyme showed a prominent band at 1631 cm−1, whereas the spectrum of solubilised ATPase resembled that of the membrane bound protein. The spectral position of the 1631 cm−1 band is similar to that of a band observed for inclusion bodies of other proteins. The findings show that the absence of the 1642 cm−1 band and the presence of a prominent band at 1631 cm−1 indicate protein aggregation and can be used as a quality marker for the optimisation of recombinant protein production. We conclude that recombinant production of SERCA1a, storage at room temperature, repeated washing and aggregation after solubilisation all modify existing β-sheets in the cytosolic domains so that they become similar to those found in inclusion bodies of other proteins.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is a powerful and versatile tool to investigate the structure and dynamics of proteins in solution. The intrinsically low extinction coefficient of the amide I mode, the main structure-related oscillator, together with the high infrared absorptivity of aqueous media, requires that proteins are studied at high concentrations (>10 mg L(-1)). This may represent a challenge in the study of aggregation-prone proteins and peptides, and questions the significance of structural data obtained for proteins physiologically existing at much lower concentrations. Here we describe the development of a simple experimental approach that increases the detection limit of protein structure analysis by infrared spectroscopy. Our approach relies on custom-made filters to isolate the amide I region (1700-1600 cm(-1)) from irrelevant spectral regions. The sensitivity of the instrument is then increased by background attenuation, an approach consisting in the use of a neutral density filter, such as a non-scattering metal grid, to attentuate the intensity of the background spectrum. When the filters and grid are combined, a 2.4-fold improvement in the noise level can be obtained. We have successfully tested this approach using a highly diluted solution of pyruvate kinase in deuterated medium (0.2% w/v), and found that it provides spectra of a quality comparable to those recorded with a 10-fold higher protein concentration.

Infrared spectroscopy was used to characterise recombinant sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA1a). In the amide I region, its spectrum differed from that of Ca(2+)-ATPase prepared from rabbit fast twitch muscle below 1650 cm(-1). A band at 1642 cm(-1) is reduced in the spectrum of the recombinant protein and a band at 1631 cm(-1) is more prominent. By comparison of amide I band areas with the known secondary structure content of the protein, we assigned the 1642 cm(-1) band to β-sheet structure. Further investigation revealed that the 1642 cm(-1) band decreased and the 1631 cm(-1) band increased upon storage at room temperature and upon repeated washing of a protein film with water. Also protein aggregates obtained after solubilisation of the rabbit muscle enzyme showed a prominent band at 1631 cm(-1), whereas the spectrum of solubilised ATPase resembled that of the membrane bound protein. The spectral position of the 1631 cm(-1) band is similar to that of a band observed for inclusion bodies of other proteins. The findings show that the absence of the 1642 cm(-1) band and the presence of a prominent band at 1631 cm(-1) indicate protein aggregation and can be used as a quality marker for the optimisation of recombinant protein production. We conclude that recombinant production of SERCA1a, storage at room temperature, repeated washing and aggregation after solubilisation all modify existing β-sheets in the cytosolic domains so that they become similar to those found in inclusion bodies of other proteins.

Caged compounds capable of inducing large pH-jumps upon UV illumination have represented a breakthrough in time-resolved infrared spectroscopy of acidification-triggered phenomena, but their use is hampered by the inability to control the initial pH as well as to measure the final pH in μL volumes. We have developed an experimental approach that accurately measures the initial and final pH values in pH-jump experiments. Our approach exploits the concomitant presence of two or more inorganic ions, such as carbonate and bicarbonate, that are added to the sample at a known concentration. The difference spectrum obtained in the infrared measurement is fitted to isolate the bands arising from the appearance or disappearance of either protonation state, and is then compared to a synthetic library of difference spectra generated using both qualitative (band position and width, extinction coefficient, pK) and quantitative (concentration, pathlength) parameters of the reporter ions. We have tested this approach in UV-photolysis experiments of 1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl sulfate in the presence of different concentrations of Na2CO3 and successfully used the infrared absorption of the carbonate and the bicarbonate ions to determine the initial and final pH values before and after the pH-jump, respectively.