Structure dynamics of ApoA-I amyloidogenic variants in small HDL increase their ability to mediate cholesterol efflux.

Nilsson O, Lindvall M, Obici L, Ekström S, Lagerstedt JO, Del Giudice R

J. Lipid Res. 62 (-) 100004 [2020-11-24; online 2020-11-24]

Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) of high density lipoproteins (HDLs) is essential for the transportation of cholesterol between peripheral tissues and the liver. However, specific mutations in ApoA-I of HDLs are responsible for a late-onset systemic amyloidosis, the pathological accumulation of protein fibrils in tissues and organs. Carriers of these mutations do not exhibit increased cardiovascular disease risk despite displaying reduced levels of ApoA-I/HDL cholesterol. To explain this paradox, we show that the HDL particle profiles of patients carrying either L75P or L174S ApoA-I amyloidogenic variants show a higher relative abundance of the 8.4-nm versus 9.6-nm particles and that serum from patients, as well as reconstituted 8.4- and 9.6-nm HDL particles (rHDL), possess increased capacity to catalyze cholesterol efflux from macrophages. Synchrotron radiation circular dichroism and hydrogen-deuterium exchange revealed that the variants in 8.4-nm rHDL have altered secondary structure composition and display a more flexible binding to lipids than their native counterpart. The reduced HDL cholesterol levels of patients carrying ApoA-I amyloidogenic variants are thus balanced by higher proportion of small, dense HDL particles, and better cholesterol efflux due to altered, region-specific protein structure dynamics.

Structural Proteomics [Collaborative]

PubMed 33410751

DOI 10.1194/jlr.RA120000920

Crossref 10.1194/jlr.RA120000920

pii: S0022-2275(20)43706-X
pmc: PMC7890215