Advanced EPR Studies of a Ternary Complex of Copper, Amyloid-β and a Chemical Regulator

Abstract

Although there has been extensive effort to develop chemical regulators, progress has been static, in part because of these regulators' unclear mechanisms. Here, we report using advanced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to obtain the first molecular-level structural information regarding a ternary complex of Cu-II-amyloid-beta (A beta) with a chemical regulator that can specifically modulate Cu-induced A beta aggregation. Our advanced EPR spectroscopic results revealed that a chemical regulator (1) for Cu-II-A beta(1-16) disrupted the coordination environment of Cu-II in A beta, resulting in the detachment of the primary amine at the N-terminal and a carbonyl group between Asp1 and Ala2 from the Cu-II center and the subsequent formation of a ternary complex, chemical regulator-Cu-II-A beta(1-16). Therefore, our results demonstrate how a chemical regulator interacts with metal-A beta at the molecular level. These findings provide novel insight into working mechanisms and thereby contribute to the establishment of a rational design for chemical regulators of metal-A beta complexes.