Hydrogen/deuterium exchange-protected oligomers populated during Aβ fibril formation correlate with neuronal cell death

Abstract

The aggregation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) to form fibrils and plaques is strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although it is well established that this process generates neurotoxicity, it is also heterogeneous with a variety of species being formed during the conversion process. This heterogeneity makes it difficult to detect and characterize each of the aggregates formed, which precludes establishing the specific features responsible for the neurotoxicity observed. Here we use pulse-labeling hydrogen-deuterium exchange experiments analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PL-HDX-ESI-MS) to distinguish three ensembles populated during the aggregation of the 40 and 42 residue forms of the Aβ peptide, Aβ40 and Aβ42, on the basis of differences in their persistent structure. Noticeably, two of them are more abundant at the beginning and at the end of the lag phase and are therefore not detectable by conventional assays such as Thioflavin T (ThT). The ensembles populated at different stages of the aggregation process have a surprisingly consistent average degree of exchange, indicating that there are definite structural transitions between the different stages of aggregation. To determine whether an ensemble of species with a given hydrogen exchange pattern correlates with neurotoxicity, we combined PL-HDX-ESI-MS experiments with parallel measurements of the neurotoxicity of the samples under study. The results of this dual approach show that the maximum toxicity correlates with the ensemble comprising HDX protected oligomers, indicating that development of persistent structure within Aβ oligomers is a determinant of neurotoxicity.