Glycerolipid Headgroups Control Rate and Mechanism of Superoxide Dismutase‑1 Aggregation and Accelerate Fibrillization of Slowly Aggregating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Mutants

Interactions between superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) and lipid membranes might be directly involved in the toxicity and intercellular propagation of aggregated SOD1 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the chemical details of lipid–SOD1 interactions and their effects on SOD1 aggregation remain unclear. This paper determined the rate and mechanism of nucleation of fibrillar apo-SOD1 catalyzed by liposomal surfaces with identical hydrophobic chains (RCH₂(O₂C₁₈H₃₃)₂), but headgroups of different net charge and hydrophobicity (i.e., R­(CH₂)­N⁺(CH₃)₃, RPO₄^–(CH₂)₂N⁺(CH₃)₃, and RPO₄^–). Under semiquiescent conditions (within a 96 well microplate, without a gyrating bead), the aggregation of apo-SOD1 into thioflavin-T-positive (ThT­(+)) amyloid fibrils did not occur over 120 h in the absence of liposomal surfaces. Anionic liposomes triggered aggregation of apo-SOD1 into ThT­(+) amyloid fibrils; cationic liposomes catalyzed fibrillization but at slower rates and across a narrower lipid concentration; zwitterionic liposomes produced nonfibrillar (amorphous) aggregates. The inability of zwitterionic liposomes to catalyze fibrillization and the dependence of fibrillization rate on anionic lipid concentration suggests that membranes catalyze SOD1 fibrillization by a primary nucleation mechanism. Membrane-catalyzed fibrillization was also examined for eight ALS variants of apo-SOD1, including G37R, G93R, D90A, and E100G apo-SOD1 that nucleate slower than or equal to WT SOD1 in lipid-free, nonquiescent amyloid assays. All ALS variants (with one exception) nucleated faster than WT SOD1 in the presence of anionic liposomes, wherein the greatest acceleratory effects were observed among variants with lower net negative surface charge (G37R, G93R, D90A, E100G). The exception was H46R apo-SOD1, which did not form ThT­(+) species.