Ved in lipid binding (Fig. 6 v and vi).Discussion Effects of SDS on Linolenic acid methyl ester cost ataxin-3 Conformation and AggregationSDS ITI007 appears to interact in a common fashion with monomeric fibril-forming proteins, inducing a-helical structure irrespective of the protein’s initial structure [37?9,47]. It is interesting that thisFigure 4. Far V CD spectra of ataxin-3(Q64) during aggregation in the presence of SDS. Aliquots of ataxin-3(Q64) were taken from a fibrillogenesis time course assay (see Materials and Methods) and their far-UV CD spectra determined. For each indicated SDS concentration aliquots were taken at times of 0 (black), 4 (green), 46 (red) and 100 (blue) hours. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069416.gAggregation of Ataxin-3 in SDSFigure 5. Morphology of fibrils formed by ataxin-3(Q64) with SDS. Transmission Electron Microscopy of ataxin-3(Q64) with 0 mM SDS at 30 hr (A) and 50 hr (D), 1 mM SDS at 5 hr (B) and 30 hr (E) and 5 mM SDS at 16574785 30 hr (C) and 50 hr (F). Time course samples from 5 hr, 30 hr or 50 hr were negatively stained using 1 (w/v) uranyl acetate. Scale bars represent 200 nm. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069416.gcan lead to rapid aggregation, considering the key structural change required for aggregation is the conversion to b-sheet dominated structure. A large number of aggregating proteins, including both disease-causing proteins and the fibril-forming peptide SRC3 show this accelerated aggregation at sub-micellar SDS concentrations, and slowed or inhibited aggregation at SDS concentrations well above the CMC [37?0,48]. The inhibition of aggregation may be due to the highly a-helical structure stabilized by micellar SDS concentrations (Fig. 1) preventing the transition to b-sheet structure which occurs during aggregation. Alternatively the inhibition of aggregation may be a result of steric and/or electrosctatic effects contributed by the micelles that prevent proteins which are interacting with the micelle from interacting and aggregating. For ataxin-3 at sub-micellar concentrations, there was significant acceleration of SDS-soluble aggregation, similar to other fibrillogenic proteins, in addition to a significant increase in thioT fluorescence intensity. The molecular basis for this dramatic acceleration is unknown however one possibility is that the SDS is destabilizing the native form of the protein which allows it to access more non-native conformations some of which may be prone to aggregation. A similar behavior has been reported before with low concentrations of denaturant [10,44]. An interesting result in this study was the differing effects of SDS upon formation of SDS-insoluble ataxin-3 fibrils as opposed to the more commonly observed effects of SDS on SDS-soluble fibril formation. With 1 mM SDS, the lack of an observable lag phase suggests either the lag phase has been accelerated to the extent that it cannot be observed or that ataxin-3 is following an alternatemechanism not involving nucleated elongation. Although the subsequent formation of SDS-insoluble aggregates is slower, the morphology of the end point aggregates remains unchanged. Thus it appears that with sub-micellar SDS present, the protein is proceeding through the typical aggregation pathway, with differing rates of stage 1 and stage 2 aggregation (Fig. 7). In contrast to 1 mM SDS, the morphology of the aggregates is not fibrillar in the presence of 5 mM SDS, thus demonstrating that ataxin-3 has the ability to undertake alternate aggregation pathways to form a range o.Ved in lipid binding (Fig. 6 v and vi).Discussion Effects of SDS on Ataxin-3 Conformation and AggregationSDS appears to interact in a common fashion with monomeric fibril-forming proteins, inducing a-helical structure irrespective of the protein’s initial structure [37?9,47]. It is interesting that thisFigure 4. Far V CD spectra of ataxin-3(Q64) during aggregation in the presence of SDS. Aliquots of ataxin-3(Q64) were taken from a fibrillogenesis time course assay (see Materials and Methods) and their far-UV CD spectra determined. For each indicated SDS concentration aliquots were taken at times of 0 (black), 4 (green), 46 (red) and 100 (blue) hours. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069416.gAggregation of Ataxin-3 in SDSFigure 5. Morphology of fibrils formed by ataxin-3(Q64) with SDS. Transmission Electron Microscopy of ataxin-3(Q64) with 0 mM SDS at 30 hr (A) and 50 hr (D), 1 mM SDS at 5 hr (B) and 30 hr (E) and 5 mM SDS at 16574785 30 hr (C) and 50 hr (F). Time course samples from 5 hr, 30 hr or 50 hr were negatively stained using 1 (w/v) uranyl acetate. Scale bars represent 200 nm. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069416.gcan lead to rapid aggregation, considering the key structural change required for aggregation is the conversion to b-sheet dominated structure. A large number of aggregating proteins, including both disease-causing proteins and the fibril-forming peptide SRC3 show this accelerated aggregation at sub-micellar SDS concentrations, and slowed or inhibited aggregation at SDS concentrations well above the CMC [37?0,48]. The inhibition of aggregation may be due to the highly a-helical structure stabilized by micellar SDS concentrations (Fig. 1) preventing the transition to b-sheet structure which occurs during aggregation. Alternatively the inhibition of aggregation may be a result of steric and/or electrosctatic effects contributed by the micelles that prevent proteins which are interacting with the micelle from interacting and aggregating. For ataxin-3 at sub-micellar concentrations, there was significant acceleration of SDS-soluble aggregation, similar to other fibrillogenic proteins, in addition to a significant increase in thioT fluorescence intensity. The molecular basis for this dramatic acceleration is unknown however one possibility is that the SDS is destabilizing the native form of the protein which allows it to access more non-native conformations some of which may be prone to aggregation. A similar behavior has been reported before with low concentrations of denaturant [10,44]. An interesting result in this study was the differing effects of SDS upon formation of SDS-insoluble ataxin-3 fibrils as opposed to the more commonly observed effects of SDS on SDS-soluble fibril formation. With 1 mM SDS, the lack of an observable lag phase suggests either the lag phase has been accelerated to the extent that it cannot be observed or that ataxin-3 is following an alternatemechanism not involving nucleated elongation. Although the subsequent formation of SDS-insoluble aggregates is slower, the morphology of the end point aggregates remains unchanged. Thus it appears that with sub-micellar SDS present, the protein is proceeding through the typical aggregation pathway, with differing rates of stage 1 and stage 2 aggregation (Fig. 7). In contrast to 1 mM SDS, the morphology of the aggregates is not fibrillar in the presence of 5 mM SDS, thus demonstrating that ataxin-3 has the ability to undertake alternate aggregation pathways to form a range o.