Covalent Capture of Collagen Triple Helices Using Lysine–Aspartate and Lysine–Glutamate Pairs

Hulgan, Sarah A.; Jalan, Abhishek A.; Li, I-Che; Walker, Douglas R.; Miller, Mitchell D.; Kosgei, Abigael J.; Xu, Weijun; Phillips, George N.; Hartgerink, Jeffrey D.

doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00878

Abstract Repulsive electrostatic forces between prion‐like proteins are a barrier against aggregation. In neuropharmacology, however, a prion's net charge (Z) is not a targeted parameter. Compounds that selectively boost prionZremain unreported. Here, we synthesized compounds that amplified the negative charge of misfolded superoxide dismutase‐1 (SOD1) by acetylating lysine‐NH₃⁺in amyloid‐SOD1, without acetylating native‐SOD1. Compounds resembled a “ball and chain” mace: a rigid amyloid‐binding “handle” (benzothiazole, stilbene, or styrylpyridine); an aryl ester “ball”; and a triethylene glycol chain connecting ball to handle. At stoichiometric excess, compounds acetylated up to 9 of 11 lysine per misfolded subunit (ΔZ_fibril=−8100 per 10³subunits). Acetylated amyloid‐SOD1 seeded aggregation more slowly than unacetylated amyloid‐SOD1 in vitro and organotypic spinal cord (these effects were partially due to compound binding). Compounds exhibited reactivity with other amyloid and non‐amyloid proteins (e.g., fibrillar α‐synuclein was peracetylated; serum albumin was partially acetylated; carbonic anhydrase was largely unacetylated).

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