Role of helices and loops in the ability of apolipophorin-III to interact with native lipoproteins and form discoidal lipoprotein complexes

The structure of Locusta migratoria apolipophorin-Ill consists of a five-helix bundle connected by four short loops. The role of the conformational flexibility of helices and loops on the lipid-binding activity of this apolipoprotein was investigated by disulfide mediated tethering experiments. One disulfide mutant tethering the second and fourth loops (L2-L4), and two disulfide mutants restricting the flexibility of the neighboring alpha-helices 3 and 4 (H3-H4) and 1 and 5 (H1-H5), were studied. The ability of the disulfide mutants to interact with phospholipid vesicles, mixed micelles of phosphatidylcholine and cholate, and in vivo with native spherical lipoprotein particles was studied. The L2-L4 mutant was active with native lipoproteins as well as being able to form discoidal lipoproteins upon incubation with either liposomes or discoidal micelles. The H3-H4 mutant was not able to interact with liposomes or native lipoproteins but interacted with discoidal micelles. The H1-H5 mutant was unable to interact with lipid in any of the three systems. Three conclusions were reached: (1) opening of the helix bundle does not require the separation of loops 2 and 4 as recently proposed by others and (2) alpha-helices 3 and/or 4 are involved in the insertion of apol-p-III in both phospholipid bilayers and monolayers. The conformational flexibility of helices 3 and 4 is required for the lipid-binding activity of apoLp-III. (3) Interaction of helices 1 and/or 5 with the lipid surface is required to the formation of stable lipoprotein complexes of any kind.