All-trans-retinoic acid nanodisks.

Nanodisks are nanoscale, disk-shaped phospholipid bilayers whose edge is stabilized by association of apolipoprotein molecules. Self-assembled ND particles enriched with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) (phospholipid:ATRA molar ratio = 5.5:1) were generated wherein all reaction components were solubilized.

Replacement of helix 1' enhances the lipid binding activity of apoE3 N-terminal domain.

The N-terminal domain of human apolipoprotein E (apoE-NT) harbors residues critical for interaction with members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family. Whereas lipid free apoE-NT adopts a stable four-helix bundle conformation, a lipid binding induced conformational adaptation is required for manifestation of LDLR binding ability. To investigate the structural basis for this conformational change, the short helix connecting helix 1 and 2 in the four-helix bundle was replaced by the sequence NPNG, introducing a beta-turn.

Reconstituted high density lipoprotein enriched with the polyene antibiotic amphotericin B.

The polyene antibiotic amphotericin B (AMB) is an effective antifungal agent whose therapeutic potential is limited by poor aqueous solubility and toxicity toward host tissues. Addition of apolipoprotein A-I to a multilamellar phospholipid vesicle dispersion containing 20% (w/w) AMB induces the formation of reconstituted high density lipoprotein (rHDL), with solubilization of the antibiotic. Density gradient ultracentrifugation resulted in flotation of the complexes to a density of 1.