Heparin promotes fibril formation by the N-terminal fragment of amyloidogenic apolipoprotein A-I

Glycosaminoglycans are known to be associated with extracellular amyloid deposits of various amyloidogenic proteins. In this study, we found that the glycosaminoglycan heparin greatly accelerates the elongation step in fibril formation by the N-terminal 1-83 fragment of human apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), especially in the amyloidogenic W50R variant. Using fragment peptides, we demonstrate that heparin significantly promotes beta-transition and fibril formation of the highly amyloidogenic region spanning residues 44-65 and colocalizes with fibrils formed by the W50R variant. These results suggest the possible role of glycosaminoglycans in fibril formation by amyloidogenic apoA-I variants.