Elevated concentrations cause upright alpha-synuclein conformation at lipid interfaces

The amyloid aggregation of α-synuclein (αS), related to Parkinson’s disease, can be catalyzed by lipid membranes. Despite the importance of lipid surfaces, the 3D-structure and orientation of lipid-bound αS is still not known in detail. Here, we report interface-specific vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) experiments that reveal how monomeric αS binds to an anionic lipid interface over a large range of αS-lipid ratios. To interpret the experimental data, we present a frame-selection method ("ViscaSelect”) in which out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are used to generate structural hypotheses that are compared to experimental amide-I spectra via excitonic spectral calculations. At low and physiological αS concentrations, we derive flat-lying helical structures as previously reported. However, at elevated and potentially disease-related concentrations, a transition to interface-protruding αS structures occurs. Such an upright conformation promotes lateral interactions between αS monomers and may explain how lipid membranes catalyze the formation of αS amyloids at elevated protein concentrations.