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PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY Science at the Edge Friday, April 30, 2010 11:30a 1400 Biomedical & Physical Sciences Bldg Refreshments at 11:15a in 1400 BPS Bldg Carl Frieden Washington University "Investigating the apoE family of lipoproteins" Abstract Monomeric apoE is a 299 amino acid lipid transport protein of molecular weight 34.3 kDa. The apoE family includes three major isoforms termed apoE2, apoE3 and apoE4. These isoforms differ in only two positions: apoE4 (Arg112,Arg158), apoE3 (Cys112, Arg158), and apoE2 (Cys112,Cys158). Yet the physiological role of the isoforms appears to quite different with apoE4 being a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive functions while apoE2 associated with the genetic disorder type III hyperlipoproteinemia. The protein consists of a distinct N-terminal and C-terminal domain with a hinge region between the two domains but no structure of the complete protein is currently available. Complicating the study of the protein is an oligomerization to higher molecular weight forms. The proteins also bind to the LDL receptor, to lipids and to Ab. Our studies attempt to distinguish between the isoforms using 19F-NMR and fluorescence (i.e., Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy, FRET) methods. Kim Crosslan Undergraduate Secretary Dept. Physics & Astronomy Michigan State University 1312 Biomedical & Physical Sciences East Lansing, MI 48824 517-884-5531 <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]