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- Title
Effect of Heparin on Conformation of the β<sub>2</sub>-Microglobulin Molecule.
- Authors
Uji, Yoshinori; Motomiya, Yoshihiro; Ando, Yukio
- Abstract
Heparin, one of the essential molecules called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), is the anticoagulant that is commonly used in regular hemodialysis, during which dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) may develop. The pathogenic protein, i.e. precursor protein, in DRA is β2-microglobulin (β2m). Recent studies defined amyloidosis as a protein misfolding disease of precursor proteins including β2m. Because the analytic technique capillary electrophoresis can identify molecular variants of the folded β2m, i.e. conformational variants, we utilized it to investigate the effect of heparin on β2m conformation and thus determined whether heparin can promote DRA development by inducing a conformational change in the amyloidogenic β2m molecule. Heparin had a slight but significant effect on intermediate β2m conformation but no effect on native β2m conformation and on conversion of native to intermediate β2m. Our findings thus suggest a possible association of β2m with GAGs containing a sulfate moiety, including heparin, in HD patients.
- Publication
Therapeutic Apheresis & Dialysis, 2012, Vol 16, Issue 2, p159
- ISSN
1744-9979
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1744-9987.2011.01039.x