“…ApoE3 variants R136S, R145C, and K146E that have been linked with the development of type III hyperlipoproteinemia, have much milder repercussions on apoE3 structure and stability, indicating that although any mutation in this region of apoE3 may be detrimental to its structural and thermodynamic integrity, the strong effects described in this study may be the result of the exact amino acid substitution, more specifi cally of the introduction of the "helix-breaker" proline residue in a highly helical segment. Interestingly, the misfolding of the N-terminal domain actually enhances the kinetics of 21,23,38 ) in the pathogenesis of LPG has been previously hypothesized, but how, exactly, the mutations in the apoE protein lead to deposition of lipoproteins in the glomerulus is unknown. The nature of amino acid substitutions in these mutations, in conjunction with the structural properties of the apoE domain where they are located, prompted us to investigate the repercussions of these mutations on the protein structure and stability.…”