The misfolding and
aggregation of human islet amyloid polypeptide
(hIAPP) at cell membrane has a close relationship with the development
of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This aggregation process is susceptible
to various physiologically related factors, and systematic studies
on condition-mediated hIAPP aggregation are therefore essential for
a thorough understanding of the pathology of T2DM. In this study,
we combined surface-sensitive amide I and amide II spectral signals
from the protein backbone, generated simultaneously in a highly sensitive
femtosecond broad-band sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy
system, to examine the effect of environmental pH on the dynamical
structural changes of hIAPP at membrane surface in situ and in real
time. Such a combination can directly discriminate the formation of
β-hairpin-like monomer and oligomer/fibril at the membrane surface.
It is evident that, in an acidic milieu, hIAPP slows down its conformational
evolution and alters its aggregation pathway, leading to the formation
of off-pathway oligomers. When matured hIAPP aggregates are exposed
to basic subphase, partial conversion from β-sheet oligomers
into ordered β-sheet fibrillar structures is observed. When
exposed to acidic environment, however, hIAPP fibrils partially converse
into more loosely patterned β-sheet oligomeric structures.