STRUDEL - Structural and Dynamical Exploration of LDL

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. One of the major risk factors for the development of CVDs is an elevated level of blood cholesterol. In human circulation a complex nanoparticle is responsible for cholesterol transport to cells. This nanoparticle is termed Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), and it is composed of lipids, fat, cholesterol and a protein moiety, called apolipoprotein B- 100 (apo B-100). Due to its function in the cholesterol transport system, both - LDL and apo B-100 are intimately linked to the development of CVDs, such as atherosclerosis. LDLs role in physiology is determined by its structure. There is still a tremendous need to understand how LDL and apo B-100 look like at an atomic scale and act on a molecular level. Thanks to rapid technological progress within the last few years we are now able to look closer than ever before into such small biomolecules. In an interdisciplinary approach combine scientists from Austria (K. Kornmüller, R. Prassl) and France (J. Peters, A. Desfosses, D. Traore) state- of-the-art techniques, such as cryo electron microscopy, scattering methods and molecular dynamics simulations. These techniques allow to characterize LDL and apo B-100 according to their structure, but also to map information on flexibility to certain areas within these structures. A detailed description of structure and dynamics paves the way not only for better understanding the process how CVDs develop, but also for improved drug-design.