Structural highlights
Publication Abstract from PubMedHigh-resolution structures of oligomers formed by the beta-amyloid peptide Abeta are needed to understand the molecular basis of Alzheimer's disease and develop therapies. This paper presents the X-ray crystallographic structures of oligomers formed by a 20-residue peptide segment derived from Abeta. The development of a peptide in which Abeta17-36 is stabilized as a beta-hairpin is described, and the X-ray crystallographic structures of oligomers it forms are reported. Two covalent constraints act in tandem to stabilize the Abeta17-36 peptide in a hairpin conformation: a delta-linked ornithine turn connecting positions 17 and 36 to create a macrocycle and an intramolecular disulfide linkage between positions 24 and 29. An N-methyl group at position 33 blocks uncontrolled aggregation. The peptide readily crystallizes as a folded beta-hairpin, which assembles hierarchically in the crystal lattice. Three beta-hairpin monomers assemble to form a triangular trimer, four trimers assemble in a tetrahedral arrangement to form a dodecamer, and five dodecamers pack together to form an annular pore. This hierarchical assembly provides a model, in which full-length Abeta transitions from an unfolded monomer to a folded beta-hairpin, which assembles to form oligomers that further pack to form an annular pore. This model may provide a better understanding of the molecular basis of Alzheimer's disease at atomic resolution. X-ray Crystallographic Structures of a Trimer, Dodecamer, and Annular Pore Formed by an Abeta17-36 beta-Hairpin.,Kreutzer AG, Hamza IL, Spencer RK, Nowick JS J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Apr 6;138(13):4634-42. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b01332. Epub 2016, Mar 29. PMID:26967810[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferences
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