FTIR spectroscopic studies on aggregation process of the β-amyloid 11–28 fragment and its variants

✍ Scribed by Paulina Juszczyk; Aleksandra S. Kołodziejczyk; Zbigniew Grzonka

• Book ID: 105359721
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 194 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1075-2617
• DOI: 10.1002/psc.1085

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Aggregation of Aβ peptides is a seminal event in Alzheimer's disease. Detailed understanding of the Aβ assembly process would facilitate the targeting and design of fibrillogenesis inhibitors. Here, conformational studies using FTIR spectroscopy are presented. As a model peptide, the 11–28 fragment of Aβ was used. This model peptide is known to contain the core region responsible for Aβ aggregation. The structural behavior of the peptide during aggregation provoked by the addition of water to Aβ(11–28) solution in hexafluoroisopropanol was compared with the properties of its variants corresponding to natural, clinically relevant mutants at positions 21–23 (A21G, E22K, E22G, E22Q and D23N). The results showed that the aggregation of the peptides proceeds via a helical intermediate, and it is possible that the formation of α‐helical structures is preceded by creation of 3~10~‐helix/3~10~‐turn structures. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.