Document Type
Article
Journal Title
Nanoscale Advances
Publication Date
2019
Volume
1
Abstract
The self-assembly and fibrillation of amyloid β (Aβ) proteins is the neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. However, the molecular mechanism of how disordered monomers assemble into aggregates remains largely unknown. In this work, we characterize the assembly of Aβ (1–40) monomers into dimers using long-time molecular dynamics simulations. Upon interaction, the monomers undergo conformational transitions, accompanied by change of the structure, leading to the formation of a stable dimer. The dimers are stabilized by interactions in the N-terminal region (residues 5–12), in the central hydrophobic region (residues 16–23), and in the C-terminal region (residues 30–40); with inter-peptide interactions focused around the N- and C-termini. The dimers do not contain long β-strands that are usually found in fibrils.
DOI Link
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Hashemi, Mohtadin; Zhang, Yuliang; Lv, Zhengjian; and Lyubchenko, Yuri L., "Spontaneous Self-Assembly of Amyloid β (1–40) Into Dimers" (2019). Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences. 25.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/cop_pharmsci_articles/25