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Crystal structure of a human prion protein fragment reveals a motif for oligomer formation.

ABSTRACT: The structural transition of the prion protein from ?-helical- to ?-sheet-rich underlies its conversion into infectious and disease-associated isoforms. Here we describe the crystal structure of a fragment from human prion protein consisting of the disulfide-bond-linked portions of helices 2 and 3. Instead of forming a pair-of-sheets steric zipper structure characteristic of amyloid fibers, this fragment crystallized into a ?-sheet-rich assembly of hexameric oligomers. This study reveals a never before observed structural motif for ordered protein aggregates and suggests a possible mechanism for self-propagation of misfolded conformations by such nonamyloid oligomers.

SUBMITTER: Apostol MI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3766960 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Crystal structure of a human prion protein fragment reveals a motif for oligomer formation.

Apostol Marcin I MI Perry Kay K Surewicz Witold K WK

Journal of the American Chemical Society 20130702 28

The structural transition of the prion protein from α-helical- to β-sheet-rich underlies its conversion into infectious and disease-associated isoforms. Here we describe the crystal structure of a fragment from human prion protein consisting of the disulfide-bond-linked portions of helices 2 and 3. Instead of forming a pair-of-sheets steric zipper structure characteristic of amyloid fibers, this fragment crystallized into a β-sheet-rich assembly of hexameric oligomers. This study reveals a never ...[more]

PMID: 23808589

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