Differences in ?-strand populations of monomeric A?40 and A?42.
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ABSTRACT: Using homonuclear (1)H NOESY spectra, with chemical shifts, (3)JH(N)H(?) scalar couplings, residual dipolar couplings, and (1)H-(15)N NOEs, we have optimized and validated the conformational ensembles of the amyloid-? 1-40 (A?40) and amyloid-? 1-42 (A?42) peptides generated by molecular dynamics simulations. We find that both peptides have a diverse set of secondary structure elements including turns, helices, and antiparallel and parallel ?-strands. The most significant difference in the structural ensembles of the two peptides is the type of ?-hairpins and ?-strands they populate. We find that A?42 forms a major antiparallel ?-hairpin involving the central hydrophobic cluster residues (16-21) with residues 29-36, compatible with known amyloid fibril forming regions, whereas A?40 forms an alternative but less populated antiparallel ?-hairpin between the central hydrophobic cluster and residues 9-13, that sometimes forms a ?-sheet by association with residues 35-37. Furthermore, we show that the two additional C-terminal residues of A?42, in particular Ile-41, directly control the differences in the ?-strand content found between the A?40 and A?42 structural ensembles. Integrating the experimental and theoretical evidence accumulated over the last decade, it is now possible to present monomeric structural ensembles of A?40 and A?42 consistent with available information that produce a plausible molecular basis for why A?42 exhibits greater fibrillization rates than A?40.
SUBMITTER: Ball KA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3686344 | biostudies-other | 2013 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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