Download MendeleyCrystal structure of a human prion protein fragment reveals a motif for oligomer formation.
Apostol, M.I., Perry, K., Surewicz, W.K.(2013) J Am Chem Soc 135: 10202-10205
- PubMed: 23808589
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/ja403001q
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
4E1H, 4E1I - PubMed Abstract:
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 before observed structural motif for ordered protein aggregates and suggests a possible mechanism for self-propagation of misfolded conformations by such nonamyloid oligomers.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States. marcinapostol@yahoo.com
