Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy Identifies Parallel to Antiparallel β-Sheet Transformation of Aβ Fibrils

J Phys Chem Lett. 2022 Nov 17;13(45):10522-10526. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02998. Epub 2022 Nov 7.

Abstract

Spontaneous aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins leading to the formation of oligomers and eventually into fibrils has been identified as a key pathological signature of Alzheimer's disease. The structure of late-stage aggregates have been studied in depth by conventional structural biology techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray crystallography, and infrared spectroscopy; however, the structure of early-stage aggregates is less known due to their transient nature. As a result, the structural evolution of amyloid aggregates from early oligomers to mature fibrils is still not fully understood. Here, we have applied atomic force microscopy-infrared nanospectroscopy to investigate the aggregation of Aβ 16-22, which spans the amyloidogenic core of the Aβ peptide. Our results demonstrate that Aβ 16-22 involves a structural transition from oligomers with parallel β-sheets to antiparallel fibrils through disordered and possibly helical intermediate fibril structures, contrary to the known aggregation pathway of full-length Aβ.

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / metabolism
  • Amyloid / chemistry
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides* / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry
  • Protein Conformation, beta-Strand
  • Spectrophotometry, Infrared

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Amyloid
  • Peptide Fragments