title: Aggregation of beta-amyloid fragments.
abstract: The authors study the folding and aggregation of six chains of the beta-amyloid fragment 16-22 using Monte Carlo simulations. While the isolated fragment prefers a helical form at room temperature, in the system of six interacting fragments one observes both parallel and antiparallel beta sheets below a crossover temperature T(x) approximately equal to 420 K. The antiparallel sheets have lower energy and are therefore more stable. Above the nucleation temperature the aggregate quickly dissolves into widely separated, weakly interacting chains.
authors.affiliation: John-von-Neumann Institute for Computing, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany. j.meinke@fz-juelich.de
authors.forename: Jan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Meinke
authors.forename: Ulrich H E
authors.initials: UH
authors.lastname: Hansmann
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001665:Binding Sites; D003198:Computer Simulation; D019281:Dimerization; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C417223:amyloid beta-protein (16-22)