title: Mechanical unbinding of abeta peptides from amyloid fibrils.
abstract: Using the experimental structures of Abeta amyloid fibrils and all-atom molecular dynamics, we study the force-induced unbinding of Abeta peptides from the fibril. We show that the mechanical dissociation of Abeta peptides is highly anisotropic and proceeds via different pathways when force is applied in parallel or perpendicular direction with respect to the fibril axis. The threshold forces associated with lateral unbinding of Abeta peptides exceed those observed during the mechanical dissociation along the fibril axis. In addition, Abeta fibrils are found to be brittle in the lateral direction of unbinding and soft along the fibril axis. Lateral mechanical unbinding and the unbinding along the fibril axis load different types of fibril interactions. Lateral unbinding is primarily determined by the cooperative rupture of fibril backbone hydrogen bonds. The unbinding along the fibril axis largely depends on the interpeptide Lys-Asp electrostatic contacts and the hydrophobic interactions formed by the Abeta C terminal. Due to universality of the amyloid beta structure, the anisotropic mechanical dissociation observed for Abeta fibrils is likely to be applicable to other amyloid assemblies. The estimates of equilibrium forces required to dissociate Abeta peptide from the amyloid fibril suggest that these supramolecular structures are mechanically stronger than most protein domains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA 20110, USA.
authors.forename: E Prabhu
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Raman
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Valeri
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barsegov
authors.forename: Dmitri K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Klimov
mesh_terms: D000682:Amyloid / Q000737:chemistry*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments