Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shean-Jaw Chiou, Huey-Jiun Ko, Chi-Ching Hwang, Yi-Ren Hong
Summary: Beta2-microglobulin (B2M) plays a crucial role in both immune response and antimicrobial activity, functioning primarily in innate defense. B2M acts as an antimicrobial peptide under acidic conditions, disrupting a wide range of microbes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qize Xuan, Jiaxin He, Wenxue Zhang, Wei Zhang, Qi Zhang, Yao Zhou, Anqi Wei, Hao Wang, Hui Li, Chao Chen, Ping Wang
Summary: This study successfully prepared three different morphological and structural phenol-soluble modulin alpha 3 (PSM alpha 3) assemblies using the strategy of salt-inducing assembly polymorphism. It was found that amyloid fibrillation was essential for enhancing the cytotoxicity of PSM alpha 3, and the size and structure of PSM alpha 3 fibrils played a crucial role in cytotoxicity. The cytotoxicity was achieved through a membrane-disrupting mechanism, with different fibril types causing membrane thinning or perforation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jan Gombos, Lucia Balejcikova, Peter Kopcansky, Marianna Batkova, Katarina Siposova, Jozef Kovac, Kristina Zolochevska, Ivo Safarik, Alica Lokajova, Vasil M. Garamus, Dusan Dobrota, Oliver Strbak
Summary: This article investigates the destructive effect of ferritin derivatives on lysosome amyloid fibrils and the release of iron ions. The results suggest that ferritin derivatives have both therapeutic and adverse effects, which may play a significant role in future biomedical applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hisashi Okumura, Satoru G. Itoh, Heishun Zen, Kazuhiro Nakamura
Summary: PolyA aggregates, which cause polyalanine diseases, can be dissociated using a mid-infrared free electron laser (FEL). This study demonstrates the weakening of aggregation and reduced cytotoxicity of polyA aggregates upon FEL irradiation. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal the dissociation process and the inhibition of reformation by water molecules. The findings suggest a common mechanism underlying the dissociation of different protein aggregates, including polyA disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roberto Maya-Martinez, Yong Xu, Nicolas Guthertz, Martin Walko, Theodoros K. Karamanos, Frank Sobott, Alexander L. Breeze, Sheena E. Radford
Summary: This study utilized NMR methods combined with photo-induced crosslinking to detect and structurally characterize transient dimers of D76N-112m. The results showed that these crosslinked dimers have different structures from previously characterized dimers and possess potent inhibitory effects on amyloid formation.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hiroaki Matsushita, Atsushi Fukunari, Gento Sameshima, Masamitsu Okada, Fumika Inoue, Mitsuharu Ueda, Yukio Ando
Summary: UV irradiation has been found to reduce amyloid fibril formation, but its effects vary depending on the type of amyloidogenic protein. The amount of aggregates does not differ significantly with or without UV irradiation.
JOURNAL OF RADIATION RESEARCH AND APPLIED SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dongdong Lin, Zhenyu Qian, Massimo Bagnani, Miguel A. Hernandez-Rodriguez, Julio Corredoira-Vazquez, Guanghong Wei, Luis D. Carlos, Raffaele Mezzenga
Summary: Insoluble amyloid fibrils, associated with neurodegenerative diseases, have potential applications in bio-nanomaterials. Gold nanorods were used to study the plasmonic heating and dissociation of amyloid-beta fibrils. The results show that the nanorods can break down the amyloid-beta fibrils by triggering ultrahigh localized surface plasmon resonance heating.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Yusuke Kambe, Ken Kuwahara, Mitsuru Sato, Takahiko Nakaoki, Tetsuji Yamaoka
Summary: The study found that replacing the beta 2-m binding part of the navigator protein with an anti-beta 2-m single-chain variable fragment antibody increased the binding activity of beta 2-m, leading to improved efficiency in transferring the metabolic pathway of beta 2-m.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuji Goto, Masahiro Noji, Kichitaro Nakajima, Keiichi Yamaguchi
Summary: Supersaturation refers to the non-equilibrium state of a solution where the solute concentration exceeds its thermodynamic solubility. Recent evidence suggests that supersaturation plays a critical role in amyloid fibril formation and the onset of amyloidosis. In addition to structural studies, research on solubility and supersaturation is essential for a comprehensive understanding of amyloid fibrils and their roles in amyloidosis, as well as for developing therapeutic strategies.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jie Teng, Mohammad Peydayesh, Jiandong Lu, Jiangtao Zhou, Peter Benedek, Robin Schaeublin, Shijie You, Raffaele Mezzenga
Summary: By synthesizing and binding a nano-Pd catalyst to the electrode via amyloid fibrils, a novel hybrid bulk electrode with large active area and good controllability is obtained. The electrode exhibits superior electroreduction performance for the detoxification of harmful substances in wastewater and drinking water.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yulun Chen, Qingrun Liu, Shuna Mi, Shaofeng Yuan, Hang Yu, Yahui Guo, Yuliang Cheng, He Qian, Yunfei Xie, Weirong Yao
Summary: This study investigated the effects of different surface chemistries of nanoplastics on the fibrillation of lysozyme. It was found that amino modified polystyrene (PS-NH2) could promote the fibrillation of lysozyme by enhancing the primary nucleation step of amyloid fibril formation. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) were used to characterize the differences in spatial conformation of lysozyme, revealing the interaction between the amino group of PS-NH2 and tryptophan (or tyrosine) of lysozyme. This study provided a new perspective on the regulation of interfacial chemistry of nanoplastics on the fibrillation of amyloid proteins, and suggested that SERS could be a powerful method to study protein-nanoparticle interactions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Mao Fukuyama, Suguru Nishinami, Yoko Maruyama, Taiki Ozawa, Shunsuke Tomita, Yumiko Ohhashi, Motohiro Kasuya, Masao Gen, Eri Chatani, Kentaro Shiraki, Akihide Hibara
Summary: This study developed a measurement method for the amyloid droplet nucleation rate based on image analysis, and found that LLPS unexpectedly suppressed amyloid nucleation in the droplets of a prion disease model protein.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuying Fu, Yuan Li, Huanhuan Su, Tao Wu, Teng Li
Summary: Ice recrystallization, harmful to frozen foods and cellular cryopreservation, can be prevented by biocompatible materials with ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity. Amphiphilic amyloid protein fibrils (APFs) prepared from whey protein isolate (WPI) have shown IRI activity. The IRI activity of APFs is influenced by pH, water dispersibility, fibril length, and NaCl content. APFs bind weakly to ice and ordered water may play a role in their IRI activity. These findings suggest the potential use of APFs as novel ice recrystallization inhibitors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ryosuke Tomiyama, Masatomo So, Keiichi Yamaguchi, Yohei Miyanoiri, Kazumasa Sakurai
Summary: β(2)-Microglobulin can form amyloid fibrils in acidic conditions. The presence of disulfide bonds affects the residual structure of the monomer, which influences the morphology of the fibrils.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fatima Kamal Zaidi, Rajiv Bhat
Summary: This study investigates the influence of curcumin and EGCG on the amyloid fibril formation of human lysozyme (HuL) and explores the mechanisms of their action. Curcumin inhibits HuL fibrillation by interacting with prefibrillar and fibrillar intermediates, while also disaggregating preformed fibrils. On the other hand, EGCG suppresses fibrillation but modulates the pathway towards large, β-sheet rich amyloid fibril-like aggregates and modifies preformed fibrils. Despite forming large agglomerates, both curcumin and EGCG reduce the surface hydrophobicity and cytotoxicity of HuL, possibly due to the dense and highly clustered nature of the aggregates.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2022)