Title
De Novo Design of Self-assembled Hexapeptides as Β-amyloid (Aβ) Peptide Inhibitors
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 8-18-2014
Abstract
The ability of peptides to construct specific secondary structures provides a useful function for biomaterial design that cannot be achieved with traditional organic molecules and polymers. Inhibition of amyloid formation is a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Existing peptide-based inhibitors are mainly derived from original amyloid sequences, which have very limited sequence diversity and activity. It is highly desirable to explore other peptide-based inhibitors that are not directly derived from amyloid sequences. Here, we develop a hybrid high-throughput computational method to efficiently screen and design hexapeptide inhibitors against amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation and toxicity from the first principle. Computationally screened/designed inhibitors are then validated for their inhibition activity using biophysical experiments. We propose and demonstrate a proof-of-concept of the “like-interacts-like” design principle that the self-assembling peptides are able to interact strongly with conformationally similar motifs of Aβ peptides and to competitively reduce Aβ–Aβ interactions, thus preventing Aβ aggregation and Aβ-induced toxicity. Such a de novo design can also be generally applicable to design new peptide inhibitors against other amyloid diseases, beyond traditional peptide inhibitors with homologous sequences to parent amyloid peptides.
Publication Title
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
Volume
5
Issue
10
First Page
972
Last Page
981
Recommended Citation
Zheng, Jie; Zhang, Ge; Zhang, Mingzhen; Wang, Qiuming; Liang, Guizhao; Zhang, Mingzhen; Zhao, Jun; Patel, Kunal; Yu, Xiang; Zhao, Chao; Ding, Binrong; and Zhou, Feimeng, "De Novo Design of Self-assembled Hexapeptides as Β-amyloid (Aβ) Peptide Inhibitors" (2014). Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering Faculty Research. 35.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/chemengin_ideas/35