Promoted Aggregation of Aβ on Lipid Bilayers in an Open Flowing System

Recent Computational Advances Regarding Amyloid-β and Tau Membrane Interactions in Alzheimer's Disease

The interactions of amyloid proteins with membranes have been subject to many experimental and computational studies, as these interactions contribute in part to neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we report on recent simulations that have focused on the adsorption and insertion modes of amyloid-β and tau proteins in membranes. The atomistic-resolution characterization of the conformational changes of these amyloid proteins upon lipid cell membrane and free lipid interactions is of interest to rationally design drugs targeting transient oligomers in Alzheimer's disease.

Self-Assembly of Amyloid-Beta (Aβ) Peptides from Solution to Near In Vivo Conditions

Understanding the atomistic resolution changes during the self-assembly of amyloid peptides or proteins is important to develop compounds or conditions to alter the aggregation pathways and suppress the toxicity and potentially aid in the development of drugs. However, the complexity of protein aggregation and the transient order/disorder of oligomers along the pathways to fibril are very challenging. In this Perspective, we discuss computational studies of amyloid polypeptides carried out under various conditions, including conditions closely mimicking in vivo and point out the challenges in obtaining physiologically relevant results, focusing mainly on the amyloid-beta Aβ peptides.

The Association of Lipids with Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid formation continues to be a widely studied area because of its association with numerous diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Despite a large body of work on protein aggregation and fibril formation, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the factors that differentiate toxic amyloid formation in vivo from alternative misfolding pathways. In addition to proteins, amyloid fibrils are often associated in their cellular context with several types of molecule, including carbohydrates, polyanions, and lipids. This review focuses in particular on evidence for the presence of lipids in amyloid fibrils and the routes by which those lipids may become incorporated. Chemical analyses of fibril composition, combined with studies to probe the lipid distribution around fibrils, provide evidence that in some cases, lipids have a strong association with fibrils. In addition, amyloid fibrils formed in the presence of lipids have distinct morphologies and material properties. It is argued that lipids are an integral part of many amyloid deposits in vivo, where their presence has the potential to influence the nucleation, morphology, and mechanical properties of fibrils. The role of lipids in these structures is therefore worthy of further study.