Granular assembly of alpha-synuclein leading to the accelerated amyloid fibril formation with shear stress.

ABSTRACT: alpha-Synuclein participates in the Lewy body formation of Parkinson's disease. Elucidation of the underlying molecular mechanism of the amyloid fibril formation is crucial not only to develop a controlling strategy toward the disease, but also to apply the protein fibrils for future biotechnology. Discernable homogeneous granules of alpha-synuclein composed of approximately 11 monomers in average were isolated in the middle of a lag phase during the in vitro fibrillation process. They were demonstrated to experience almost instantaneous fibrillation during a single 12-min centrifugal membrane-filtration at 14,000 x g. The granular assembly leading to the drastically accelerated fibril formation was demonstrated to be a result of the physical influence of shear force imposed on the preform

SUBMITTER: Bhak G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2613562 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature