biostudies-literatureKumar SNIGMS NIH HHS11412https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC4848510biostudies-literatureUnknown7Disordered proteins, such as those central to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, are particularly intractable for structure-targeted therapeutic design. Here we demonstrate the capacity of a synthetic foldamer to capture structure in a disease relevant peptide. Oligoquinoline amides have a defined fold with a solvent-excluded core that is independent of its outwardly projected, derivatizable moieties. Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a peptide central to β-cell pathology in type II diabetes. A tetraquinoline is presented that stabilizes a pre-amyloid, α-helical conformation of IAPP. This charged, dianionic compound is readily soluble in aqueous buffer, yet crosses biological membranes without cellular assistance: an unexpected capability that is a consequence of its ability to reversibly fold. The tetraquinoline docks specifically with intracellular IAPP and rescues β-cells from toxicity. Taken together, our work here supports the thesis that stabilizing non-toxic conformers of a plastic protein is a viable strategy for cytotoxic rescue addressable using oligoquinoline amides.Nature communicationsFoldamer-mediated manipulation of a pre-amyloid toxin.PMC4848510R01 GM094693R01 GM102815Schlamadinger DEMiranker ADBirol MWojcik SPKumar SRhoades EfalseFoldamer-mediated manipulation of a pre-amyloid toxin.Disordered proteins, such as those central to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, are particularly intractable for structure-targeted therapeutic design. Here we demonstrate the capacity of a synthetic foldamer to capture structure in a disease relevant peptide. Oligoquinoline amides have a defined fold with a solvent-excluded core that is independent of its outwardly projected, derivatizable moieties. Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a peptide central to β-cell pathology in type II diabetes. A tetraquinoline is presented that stabilizes a pre-amyloid, α-helical conformation of IAPP. This charged, dianionic compound is readily soluble in aqueous buffer, yet crosses biological membranes without cellular assistance: an unexpected capability that is a consequence of its ability to reversibly fold. The tetraquinoline docks specifically with intracellular IAPP and rescues β-cells from toxicity. Taken together, our work here supports the thesis that stabilizing non-toxic conformers of a plastic protein is a viable strategy for cytotoxic rescue addressable using oligoquinoline amides.2016-01-01T00:00:00Z2016 Apr2024-11-13T17:00:02.676Z2019-03-27T02:12:36ZS-EPMC48485102710870010.1038/ncomms11412