Designed Trpzip-3 β-Hairpin Inhibits Amyloid Formation in Two Different Amyloid Systems

The trpzip peptides are small, monomeric, and extremely stable beta-hairpins that have become valuable tools for studying protein folding. Here, we show that trpzip-3 inhibits aggregation in two very different amyloid systems: transthyretin and A beta(1-42). Interestingly, Trp -> Leu mutations renders the peptide ineffective against transthyretin, but A beta inhibition remains. Computational docking was used to predict the interactions between trpzip-3 and transthyretin, suggesting that inhibition occurs via binding to the outer region of the thyroxine-binding site, which is supported by dye displacement experiments.