Mechanistic Kinetic Model Reveals How Amyloidogenic Hydrophobic Patches Facilitate the Amyloid-β Fibril Elongation

Abnormal aggregation of amyloid beta (A beta) peptides into fibrils plays a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. A two-stage dock-lock model has been proposed for the A beta fibril elongation process. However, the mechanisms of the A beta monomer-fibril binding process have not been elucidated with the necessary molecular-level precision, so it remains unclear how the lock phase dynamics leads to the overall in-register binding of the A beta monomer onto the fibril. To gain mechanistic insights into this critical step during the fibril elongation process, we used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with a physics-based coarse-grained UNited-RESidue (UNRES) force field and sampled extensively the dynamics of the lock phase process, in which a fibril-bound A beta(()(9-)(40)) peptide rearranged to establish the native docking conformation. Analysis of the MD trajectories with Markov state models was used to quantify the kinetics of the rearrangement process and the most probable pathways leading to the overall native docking conformation of the incoming peptide. These revealed a key intermediate state in which an intra-monomer hairpin is formed between the central core amyloidogenic patch (18)VFFA(21) and the C-terminal hydrophobic patch (34)LMVG(37). This hairpin structure is highly favored as a transition state during the lock phase of the fibril elongation. We propose a molecular mechanism for facilitation of the A beta fibril elongation by amyloidogenic hydrophobic patches.

Automated summary

This study investigates the key steps in Aβ fibril elongation, using molecular dynamics simulations to study the lock phase process in detail. Through analysis of the simulation trajectories, a key intermediate state was discovered in which a hairpin structure forms, exerting significant influence on the lock phase of fibril elongation. The findings reveal a molecular mechanism for the facilitation of Aβ fibril elongation by amyloidogenic hydrophobic patches.