Title:
The pentapeptide LQVVR plays a pivotal role in human cystatin C fibrillization.
Languages of Item:
English
Abstract:
Human cystatin C (HCC) is a low molecular weight member of the cystatin family (type2). HCC
consists of 120 amino acids. Normally it is an inhibitor of cysteine proteases, but in pathological
conditions it forms amyloid fibrils in brain arteries of young adults. An ‘aggregation-prone’ pentapeptide
(47LQVVR51) was located within the HCC sequence using AmylPred, an ‘aggregation-prone’
peptide prediction algorithm developed in our lab. This peptide was synthesized and self-assembled
into amyloid-like fibrils in vitro, as electron microscopy, X-ray fiber diffraction, Attenuated Total
Reflectance Fourier-Transform Spectroscopy and Congo red staining studies reveal. Thus, the
47-LQVVR-51 peptide seems to have an important role in HCC fibrillization.
Authors:
Paraskevi Tsiolaki
Stavros Hamodrakas
Vassiliki Iconomidou
Keywords:
Human cystatin C, Hereditary Cystatin C Amyloid Angiopathy, Alzheimer’s disease, 3D-domain swapping, ‘Aggregation-prone’ pentapeptide LQVVR, Amyloid fibrils
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
