Probing the Mechanisms of Fibril Formation Using Lattice Models

Details Probing the Mechanisms of Fibril Formation Using Lattice Models Probing the Mechanisms of Fibril Formation Using Lattice Models

2008-12-06

arxiv.org/abs/0812.1274v1

J. Chem. Phys. 129, 175101 (2008)

Biology

Quantitative Biology

Biomolecules

27 pages, 6 figures

Scientific paper

10.1063/1.2989981

Using exhaustive Monte Carlo simulations we study the kinetics and mechanism of fibril formation using lattice models as a function of temperature and the number of chains. While these models are, at best, caricatures of peptides, we show that a number of generic features thought to govern fibril assembly are present in the toy model. The monomer, which contains eight beads made from three letters (hydrophobic, polar, and charged), adopts a compact conformation in the native state. The kinetics of fibril assembly occurs in three distinct stages. In each stage there is a cascade of events that transforms the monomers and oligomers to ordered structures. In the first "burst" stage highly mobile oligomers of varying sizes form. The conversion to the aggregation-prone conformation occurs within the oligomers during the second stage. As time progresses, a dominant cluster emerges that contains a majority of the chains. In the final stage, the aggregation-prone conformation particles serve as a template onto which smaller oligomers or monomers can dock and undergo conversion to fibril structures. The overall time for growth in the latter stages is well described by the Lifshitz-Slyazov growth kinetics for crystallization from super-saturated solutions.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Probing the Mechanisms of Fibril Formation Using Lattice Models does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Probing the Mechanisms of Fibril Formation Using Lattice Models, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Probing the Mechanisms of Fibril Formation Using Lattice Models will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-719731