Globular tetramers of beta(2)-microglobulin assemble into elaborate amyloid fibrils

J Mol Biol. 2009 May 29;389(1):48-57. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.03.066. Epub 2009 Apr 5.

Abstract

Amyloid fibrils are ordered polymers in which constituent polypeptides adopt a non-native fold. Despite their importance in degenerative human diseases, the overall structure of amyloid fibrils remains unknown. High-resolution studies of model peptide assemblies have identified residues forming cross-beta-strands and have revealed some details of local beta-strand packing. However, little is known about the assembly contacts that define the fibril architecture. Here we present a set of three-dimensional structures of amyloid fibrils formed from full-length beta(2)-microglobulin, a 99-residue protein involved in clinical amyloidosis. Our cryo-electron microscopy maps reveal a hierarchical fibril structure built from tetrameric units of globular density, with at least three different subunit interfaces in this homopolymeric assembly. These findings suggest a more complex superstructure for amyloid than hitherto suspected and prompt a re-evaluation of the defining features of the amyloid fold.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Subunits / chemistry
  • beta 2-Microglobulin / chemistry*
  • beta 2-Microglobulin / metabolism*
  • beta 2-Microglobulin / ultrastructure

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Protein Subunits
  • beta 2-Microglobulin