Ile-phe dipeptide self-assembly: clues to amyloid formation
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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides
Published on: November 21, 2013
Natalia Sánchez de Groot1, Teodor Parella, Francesc X Aviles
1Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain.
Abstract:
Peptidic self-assembled nanostructures are said to have a wide range of applications in nanotechnology, yet the mechanistic details of hierarchical self-assembly are still poorly understood. The Phe-Phe recognition motif of the Alzheimer's Abeta peptide is the smallest peptide able to assemble into higher-order structures. Here, we show that the Ile-Phe dipeptide analog is also able to self-associate in aqueous solution as a transparent, thermoreversible gel formed by a network of fibrillar nanostructures that exhibit strong birefringence upon Congo red binding. Besides, a second dipeptide Val-Phe, differing only in a methyl group from the former, is unable to self-assemble. The detailed analysis of the differential polymeric behavior of these closely related molecules provides insight into the forces triggering the first steps in self-assembly processes such as amyloid formation.
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