Structural properties and dynamic behavior of nonfibrillar oligomers formed by PrP(106-126)

The formation of nonfibrillar oligomers has been proposed as a common element of the aggregation pathway of proteins and peptides associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. While fibrillar structures have long been considered indicators of diseases linked with the accumulation of amyloid plaques, it has more recently been proposed that amyloid oligomers are in fact the cytotoxic form. Here we describe the local structure and dynamics of stable oligomers formed by a peptide comprising residues 106-126 of the human prion protein (PrP). Structural constraints from solid-state NMR reveal quaternary packing interactions within the hydrophobic core, similar to those previously reported for amyloid fibrils formed by this peptide, and consistent with structural studies of oligomers formed by the Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide. However, a hydration-dependent increase in disorder is observed for nonfibrillar oligomers of PrP(106-126). In solution NMR spectra we observe narrow (1)H and (13)C resonances corresponding to a monomer in exchange with the approximately 30 nm diameter nonfibrillar oligomers, giving additional information on the molecular structure of these species. Taken together, our data support a model in which the local structure of the oligomers contains the basic elements of amyloid fibrils, but with long-range disorder and local mobility that distinguishes these assemblies from the fibrillar form of PrP(106-126). These characteristics may provide a basis for the differing biological activities of amyloid fibrils and oligomers.