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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2-Dithiolane Modified Self-Assembling Peptides
Published on: August 20, 2018
Influence of salt on the self-assembly of two model amyloid heptapeptides
V Castelletto1, I W Hamley, C Cenker
1Department of Chemistry, The University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AD, UK. V.Castelletto@reading.ac.uk
Abstract:
We study the effects of NaCl on the self-assembly of AAKLVFF and betaAbetaAKLVFF in solution. Both AAKLVFF and betaAbetaAKLVFF self-assemble into twisted fibers in aqueous solution. The addition of NaCl to aqueous solutions of AAKLVFF produces large crystal-like nanotapes which eventually precipitate. In contrast, highly twisted fibrils were observed for betaAbetaAKLVFF solutions at low salt concentration, while a coexistence of highly twisted fibers and nanotubes was observed for betaAbetaAKLVFF at high salt concentration. The self-assembled structures observed for betaAbetaAKLVFF in NaCl solutions were ascribed to the progressive screening of the betaAbetaAKLVFF surface charge caused by the addition of salt.
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