Bifurcated hydrogen bonds stabilize fibrils of poly(L-glutamic) acid

Model fibrillating homopolypeptides have been providing many insightful analogies to the clinically important phenomena of protein misfolding and amyloidogenesis. Here we show that the beta(2) structural variant of poly(l-glutamic) acid forms fibrils with an amyloid-like morphology, ability to enhance fluorescence of thioflavin T, and seeding properties. The beta(2) fibrils are formed upon heating of aqueous solutions of alpha-helical poly(l-glutamic) acid, which leads to a significant increase of pD (pH) of unbuffered samples and a concomitant precipitation of fibrils with unusual infrared traits: amide I' band being dramatically red-shifted to 1596 cm(-1), and the -COOD stretching band split into two peaks around 1730 and 1719 cm(-1). We are proposing that formation of three-center hydrogen bonds involving bifurcated peptide carbonyl acceptors (>C=O) and main chains' NH, as well as side chains' -COOH proton donors is likely to underlie the observed infrared characteristics of beta(2) fibrils. Such bonds provide additional conformational constraints in a tightly packed environment around glutamate side chains resulting in the decreased overall acidity of the polypeptide. The presence of bifurcated hydrogen bonds in amyloid fibrils may be an overlooked factor in fibrils' robustness, thermodynamic stability and the ability to propagate their own growth.