Ring-like N-fold Models of Aβ₄₂ fibrils

When assembling as fibrils Aβ₄₀ peptides can only assume U-shaped conformations while Aβ₄₂ can also arrange as S-shaped three-stranded chains. We show that this allows Aβ₄₂ peptides to assemble pore-like structures that may explain their higher toxicity. For this purpose, we develop a scalable model of ring-like assemblies of S-shaped Aβ_1-42 chains and study the stability and structural properties of these assemblies through atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the proposed arrangements are in size and symmetry compatible with experimentally observed Aβ assemblies. We further show that the interior pore in our models allows for water leakage as a possible mechanism of cell toxicity of Aβ₄₂ amyloids.