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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Rapid Generation of Amyloid from Native Proteins In vitro
Published on: December 5, 2013
Seeding of proteins into amyloid structures by metabolite assemblies may clarify certain unexplained epidemiological
Dorin Sade1, Shira Shaham-Niv1, Zohar A Arnon1
1Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
Abstract:
The accumulation of various metabolites appears to be associated with diverse human diseases. However, the aetiological link between metabolic alteration and the observed diseases is still elusive. This includes the correlation between the abnormally high levels of homocysteine and quinolinic acid in Alzheimer's disease, as well as the accumulation of oncometabolites in malignant processes. Here, we suggest and discuss a possible mechanistic insight into metabolite accumulation in conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Our hypothesis is based on the demonstrated ability of metabolites to form amyloid-like structures in inborn error of metabolism disorders and the potential of such metabolite amyloids to promote protein aggregation. This notion can provide a new paradigm for neurodegeneration and cancer, as both conditions were linked to loss of function due to protein aggregation. Similar to the well-established observation of amyloid formation in many degenerative disorders, the formation of amyloids by tumour-suppressor proteins, including p53, was demonstrated in malignant states. Moreover, this new paradigm could fill the gap in understanding the high occurrence of specific types of cancer among genetic error of metabolism patients. This hypothesis offers a fresh view on the aetiology of some of the most abundant human maladies and may redirect the efforts towards new therapeutic developments.
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