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Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2-Dithiolane Modified Self-Assembling Peptides
Published on: August 20, 2018
Role of aromatic amino acids in amyloid self-assembly
Ivana M Stanković1, Shuqiang Niu2, Michael B Hall2
1ICTM, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa, 12, Belgrade, Serbia.
Abstract:
Amyloids are proteins of a cross-β structure found as deposits in several diseases and also in normal tissues (nails, spider net, silk). Aromatic amino acids are frequently found in amyloid deposits. Although they are not indispensable, aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, enhance significantly the kinetics of formation and thermodynamic stability, while tape or ribbon-like morphology is represented in systems with experimentally detected π-π interactions between aromatic rings. Analysis of geometries and energies of the amyloid PDB structures indicate the prevalence of aromatic-nonaromatic interactions and confirm that aromatic-aromatic interactions are not crucial for the amyloid formation.
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