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Related Concept Videos

Amyloid Fibrils03:03

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are aggregates of misfolded proteins.  Under most circumstances, misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperone proteins or degraded by the proteasome. However, in the case of a mutation or a disease, these proteins can accumulate to form large clusters and often further assemble to form elongated fibers, called fibrils. 
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen.   In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Amyloid Fibrils03:03

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are aggregates of misfolded proteins.  Under most circumstances, misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperone proteins or degraded by the proteasome. However, in the case of a mutation or a disease, these proteins can accumulate to form large clusters and often further assemble to form elongated fibers, called fibrils. 
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen.   In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Processing Embryo, Eggshell, and Fungal Culture for Scanning Electron Microscopy
09:15

Processing Embryo, Eggshell, and Fungal Culture for Scanning Electron Microscopy

Published on: August 16, 2019

A functional amyloid scaffold shapes insect egg coats.

Katerina Konstantoulea1,2,3, Peter Kunach1,2, Harichandra Tagad1,2,3

  • 1Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|June 12, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Functional amyloids in insect egg coats assemble via a novel β-serpentine fold. A short hexapeptide motif drives self-assembly, revealing principles of biological amyloid formation.

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Upright Imaging of Drosophila Egg Chambers
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Upright Imaging of Drosophila Egg Chambers

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Last Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Processing Embryo, Eggshell, and Fungal Culture for Scanning Electron Microscopy
09:15

Processing Embryo, Eggshell, and Fungal Culture for Scanning Electron Microscopy

Published on: August 16, 2019

Upright Imaging of Drosophila Egg Chambers
12:29

Upright Imaging of Drosophila Egg Chambers

Published on: March 13, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Structural biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • Functional amyloids are crucial biological scaffolds, but their assembly principles are often unknown.
  • The lepidopteran chorion (egg coat) is a mechanically resilient amyloid matrix essential for embryo protection, formed by hundreds of paralogous proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the atomic structure of chorion amyloid filaments.
  • To uncover the principles governing chorion amyloid assembly.
  • To elucidate the molecular architecture of functional amyloids in insect egg coats.

Main Methods:

  • Evolutionary analysis of over 500 protein sequences.
  • Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) for high-resolution structural determination.
  • Biophysical assays to investigate self-assembly and stability.

Main Results:

  • Chorion amyloid filaments adopt a β-serpentine fold, contrary to prior predictions.
  • A short hexapeptide motif forms homotypic steric-zipper interfaces, driving autonomous self-assembly.
  • Amyloid formation involves secondary nucleation and a hierarchical mechanism initiated by motif interactions.

Conclusions:

  • Established the atomic structure and assembly principles of insect chorion amyloid filaments.
  • Demonstrated that pathological aggregation mechanisms can operate in functional amyloid formation.
  • Provided molecular insights into insect egg-coat assembly and functional amyloid regulation.