Aluminium, beta-amyloid and non-enzymatic glycosylation

The non-enzymatic glycosylation of beta-amyloid is implicated in the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease. However, controversy surrounds the nature of any involvement and a potential mechanism has not been fully elucidated. We present evidence of an aluminium-induced aggregation of the A beta P(25-35) peptide and speculate that the mechanism of formation of our ordered beta-amyloid aggregates might involve non-enzymatic glycosylation and/or site-specific crosslinking of beta-amyloid fibrils by atomic aluminium.