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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 14: Posters: Protein Structure and dynamics

BP 14.5: Poster

Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 09:30–12:30, P1

Computational clarification of structural detail in polyglutamine aggregation — •Markus Miettinen — FU Berlin, Berlin, Germany

In many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Altzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's, cell death is associated with protein misfolding and aggregation. We studied the events leading to aggregation of polyglutamine, the aggregation-prone part of the disease-associated protein in Huntington's and eight other diseases. It is believed that some structures in the initial stages of aggregation are highly toxic, but due to their fleeting nature it has been difficult to obtain direct experimental data on them. Combining a criterion based on available experimental data with extensive molecular simulations, we demonstrated the infeasibility of several structures, and could single out one motif as crucial for the initiation of aggregation. We suggest a pathway that could provide new insight into developing strategies to alleviate toxicity.