Kontakt zwischen den β1- und β2-Segmenten von α-Synuclein inhibiert die Amyloidbildung

Peptide-Based Molecular Strategies To Interfere with Protein Misfolding, Aggregation, and Cell Degeneration

Protein misfolding into amyloid fibrils is linked to more than 40 as yet incurable cell- and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and type 2 diabetes. So far, however, only one of the numerous anti-amyloid molecules has reached patients. This Minireview gives an overview of molecular strategies and peptide chemistry "tools" to design, develop, and discover peptide-based molecules as anti-amyloid drug candidates. We focus on two major inhibitor rational design strategies: 1) the oldest and most common strategy, based on molecular recognition elements of amyloid self-assembly, and 2) a more recent approach, based on cross-amyloid interactions. We discuss why peptide-based amyloid inhibitors, in particular their advanced generations, can be promising leads or candidates for anti-amyloid drugs as well as valuable tools for deciphering amyloid-mediated cell damage and its link to disease pathogenesis.

67th Mosbacher Kolloquium: Protein Design: From First Principles to Biomedical Applications

The 67th Mosbacher Kolloquium of the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) with the topic "Protein Design-From First Principles to Biomedical Application" took place from March 31 to April 2 in Mosbach, Germany. Highlights of the colloquium are presented here.