Sub-ångström Cryo-EM Structure of a Prion Protofibril Reveals a Polar Clasp

Overview

Journal Nat Struct Mol Biol

Specialties Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Date 2018 Jan 17

PMID 29335561

Citations 48

Authors

Marcus Gallagher-Jones

Calina Glynn

David R Boyer

Michael W Martynowycz

Evelyn Hernandez

Jennifer Miao

Chih-Te Zee

Irina V Novikova

Lukasz Goldschmidt

Heather T McFarlane

Gustavo F Helguera

James E Evans

Michael R Sawaya

Duilio Cascio

David S Eisenberg

Tamir Gonen

Jose A Rodriguez

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The atomic structure of the infectious, protease-resistant, β-sheet-rich and fibrillar mammalian prion remains unknown. Through the cryo-EM method MicroED, we reveal the sub-ångström-resolution structure of a protofibril formed by a wild-type segment from the β2-α2 loop of the bank vole prion protein. The structure of this protofibril reveals a stabilizing network of hydrogen bonds that link polar zippers within a sheet, producing motifs we have named 'polar clasps'.

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