We report for the very first time the discovery of amyloid-like self-assemblies formed by the nonaromatic single amino acids cysteine (Cys) and methionine (Met) under neutral aqueous conditions. The structure formation was assessed and characterized by various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques such as optical microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The mechanism of self-assembly and the role of hydrogen bonding and thiol interactions of Cys and Met were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and solid state NMR along with various control experiments. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to gain insight into assembly initiation. Further, Thioflavin T and Congo red binding assays with Cys and Met structures indicated that these single amino acid assemblies may have amyloid-like characteristics. To understand the biological significance of the Cys and Met structures, cytotoxicity assays of the assemblies were performed on human neuroblastoma IMR-32 cells and monkey kidney cells (COS-7). The results revealed that both Cys and Met fibers were cytotoxic. The cell viability assay further supported the hypothesis that aggregation of single amino acid may contribute to the etiology of metabolic disorders like cystinuria and hypermethioninemia. The results presented in this study are striking, and to the best of our knowledge this is the first report which demonstrates that nonaromatic amino acids like Cys and Met can undergo spontaneous self-assembly to form amyloidogenic aggregates. The results presented are also consistent with the established generic amyloid hypothesis and support a new paradigm for the study of the etiology of single amino acid initiated metabolic disorders in amyloid related diseases.

We report the aggregation and photophysical properties of a pyridothiazole-based, aggregation-induced, emission-enhancement (AIEE) luminogen 4-(5-methoxy-thiazolo­[4,5-b]­pyridin-2-yl)­benzoic acid (PTC1) and its application for the sensitive detection and monitoring of amyloid fibrillation. The aggregation properties of the AIEE probe were extensively studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), and it was noted that as aggregation increases the fluorescence of PTC1 also was increased. The fluorescence of PTC1 was quenched upon the addition of cupric (Cu2+) ions, while the fluorescence is regenerated in the presence of amyloid fibers. AFM studies reveal that the PTC1 molecules self-associate/aggregate to hairy micelle-like structures, which dissociate or disrupt in the presence of the Cu2+ ions and again reassemble in the presence of amyloid fibers. Hence, the quenching and regeneration of PTC1 fluorescence may be attributed to the disaggregation and aggregation-induced emission (AIE), respectively. Further, a comparative analysis of the performance of PTC1 was done with conventional Thioflavin T, which confirms it to be a more sensitive probe for the detection of the amyloid, both in the presence and absence of Cu2+ ions. The experimental results were also validated theoretically via molecular docking and simulation studies. Of note, a very simple, facile, and cost-effective methodology for the detection of the amyloid fibers is presented, wherein fluorescence quenching/enhancement can be visualized under the UV light without the use of sophisticated instrumentation techniques. The AIEE probe was designed using an unusual pyridothiazole scaffold unlike commonly used archetypal AIE scaffolds based on tetraphenylethene (TPE) and hexaphenylsilole (HPS). Hence, the work also has implications in designing future AIEE dyes based on the pyridothiazole scaffold reported.

There is a plethora of significant research that illustrates toxic self-assemblies formed by the aggregation of single amino acids, such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, cysteine, and methionine, and their implication on the etiology of inborn errors of metabolisms (IEMs), such as phenylketonuria, tyrosinemia, hypertryptophanemia, cystinuria, and hypermethioninemia, respectively. Hence, studying the aggregation behavior of single amino acids is very crucial from the chemical neuroscience perspective to understanding the common etiology between single amino acid metabolite disorders and amyloid diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Herein we report the aggregation properties of nonaromatic single amino acids L-proline (Pro), Lhydroxyproline (Hyp), and L-lysine hydrochloride (Lys). The morphologies of the self-assembled structures formed by Pro, Hyp, and Lys were extensively studied by various microscopic techniques, and controlled morphological transitions were observed under varied concentrations and aging times. The mechanism of structure formation was deciphered by concentration-dependent 1 H NMR analysis, which revealed the crucial role of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions in the structure formation of Pro, Hyp, and Lys. MTT assays on neural (SHSY5Y) cell lines revealed that aggregates formed by Pro, Hyp, and Lys reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. These results may have important implications in the understanding of the patho-physiology of disorders such as hyperprolinemia, hyperhydroxyprolinemia, and hyperlysinemia since all these IEMs are associated with severe neurodegenerative symptoms, including intellectual disability, seizures, and psychiatric problems. Our future studies will endeavor to study these biomolecular assemblies in greater detail by immuno-histochemical analysis and advanced biophysical assays.

We report for the first time self-assembly of an acyl-thiourea based sensor, N-{(6-methoxy-pyridine-2-yl) carbamothioyl}benzamide (NG1) to panchromatic fluorescent fibres and its dual-sensing properties for the sequential detection of Cu2+ ions...

The diphenylalanine (FF) residue which is present at the 19 and 20 positions of the amyloid beta (1–42) (Aβ42) peptide sequence is considered as a reductionist model for studying Aβ42 aggregation. FF self-assembles into well-ordered tubular structures via aromatic π–π stacking. Herein the manuscript, we have presented a chemical perspective on the mechanism of action of antiamyloid compounds by assessing their interaction with FF. Therefore, we first coincubated FF fibers with single amino acids, since they are constituted of different R side chains yet have a common structural unit. This study revealed a crucial role of aromatic rings and functional groups like thiol (−SH) in causing destabilization of FF assembly via their interaction with π-electrons participating in π–π stacking present in FF. We further studied the interaction of different nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), other known antiamyloidogenic compounds, and host–guest inclusion compounds like cyclodextrin (CD) to assess their mechanism of action and to decipher the functional moiety present in these compounds which could cause destabilization of π–π stacking. From the coincubation experiments, we could surmise a crucial role of aromatic rings present in these compounds for causing interference in aromatic stacking. We further consolidated our observations through microscopy analysis by various spectroscopic methods such as aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE), fluorescence spectroscopy, solution-state 1H NMR, FTIR, and circular dichroism. The studies presented in the manuscript thus provide significant insights into the role of functional groups in imparting antiamyloid action and open new avenues for an efficient design of antiamyloid drugs in the future.

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Self-assembly of modified single amino acids has gained substantial attention due to their ease of synthesis, biocompatibility and ability to assemble to distinct structures which can potentially be used for...

<p>Single amino acid based self-assembled structures have gained a lot of interest recently owing to their pathological significance in metabolite disorders. There is plethora of significant research work which illustrate amyloid like characteristics of assemblies formed by aggregation of single amino acids like Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Tryptophan, Cysteine and Methionine and its implications in pathophysiology of single amino acid metabolic disorders like phenylketonuria, tyrosinemia, hypertryptophanemia, cystinuria and hypermethioninemia respectively. Hence, studying aggregation behaviour of single amino acids is very crucial to assess the underlying molecular mechanism behind metabolic disorders. In this manuscript we report for the very first time the aggregation properties of non-aromatic single amino acids Hydroxy-proline and Proline. The morphologies of these were studied extensively by Optical microscopy (OM), ThT binding fluorescence microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM). It can be assessed that these amino acids form globular structures at lower concentrations and gradually changes to tape like structures on increasing the concentration as assessed by AFM. ThT and CR binding assay reveal the aggregates do have amyloid like characteristics. Further MTT assays on SHSY5Y neural cell lines reveal cytotoxicity and the aggregates caused significant cell death in dose dependent manner. These results have important implications in understanding the pathophysiology of single amino acid disorders like Hyperprolinemia and Hydroxyprolinemia in association with amyloid diseases. The symptoms of these diseases are also accompanied by extensive neurological problems like intellectual disability, seizures and psychiatric problems which further evince amyloid like etiology for these rare in-born errors of metabolism.</p>