Effect of Electric Field on α-Synuclein Fibrils: Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

International journal of molecular sciences
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Abstract

The self-association of amylogenic proteins to the fibril form is considered a pivotal factor in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD). PD causes unintended or uncontrollable movements in its common symptoms. α-²õ²â²Ô³Ü³¦±ô±ð¾±²Ô is the major cause of PD development and thus has been the main target of numerous studies to suppress and sequester its expression or effectively degrade it. Nonetheless, to date, there are no efficient and proven ways to prevent pathological protein aggregation. Recent investigations proposed applying an external electric field to interrupt the fibrils. This method is a non-invasive approach that has a certain benefit over others. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations by applying an electric field on highly toxic fibrils of α-²õ²â²Ô³Ü³¦±ô±ð¾±²Ô to gain a molecular-level insight into fibril disruption mechanisms. The results revealed that the applied external electric field induces substantial changes in the conformation of the α-²õ²â²Ô³Ü³¦±ô±ð¾±²Ô fibrils. Furthermore, we show the threshold value for electric field strength required to completely disrupt the α-²õ²â²Ô³Ü³¦±ô±ð¾±²Ô fibrils by opening the hydrophobic core of the fibril. Thus, our findings might serve as a valuable foundation to better understand molecular-level mechanisms of the α-²õ²â²Ô³Ü³¦±ô±ð¾±²Ô fibrils disaggregation process under an applied external electric field.

Year of Publication
2023
Journal
International journal of molecular sciences
Volume
24
Issue
7
Date Published
03/2023
ISSN
1422-0067
DOI
10.3390/ijms24076312
PubMed ID
37047286
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