Amyloids protect the silkmoth oocyte and embryo

FEBS Letters

Iconomidou, Vassiliki A.²  Hamodrakas, Stavros J.²  Vriend, Gert¹ 

[1] European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, Postfach 10.2209, 69012 Heidelberg, Germany;Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens 157 01, Greece

关键词: Silkmoth chorion protein;    Amyloid fibril;    Electron microscopy;    X-ray diffraction;    Modeling;   

DOI  :  10.1016/S0014-5793(00)01888-3

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Chorion is the major component of silkmoth eggshell. More than 95% of its dry mass consists of proteins that have remarkable mechanical and chemical properties protecting the oocyte and the developing embryo from a wide range of environmental hazards. We present data from electron microscopy (negative staining and shadowing), X-ray diffraction and modeling studies of synthetic peptide analogues of silkmoth chorion proteins indicating that chorion is a natural amyloid. The folding and self-assembly models of chorion peptides strongly support the β-sheet helix model of amyloid fibrils proposed recently by Blake and Serpell [Structure 4 (1996) 989–998].

【 授权许可】

Unknown