The Alzheimer beta-peptide shows temperature-dependent transitions between left-handed 3-helix, beta-strand and random coil secondary structures.

The temperature-induced structural transitions of the full length Alzheimer amyloid beta-peptide [A(beta)(1-40) peptide] and fragments of it were studied using CD and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The full length peptide undergoes an overall transition from a state with a prominent population of left-handed 3(1) (polyproline II; PII)-helix at 0 degrees C to a random coil state at 60 degrees C, with an average DeltaH of 6.8 +/- 1.4 kJ.mol(-1) per residue, obtained by fitting a Zimm-Bragg model to the CD data. The transition is noncooperative for the shortest N-terminal fragment A(beta)(1-9) and weakly cooperative for A(beta)(1-40) and the longer fragments. By analysing the temperature-dependent 3J(HNH(alpha)) couplings and hydrodynamic radii obtained by NMR for A(beta)(1-9) and A(beta)(12-28), we found that the structure transition includes more than two states. The N-terminal hydrophilic A(beta)(1-9) populates PII-like conformations at 0 degrees C, then when the temperature increases, conformations with dihedral angles moving towards beta-strand at 20 degrees C, and approaches random coil at 60 degrees C. The residues in the central hydrophobic (18-28) segment show varying behaviour, but there is a significant contribution of beta-strand-like conformations at all temperatures below 20 degrees C. The C-terminal (29-40) segment was not studied by NMR, but from CD difference spectra we concluded that it is mainly in a random coil conformation at all studied temperatures. These results on structural preferences and transitions of the segments in the monomeric form of A(beta) may be related to the processes leading to the aggregation and formation of fibrils in the Alzheimer plaques.