Journal of Structural Biology, Vol.203, No.1, 27-36, 2018
alpha CGRP, another amyloidogenic member of the CGRP family
The Calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) family is a group of peptide hormones, which consists of IAPP, calcitonin, adrenomedullin, intermedin, alpha CGRP and beta CGRP. IAPP and calcitonin have been extensively associated with the formation of amyloid fibrils, causing Type 2 Diabetes and Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, respectively. In contrast, the potential amyloidogenic properties of alpha CGRP still remain unexplored, although experimental trials have indicated its presence in deposits, associated with the aforementioned disorders. Therefore, in this work, we investigated the amyloidogenic profile of alpha CGRP, a 37-residue-long peptide hormone, utilizing both biophysical experimental techniques and Molecular Dynamics simulations. These efforts unravel a novel amyloidogenic member of the CGRP family and provide insights into the mechanism underlying the alpha CGRP polymerization.