%0 Journal Article
%T Self-Assembly of Amyloid-Beta and Its Piezoelectric Properties
%A Ivonne Rosales
%A Laura Salazar
%A Daniel Luna
%A Alicia Negr¨Žn
%A Igor Bdikin
%A Brian J. Rodriguez
%A Alejandro Heredia
%J American Journal of Molecular Biology
%P 1-14
%@ 2161-6663
%D 2021
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ajmb.2021.111001
%X Investigating amyloid nanofibril self-assembly, with an emphasis on the electromechanical property of amyloid peptides, namely, piezoelectricity, may have several important implications: 1) the self-assembly process can hinder the biological stability and give rise to the formation of amyloid structures associated with neurodegenerative diseases; 2) investigations in this field may lead to an improved understanding of high-performance, functional biological nanomaterials, 3) new technologies could be established based on peptide self-assembly and the resultant functional properties, e.g., in the creation of a piezoelectric device formed with vertical diphenylalanine peptide tubes as a piezoelectric biosensor, and 4) new knowledge can be generated about neurodegenerative disorders, potentially yielding new therapies. Therefore, in this review, we will present the current investigations associated with self-assembly of amyloid-beta, the mechanisms that generate new structures, as well as theoretical calculations exploring the functionality of the structures under physiological pressure and electric field.
%K Amyloid
%K Neurodegenerative Disorders
%K Self-Assembly
%K Piezoelectricity
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=105926