Alzheimer’s disease is a challenge of the utmost importance for contemporary society. An early diagnosis is essential for the development of treatments and for establishing a network of support for the patient. In this light, the deposition in the brain of amyloid-β fibrillar aggregates, which is a distinctive feature of Alzheimer, is key for an early detection of this disease. In this work we propose an atomistic study of the interaction of amyloid tracers with recently published polymorphic models of amyloid-β 1–40 and 1–42 fibrils, highlighting the relationship between marker architectures and binding affinity. This work uncovers the importance of quaternary structure, and in particular of junctions between amyloid-β protofilaments, as the key areas for marker binding.

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from MINECO (CTQ2014-59544-P) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (2014SGR-482). F.P. and S.P. thank Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona for a predoctoral grant. M.S. gratefully acknowledges support from the ICREA Academia Award. X.S.-M. is indebted for the Professor Agregat Serra Hunter position.

Peer Reviewed