Research | Mysite

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Research in Qiang Laboratory focuses on the biophysical and biochemical aspects of amyloid protein assemblies and membrane-associated proteins and peptides. Current projects study the molecular basis of Alzheimer's disease related pathological mechanisms and the membrane interactions of pH-sensitive drug-delivery peptides.

Molecular Basis of Cellular Membrane Disruptions Induced by the Amyloidogenic Aggregation of Beta-Amyloid Peptides

The project explores the key molecular structural features and membrane lipid interactions of early-stage beta-amyloid aggregates. Our results lead to: (1) Characterizations of key primary nucleation intermediate states along the membrane-associated beta-amyloid fibrillation; (2) Molecular and structural basis of local membrane defects induced by on-fibrillation-pathway intermediate states; (3) Mechanisms of membrane fragmentation and formation of lipid co-aggregates induced by off-fibrillation-pathway beta-amyloid oligomers; (4) Beta-amyloid aggregation in neuronal cells and membrane-disruption-related cytotoxicity toxicity mechanisms.

Cross-Seeded Fibrillation Between Post-Translationally Modified and Wild-Type Beta-Amyloid Variants and Structural Polymorphisms

The project studies the cross-seeded fibrillation processes between the wild-type beta-amyloid peptides and multiple types of post-translationally modified beta-amyloid fibril seeds. The modified beta-amyloid variants are present in the human pathological plaques, showing triggering effects to the amyloidosis of wild-type beta-amyloid peptides. We aim to answer the following fundamental questions: (1) What are the molecular structural differences in the fibrils formed by N-terminal post-translationally modified beta-amyloid peptides? (2) How would the N-terminal modifications on beta-amyloid peptides trigger the pathologically relevant consequences of wild-type beta-amyloid fibrillation? (3) Will structural polymorphisms induced by N-terminal modifications of beta-amyloid peptides propagate in cellular systems?

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