Production of Distinct Fibrillar, Oligomeric, and Other Aggregation States from Network Models of Multibody Interaction

Protein aggregation can produce a wide range of states, ranging from fibrillar structures and oligomers to unstructured and semistructured gel phases. Recent work has shown that many of these states can be recapitulated by relatively simple, topological models specified in terms of multibody interaction energies, providing a direct connection between aggregate intermolecular forces and aggregation products. Here, we examine a low-dimensional network Hamiltonian model (NHM) based on four basic multibody interactions found in any aggregate system. We characterize the phase behavior of this NHM family, showing that fibrils arise from a balance between elongation-inducing and contact-inhibiting forces. Complex oligomers (including annular oligomers resembling those thought to be toxic species in Alzheimer’s disease) also form distinct phases in this regime, controlled in part by closure-inducing forces. We show that phase structure is largely independent of system size, and provide evidence of a rich structure of minor oligomeric phases that can arise from appropriate conditions. We characterize the phase behavior of this NHM family, demonstrating the range of ordered and disordered aggregation states possible with this set of interactions. As we show, fibrils arise from a balance between elongation-inducing and contact-inhibiting forces, existing in a regime bounded by gel-like and disaggregated phases; complex oligomers (including annular oligomers resembling those thought to be toxic species in Alzheimer’s disease) also form distinct phases in this regime, controlled in part by closure-inducing forces. We show that phase structure is largely independent of system size, allowing generalization to macroscopic systems, and provide evidence of a rich structure of minor oligomeric phases that can arise from appropriate conditions.