Structural basis for transthyretin amyloid formation in vitreous body of the eye

Abstract

Systemic ATTR amyloidosis causes the abnormal accumulation of ATTR fibrils formed from the human plasma protein transthyretin (TTR) in multiple organs including the eye. Here, the authors present a 3.2 Å cryo-EM structure of an ATTR fibril isolated from the vitreous body of an ATTR patient’s eye and discuss the mechanism for the structural conversion of TTR into a fibrillar form.