Abstract 2437 Investigating the membrane curvature sensing ability of the N-terminal domain of huntingtin

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with motor and cognitive decline, caused by a mutation in the poly-glutamine (polyQ) region near the N-terminus of the huntingtin (htt) protein. Expansion of the polyQ region results in the disease that is characterized by oligomeric and fibrillar aggregates of mutated protein. The first 17 amino acids (Nt17) of htt, which are adjacent to the polyQ tract, function as a lipid-binding domain, facilitated by the formation of an amphipathic α-helix.