Adsorption behavior of human serum albumin on ATR crystal studied by in situ ATR/FTIR spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation analysis

The time-dependent adsorption behavior of human serum albumin (HSA) onto an ATR (ZnSe) crystal was investigated by two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis and in situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy following the secondary structural changes in the amide I region. The two major advantages of the generalized 2D correlation spectroscopy were first tested. New extra bands have been resolved by 2D correlation analysis, but they are either artifacts or a result of uncertainty on band position in generalized 2D correlation spectroscopy. The sequence of the intensity variations of the three sub-bands under the amide I band profile deduced from the 'sequential order' rules is contradictory to the experimental observation, which supports our argument on the 'sequential order' rules in generalized 2D correlation spectroscopy (H. Huang, Anal. Chem., 2007, 79, 8281-8292). Subsequent detailed analysis on the in situ ATR-IR spectra shows that the adsorption process of HSA on the ATR (ZnSe) crystal in aqueous solutions can be divided into three stages: no obvious conformational transitions in the first 25 min of adsorption of HSA molecules; large structural rearrangement from α-helix to random coil and short extended chain structures in a fully cooperative way from 25 to 50 min of adsorption; and further slight conformational transformation of short extended chain and turn structures into random coil with no sequential order after 50 min of adsorption.     

Conformational changes in salivary proline-rich protein 1 upon adsorption to calcium phosphate crystals

Conformational analyses of PRP1, a proline-rich acidic salivary protein and major component of the acquired enamel pellicle, have been carried out in solution and upon binding to two enamel prototypes, hydroxyapatite (HA) and carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA), using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in attenuated total reflection (ATR) mode. We have shown for the first time that, in solution, large portions of PRP1 adopt the hydrated polyproline type II (PPII) helical structure in addition to the random coil structure, with the maximum absorbance of the amide I band around 1620 cm(-1). Upon binding to HA or CHA, the protein undergoes significant conformational changes, loosing a considerable portion of hydrated PPII and random coil domains with a shift in the maximum absorbance to 1666 cm(-1), indicating that a large fraction of the protein is composed of beta turns. A small fraction of PPII in a calcium-bound or anhydrous form (approximately 1642 cm(-1)) was also observed in the HA- and CHA-bound proteins, which could play a role in protein-mineral interactions. The conformational changes in PRP1 adsorbed on CHA and HA were similar in nature; however, these changes were greater in the protein bound to HA. Interestingly, these results are in agreement with protein adsorption data that show that less protein is adsorbed onto CHA than onto HA. Our results demonstrate that binding to apatitic mineral surfaces leads to major conformational changes in PRP1, which might reflect the expulsion of water and the formation of protein-mineral and/or protein-protein interactions in the adsorbed layer.     

Structural rearrangement of β-lactoglobulin at different oil-water interfaces and its effect on emulsion stability

Understanding the factors that control protein structure and stability at the oil-water interface continues to be a major focus to optimize the formulation of protein-stabilized emulsions. In this study, a combination of synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectroscopy, front-face fluorescence spectroscopy, and dual polarization interferometry (DPI) was used to characterize the conformation and geometric structure of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) upon adsorption to two oil-water interfaces: a hexadecane-water interface and a tricaprylin-water interface. The results show that, upon adsorption to both oil-water interfaces, β-Lg went through a β-sheet to α-helix transition with a corresponding loss of its globular tertiary structure. The degree of conformational change was also a function of the oil phase polarity. The hexadecane oil induced a much higher degree of non-native α-helix compared to the tricaprylin oil. In contrast to the β-Lg conformation in solution, the non-native α-helical-rich conformation of β-Lg at the interface was resistant to further conformational change upon heating. DPI measurements suggest that β-Lg formed a thin dense layer at emulsion droplet surfaces. The effects of high temperature and the presence of salt on these β-Lg emulsions were then investigated by monitoring changes in the ζ-potential and particle size. In the absence of salt, high electrostatic repulsion meant β-Lg-stabilized emulsions were resistant to heating to 90 °C. Adding salt (120 mM NaCl) before or after heating led to emulsion flocculation due to the screening of the electrostatic repulsion between colloidal particles. This study has provided insight into the structural properties of proteins adsorbed at the oil-water interface and has implications in the formulation and production of emulsions stabilized by globular proteins.     

In situ ATR-IR study of prochiral 2-methyl-2-pentenoic acid adsorption on Al2O3 and Pd/Al2O3

Adsorption and desorption of trans-2-methyl-2-pentenoic acid (MPeA) in dichloromethane (CH(2)Cl(2)) were investigated by using in situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. A liquid flow-through spectroscopic cell allowed for high quality spectra to be obtained from deposited thin films of Al(2)O(3) and 1 wt% Pd/γ-Al(2)O(3) on a ZnSe internal reflection element. The MPeA molecules adsorb on both Al(2)O(3) and Pd surfaces molecularly and dissociatively under the concentration range examined (2-16 mM). In the case of molecular adsorption, both monomer (ν(C=O) ~ 1720 cm(-1)) and dimer (ν(C=O) ~ 1685 cm(-1)) species are observed to adsorb, with the relative amount of monomer to dimer dependent on the surface and the liquid phase acid concentration. In the case of dissociative adsorption, the acid adsorbs predominantly in a bridged bidentate configuration, as adjudged by the ca. 150-220 cm(-1) separation between asymmetric and symmetric vibrational bands. All of these species are found to be strongly adsorbed on both Al(2)O(3) and 1 wt% Pd/γ-Al(2)O(3) surfaces, even under pure solvent flow after adsorption.     

CO adsorption on CoMo and NiMo sulfide catalysts: a combined IR and DFT study

Experimental IR spectra of carbon monoxide adsorbed on a series of Mo/Al2O3, CoMo/Al2O3, and NiMo/Al2O3 sulfided catalysts have been compared to ab initio DFT calculations of CO adsorption on CoMo and NiMo model surfaces. This approach allows the main IR features of CO adsorbed on the sulfide phase to be assigned with an uncertainty of 15 cm(-1). On the CoMo system, the band at 2070 cm(-1) is specific of the promotion by Co and is assigned to CO interacting either with a Co atom or with a Mo atom adjacent to a Co atom. On the NiMo system, CO adsorption on Ni centers of the promoted phase leads to a high-wavenumber band at approximately 2120 cm(-1) that strongly overlaps the band at 2110 cm(-1) characteristic of nonpromoted Mo sites. For NiMo and CoMo catalysts, broad shoulders at low wave numbers (below 2060 cm(-1)) are characteristic of Mo centers adjacent to promoter atoms, indicating a partial decoration of the MoS2 edges by the promoter.     

Local protein backbone folds determined by calculated NMR chemical shifts

NMR chemical shifts (CSs: δN(NH), δC(α), δC(β), δC', δH(NH), and δH(α)) were computed for the amino acid backbone conformers (α(L), β(L), γ(L), δ(L), ε(L), α(D), γ(D), δ(D), and ε(D) [Perczel et al., J Am Chem Soc 1991, 113, 6256]) modeled by oligoalanine structures. Topological differences of the extended fold were investigated on single β-strands, hairpins with type I and II β-turns, as well as double- and triple-stranded β-sheet models. The so-called "capping effect" was analyzed: residues at the termini of a homoconformer sequence unit usually have different CSs than the central residues of an adequately long homoconformer model. In heteroconformer sequences capping effect ruins the direct applicability of several chemical shift types (δH(NH), δC', and δN(NH)) for backbone structure determination of the parent residue. Experimental δH(α), δC(α), and δC(β) values retrieved from protein database are in good agreement with the relevant computed data in the case of the common backbone conformers (α(L), β(L), γ(L), and ε(L)), even though neighboring residue effects were not accounted for. Experimental and computed ΔδH(α)-ΔδC(α), ΔδH(α)-ΔδC(β), and ΔδC(α)-ΔδC(β) maps give qualitatively the same picture, that is, the positions of the backbone conformers relative to each other are very similar. This indicates that the H(α), C(α), and C(β) chemical shifts of alanine depend considerably on the backbone fold of the parent residue also in proteins. We provide tabulated CSs of the chiral amino acids that may predict the various structures of the residues.     

Raman study of low-frequency modes in three glycine polymorphs

The temperature dependence of selected low-wavenumber (< 200 cm(-1)) Raman bands was studied for the different crystalline phases (α-, β-, γ-) of glycine--the simplest possible "building block" of a biomolecule. The temperature dependence of the frequencies of vibrational modes deviates from the theoretical expectation based on the assumption of cubic anharmonicity. Although relatively small, this deviation was observed above 250 K for all the three polymorphs. This finding was discussed in relation to the "dynamical transition" phenomenon, observed in variety of biomolecules in the range 200-250 K. The similarity of the temperatures suggests, that the origin of the dynamical transition phenomenon can be related to intrinsic conformational states of biomolecules, while water serves rather as a plasticizer or a structure organizer.     

Preparation of ZnO Nanowires and Study of Surface‐adsorbate Interaction by Fourier‐Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

To study the surface‐adsorbate properties of ZnO nanowires, a hydrothermal method was modified to grow ZnO nanowires directly on ZnSe, which were then characterized by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR‐IR) spectroscopy. To prepare ZnO nanowires directly on ATR sensing element of ZnSe, ZnO seed layers were first formed by annealing of ZnO seeds on ZnSe surfaces. The ZnO seed layers then were exposed to growth solution, forming ZnO nanowires directly on the ATR crystals. The interaction properties of the resulting surfaces were studied by an ATR‐IR method. The diameter, length and distribution of the ZnO nanowires can be tuned by adjusting the growth conditions, particularly the growing time and the concentrations of reagents. Two surfaces, namely Zn‐rich and Zn‐O ion‐pair surfaces were studied in detail for their adsorption properties toward compounds bearing different functional groups. By examination of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs), it was found that the Zn‐rich surface is less selective and interacts with compounds bearing the functional groups of amino and hydroxyl. The Zn‐O ion‐pair surface is more selective and a much stronger interaction was observed with non‐aromatic amino compounds. These results indicate that the improving of the selectivity of a ZnO‐based sensing device can be achieved by tuning the surface structure of the ZnO nanomaterials.     

Two-dimensional correlation analysis of continuous online in situ ATR-FTIR on the adsorption of butyl xanthate at the surface of a-PbO

The adsorption behavior of butyl xanthate on the surface of lead oxide was investigated using continuous online in situ attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared（ATR-FTIR） spectroscopy technique and two dimensional（2D） correlation analysis.The adsorbed layer studied was prepared by coating α-PbO particles onto the surfaces of the ZnSe crystal.The appearance of spectral peaks at 1203 cm^-1,1033 cm^-1 and their red shift indicated the formation and aggregation of xanthate at the surface of α-PbO.According to 1R intensity changes after rinsing with deionized water and a NaOH solution,the adsorption was proved to be a chemisorption type.The competition between xanthate and OH for the surfaces leads to desorption of xanthate at higher pH.The technique of 2D correlation ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used to evaluate the changing order of spectral intensities in the adsorption process,and the results indicated that xanthate micelles were formed at the surfaces.The adsorption kinetics of butyl xanthate was found to be a pseudo-second-order reaction model and the adsorption capacity of butyl xanthate at α-PbO was as high as 281 mg g^-1 after 150 min.     

Homogeneous human complex-type oligosaccharides in correctly folded intact glycoproteins: evaluation of oligosaccharide influence on protein folding, stability, and conformational properties

The N-glycosylation of proteins is generated at the consensus sequence NXS/T (where X is any amino acid except proline) by the biosynthetic process, and occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. In order to investigate the influence of human complex-type oligosaccharides on counterpart protein conformation, crambin and ovomucoide, which consist of 46 and 56 amino acid residues, respectively, were selected for synthesis of model glycoproteins. These small glycoproteins were intentionally designed to be glycosylated at the α-helix (crambin: 8?position), β-sheet (crambin: 2?position) and loop position between the antiparallel β-sheets (ovomucoide: 28?position), and were synthesized by using a peptide-segment coupling strategy. After preparation of these glycosylated polypeptide chains, protein folding experiments were performed under redox conditions by using cysteine-cystine. Although the small glycoproteins bearing intentional glycosylation at the α-helix and β-sheet exhibited a suitable folding process, glycosylation at the loop position between the antiparallel β-strands caused multiple products. The conformational differences in the isolated homogeneous glycoproteins compared with non-glycosylated counterparts were evaluated by circular dichroism (CD) and NMR spectroscopy. These analyses suggested that this intentional N-glycosylation did not result in large conformational changes in the purified protein structures, including the case of glycosylation at the loop position between the antiparallel β-strands. In addition to these experiments, the conformational properties of three glycoproteins were evaluated by CD spectroscopy under different temperatures. The oligosaccharides on the protein surface fluctuated considerably; this was dependent on the increase in the solution temperature and was thought to disrupt the protein tertiary structure. Based on the measurement of the CD spectra, however, the glycoproteins bearing three disulfide bonds did not exhibit any change in their protein tertiary structure. These results suggest that the oligosaccharide conformational fluctuations were not disruptive to protein tertiary structure, and the tertiary structure of glycoproteins might be stabilized by the disulfide bond network.     

高效液相色谱法分离测定牦牛乳中的8种蛋白质

建立了同时分离和测定牦牛乳中4种酪蛋白和4种乳清蛋白的反相高效液相色谱方法。脱脂牦牛乳经分散剂处理后,采用C4色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,300,5μm i.d.)进行分离,以0.1%的三氟乙酸水溶液和0.1%的三氟乙酸乙腈溶液为流动相,流速为0.8 mL/min,梯度洗脱,二极管阵列检测器(DAD)在220nm波长下检测,外标法定量。结果表明,牦牛乳中8种主要蛋白质在40 min内完全分离,在各自的线性范围内呈良好线性,除α-乳白蛋白外,其余7种蛋白的相关系数均大于0.99。8种蛋白质的回收率为86%～103%,相对标准偏差(RSDs)为1.7%～8.7%;检出限(LODs)为10.7～39.2 mg/L,定量下限(LOQs)为35.7～130.7 mg/L。该方法的准确度和精密度均较高,能够满足实际检测的要求。     

Adsorption of CO and O2 on W2C(0001)

CO, O(2), and H(2) adsorption on a clean W(2)C(0001)√13×√13 R ± 13.9° reconstructed surface at room temperature (RT) were investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The W(2)C(0001) adsorbs CO molecularly and adsorbs O(2) dissociatively, but does not adsorb H(2) at RT. In the CO adsorption system, two C-O stretching (antisymmetric CCO stretching) modes were found at 242.3 meV (1954 cm(-1)) and at 253.0 meV (2041 cm(-1)). The low-frequency site is occupied at first with subsequent conversion to the high-frequency site with increasing coverage. Additionally, a small peak was apparent at 104.5 meV (843 cm(-1)), and a middle peak at 50-51 meV (400-410 cm(-1)), which are assignable to a symmetric stretching mode and a hindered translational mode, respectively, of a CCO (ketenylidene) species. These observations are consistent with the CO adsorption model on top of the surface carbon. For oxygen adsorption, two adsorption states were found at 65.2-68.1 meV (526-549 cm(-1)) and 73.6 meV (594 cm(-1)): typical frequencies to oxygen adsorption on metal surfaces. Results suggest that atomic oxygen adsorption occurred on a threefold hollow site of the second W layer.     

A study on electrochemistry of histidine and its metabolites based on the diazo coupling reaction

The diazo coupling reaction of diazotized p-aminoacetophenone (DPAAP) with histidine and its metabolites form the basis of the differential pulse adsorption stripping voltammetry (DPASV) method for determination of histidine and its metabolites. The adsorption and electrochemical reaction mechanism of the coupling products were studied in detail by structure analysis, cyclic voltammetry, chronocoulometry, control potential electrolysis, electrocapillary curves, UV spectroscopy and the effect of temperature and surfactants. The adsorption of azo-histidine was found to obey Frumkin adsorption isotherm. The calculation results of the maximum surface excess (Gamma(m)=3.08x10(-11) mol cm(2)), diffusion coefficient (D=2.27x10(-6) cm(2) s(-1)), adsorption coefficient (beta=1.06x10(7)) and interactive factor (gamma=0.9900) showed that the azo-histidine conjugation molecules adsorbed on the mercury electrode surface were attracted each other and the electrode process was adsorption controlled.     

Mass analyzed threshold ionization spectra of phenol...Ar2: ionization energy and cation intermolecular vibrational frequencies

The phenol(+)...Ar(2) complex has been characterized in a supersonic jet by mass analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) spectroscopy via different intermediate intermolecular vibrational states of the first electronically excited state (S(1)). From the spectra recorded via the S(1)0(0) origin and the S(1)β(x) intermolecular vibrational state, the ionization energy (IE) has been determined as 68,288 ± 5 cm(-1), displaying a red shift of 340 cm(-1) from the IE of the phenol(+) monomer. Well-resolved, nearly harmonic vibrational progressions with a fundamental frequency of 10 cm(-1) have been observed in the ion ground state (D(0)) and assigned to the symmetric van der Waals (vdW) bending mode, β(x), along the x axis containing the C-O bond. MATI spectra recorded via the S(1) state involving other higher-lying intermolecular vibrational states (σ(s)(1), β(x)(3), σ(s)(1)β(x)(1), σ(s)(1)β(x)(2)) are characterized by unresolved broad structures.     

Infrared spectroscopic study of the carbon dioxide adsorption on the surface of Ga2O3 polymorphs

The adsorption of CO(2) over a set of gallium (III) oxide polymorphs with different crystallographic phases (alpha, beta, and gamma) and surface areas (12-105 m(2) g(-1)) was studied by in situ infrared spectroscopy. On the bare surface of the activated gallias (i.e., partially dehydroxylated under O(2) and D(2) (H(2)) at 723 K), several IR signals of the O-D (O-H) stretching mode were assigned to mono-, di- and tricoordinated OD (OH) groups bonded to gallium cations in tetrahedral and/or octahedral positions. After exposing the surface of the polymorphs to CO(2) at 323 K, a variety of (bi)carbonate species emerged. The more basic hydroxyl groups were able to react with CO(2), to yield two types of bicarbonate species: mono- (m-) and bidentate (b-) [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1630 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1431 or 1455 cm(-1) (for m- or b-); delta(OH) = 1225 cm(-1)]. Together with the bicarbonate groups, IR bands assigned to carboxylate [nu(as)(CO(2)) = 1750 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(2)) = 1170 cm(-1)], bridge carbonate [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1680 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1280 cm(-1)], bidentate carbonate [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1587 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1325 cm(-1)], and polydentate carbonate [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1460 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1406 cm(-1)] species developed, up to approximately 600 Torr of CO(2). However, only the bi- and polydentate carbonate groups still remained on the surface upon outgassing the samples at 323 K. The total amount of adsorbed CO(2), measured by volumetric adsorption (323 K), was approximately 2.0 micromol m(-2) over any of the polymorphs, congruent with an integrated absorbance of (bi)carbonate species proportional to the surface area of the materials. Upon heating under flowing CO(2) (760 Torr), most of the (bi)carbonate species vanished a T > 550 K, but polydentate groups remained on the surface up to the highest temperature used (723 K). A thorough discussion of the more probable surface sites involved in the adsorption of CO(2) is made.     

Intercalation of few-layer graphite flakes with FeCl3: Raman determination of Fermi level, layer by layer decoupling, and stability

We use anhydrous ferric chloride (FeCl(3)) to intercalate graphite flakes consisting of 2-4 graphene layers and to dope graphene monolayers. The intercalant, staging, stability, and doping of the resulting intercalation compounds (ICs) are characterized by Raman scattering. The G peak of heavily doped monolayer graphene upshifts to ～1627 cm(-1). The 2-4 layer ICs have similar upshifts, and a Lorentzian line shape for the 2D band, indicating that each layer behaves as a decoupled heavily doped monolayer. By performing Raman measurements at different excitation energies, we show that, for a given doping level, the 2D peak can be suppressed by Pauli blocking for laser energy below the doping level. Thus, multiwavelength Raman spectroscopy allows a direct measurement of the Fermi level, complementary to that derived by performing measurements at fixed excitation energy significantly higher than the doping level. This allows us to estimate a Fermi level shift of up to ～0.9 eV. These ICs are thus ideal test-beds for the physical and chemical properties of heavily doped graphenes.     

An investigation of the effect of microwave treatment on the structure and unfolding pathways of β-lactoglobulin using FTIR spectroscopy with the application of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS)

Microwave treatment of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) in D₂O solution under various conditions was monitored by Fourier transform mid infrared (mid-FTIR) spectroscopy. At sub-ambient temperatures, no microwave-induced changes in the conformation of the protein were detected. Microwave heating of the β-Lg solutions to temperatures in the range of 40–60 °C resulted in a marked increase in the rate of hydrogen–deuterium (H–D) exchange as compared to conventional heating at the same temperature. At heating temperatures in the range of 70–90 °C, the microwave-heated solutions exhibited more extensive protein aggregation than conventionally heated solutions. Application of two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis to the Fourier self-deconvolved FTIR spectra recorded as a function of number of cycles of microwave or conventional heating revealed that the unfolding pathway of β-Lg was different in these two temperature ranges (40–60 °C versus 70–90 °C) but was similar in both microwave – treated and conventionally heated samples. Nevertheless, within the temperature range of 70–90 °C microwave treatment accelerated the unfolding of β-lactoglobulin.     

基于分子模拟和光谱法分析漆酶与甲酚的相互作用

该文运用计算模拟与光谱法研究了甲酚与漆酶的相互作用。首先,计算模拟表明漆酶与3种甲酚同分异构体都能发生相互作用,分子对接研究结果表明漆酶与甲酚同分异构体能以氢键和疏水作用力相结合,且结合位点相似。通过分子动力学模拟比较漆酶结合甲酚前后残基的柔性差异,验证了分子对接结合位点的可靠性。其次,选取计算模拟中结果较好的间甲酚,利用光谱法探究间甲酚与漆酶的荧光猝灭机制及结合前后漆酶二级结构的变化。荧光猝灭实验证实漆酶与间甲酚间是形成非荧光复合物的静态猝灭,与分子对接结果一致。红外光谱研究结果表明,漆酶与间甲酚结合后二级结构发生变化,其内部的β-转角和β-反向平行结构向β-折叠、无规则卷曲和α-螺旋结构转化,这与分子动力学模拟结果相呼应。该研究为利用漆酶转化环境中甲酚污染物提供了理论基础与数据支持。     

The influence of metal cluster size on adsorption energies: CO adsorbed on Au clusters supported on TiO2

Infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) has been used to study CO adsorption on Au clusters ranging in size from 1.8 to 3.1 nm, supported on TiO(2). The adsorbed CO vibrational frequency blue-shifts slightly (approximately 4 cm(-)(1)) compared to that adsorbed on bulk Au, whereas the heats of adsorption (-DeltaH(ads)) increase sharply with decreasing cluster size, from 12.5 to 18.3 kcal/mol.     

Structural evolution of Iowa mutant β-amyloid fibrils from polymorphic to homogeneous states under repeated seeded growth

Structural variations in β-amyloid fibrils are potentially important to the toxicity of these fibrils in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We describe a repeated seeding protocol that selects a homogeneous fibril structure from a polymorphic initial state in the case of 40-residue β-amyloid fibrils with the Asp23-to-Asn, or Iowa, mutation (D23N-Aβ(1-40)). We use thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to track the evolution of fibril structure through multiple generations under this protocol. The data show that (i) repeated seeding selectively amplifies a single D23N-Aβ(1-40) fibril structure that can be a minor component of the initial polymorphic state; (ii) the final structure is highly sensitive to growth conditions, including pH, temperature, and agitation; (iii) although the initial state can include fibrils that contain both antiparallel and parallel β-sheets, the final structures contain only parallel β-sheets, suggesting that antiparallel β-sheet structures are thermodynamically and kinetically metastable. Additionally, our data demonstrate that ThT fluorescence enhancements, which are commonly used to monitor amyloid fibril formation, vary strongly with structural variations, even among fibrils comprised of the same polypeptide. Finally, we present a simple mathematical model that describes the structural evolution of fibril samples under repeated seeding.