Inhibition of huntingtin aggregation by its N-terminal 17-residue peptide and its analogs.

The N-terminal 17-residue stretch of huntingtin (htt) folds into an amphipathic α-helix. The htt-harboring polyQ peptides form oligomers that are mediated via the assembly of the htt α-helices. The oligomerization results in higher local concentration of the polyglutamine (polyQ) region, thereby facilitating amyloid formation.