蛋白质寡聚体广泛存在于自然界中，具有重要的生理和病理功能。根据其功能和毒性将它们分为三组。功能性低聚物的开发正在取得重大进展，重点是各种应用及其工程。抗菌肽寡聚物在细菌和癌细胞的死亡中发挥作用。最近的结果表明，神经退行性疾病的主要致病菌是淀粉样蛋白寡聚物，这是本章的主要主题。它们在整个聚合过程中产生，既作为后续聚合途径的中间体，又作为最终产物。其中一些可能具有有效的细胞毒性，并通过不同的机制导致细胞损伤，并最终导致细胞死亡和疾病进展。由于其固有的不稳定性和结构可变性，有关其结构、形成机制和毒性的信息有限。本章旨在简要概述有关淀粉样蛋白寡聚体的当前知识。版权所有 © 2024。由 Elsevier Inc. 出版。

Protein oligomers, widely found in nature, have significant physiological and pathological functions. They are classified into three groups based on their function and toxicity. Significant advancements are being achieved in the development of functional oligomers, with a focus on various applications and their engineering. The antimicrobial peptides oligomers play roles in death of bacterial and cancer cells. The predominant pathogenic species in neurodegenerative disorders, as shown by recent results, are amyloid oligomers, which are the main subject of this chapter. They are generated throughout the aggregation process, serving as both intermediates in the subsequent aggregation pathways and ultimate products. Some of them may possess potent cytotoxic properties and through diverse mechanisms cause cellular impairment, and ultimately, the death of cells and disease progression. Information regarding their structure, formation mechanism, and toxicity is limited due to their inherent instability and structural variability. This chapter aims to provide a concise overview of the current knowledge regarding amyloid oligomers.Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.