| 1. |
- Rodrigues, M., et al.
(author)
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Structure-specific amyloid precipitation in biofluids
- 2022
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In: Nature Chemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1755-4330 .- 1755-4349. ; 14, s. 1045-1053
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The composition of soluble toxic protein aggregates formed in vivo is currently unknown in neurodegenerative diseases, due to their ultra-low concentration in human biofluids and their high degree of heterogeneity. Here we report a method to capture amyloid-containing aggregates in human biofluids in an unbiased way, a process we name amyloid precipitation. We use a structure-specific chemical dimer, a Y-shaped, bio-inspired small molecule with two capture groups, for amyloid precipitation to increase affinity. Our capture molecule for amyloid precipitation (CAP-1) consists of a derivative of Pittsburgh Compound B (dimer) to target the cross beta-sheets of amyloids and a biotin moiety for surface immobilization. By coupling CAP-1 to magnetic beads, we demonstrate that we can target the amyloid structure of all protein aggregates present in human cerebrospinal fluid, isolate them for analysis and then characterize them using single-molecule fluorescence imaging and mass spectrometry. Amyloid precipitation enables unbiased determination of the molecular composition and structural features of the in vivo aggregates formed in neurodegenerative diseases.
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| 2. |
- De, S., et al.
(author)
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Soluble aggregates present in cerebrospinal fluid change in size and mechanism of toxicity during Alzheimer's disease progression
- 2019
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In: Acta Neuropathologica Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2051-5960. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Soluble aggregates of amyloid-beta (A beta) have been associated with neuronal and synaptic loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, despite significant recent progress, the mechanisms by which these aggregated species contribute to disease progression are not fully determined. As the analysis of human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provides an accessible window into the molecular changes associated with the disease progression, we characterised soluble aggregates present in CSF samples from individuals with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy controls using a range of sensitive biophysical methods. We used super-resolution imaging and atomic force microscopy to characterise the size and structure of the aggregates present in CSF and correlate this with their ability to permeabilise lipid membranes and induce an inflammatory response. We found that these aggregates are extremely heterogeneous and exist in a range of sizes, varying both structurally and in their mechanisms of toxicity during the disease progression. A higher proportion of small aggregates of A beta that can cause membrane permeabilization are found in MCI CSF; in established AD, a higher proportion of the aggregates were larger and more prone to elicit a pro-inflammatory response in glial cells, while there was no detectable change in aggregate concentration. These results show that large aggregates, some longer than 100nm, are present in the CSF of AD patients and suggest that different neurotoxic mechanisms are prevalent at different stages of AD.
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