Work

Patterning amyloid-β aggregation under the effect of acetylcholinesterase using a biological nanopore - an in vitro study

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Aggregation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) is hypothesized to be the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. Aβ aggregation has been widely studied using conventional sensing tools like emission fluorescence, electron microscopy, mass spectroscopy, and circular dichroism. However, none of these techniques can provide cost-efficient, highly sensitive quantification of Aβ aggregation kinetics at the molecular level. Among the influences on Aβ aggregation of interest to disease progression is the acceleration of Aβ aggregation by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which is present in the brain and inflicts the fast progression of disease due to its direct interaction with Aβ. In this work, we demonstrate the ability of a biological nanopore to map and quantify AChE accelerated aggregation of Aβ monomers to mixed oligomers and small soluble aggregates with single-molecule precision. This method will allow future work on testing direct and indirect effects of therapeutic drugs on AChE accelerated Aβ aggregation as well as disease prognosis.

Source: Sensors and Actuators Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2023.100170

Authors: Nandhini Subramanian, Brittany Watson, Chen-Zhong Li, Melissa Moss, Chang Liu

Institutions: University of South Carolina, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

Language: English

Topic: Alzheimer's disease research and treatments

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,600