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Kalitnik A, Szefczyk M, Wojciechowska AW, Wojciechowski JW, Gąsior-Głogowska M, Olesiak-Bańska J, Kotulska M. Cytotoxic Staphylococcus aureus PSMα3 inhibits the aggregation of human insulin in vitro. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:15587-15599. [PMID: 38757742 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp00669k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) are extracellular short amphipathic peptides secreted by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). They play an essential role in the bacterial lifecycle, biofilm formation, and stabilisation. From the PSM family, PSMα3 has been of special interest recently due to its cytotoxicity and highly stable α-helical conformation, which also remains in its amyloid fibrils. In particular, PSMα3 fibrils were shown to be composed of self-associating "sheets" of α-helices oriented perpendicular to the fibril axis, mimicking the architecture of canonical cross-β fibrils. Therefore, they were called cross-α-fibrils. PSMα3 was synthesised and verified for identity with wild-type sequences (S. aureus). Then, using several experimental techniques, we evaluated its propensity for in vitro aggregation. According to our findings, synthetic PSMα3 (which lacks the N-terminal formyl groups found in bacteria) does not form amyloid fibrils and maintains α-helical conformation in a soluble monomeric form for several days of incubation. We also evaluated the influence of PSMα3 on human insulin fibrillation in vitro, using a variety of experimental approaches in combination with computational molecular studies. First, it was shown that PSMα3 drastically inhibits the fibrillation of human insulin. The anti-fibrillation effect of PSMα3 was concentration-dependent and required a concentration ratio of PSMα3: insulin equal to or above 1 : 100. Molecular modelling revealed that PSMα3 most likely inhibits the production of insulin primary nuclei by competing for residues involved in its dimerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Kalitnik
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Monika Szefczyk
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Alicja W Wojciechowska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Jakub W Wojciechowski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Marlena Gąsior-Głogowska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Joanna Olesiak-Bańska
- Institute of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Kotulska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.
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2
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Kalitnik A, Grelich-Mucha M, Olesiak-Bańska J. Chitosan oligosaccharides inhibit the fibrillation of insulin and disassemble its preformed fibrils. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:127857. [PMID: 37924913 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
In the current study, we first established that chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) have significant anti-fibrillogenic and fibril-destabilising effects on bovine insulin in vitro that proportionally expand with concentration growth. The obtained data were supported by the Thioflavin T (ThT) assay, circular dichroism (CD), attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Interestingly, coincubation of insulin with COS in the ratio of 1 to 10 over 48 h at 37 °C leads to full prevention of insulin aggregation, and in the case of preformed fibrils, results in their destabilisation and disaggregation. Moreover, both a cationic polymer of allylamine (PAH) and a sulphated oligosaccharide (CROS) prepared from carrageenan had no inhibitory effect on insulin amyloid formation. Thus, we proposed that COS modulates insulin amyloid formation due to the presence of linear sugar units, the degree of polymerization, and the free amino group providing a positive charge. These findings highlight the potential implications of COS as a promising substance for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and localised insulin-derived amyloidosis and, moreover, provide a new insight into the mechanism of the anti-diabetic and antitoxic properties of chitosan and chitosan-based agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Kalitnik
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Manuela Grelich-Mucha
- Institute of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Joanna Olesiak-Bańska
- Institute of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
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3
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Mirón GD, Semelak JA, Grisanti L, Rodriguez A, Conti I, Stella M, Velusamy J, Seriani N, Došlić N, Rivalta I, Garavelli M, Estrin DA, Kaminski Schierle GS, González Lebrero MC, Hassanali A, Morzan UN. The carbonyl-lock mechanism underlying non-aromatic fluorescence in biological matter. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7325. [PMID: 37957206 PMCID: PMC10643446 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42874-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Challenging the basis of our chemical intuition, recent experimental evidence reveals the presence of a new type of intrinsic fluorescence in biomolecules that exists even in the absence of aromatic or electronically conjugated chemical compounds. The origin of this phenomenon has remained elusive so far. In the present study, we identify a mechanism underlying this new type of fluorescence in different biological aggregates. By employing non-adiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics simulations combined with a data-driven approach, we characterize the typical ultrafast non-radiative relaxation pathways active in non-fluorescent peptides. We show that the key vibrational mode for the non-radiative decay towards the ground state is the carbonyl elongation. Non-aromatic fluorescence appears to emerge from blocking this mode with strong local interactions such as hydrogen bonds. While we cannot rule out the existence of alternative non-aromatic fluorescence mechanisms in other systems, we demonstrate that this carbonyl-lock mechanism for trapping the excited state leads to the fluorescence yield increase observed experimentally, and set the stage for design principles to realize novel non-invasive biocompatible probes with applications in bioimaging, sensing, and biophotonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Díaz Mirón
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, Instituto de Química Física de los Materiales, Medio Ambiente y Energía (INQUIMAE), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jonathan A Semelak
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, Instituto de Química Física de los Materiales, Medio Ambiente y Energía (INQUIMAE), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luca Grisanti
- Division of Theoretical Physics, Ruder Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Alex Rodriguez
- Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
| | - Irene Conti
- Dipartimento di Chimica industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Martina Stella
- Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Seriani
- Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
| | - Nadja Došlić
- Division of Theoretical Physics, Ruder Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivan Rivalta
- Dipartimento di Chimica industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- ENSL, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Dario A Estrin
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, Instituto de Química Física de los Materiales, Medio Ambiente y Energía (INQUIMAE), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Mariano C González Lebrero
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, Instituto de Química Física de los Materiales, Medio Ambiente y Energía (INQUIMAE), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ali Hassanali
- Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Uriel N Morzan
- Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.
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4
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Chen L, Qin G, Liu Y, Li M, Li Y, Guo LZ, Du L, Zheng W, Wu PC, Chuang YH, Wang X, Wang TD, Ho JAA, Liu TM. Label-free optical metabolic imaging of adipose tissues for prediabetes diagnosis. Theranostics 2023; 13:3550-3567. [PMID: 37441598 PMCID: PMC10334843 DOI: 10.7150/thno.82697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Prediabetes can be reversed through lifestyle intervention, but its main pathologic hallmark, insulin resistance (IR), cannot be detected as conveniently as blood glucose testing. In consequence, the diagnosis of prediabetes is often delayed until patients have hyperglycemia. Therefore, developing a less invasive diagnostic method for rapid IR evaluation will contribute to the prognosis of prediabetes. Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that plays a crucial role in the development and progression of prediabetes. Label-free visualizing the prediabetic microenvironment of adipose tissues provides a less invasive alternative for the characterization of IR and inflammatory pathology. Methods: Here, we successfully identified the differentiable features of prediabetic adipose tissues by employing the metabolic imaging of three endogenous fluorophores NAD(P)H, FAD, and lipofuscin-like pigments. Results: We discovered that 1040-nm excited lipofuscin-like autofluorescence could mark the location of macrophages. This unique feature helps separate the metabolic fluorescence signals of macrophages from those of adipocytes. In prediabetes fat tissues with IR, we found only adipocytes exhibited a low redox ratio of metabolic fluorescence and high free NAD(P)H fraction a1. This differential signature disappears for mice who quit the high-fat diet or high-fat-high-sucrose diet and recover from IR. When mice have diabetic hyperglycemia and inflamed fat tissues, both adipocytes and macrophages possess this kind of metabolic change. As confirmed with RNA-seq analysis and histopathology evidence, the change in adipocyte's metabolic fluorescence could be an indicator or risk factor of prediabetic IR. Conclusion: Our study provides an innovative approach to diagnosing prediabetes, which sheds light on the strategy for diabetes prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Chen
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Guihui Qin
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Yuhong Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Moxin Li
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Yue Li
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Lun-Zhang Guo
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Lidong Du
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Weiming Zheng
- Translational Medicine R&D Center, Zhuhai UM Science and Technology Research Institute, Zhuhai, China
| | - Pei-Chun Wu
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- Department of Biochemical Science & Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yueh-Hsun Chuang
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei 10002, Taiwan
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Tzung-Dau Wang
- Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei 10002, Taiwan
| | - Ja-An Annie Ho
- Department of Biochemical Science & Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Ming Liu
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
- MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
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5
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Balasco N, Diaferia C, Rosa E, Monti A, Ruvo M, Doti N, Vitagliano L. A Comprehensive Analysis of the Intrinsic Visible Fluorescence Emitted by Peptide/Protein Amyloid-like Assemblies. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098372. [PMID: 37176084 PMCID: PMC10178990 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid aggregation is a widespread process that involves proteins and peptides with different molecular complexity and amino acid composition. The structural motif (cross-β) underlying this supramolecular organization generates aggregates endowed with special mechanical and spectroscopic properties with huge implications in biomedical and technological fields, including emerging precision medicine. The puzzling ability of these assemblies to emit intrinsic and label-free fluorescence in regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as visible and even infrared, usually considered to be forbidden in the polypeptide chain, has attracted interest for its many implications in both basic and applied science. Despite the interest in this phenomenon, the physical basis of its origin is still poorly understood. To gain a global view of the available information on this phenomenon, we here provide an exhaustive survey of the current literature in which original data on this fluorescence have been reported. The emitting systems have been classified in terms of their molecular complexity, amino acid composition, and physical state. Information about the wavelength of the radiation used for the excitation as well as the emission range/peak has also been retrieved. The data collected here provide a picture of the complexity of this multifaceted phenomenon that could be helpful for future studies aimed at defining its structural and electronic basis and/or stimulating new applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Balasco
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council (CNR), Department of Chemistry, University of Rome Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Diaferia
- Department of Pharmacy and CIRPeB, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides "Carlo Pedone", University of Naples "Federico II", Via Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Rosa
- Department of Pharmacy and CIRPeB, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides "Carlo Pedone", University of Naples "Federico II", Via Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Napoli, Italy
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6
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Obstarczyk P, Pniakowska A, Nonappa, Grzelczak MP, Olesiak-Bańska J. Crown Ether-Capped Gold Nanoclusters as a Multimodal Platform for Bioimaging. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:11503-11511. [PMID: 37008092 PMCID: PMC10061685 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The distinct polarity of biomolecule surfaces plays a pivotal role in their biochemistry and functions as it is involved in numerous processes, such as folding, aggregation, or denaturation. Therefore, there is a need to image both hydrophilic and hydrophobic bio-interfaces with markers of distinct responses to hydrophobic and hydrophilic environments. In this work, we present a synthesis, characterization, and application of ultrasmall gold nanoclusters capped with a 12-crown-4 ligand. The nanoclusters present an amphiphilic character and can be successfully transferred between aqueous and organic solvents and have their physicochemical integrity retained. They can serve as probes for multimodal bioimaging with light (as they emit near-infrared luminescence) and electron microscopy (due to the high electron density of gold). In this work, we used protein superstructures, namely, amyloid spherulites, as a hydrophobic surface model and individual amyloid fibrils with a mixed hydrophobicity profile. Our nanoclusters spontaneously stained densely packed amyloid spherulites as observed under fluorescence microscopy, which is limited for hydrophilic markers. Moreover, our clusters revealed structural features of individual amyloid fibrils at a nanoscale as observed under a transmission electron microscope. We show the potential of crown ether-capped gold nanoclusters in multimodal structural characterization of bio-interfaces where the amphiphilic character of the supramolecular ligand is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patryk Obstarczyk
- Institute
of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University
of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Anna Pniakowska
- Institute
of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University
of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Nonappa
- Faculty
of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere
University, FI-33720 Tampere, Finland
| | - Marcin P. Grzelczak
- Institute
of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University
of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Joanna Olesiak-Bańska
- Institute
of Advanced Materials, Wroclaw University
of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
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7
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Grelich-Mucha M, Lipok M, Różycka M, Samoć M, Olesiak-Bańska J. One- and Two-Photon Excited Autofluorescence of Lysozyme Amyloids. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:4673-4681. [PMID: 35605187 PMCID: PMC9169060 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Autofluorescence properties of amyloid fibrils are of much interest but, to date, the attention has been given mostly to one-photon excited fluorescence (1PEF), while the two-photon excited fluorescence (2PEF) properties of amyloids are much less explored. We investigate 1PEF and 2PEF of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) in the form of monomers and fibrils. HEWL monomers feature some autofluorescence, which is enhanced in the case of fibrils. Moreover, by varying NaCl content, we introduce changes to fibrils morphology and show how the increase of the salt concentration is linked with an increase of 1PEF and 2PEF intensities. Interestingly, we observe 2PEF emission red-shifted in comparison to 1PEF. We confirm the presence of different relaxation pathways upon one- or two-photon excitation by different lifetimes of the fluorescence decays. Finally, we correlate the changes in optical properties of HEWL fibrils and monomers with salt-mediated changes in their morphology and the secondary structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Grelich-Mucha
- Advanced
Materials Engineering and Modelling Group, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego
27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Maciej Lipok
- Advanced
Materials Engineering and Modelling Group, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego
27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Mirosława Różycka
- Department
of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego
27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Marek Samoć
- Advanced
Materials Engineering and Modelling Group, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego
27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Joanna Olesiak-Bańska
- Advanced
Materials Engineering and Modelling Group, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego
27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
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8
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Obstarczyk P, Lipok M, Żak A, Cwynar P, Olesiak-Banska J. Amyloid fibrils in superstructures – local ordering revealed by polarization analysis of two-photon excited autofluorescence. Biomater Sci 2022; 10:1554-1561. [DOI: 10.1039/d1bm01768c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding products – amyloids – tend to form distinct fibrillar structures of characteristic fold for a given neurodegenerative disease or pathology. Moreover, amyloids (also in intermediate or distorted state)...
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