Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Other Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Improving The Detection Limit Of Tau Aggregates For Use With Biological Samples, Emily Rickman Hager Jan 2018

Improving The Detection Limit Of Tau Aggregates For Use With Biological Samples, Emily Rickman Hager

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The protein Tau is found in neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease and over 20 other neurodegenerative diseases. An assay has been developed to detect minute amounts of fibrils from human brain tissue. This assay subjects brain tissue extract and recombinant Tau to several rounds of sonication and incubation. Incubation allows recombinant Tau to add itself to the ends of the existing fibrils in brain tissue extract. Sonication breaks the existing fibrils in the brain tissue extract offering more ends for Tau to add onto. Cycles of sonication and incubation have been shown to allow for amplification of Tau fibrils from …


Elucidating Mechanisms Of Protein Aggregation In Alzheimer’S Disease Using Antibody-Based Strategies., Benjamin A. Colvin Jul 2017

Elucidating Mechanisms Of Protein Aggregation In Alzheimer’S Disease Using Antibody-Based Strategies., Benjamin A. Colvin

Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder. There are two characteristic histopathological hallmarks in the brain: senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, composed of insoluble aggregates of the amyloids Amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau protein, respectively. These diagnostic markers, though distinctive, are not apparent effectors of AD pathology. Evidence has mounted suggesting smaller soluble aggregates (oligomers) of Aβ or tau are the true drivers of disease progression. This dissertation presents several amyloid biophysics projects. Aggregate biophysical parameters such as weight, shape, and conformation were measured using a range of methodologies, including Multiangle Light Scattering, Dynamic Light Scattering, UV-Circular Dichroism, UV-Fluorescence, Scanning …