Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Single Molecule Characterization Of The Interactions Between Amyloid-Β Peptides And The Membranes Of Hippocampal Cells, Priyanka Narayan, Kristina A. Ganzinger, James Mccoll, Laura Weimann, Sarah Meehan, Seema Qamar, John A. Carver, Mark R. Wilson, Peter St George-Hyslop, Christopher M. Dobson, David Klenerman

Mark R Wilson

Oligomers of the 40 and 42 residue amyloid-β peptides (Aβ40 and Aβ42) have been implicated in the neuronal damage and impaired cognitive function associated with Alzheimer’s disease. However, little is known about the specific mechanisms by which these misfolded species induce such detrimental effects on cells. In this work, we use single-molecule imaging techniques to examine the initial interactions between Aβ monomers and oligomers and the membranes of live cells. This highly sensitive method enables the visualization of individual Aβ species on the cell surface and characterization of their oligomerization state, all at biologically relevant, nanomolar concentrations. The results indicate …