Thioflavin T hydroxylation at basic pH and its effect on amyloid fibril detection

The fluorescent dye thioflavin T (ThT) is commonly used for in situ amyloid fibril detection. In this work, we focused on the spectroscopic properties and chemical stability of ThT in aqueous solution as a function of pH, temperature, and dye concentration. A reversible hydroxylation process occurs in alkaline solutions, which was characterized using a combination of UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, proton NMR, and density functional theory (DFT). On the basis of these studies, we propose a chemical structure for the hydroxylated form. Finally, by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, ThT hydroxylation effects on in situ amyloid detection have been investigated, providing new insights on the efficiency of the ThT assay for quantitative fibril evaluation at basic pH.     

基于ThT荧光寿命检测蛋清溶菌酶蛋白寡聚体

采用时间分辨荧光技术, 检测了不同形态蛋白聚集体的荧光染料硫磺素T(ThT)荧光寿命. 利用蛋清溶菌酶体外制备了蛋白聚集体; 采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)及ThT稳态荧光检测了结合蛋白纤维生长的动力学曲线, 确定其形成寡聚体及纤维样聚集体的特征和时间. 通过时间相关单光子计数(TCSPC)技术测定了蛋清溶菌酶单体、 寡聚体和淀粉样纤维的ThT荧光寿命曲线, 并拟合、 计算其荧光寿命. 根据圆二色谱(CD)分析结果推测聚集体的结构不同导致其与ThT的结合状态不同, 从而影响ThT荧光寿命. 结果表明, 通过测定ThT荧光寿命可以区分蛋白单体、 寡聚体和纤维样聚集体, 并监测蛋白寡聚体的形成, 为后续病理蛋白聚集过程中形成寡聚体物质的监测提供了研究基础.     

硫黄素T对淀粉样β-蛋白质40聚集成核动力学的双重影响

荧光染料硫黄素T常用于淀粉样纤维聚集过程的定性定量检测。虽然有研究表明,某些抑制淀粉样蛋白质聚集的小分子抑制剂会与硫黄素T相互作用,影响其测试结果。但硫黄素T如何影响淀粉样蛋白质的聚集成核动力学尚不清晰。本文以淀粉样β-蛋白质40 (Aβ40)为模型,系统研究了硫黄素T对Aβ40聚集成核的影响。研究发现：硫黄素T能够显著改变Aβ40的聚集成核动力学,且影响程度与硫黄素T的浓度密切相关。即在低浓度硫黄素T存在下,Aβ40成核速率的延迟时间先随着硫黄素T浓度的升高而缩短,后随着硫黄素T浓度的升高延迟时间反而延长。但延伸的速率却随硫黄素T浓度的升高而缓慢增大。另外,硫黄素T基本不会影响Aβ40的二级结构和纤维形态。同时,等温滴定微量热实验结果表明,硫黄素T结合Aβ40之间的主要作用力为疏水相互作用。据此,本研究提出硫黄素T对Aβ40聚集成核动力学的双重影响机理。这些结果有助于进一步了解硫黄素T与淀粉样蛋白质的作用特点,为今后硫黄素T在Aβ40聚集成核动力学实验中的使用提供参考。     

Secondary nucleation and accessible surface in insulin amyloid fibril formation

At low pH insulin is highly prone to self-assembly into amyloid fibrils. The process has been proposed to be affected by the existence of secondary nucleation pathways, in which already formed fibrils are able to catalyze the formation of new fibrils. In this work, we studied the fibrillation process of human insulin in a wide range of protein concentrations. Thioflavin T fluorescence was used for its ability to selectively detect amyloid fibrils, by mechanisms that involve the interaction between the dye and the accessible surface of the fibrils. Our results show that the rate of fibrillation and the Thioflavin T fluorescence intensity saturate at high protein concentration and that, surprisingly, the two parameters are proportional to each other. Because Thioflavin T fluorescence is likely to depend on the accessible surface of the fibrils, we suggest that the overall fibrillation kinetics is mainly governed by the accessible surface, through secondary nucleation mechanisms. Moreover, a statistical study of the fibrillation kinetics suggests that the early stages of the process are affected by stochastic nucleation events.     

Early detection of insulin fibrillation: a fluorescence lifetime assay to probe the pre-fibrillar regime

Using human insulin, we report for the first time, the evaluation of fluorescence lifetime of an extrinsically added fluorogenic dye, Thioflavin T (ThT), as a more sensitive and convenient method for the assessment of fibrillation in the pre-fibrillar regime.     

Benzothiazole‐Based Neutral Ratiometric Fluorescence Sensor for Amyloid Fibrils

Early detection of amyloid fibrils is very important for the timely diagnosis of several neurological diseases. Thioflavin‐T (ThT) is a gold standard fluorescent probe for amyloid fibrils and has been used for the last few decades. However, due to its positive charge, ThT is incapable of crossing the blood–brain barrier and cannot be used for in vivo imaging of fibrils. In the present work, we synthesized a neutral ThT derivative, 2‐[2’‐Me,4’‐(dimethylamino)phenyl]benzothiazole (2Me‐DABT), which showed a strong affinity towards the amyloid fibrils. On association with the amyloid fibrils, 2Me‐DABT not only showed a large increase in its emission intensity, but also, unlike ThT, a large blueshift in its emission spectrum was observed. Thus, unlike ThT, 2Me‐DABT is a potential candidate for the ratiometric sensor of the amyloid fibrils. Detailed photophysical properties of 2Me‐DABT in amyloid fibrils and different solvent media were studied to understand its sensory activity. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) studies suggested that the sites of localization for ThT and 2Me‐DABT in amyloid fibrils are not same and their average distance of separation in amyloid fibrils was determined. The experimental data was nicely supported by molecular docking studies, which confirmed the binding of 2Me‐DABT in the inner core of the amyloid fibrils.     

Simultaneous Detection of Tyrosine and Structure-Specific Intrinsic Fluorescence in the Fibrillation of Alzheimer's Associated Peptides

Understanding of the structural changes during their aggregation and interaction is a prerequisite for establishing the precise clinical relevance of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) (involved in Type-II Diabetes Mellitus) in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease stemmed from beta-amyloid (Aβ). Herein, we show that the steady-state emission spectra obtained from photoluminescence (PL) simultaneously capture both the tyrosine derivative (tyrosinate) and the structure-specific intrinsic fluorescence during the aggregation of Aβ and hIAPP. We observe multiple peaks in the emission spectra which exist for structure-specific intrinsic fluorescence, and use the second derivative UV-Vis spectra and the shift in the tyrosine peak as a quantitative measure of the dissimilitude in the electronic states and the fibril growth. We further applied these techniques to detect the static electric field (0, 40, 120, 200 V/cm) induced promotion and inhibition of fibrillation in Aβ, hIAPP and their electric field dependent role in the fibrillation of Aβ : hIAPP(1 : 1). The results were corroborated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and the determinations of secondary structures by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicate that the emission spectrum can be used as a sensor to detect the presence of fibrils; hence for screening potential inhibitors of amyloid fibrillation.     

ThX – a next-generation probe for the early detection of amyloid aggregates

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer''s and Parkinson''s are associated with protein misfolding and aggregation. Recent studies suggest that the small, rare and heterogeneous oligomeric species, formed early on in the aggregation process, may be a source of cytotoxicity. Thioflavin T (ThT) is currently the gold-standard fluorescent probe for the study of amyloid proteins and aggregation processes. However, the poor photophysical and binding properties of ThT impairs the study of oligomers. To overcome this challenge, we have designed Thioflavin X, (ThX), a next-generation fluorescent probe which displays superior properties; including a 5-fold increase in brightness and 7-fold increase in binding affinity to amyloidogenic proteins. As an extrinsic dye, this can be used to study unique structural amyloid features both in bulk and on a single-aggregate level. Furthermore, ThX can be used as a super-resolution imaging probe in single-molecule localisation microscopy. Finally, the improved optical properties (extinction coefficient, quantum yield and brightness) of ThX can be used to monitor structural differences in oligomeric species, not observed via traditional ThT imaging.

Introducing ThX, a next-generation ThT derivative that allows for the early detection of amyloid aggregates at the bulk and single-aggregate levels.     

Thioflavin T forms a non-fluorescent complex with α-helical poly-L-glutamic acid

Thioflavin T (ThT) is a molecular-rotor-type fluorophore reputed for the selective binding to amyloid fibrils. Using induced circular dichroism, here we show that ThT binds in an orderly manner to α-helical poly-L-glutamic acid (PLGA) implying that neither stacked β-sheets nor π-π stacking interactions are necessary for the binding between the dye and proteins.     

Solvent effect on excited state potential energy surfaces of Thioflavin T. Qualitatively different results by TDDFT and SA-2-CASSCF methods

Thioflavin T (ThT) is a viscosity-sensitive fluorescent dye and its emission intensity undergoes a significant enhancement upon binding to DNA or amyloid fibrils. This fluorescence light-up feature has been attributed earlier to restriction of structural rearrangements in the excited state that are coupled to an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) reaction. In this work TDDFT (using B3LYP and CAM-B3LYP functionals) and SA-2-CASSCF calculations were carried out to obtain relaxed excited-state potential energy surfaces (PES) along twisting φ and wagging δ angles that describe mutual orientation of benzothiazole (BTZ) and dimethylaniline (DMA) fragments in ThT. For isolated ThT molecule both methods predict that during structural rearrangements of the initially excited Franck-Condon state, besides twisting along C C bond which connects BTZ and DMA fragments, a considerable wagging motion is expected to occur. Account for solvent effect using polarized continuum model showed qualitative differences in the excited state PES features calculated by SA-2-CASSCF and TDDFT methods. Single-reference TDDFT calculations failed to describe solvation of TICT state and predicted increase of its energy in more polar media.     

A Label-free and Functional Fluorescent Oligonucleotide Probe Based on a G-Quadruplex Molecular Beacon for the Detection of Kanamycin

A label-free and turn-off fluorescent method for the quantitative detection of kanamycin based on a functional molecular beacon was developed. The molecular beacon consists of two hairpin structures with a split G-rich oligonucleotide in the middle. The kanamycin's aptamer formed the loops portion for recognizing kanamycin, and the G-quadruplex bound by Thioflavin T(ThT) was employed as the reporter. In the absence of target, the molecular beacon folded into double stem-loops and the splited G-rich oligonucleotid came close to form a G-quadruplex. When ThT bound to the G-quadruplex, the fluorescence intensity of the solution increased. Upon the addition of kanamycin, the function between kanamycin and aptamer unfolded the hairpin and disassembled the G-quadraplex structure, resulting in a significant decrease in the fluorescence intensity. A good linear relationship ranging from 0.7 nmol/L to 10 nmol/L was achieved and the limit of detection was 0.37 nmol/L. Besides, it could efficiently recognize kanamycin in real samples.     

Concentration-Dependent Influence of Silver Nanoparticles on Amyloid Fibrillation Kinetics of Hen Egg-White Lysozyme

Understanding the influence of nanoparticles on the formation of protein amyloid fibrillation is crucial to extend their application in related biological diagnosis and nanomedicines. In this work, Raman spectroscopy was used to probe the amyloid fibrillation of hen egg-white lysozyme in the presence of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at different concentrations, combined with atomic force microscopy and thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assays. Four representative Raman indicators were utilized to monitor transformation of the protein tertiary and secondary structures at the molecular level: the Trp doublet bands at 1340 and 1360 cm^-1, the disulfide stretching vibrational peak at 507 cm^-1, the N-C$\alpha$-C stretching vibration at 933 cm^-1, and the amide Ⅰ band. All experimental results confirmed the concentration-dependent influence of AgNPs on the hen egg-white lysozyme amyloid fibrillation kinetics. In the presence of AgNPs at low concentration (17 μg/mL), electrostatic interaction of the nanoparticles stabilizes disulfide bonds, and protects the Trp residues from exposure to hydrophilic environment, thus leading to formation of amorphous aggregates rather than fibrils. However, with the action of AgNPs at high concentration (1700 μg/mL), the native disulfide bonds of hen egg-white lysozyme are broken to form Ag-S bonds owing to the competition of electrostatic interaction from a great deal of nanoparticles. As for providing functional surfaces for protein to interact with, AgNPs play a bridge role in direct transformation from $\alpha$-helices to organized $\beta$-sheets. The present investigation sheds light on the controversial effects of AgNPs on the kinetics of hen egg-white lysozyme amyloid fibrillation.     

Binding Modes of Thioflavin T on the Surface of Amyloid Fibrils Studied by NMR

The mechanism for the interaction of thioflavin T (ThT) with amyloid fibrils at the molecular level is not known. Here, we used ¹H NMR spectroscopy to determine the binding mode of ThT on the surface of fibrils from lysozyme and insulin. Relayed rotating‐frame Overhauser enhancements in ThT were observed, indicating that the orientation of ThT is orthogonal to the fibril surface. Importantly, the assembly state of ThT on both surfaces is different. On the surface of insulin fibrils, ThT is oligomeric, as indicated by rapid ¹H spin‐lattice relaxation rate in the rotating frame (R_1ρ), presumably due to intermolecular dipole–dipole interactions between ThT molecules. In contrast, ThT on the surface of lysozyme fibrils is a monomer, as indicated by slower ¹H R_1ρ. These results shed new light into the mechanism for the enhancement of ThT fluorescence and may lead to more efficient detectors of amyloid assemblies, which have escaped detection by ThT in monomer form.     

Electrochemical detection of interaction between Thioflavin T and acetylcholinesterase

The electrochemical oxidation of the benzothiazole dye Thioflavin T (ThT) was found to be modulated by its interaction with electric eel acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Modifications of AChE by trace amounts of small molecule inhibitors such as carbachol and paraoxon were detectable electrochemically using minimal reagents and with greater sensitivity than attainable through conventional fluorescence approaches. This property appears to be unique to ThT, since its closely related neutral derivative BTA-1 only interacts with AChE, but is not significantly affected by the presence of small molecule inhibitors.     

Hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry as an analytical tool for the analysis of amyloid fibrillogenesis

In this study, we have used glucagon as a model system for analyzing amyloid fibrillogenesis by hydrogen exchange MALDI mass spectrometry (HXMS). The hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry data correlated well with the traditional method based on Thioflavin T fluorescence and provided quantitative information by measuring the fibrillating molecules directly. The hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry data collected during fibrillogenesis revealed that glucagon fibrillation was a two component system showing an on/off type of interaction where only monomeric and fibrils were present without any substantial amount of intermediate species. This was evident by the extensive deuteration of the monomer and protection of the entire 29 residue glucagon peptide upon fibrillation.. The method complements the traditional procedures and has the potential to provide new information with respect to the nature of transient species, the structure of the growing fibrils and the mechanism of formation.     

Capturing intermediate structures of Alzheimer's beta-amyloid, Abeta(1-40), by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Molecular structures of diffusible amyloid intermediates, commonly observed in misfolding of amyloid proteins into fibrils, have attracted broad interest because the intermediates may be potent neurotoxins responsible for amyloid diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and because the intermediate structures provide an experimental basis for defining the misfolding pathway. However, owing to the intrinsically unstable and noncrystalline nature of the systems, traditional approaches such as X-ray crystallography and solution NMR have been ineffective for elucidating molecular-level structures of the amyloid intermediates. We present a novel approach using solid-state NMR (SSNMR) that permitted the first site-resolved structural measurement of an intermediate species in fibril formation for a 40-residue Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide, Abeta(1-40). In this approach, we combined detection of conformation and morphology changes by fluorescence spectroscopy and electron microscopy and quantitative structural examination for freeze-trapped intermediates by SSNMR. The results provide the initial evidence that a spherical amyloid intermediate of 15-30 nm in diameter exists prior to fibril formation of Abeta(1-40) and that the intermediate involves well-ordered beta-sheets in the C-terminal and hydrophobic core regions. The SSNMR-based approach presented here could be applied to intermediate species of diverse amyloid proteins.     

Fluorescent dyes in the context of DNA‐binding: The case of Thioflavin T

Thioflavin T (ThT) is a dye characterized by a strong fluorescence light‐up on binding to biosubstrates. Although this effect is known to be related to the inhibition of intramolecular torsion on excitation, the binding modes and their role in affecting photoinduced processes are by no means adequately understood. Here, a combined molecular dynamics and quantum chemical modeling is used to study the tuning of the photophysical properties of ThT when moving from solution to DNA binding. The binding mechanism of ThT to B‐DNA was found to be very complex as a result of an uncommon interplay between different binding modes, for example, monomer intercalation and external binding but also groove binding of the dimer. The detailed analysis of the relation between the different binding modes and the structural and electronic properties of ThT can be used to better understand the interaction with other biosubstrates.     

基于硫代黄素T诱导G-四联体构成的生物传感器检测铅离子

硫代黄素T(ThT)荧光分子在自由状态下荧光强度很弱,通过在Tris-HCl缓冲液中加入Pb²⁺的适配体即富含G的DNA序列,可与ThT荧光分子形成G-四联体结构,使荧光信号迅速增强;向溶液中加入Pb²⁺,Pb²⁺与其适配体有很好的结合特异性,可生成更牢固的G-四联体结构,使ThT分子被释放出来,导致溶液的荧光强度降低,基于此可检测溶液中的Pb²⁺离子.实验中优化了缓冲溶液组成、ThT荧光分子浓度、Pb²⁺适配体浓度及反应时间等条件.结果表明,在10 mmol/L Tris-HCl(pH=8. 3,含2 mmol/L MgCl₂)缓冲溶液中,ThT荧光分子和Pb²⁺适配体的浓度分别为10μmol/L和200 nmol/L,反应10 min时,随着溶液中Pb2+浓度的增加,荧光强度减弱.Pb²⁺浓度在20～1000 nmol/L范围内时,荧光强度与Pb²⁺的浓度呈现良好的线性关系(R^...     

2D correlation deep UV resonance raman spectroscopy of early events of lysozyme fibrillation: kinetic mechanism and potential interpretation pitfalls

The early stages of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) fibrillation were quantitatively characterized by two-dimensional correlation deep UV resonance Raman spectroscopy (2D-DUVRR) in terms of the sequential order of events and their characteristic times. The evolution of individual secondary structural elements was established through the correlation between Amide I, Amide III, and Calpha-H bending Raman bands. The temporal order of tertiary and individual secondary structural changes was probed through the cross-correlation of phenylalanine and Amide Raman bands. Both the sequential order and the characteristic times of tertiary and secondary structural changes allowed for reconstructing the molecular mechanism of lysozyme structural changes at the early stages of fibrillation. The 2D-DUVRR analysis of our data indicated that melting of the alpha-helix happened after the formation of the disordered structure, which was termed as apparent inverse order of secondary structural changes. We demonstrated that this apparent inverse order of events is typical for all chemical reactions involving the formation of intermediate(s), which may lead to the serious misinterpretation of 2D correlation results. We proposed a new simulation-aided approach for reconstructing and quantitatively characterizing the reaction mechanism of a (bio)chemical reaction that accounts for the apparent inverse order of events.     

Towards Ratiometric Sensing of Amyloid Fibrils In Vitro

The aggregation of amyloid‐β peptide and its accumulation in the human brain has an important role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Thioflavin T has been widely used as a fluorescent marker for these amyloid aggregates. Nevertheless, its complex photophysical behavior, with strong wavelength dependencies of all its fluorescence properties, requires searching for new fluorescent probes. The use of 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine (HPIP), which shows two emission bands and a rich excited‐state behavior due to the existence of excited‐state intramolecular processes of proton transfer and charge transfer, is proposed. These properties result in a high sensitivity of HPIP fluorescence to its microenvironment and cause a large differential fluorescence enhancement of the two bands upon binding to aggregates of the amyloid‐β peptide. Based on this behavior, a very sensitive ratiometric method is established for the detection and quantification of amyloid fibrils, which can be combined with the monitoring of fluorescence anisotropy. The binding selectivity of HPIP is discussed on the basis of the apparent binding equilibrium constants of this probe to amyloid‐β (1–42) fibrils and to the nonfibrillar protein bovine serum albumin. Finally, an exhaustive comparison between HPIP and thioflavin T is presented to discuss the sensitivity and specificity of these probes to amyloid aggregates and the significant advantages of the HPIP dye for quantitative determinations.