Self-assembling nanomaterials: monitoring the formation of amyloid fibrils, with a focus on small-angle X-ray scattering

Methods Mol Biol. 2013:996:77-101. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-354-1_5.

Abstract

Amyloid fibrils are attractive targets for applications in biotechnology. These thin, nanoscale protein fibers are highly ordered structures that self-assemble from their component proteins or peptides. This chapter describes the use of several biophysical techniques to monitor the formation of amyloid fibrils including a common dye-binding assay, turbidity assay, and small-angle X-ray scattering. These techniques provide information about the assembly mechanism, the rate and reproducibility of assembly, as well as the size of species along the assembly pathway.

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid / chemistry*
  • Animals
  • Benzothiazoles
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Nephelometry and Turbidimetry
  • Protein Multimerization*
  • Scattering, Small Angle
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence / methods
  • Thiazoles / chemistry
  • X-Ray Diffraction / methods

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Benzothiazoles
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Thiazoles
  • thioflavin T