Cu2+ Effects on Beta-Amyloid Oligomerisation Monitored by the Fluorescence of Intrinsic Tyrosine

Abstract

A non-invasive intrinsic fluorescence sensing of the early stages of Alzheimer's beta amyloid peptide aggregation in the presence of copper ions is reported. By using time-resolved fluorescence techniques the formation of beta amyloid-copper complexes and the accelerated peptide aggregation are demonstrated. The shifts in the emission spectral peaks indicate that the peptides exhibit different aggregation pathways than in the absence of copper.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; beta-amyloid aggregation; copper ions; protein intrinsic fluorescence; time-resolved emission spectra.