Protein misfolding and aggregation into oligomeric and fibrillar structures is a common feature of many neurogenerative disorders. Single-molecule techniques have enabled characterization of these lowly abundant, highly heterogeneous protein aggregates, previously inaccessible using ensemble averaging techniques. However, they usually rely on the use of recombinantly-expressed labeled protein, or on the addition of amyloid stains that are not protein-specific. To circumvent these challenges, we have made use of a high affinity antibody labeled with orthogonal fluorophores combined with fast-flow microfluidics and single-molecule confocal microscopy to specifically detect α-synuclein, the protein associated with Parkinson's disease. We used this approach to determine the number and size of α-synuclein aggregates down to picomolar concentrations in biologically relevant samples.
Pathological protein aggregates in neurodegenerative disorders are difficult to characterise using current methods. We present a novel single‐molecule detection method to specifically detect and characterise α‐synuclein aggregates at picomolar concentrations. We demonstrate the ability to detect aggregates in biologically relevant samples.
Keywords: Aggregation or Oligomerization; Fluorescence; Microscopy; Proteins; Single-Molecule.
© 2023 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.