Polyglutamine aggregate structure in vitro and in vivo; new avenues for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is applied for the first time for the evaluation of the protein secondary structure of polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregates in vivo. Our approach demonstrates the potential for translating information about protein structure that has been obtained in vitro by X-ray diffraction into a microscopy technique that allows the same protein structure to be detected in vivo. For these studies, fibres of polyQ containing peptides (D(2)Q(15)K(2)) were assembled in vitro and examined by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods; the fibril structure was shown to be cross β-sheet. The same polyQ fibres were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy and this further confirmed the β-sheet structure, but indicated that the structure is highly rigid, as ind

SUBMITTER: Perney NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3401212 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature