title: Gel electrophoretic distinction between toxic and nontoxic forms of beta-amyloid (1-40).
abstract: The in vitro toxicity of synthetic beta-amyloid (1-40) correlates with its binding to Congo red (CR). Potentially, therefore, CR binding to the beta-amyloid containing neuritic plaques in Alzheimer's disease could be used diagnostically. Using polyacrylamide under nondenaturing conditions, the present study shows that both CR binding and nonbinding synthetic beta-amyloid exhibits multiple charge-isomeric and size-isomeric species. The CR binding species exhibit values of free electrophoretic mobility, related to the surface charge density of the protein, which are less than those of the CR non-binding species within 95% confidence limits. Since surface net charge and solubility are correlated, the decreased solubility of the CR binding species may be responsible for the relative abundance and CR binding of beta-amyloid in the neuritic plaques of Alzheimer patients.
authors.affiliation: Section on Macromolecular Analysis, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1580, USA. acc@cu.nih.gov
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Brining
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chrambach
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D003224:Congo Red / Q000032:analysis; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000379:methods; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007536:Isomerism; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C078592:amyloid beta-protein (1-40); D003224:Congo Red