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Meneses-Reyes GI, Rodriguez-Bustos DL, Cuevas-Velazquez CL. Macromolecular crowding sensing during osmotic stress in plants. Trends Biochem Sci 2024; 49:480-493. [PMID: 38514274 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Osmotic stress conditions occur at multiple stages of plant life. Changes in water availability caused by osmotic stress induce alterations in the mechanical properties of the plasma membrane, its interaction with the cell wall, and the concentration of macromolecules in the cytoplasm. We summarize the reported players involved in the sensing mechanisms of osmotic stress in plants. We discuss how changes in macromolecular crowding are perceived intracellularly by intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in proteins. Finally, we review methods for dynamically monitoring macromolecular crowding in living cells and discuss why their implementation is required for the discovery of new plant osmosensors. Elucidating the osmosensing mechanisms will be essential for designing strategies to improve plant productivity in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- G I Meneses-Reyes
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - D L Rodriguez-Bustos
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - C L Cuevas-Velazquez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico.
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2
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Asgari N, Baaske MD, Ton J, Orrit M. Exploring Rotational Diffusion with Plasmonic Coupling. ACS PHOTONICS 2024; 11:634-641. [PMID: 38405388 PMCID: PMC10885195 DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.3c01482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Measuring the orientation dynamics of nanoparticles and nonfluorescent molecules in real time with optical methods is still a challenge in nanoscience and biochemistry. Here, we examine optoplasmonic sensing taking the rotational diffusion of plasmonic nanorods as an experimental model. Our detection method is based on monitoring the dark-field scattering of a relatively large sensor gold nanorod (GNR) (40 nm in diameter and 112 nm in length) as smaller plasmonic nanorods cross its near field. We observe the rotational motion of single small gold nanorods (three samples with about 5 nm in diameter and 15.5, 19.1, and 24.6 nm in length) in real time with a time resolution around 50 ns. Plasmonic coupling enhances the signal of the diffusing gold nanorods, which are 1 order of magnitude smaller in volume (about 300 nm3) than those used in our previous rotational diffusion experiments. We find a better angular sensitivity with plasmonic coupling in comparison to the free diffusion in the confocal volume. Yet, the angle sensitivity we find with plasmonic coupling is reduced compared to the sensitivity expected from simulations at fixed positions due to the simultaneous translational and rotational diffusion of the small nanorods. To get a reliable plasmonic sensor with the full angular sensitivity, it will be necessary to construct a plasmonic assembly with positions and orientations nearly fixed around the optimum geometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasrin Asgari
- Huygens-Kamerlingh
Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, Postbus 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Dieter Baaske
- Huygens-Kamerlingh
Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, Postbus 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
- Max
Planck Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue-Str. 3, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jacco Ton
- Huygens-Kamerlingh
Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, Postbus 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Michel Orrit
- Huygens-Kamerlingh
Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, Postbus 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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3
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Alfonso C, Sobrinos-Sanguino M, Luque-Ortega JR, Zorrilla S, Monterroso B, Nuero OM, Rivas G. Studying Macromolecular Interactions of Cellular Machines by the Combined Use of Analytical Ultracentrifugation, Light Scattering, and Fluorescence Spectroscopy Methods. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 3234:89-107. [PMID: 38507202 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-52193-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Cellular machines formed by the interaction and assembly of macromolecules are essential in many processes of the living cell. These assemblies involve homo- and hetero-associations, including protein-protein, protein-DNA, protein-RNA, and protein-polysaccharide associations, most of which are reversible. This chapter describes the use of analytical ultracentrifugation, light scattering, and fluorescence-based methods, well-established biophysical techniques, to characterize interactions leading to the formation of macromolecular complexes and their modulation in response to specific or unspecific factors. We also illustrate, with several examples taken from studies on bacterial processes, the advantages of the combined use of subsets of these techniques as orthogonal analytical methods to analyze protein oligomerization and polymerization, interactions with ligands, hetero-associations involving membrane proteins, and protein-nucleic acid complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Alfonso
- Structural and Chemical Biology Department, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Marta Sobrinos-Sanguino
- Molecular Interactions Facility, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Román Luque-Ortega
- Molecular Interactions Facility, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Zorrilla
- Structural and Chemical Biology Department, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Begoña Monterroso
- Structural and Chemical Biology Department, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar M Nuero
- Molecular Interactions Facility, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Germán Rivas
- Structural and Chemical Biology Department, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
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Kuramochi M, Sugawara I, Shinkai Y, Mio K, Sasaki YC. Time-Resolved X-ray Observation of Intracellular Crystallized Protein in Living Animal. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16914. [PMID: 38069236 PMCID: PMC10706802 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the cellular environment as molecular crowding that supports the structure-specific functional expression of biomolecules has recently attracted much attention. Time-resolved X-ray observations have the remarkable capability to capture the structural dynamics of biomolecules with subnanometre precision. Nevertheless, the measurement of the intracellular dynamics within live organisms remains a challenge. Here, we explore the potential of utilizing crystallized proteins that spontaneously form intracellular crystals to investigate their intracellular dynamics via time-resolved X-ray observations. We generated transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans specifically expressing the crystallized protein in cells and observed the formation of the protein aggregates within the animal cells. From the toxic-effect observations, the aggregates had minimal toxic effects on living animals. Fluorescence observations showed a significant suppression of the translational diffusion movements in molecules constituting the aggregates. Moreover, X-ray diffraction measurements provided diffraction signals originating from these molecules. We also observed the blinking behaviour of the diffraction spots, indicating the rotational motion of these crystals within the animal cells. A diffracted X-ray blinking (DXB) analysis estimated the rotational motion of the protein crystals on the subnanometre scale. Our results provide a time-resolved X-ray diffraction technique for the monitoring of intracellular dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Kuramochi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, Hitachi 316-8511, Japan;
| | - Ibuki Sugawara
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, Hitachi 316-8511, Japan;
| | - Yoichi Shinkai
- Molecular Neurobiology Research Group, Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Advance Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan;
| | - Kazuhiro Mio
- AIST-UTokyo Advanced Operando-Measurement Technology Open Innovation Laboratory (OPERANDO-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Kashiwa 277-8565, Japan;
| | - Yuji C. Sasaki
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8561, Japan;
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Ji J, Wang W, Chen C. Single-molecule techniques to visualize and to characterize liquid-liquid phase separation and phase transition. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2023; 55:1023-1033. [PMID: 36876423 PMCID: PMC10415186 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2023028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomolecules forming membraneless structures via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a common event in living cells. Some liquid-like condensates can convert into solid-like aggregations, and such a phase transition process is related to some neurodegenerative diseases. Liquid-like condensates and solid-like aggregations usually exhibit distinctive fluidity and are commonly distinguished via their morphology and dynamic properties identified through ensemble methods. Emerging single-molecule techniques are a group of highly sensitive techniques, which can offer further mechanistic insights into LLPS and phase transition at the molecular level. Here, we summarize the working principles of several commonly used single-molecule techniques and demonstrate their unique power in manipulating LLPS, examining mechanical properties at the nanoscale, and monitoring dynamic and thermodynamic properties at the molecular level. Thus, single-molecule techniques are unique tools to characterize LLPS and liquid-to-solid phase transition under close-to-physiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyao Ji
- School of Life SciencesBeijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural BiologyBeijing Frontier Research Center of Biological StructureTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- School of Life SciencesTechnology Center for Protein SciencesTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Chunlai Chen
- School of Life SciencesBeijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural BiologyBeijing Frontier Research Center of Biological StructureTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
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Liu X, Oh S, Kirschner MW. The uniformity and stability of cellular mass density in mammalian cell culture. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1017499. [PMID: 36313562 PMCID: PMC9597509 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1017499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell dry mass is principally determined by the sum of biosynthesis and degradation. Measurable change in dry mass occurs on a time scale of hours. By contrast, cell volume can change in minutes by altering the osmotic conditions. How changes in dry mass and volume are coupled is a fundamental question in cell size control. If cell volume were proportional to cell dry mass during growth, the cell would always maintain the same cellular mass density, defined as cell dry mass dividing by cell volume. The accuracy and stability against perturbation of this proportionality has never been stringently tested. Normalized Raman Imaging (NoRI), can measure both protein and lipid dry mass density directly. Using this new technique, we have been able to investigate the stability of mass density in response to pharmaceutical and physiological perturbations in three cultured mammalian cell lines. We find a remarkably narrow mass density distribution within cells, that is, significantly tighter than the variability of mass or volume distribution. The measured mass density is independent of the cell cycle. We find that mass density can be modulated directly by extracellular osmolytes or by disruptions of the cytoskeleton. Yet, mass density is surprisingly resistant to pharmacological perturbations of protein synthesis or protein degradation, suggesting there must be some form of feedback control to maintain the homeostasis of mass density when mass is altered. By contrast, physiological perturbations such as starvation or senescence induce significant shifts in mass density. We have begun to shed light on how and why cell mass density remains fixed against some perturbations and yet is sensitive during transitions in physiological state.
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Yanagisawa M, Watanabe C, Yoshinaga N, Fujiwara K. Cell-Size Space Regulates the Behavior of Confined Polymers: From Nano- and Micromaterials Science to Biology. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:11811-11827. [PMID: 36125172 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Polymer micromaterials in a liquid or gel phase covered with a surfactant membrane are widely used materials in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and foods. In particular, cell-sized micromaterials of biopolymer solutions covered with a lipid membrane have been studied as artificial cells to understand cells from a physicochemical perspective. The characteristics and phase transitions of polymers confined to a microscopic space often differ from those in bulk systems. The effect that causes this difference is referred to as the cell-size space effect (CSE), but the specific physicochemical factors remain unclear. This study introduces the analysis of CSE on molecular diffusion, nanostructure transition, and phase separation and presents their main factors, i.e., short- and long-range interactions with the membrane surface and small volume (finite element nature). This serves as a guide for determining the dominant factors of CSE. Furthermore, we also introduce other factors of CSE such as spatial closure and the relationships among space size, the characteristic length of periodicity, the structure size, and many others produced by biomolecular assemblies through the analysis of protein reaction-diffusion systems and biochemical reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Yanagisawa
- Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Chiho Watanabe
- School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-7-1, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
| | - Natsuhiko Yoshinaga
- Mathematical Science Group, WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-Ku, Sendai 9808577, Japan
- MathAM-OIL, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Kei Fujiwara
- Department of Biosciences & Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
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Zhang O, Zhou W, Lu J, Wu T, Lew MD. Resolving the Three-Dimensional Rotational and Translational Dynamics of Single Molecules Using Radially and Azimuthally Polarized Fluorescence. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:1024-1031. [PMID: 35073487 PMCID: PMC8893020 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c03948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
We report a radially and azimuthally polarized (raPol) microscope for high detection and estimation performance in single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy (SMOLM). With 5000 photons detected from Nile red (NR) transiently bound within supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), raPol SMOLM achieves 2.9 nm localization precision, 1.5° orientation precision, and 0.17 sr precision in estimating rotational wobble. Within DPPC SLBs, SMOLM imaging reveals the existence of randomly oriented binding pockets that prevent NR from freely exploring all orientations. Treating the SLBs with cholesterol-loaded methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD-chol) causes NR's orientational diffusion to be dramatically reduced, but curiously NR's median lateral displacements drastically increase from 20.8 to 75.5 nm (200 ms time lag). These jump diffusion events overwhelmingly originate from cholesterol-rich nanodomains within the SLB. These detailed measurements of single-molecule rotational and translational dynamics are made possible by raPol's high measurement precision and are not detectable in standard SMLM.
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9
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Gupta M, Chowdhury PK. Protein dynamics as a sensor for macromolecular crowding: Insights into mixed crowding. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.117969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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10
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Kato D, Yamamoto J, Suzuki Y, Kamata T, Hashimoto H, Kunitake M. Lipophilic Vitamin E Diffusion through Bicontinuous Microemulsions. Anal Chem 2021; 93:14231-14237. [PMID: 34644048 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c03174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
We studied the diffusion properties of lipophilic vitamin E (VE) through bicontinuous microemulsions (BME) using both electrochemical and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) measurements. We investigated the effect of different composition ratios of micro-water and micro-oil phases in BMEs (W/OBME). When we employed the BME with a lower W/OBME value of 40/60 (oil-rich BME) as an electrolyte solution, we obtained a larger current response from VE at a fluorinated nanocarbon film electrode. Further voltammetric studies revealed that a higher VE diffusion coefficient was observed in the oil-rich BME. The FCS results also exhibited faster diffusion through the oil-rich BME, which played a significant role in accelerating the VE diffusion probably due to the widening of the micro-oil phase pathway in the BME. Moreover, the effect of increasing the VE diffusion was pronounced at the interface between the electrode surface and the BME solution. These results indicate that controlling the conditions of the BME as the measurement electrolyte is very effective for achieving superior electrochemical measurements in a BME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai Kato
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Johtaro Yamamoto
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Yoshio Suzuki
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Kamata
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Hinako Hashimoto
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan.,Graduate School of Science and Technology and Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
| | - Masashi Kunitake
- Graduate School of Science and Technology and Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
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Horvath I, Kumar R, Wittung-Stafshede P. Macromolecular crowding modulates α-synuclein amyloid fiber growth. Biophys J 2021; 120:3374-3381. [PMID: 34242594 PMCID: PMC8391083 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The crowdedness of living cells, hundreds of milligrams per milliliter of macromolecules, may affect protein folding, function, and misfolding. Still, such processes are most often studied in dilute solutions in vitro. To assess consequences of the in vivo milieu, we here investigated the effects of macromolecular crowding on the amyloid fiber formation reaction of α-synuclein, the amyloidogenic protein in Parkinson's disease. For this, we performed spectroscopic experiments probing individual steps of the reaction as a function of the macromolecular crowding agent Ficoll70, which is an inert sucrose-based polymer that provides excluded-volume effects. The experiments were performed at neutral pH at quiescent conditions to avoid artifacts due to shaking and glass beads (typical conditions for α-synuclein), using amyloid fiber seeds to initiate reactions. We find that both primary nucleation and fiber elongation steps during α-synuclein amyloid formation are accelerated by the presence of 140 and 280 mg/mL Ficoll70. Moreover, in the presence of Ficoll70 at neutral pH, secondary nucleation appears favored, resulting in faster overall α-synuclein amyloid formation. In contrast, sucrose, a small-molecule osmolyte and building block of Ficoll70, slowed down α-synuclein amyloid formation. The ability of cell environments to modulate reaction kinetics to a large extent, such as severalfold faster individual steps in α-synuclein amyloid formation, is an important consideration for biochemical reactions in living systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Istvan Horvath
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ranjeet Kumar
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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