Browsing by Subject "Fluorescent ligands"

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    Proteophenes - Amino Acid Functionalized Thiophene-based Fluorescent Ligands for Visualization of Protein Deposits in Tissue Sections with Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
    (Wiley, 2022) Björk, Linnea; Bäck, Marcus; Lantz, Linda; Ghetti, Bernardino; Vidal, Ruben; Klingstedt, Therése; Nilsson, K. Peter R.; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    Protein deposits composed of specific proteins or peptides are associated with several neurodegenerative diseases and fluorescent ligands able to detect these pathological hallmarks are vital. Here, we report the synthesis of a class of thiophene-based ligands, denoted proteophenes, with different amino acid side-chain functionalities along the conjugated backbone, which display selectivity towards specific disease-associated protein aggregates in tissue sections with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. The selectivity of the ligands towards AD associated pathological hallmarks, such as aggregates of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide or tau filamentous inclusions, was highly dependent on the chemical nature of the amino acid functionality, as well as on the location of the functionality along the pentameric thiophene backbone. Finally, the concept of synthesizing donor-acceptor-donor proteophenes with distinct photophysical properties was shown. Our findings provide the structural and functional basis for the development of new thiophene-based ligands that can be utilized for optical assignment of different aggregated proteinaceous species in tissue sections.
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    Thiophene-Based Ligands for Histological Multiplex Spectral Detection of Distinct Protein Aggregates in Alzheimer′s Disease
    (Wiley, 2023) Lantz, Linda; Shirani, Hamid; Ghetti, Bernardino; Vidal, Ruben; Klingstedt, Therése; Nilsson, K. Peter R.; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    The aggregation and accumulation of proteins in the brain is the defining feature of many devastating neurodegenerative diseases. The development of fluorescent ligands that bind to these accumulations, or deposits, is essential for the characterization of these neuropathological lesions. We report the synthesis of donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) thiophene-based ligands with different emission properties. The D-A-D ligands displayed selectivity towards distinct disease-associated protein deposits in histological sections from postmortem brain tissue of individuals affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). The ability of the ligands to selectively identify AD-associated pathological alterations, such as deposits composed of aggregates of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide or tau, was reduced when the chemical composition of the ligands was altered. When combining the D-A-D ligands with conventional thiophene-based ligands, superior spectral separation of distinct protein aggregates in AD tissue sections was obtained. Our findings provide the structural and functional basis for the development of new fluorescent ligands that can distinguish between aggregated proteinaceous species, as well as offer novel strategies for developing multiplex fluorescence detection of protein aggregates in tissue sections.