Gold Nanoparticles as Nucleation Centers for Amyloid Fibrillation

Abstract

The aggregation of proteins into amyloid fbrils is related to more than 30 diseases, including the most common neurodegenerative conditions. Amyloid fbrillation is a nucleation-dependent polymerization reaction where monomeric protein frst assembles into oligomers that in turn serve as nuclei for fbril formation. Recently, nanoparticles of various compositions and sizes have been investigated as nucleation centers for amyloid fbrillation. The interaction of nanoparticles with amyloid proteins can generate intermediate structures able to accelerate or inhibit fbrillation, and therefore, they constitute a tool to control and manipulate amyloid fbrillation which may be the key to elucidate molecular mechanisms or to devise therapies. In this chapter, we frst give a general overview about the use of nanoparticles as artifcial nucleation centers for amyloid aggregation, and then we focus on gold nanoparticles providing detailed protocols for their functionalization and use in amyloid fbrillation assays.