Self-Assembling Nanomaterials: Monitoring the Formation of Amyloid Fibrils, with a Focus on Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering

• DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-354-1_5
• Publication Date: 2013-03-25T16:23:17Z
• Authors: Elizabeth B. Sawyer; Sally L. Gras
• Keywords: Small-angle X-ray scattering; Nanomaterials; Amyloid (mycology)

Amyloid fibrils are attractive targets for applications in biotechnology. These thin, nanoscale protein fibers are highly ordered structures that self-assemble from their component proteins or peptides. This chapter describes the use of several biophysical techniques to monitor the formation of amyloid fibrils including a common dye-binding assay, turbidity assay, and small-angle X-ray scattering. These techniques provide information about the assembly mechanism, the rate and reproducibility of assembly, as well as the size of species along the assembly pathway.