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Updated: Feb 18, 2026

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Published on: January 2, 2015
Real-Time Observation of the Interaction between Thioflavin T and an Amyloid Protein by Using High-Sensitivity
Naoto Iwakawa1, Daichi Morimoto2, Erik Walinda3
1Department of Molecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto-Daigaku Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan. iwakawa.naoto.46w@st.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Amyloid fibril formation is associated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases. To elucidate the mechanism of fibril formation, the thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay is widely used. ThT is a fluorescent dye that selectively binds to amyloid fibrils and exhibits fluorescence enhancement, which enables quantitative analysis of the fibril formation process. However, the detailed binding mechanism has remained unclear. Here we acquire real-time profiles of fibril formation of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) using high-sensitivity Rheo-NMR spectroscopy and detect weak and strong interactions between ThT and SOD1 fibrils in a time-dependent manner. Real-time information on the interaction between ThT and fibrils will contribute to the understanding of the binding mechanism of ThT to fibrils. In addition, our method provides an alternative way to analyze fibril formation.
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