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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Generation of Alpha-Synuclein Preformed Fibrils from Monomers and Use In Vivo
Published on: June 2, 2019
Vibrational Circular Dichroism Sheds New Light on the Competitive Effects of Crowding and β-Synuclein on the
Evelien Van de Vondel1, Pieter Baatsen2,3, Roos Van Elzen4
1Molecular Spectroscopy Group, Department of Chemistry , University of Antwerp , 2020 Antwerp , Belgium.
Abstract:
The effects of crowding, using the crowding agent Ficoll 70, and the presence of β-synuclein on the fibrillation process of α-synuclein were studied by spectroscopic techniques, transmission electron microscopy, and thioflavin T assays. This combined approach, in which all techniques were applied to the same original sample, generated an unprecedented understanding of the effects of these modifying agents on the morphological properties of the fibrils. Separately, crowding gives rise to shorter mutually aligned fibrils, while β-synuclein leads to branched, short fibrils. The combination of both effects leads to short, branched, mutually aligned fibrils. Moreover, it is shown that the nondestructive technique of vibrational circular dichroism is extremely sensitive to the length and the higher-order morphology of the fibrils.
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