Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Enrichment of Detergent-insoluble Protein Aggregates from Human Postmortem Brain
Published on: October 24, 2017
Assembly of Alzheimer-like, insoluble filaments from brain cerebrosides
W J Goux1, H Smith, D R Sparkman
1Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75083-0688, USA.
Abstract:
Amphiphiles are molecules which contain a polar head and a hydrophobic tail. When the head contains a chiral center, amphiphiles, incubated in the presence of some di- and trivalent metal ions, have been shown to form large fibrous molecular aggregates. In this study, naturally occurring brain cerebroside was tested to determine if it had sufficient amphiphilic properties to form similar supramolecular structures. When galactocerebroside was heated in the presence of magnesium, it was able to form tubules, vesicles and filaments. The filaments included long fibrils that aggregated into dense bundles and short fibrils that were associated to form smaller bundles. These fibrils were shown to be resistant to solubilization in boiling SDS in the presence of reducing agents. This is the first report of a naturally occurring glycolipid being able to form filaments. Since their structural and physical properties are similar to the paired helical filaments of Alzheimer's disease, they may serve as an experimental model for their assembly.
More Related Videos
08:27Establishment of a Valuable Mimic of Alzheimer's Disease in Rat Animal Model by Intracerebroventricular Injection of Composited Amyloid Beta Protein
Published on: July 29, 2018
09:00Biochemical Purification and Proteomic Characterization of Amyloid Fibril Cores from the Brain
Published on: April 28, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Dementia l: Introduction