New dyes pinpoint hidden Alzheimer's damage with unprecedented precision

<p>Aggregated species of amyloid-beta (A beta) are one of the pathological hallmarks in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and ligands that selectively target different A beta deposits are of great interest. In this study, fluorescent thiophene-based ligands have been used to illustrate the features of different types of A beta deposits found in AD brain tissue. A dual-staining protocol based on two ligands, HS-276 and LL-1, with different photophysical and binding properties, was developed and applied on brain tissue sections from patients affected by sporadic AD or familial AD associated with the PSEN1 A431E mutation. When binding to A beta deposits, the ligands could easily be distinguished for their different fluorescence, and distinct staining patterns were revealed for these two types of AD. In sporadic AD, HS-276 consistently labeled all immunopositive A beta plaques, whereas LL-1 mainly stained cored and neuritic A beta deposits. In the PSEN1 A431E cases, each ligand was binding to specific types of A beta plaques. The ligand-labeled A beta deposits were localized in distinct cortical layers, and a laminar staining pattern could be seen. Biochemical characterization of the A beta aggregates in the individual layers also showed that the variation of ligand binding properties was associated with certain A beta peptide signatures. For the PSEN1 A431E cases, it was concluded that LL-1 was binding to cotton wool plaques, whereas HS-276 mainly stained diffuse A beta deposits. Overall, our findings showed that a combination of ligands was essential to identify distinct aggregated A beta species associated with different forms of AD.</p>