Growing evidence indicates that liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), a phenomenon whereby transient, weak interactions can facilitate self-assembly of proteins into liquid-like droplets and can contribute to the formation of amyloid fibrils. Such an observation has posited that LLPS and the associated formation of membrane-less organelles in the cell can contribute to protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disease. In this chapter, we describe methods for performing biophysical studies on the transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43), a protein that forms aggregates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. We describe purification of the disordered low-complexity domain (LCD) of TDP-43 and provide a methodology for studying the protein’s behavior using site-directed spin labeling coupled with electron paramagnetic resonance. We additionally discuss visualization of TDP-43 LCD liquid droplets and methods for quantifying LLPS and aggregation into amyloid fibrils.
CITATION STYLE
Babinchak, W. M., & Surewicz, W. K. (2023). Biophysical Studies of LLPS and Aggregation of TDP-43 LCD. In Methods in Molecular Biology (Vol. 2551, pp. 497–513). Humana Press Inc. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2597-2_31
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