Optical signature of retinal Tau fibrillation
Abstract Fibrillated Tau proteins are believed to be a signature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may be potentially employed as a biosensor for AD early detection. Several studies revealed the presence of Tau accumulation and aggregation in the retina, similar to that observed in the brains of indiv...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92565-w |
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| author | Zita Salajková Lorenzo Barolo Paola Baiocco Barbara Ruzicka Francesco Mura Francesco Di Lorenzo Alberto Boffi Vincenzo Ricco Giancarlo Ruocco Marco Leonetti |
| author_facet | Zita Salajková Lorenzo Barolo Paola Baiocco Barbara Ruzicka Francesco Mura Francesco Di Lorenzo Alberto Boffi Vincenzo Ricco Giancarlo Ruocco Marco Leonetti |
| author_sort | Zita Salajková |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Fibrillated Tau proteins are believed to be a signature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may be potentially employed as a biosensor for AD early detection. Several studies revealed the presence of Tau accumulation and aggregation in the retina, similar to that observed in the brains of individuals with AD. These retinal changes can be non-invasively visualised through AD-related scores derived from reflectance measurements of the patient fundus. However, a direct link with the optical properties of fibrillated protein clusters is still lacking. Here, we present a new optical technique which measures the scattering optical properties of protein fibrils. Our experimental findings show that the scattering intensity of Tau has a wavelength dependence correlated to their size. The optical signal qualitatively replicates the spectral signature observed in human AD patient retinas. Our paper shows that the Tau protein spectral signature is compatible with the distinctive spectral signature of the AD, further confirming that retinal investigation is a promising tool. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2b8df0844b7e4215933f9c4e842ecb17 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-2b8df0844b7e4215933f9c4e842ecb172025-08-20T02:59:24ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-92565-wOptical signature of retinal Tau fibrillationZita Salajková0Lorenzo Barolo1Paola Baiocco2Barbara Ruzicka3Francesco Mura4Francesco Di Lorenzo5Alberto Boffi6Vincenzo Ricco7Giancarlo Ruocco8Marco Leonetti9Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaDepartment of Biochemical Sciences “Alessandro Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of RomeDepartment of Biochemical Sciences “Alessandro Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of RomeSapienza Unit, Institute for Complex Systems of the National Research Council (ISC-CNR)Research Center on Nanotechnologies Applied to Engineering of Sapienza (CNIS)Neuropsychophisiology Lab, Istituto Di Ricovero E Cura a Carattere Scientifico Santa LuciaCenter for Life Nano- and Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaD-Tails s.r.l. BCorpCenter for Life Nano- and Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaCenter for Life Nano- and Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaAbstract Fibrillated Tau proteins are believed to be a signature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may be potentially employed as a biosensor for AD early detection. Several studies revealed the presence of Tau accumulation and aggregation in the retina, similar to that observed in the brains of individuals with AD. These retinal changes can be non-invasively visualised through AD-related scores derived from reflectance measurements of the patient fundus. However, a direct link with the optical properties of fibrillated protein clusters is still lacking. Here, we present a new optical technique which measures the scattering optical properties of protein fibrils. Our experimental findings show that the scattering intensity of Tau has a wavelength dependence correlated to their size. The optical signal qualitatively replicates the spectral signature observed in human AD patient retinas. Our paper shows that the Tau protein spectral signature is compatible with the distinctive spectral signature of the AD, further confirming that retinal investigation is a promising tool.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92565-wTau proteinProtein fibrillation monitoringAlzheimer’s diseaseSide-scattering spectroscopy |
| spellingShingle | Zita Salajková Lorenzo Barolo Paola Baiocco Barbara Ruzicka Francesco Mura Francesco Di Lorenzo Alberto Boffi Vincenzo Ricco Giancarlo Ruocco Marco Leonetti Optical signature of retinal Tau fibrillation Scientific Reports Tau protein Protein fibrillation monitoring Alzheimer’s disease Side-scattering spectroscopy |
| title | Optical signature of retinal Tau fibrillation |
| title_full | Optical signature of retinal Tau fibrillation |
| title_fullStr | Optical signature of retinal Tau fibrillation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optical signature of retinal Tau fibrillation |
| title_short | Optical signature of retinal Tau fibrillation |
| title_sort | optical signature of retinal tau fibrillation |
| topic | Tau protein Protein fibrillation monitoring Alzheimer’s disease Side-scattering spectroscopy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92565-w |
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