I08-Scanning X-ray Microscopy beamline (SXM)
I10-Beamline for Advanced Dichroism
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Open Access
Abstract: Atypical low-oxidation-state iron phases in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology are implicated in disease pathogenesis, as they may promote elevated redox activity and convey toxicity. However, the origin of low-oxidation-state iron and the pathways responsible for its formation and evolution remain unresolved. Here we investigate the interaction of the AD peptide β-amyloid (Aβ) with the iron storage protein ferritin, to establish whether interactions between these two species are a potential source of low-oxidation-state iron in AD. Using X-ray spectromicroscopy and electron microscopy we found that the co-aggregation of Aβ and ferritin resulted in the conversion of ferritin’s inert ferric core into more reactive low-oxidation-states. Such findings strongly implicate Aβ in the altered iron handling and increased oxidative stress observed in AD pathogenesis. These amyloid-associated iron phases have biomarker potential to assist with disease diagnosis and staging, and may act as targets for therapies designed to lower oxidative stress in AD tissue.
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Jun 2020
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I08-Scanning X-ray Microscopy beamline (SXM)
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[15230]
Open Access
Abstract: Background: Neuromelanin-pigmented neurons, which are highly susceptible to neurodegeneration in the Parkinson’s disease substantia nigra, harbour elevated iron levels in the diseased state. Whilst it is widely believed that neuronal iron is stored in an inert, ferric form, perturbations to normal metal homeostasis could potentially generate more reactive forms of iron capable of stimulating toxicity and cell death. However, non-disruptive analysis of brain metals is inherently challenging, since use of stains or chemical fixatives, for example, can significantly influence metal ion distributions and/or concentrations in tissues. Aims: The aim of this study was to apply synchrotron soft x-ray spectromicroscopy to the characterisation of iron deposits and their local environment within neuromelanin-containing neurons of Parkinson’s disease substantia nigra. Methods: Soft x-ray spectromicroscopy was applied in the form of Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM) to analyse resin-embedded tissue, without requirement for chemically disruptive processing or staining. Measurements were performed at the oxygen and iron K-edges in order to characterise both organic and inorganic components of anatomical tissue using a single label-free method. Results: STXM revealed evidence for mixed oxidation states of neuronal iron deposits associated with neuromelanin clusters in Parkinson’s disease substantia nigra. The excellent sensitivity, specificity and spatial resolution of these STXM measurements showed that the iron oxidation state varies across sub-micron length scales. Conclusions: The label-free STXM approach is highly suited to characterising the distributions of both inorganic and organic components of anatomical tissue, and provides a proof-of-concept for investigating trace metal speciation within Parkinson’s disease neuromelanin-containing neurons.
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May 2020
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I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy
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Open Access
Abstract: Iron is an essential element, and cornflake-style cereals are typically fortified with iron to a level up to 14 mg iron per 100 g. Even single cornflakes exhibit magnetic behaviour. We extracted iron microparticles from samples of two own-brand supermarket cornflakes using a strong permanent magnet. Synchrotron iron K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopic data were consistent with identification as metallic iron, and X-ray diffraction studies provided unequivocal identification of the extracted iron as body-centred cubic (BCC) α-iron. Magnetometry measurements were also consistent with ca. 14 mg per 100 g BCC iron. These findings emphasise that attention must be paid to the speciation of trace elements, in relation to their bioavailability. To mimic conditions in the stomach, we suspended the iron extract in dilute HCl (pH 1.0–2.0) at 310 K (body temperature) and found by ICP-MS that over a period of 5 hours, up to 13% of the iron dissolved. This implies that despite its metallic form in the cornflakes, the iron is potentially bioavailable for oxidation and absorption into the body.
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Mar 2020
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I08-Scanning X-ray Microscopy beamline (SXM)
I14-Hard X-ray Nanoprobe
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[15230, 15854, 20809, 24526, 24531]
Abstract: A hallmark of Parkinson’s disease is the death of neuromelanin‐pigmented neurons, but the role of neuromelanin is unclear. Lack of a neuromelanin‐specific marker was highlighted over 30 years ago, yet in‐situ characterization of neuromelanin remains dependent on detectable pigmentation, rather than direct quantification of neuromelanin. We show that direct, label‐free nanoscale visualization of neuromelanin and associated metal ions in human brain tissue can be achieved using synchrotron Scanning Transmission X‐ray Microscopy (STXM), via a characteristic feature in the neuromelanin x‐ray absorption spectrum at 287.4 eV that is also present in iron‐free and iron‐laden synthetic neuromelanin. This is confirmed in consecutive brain sections by correlating STXM neuromelanin imaging with silver nitrate‐stained neuromelanin. Analysis suggests that the 1s ‐ σ* (C‐S) transition in benzothiazine groups accounts for this feature. This advance in visualizing neuromelanin illustrates the wider potential of STXM as a label‐free spectromicroscopy technique applicable to both organic and inorganic materials.
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Mar 2020
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I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[15854, 19779]
Open Access
Abstract: Transition metals have essential roles in brain structure and function, and are associated with pathological processes in neurodegenerative disorders classed as proteinopathies. Synchrotron x-ray techniques, coupled with ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, have been applied to study iron and copper interactions with amyloid β (1–42) or α-synuclein. Ex vivo tissue and in vitro systems were investigated, showing the capability to identify metal oxidation states, probe local chemical environments, and localize metal-peptide binding sites. Synchrotron experiments showed that the chemical reduction of ferric (Fe3+) iron and cupric (Cu2+) copper can occur in vitro after incubating each metal in the presence of Aβ for one week, and to a lesser extent for ferric iron incubated with α-syn. Nanoscale chemical speciation mapping of Aβ-Fe complexes revealed a spatial heterogeneity in chemical reduction of iron within individual aggregates. Mass spectrometry allowed the determination of the highest-affinity binding region in all four metal-biomolecule complexes. Iron and copper were coordinated by the same N-terminal region of Aβ, likely through histidine residues. Fe3+ bound to a C-terminal region of α-syn, rich in aspartic and glutamic acid residues, and Cu2+ to the N-terminal region of α-syn. Elucidating the biochemistry of these metal-biomolecule complexes and identifying drivers of chemical reduction processes for which there is evidence ex-vivo, are critical to the advanced understanding of disease aetiology.
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Oct 2019
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I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12879, 24642]
Open Access
Abstract: Biometals such as iron, copper, potassium, and zinc are essential regulatory elements of several biological processes. The homeostasis of biometals is often affected in age-related pathologies. Notably, impaired iron metabolism has been linked to several neurodegenerative disorders. Autophagy, an intracellular degradative process dependent on the lysosomes, is involved in the regulation of ferritin and iron levels. Impaired autophagy has been associated with normal pathological aging, and neurodegeneration. Non-mammalian model organisms such as Drosophila have proven to be appropriate for the investigation of age-related pathologies. Here, we show that ferritin is expressed in adult Drosophila brain and that iron and holoferritin accumulate with aging. At whole-brain level we found no direct relationship between the accumulation of holoferritin and a deficit in autophagy in aged Drosophila brain. However, synchrotron X-ray spectromicroscopy revealed an additional spectral feature in the iron-richest region of autophagy-deficient fly brains, consistent with iron–sulfur. This potentially arises from iron–sulfur clusters associated with altered mitochondrial iron homeostasis.
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Jul 2019
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I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[1125, 7453]
Open Access
Abstract: Background: Chemical imaging of the human brain has great potential for diagnostic and monitoring purposes. The heterogeneity of human brain iron distribution, and alterations to this distribution in Alzheimer’s disease, indicate iron as a potential endogenous marker. The influence of iron on certain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters increases with magnetic field, but is under-explored in human brain tissues above 7 T. New Method: Magnetic resonance microscopy at 9.4 T is used to calculate parametric images of chemically-unfixed post-mortem tissue from Alzheimer’s cases (n = 3) and healthy controls (n = 2). Iron-rich regions including caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus and substantia nigra are analysed prior to imaging of total iron distribution with synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping. Iron fluorescence calibration is achieved with adjacent tissue blocks, analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results: Correlated MR images and fluorescence maps indicate linear dependence of R2, R2* and R2’ on iron at 9.4 T, for both disease and control, as follows: [R2(s−1) = 0.072[Fe] + 20]; [R2*(s−1) = 0.34[Fe] + 37]; [R2’(s−1) = 0.26[Fe] + 16] for Fe in μg/g tissue (wet weight). Comparison with Existing Methods: This method permits simultaneous non-destructive imaging of most bioavailable elements. Iron is the focus of the present study as it offers strong scope for clinical evaluation; the approach may be used more widely to evaluate the impact of chemical elements on clinical imaging parameters. Conclusion: The results at 9.4 T are in excellent quantitative agreement with predictions from experiments performed at lower magnetic fields.
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Mar 2019
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I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[8504]
Abstract: In this study, we measured the levels of elements in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) infected with T. gondii. ECs were infected with tachyzoites of the RH strain, and at 6, 24, and 48 hours post infection (hpi), the intracellular concentrations of elements were determined using a synchrotron–microfocus X-ray fluorescence microscopy (μ-XRF) system. This method enabled the quantification of the concentrations of Zn and Ca in infected and uninfected (control) ECs at sub-micron spatial resolution. T. gondii-hosting ECs contained less Zn than uninfected cells only at 48 hpi (p < 0.01). The level of Ca was not significantly different between infected and control cells (p > 0.05). Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis revealed infection-specific metallome profiles characterized by significant increases in the intracellular levels of Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu at 48 hpi (p < 0.01), and significant reductions in the extracellular concentrations of Co, Cu, Mo, V, and Ag at 24 hpi (p < 0.05) compared with control cells. Zn constituted the largest part (74%) of the total metal composition (metallome) of the parasite. Gene expression analysis showed infection-specific upregulation in the expression of five genes, MT1JP, MT1M, MT1E, MT1F, and MT1X, belonging to the metallothionein gene family. These results point to a possible correlation between T. gondii infection and increased expression of MT1 isoforms and altered intracellular levels of elements, especially Zn and Fe. Taken together, a combined μ-XRF and ICP-MS approach is promising for studies of the role of elements in mediating host–parasite interaction.
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Sep 2018
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I08-Scanning X-ray Microscopy beamline (SXM)
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Aug 2018
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I08-Scanning X-ray Microscopy beamline (SXM)
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[15854, 19779]
Open Access
Abstract: Altered metabolism of biometals in the brain is a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease, and biometal interactions
with amyloid-β are linked to amyloid plaque formation. Iron-rich aggregates, including evidence
for the mixed-valence iron oxide magnetite, are associated with amyloid plaques. To test the hypothesis
that increased chemical reduction of iron, as observed in vitro in the presence of aggregating amyloid-β,
may occur at sites of amyloid plaque formation in the human brain, the nanoscale distribution and
physicochemical states of biometals, particularly iron, were characterised in isolated amyloid plaque cores
from human Alzheimer’s disease cases using synchrotron X-ray spectromicroscopy. In situ X-ray magnetic
circular dichroism revealed the presence of magnetite: a finding supported by ptychographic observation
of an iron oxide crystal with the morphology of biogenic magnetite. The exceptional sensitivity and
specificity of X-ray spectromicroscopy, combining chemical and magnetic probes, allowed enhanced
differentiation of the iron oxides phases present. This facilitated the discovery and speciation of ferrousrich
phases and lower oxidation state phases resembling zero-valent iron as well as magnetite.
Sequestered calcium was discovered in two distinct mineral forms suggesting a dynamic process of
amyloid plaque calcification in vivo. The range of iron oxidation states present and the direct observation
of biogenic magnetite provide unparalleled support for the hypothesis that chemical reduction of iron
arises in conjunction with the formation of amyloid plaques. These new findings raise challenging questions
about the relative impacts of amyloid-β aggregation, plaque formation, and disrupted metal homeostasis
on the oxidative burden observed in Alzheimer’s disease.
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Apr 2018
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