Filter Retardation Assay for Detecting and Quantifying Polyglutamine Aggregates Using Caenorhabditis elegans Lysates

Abstract

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases and is associated with impaired protein homeostasis. This imbalance is caused by the loss of the protein's native conformation, which ultimately results in its aggregation or abnormal localization within the cell. Using a C. elegans model of polyglutamine diseases, we describe in detail the filter retardation assay, a method that captures protein aggregates in a cellulose acetate membrane and allows its detection and quantification by immunoblotting.