TY - JOUR A1 - Menero-Valdés, P. A1 - Chronakis, Michail Ioannis A1 - Fernández, B. A1 - Quarles Jr., C. D. A1 - González-Iglesias, H. A1 - Meermann, Björn A1 - Pereiro, R. T1 - Single Cell–ICP–ToF-MS for the Multiplexed Determination of Proteins: Evaluation of the Cellular Stress Response JF - Analytical Chemistry N2 - An automated and straightforward detection and data treatment strategy for the determination of the protein relative concentration in individual human cells by single cell–inductively coupled plasma–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (sc-ICP-ToF-MS) is proposed. Metal nanocluster (NC)-labeled specific antibodies for the target proteins were employed, and ruthenium red (RR) staining, which binds to the cells surface, was used to determine the number of cell events as well as to evaluate the relative volume of the cells. As a proof of concept, the expression of hepcidin, metallothionein-2, and ferroportin employing specific antibodies labeled with IrNCs, PtNCs, and AuNCs, respectively, was investigated by sc-ICP-ToF-MS in human ARPE-19 cells. Taking into account that ARPE-19 cells are spherical in suspension and RR binds to the surface of the cells, the Ru intensity was related to the cell volume (i.e., the cell volume is directly proportional to (Ru intensity)3/2), making it possible to determine not only the mass of the target proteins in each individual cell but also the relative concentration. The proposed approach is of particular interest in comparing cell cultures subjected to different supplementations. ARPE-19 cell cultures under two stress conditions were compared: a hyperglycemic model and an oxidative stress model. The comparison of the control with treated cells shows not only the mass of analyzed species but also the relative changes in the cell volume and concentration of target proteins, clearly allowing the identification of subpopulations under the respective treatment. KW - Peptides and Proteins KW - Immunology KW - Metals PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-581630 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02558 VL - 95 IS - 35 SP - 13322 EP - 13329 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-58163 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -