Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2023 (2) (entfernen)
Dokumenttyp
Sprache
- Englisch (2) (entfernen)
Referierte Publikation
- ja (2)
Schlagworte
- Building and Construction (1)
- General Materials Science (1)
- Immunology (1)
- Metals (1)
- Peptides and Proteins (1)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
Paper des Monats
- ja (1)
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.
The crystallization of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2, CH, portlandite) is a key process during the early stages of cement hydration. In the present work, we have revisited the formation of this mineral through nucleation and growth from supersaturated aqueous solutions, in the light of the currently emerging picture of multistage “non-classical” crystallization. To that end, we developed a titration-based assay, in which stock solutions of both relevant ions are added simultaneously into a reservoir, where supersaturation increases slowly at constant stoichiometry until nucleation occurs. This procedure allows both pre- and early post-nucleation phenomena to be analyzed quantitatively. Complementarily, the early stages of portlandite mineralization were probed by various advanced characterization techniques, including cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), in-situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of high-energy X-ray scattering (HEXS) data, and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). The experimental data show that the formation of calcium hydroxide starts with the association of ions into complexes and clusters, which subsequently coalesce to form amorphous nanoparticles – much like what has been observed in the case of calcium carbonate and other prominent minerals. Subsequently, these particles aggregate and build networks, which eventually transform into hexagonal Ca(OH)2 crystals. The presence of a soluble polycarboxylate – as a known inhibitor of portlandite crystallization – does not change the main characteristics of this multistep nucleation pathway, but it proved capable of significantly extending the lifetime of the amorphous intermediate phase and thus delaying the transition to the final crystalline phase. Our observations confirm the notion that “non-classical” crystallization is a much more common phenomenon than initially believed – and that, for minerals forming in aqueous environments, it may actually be the rule rather than the exception.