Search results for " Atomic"
showing 10 items of 1098 documents
Microtubule disruption changes endothelial cell mechanics and adhesion
2019
AbstractThe interest in studying the mechanical and adhesive properties of cells has increased in recent years. The cytoskeleton is known to play a key role in cell mechanics. However, the role of the microtubules in shaping cell mechanics is not yet well understood. We have employed Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) together with confocal fluorescence microscopy to determine the role of microtubules in cytomechanics of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs). Additionally, the time variation of the adhesion between tip and cell surface was studied. The disruption of microtubules by exposing the cells to two colchicine concentrations was monitored as a function of time. Already, after 3…
Resveratrol-Induced Temporal Variation in the Mechanical Properties of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy
2019
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) combined with fluorescence microscopy has been used to quantify cytomechanical modifications induced by resveratrol (at a fixed concentration of 50 µ
Ethanol Controls the Self-Assembly and Mesoscopic Properties of Human Insulin Amyloid Spherulites.
2018
Protein self-assembly into amyloid fibrils or highly hierarchical superstructures is closely linked to neurodegenerative pathologies as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Moreover, protein assemblies also emerged as building blocks for bioinspired nanostructured materials. In both the above mentioned fields, the main challenge is to control the growth and properties of the final protein structure. This relies on a more fundamental understanding of how interactions between proteins can determine structures and functions of biomolecular aggregates. Here, we identify a striking effect of the hydration of the single human insulin molecule and solvent properties in controlling hydrophobicity/…
Specific and highly efficient condensation of GC and IC DNA by polyaza pyridinophane derivatives
2018
Abstract Two bis-polyaza pyridinophane derivatives and their monomeric reference compounds revealed strong interactions with ds-DNA and RNA. The bis-derivatives show a specific condensation of GC- and IC-DNA, which is almost two orders of magnitude more efficient than the well-known condensation agent spermine. The type of condensed DNA was identified as ψ-DNA, characterized by the exceptionally strong CD signals. At variance to the almost silent AT(U) polynucleotides, these strong CD signals allow the determination of GC-condensates at nanomolar nucleobase concentrations. Detailed thermodynamic characterisation by ITC reveals significant differences between the DNA binding of the bis-deriv…
High-Pressure-Driven Reversible Dissociation of α-Synuclein Fibrils Reveals Structural Hierarchy
2017
The analysis of the α-synuclein (aS) aggregation process, which is involved in Parkinson's disease etiopathogenesis, and of the structural feature of the resulting amyloid fibrils may shed light on the relationship between the structure of aS aggregates and their toxicity. This may be considered a paradigm of the ground work needed to tackle the molecular basis of all the protein-aggregation-related diseases. With this aim, we used chemical and physical dissociation methods to explore the structural organization of wild-type aS fibrils. High pressure (in the kbar range) and alkaline pH were used to disassemble fibrils to collect information on the hierarchic pathway by which distinct β-sh…
Three-dimensional multiple-particle tracking with nanometric precision over tunable axial ranges
2017
The precise localization of nanometric objects in three dimensions is essential to identify functional diffusion mechanisms in complex systems at the cellular or molecular level. However, most optical methods can achieve high temporal resolution and high localization precision only in two dimensions or over a limited axial (z) range. Here we develop a novel wide-field detection system based on an electrically tunable lens that can track multiple individual nanoscale emitters in three dimensions over a tunable axial range with nanometric localization precision. The optical principle of the technique is based on the simultaneous acquisition of two images with an extended depth of field while …
Nuclear inclusions of pathogenic ataxin-1 induce oxidative stress and perturb the protein synthesis machinery
2020
Spinocerebellar ataxia type-1 (SCA1) is caused by an abnormally expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in ataxin-1. These expansions are responsible for protein misfolding and self-assembly into intranuclear inclusion bodies (IIBs) that are somehow linked to neuronal death. However, owing to lack of a suitable cellular model, the downstream consequences of IIB formation are yet to be resolved. Here, we describe a nuclear protein aggregation model of pathogenic human ataxin-1 and characterize IIB effects. Using an inducible Sleeping Beauty transposon system, we overexpressed the ATXN1(Q82) gene in human mesenchymal stem cells that are resistant to the early cytotoxic effects caused by the expr…
Mechanisms of astringency: Structural alteration of the oral mucosal pellicle by dietary tannins and protective effect of bPRPs
2018
International audience; The interaction of tannins with salivary proteins is involved in astringency. This paper focussed on saliva liningoral mucosae, the mucosal pellicle. Using a cell-based model, the impact of two dietary tannins (EgC and EgCG)on the mucosal pellicle structure and properties was investigated by microscopic techniques. The role of basicProline-Rich-Proteins (bPRPs) in protecting the mucosal pellicle was also evaluated.At low (0.05 mM) tannin concentration, below the sensory detection threshold, the distribution of salivarymucins MUC5B on cells remained unaffected. At 0.5 and 1 mM, MUC5B-tannin aggregates were observed andtheir size increased with tannin concentration and…
Heat- and pH-induced BSA conformational changes, hydrogel formation and application as 3D cell scaffold
2016
Aggregation and gelation of globular proteins can be an advantage to generate new forms of nanoscale biomaterials based on the fibrillar architecture. Here, we report results obtained by exploiting the proteins' natural tendency to self-organize in 3D network, for the production of new material based on BSA for medical application. In particular, at five different pH values the conformational and structural changes of the BSA during all the steps of the thermal aggregation and gelation have been analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. The macroscopic mechanical properties of these hydrogels have been obtained by rheological measurements. The microscopic structure of the gels have been studied by AFM…
Fast Inertia-Free Volumetric Light-Sheet Microscope
2017
Fast noninvasive three-dimensional (3D) imag-ing is crucial for quantitatively studying highly dynamic events ranging from flow cytometry to developmental biology. Light-sheet microscopy has emerged as the tool-of-choice for 3D characterization of rapidly evolving systems. However, to obtain a 3D image, either the sample or parts of the microscope are moved, limiting the acquisition speed. Here, we propose a novel inertia-free light-sheet-based scheme for volumetric imaging at high temporal resolution. Our approach comprises a novel combination of an acousto-optic scanner to produce tailored illumination and an acoustic-optofluidic lens, placed in the detection path to provide extended dept…