Search results for "Confocal"
showing 10 items of 444 documents
Calpain 1 and 2 Are Required for RNA Replication of Echovirus 1▿
2007
ABSTRACT Calpains are calcium-dependent cysteine proteases that degrade cytoskeletal and cytoplasmic proteins. We have studied the role of calpains in the life cycle of human echovirus 1 (EV1). The calpain inhibitors, including calpeptin, calpain inhibitor 1, and calpain inhibitor 2 as well as calpain 1 and calpain 2 short interfering RNAs, completely blocked EV1 infection in the host cells. The effect of the inhibitors was not specific for EV1, because they also inhibited infection by other picornaviruses, namely, human parechovirus 1 and coxsackievirus B3. The importance of the calpains in EV1 infection also was supported by the fact that EV1 increased calpain activity 3 h postinfection. …
Mass Spectrometry and Imaging Analysis of Nanoparticle-Containing Vesicles Provide a Mechanistic Insight into Cellular Trafficking
2014
Rational design of nanocarriers for drug delivery approaches requires an unbiased knowledge of uptake mechanisms and intracellular trafficking pathways. Here we dissected these processes using a quantitative proteomics approach. We isolated intracellular vesicles containing superparamagnetic iron oxide polystyrene nanoparticles and analyzed their protein composition by label-free quantitative mass spectrometry. The proteomic snapshot of organelle marker proteins revealed that an atypical macropinocytic-like mechanism mediated the entry of nanoparticles. We show that the entry mechanism is controlled by actin reorganization, atypical macropinocytic signaling, and ADP-ribosylation factor 1. A…
Pterostilbene-induced tumor cytotoxicity: a lysosomal membrane permeabilization-dependent mechanism.
2012
The phenolic phytoalexin resveratrol is well known for its health-promoting and anticancer properties. Its potential benefits are, however, limited due to its low bioavailability. Pterostilbene, a natural dimethoxylated analog of resveratrol, presents higher anticancer activity than resveratrol. The mechanisms by which this polyphenol acts against cancer cells are, however, unclear. Here, we show that pterostilbene effectively inhibits cancer cell growth and stimulates apoptosis and autophagosome accumulation in cancer cells of various origins. However, these mechanisms are not determinant in cell demise. Pterostilbene promotes cancer cell death via a mechanism involving lysosomal membrane …
Nanomolar pyrophosphate detection in water and in a self-assembled hydrogel of a simple terpyridine-Zn2+ complex.
2014
A simple terpyridine-Zn(II) complex is shown to act as an efficient and highly selective fluorescent sensor for pyrophosphate in water at physiological pH. The sensor complex showed an unprecedented fluorescence response (∼500 fold increase) and a record nanomolar sensitivity (detectable fluorescent response at 20 nM and LOD ∼ 0.8 nM). It has successfully been used to stain and record confocal fluorescence microscopy images of HeLa cells. Moreover, the complex was found to self-assemble into a hydrogel which was subsequently used to coat disposable paper strips for easy, low-cost detection of pyrophosphate.
Optimization of fluorescence enhancement for silicon-based microarrays
2008
An optical technique for the enhancement of fluorescence detection sensitivity on planar samples is presented. Such a technique is based on the simultaneous optimization of excitation and light collection by properly combining interference and reflectance from the sample holder. Comparative tests have been performed in microarray applications, by evaluating the proposed solution against commercial glass-based devices, using popular labeling dyes, such as Cy3 and Cy5. The proposed technique is implemented on a substrate built with standard silicon technology and is therefore well suited for integrated micro total analysis systems (microTAS) applications.
Uptake of silica covered Quantum Dots into living cells: Long term vitality and morphology study on hyaluronic acid biomaterials
2015
Quantum Dots (QDs) are promising very bright and stable fluorescent probes for optical studies in the biological field but water solubility and possible metal bio-contamination need to be addressed. In this work, a simple silica-QD hybrid system is prepared and the uptake in bovine chondrocytes living cells without any functionalization of the external protective silica shield is demonstrated. Moreover, long term treated cells vitality (up to 14 days) and the transfer of silica-QDs to the next cell generations are here reported. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was also used to determine the morphology of the so labelled cells and the relative silica-QDs distribution. Finally, we employ sil…
Image enhancement in photoemission electron microscopy by means of imaging time-of-flight analysis
2004
Abstract Photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) is widely used in combination with synchrotron sources as a powerful tool to observe chemical and magnetic properties of metal and semiconductor surfaces. Presently, the resolution limit of these instruments using soft-X-ray excitation is limited to about 50 nm, because of the chromatic aberation of the electron optics used. Various sophisticated approaches have thus been reported for enhancing the spatial resolution in photoemission electron microscopy. This work demonstrates the use of a simple imaging energy filter based on electron time-of-flight (ToF) selection. The spatial resolution could be improved dramatically, even though the inst…
Neutron-induced defects in optical fibers
2014
We present a study on 0.8 MeV neutron-induced defects up to fluences of 1017 n/cm2 in fluorine doped optical fibers by using electron paramagnetic resonance, optical absorption and confocal micro-luminescence techniques. Our results allow to address the microscopic mechanisms leading to the generation of Silica-related point-defects such as E', H(I), POR and NBOH Centers.
A Novel Approach of a Low-Cost UWB Microwave Imaging System with High Resolution Based on SAR and a New Fast Reconstruction Algorithm for Early-Stage…
2022
In this article, a new efficient and robust approach—the high-resolution microwave imaging system—for early breast cancer diagnosis is presented. The core concept of the proposed approach is to employ a combination of a newly proposed delay-and-sum (DAS) algorithm and the specific absorption rate (SAR) parameter to provide high image quality of breast tumors, along with fast image processing. The new algorithm enhances the tumor response by altering the parameter referring to the distance between the antenna and the tumor in the conventional DAS matrices. This adjustment entails a much clearer reconstructed image with short processing time. To achieve these aims, a high directional Vivaldi …
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor is critically involved in basal and fluoxetine-stimulated adult hippocampal cell proliferation and in anxiety,…
2011
Intensive research is devoted to unravel the neurobiological mechanisms mediating adult hippocampal neurogenesis, its regulation by antidepressants, and its behavioral consequences. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is expressed in the CNS, where its function is unknown. Here, we show, for the first time, the relevance of MIF expression for adult hippocampal neurogenesis. We identify MIF expression in neurogenic cells (in stem cells, cells undergoing proliferation, and in newly proliferated cells undergoing maturation) in the subgranular zone of the rodent dentate gyrus. A causal function for MIF in cell proliferation was shown using genetic (M…