Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) is a technique allowing visualization and quantification of over 40 biological parameters in a single experiment with subcellular spatial resolution, however most IMC ...experiments are limited to endpoint analysis with antibodies and DNA stains. Small molecules containing tellurium are promising probes for IMC due to their cell permeability, synthetic versatility, and most importantly their application to sequential labelling with isotopologous probes (SLIP) experiments. SLIP experiments with tellurium-containing probes allow quantification of intracellular biology at multiple timepoints with IMC. Despite the promise of tellurium in IMC, there are unique challenges in image processing associated with tellurium IMC data. Here, we address some of these issues by demonstrating the removal of xenon background signal, combining channels to improve signal-to-noise ratio, and calculating isotope transmission efficiency biases. These developments add accuracy to the unique temporal resolution afforded by tellurium IMC probes.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
3,6-Anhydro sugars are common structures in algal polysaccharides and occur in the furanodictine and sauropunol natural products. We have found that treatment of 6-O-tosylpyranosides with ...tetrabutylammonium fluoride provides a mild, high-yielding synthesis of 3,6-anhydro sugars. Using O-glycoside substrates, 3,6-anhydropyranosides are isolated and the use of N,O-dimethyl hydroxylamine glycosides yields 3,6-anhydrofuranosides. Applying this approach, concise synthetic routes to several 3,6-anhydro sugar natural products are reported, including furanodictine A and sauropunols A–D.
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This review paper describes a new technology, mass cytometry, that addresses applications typically run by flow cytometer analyzers, but extends the capability to highly multiparametric analysis. The ...detection technology is based on atomic mass spectrometry. It offers quantitation, specificity and dynamic range of mass spectrometry in a format that is familiar to flow cytometry practitioners. The mass cytometer does not require compensation, allowing the application of statistical techniques; this has been impossible given the constraints of fluorescence noise with traditional cytometry instruments. Instead of “colors” the mass cytometer “reads” the stable isotope tags attached to antibodies using metal-chelating labeling reagents. Because there are many available stable isotopes, and the mass spectrometer provides exquisite resolution between detection channels, many parameters can be measured as easily as one. For example, in a single tube the technique allows for the ready detection and characterization of the major cell subsets in blood or bone marrow. Here we describe mass cytometric immunophenotyping of human leukemia cell lines and leukemia patient samples, differential cell analysis of normal peripheral and umbilical cord blood; intracellular protein identification and metal-encoded bead arrays.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) affects 3% to 4% of children between the ages of 11 and 18 1, 2. This disorder, characterized by abnormal three-dimensional spinal curvatures that typically ...develop during periods of rapid growth, occurs in the absence of congenital vertebral malformations or neuromuscular defects 1. Genetic heterogeneity 3 and a historical lack of appropriate animal models 4 have confounded basic understanding of AIS biology; thus, treatment options remain limited 5, 6. Recently, genetic studies using zebrafish have linked idiopathic-like scoliosis to irregularities in motile cilia-mediated cerebrospinal fluid flow 7–9. However, because loss of cilia motility in human primary ciliary dyskinesia patients is not fully associated with scoliosis 10, 11, other pathogenic mechanisms remain to be determined. Here, we demonstrate that zebrafish scospondin (sspo) mutants develop late-onset idiopathic-like spinal curvatures in the absence of obvious cilia motility defects. Sspo is a large secreted glycoprotein functionally associated with the subcommissural organ and Reissner’s fiber 12—ancient and enigmatic organs of the brain ventricular system reported to govern cerebrospinal fluid homeostasis 13, 14, neurogenesis 12, 15–18, and embryonic morphogenesis 19. We demonstrate that irregular deposition of Sspo within brain ventricles is associated with idiopathic-like scoliosis across diverse genetic models. Furthermore, Sspo defects are sufficient to induce oxidative stress and neuroinflammatory responses implicated in AIS pathogenesis 9. Through screening for chemical suppressors of sspo mutant phenotypes, we also identify potent agents capable of blocking severe juvenile spine deformity. Our work thus defines a new preclinical model of AIS and provides tools to realize novel therapeutic strategies.
•SCO-spondin and Reissner’s fiber defects cause idiopathic scoliosis (IS) in zebrafish•Neuroinflammation, downstream of abnormal CSF homeostasis, drives spinal curvature•Embryonic axial defects are molecularly and functionally linked to juvenile-onset IS•Chemical suppressor screens identify potent agents that block severe IS progression
Rose et al. describe a new zebrafish model of idiopathic-like scoliosis, implicate ancient and enigmatic brain organ systems in spine development, identify neuroimmune responses as a driving force behind spinal curve progression, and develop a chemical suppressor screen paradigm that may translate to novel therapeutic strategies.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically approved cancer treatment that uses light, oxygen and a photosensitizer to produce localized reactive oxygen species (ROS). Due to the short lifetime of ...ROS, the location of the photosensitizer in the cell is believed to be the key determinant governing the outcome of PDT. To explore the effect of direct association between a photosensitizer and DNA a well know DNA-binding dye, DAPI, was converted into a photosensitizer. Br-DAPI - unlike native DAPI - upon irradiation produces ROS. We demonstrate that the ROS are only effective in inducing dsDNA breaks when Br-DAPI is bound to DNA. In cancer cells (A549) Br-DAPI causes rapid light dependent cell death. This work supports the design of photosensitizers which bind with high affinity to the DNA of target cells for potentially more effective PDT.
Poly-β(1,6)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (PNAG) is a major biofilm component of many pathogenic bacteria. The production, modification, and export of PNAG in Escherichia coli and Bordetella species require ...the protein products encoded by the pgaABCD operon. PgaB is a two-domain periplasmic protein that contains an N-terminal deacetylase domain and a C-terminal PNAG binding domain that is critical for export. However, the exact function of the PgaB C-terminal domain remains unclear. Herein, we show that the C-terminal domains of Bordetella bronchiseptica PgaB (PgaBBb) and E. coli PgaB (PgaBEc) function as glycoside hydrolases. These enzymes hydrolyze purified deacetylated PNAG (dPNAG) from Staphylococcus aureus, disrupt PNAG-dependent biofilms formed by Bordetella pertussis, Staphylococcus carnosus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and E. coli, and potentiate bacterial killing by gentamicin. Furthermore, we found that PgaBBb was only able to hydrolyze PNAG produced in situ by the E. coli PgaCD synthase complex when an active deacetylase domain was present. Mass spectrometry analysis of the PgaB-hydrolyzed dPNAG substrate showed a GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcNAc motif at the new reducing end of detected fragments. Our 1.76 Å structure of the C-terminal domain of PgaBBb reveals a central cavity within an elongated surface groove that appears ideally suited to recognize the GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcNAc motif. The structure, in conjunction with molecular modeling and site directed mutagenesis led to the identification of the dPNAG binding subsites and D474 as the probable catalytic acid. This work expands the role of PgaB within the PNAG biosynthesis machinery, defines a new glycoside hydrolase family GH153, and identifies PgaB as a possible therapeutic agent for treating PNAG-dependent biofilm infections.
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Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes both chronic and acute invasive infections. Galactosaminogalactan (GAG) is an integral component of the A. fumigatus biofilm ...matrix and a key virulence factor. GAG is a heterogeneous linear α-1,4–linked exopolysaccharide of galactose and GalNAc that is partially deacetylated after secretion. A cluster of five co-expressed genes has been linked to GAG biosynthesis and modification. One gene in this cluster, ega3, is annotated as encoding a putative α-1,4-galactosaminidase belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 114 (GH114). Herein, we show that recombinant Ega3 is an active glycoside hydrolase that disrupts GAG-dependent A. fumigatus and Pel polysaccharide-dependent Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms at nanomolar concentrations. Using MS and functional assays, we demonstrate that Ega3 is an endo-acting α-1,4-galactosaminidase whose activity depends on the conserved acidic residues, Asp-189 and Glu-247. X-ray crystallographic structural analysis of the apo Ega3 and an Ega3-galactosamine complex, at 1.76 and 2.09 Å resolutions, revealed a modified (β/α)8-fold with a deep electronegative cleft, which upon ligand binding is capped to form a tunnel. Our structural analysis coupled with in silico docking studies also uncovered the molecular determinants for galactosamine specificity and substrate binding at the −2 to +1 binding subsites. The findings in this study increase the structural and mechanistic understanding of the GH114 family, which has >600 members encoded by plant and opportunistic human pathogens, as well as in industrially used bacteria and fungi.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
We describe the synthesis and characterization of metal-chelating polymers with a degree of polymerization of 67 and 79, high diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) functionality, M w/M n ≤ 1.17, ...and a maleimide as an orthogonal functional group for conjugation to antibodies. The polymeric disulfide form of the DPn = 79 DTPA polymer was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis to determine moisture and sodium-ion content and by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to determine the Gd3+ binding capacity. These results showed each chain binds 68 ± 7 Gd3+ per chain. Secondary goat antimouse IgG was covalently labeled with the maleimide form of the DTPA polymer (DPn = 79) carrying 159Tb. Conventional ICPMS analysis of this conjugate showed each antibody carried an average of 161 ± 4 159Tb atoms. This result was combined with the ITC result to show there are an average of 2.4 ± 0.3 polymer chains attached to each antibody. Eleven monoclonal primary antibodies were labeled with different lanthanide isotopes using the same labeling methodology. Single cell analysis of whole umbilical cord blood stained with a mixture of 11 metal-tagged antibodies was performed by mass cytometry.
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There have been important advances in characterizing the surface coverage of ligands on colloidal inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), but our knowledge of ligand coverage on lanthanide NPs is much more ...limited. The as-synthesized NPs are often coated with hydrophobic ligands that need to be replaced with hydrophilic ligands such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) for biomedical applications. The two challenges in terms of characterizing ligand coverage on NPs are first to show that different analytical methods give consistent results and second to show how the sample preparation protocol affects ligand density. Here, we report a quantitative study of the native oleate content of as-synthesized NaYF4 and NaTbF4 NPs, as well as the surface coverage after ligand exchange with three methoxyPEG-monophosphates with M n = 750, 2000, and 5000 Da. For NaYF4, we obtained consistent results for both oleates and PEGs by three independent methods (TGA, 1H NMR, and ICP-AES). The oleate coverage was very sensitive to the sample isolation/purification protocol, with a high surface coverage (5.5 to 8 nm–2) for ethanol/hexane sedimentation/redispersion but only 2 nm–2 if THF was used in place of hexanes. The surface coverages PEG750 (∼1.1 nm–2), PEG2000 (∼1.7 nm–2), and PEG5000 (∼0.2 nm–2) suggest that corona repulsion limits the number of PEG5000 molecules that can graft to the surface. For NaTbF4 NPs, we compared the surface coverage of PEG2000-monophosphate with a PEG2000-tetraphosphonate ligand shown to provide enhanced colloidal stability in PBS buffer. We found the surprising result that the footprints of these ligands were comparable, suggesting that there was insufficient room for all four phosphonate groups of the tetradentate ligand to bind simultaneously to the NP surface.
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