The DeoR-like pleiotropic regulator SCO1897 controls specialised metabolism, sporulation, spore germination, and phosphorus accumulation in Streptomyces coelicolor.

Streptomycetes are bacteria of significant biotechnological interest due to their production of bioactive specialised metabolites used in medicine and agriculture. In these bacteria, specialised metabolism and morphological differentiation are linked and typically repressed under high phosphate conditions. This study characterises a DeoR-like transcriptional regulator, SCO1897, in Streptomyces coelicolor, whose expression increases during sporulation.

Amplification-Free Strategy for miRNA Quantification in Human Serum Using Single Particle ICP-MS and Gold Nanoparticles as Labels.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are short single-stranded RNA sequences between 18 and 24 nucleotides, are known to play a crucial role in gene expression. Changes in their expression are not only involved in many diseases but also as a response to physiological changes, such as physical exercise. In this work, a new analytical strategy for the sensitive and specific analysis of miRNA sequences in human plasma is presented.

Bioaccessibility of trace elements and Fe and Al endogenic nanoparticles in farmed insects: Pursuing quality sustainable food.

This study investigated the in vitro bioaccessibility of aluminum, copper, iron, manganese, lead, selenium, and zinc in three important species of farmed insects: the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) and the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria). Results show that all three insect species constitute excellent sources of essential elements (Fe, Cu and Zn) for the human diet, contributing to the recommended dietary allowance, i.e.

Biomarkers in Ovarian Cancer: Towards Personalized Medicine.

Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in women. The lack of specific symptoms, especially at the initial stages of disease development, together with the malignancy heterogeneity, lower the life expectancy of patients. Aiming to improve survival rates, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are increasingly employed in clinics, providing gynecologists and oncologists with new tools to guide their treatment decisions.

Determination of selenium-containing species, including nanoparticles, in selenium-enriched Lingzhi mushrooms.

Mushrooms are considered a valuable food source due to their high protein and fibre and low fat content, among the other health benefits of their consumption. Selenium is an essential nutrient and is renowned for its chemo-preventative properties. In this study, batches of selenium-enriched Lingzhi mushrooms were prepared by growing mycelium and fruit in substrates containing various concentrations of sodium selenite.

Single cell ICP-MS to evaluate the interaction behaviour for Cd, Ce and U with Streptomyces coelicolor spores.

Streptomyces are important soil bacteria used for bioremediation of metal-contaminated soils, however, it is still unknown how metal-selective Streptomyces are and which mechanisms are involved during their capture. In this work, we exposed S. coelicolor spores to environmentally relevant concentrations (0.

Bioanalytical strategies to evaluate cisplatin nanodelivery systems: From synthesis to incorporation in individual cells and biological response.

Cisplatin metallodrugs have been widely used in the treatment of multiple cancers over the last years. Nevertheless, its limited effectiveness, development of acquired drug resistances, and toxic effects decrease nowadays their application in clinical settings. Aiming at improving their features, investigations have been oriented towards the coupling of cisplatin to nanocarriers, like liposomes or inorganic nanoparticles.

Single-Cell ICP-MS in Combination with Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting for Investigating the Effects of Nanotransported Cisplatin(IV) Prodrugs.

The combined use of fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS) is reported, for the first time, in this work. It is applied to evaluate the differences between the cellular uptake of ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles (FeNPs) loaded with cisplatin(IV) prodrug (FeNPs-Pt(IV)) and cisplatin regarding cell viability. For this aim, FACS is applied to separate viable, apoptotic, and necrotic A2780 ovarian cancer cells after exposing them to the nanotransported prodrug and cisplatin, respectively.

Elucidating the Therapeutic Potential of Bis(Maltolato)OxoVanadium(IV): The Protective Role of Copper in Cellular Metabolism.

Vanadium (V) is a trace mineral whose biological activity, role as a micronutrient, and pharmacotherapeutic applications remain unknown. Over the last years, interest in V has increased due to its potential use as an antidiabetic agent mediated by its ability to improve glycemic metabolism. However, some toxicological aspects limit its potential therapeutic application.

Investigating the behavior of ultratrace levels of nanoparticulate and ionic silver in a seawater mesocosm using single particle inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) nowadays appear in close to 24% of consumer products that contain engineered nanomaterials. Thus, they are expected to be released into the environment, where their fate and effect are still undetermined. Considering the evidenced efficacy of the single particle Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (sp ICP-MS) technique in the study of nanomaterials, this work reports on the use of sp ICP-MS along with an online dilution sample introduction system for the direct analysis of untreated and spiked seawater samples, as part of a larger scale experiment studying the fate of Ag (ionic and nanoparticles) in seawater mesocosm systems.

Tracking soluble and nanoparticulated titanium released in vivo from metal dental implant debris using (single-particle)-ICP-MS.

Background: This work studies the presence of the Ti, Al and V metal ions and Ti nanoparticles released from the debris produced by the implantoplasty, a surgical procedure used in the clinic, in rat organs.

Methods: The sample preparation for total Ti determination was carefully optimized using microsampling inserts to minimize the dilution during the acid attack of the lyophilized tissues by a microwave-assisted acid digestion method. An enzymatic digestion method was optimized and applied to the different tissue samples in order to extract the titanium nanoparticles for the single-particle ICP-MS analysis.

Capabilities of Single Cell ICP-MS for the Analysis of Cell Suspensions from Solid Tissues.

Single cell elemental (SC) analysis of isogenic cell cultures can be done using inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) detection. However, 2D cell cultures are just models to simplify the complexity of real tissue samples. Here, we show for the first time the capabilities of the technique (SC-ICP-MS) to analyze single cell suspensions of isolated cells from tissues.

Intracellular Biotransformation of Ultrasmall Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Their Effect in Cultured Human Cells and in Drosophila Larvae In Vivo.

A systematic investigation on the cellular uptake, intracellular dissolution, and in vitro biological effects of ultra-small (<10 nm) iron hydroxide adipate/tartrate coated nanoparticles (FeAT-NPs) was carried out in intestinal Caco-2, hepatic HepG2 and ovarian A2780 cells, and the nucleotide excision repair (NER) deficient GM04312 fibroblasts. Quantitative evaluation of the nanoparticles uptake, as well as their transformation within the cell cytosol, was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), alone or in combination with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The obtained results revealed that FeAT-NPs are effectively taken up in a cell type-dependent manner with a minimum dissolution after 3 h.

Effect of Bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) on Zinc, Copper, and Manganese Homeostasis and DMT1 mRNA Expression in Streptozotocin-Induced Hyperglycemic Rats.

Our aim was to examine whether vanadium (IV) corrects alterations in zinc, copper and manganese homeostasis, observed in streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats, and whether such changes are related to divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) mRNA expression, and antioxidant and proinflammatory parameters. Four groups of Wistar rats were examined: control; hyperglycemic (H); hyperglycemic treated with 1 mg V/day (HV); and hyperglycemic treated with 3 mg V/day (HVH). Vanadium was supplied in drinking water as bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) for five weeks.

Ion release and local effects of titanium metal particles from dental implants: An experimental study in rats.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of ions in blood and organs caused by titanium (Ti) metal particles in a mandibular defect in rats, together with a description of the local reaction of oral tissues to this Ti alloy debris.

Methods: Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly distributed into three groups: an experimental group with a mandibular bone defect filled with metallic debris obtained by implantoplasty; a positive control group; and a negative control group. Thirty days after surgery, the rats were euthanized and perilesional tissue surrounding the mandibular defect was removed, together with the lungs, spleen, liver, and brain.

The Modulation of Copper Chaperone/Transporter Orthologue Expression Enhances Secondary Metabolism in Streptomycetes.

Streptomycetes are important biotechnological bacteria that produce several clinically bioactive compounds. They have a complex development, including hyphae differentiation and sporulation. Cytosolic copper is a well-known modulator of differentiation and secondary metabolism.

Vanadium Decreases Hepcidin mRNA Gene Expression in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats, Improving the Anemic State.

Diabetes is a disease with an inflammatory component that courses with an anemic state. Vanadium (V) is an antidiabetic agent that acts by stimulating insulin signaling. Hepcidin blocks the intestinal absorption of iron and the release of iron from its deposits.

A drought-responsive rice amidohydrolase is the elusive plant guanine deaminase with the potential to modulate the epigenome.

Drought stress in plants causes differential expression of numerous genes. One of these differentially expressed genes in rice is a specific amidohydrolase. We characterized this amidohydrolase gene on the rice chromosome 12 as the first plant guanine deaminase (OsGDA1).

Ultra-Small Iron Nanoparticles Target Mitochondria Inducing Autophagy, Acting on Mitochondrial DNA and Reducing Respiration.

The application of metallic nanoparticles (materials with size at least in one dimension ranging from 1 to 100 nm) as a new therapeutic tool will improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The mitochondria could be a therapeutic target to treat pathologies whose origin lies in mitochondrial dysfunctions or whose progression is dependent on mitochondrial function. We aimed to study the subcellular distribution of 2-4 nm iron nanoparticles and its effect on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mitochondrial function, and autophagy in colorectal cell lines (HT-29).

Relating the composition and interface interactions in the hard corona of gold nanoparticles to the induced response mechanisms in living cells.

Understanding the formation of the intracellular protein corona of nanoparticles is essential for a wide range of bio- and nanomedical applications. The innermost layer of the protein corona, the hard corona, directly interacts with the nanoparticle surface, and by shielding the surface, it has a deterministic effect on the intracellular processing of the nanoparticle. Here, we combine a direct qualitative analysis of the hard corona composition of gold nanoparticles with a detailed structural characterization of the molecules in their interaction with the nanoparticle surface and relate both to the effects they have on the ultrastructure of living cells and the processing of the gold nanoparticles.

Combined single cell and single particle ICP-TQ-MS analysis to quantitatively evaluate the uptake and biotransformation of tellurium nanoparticles in bacteria.

Assessing the impact of nanoparticles in living systems implies a proper evaluation of their behaviour at single-cell level. Due to the small size of nanoparticles, their accumulation, transformation and location within single cells is challenging. In this work, the combination of single cell/single particle triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC/SP-ICP-TQ-MS) analysis along with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements has been applied to go deeper into the uptake and biotransformation of tellurium nanoparticles (TeNPs) in two bacterial model organisms, S.

Fragmentation of Proteins in the Corona of Gold Nanoparticles As Observed in Live Cell Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can provide information on the structure, composition, and interaction of molecules in the proximity of gold nanoparticles, thereby enabling studies of adsorbed biomolecules . Here, the processing of the protein corona and the corresponding protein-nanoparticle interactions in live J774 cells incubated with gold nanoparticles was characterized by SERS. Samples of isolated cytoplasm, devoid of active processing, of the same cell line were used as references.

Analytical strategies to study the formation and drug delivery capabilities of ferritin-encapsulated cisplatin in sensitive and resistant cell models.

One of the limitations in the use of cisplatin is its low penetration into cells. In addition, some cells develop the so called resistance, a multifactorial event that decreases significantly the intracellular cisplatin concentration. To circumvent these limitations, recent studies are focused on the use of nanocarriers that permit, among others, to achieve higher drug uptake.

and experiments to evaluate the biodistribution and cellular toxicity of ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles potentially used as oral iron supplements.

Well-absorbed iron-based nanoparticulated materials are a promise for the oral management of iron deficient anemia. In this work, a battery of and experiments are combined for the evaluation of the uptake, distribution and toxicity of new synthesized ultrasmall (4 nm core) FeO nanoparticles coated with tartaric/adipic acid with potential to be used as oral Fe supplements. First, the simulated gastric acid solubility studies by TEM and HPLC-ICP-MS reveal a partial reduction of the core size of about 40% after 90 min at pH 3.

Mass spectrometric approach for the analysis of the hard protein corona of nanoparticles in living cells.

The diagnostic and therapeutic application of nanoparticles requires comprehensive knowledge of their interaction with the biomolecular surroundings. The formation of the protein corona on nanoparticles that were internalized by living cells is yet to be understood. In this study, we present a robust approach for the electrophoretic and mass spectrometric analysis of the hard protein corona composition formed in living cells on ~30 nm citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles, i.