A pH-sensitive fluorescent protein sensor to follow the pathway of calcium phosphate nanoparticles into cells.

Calcium phosphate nanoparticles (100 nm) were fluorescently labelled with poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI; red fluorescence). They were loaded with a Tandem fusion protein consisting of mRFP1-eGFP (red and green fluorescence in the same molecule)that acts as smart biological pH sensor to trace nanoparticles inside cells. Its fluorescence is also coupled to the structural integrity of the protein, i.

Induction of herpes simplex virus type 1 cell-to-cell spread inhibiting antibodies by a calcium phosphate nanoparticle-based vaccine.

Herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 are among the most ubiquitous human infections and persist lifelong in their host. Upon primary infection or reactivation from ganglia, the viruses spread by direct cell-cell contacts (cell-to-cell spread) and thus escape from the host immune response. We have developed a monoclonal antibody (mAb 2c), which inhibits the HSV cell-to-cell spread, thereby protecting from lethal genital infection and blindness in animal models.

Delivery of the TLR ligand poly(I:C) to liver cells in vitro and in vivo by calcium phosphate nanoparticles leads to a pronounced immunostimulation.

Unlabelled: The selective activation of the immune system is a concurrent problem in the treatment of persistent diseases like viral infections (e.g. hepatitis).

Delivery of the autofluorescent protein R-phycoerythrin by calcium phosphate nanoparticles into four different eukaryotic cell lines (HeLa, HEK293T, MG-63, MC3T3): Highly efficient, but leading to endolysosomal proteolysis in HeLa and MC3T3 cells.

Nanoparticles can be used as carriers to transport biomolecules like proteins and synthetic molecules across the cell membrane because many molecules are not able to cross the cell membrane on their own. The uptake of nanoparticles together with their cargo typically occurs via endocytosis, raising concerns about the possible degradation of the cargo in the endolysosomal system. As the tracking of a dye-labelled protein during cellular uptake and processing is not indicative of the presence of the protein itself but only for the fluorescent label, a label-free tracking was performed with the red-fluorescing model protein R-phycoerythrin (R-PE).

Nanoparticle-Protein Interactions: Therapeutic Approaches and Supramolecular Chemistry.

Research on nanoparticles has evolved into a major topic in chemistry. Concerning biomedical research, nanoparticles have decisively entered the field, creating the area of nanomedicine where nanoparticles are used for drug delivery, imaging, and tumor targeting. Besides these functions, scientists have addressed the specific ways in which nanoparticles interact with biomolecules, with proteins being the most prominent example.