Epidermal growth factor receptor subunit locations determined in hydrated cells with environmental scanning electron microscopy.

Imaging single epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) in intact cells is presently limited by the available microscopy methods. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) of whole cells in hydrated state in combination with specific labeling with gold nanoparticles was used to localize activated EGFRs in the plasma membranes of COS7 and A549 cells. The use of a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector yielded a spatial resolution of 3 nm, sufficient to identify the locations of individual EGFR dimer subunits.

One-step chemical vapor growth of Ge/SiC(x)N(y) nanocables.

Single-step synthesis of one-dimensional Ge/SiCxNy core-shell nanocables was achieved by chemical vapor deposition of the molecular precursor [Ge{N(SiMe3)2}2]. Single crystalline Ge nanowires (diameter approximately 60 nm) embedded in uniform SiCxNy shells were obtained in high yields, whereby the growth process was not influenced by the nature of substrates. The shell material exhibited high oxidation and chemical resistance at elevated temperatures (up to 250 degrees C) resulting in the preservation of size-dependent semiconductor properties of germanium nanowires, such as intact transport of charge carriers and reduction of energy consumption, when compared to pure Ge nanowires.

Species-specific differences in the usage of several caspase substrates.

The activation of caspases cleaving a plethora of specific substrates is pivotal for initiation as well as execution of apoptosis. The recognition motif for caspases is a tetrapeptide sequence containing an essential aspartic acid residue at the fourth position (often DXXD). Here, we report that the caspase cleavage sites of most identified substrates show a high degree of conservation between different species.