The interactions between the cell membrane and biomolecules remain poorly understood. For example, arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), including octaarginines (R8), are internalized by interactions with cell membranes. However, during the internalization process, the exact membrane dynamics introduced by these CPPs are still unknown. Here, we visualize arginine-rich CPPs and cell-membrane interaction-induced morphological changes using a system that combines scanning ion-conductance microscopy and spinning-disk confocal microscopy, using fluorescently labeled R8. This system allows time-dependent, nanoscale visualization of structural dynamics in live-cell membranes. Various types of membrane remodeling caused by arginine-rich CPPs are thus observed. The induction of membrane ruffling and the cup closure are observed as a process of endocytic uptake of the peptide. Alternatively suggested is the concave structural formation accompanied by direct peptide translocation through cell membranes. Studies using R8 without fluorescent labeling also demonstrate a non-negligible effect of the fluorescent moiety on membrane structural alteration.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04097 | DOI Listing |
Plant Cell
January 2025
Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Super-resolution methods provide far better spatial resolution than the optical diffraction limit of about half the wavelength of light (∼200-300 nm). Nevertheless, they have yet to attain widespread use in plants, largely due to plants' challenging optical properties. Expansion microscopy improves effective resolution by isotropically increasing the physical distances between sample structures while preserving relative spatial arrangements and clearing the sample.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall Methods
January 2025
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN, TN 37830, USA.
Understanding ferroelectric domain wall dynamics at the nanoscale across a broad range of timescales requires measuring domain wall position under different applied electric fields. The success of piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) as a tool to apply local electric fields at different positions and imaging their changing position, together with the information obtained from associated switching spectroscopies has fueled numerous studies of the dynamics of ferroelectric domains to determine the impact of intrinsic parameters such as crystalline order, defects and pinning centers, as well as boundary conditions such as environment. However, the investigation of sub-coercive reversible domain wall vibrational modes requires the development of new tools that enable visualizing domain wall motion under varying applied fields with high temporal and spatial resolution while also accounting for spurious electrostatic effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoscale Adv
January 2025
Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University 3-4-1 Ookubo Shinhuku-ku Tokyo Japan
The diffusion motions of individual polymer aggregates in disordered porous media were visualized using the single-particle tracking (SPT) method because the motions inside porous media play important roles in various fields of science and engineering. In the aggregates diffused on the surfaces of pores, continuous adsorption and desorption processes were observed. The relationship between the size of the aggregates and pore size was analysed based on diffusion coefficients, moment scaling spectrum (MSS) slope analysis, and diffusion anisotropy analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Chem
January 2025
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana, India.
Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) is a powerful technique for investigating crystallisation dynamics with nanometre spatial resolution. However, probing phenomena occurring in liquids while mixing two precursor solutions has proven extremely challenging, requiring sophisticated liquid cell designs. Here, we demonstrate that introducing and withdrawing solvents in sequence makes it possible to maintain optimal imaging conditions while mixing liquids in a commercial liquid cell.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Technol
January 2025
Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Electron release and transfer are pivotal to the efficiency of multiple biogeochemical and pollutant processes. Despite substantial efforts to develop electron-transfer characterization techniques, visualization of electron transfer remains challenging. This study introduces an innovative strategy for mapping electron-transfer distance using nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) as a case study.
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