Biomaterial Database

Enhanced delivery of macromolecules into cells by electroendocytosis. 2009

Alexander Barbul, and Yulia Antov, and Yosef Rosenberg, and Rafi Korenstein

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978 Tel-Aviv, Israel.

Transfer of exogenous material into the cytosol of cells is one of the main challenges in drug delivery. We present a novel physical approach for efficient incorporation of macromolecules into living cells, based on exposing them to a train of unipolar electric field pulses, possessing much lower amplitude than used for electroporation. The exposure of cells to a low electric field (LEF) alters the cell surface, leading to enhanced adsorption of macromolecules and their subsequent uptake by stimulated endocytosis. The macromolecules are initially encapsulated in membrane vesicles and then, at a later stage, are released into the cytosol and interact with intracellular targets. The uptake of fluorescently labeled macromolecules is monitored using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The biological activities of the incorporated macromolecules are determined by biochemical methods.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008856	Microscopy, Fluorescence	Microscopy of specimens stained with fluorescent dye (usually fluorescein isothiocyanate) or of naturally fluorescent materials, which emit light when exposed to ultraviolet or blue light. Immunofluorescence microscopy utilizes antibodies that are labeled with fluorescent dye.	Fluorescence Microscopy,Immunofluorescence Microscopy,Microscopy, Immunofluorescence,Fluorescence Microscopies,Immunofluorescence Microscopies,Microscopies, Fluorescence,Microscopies, Immunofluorescence
D002522	Chlorocebus aethiops	A species of CERCOPITHECUS containing three subspecies: C. tantalus, C. pygerythrus, and C. sabeus. They are found in the forests and savannah of Africa. The African green monkey is the natural host of SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS and is used in AIDS research.	African Green Monkey,Cercopithecus aethiops,Cercopithecus griseoviridis,Cercopithecus griseus,Cercopithecus pygerythrus,Cercopithecus sabeus,Cercopithecus tantalus,Chlorocebus cynosuros,Chlorocebus cynosurus,Chlorocebus pygerythrus,Green Monkey,Grivet Monkey,Lasiopyga weidholzi,Malbrouck,Malbrouck Monkey,Monkey, African Green,Monkey, Green,Monkey, Grivet,Monkey, Vervet,Savanah Monkey,Vervet Monkey,Savannah Monkey,African Green Monkey,Chlorocebus cynosuro,Green Monkey, African,Green Monkeys,Grivet Monkeys,Malbrouck Monkeys,Malbroucks,Monkey, Malbrouck,Monkey, Savanah,Monkey, Savannah,Savannah Monkeys,Vervet Monkeys
D004705	Endocytosis	Cellular uptake of extracellular materials within membrane-limited vacuoles or microvesicles. ENDOSOMES play a central role in endocytosis.	Endocytoses
D005434	Flow Cytometry	Technique using an instrument system for making, processing, and displaying one or more measurements on individual cells obtained from a cell suspension. Cells are usually stained with one or more fluorescent dyes specific to cell components of interest, e.g., DNA, and fluorescence of each cell is measured as it rapidly transverses the excitation beam (laser or mercury arc lamp). Fluorescence provides a quantitative measure of various biochemical and biophysical properties of the cell, as well as a basis for cell sorting. Other measurable optical parameters include light absorption and light scattering, the latter being applicable to the measurement of cell size, shape, density, granularity, and stain uptake.	Cytofluorometry, Flow,Cytometry, Flow,Flow Microfluorimetry,Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting,Microfluorometry, Flow,Cell Sorting, Fluorescence-Activated,Cell Sortings, Fluorescence-Activated,Cytofluorometries, Flow,Cytometries, Flow,Flow Cytofluorometries,Flow Cytofluorometry,Flow Cytometries,Flow Microfluorometries,Flow Microfluorometry,Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting,Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sortings,Microfluorimetry, Flow,Microfluorometries, Flow,Sorting, Fluorescence-Activated Cell,Sortings, Fluorescence-Activated Cell
D005456	Fluorescent Dyes	Chemicals that emit light after excitation by light. The wave length of the emitted light is usually longer than that of the incident light. Fluorochromes are substances that cause fluorescence in other substances, i.e., dyes used to mark or label other compounds with fluorescent tags.	Flourescent Agent,Fluorescent Dye,Fluorescent Probe,Fluorescent Probes,Fluorochrome,Fluorochromes,Fluorogenic Substrates,Fluorescence Agents,Fluorescent Agents,Fluorogenic Substrate,Agents, Fluorescence,Agents, Fluorescent,Dyes, Fluorescent,Probes, Fluorescent,Substrates, Fluorogenic
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D015335	Molecular Probes	A group of atoms or molecules attached to other molecules or cellular structures and used in studying the properties of these molecules and structures. Radioactive DNA or RNA sequences are used in MOLECULAR GENETICS to detect the presence of a complementary sequence by NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDIZATION.	Molecular Probe,Probe, Molecular,Probes, Molecular
D046911	Macromolecular Substances	Compounds and molecular complexes that consist of very large numbers of atoms and are generally over 500 kDa in size. In biological systems macromolecular substances usually can be visualized using ELECTRON MICROSCOPY and are distinguished from ORGANELLES by the lack of a membrane structure.	Macromolecular Complexes,Macromolecular Compounds,Macromolecular Compounds and Complexes,Complexes, Macromolecular,Compounds, Macromolecular,Substances, Macromolecular
D018274	Electroporation	A technique in which electric pulses, in kilovolts per centimeter and of microsecond-to-millisecond duration, cause a loss of the semipermeability of CELL MEMBRANES, thus leading to ion leakage, escape of metabolites, and increased uptake by cells of drugs, molecular probes, and DNA. Depending on the dosage, the formation of openings in the cell membranes caused by the electric pulses may or may not be reversible.	Electric Field-Mediated Cell Permeabilization,Irreversible Electroporation,Reversible Electroporation,Electropermeabilisation,Electric Field Mediated Cell Permeabilization,Electroporation, Irreversible,Electroporation, Reversible
D018613	Microscopy, Confocal	A light microscopic technique in which only a small spot is illuminated and observed at a time. An image is constructed through point-by-point scanning of the field in this manner. Light sources may be conventional or laser, and fluorescence or transmitted observations are possible.	Confocal Microscopy,Confocal Microscopy, Scanning Laser,Laser Microscopy,Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy,Laser Scanning Microscopy,Microscopy, Confocal, Laser Scanning,Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy,Confocal Microscopies,Laser Microscopies,Laser Scanning Microscopies,Microscopies, Confocal,Microscopies, Laser,Microscopies, Laser Scanning,Microscopy, Laser,Microscopy, Laser Scanning,Scanning Microscopies, Laser,Scanning Microscopy, Laser