title: A rapid procedure suitable to assess quantitatively the endocytosis of colloidal gold and its conjugates in cultured cells.
abstract: We measured the endocytic uptake of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) conjugated to colloidal gold in cultured cells, either by counting gold particles on electron micrographs or by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry (MS). Both procedures are comparable but the latter requires a considerably shorter time and allows analysis of a much larger sample. In addition, ICP MS, compared to alternative radioactive or fluorescent procedures, offers the major advantage of using the same probe to quantify the endocytic uptake and to follow it by electron microscopy. Therefore, ICP MS analysis provides an easy, rapid, and sensitive quantification of endocytosis that complements the electron microscopic studies.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Citológicas, Fundación Valenciana de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Andreu
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Martin de Llano
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Knecht
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D017979:Gold Colloid; D006651:Histocytochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000378:metabolism; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017979:Gold Colloid; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL