title: Nanoscale imaging of an unlabeled secretory protein in living cells using scanning ion conductance microscopy.
abstract: Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) was applied to evaluate an unlabeled secretory protein in living cells. The target protein, von Willebrand factor (vWF), was released from human endothelial cells by adding phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). We confirmed that SICM could be used to clearly visualize the complex network of vWF and to detect strings with widths as low as 60 nm without any artifact. By acquiring the sequential SICM images of living cells, the protrusion and strings formation were observed. We also detected the opening and closing motions of a small pore (∼500 nm), which is difficult to visualize with fluorescence methods. The results clearly demonstrate that SICM is a powerful tool to examine the changes in living cells during exocytosis.
authors: Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University , Sendai, Miyagi 980-8576, Japan.
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Nashimoto
authors: Yasufumi
authors: Y
authors: Takahashi
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Ida
authors: Yoshiharu
authors: Y
authors: Matsumae
authors: Kosuke
authors: K
authors: Ino
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Shiku
authors: Tomokazu
authors: T
authors: Matsue
mesh_terms: D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005089:Exocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D010703:Phorbol Esters / Q000494:pharmacology; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010703:Phorbol Esters; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; C119222:phorbol-12-myristate