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Whole-cell analysis of low-density lipoprotein uptake by macrophages using STEM tomography.

ABSTRACT: Nanoparticles of heavy materials such as gold can be used as markers in quantitative electron microscopic studies of protein distributions in cells with nanometer spatial resolution. Studying nanoparticles within the context of cells is also relevant for nanotoxicological research. Here, we report a method to quantify the locations and the number of nanoparticles, and of clusters of nanoparticles inside whole eukaryotic cells in three dimensions using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography. Whole-mount fixed cellular samples were prepared, avoiding sectioning or slicing. The level of membrane staining was kept much lower than is common practice in transmission electron microscopy (TEM), such that the nanoparticles could be detected throughout the entire cellular thickness. Tilt-series were recorded with a limited tilt-range of 80° thereby preventing excessive beam broadening occurring at higher tilt angles. The 3D locations of the nanoparticles were nevertheless determined with high precision using computation. The obtained information differed from that obtained with conventional TEM tomography data since the nanoparticles were highlighted while only faint contrast was obtained on the cellular material. Similar as in fluorescence microscopy, a particular set of labels can be studied. This method was applied to study the fate of sequentially up-taken low-density lipoprotein (LDL) conjugated to gold nanoparticles in macrophages. Analysis of a 3D reconstruction revealed that newly up-taken LDL-gold was delivered to lysosomes containing previously up-taken LDL-gold thereby forming onion-like clusters.

SUBMITTER: Baudoin JP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3561407 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Whole-cell analysis of low-density lipoprotein uptake by macrophages using STEM tomography.

Baudoin Jean-Pierre JP Jerome W Gray WG Kübel Christian C de Jonge Niels N

PloS one 20130131 1

Nanoparticles of heavy materials such as gold can be used as markers in quantitative electron microscopic studies of protein distributions in cells with nanometer spatial resolution. Studying nanoparticles within the context of cells is also relevant for nanotoxicological research. Here, we report a method to quantify the locations and the number of nanoparticles, and of clusters of nanoparticles inside whole eukaryotic cells in three dimensions using scanning transmission electron microscopy (S ...[more]

PMID: 23383042

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Project description:Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) lipid is thought to represent the initial step in a series of oxidative modification reactions that ultimately transform this lipoprotein into an atherogenic high-uptake form that can cause lipid accumulation in cells. We have studied the effects of hypochlorite, a powerful oxidant released by activated monocytes and neutrophils, on isolated LDL. Exposure of LDL to reagent hypochlorite (NaOCl) at 4 degrees C resulted in immediate and preferential oxidation of amino acid residues of apoprotein B-100, the single protein associated with LDL. Neither lipoprotein lipid nor LDL-associated antioxidants, except ubiquinol-10, represented major targets for this oxidant. Even when high concentrations of NaOCl were used, only low levels of lipid hydroperoxides could be detected with the highly sensitive h.p.l.c. post-column chemiluminescence detection method. Lysine residues of apoprotein B-100 quantitatively represented the major target, scavenging some 68% of the NaOCl added, with tryptophan and cysteine together accounting for an additional 10% of the oxidant. Concomitant with the loss of LDL's amino groups, chloramines were formed and the anionic surface charge of the lipoprotein particle increased, indicated by a 3-4-fold increase in electrophoretic mobility above that of native LDL on agarose gels. While both these changes could be initially reversed by physiological reductants such as ascorbic acid and methionine, incubation of the NaOCl-modified LDL at 37 degrees C resulted in increasing resistance of the modified lysine residues against reductive reversal. Exposure of mouse peritoneal macrophages to NaOCl-oxidized LDL resulted in increased intracellular concentrations of cholesterol and cholesteryl esters. These findings suggest that lipid-soluble antioxidants associated with LDL do not efficiently protect the lipoprotein against oxidative damage mediated by hypochlorite, and that extensive lipid oxidation is not a necessary requirement for oxidative LDL modification that leads to a high-uptake form of the lipoprotein.

Project description:In eukaryotes, intracellular cholesterol homeostasis and trafficking are tightly regulated. Certain bacteria, such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum, also require cholesterol; it is unknown, however, how this cholesterol-dependent obligatory intracellular bacterium of granulocytes interacts with the host cell cholesterol regulatory pathway to acquire cholesterol. Here, we report that total host cell cholesterol increased >2-fold during A. phagocytophilum infection in a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line. Cellular free cholesterol was enriched in A. phagocytophilum inclusions as detected by filipin staining. We determined that A. phagocytophilum requires cholesterol derived from low-density lipoprotein (LDL), because its replication was significantly inhibited by depleting the growth medium of cholesterol-containing lipoproteins, by blocking LDL uptake with a monoclonal antibody against LDL receptor (LDLR), or by treating the host cells with inhibitors that block LDL-derived cholesterol egress from late endosomes or lysosomes. However, de novo cholesterol biosynthesis is not required, since inhibition of the biosynthesis pathway did not inhibit A. phagocytophilum infection. The uptake of fluorescence-labeled LDL was enhanced in infected cells, and LDLR expression was up-regulated at both the mRNA and protein levels. A. phagocytophilum infection stabilized LDLR mRNA through the 3' UTR region, but not through activation of the sterol regulatory element binding proteins. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was up-regulated by A. phagocytophilum infection, and inhibition of its upstream kinase, MEK, by a specific inhibitor or siRNA knockdown, reduced A. phagocytophilum infection. Up-regulation of LDLR mRNA by A. phagocytophilum was also inhibited by the MEK inhibitor; however, it was unclear whether ERK activation is required for LDLR mRNA up-regulation by A. phagocytophilum. These data reveal that A. phagocytophilum exploits the host LDL uptake pathway and LDLR mRNA regulatory system to accumulate cholesterol in inclusions to facilitate its replication.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Macrophage accumulation in the vascular wall is a hallmark of atherosclerosis. Studies showed that shifting of oxidized lipids-induced inflammatory macrophages towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype by promoting oxidative metabolism attenuated atherosclerosis progression. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether metformin, which has ameliorated atherosclerosis in animal models and clinical trials, modulated oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) induced inflammatory status in macrophages by regulating cellular oxidative metabolism. METHODS:Murine raw264.7 macrophages were incubated with Ox-LDL (50 μg/mL) in the presence or absence of metformin (15 μmol/L) for 24 h. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the transcription of classically activated (M1) pro-inflammatory and alternatively activated (M2) anti-inflammatory markers and mitochondrial DNA copy numbers. Cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by immunofluorescence. Cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, glucose uptake, and lactic acid production were measured by commercial kit and normalized to cellular lysates. Western blotting analysis was performed to detect the expression of mitochondrial fusion/fission related proteins, enzymes mediating lipid metabolism and signaling pathway of glucose transport. Differences between groups were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS:Metformin improved Ox-LDL-impaired anti-inflammatory phenotype in raw264.7 macrophages as shown by up-regulated transcription of anti-inflammatory markers including interleukin 10 (0.76 ± 0.04 vs. 0.94 ± 0.01, P = 0.003) and Resistin-like molecule alpha (0.67 ± 0.08 vs. 1.78 ± 0.34, P = 0.030). Conversely, Ox-LDL-diminished phosphorylation of Akt was up-regulated by metformin treatment (0.47 ± 0.05 vs. 1.02 ± 0.08, P = 0.040), associated with an improvement of mitochondrial function, characterized by decreased ROS generation (2.50 ± 0.07 vs. 2.15 ± 0.04, P = 0.040), increased lipid oxidation, and elevated cellular ATP production (0.026 ± 0.001 vs. 0.035 ± 0.003, P = 0.020). Moreover, metformin-mediated Akt activation increased Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160) phosphorylation (0.51 ± 0.04 vs. 1.03 ± 0.03, P = 0.0041), promoted membrane translocation of glucose transporter 1, and increased glucose influx into the cells (4.78 ± 0.04 vs. 5.47 ± 0.01, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION:This study suggested that targeting macrophage metabolism with new or existing drugs had therapeutic potential for the prevention and treatment of diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis.

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Whole-cell analysis of low-density lipoprotein uptake by macrophages using STEM tomography.

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Whole-cell analysis of low-density lipoprotein uptake by macrophages using STEM tomography.

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