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Last MGF, Voortman LM, Sharp TH. Building a super-resolution fluorescence cryomicroscope. Methods Cell Biol 2024; 187:205-222. [PMID: 38705625 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2024.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Correlated super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy enables imaging with both high labeling specificity and high resolution. Naturally, combining two sophisticated imaging techniques within one workflow also introduces new requirements on hardware, such as the need for a super-resolution fluorescence capable microscope that can be used to image cryogenic samples. In this chapter, we describe the design and use of the "cryoscope"; a microscope designed for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) of cryoEM samples that fits right into established cryoEM workflows. We demonstrate the results that can be achieved with our microscope by imaging fluorescently labeled vimentin, an intermediate filament, within U2OS cells grown on EM grids, and we provide detailed 3d models that encompass the entire design of the microscope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mart G F Last
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lenard M Voortman
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas H Sharp
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands; School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
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2
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Park S, Colville MJ, Paek JH, Shurer CR, Singh A, Secor EJ, Sailer CJ, Huang LT, Kuo JCH, Goudge MC, Su J, Kim M, DeLisa MP, Neelamegham S, Lammerding J, Zipfel WR, Fischbach C, Reesink HL, Paszek MJ. Immunoengineering can overcome the glycocalyx armour of cancer cells. NATURE MATERIALS 2024; 23:429-438. [PMID: 38361041 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01808-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Cancer cell glycocalyx is a major line of defence against immune surveillance. However, how specific physical properties of the glycocalyx are regulated on a molecular level, contribute to immune evasion and may be overcome through immunoengineering must be resolved. Here we report how cancer-associated mucins and their glycosylation contribute to the nanoscale material thickness of the glycocalyx and consequently modulate the functional interactions with cytotoxic immune cells. Natural-killer-cell-mediated cytotoxicity is inversely correlated with the glycocalyx thickness of the target cells. Changes in glycocalyx thickness of approximately 10 nm can alter the susceptibility to immune cell attack. Enhanced stimulation of natural killer and T cells through equipment with chimeric antigen receptors can improve the cytotoxicity against mucin-bearing target cells. Alternatively, cytotoxicity can be enhanced through engineering effector cells to display glycocalyx-editing enzymes, including mucinases and sialidases. Together, our results motivate the development of immunoengineering strategies that overcome the glycocalyx armour of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangwoo Park
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Marshall J Colville
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Justin H Paek
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Carolyn R Shurer
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Arun Singh
- State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Erica J Secor
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Cooper J Sailer
- Department of Pathology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ling-Ting Huang
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Joe Chin-Hun Kuo
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Marc C Goudge
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jin Su
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Minsoo Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Matthew P DeLisa
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Jan Lammerding
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Warren R Zipfel
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Claudia Fischbach
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Heidi L Reesink
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Matthew J Paszek
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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3
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Park S, Choi S, Shimpi AA, Estroff LA, Fischbach C, Paszek MJ. COLLAGEN MINERALIZATION DECREASES NK CELL-MEDIATED CYTOTOXICITY OF BREAST CANCER CELLS VIA INCREASED GLYCOCALYX THICKNESS. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.20.576377. [PMID: 38328161 PMCID: PMC10849468 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.20.576377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Skeletal metastasis is common in patients with advanced breast cancer, and often caused by immune evasion of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). In the skeleton, tumor cells not only disseminate to the bone marrow, but also to osteogenic niches in which they interact with newly mineralizing bone extracellular matrix (ECM). However, it remains unclear how mineralization of collagen type I, the primary component of bone ECM, regulates tumor-immune cell interactions. Here, we have utilized a combination of synthetic bone matrix models with controlled mineral content, nanoscale optical imaging, and flow cytometry to evaluate how collagen type I mineralization affects the biochemical and biophysical properties of the tumor cell glycocalyx, a dense layer of glycosylated proteins and lipids decorating their cell surface. Our results suggest that collagen mineralization upregulates mucin-type O-glycosylation and sialylation by tumor cells, which increased their glycocalyx thickness while enhancing resistance to attack by Natural Killer (NK) cells. These changes were functionally linked as treatment with a sialylation inhibitor decreased mineralization-dependent glycocalyx thickness and made tumor cells more susceptible to NK cell attack. Together, our results suggest that interference with glycocalyx sialylation may represent a therapeutic strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapies targeting bone-metastatic breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangwoo Park
- Graduate Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Siyoung Choi
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Adrian A. Shimpi
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Lara A. Estroff
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Claudia Fischbach
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Matthew J. Paszek
- Graduate Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
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4
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Tharp KM, Park S, Timblin GA, Richards AL, Berg JA, Twells NM, Riley NM, Peltan EL, Shon DJ, Stevenson E, Tsui K, Palomba F, Lefebvre AEYT, Soens RW, Ayad NM, Hoeve-Scott JT, Healy K, Digman M, Dillin A, Bertozzi CR, Swaney DL, Mahal LK, Cantor JR, Paszek MJ, Weaver VM. The microenvironment dictates glycocalyx construction and immune surveillance. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3164966. [PMID: 37645943 PMCID: PMC10462183 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3164966/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to identify anti-cancer therapeutics and understand tumor-immune interactions are built with in vitro models that do not match the microenvironmental characteristics of human tissues. Using in vitro models which mimic the physical properties of healthy or cancerous tissues and a physiologically relevant culture medium, we demonstrate that the chemical and physical properties of the microenvironment regulate the composition and topology of the glycocalyx. Remarkably, we find that cancer and age-related changes in the physical properties of the microenvironment are sufficient to adjust immune surveillance via the topology of the glycocalyx, a previously unknown phenomenon observable only with a physiologically relevant culture medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M. Tharp
- Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Sangwoo Park
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Greg A. Timblin
- Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Alicia L. Richards
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) and Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jordan A. Berg
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Nicholas M. Twells
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Nicholas M. Riley
- Department of Chemistry, Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Egan L. Peltan
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA USA 94305
- Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA 94305
| | - D. Judy Shon
- Department of Chemistry, Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Erica Stevenson
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) and Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kimberly Tsui
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94597, USA
| | - Francesco Palomba
- Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, CA 92697, USA
| | | | - Ross W. Soens
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Nadia M.E. Ayad
- Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Johanna ten Hoeve-Scott
- UCLA Metabolomics Center, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kevin Healy
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Sarafan ChEM-H and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA 94305
| | - Michelle Digman
- Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, CA 92697, USA
| | - Andrew Dillin
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94597, USA
| | - Carolyn R. Bertozzi
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Sarafan ChEM-H and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA 94305
| | - Danielle L. Swaney
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) and Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Lara K. Mahal
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Jason R. Cantor
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Matthew J. Paszek
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Valerie M. Weaver
- Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Department of Radiation Oncology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, and Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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5
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Riley NM, Wen RM, Bertozzi CR, Brooks JD, Pitteri SJ. Measuring the multifaceted roles of mucin-domain glycoproteins in cancer. Adv Cancer Res 2022; 157:83-121. [PMID: 36725114 PMCID: PMC10582998 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Mucin-domain glycoproteins are highly O-glycosylated cell surface and secreted proteins that serve as both biochemical and biophysical modulators. Aberrant expression and glycosylation of mucins are known hallmarks in numerous malignancies, yet mucin-domain glycoproteins remain enigmatic in the broad landscape of cancer glycobiology. Here we review the multifaceted roles of mucins in cancer through the lens of the analytical and biochemical methods used to study them. We also describe a collection of emerging tools that are specifically equipped to characterize mucin-domain glycoproteins in complex biological backgrounds. These approaches are poised to further elucidate how mucin biology can be understood and subsequently targeted for the next generation of cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Riley
- Department of Chemistry and Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.
| | - Ru M Wen
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Carolyn R Bertozzi
- Department of Chemistry and Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - James D Brooks
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States; Department of Radiology, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Sharon J Pitteri
- Department of Radiology, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States.
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6
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Ince D, Lucas TM, Malaker SA. Current strategies for characterization of mucin-domain glycoproteins. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2022; 69:102174. [PMID: 35752002 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.102174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Glycosylation, and especially O-linked glycosylation, remains a critical blind spot in the understanding of post-translational modifications. Due to their nature as proteins defined by a large density and abundance of O-glycosylation, mucins present extra challenges in the analysis of their structure and function. However, recent breakthroughs in multiple areas of research have rendered mucin-domain glycoproteins more accessible to current characterization techniques. In particular, the adaptation of mucinases to glycoproteomic workflows, the manipulation of cellular glycosylation pathways, and the advances in synthetic methods to more closely mimic mucin domains have introduced new and exciting avenues to study mucin glycoproteins. Here, we summarize recent developments in understanding the structure and biological function of mucin domains and their associated glycans, from glycoproteomic tools and visualization methods to synthetic glycopeptide mimetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deniz Ince
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 275 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, United States
| | - Taryn M Lucas
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 275 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, United States
| | - Stacy A Malaker
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 275 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.
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7
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Colville M, Park S, Singh A, Paszek M, Zipfel WR. Azimuthal Beam Scanning Microscope Design and Implementation for Axial Localization with Scanning Angle Interference Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2393:127-152. [PMID: 34837177 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1803-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Azimuthal beam scanning, also referred to as circle scanning, is an effective way of eliminating coherence artifacts with laser illumination in widefield microscopy. With a static excitation spot, dirt on the optics and internal reflections can produce an uneven excitation field due to interference fringes. These artifacts become more pronounced in TIRF microscopy, where the excitation is confined to an evanescent field that extends a few hundred nanometers above the coverslip. Unwanted intensity patterns that arise from these imperfections vary with path of the excitation beam through the microscope optical train, so by rapidly rotating the beam through its azimuth the uneven illumination is eliminated by averaging over the camera exposure time. In addition to being useful from TIRF microscopy, it is also critical for scanning angle interference microscopy (SAIM), an axial localization technique with nanometer-scale precision that requires similar instrumentation to TIRF microscopy. For robust SAIM localization, laser excitation with a homogeneous profile over a range of polar angles is required. We have applied the circle scanning principle to SAIM, constructing an optimized instrument configuration and open-source hardware, enabling high-precision localization and significantly higher temporal resolution than previous implementations. In this chapter, we detail the design and construction of the SAIM instrument, including the optical configuration, required peripheral devices, and system calibration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sangwoo Park
- Graduate Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Avtar Singh
- Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Matthew Paszek
- Graduate Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Field of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Warren R Zipfel
- Graduate Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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8
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Pearce JM. Economic savings for scientific free and open source technology: A review. HARDWAREX 2020; 8:e00139. [PMID: 32923748 PMCID: PMC7480774 DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Both the free and open source software (FOSS) as well as the distributed digital manufacturing of free and open source hardware (FOSH) has shown particular promise among scientists for developing custom scientific tools. Early research found substantial economic savings for these technologies, but as the open source design paradigm has grown by orders of magnitude it is possible that the savings observed in the early work was isolated to special cases. Today there are examples of open source technology for science in the vast majority of disciplines and several resources dedicated specifically to publishing them. Do the tremendous economic savings observed earlier hold today? To answer that question, this study evaluates free and open source technologies in the two repositories compared to proprietary functionally-equivalent tools as a function of their use of Arduino-based electronics, RepRap-class 3-D printing, as well as the combination of the two. The results of the review find overwhelming evidence for a wide range of scientific tools, that open source technologies provide economic savings of 87% compared to equivalent or lesser proprietary tools. These economic savings increased slightly to 89% for those that used Arduino technology and even more to 92% for those that used RepRap-class 3-D printing. Combining both Arduino and 3-D printing the savings averaged 94% for free and open source tools over commercial equivalents. The results provide strong evidence for financial support of open source hardware and software development for the sciences. Given the overwhelming economic advantages of free and open source technologies, it appears financially responsible to divert funding of proprietary scientific tools and their development in favor of FOSH. Policies were outlined that provide nations with a template for strategically harvesting the opportunities provided by the free and open source paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M. Pearce
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
- Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
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9
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Kuo JCH, Goudge MC, Metzloff AE, Huang LT, Colville MJ, Park S, Zipfel WR, Paszek MJ. Litmus-Body: A Molecularly Targeted Sensor for Cell-Surface pH Measurements. ACS Sens 2020; 5:1555-1566. [PMID: 32337979 PMCID: PMC8858598 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.9b02080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Precise pH measurements in the immediate environment of receptors is essential for elucidating the mechanisms through which local pH changes associated with diseased phenotypes manifest into aberrant receptor function. However, current pH sensors lack the ability to localize and target specific receptor molecules required to make these measurements. Herein we present the Litmus-body, our recombinant protein-based pH sensor, which through fusion to an anti-IgG nanobody is capable of piggybacking on IgG antibodies for molecular targeting to specific proteins on the cell surface. By normalizing a pH-dependent green fluorescent protein to a long Stokes shift red fluorophore or fluorescent protein, we readily report pH independent of sensor concentration using a single 488 nm excitation. Our Litmus-body showed excellent responsiveness in solution, with a greater than 50-fold change across the regime of physiological pH. The sensor was further validated for use on live cells and shown to be specific to the protein of interest. In complex with our Litmus-body, cetuximab therapeutic antibody retained its functionality in binding and inhibiting ligand interaction of its target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), triggering receptor-mediated endocytosis that allowed tracking of local pH from the cell surface through the endocytic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Chin-Hun Kuo
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Marc C. Goudge
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Ann E. Metzloff
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Ling-Ting Huang
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | | | - Sangwoo Park
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Warren R. Zipfel
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Matthew J. Paszek
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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