Localizing two or more components of assemblies in biological systems requires both continued development of fluorescence techniques and invention of entirely new techniques. Candidates for the latter include dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS). The latest generation of D-SIMS, the Cameca NanoSIMS 50, permits the localization of specific, isotopically labeled molecules and macromolecules in sections of biological material with a resolution in the tens of nanometers and with a sensitivity approaching in principle that of a single protein. Here we use two different systems, crystals of glycine and mixtures of proteins, to show that the formation of recombinant CN secondary ions under Cs bombardment can be exploited to create a new colocalization technique. We show experimentally that the formation of the recombinant (13)C(15)N secondary ion between (13)C- and (15)N-labeled macromolecules is indeed an indicator of the distance between the interacting macromolecules and on their shape. We build up a convolution model of the mixing-recombination process in D-SIMS that allows quantitative interpretations of the distance-dependent formation of the recombinant CN. Our results show that macromolecules can be colocalized if they are within 2 nm of one another. We discuss the potential advantages of this new technique for biological applications.

To investigate the nature and origins of growth rate diversity in bacteria, we grew Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis in liquid minimal media and, after different periods of 15N-labeling, analyzed and imaged isotope distributions in individual cells with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. We find a striking inter- and intra-cellular diversity, even in steady state growth. This is consistent with the strand-dependent, hyperstructure-based hypothesis that a major function of the cell cycle is to generate coherent, growth rate diversity via the semi-conservative pattern of inheritance of strands of DNA and associated macromolecular assemblies. We also propose quantitative, general, measures of growth rate diversity for studies of cell physiology that include antibiotic resistance.

Imaging single proteins within cells is challenging if the possibility of artefacts due to tagging or to recognition by antibodies is to be avoided. It is generally believed that the biological properties of proteins remain unaltered when 14N isotopes are replaced with 15N. 15N-enriched proteins can be localised by dynamic Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (D-SIMS). We describe here a novel imaging analysis algorithm to detect a few 15N-enriched proteins - and even a single protein - within a cell using D-SIMS. The algorithm distinguishes statistically between a low local increase in 15N isotopic fraction due to an enriched protein and a stochastic increase due to the background. To determine the number of enriched proteins responsible for the increase in the isotopic fraction, we use sequential D-SIMS images in which we compare the measured isotopic fractions to those expected if 1, 2 or more enriched proteins are present. The number of enriched proteins is the one that gives the best fit between the measured and the expected values. We used our method to localise 15N-enriched thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) and retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) proteins delivered to COS-7 cells. We show that both a single TDG and a single RXRα can be detected. After 4 h incubation, both proteins were found mainly in the nucleus; RXRα as a monomer or dimer and TDG only as a monomer. After 7 h, RXRα was found in the nucleus as a monomer, dimer or tetramer, whilst TDG was no longer in the nucleus and instead formed clusters in the cytoplasm. After 24 h, RXRα formed clusters in the cytoplasm, and TDG was no longer detectable. In conclusion, single unmodified proteins in cells can be counted and localised with 50 nm resolution by combining D-SIMS with our method of analysis.

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common cancers in children. Neuroblastoma differentiation is linked to the presence of the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein. Retinoic acid, a powerful differentiation‐inducer in vitro, is a potent agent for the treatment of neuroblastoma. Using two different human neuroblastoma cell lines, SH‐SY5Y and LA‐N‐5, we show here that PML protein leads to the formation of nuclear bodies (PML‐NB) after only 1 h of retinoic acid treatment and that this formation is mediated by the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Inhibition of protein kinase C also leads to formation of PML‐NB via the ERK pathway. Both sumoylation and phosphorylation of PML in an ERK‐dependent pathway are also required for formation of PML‐NB. Finally, we show that PML‐NB formation in neuroblastoma cells is associated with neurite outgrowth. These results support the proposal that the formation of PML‐NB is correlated with the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells.