We report on a laser that is fully embedded within a single live cell. By harnessing natural endocytosis of the cell, we introduce a fluorescent whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonator into the cell cytoplasm. On pumping with nanojoule light pulses, green laser emission is generated inside the cells. Our approach can be applied to different cell types, and cells with microresonators remain viable for weeks under standard conditions. The characteristics of the lasing spectrum provide each cell with a barcode-type label which enables uniquely identifying and tracking individual migrating cells. Self-sustained lasing from cells paves the way to new forms of cell tracking, intracellular sensing, and adaptive imaging.

SummaryNanoparticle tracking analysis permits the determination of both the size distribution and relative concentration of microvesicles, including exosomes, in the supernatants of cultured cells and biological fluids. We have studied the release of microvesicles from the human lymphoblastoid T-cell lines Jurkat and CEM. Unstimulated, both cell lines release microvesicles in the size range 70-90 nm, which can be depleted from the supernatant by ultracentrifugation at 100 000 g, and by anti-CD45 magnetic beads, and which by immunoblotting also contain the exosome-associated proteins Alix and Tsg101. Incubation with known potentiators of exosome release, the ionophores monensin and A23187, resulted in a significant increase in microvesicle release that was both time and concentration dependent. Mass spectrometric analysis of proteins isolated from ultracentrifuged supernatants of A23187-treated cells revealed the presence of exosome-associated proteins including heat-shock protein 90, tubulin, elongation factor a1, actin and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Additionally, treatment of peripheral blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells with bacterial lipopolysaccharide displayed an increase in secreted microvesicles. Consequently, nanoparticle tracking analysis can be effectively applied to monitor microvesicle release from cells of the immune system.

No abstract

Exosomes are nanometer-sized vesicles released by a number of cell types including those of the immune system, and often contain numerous immune recognition molecules including MHC molecules. We demonstrate in this study that exosomes can display a significant proportion of their MHC class I (MHC I) content in the form of disulfide-linked MHC I dimers. These MHC I dimers can be detected after release from various cell lines, human monocyte-derived dendritic cells, and can also be found in human plasma. Exosome-associated dimers exhibit novel characteristics which include 1) being composed of folded MHC I, as detected by conformational-dependent Abs, and 2) dimers forming between two different MHC I alleles. We show that dimer formation is mediated through cysteine residues located in the cytoplasmic tail domains of many MHC I molecules, and is associated with a low level of glutathione in exosomes when compared with whole cell lysates. We propose these exosomal MHC I dimers as novel structures for recognition by immune receptors.

Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is recognized as having an inflammatory component. Post-mortem brain samples from patients with ASC display neuroglial activation and inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid, although little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is a protein found in almost all cell types and mediates regulation of immune response by inducing the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, establishing a feedback mechanism that can produce chronic or excessive inflammation. This article describes immunodetection and immunofluorescence measurements of NF-κB in human post-mortem samples of orbitofrontal cortex tissue donated to two independent centers: London Brain Bank, Kings College London, UK (ASC: n = 3, controls: n = 4) and Autism Tissue Program, Harvard Brain Bank, USA (ASC: n = 6, controls: n = 5). The hypothesis was that concentrations of NF-κB would be elevated, especially in activated microglia in ASC, and pH would be concomitantly reduced (i.e., acidification). Neurons, astrocytes, and microglia all demonstrated increased extranuclear and nuclear translocated NF-κB p65 expression in brain tissue from ASC donors relative to samples from matched controls. These between-groups differences were increased in astrocytes and microglia relative to neurons, but particularly pronounced for highly mature microglia. Measurement of pH in homogenized samples demonstrated a 0.98-unit difference in means and a strong (F = 98.3; p = 0.00018) linear relationship to the expression of nuclear translocated NF-κB in mature microglia. Acridine orange staining localized pH reductions to lysosomal compartments. In summary, NF-κB is aberrantly expressed in orbitofrontal cortex in patients with ASC, as part of a putative molecular cascade leading to inflammation, especially of resident immune cells in brain regions associated with the behavioral and clinical symptoms of ASC.