Preparation of Polyclonal Antibodies Against Testis-specific Protease 50 and Characterization of Antibody Specificity

Introduction TheTSP50genehasbeenidentifiedasoneofthe testis specificoncogenes,whichisexpressedathigh levelsinapproximately92%ofhumanbreastcancer samples,makingitanattractivemolecularmarkerand apotentialtargetfordiagnosisandtherapy[1].Itisho mologoustomany…     

Mechanical Properties of Breast Cancer Cell Membrane Studied with Optical Tweezers

Membrane tethers are extracted from breast cancer cells using a force generated by an optical trap. It is experimentally obtained that the radius of tether is about 0.1μm and the static tether force is about 8.5 pN. Calculations based on the experimental measurements give a bending modulus for the tether of 1.35 x 10^-19 N.m and a surface membrane tension of 6.76 x 10^-6 N/m in the breast cancer cell. The treatment with cytochalasin D results in the decreasing bending modulus and decreasing apparent surface tension. When the membrane protein caveolin is over-expressed, similar cases occur in bending modulus and apparent surface tension. In addition, the viscous resistance coefficient of the membrane is calculated to be 1.15pN.s/μm according to the dynamic tether forces obtained under different pulling velocities.     

QCM Detection of Adhesion, Spreading and Proliferation of Human Breast Cancer Cells （MCF-7） on a Gold Surface

The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was used to monitor the one-day incubation of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) on the gold electrode. In combination with an optical microscope simulation experiment, the cell-population pictures at various stages, the QCM responses to the cells' adhesion, spreading and proliferation on the electrode surface were discussed. The △f0 and △R1 responses were found mainly from mixed effects of viscodensity and surface stress, and in proportion to the cell coverage, rather than to the number of cells at the electrode. The significant fore-and-aft changes in cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the ferri-ferrocyanide redox couple also proved that the cells were adhesion to the gold surface.