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. 2013 Dec 6;306(3):L260–L268. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00278.2013

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.

Quantum dots (QDs) targeting cell adhesive molecules, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM) and vascular endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM), enable fluorescence visualization of target proteins in cells. A: schematic representing QD coupling reactions for the creation of targeted QD conjugates. QDP conjugates detect PECAM in PECAM-expressing cells REN-PECAM (B) and MS-1 (C) cells in vitro at 37°C. REN-PECAM and MS-1 cells demonstrate specific labeling by QDP (red) (Ba, Ca), whereas naïve REN cells, which lack PECAM, demonstrate none (Bb). MS-1 cells were simultaneously treated with endothelial-specific dye, acetylated low-density lipoprotein AlexaFluor488 (AcLDL488, green). Arrows indicate PECAM labeled at the cellular junctions by QDP. Nontargeted QDs (QDr, QD-pAG and QD655) show no fluorescence (B, b–h). Blue is DAPI stain showing the nuclei. Fluorescence quantitation of conjugates targeting PECAM expression in each cell line at the specified conditions (D, a and b). EDC, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide; QDP, anti-PECAM QD; QD-pAG, adapter protein functionalized QDs without antibody; QD655, unconjugated QDs; Qdr, nontargeted anti-rat IgG-coupled QDs. Each image is representative of experiments performed in triplicate (*P < 0.0001, ANOVA, means ± SE; scale bar is 20 μm).