Radiosensitizing properties of dual-functionalized carbon nanostructures loaded with temozolomide

• Radmila Milenkovska,
• Nikola Geskovski,
• Dushko Shalabalija,
• Ljubica Mihailova,
• Petre Makreski,
• Dushko Lukarski,
• Igor Stojkovski,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska and
• Kristina Mladenovska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 229–251, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.18

• via mitochondrial pathway and scavenger receptors, and necrosis [68][69][70]. For example, it has been shown that when single-wall CNTs (SWCNTs) enter into cells, they interact with the actin filaments, rearranging the actin, disrupt the mitochondrial function, and cause abnormalities in cell division

Dual-functionalized architecture enables stable and tumor cell-specific SiO₂NPs in complex biological fluids

• Iris Renata Sousa Ribeiro,
• Raquel Frenedoso da Silva,
• Romênia Ramos Domingues,
• Adriana Franco Paes Leme and
• Mateus Borba Cardoso

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1238–1252, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.100

The impact of molecular tumor profiling on the design strategies for targeting myeloid leukemia and EGFR/CD44-positive solid tumors

• Nikola Geskovski,
• Nadica Matevska-Geshkovska,
• Simona Dimchevska Sazdovska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Kristina Mladenovska and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 375–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.31

Examination of the relationship between viscoelastic properties and the invasion of ovarian cancer cells by atomic force microscopy

• Mengdan Chen,
• Jinshu Zeng,
• Weiwei Ruan,
• Zhenghong Zhang,
• Yuhua Wang,
• Shusen Xie,
• Zhengchao Wang and
• Hongqin Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 568–582, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.45

• (KeyGEN BioTECH) was used to investigate the distribution of the actin cytoskeleton among these cells. The density of actin filaments in HOSEpiC cells was higher than that in HO-8910 cells (Figure 2f), demonstrating the microfilament density is related to the viscoelsticity of the cells. This is also

• an important factor determining the mechanical properties of cells [50]. Some researchers have shown that alterations in the cytoskeletal structure or functional defects of cells are associated with the ability of tumor cells to proliferate [51]. The actin filaments on the cell membrane can affect

Interactions at the cell membrane and pathways of internalization of nano-sized materials for nanomedicine

• Valentina Francia,
• Daphne Montizaan and
• Anna Salvati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 338–353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.25

• clathrin-coated pit. The GTP-binding protein dynamin is then required for the scission of the clathrin-coated pit to form an endocytic vesicle. Although it was thought to be non-essential for CME [87], there are indications suggesting that actin filaments are also involved in the scission [88][89] and

Internalization mechanisms of cell-penetrating peptides

• Ivana Ruseska and
• Andreas Zimmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 101–123, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.10

• be either delayed or aborted [82]. Membrane bending is the following step in CME. Several endocytic modules contribute to the formation of a membrane curvature: the coat, the actin filaments, and the scission proteins. Clathrin is the coat-component that has a part in the membrane bending process

• evidence that rapid actin polymerization occurs in the region surrounding the coat and the base of the growing membrane invagination. After vesicle scission, actin filaments depolymerize in seconds [79][82]. Vesicle scission is the process where the CCV is separated from the donor membrane. This step is

Gold-coated plant virus as computed tomography imaging contrast agent

• Alaa A. A. Aljabali,
• Mazhar S. Al Zoubi,
• Khalid M. Al-Batanyeh,
• Ali Al-Radaideh,
• Mohammad A. Obeid,
• Abeer Al Sharabi,
• Walhan Alshaer,
• Bayan AbuFares,
• Tasnim Al-Zanati,
• Murtaza M. Tambuwala,
• Naveed Akbar and
• David J. Evans

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1983–1993, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.195

• fluorescent labeled VCAM1-PEG5000AuCPMV particles. RAW246.7 actin filaments were labeled with DY-554 phalloidin (red) and DAPI (blue). (A) IgG-PEG5000Au-CPMV (B) VCAM1-PEG5000Au-CPMV showing the binding of the particles to the cells surface and (C) merged image of the cells with VCAM1-PEG5000Au-CPMV showing

The structural and chemical basis of temporary adhesion in the sea star Asterina gibbosa

• Birgit Lengerer,
• Marie Bonneel,
• Mathilde Lefevre,
• Elise Hennebert,
• Philippe Leclère,
• Emmanuel Gosselin,
• Peter Ladurner and
• Patrick Flammang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2071–2086, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.196

• actin filaments (Figure 3F,G), whereas de-adhesive cells lacked this supportive structure and presented instead a simple apical granule-filled bulge (Figure 3D,E,G). In addition to temporary adhesion with tube feet in adults, A. gibbosa presents other adhesion mechanisms during its life cycle. Indeed

Silicon microgrooves for contact guidance of human aortic endothelial cells

• Sara Fernández-Castillejo,
• Pilar Formentín,
• Úrsula Catalán,
• Josep Pallarès,
• Lluís F. Marsal and
• Rosa Solà

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 675–681, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.72

• previously described [31]. Actin-stain 670 phalloidin (Tebu-Bio) was used to stain the actin filaments of cytoskeleton (200 nM, 30 min), while NucGreen Dead 488 (Life Technologies) was used to stain the nuclei (2 drops/mL, 10 min). The fluorescence images were acquired using a Nikon Eclipse TE2000-E inverted

• microscope, equipped with a C1 laser confocal system (EZ-C1 software, Nikon). A 633 nm and 488 nm argon laser light was used as excitation sources for Phalloidin and NucGreen, respectively. Actin filaments and nuclei stain visualization using confocal microscopy was used to assess cellular morphology and

Nano- and microstructured materials for in vitro studies of the physiology of vascular cells

• Alexandra M. Greiner,
• Adria Sales,
• Hao Chen,
• Sarah A. Biela,
• Dieter Kaufmann and
• Ralf Kemkemer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1620–1641, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.155

• reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton has been observed in experiments where cells were placed on small ECM islands and then showed limited spreading [247]. SMCs: SMCs showed on microgrooved PDMS substrates a parallel alignment of actin filaments with respect to the groove axis [21][45]. In another study

• stress fibers development are not necessary for contact guidance to take place [217][218]. In different studies, both human vascular and bladder SMCs, increased FAs size on a PGA mesh, and PU or PLGA nanoroughness substrates [41][42][44]. However, it is still not known if actin filaments are already

Atomic force microscopy as analytical tool to study physico-mechanical properties of intestinal cells

• Christa Schimpel,
• Oliver Werzer,
• Eleonore Fröhlich,
• Gerd Leitinger,
• Markus Absenger-Novak,
• Birgit Teubl,
• Andreas Zimmer and
• Eva Roblegg

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1457–1466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.151

• actin cytoskeleton, it also controls gelation of F-actin by inducing bundling of actin-filaments and thereby assures the stability of microvilli [42]. Hence, it is likely that differences in the mechanical properties of Caco-2 and M cells, such as elasticity and adhesion, might occur. To study this in

• of F-actin filaments [53], resulting in non-linear elasticity. Thus, we alternatively displayed the indentation values in the nanometer range taking into account distinct cell locations of Caco-2 cells and M cells. Evaluation of the attraction/repulsion (adhesion) forces Elastic properties of cells

• fill remaining data gaps on the effects of these parameters on cell mechanics/kinetics and, as a consequence, on cellular uptake processes (e.g., nanoparticulate systems/antigens). Conclusion The current study shows that cytoskeletal structures and the content of F-actin filaments strongly impact

The effect of surface charge on nonspecific uptake and cytotoxicity of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots

• Vladimir V. Breus,
• Anna Pietuch,
• Marco Tarantola,
• Thomas Basché and
• Andreas Janshoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 281–292, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.26

• myosin V–QD constructs along actin filaments (υ = 500–600 nm/s) in living HeLa [40] and COS7 [41] cells, which were faster than the in vitro characteristics of myosin V (υ = 200–450 nm/s) [42][43]. The difference in velocities of the observed directed motion for various QD samples could be caused by the

Mechanical properties of MDCK II cells exposed to gold nanorods

• Anna Pietuch,
• Bastian Rouven Brückner,
• David Schneider,
• Marco Tarantola,
• Christina Rosman,
• Carsten Sönnichsen and
• Andreas Janshoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 223–231, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.21

• ) and actin-filaments (Figure 1 A–C, IV) reveals that with increasing concentration and incubation time (data not shown) of CTAB-nanorods disassembly of the filaments occurs concomitant with an increase in viability loss. Cytotoxicity studies using ECIS and MTS tests show that at these concentrations

• the cells’ cytoskeleton disintegrates in good accordance with our previous cytotoxicity studies. F-actin filaments are severed and the microtubules network is destroyed. However, comparing the situation to addition of small molecular inhibitors such as cytochalasin D that visibly produce a similar

• images of microtubules (green) and nucleus (blue). IV: fluorescence microscopy images of F-actin filaments (red). Scale bar: 10 μm. Dark-field/fluorescence microscopy image (overlay) of confluent MDCK II cells treated with gold nanorods after 24 h. Image 1: Cells exposed to 0.14 μg/mL CTAB coated gold

High-frequency multimodal atomic force microscopy

• Adrian P. Nievergelt,
• Jonathan D. Adams,
• Pascal D. Odermatt and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2459–2467, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.255

• a clean drive and thus enables this technique in water. Figure 5b demonstrates gentle imaging of a sample of F-actin fibres deposited on a (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane-coated glass surface in liquid. F-actin is a fibre-forming protein that plays a role in the cytoskeleton. F-actin filaments are a

Biocompatibility of cerium dioxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles with endothelial cells

• Claudia Strobel,
• Martin Förster and
• Ingrid Hilger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1795–1807, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.190

• filaments between microvascular (HMEC-1) and macrovascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) [39][40] could explain the different behavior mentioned above. It is conceivable that stable actin filaments (HMEC-1) avoid disturbance of the cellular machinery, which might be induced by CeO2 nanoparticles. Owing to

• conceivable that the observed differences in sensitivity of the two endothelial cell types in our study (HMEC-1: immortalized, microvascular; HUVEC: primary, macrovascular) to CeO2 nanoparticle exposure is a result of different gene expression patterns. Furthermore, the difference in the stability of actin

Different endocytotic uptake mechanisms for nanoparticles in epithelial cells and macrophages

• Dagmar A. Kuhn,
• Dimitri Vanhecke,
• Benjamin Michen,
• Fabian Blank,
• Peter Gehr,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1625–1636, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.174

• commonly used drugs to study NP uptake. Cytochalasin D can depolymerize actin filaments [34][35] and can therefore be used to study actin-dependent uptake mechanisms, that is, phagocytosis and macropinocytosis. Larger particles, such as polystyrene particles of 1 µm in diameter, can be used to run the

Mimicking exposures to acute and lifetime concentrations of inhaled silver nanoparticles by two different in vitro approaches

• Fabian Herzog,
• Kateryna Loza,
• Sandor Balog,
• Martin J. D. Clift,
• Matthias Epple,
• Peter Gehr,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1357–1370, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.149

• and then treated with 0.1 M glycine in PBS for 10 min. Before staining, the cells were permeabilised with 0.2% Triton X-100 in PBS for 15 min at room temperature. The cytoskeleton (i.e., F-actin-filaments of all cells) was stained with rhodamine phalloidin 1:100 (R-415; Molecular Probes, Life

Model systems for studying cell adhesion and biomimetic actin networks

• Dorothea Brüggemann,
• Johannes P. Frohnmayer and
• Joachim P. Spatz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1193–1202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.131

• incorporation of this protein into liposomes and GUVs to build a biomimetic system that mimics cell adhesion, the formation of a cytoskeleton and spontaneous motion. The first study towards such a synthetic cell model was already performed in 1989 by Cortese et al. They encapsulated actin filaments and actin

• , too [57]. The binding of actin filaments to positively charged lipid monolayers was further investigated by film balance in combination with neutron reflectivity. Filamentous actin adsorbed well to lipid membranes, whereas no binding was detected for monomeric actin. In dependence of the salt

• co-workers concluded that the lipid membrane also plays an active part in organising actin networks. Already in 1999, Miyata et al. had observed similar protrusive formations at the outside of GUVs with encaged actin filaments. These protrusions developed within 30 to 100 s after KCl was introduced

The softening of human bladder cancer cells happens at an early stage of the malignancy process

• Jorge R. Ramos,
• Joanna Pabijan,
• Ricardo Garcia and
• Malgorzata Lekka

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 447–457, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.52

• underline that it is neither the spatial organization of the actin filaments nor the presence of stress fibers, but the overall density and their 3D-organization in a probing volume play the dominant role in controlling the elastic response of the cancerous cell to an external force. Keywords: actin

• filaments with the use of different types of cytochalasin, Rotsch and Radmacher have reported a decrease of the Young’s modulus of fibroblasts [16]. Similar findings regarding the role of actin filaments have been reported in other types of cells such as lymphocyte and Jurkat cells [19]. The role of the

• . It is well established that actin filaments are mostly responsible for the mechanical properties of cells that are measured by the AFM. Therefore, there have been several attempts trying to show the correlation between the 2D-organization of actin filaments and cells stiffness in relation to cancer