Hydrophobic membrane insertion is the process of incorporating hydrophobic, or water-repelling, compounds or parts of molecules into a lipid bilayer membrane. Hydrophobic membrane insertion into membrane proteins is crucial for their optimum function and structural stability. The hydrophobic regions of these proteins are shielded from the surrounding aqueous environment by this method. Membrane proteins provide a number of biological tasks, such as ion and molecule transport across the membrane, signal transduction, and cell adhesion.
Fig.1 Some roles of membrane protein in cellular process. (CD BioGlyco)
CD BioGlyco offers an advanced Glycoengineering Platform encompassing various Cell Surface Glycoengineering Technologies. As a part of this platform, we introduce our Hydrophobic Membrane Insertion-based Glycoengineering Service. This innovative service harnesses the hydrophobic membrane insertion technique, which involves the integration of hydrophobic molecules into the cell membrane's lipid bilayer to engineer the cell surface with specific glycan structures. Leveraging the principles of hydrophobic membrane insertion, our approach enables the stable and accessible anchoring of glycan structures to the lipid bilayer. This precise control over glycan presentation on the cell surface holds great potential for influencing cellular signaling and function, offering clients a powerful tool to explore and manipulate glycobiological processes. Moreover, CD BioGlyco also provides other Liposome Fusion-based Cell Surface Glycoengineering Services such as Fluorophore-based Liposome Fusion Cell Surface Glycoengineering Service and GAGs-based Liposome Fusion Cell Surface Glycoengineering Service.
Fig.2 The process of hydrophobic membrane insertion-based cell surface glycoengineering. (CD BioGlyco)
Publication Data
Technology: Tumor cell-derived exosomes (TEx), drug delivery, hydrophobic insertion mechanism.
Journal: Journal of Nanobiotechnology
IF: 10.2
Published: 2021
Results: Colon cancer is a complex disease responsible for numerous annual deaths, with colonoscopy offering limited early-stage detection. Molecular imaging provides a noninvasive alternative for precise insights into physiological and pathological processes, making it ideal for early cancer diagnosis. Different imaging techniques vary in resolution, sensitivity, and cost. Multimodality imaging, combining various technologies, offers superior three-dimensional imaging and molecular insights, crucial for detecting small lesions. To develop effective multimodality molecular imaging agents, researchers have explored natural nanocarriers like exosomes, which are nontoxic and biocompatible extracellular vesicles secreted by cells. Various exosome types, such as tumor cell-derived exosomes (TEx), have been used for drug delivery due to their stability and capacity. SPECT and NIRF imaging modalities can be used to track exosomes. A novel approach involves hydrophobic insertion to modify exosomes with functional molecules, enabling multimodality SPECT and NIRF imaging for early cancer detection in vivo. This study provides a promising platform for future cancer diagnosis and treatment research.
Fig.3 Hydrophobic insertion-based engineering of tumor cell-derived exosomes for SPECT/NIRF imaging of colon cancer. (Jing, et al., 2021)
This approach allows for the controlled modification of cell surfaces with specific glycans, which are complex carbohydrate molecules. These engineered glycan structures can be used to modulate cellular functions and signaling pathways, making this technique valuable for various applications, including cell-based therapies, drug delivery, and the study of fundamental cell biology.
CD BioGlyco is a company with substantial glycosyl chemistry research experience that desires to be the finest glycan research collaborator for clients. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for further information.
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