Cancer
cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) covered with
a carbohydrate polymer, hyaluronan (HA), linked to tumor malignancy.
Herein, we have unravelled the contour lengths of HA on a single cancer
cell-derived EV surface using single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS),
which divulges the presence of low molecular weight HA (LMW-HA <
200 kDa). We also discovered that these LMW-HA-EVs are significantly
more elastic than the normal cell-derived EVs. This intrinsic elasticity
of cancer EVs could be directly allied to the LMW-HA abundance and
associated labile water network on EV surface as revealed by correlative
SMFS, hydration dynamics with fluorescence spectroscopy, and molecular
dynamics simulations. This method emerges as a molecular biosensor
of the cancer microenvironment.
Epigenetic dysregulation including DNA methylation and
histone
modifications is being increasingly recognized as a promising biomarker
for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. Herein, we devised a label-free
analytical toolbox comprising IR, UV–vis, CD spectroscopy,
and cyclic voltammetry, which is capable to differentiate significantly
hyper-methylated breast cancer chromosomes from the normal breast
epithelial counterparts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.