Label-free real-time acoustic sensing of microvesicle release from prostate cancer (PC3) cells using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Microvesicles released constitutively from prostate cancer cells differ biochemically and functionally to stimulated microvesicles released through sublytic C5b-9

“…The QCM was able to provide an accurate measure of sMV and cMV mass (0.267 and 0.241 pg, respectively) which agreed with previous calculations based on loss in mass of stimulated cells [6].…”

“…2C). Given a Df of 300 ± 10 Hz for the deposition of 1.3 Â 10 6 sMVs and 271 ± 7 Hz for the same number of cMVs, sMV and cMV mass was estimated at 0.267 ± 0.008 and 0.241 ± 0.006 pg respectively (p < 0.05), the latter agreeing remarkably well with the 0.25 pg, calculated earlier from the mass shed from stimulated cells [6]. An equivalent drop of water (assuming a sphere and 356 nm diameter as for sMVs), would be 0.19 pg, very close to the MV average, 0.259 pg (Fig.…”

“…Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) [6] highlighted differences in EV morphology and size. In Fig.…”

“…Samples were analysed on the QCM (Q-Sense E1) as described before [6]. Using the Sauerbrey equation, m ¼ ÀC…”

Prostate cancer cells stimulated by calcium-mediated activation of protein kinase C undergo a refractory period before re-releasing calcium-bearing microvesicles

“…Detection of PtSer was carried out as described earlier [7,8] as was electron microscopy of negatively stained EVs exosomes and microvesicles (EMVs) [7,8].…”