"Mitochondrial" photochemical drugs do not release toxic amounts of 1O(2) within the mitochondrial matrix space

Previously, we demonstrated that mitochondrial NAD(P)H is the primary target of singlet oxygen (1O(2)) generated by photoactivation of mitochondria-selective rhodamine derivatives. Hence, local NAD(P)H oxidation/fluorescence decrease may be used to reveal the site of intracellular 1O(2) generation. Therefore, in addition to the previously used tetramethylrhodamine methylester (TMRM), 2('),4('),5('),7(')-tetrabromorhodamine 123 bromide (TBRB) and rhodamine 123 (Rho 123), we tested here whether mitochondrial NAD(P)H of cultured hepatocytes is directly oxidized upon irradiation of different "mitochondrial" photosensitizers (Photofrin; protoporphyrin IX; Al(III) phthalocyanine chloride tetrasulfonic acid; meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine dihydrochloride; Visudyne). In contrast to TMRM and Rho 123, which directly oxidized NAD(P)H upon irradiation, irradiation of intracellular TBRB and the photochemical drugs only indirectly affected mitochondrial NAD(P)H due to loss of mitochondrial integrity. In line with this result only TMRM and Rho 123 exclusively localized within the mitochondrial matrix. Due to these results it is doubtful whether real mitochondrial photosensitizers actually exist among the photochemical drugs applicable/used for photodynamic therapy.     

Photobleaching and Fluorescence Recovery of RPE Bisretinoids

The autofluorescence of the retina that originates primarily from lipofuscin fluorophores in retinal pigment epithelial cells, is observed to undergo photobleaching during the acquisition of fundus autofluorescence images. Bisretinoid fluorophores isolated from retinal pigment epithelial cells have the spectral characteristics consistent with their being the source of fundus autofluorescence. Clinically relevant experiments were designed to better understand conditions in the micromilieu of bisretinoid fluorophores that can influence fluorescence efficiencies, photobleaching, and subsequent fluorescence recovery of this fluorophore. The consumption of the bisretinoid A2E due to photooxidation-induced degradation was quantified in solvent systems of variable relative permittivity (formerly called dielectric constant), in micelles, and in phospholipid vesicles of varying composition. Reorganization within biphasic systems was also examined. A2E content was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence intensity was quantified spectroscopically. As solvent polarity was increased, A2E fluorescent spectra exhibited red-shifted maxima and reduced intensity. A2E was depleted by light irradiation and the loss was more pronounced in less polar solvents, lower concentrations of anionic surfactant, and in gel- versus fluid-ordered phospholipid liposomes. Conditions that permit A2E aggregation promoted photooxidation/photodegradation, while movement of A2E between bisphasic systems was associated with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. The fluorescence characteristics of A2E are subject to environmental modulation. Photooxidation and photodegradation of bisretinoid can account for fundus autofluorescence photobleaching. Return of fluorescence intensity after photobleaching likely occurs due to redistribution of A2E fractions amongst co-existing heterogeneous microdomains of the lysosomal compartment.     

A naphthalocyanine based near-infrared photosensitizer: Synthesis and in vitro photodynamic activities

A hydrophilic near-infrared (NIR) photosensitizer featuring a naphthalocyanine core and peripheral carboxylate acid groups was synthesized and characterized. Its photophysical and photochemical properties were studied and compared with phthalocyanine. Due to the extended π-conjugation, both the Q band and fluorescence emit of this naphthalocyanine bathochromically shift to NIR region. It also exhibits superior NIR photodynamic efficiency to phthalocyanine as evidenced by high efficiency in generating singlet oxygen (Φ_Δ = 0.66) and in vitro phototoxicity toward Hela human cervical cancer cells. Therefore, this novel naphthalocyanine could potentially be a NIR photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy.     

A novel 10B-enriched carboranyl-containing phthalocyanine as a radio- and photo-sensitising agent for boron neutron capture therapy and photodynamic therapy of tumours: in vitro and in vivo studies.

The synthesis of a Zn(ii)-phthalocyanine derivative bearing four 10B-enriched o-carboranyl units (10B-ZnB4Pc) and its natural isotopic abundance analogue (ZnB4Pc) in the peripheral positions of the tetraazaisoindole macrocycle is presented. The photophysical properties of ZnB4Pc, as tested against model biological systems, were found to be similar with those typical of other photodynamically active porphyrin-type photosensitisers, including a singlet oxygen quantum yield of 0.67. The carboranyl-carrying phthalocyanine was efficiently accumulated by B16F1 melanotic melanoma cells in vitro, appeared to be partitioned in at least some subcellular organelles and, upon red light irradiation, induced extensive cell mortality. Moreover, ZnB4Pc, once i.v.-injected to C57BL/6 mice bearing a subcutaneously transplanted pigmented melanoma, photosensitised an important tumour response, provided that the irradiation at 600-700 nm was performed 3 h after the phthalocyanine administration, when appreciable concentrations of ZnB4Pc were still present in the serum. Analogously, irradiation of the 10B-ZnB4Pc-loaded pigmented melanoma with thermal neutrons 24 h after injection led to a 4 day delay in tumour growth as compared with control untreated mice. These results open the possibility to use one chemical compound as both a photosensitising and a radiosensitising agent for the treatment of tumours by the combined application of photodynamic therapy and boron neutron capture therapy.     

A role for manganese superoxide dismutase in apoptosis after photosensitization

The oxidative stress triggered by photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, including superoxide radical, accumulation of de novo-generated ceramide, and induction of apoptosis. Since PDT with the photosensitizer phthalocyanine Pc 4 induces mitochondrial damage and the superoxide scavenger manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is localized to mitochondria, here we tested genetically the role of MnSOD in apoptosis and ceramide accumulation after photosensitization with Pc 4. Jurkat cells overexpressing wild-type MnSOD were protected from Pc 4-PDT-initiated apoptosis, but not from increased ceramide response to Pc 4-PDT. In Jurkat cells overexpressing mutant MnSOD, however, DEVDase activation and ceramide formation were promoted post-Pc 4-PDT. Similarly, in MnSOD-null cells, Pc 4-PDT-induced apoptosis, as well as ceramide accumulation, were enhanced compared to their normal counterparts. The data show that MnSOD affects sensitivity of cells to Pc 4-PDT-initiated apoptosis, and partly ceramide accumulation, suggesting that the processes are superoxide-mediated.     

Caspase-resistant vimentin suppresses apoptosis after photodynamic treatment with a silicon phthalocyanine in Jurkat cells

Oxidative stress, such as photodynamic therapy, is an apoptosis inducer. Apoptosis, as well as photosensitization, have been associated with disruption of the cytoskeletal network. The purpose of the present study was to assess the role of vimentin, a major cytoskeletal protein, in apoptosis after photodynamic treatment (PDT) with the silicon phthalocyanine Pc 4 in human Jurkat T cells. Here we show for the first time that photosensitization with Pc 4 initiates vimentin cleavage and that this event precedes poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) degradation. Similar findings were obtained in the presence of C2-ceramide, an inducer of oxidative stress and apoptosis. In the presence of benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp(O-methyl)-fluoromethylketone, a pan-caspase inhibitor, Pc 4-PDT-induced vimentin and PARP cleavage were abolished. In Jurkat cells transfected with a caspase-resistant vimentin apoptosis was partly suppressed and delayed post-Pc 4-PDT. We suggest that the full-length vimentin confers resistance to nuclear apoptosis after PDT with Pc 4.     

Evaluation of photodynamic treatment using aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate chloride as a photosensitizer: new approach

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been the subject of several clinical studies. Evidence to date suggests that direct cell death may involve apoptosis. T(24) cells (bladder cancer cells, ATCC-Nr. HTB-4) were subjected to PDT with aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate chloride (AlS(4)Pc-Cl) and red laser light at 670 nm. Morphological changes after PDT were visualized under confocal microscopy. Raman microspectroscopy is considered as one of the newly established methods used for the detection of cytochrome c as an apoptotic marker. Results showed that PDT treated T(24) cells seem to undergo apoptosis after irradiation with 3 J cm(-2). Cytochrome c could not be detected from cells incubated with AlS(4)Pc-Cl using Raman spectroscopy whereas AlS(4)Pc-Cl seems to interfere with the Raman spectrum of cytochrome c.     

Water-soluble cationic gallium(III) and indium(III) phthalocyanines for photodynamic therapy

The new tetra-non-peripheral and peripheral 2-mercaptopyridine substituted gallium(III) and indium(III) phthalocyanine complexes (np-GaPc, p-GaPc, np-InPc and p-InPc) and their quaternized derivatives (Qnp-GaPc, Qp-GaPc, Qnp-InPc and Qp-InPc) have been synthesized and characterized. The quaternized complexes show excellent solubility in water, which makes them potential photosensitizer for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. Photophysical and photochemical properties of these phthalocyanines were investigated. General trends are described for quantum yields of photodegradation, fluorescence and fluorescence lifetimes as well as singlet oxygen quantum yields of these compounds. In this study, the effects of the position of the substituents, the nature of the metal ion and quaternization of the substituents on the photophysical and photochemical parameters of the gallium(III) and indium(III) phthalocyanines are also reported. This study also presented the ionic gallium(III) and indium(III) phthalocyanines strongly bind to bovine serum albumin (BSA).     

Controlled light-exposure microscopy reduces photobleaching and phototoxicity in fluorescence live-cell imaging

Fluorescence microscopy of living cells enables visualization of the dynamics and interactions of intracellular molecules. However, fluorescence live-cell imaging is limited by photobleaching and phototoxicity induced by the excitation light. Here we describe controlled light-exposure microscopy (CLEM), a simple imaging approach that reduces photobleaching and phototoxicity two- to tenfold, depending on the fluorophore distribution in the object. By spatially controlling the light-exposure time, CLEM reduces the excitation-light dose without compromising image quality. We show that CLEM reduces photobleaching sevenfold in tobacco plant cells expressing microtubule-associated GFP-MAP4 and reduces production of reactive oxygen species eightfold and prolongs cell survival sixfold in HeLa cells expressing chromatin-associated H2B-GFP. In addition, CLEM increases the dynamic range of the fluorescence intensity at least twofold.     

Relation between intracellular location and photodynamic efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX in vitro. Comparison between human glioblastoma cells and other cancer cell lines.

A promising clinical application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PP IX) is fluorescence detection and photodynamic treatment of residual tumour tissue during surgical resection of high grade malignant glioma. U373 MG human glioblastoma cells were used as a model system to study the relation between intracellular location and photodynamic efficacy of 5-ALA-induced PP IX in more detail. Therefore, ultra-sensitive fluorescence microscopy, using either optical excitation of whole cells or selective excitation of the plasma membrane by an evanescent electromagnetic field, was combined with quantitative measurements of intracellular porphyrin amount and phototoxicity. Glioblastoma cells accumulated PP IX to a moderate extent as compared to T47D breast cancer cells (high accumulation) or OV2774 ovarian cancer cells (low accumulation). Although photodynamic inactivation of the different cell lines (decreasing in the order T47D > U373 MG > OV2774) seemed to be directly related to PP IX accumulation, examination of the data in more detail revealed that photodynamic efficacy per photosensitizer molecule (PE) was about two times higher in glioblastoma and ovarian cancer cells as compared to breast cancer cells. The different photodynamic efficacy of PP IX was related to the different intracellular location. In contrast to breast cancer cells where PP IX fluorescence was localized in small granules, PP IX fluorescence in glioblastoma cells and ovarian cancer cells originated mainly from cellular membranes. Thus, the intracellular location of PP IX in a predominantly lipophilic environment, characterized by a comparably high photostability (probed by photobleaching and photoproduct formation) and a lower degree of porphyrin aggregation (probed previously by fluorescence decay kinetics), seems to be the key factor for high photodynamic efficacy of 5-ALA-induced PP IX. In the case of OV2774 ovarian cancer cells, however, a low PP IX accumulation limited cell inactivation upon irradiation, whereas the results obtained for glioblastoma cells are encouraging to develop PDT to an additional therapeutic option for the treatment of tumour margins in patients who underwent fluorescence-guided resection of high grade malignant glioma after 5-ALA administration.     

Digital imaging fluorescence microscopy: spatial heterogeneity of photobleaching rate constants in individual cells

Photobleaching and related photochemical processes are recognized experimental barriers to quantification of fluorescence by microscopy. We have measured the kinetics of photobleaching of fluorophores in living and fixed cells and in microemulsions, and have demonstrated the spatial variability of these processes within individual cells. An inverted fluorescence microscope and a high-sensitivity camera, together with high-speed data acquisition by a computer-controlled image processor, have been used to control precisely exposure time to excitation light and to record images. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio, 32 digital images were integrated. After correction for spatial variations in camera sensitivity and background fluorescence, the images of the relative fluorescence intensities for 0.065 micron2 areas in the object plane were obtained. To evaluate photobleaching objectively, an algorithm was developed to fit a three-parameter exponential equation to 20 images recorded from the same microscope field as a function of illumination time. The results of this analysis demonstrated that the photobleaching process followed first-order reaction kinetics with rate constants that were spatially heterogeneous and varied, within the same cell, between 2- and 65-fold, depending on the fluorophore. The photobleaching rate constants increased proportionally with increasing excitation intensity and, for benzo(a)pyrene, were independent of probe concentration over three orders of magnitude (1.25 microM to 1.25 mM). The propensity to photobleach was different with each fluorophore. Under the cellular conditions used in these studies, the average rates of photobleaching decreased in this order: N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)-23,24-dinor-5-cholen-22-amine-3 beta-ol greater than acridine orange greater than rhodamine-123 greater than benzo(a)pyrene greater than fluorescein greater than tetramethylrhodamine greater than 1,1'dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine. The photobleaching appears to be an oxidation reaction, in that the addition of saturated solutions of Na2S2O5 to mineral oil microemulsions eliminated photobleaching of N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)-23,24-dinor-5-cholen-22-amine-3 beta-ol or benzo(a)pyrene. We identified experimental conditions to observe, without detectable photobleaching, fluorophores in living cells, which can not be studied anaerobically. Useful images were obtained when excitation light was reduced to eliminate photobleaching, as determined from zero-time images calculated from the exponential fit routine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Preliminary studies of phthalocyanine sensitizers incorporated into human leukemia cells from two cell-lines

Three phthalocyanine dyes-sensitizers were incorporated into two types of human T leukemia cells from two cell-lines: CCRF and MOLT 4. The efficiency of the dye incorporation into cells and photochemical properties of stained cells were investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. The dyes exhibited different properties in each of the two cell-lines. Small differences in cell membrane properties have a strong influence on the efficiency of dye incorporation and on the course of photodynamic reaction. It is suggested that, for a given patient, an optimal dye-sensitizer should be established before photodynamic treatment.     

Effect of heteroatom-doped carbon quantum dots on the red emission of metal-conjugated phthalocyanines through hybridization

Quantum dots (QDs) are significant fluorescent materials for energy transfer studies with phthalocyanines (Pcs) and phthalocyanine (Pc)-like biomolecules (such as chlorophylls). Carbon-based QDs, especially, have been used in numerous studies concerning energy transfer with chlorophylls, but the numbers of studies concerning energy transfer between phthalocyanines and carbon-based QDs are limited. In this study, peripherally, hydroxythioethyl terminal group substituted metal-free phthalocyanine (H₂Pc) and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) were noncovalently (electrostatic and/or π–π interaction) attached to carbon QDs containing boron and nitrogen to form QD-Pc nanoconjugates. The QD-Pc conjugates were characterized using different spectroscopic techniques (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy). The absorption and fluorescence properties of QD-Pc structures in solution were studied. It was found that the quantum yields of the QDs slightly decreased from 30% to 25% upon doping the QDs with heteroatoms B and N. Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency was calculated as 33% for BCN-QD/ZnPc. For the other conjugates, almost no energy transfer from QDs to Pc cores was observed. It was shown that the energy transfer between QDs to Pc cores was completely different from the energy transfer between QDs and photosynthetic pigments, and therefore we concluded that heteroatom doping in the QD structure and the existence of zinc metal in the phthalocyanine structure is obligatory for an efficient energy transfer.     

The interactions of phthalocyanines with stimulated and resting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

The interactions of two metal-free phthalocyanines [(H2Pc) and Solar Pc (with four peripherical groups: SO2N(CH2CH2OH)2)] and of one metal substituted dye (CoPc) with resting and stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were compared. The absorption, fluorescence, photoacoustic and EPR spectra of both resting cells and cells stimulated by phytohaemagglutinin, incubated in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with very low or 95% water content and with or without dye addition, were measured. The fate of the light absorbed by the samples was investigated. It is known that singlet oxygen production is crucial for photodynamic action of dyes. Thermal deactivation and luminescence emission compete with this process, so investigation of these alternative paths of sensitizer deactivation provides information about photodynamic action. The incorporation of the investigated dyes into cells and the perturbation of the cell structure caused by the dyes, the incubation solvent and the activator were investigated by comparing the spectral properties of PBMC before and after stimulation and incubation. Incubation of the cells for 1 h in a solution of Solar Pc in 99.5% aqueous DMSO, resulted in an efficient dye incorporation which was highly selective. Solar Pc being introduced much more efficiently into stimulated cells than into resting cells.     

Permanent Photodynamic Cholecystokinin 1 Receptor Activation: Dimer-to-Monomer Conversion

The G protein-coupled cholecystokinin 1 receptor (CCK1R) is activated permanently by type II photodynamic action (i.e., by singlet oxygen) in the freshly isolated rat pancreatic acini, in contrast to reversible activation by CCK. But how CCK1R is photodynamically activated is not known. Therefore, in the present work, we subjected membrane proteins extracted from isolated rat pancreatic acini to photodynamic action with photosensitiser sulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine (SALPC), and used reducing gel electrophoresis and Western blot to detect possible changes in CCK1R oligomerization status. Photodynamic action (SALPC 1 µM, light 36.7 mW cm^??2 × 10 min) was found to convert dimeric CCK1R nearly quantitatively to monomers. Such conversion was dependent on both irradiance (8.51–36.7 mW cm^??2) and irradiation time (1–20 min). Minimum effective irradiance was found to be 11.1 mW cm^??2 (× 10 min, with SALPC 1 µM), and brief photodynamic action (SALPC 1 µM, 36.7 mW cm^??2 × 1 min) was effective. Whilst CCK stimulation of purified membrane proteins alone had no effect on CCK1R dimer/monomer balance, sub-threshold photodynamic action (SALPC 100 nM, 36.7 mW cm^??2 × 10 min) plus CCK revealed a bell-shaped CCK dose response curve for CCK1R monomerization, which was remarkably similar to the dose response curve for CCK-stimulated amylase secretion in isolated rat pancreatic acini. These two lines of evidence together suggest that during photodynamic CCK1R activation, CCK1R is permanently monomerized, thus providing a unique approach for permanent G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activation which has not been achieved before.     

In vitro study of reactive oxygen species production during photodynamic therapy in ultrasound-pretreated cancer cells

Several recent studies bring evidence of cell death enhancement in photodynamic compound loaded cells by ultrasonic treatment. There are a number of hypotheses suggesting the mechanism of the harmful ultrasonic effect. One of them considers a process in the activation of photosensitizers by ultrasonic energy. Because the basis of the photodynamic damaging effect on cells consists in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), we focused our study on whether the ultrasound can increase ROS production within cancer cells. Particularly, we studied ROS formation in ultrasound pretreated breast adenocarcinoma cells during photodynamic therapy in the presence of chloroaluminum phthalocyanine disulfonate (ClAlPcS2). Production of ROS was investigated by the molecular probe CM-H2DCFDA. Our results show that ClAlPcS2 induces higher ROS production in the ultrasound pretreated cell lines at a concentration of 100 microM and light intensity of 2 mW/cm2. We also observed a dependence of ROS production on photosensitizer concentration and light dose. These results demonstrate that the photodynamic effect on breast cancer cells can be enhanced by ultrasound pretreatment.     

13,15-N-cycloimide derivatives of chlorin p6 with isonicotinyl substituent are photosensitizers targeted to lysosomes.

Four monocationic cycloimide derivatives of chlorin p(6) (CICD) were studied as photosensitizers and compared to a structurally similar neutral derivative. Cationic CICD are highly photostable (quantum yield of photobleaching is about 1 x 10(-5), generate singlet oxygen under irradiation (quantum yields are 0.3-0.45), can be involved in a photo-induced substrate-dependent generation of superoxide radicals, but do not produce OH . 17,18-delta-lacton 13(2)-(N-methylisonicotinylamido)-13,15-cycloimide mesochlorin p(6) () and 13(2)-(N-methylisonicotinylamido)-13,15-cycloimide mesochlorin p(6) methyl ester () possess high cancer cell killing photodynamic activity, but they provide no photoinduced bactericidal effect. Substitution of an ethyl group with a hydroxyethyl or acetyl group at position 3 of the macrocycle results in a decrease in extinction and intracellular accumulation that finally leads to the reduced photocytotoxicity. Cationic CICD are targeted to lysosomes, and their intracellular penetration occurs most probably via caveolae-dependent endocytosis. Photodynamic treatment with cationic CICD results in the cell death via necrosis at both sub-phototoxic (40-70% of dead cells) and phototoxic (90-100% of dead cells) regimes of cell treatment. Irradiation induces lysosome damage, leakage of CICD from lysosomes and development of protease activity in cytoplasm, whereas mitochondria are not affected with irradiation. A positive charge of cationic CICD modified drastically an internalization pathway, sites of intracellular localization and mechanisms of photoinduced cytotoxicity as compared to previously studied neutral and anionic CICD. Our experiments with different CICD show that varying charge and structure of substituents it is possible to modulate many cellular properties of CICD in order to find the best molecular template of the advanced near-IR photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy.     

Decreasing photobleaching by silver island films: application to muscle

Recently it has become possible to study interactions between proteins at the level of single molecules. This requires collecting data from an extremely small volume, small enough to contain one molecule-typically of the order of attoliters (10(-18) L). Collection of data from such a small volume with sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio requires that the rate of photon detection per molecule be high. This calls for a large illuminating light flux, which in turn leads to rapid photobleaching of the fluorophores that are labeling the proteins. To decrease photobleaching, we measured fluorescence from a sample placed on coverslips coated with silver island films (SIF). SIF reduce photobleaching because they enhance fluorescence brightness and significantly decrease fluorescence lifetime. Increase in the brightness effectively decreases photobleaching because illumination can be attenuated to obtain the same fluorescence intensity. Decrease of lifetime decreases photobleaching because short lifetime minimizes the probability of oxygen attack while the fluorophore is in the excited state. The decrease of photobleaching was demonstrated in skeletal muscle. Myofibrils were labeled lightly with rhodamine-phalloidin, placed on coverslips coated with SIF, illuminated by total internal reflection, and observed through a confocal aperture. We show that SIF causes the intensity of phalloidin fluorescence to increase 4-5 fold and its fluorescence lifetime to decrease on average 23-fold. As a consequence, the rate of photobleaching of four or five molecules of actin of a myofibril on Olympus coverslips coated with SIF decreased at least 30-fold in comparison with photobleaching on an uncoated coverslip. Significant decrease of photobleaching makes the measurement of signal from a single cross-bridge of contracting muscle feasible.     

Depletion of cellular cholesterol interferes with intracellular trafficking of liposome-encapsulated ovalbumin

Cholesterol is a major constituent of plasma cell membranes and influences the functions of proteins residing in the membrane. To assess the role of cholesterol in phagocytosis and intracellular trafficking of liposomal antigen, macrophages were treated with inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis for various time periods and levels of cholesterol depletion were assessed by thin layer chromatography. In control macrophages, cholesterol was present in the plasma membrane and in intracellular stores, as visualised by staining with the cholesterol-binding compound filipin, whereas macrophages treated with cholesterol inhibitors failed to stain with filipin. However, these macrophages were still capable of phagocytosis as evidenced by their internalisation of fluorescent-labelled bacteria and liposome-encapsulated Texas red labelled-ovalbumin, L(TR-OVA). While fluorescent ovalbumin (OVA) was consistently transported to the Golgi in macrophages incubated with L(TR-OVA), in cells treated with cholesterol inhibitors, OVA remained spread diffusely throughout the cytoplasm. Even though the mean fluorescence intensity of MHC class I molecules on cholesterol inhibitor-treated macrophages was equivalent to that of the control macrophages, the amount of MHC class I-liposomal OVA-peptide complex detected on the cell surface of cholesterol inhibitor-treated macrophages, was only 45.6 +/- 7.4% (n = 4, mean +/- SEM) of control levels after intracellular processing of L(OVA). We conclude that cholesterol depletion does not eliminate phagocytosis or MHC class I surface expression, but does affect the trafficking and consequently the MHC class I antigen-processing pathway.     

Domain-dependent photodamage to Bcl-2. A membrane anchorage region is needed to form the target of phthalocyanine photosensitization

Photodynamic therapy using the photosensitizer Pc 4 and red light photochemically destroys the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and induces apoptosis. To characterize the requirements for photodamage, we transiently transfected epitope-tagged Bcl-2 deletion mutants into DU-145 cells. Using confocal microscopy and Western blots, wild-type Bcl-2 and mutants with deletions near the N terminus were found in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and nuclear membranes and were photodamaged. A mutant missing the C terminus, including the transmembrane domain, spread diffusely in cells and was not photodamaged. Bcl-2 missing alpha-helices 5/6 was also not photodamaged. Bcl-2 missing only one of those alpha-helices, with or without substitutions of the singlet oxygen-targeted amino acids, behaved like wild-type Bcl-2 with respect to localization and photodamage. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Bcl-2 or mutants in live cells, no change in either the localization or the intensity of GFP fluorescence was observed in response to Pc 4 photodynamic therapy. Western blot analysis of either GFP- or Xpress-tagged Bcl-2 revealed that the photodynamic therapy-induced disappearance of the Bcl-2 band was accompanied by the appearance of bands indicative of heavily cross-linked Bcl-2 protein. Therefore, the alpha(5)/alpha(6) region of Bcl-2 is required for photodamage and cross-linking, and domain-dependent photodamage to Bcl-2 offers a unique mechanism for activation of apoptosis.