• Applied Microscopy
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.96-101
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• 2018

The release of nanoscale membrane-bound vesicles is common in all three domains of life. These vesicles are involved in a variety of biological processes such as cell-to-cell communication, horizontal gene transfer, and substrate transport. Prokaryotes including bacteria and archaea release membrane vesicles (MVs) (20 to 400 nm in diameter) into their extracellular milieu. In spite of structural differences in cell envelope, both Gram-positive and negative bacteria produce MVs that contain the cell membrane of each bacterial species. Archaeal MVs characteristically show surface-layer encircling the vesicles. Filamentous fungi and yeasts as eukaryotic microbes produce bilayered exosomes that have varying electron density. Microbes also form intracellular vesicles and minicells that are similar to MVs and exosomes in shape. Electron and fluorescence microscopy could reveal the presence of DNA in MVs and exosomes. Given the biogenesis of extracellular vesicles from the donor cell, in situ high-resolution microscopy can provide insights on the structural mechanisms underlying the formation and release of microbial extracellular vesicles.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.75-79
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• 1987

Liposomes were studied as a drug delivery system. Multilamellar vesicles, small unilamellar vesicles and large unilamellar vesicles containing cytarabine were prepared using egg yolk lecithin and cholesterol. Large unilamellar vesicles showed the highest encapsulation efficiency of all and their encapsulation efficiency increased as the buffer volume decreased. Cholesterol increased the stability of liposomal drug products as drug carriers and reduced the permeability of drug across the liposomal membrane. The release rate of cytarabine increased with incubation temperature and decreased with cholesterol incorporation in liposomal membrane. The release mechanism of cytarabine from large unilamellar vesicles in vitro was chiefly due to simple diffusion across the liposomal membrane rather than liposomal rupture.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 1978

An attempt has been made to discriminate the synapses in the striatum consisting caudate nucleus, putamen and fundus striati of the cat with emphasis on the characteristic structures of axon terminals and postsynaptic profiles. The differentiation is based on the size and shape of vesicle in the bouton terminal, and the symmetrical or asymmetrical thickening the pre- and postsynaptic membrane. Four types of synapses could be differentiated: Type I: the bontons with asymmetrical,synaptic thickenings contain round 45 nm diameter vesicles and contact cell soma, dendritic shafts and dendritic spines (74%). Type II : the boutons contain round 45nm diameter vesicles and are associated with symmetrical membrane thickenings. These synapses are formed on the soma and dendritic shafts (6%). Type III: the boutons with symmetrical membrane thickenings contain 50-60 nm diameter pleomorphic vesicles, and contact soma and dendritic shafts (18%). Type IV: the terminals contain flattened vesicles ($25{\times}45 nm$) and are associated with symmetrical membrane thickenings. These synapses are found in contact with soma and dendritic shafts. Additionally, the bouton en passant, which is expanded from myelinated or unmyelinated axons containing round vesicles (45nm diameter) contacts the dendritic shaft or dendritic spine with asymmetrical membrane thickenings. Two unusual types of synapses, axo-axonic and dendro-dendritic, are found occasionally.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 1999

Canalicular liver plasma membrane vesicles (cLPM) were prepared according to two different methods (Inoue method and Meier method), and were evaluated for their protein yield, enzyme activity and transport characteristics. No difference was found between the methods in the protein yield (i.e., $0.14{\pm}0.031$ and $0.15{\pm}0.050$ mglg liver for Inoue method and Meier method, respectively). The activity of alkaline phosphatase, a marker enzyme of canalicular membrane, was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the vesicles of Meier method $(3.52{\pm}0.91\;mmol/mg/hr)$than in the vesicles of Inoue method ($2.28{\pm}0.94$ mmol/mg/hr) indicating that more purified cLPM were obtained from Meier method compared with Inoue method. ATP-dependent vesicular uptake of taurocholate and tributylmethylammonium (TBuMA) was observed for vesicles of both methods, and the kinetic parameters responsible for the transport were similar between the vesicles of both methods (for example, $V_{max}:$ 9.72 nmol/mg protein/30sec and $K_m:$ 0.63 mM for Inoue method; $V_{max}:$ 10.1 nmol/mg protein/30sec and $K_m:$ 0.70 mM for Meier method). A pH gradient dependent counter transport of TBuMA was also observed for both vesicles with similar kinetic characteristics. Either the uptake of taurocholate in the absence of ATP or that of TBuMA in the absence of pH gradient, which may represent passive diffusion of respective compound into the vesicles, was more rapid for the vesicles of Meier method than for the vesicles of Inoue method. For example, passive diffusion rate constants $(K_d)$ for TBuMA uptake into the vesicles were 0.00030 and 0.00052\;{\mu}l/mg$ protein/min for the vesicles of Inoue method and Meier method, respectively. It may indicate that more leaky vesicles are obtained form the Meier method compared with the Inoue method. These aspects together with the time necessary to prepare the vesicles (i.e., 8 hr for Inoue method and 23 hr for Meier method) should be considered before selecting an appropriate method for the preparation of cLPM.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.621-629
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• 2022

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) typically contain multiple immunogenic molecules that include antigenic proteins, making them good candidates for vaccine development. In animal models, vaccination with OMVs has been shown to confer protective immune responses against many bacterial diseases. It is possible to genetically introduce heterologous protein antigens to the bacterial host that can then be produced and relocated to reside within the OMVs by means of the host secretion mechanisms. Accordingly, in this study we sought to develop a novel platform for recombinant OMV (rOMV) production in the widely used bacterial expression host species, Escherichia coli. Three different lipoprotein signal peptides including their Lol signals and tether sequences-from Neisseria meningitidis fHbp, Leptospira interrogans LipL32, and Campylobactor jejuni JlpA-were combined upstream to the GFPmut2 model protein, resulting in three recombinant plasmids. Pilot expression studies showed that the fusion between fHbp and GFPmut2 was the only promising construct; therefore, we used this construct for large-scale expression. After inducing recombinant protein expression, the nanovesicles were harvested from cell-free culture media by ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the obtained rOMVs were closed, circular single-membrane particles, 20-200 nm in size. Western blotting confirmed the presence of GFPmut2 in the isolated vesicles. Collectively, although this is a non-optimized, proof-of-concept study, it demonstrates the feasibility of this platform in directing target proteins into the vesicles for OMV-based vaccine development.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.189-193
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• 1993

Cisplatin is useful for various cancers including advanced testicular and ovarian cancers. However, clinical use of cisplatin has been limited due to its dose-related neplrotoxicity. Transport studies across the membrane vesicles were performed to study the cisplatin nephrotoxicity. In these experiments, after cisplatin was administered to adult male New Zealand White rabbits, basolateral membrane (BLM) vesicles were prepared from the renal cortex. Para-aminohippurate (PAH) uptakes through BLM vesicles were measured to examine the interactioln of cisplatin on the transports of the substrates. As results of the uptake experiments using the vesicle systems, cisplatin had little effects on PAH transport through BLM vesicle. In conclusion, cisplatin did not cause the damage of basolateral membranes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.225-235
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• 1986

Effects of anions on p-Aminohippurate (PAH) transport across the basolateral membrane (BLM) were studied. Basolateral membrane vesicles were isolated from rabbit renal cortex by using a self-orienting Percoll-gradient centrifugation and $Mg^{2+}-precipitation$. The characteristics of the membrane vesicles was examined by marker enzyme activity, membrane orientation and transport studies. The Na-K-ATPase activity in the fraction containing BLM vesicles was enriched 9·fold, and the alkaline phosphatase activity in the fraction containing BBM vesicles was increased 9-fold, compared with those of the homogenate. The transport properties of the two membrane preparations were studied by a rapid filtration technique. The uptake of PAH by BLM was sensitive to changes in medium osmolarity and inhibited by probenecid. When the uptake of $50{\mu}M$ PAH in voltage-clamped BLM vesicles was determined in the presence of various anions in the incubation medium, cis inhibitions by $SO_4\;and\;SSO_3$ were observed in the presence of sodium gradient (out>in). Sodium-dependent PAH uptake was inhibited competitively by external $SO_4$ PAH uptake in BLM vesicles loaded with 20 mM acetate and $SO_4\;or\;200\;{\mu}M$ PAH was significantly stimulated as compared with unloaded vesicles. The extent of trans-stmulation of PAH uptake by $SO_4$. was increased with the inside concentration of $SO_4$. This trans-stimulatory effect by $SO_4$, was observed to be additive in the presence of Na gradient and completely inhibited by 2 mM probenecid and 1 mM SITS. These results demonstrate that PAH/anion exchange is present in BLM of renal cortex and in this exchange mechanism inorganic as well as organic anions are involved as substrates.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.179-188
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• 1991

Effect of a sulfhydryl reagent, p-chloromercuribenzoic acid (PCMB), on the transport of succinate was studied in brush border (BBMV) and basolateral (BLMV) membrane vesicles isolated from rabbit renal cortex. PCMB induced an irreversible inhibition of the $Na^+-dependent$ succinate uptake in a dose-dependent manner with $IC_{50}$ of 55 and $65\;{\mu}M$ in BBMV and BLMV, respectively. The inhibitory effect of PCMB was prevented by a pretreatment of vesicles with dithiothreitol. PCMB did not increase $Na^+$ permeability at concentrations inhibiting succinate uptake. The PCMB inhibition of succinate uptake was due to a change in Vmax, but not in Km. When membrane vesicles were pretreated with PCMB in the presence of unlabelled succinate, the inhibitory effect was significantly reduced. In both BBMV and BLMV, succinate uptake was inhibited by various sulfhydryl reagents with the inhibitory potency of following order: $HgCl_2$>DTNB>PCMBS>PCMB. These results suggest that sulfhydryl groups are essential for dicarboxylate transport and that they may be located at or near substrate binding sites of the transporters in renal brush border and basolateral membranes.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.195-204
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• 1993

Basolateral and brush border membrane (BLM and BBM) vesicles of renal proximal tubules were prepared from adult male New Zealand White rabbits to evaluate as a potential model for assessment of nephrotoxicity. PAH uptakes using BLMV, glucose and leucine uptakes using BBMV were measured in the rabbits treated cephaloridine. In addition, urinalysis and histopathological studies were performed to investigate the correlationship with membrane vesicle uptakes. The results were as follows: (1) the activite of Na+, K+ -ATPase was enriched 12.3-fold in vasolateral memvrane vesicles (BLMV) and the specific activity of alkaline phosphatase in purified brush border memvrane vesicles (BBMV) was enriched 10.1-fold compared with each of microsomal homogenate. (2) In the uptake experiments, cephaloridine decreased initial and probenecid-sensitive PAH uptakes in BLMV. (3) Cephaloridine tested decreased initial and phlorizin-sensitive glucose uptakes in BBMV. (4) Cephaloridine tested decreased initial and Na+-dependent leucine uptakes in BBMV. (5) Cephaloridine tested significantly increased the urinary excretion of glucose and activity of ${\gamma}$-GTP. (6) Cephaloridine tested caused moderate necrotic changes in renal tubular cells and formation of urinary cast in the lumina of Henle's loop and collecting tubules besides the swelling of renal tubules.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.95-107
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• 1992

Basolateral and brush border membrance (BLM and BBM) vesicles of renal proximal tubules were prepared from adult male New Zealand White rabbits to develop an experimental for assessment of nephrotoxicity. PAH uptakes using BLMV, and glucose and leucine uptakes using BBMV were measured in the rabbits treated uranyl acetate. In addition, urinalysis and histopathological studies were performed to investigate the correlationship with the membrance vesicle uptakes.