Rapid protein tagging of immense numbers of closely packed cells becomes achievable through MIT technique
New, Faster, More Accurate Protein Labeling in Intact 3D Tissues
Scientists have taken a colossal leap in molecular biology with a fresh technology conjured up at MIT. This pioneering innovation permitters scientists to affix proteins across megamillions of cells embedded within fully intact, three-dimensional living tissues at an unprecedented rate. According to a new study in Nature Biotechnology, this groundbreaking ability to appraise proteins at the single-cell level across extensive tissue samples may unmask insights that have remained secret by traditional labeling methods.
When cellular activity is under the microscope, the proteins being produced can be indicative of what the cell is doing or its response to its surroundings, such as disease or treatment. Although microscopy and labeling technologies have advanced incredibly over the years, yielding countless discoveries, researchers yearned for reliable and practical means of monitoring protein expression at the level of millions of densely packed cells in real, 3D living tissues. Till now, researchers have been predominantly confined to studying thin tissue slices under microscopes, thus failing to fully apprehend protein expression in natural contexts.
"Conventionally, probing the molecules inside cells necessitates dismantling tissue into individual cells or slicing them into ultra-thin sections, as light and chemicals essential for analysis can't penetrate deep inside tissues," explains the study's senior author, Kwanghun Chung, an associate professor in the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, the departments of Chemical Engineering, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science at MIT. "Our lab brought forth technologies like CLARITY and SHIELD, which enable the examination of whole organs by making them see-through, but we urgently required a method to chemically label whole organs to uncover scientifically pertinent insights. If cells within a tissue aren't evenly processed, they can't be comparatively quantified. Traditional protein labeling techniques take weeks for these molecules to permeate intact organs, making uniform chemical processing of organ-scale tissues almost impossible and agonizingly slow."
The inability to pinpoint proteins on a large scale within complex, 3D intact tissues has long stymied biological research. With this revolutionary new technology, researchers can efficiently label proteins across tens of millions of cells, providing invaluable insights into the intricacies of cellular processes in their natural environment.
Enrichment Data:- The Technology's Workings: - This technology works through a sophisticated molecular strategy that permits rapid and precise labeling of proteins. The specifics of the molecular strategy, however, aren't detailed in the study, but likely involve the application of specialized probes or markers that selectively target specific proteins.- Advantages Over Other Methods: - Efficiency and Scale: - Speed: The technology allows researchers to label proteins at an ultrafast pace, essential for studying dynamic cellular processes in real-time. - Scale: It can label proteins across tens of millions of cells, making it perfect for studying complex tissue structures and interactions. - Tissue Integrity Preservation: - Unlike some traditional labeling methods which often require sectioning or disrupting tissue structures, this technology preserves the integrity of fully intact 3D tissues. This is vital to maintain the natural environment in which the cells reside. - Resolution: - The ability to label proteins in densely packed cells provides high-resolution insights into cellular processes, essential for understanding the spatial organization and interactions within tissues.
- The groundbreaking innovation developed at MIT allows for the rapid and precise labeling of proteins across millions of cells embedded within fully intact, three-dimensional living tissues, surpassing traditional labeling methods.
- In the study published in Nature Biotechnology, this technology's ability to assess proteins at the single-cell level across extensive tissue samples may uncover insights hidden by traditional methods.
- Researchers have been constrained to studying thin tissue slices under microscopes, inadequately reflecting protein expression in natural contexts due to limitations in existing microscopy and labeling technologies.
- The lead author of the study, Kwanghun Chung, an associate professor in various departments at MIT, addresses the need for a practical means of monitoring protein expression at the level of millions of densely packed cells in real 3D living tissues.
- This new technology allows researchers to efficiently label proteins across tens of millions of cells, providing invaluable insights into the intricacies of cellular processes in their natural environment.
- The technology preserves the integrity of fully intact 3D tissues, enabling researchers to maintain the natural environment in which the cells reside, unlike some traditional labeling methods.
- The technology's high resolution in labeling proteins in densely packed cells offers insights into the spatial organization and interactions within tissues, crucial for understanding biological processes in health and medical conditions related to health and wellness.
