Dr. Roy J. McGroarty

Taking advantage of the high elemental contrast of particles of colloidal gold observed in the backscattered electron imaging(BEI) mode of the SEM (1,2), the human T lymphocyte was chosen as a model system to study the potential value of immunogold labeling for the quantification of cell surface expressed molecules. The CD3 antigen which is expressed on all human T lymphocytes and is readily identified by the LEU-4 murine monoclonal antibody (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA) followed by a gold conjugated goat anti-mouse Ig polyclonal antibody was chosen as a model target antigen. When quantified by non-EM methods, using radio-iodinated probes or FACS analysis, approximately 30,000 to 50,000 copies of this antigen per cell are enumerated.The following observations were made while attempting to quantify the same molecule by SEM after specific immunogold labeling:Imaging in the SE vs BE mode: The numbers of gold markers counted in the secondary electron (SE) imaging mode are consid...

Foreign antigens or mitogens initiate activation of T lymphocytes through antigen-specific receptors. After antigen-receptor interaction, T cells release a lymphotrophic hormone, Interleukin 2 (IL2), and high-affinity IL2 receptors (IL2R) are progressively expressed on their surfaces. When evaluated under the scanning electron microscope after specific immunolabeling with colloidal gold markers, the density of expression of the 55 kd low-affinity IL2 receptor (Tac) increases in a time-dependent manner, reaching a maximum 72 hours after the onset of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) activation. In contrast, the number of cells expressing the 55 kd molecule reaches a maximum by 24 hours and remains constant through 72 hours. Immunogold labeling allows simultaneous determination of IL2 receptor density at the level of each individual cell and of the percentage of IL2 receptor-positive cells in any cell population under study. The rank order of receptor expression on the surface of established c...

For many years critical point drying (CPD) has been the method of choice for preparing cells for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Described herein is a simple, efficient, inexpensive, reproducible, and safe procedure using Peldri II, a proprietary fluorocarbon compound that is solid at room temperature and a liquid above 25 degrees C, as a sublimation dehydrant for processing specimens for SEM. The utility of Peldri II was demonstrated in studies using leukocytes from the blood of healthy donors and patients with leukemia as well as from long-term lymphoblastoid cell lines. The application of the proposed Peldri II procedure was further documented in SEM studies in which the expression and distribution of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) on leukocyte surface membranes was imaged using colloidal gold-labeled antibodies (i.e., immunogold). When compared with current SEM preparation procedures using CPD, Peldri II is a useful alternative that is thought to offer several important advantages.

Superficial bladder cancer represents a promising target for intravesical, antibody-guided therapy. The construction of an optimum antibody-cytotoxic drug conjugate depends mostly on the appropriate selection of a monoclonal antibody (mAb). We have used immunogold labeling and SEM to specifically map the distribution of antigens expressed on three bladder cancer cell lines and on the luminal surface of biopsies from human transitional cell carcinoma of various grades and from normal bladder mucosa. The 48-127 mAb, which recognizes a M(r) 54,000 surface glycoprotein (gp54), was found to be very promising as a potential drug carrier. This antibody reacts with the surface of cells from low- and high-grade tumors; it does not react with the normal urothelium. Labeling of normal bladder mucosa was observed, however, on microvillous intermediate urothelial cells occasionally exposed by small areas of desquamation. The 48-127 mAb could target drugs to all areas of transformed urothelium wh...