IMM - Livros e Capítulos de livros
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- AFM imaging-force spectroscopy combination for molecular recognition at the single-cell levelPublication . Carvalho, Filomena Almeida; Santos, NunoMolecular recognition at the single-cell level is an increasingly important issue in Biomedical Sciences. With atomic force microscopy, cell surface receptors may be recognized through the interaction with their ligands, inclusively for the identification of cell-cell adhesion proteins. The spatial location of a specific interaction can be determined by adhesion force mapping, which combines topographic images with local force spectroscopy measurements. Another valuable possibility is to simultaneously record topographic and recognition images (TREC imaging) of cells, enabling the mapping of specific binding events on cells in real time. This review is focused on recent developments on these molecular recognition approaches, presenting examples of different biological and biomedical applications.
- Atomic force microscopy : a tool for imaging, manipulating biomolecules, and quantifying single-molecule interactions in biological systemsPublication . Lopes, Catarina S.; Carvalho, Carvalho; Santos, Nuno C.
- Anticancer peptides : prospective innovation in cancer therapyPublication . Gaspar, Diana Gaspar; Castanho, Miguel A. R. B.Current cancer treatments require improvements in selectivity and efficacy. Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy approaches result in patient’s suffering over time due to the development of severe side-effects that simultaneously condition adherence to therapy. Biologically active peptides, in particular antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are versatile molecules in terms of biological activities. The cytotoxic activities of several AMPs turn this group of molecules into an amazing pool of new templates for anticancer drug development. However, several unmet challenges limit application of peptides in cancer therapy. The mechanism(s) of action of the peptides need better description and understanding, and innovative targets have to be discovered and explored, facilitating drug design and development. In this chapter, we explore the natural occurring AMPs as potential new anticancer peptides (ACPs) for cancer prevention and treatment. Their modes of action, selectivity to tumor compared to normal cells, preferential targets, and applications, but also their weaknesses, are described and discussed.
- Quantifying molecular partition of charged molecules by Zeta-potential measurementsPublication . Freire, João Miguel; Domingues, Marco M.; Matos, Joana; Melo, Manuel N.; Veiga, Ana Salomé; Santos, Nuno C.; Castanho, Miguel A. R. B.
- Laser-light scattering approach to peptide–membrane interactionPublication . Domingues, Marco M.; Santos, Nuno C.Membrane-active peptides are becoming widely used, mainly due to their high therapeutic potential. Although the therapeutic action is characterized, the mechanisms of interaction are often unclear or controversial. In biophysical studies, non-invasive techniques are overlooked when studying the effect of peptides on membranes. Light scattering techniques, such as dynamic light scattering and static light scattering, can be used as tools to determine whether promotion of membrane aggregation in the presence of peptides and of self-peptide aggregation in solution occurs. More recently, light scattering has been used for evaluating the alteration on membrane surface charge (ζ-potential) promoted by membrane–peptide interactions. The data obtained by these techniques (either by themselves or combined with complementary experimental approaches) therefore yield valuable elucidations of membrane-active peptides’ mechanisms of action at the molecular level.
- Selective membrane interactions of nucleolar-targeting peptidesPublication . Rodrigues, Margarida; Rádis-Baptista, Gandhi; de la Torre, Beatriz G.; Castanho, Miguel A. R. B.; Andreu, David; Santos, Nuno C.