Dual-Mode Wheat Germ Agglutinin Labeling - A Versatile Cell Segmentation Strategy for High-Resolution LA-ICP-TOFMS Bioimaging.

ABSTRACT: Single-cell analysis by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOFMS) enables high-resolution mapping of elemental distributions and cellular phenotypes. Segmentation of individual cells necessitates labeling of both nuclei and membranes, the latter often requiring extensive tissue-specific optimization. In this study, we present a broadly applicable segmentation protocol based on wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), a lectin that binds to N-acetylglucosamine and sialic acid residues ubiquitously expressed on the cell membrane. By combining fluorescently labeled WGA with a metal-tagged anti-WGA antibody, we introduce a dual-labeling strategy compatible with both fluorescence microscopy and LA-ICP-TOFMS, enabling cross-validation of membrane labeli

SUBMITTER: Molitor C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12489891 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature