Abstract
| - We used atomic force/lateral force microscopy (AFM/LFM) and the transfer of a lipophilic fluorescent dye(octadecylrhodamine G, R18) to study the morphology and fusion of human prostasomes at pH values rangingbetween 5 and 8. The AFM data revealed that the mean diameter of untreated prostasomal vesicles was about200 nm, but a second prostasome population with a diameter of about 400 nm is also present. This secondpopulation increased upon exposing the vesicles to low pH values. The AFM/LFM characterization revealedthe smoothness of the prostasome surface and showed that the larger vesicles were fused prostasomes, asalso indicated by the relief of R18 self-quenching.
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