Rhodamine-phalloidin

Cells were cultured on glass coverslips (Matsunami) pre-coated with 10 µg/ml fibronectin (Sigma) and fixed with 4% (w/v) paraformaldehyde in PBS or BRB80 [80 mM Pipes (pH 6.8), 1 mM MgCl₂, and 1 mM EGTA] for 10 min at room temperature. Fixed cells were stained with the respective antibodies, phalloidin conjugated with either Alexa Fluor 488 or rhodamine (Invitrogen), along with DAPI (Sigma) as described previously^{2 (link), 54 (link)}. In situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) was performed using Duolink kit (Olink Bioscience) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After completion of the PLA reaction, samples were refixed with 4% (w/v) paraformaldehyde and incubated with Alexa Fluor-conjugated secondary antibodies (Life Technologies) to detect the individual proteins. Fluorescence images were obtained using a laser scanning confocal imaging system (LSM700, Carl Zeiss) and processed using the ImageJ software. Number of Golgi fragments was quantified by using the ImageJ particle analysis tool. Colocalization was examined using the ImageJ JACoP plugin^{64 (link)} or Metamorph (Molecular Devices).

nPM collection and transfer into aqueous suspension. We collected nPM with a high-volume ultrafine particle (HVUP) sampler (Misra et al. 2002 ) at 400 L/min flow in Los Angeles City near the CA-110 Freeway. These aerosols represent a mix of fresh ambient PM mostly from vehicular traffic nearby this freeway (Ning et al. 2007 (link)). The HVUP sampler consists of an ultrafine particle slit impactor, followed by an after-filter holder. The nPM (diameter < 200 nm) was collected on pretreated Teflon filters (20 × 25.4 cm, polytetrafluoroethylene, 2 μm pore; Pall Life Sciences, Covina, CA). We transferred the collected nPM into aqueous suspension by 30 min soaking of nPM-loaded filters in Milli-Q deionized water (resistivity, 18.2 MW; total organic compounds < 10 ppb; particle free; bacteria levels < 1 endotoxin units/mL; endotoxin-free glass vials), followed by vortexing (5 min) and sonication (30 min). As a control for in vitro experiments with resuspended nPM, fresh sterile filters were sham extracted. Aqueous nPM suspensions were pooled and frozen as a stock at –20°C, which retains chemical stability for ≥ 3 months (Li N et al. 2003; Li R et al. 2009). For in vitro experiments, nPM suspensions were diluted in culture medium, vortexed, and added directly to cultures.
Animals and exposure conditions. The nPM suspensions were reaerosolized by a VORTRAN nebulizer (Vortran Medical Technology 1 Inc., Sacramento, CA) using compressed particle-free filtered air [see Supplemental Material, Figure S1 (doi:10.​1289/ehp.1002973)]. Particles were diffusion dried by passing through silica gel; static charges were removed by passing over polonium-210 neutralizers. Particle sizes and concentrations were continuously monitored during exposure at 0.3 L/min by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS model 3080; TSI Inc., Shoreview, MN). The nPM mass concentration was determined by pre- and postweighing the filters under controlled temperature and relative humidity. Inorganic ions [ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrate (NO₃^–), sulfate (SO₄^2–)] were analyzed by ion chromatography. PM-bound metals and trace elements were assayed by magnetic-sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Water-soluble organic carbon was assayed by a GE-Sievers liquid analyzer (GE-Sievers, Boulder, CO). Analytic details for nPM-bound species are given by Li R et al. (2009). Samples of the reaerosolized nPM were collected on parallel Teflon filters for electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis.
Mice (C57BL/6J males, 3 months of age) were maintained under standard conditions with ad libitum Purina Lab Chow (Newco Purina, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) and sterile water. Just before nPM exposure, mice were transferred from home cages to exposure chambers that allowed free movement. Temperature and airflow were controlled for adequate ventilation and to minimize buildup of animal-generated contaminants [skin dander, carbon dioxide (CO₂), ammonia]. Reaerosolized nPM or ambient air (control) was delivered to the sealed exposure chambers for 5 hr/day, 3 days/week, for 10 weeks. Mice did not lose weight or show signs of respiratory distress. Mice were euthanized after isoflurane anesthesia, and tissue was collected and stored at –80°C. All rodents were treated humanely and with regard for alleviation of suffering; all procedures were approved by the University of Southern California Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
EPR spectroscopy of nPM. The reaerosolized nPM was collected on filters (described above), which were inserted directly in the EPR quartz tube (Bruker EPR spectrometer; Bruker, Rheinstetten, Germany); spectra were measured at 22°C. The g-value was determined following calibration of the EPR instrument using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) as a standard. The EPR signal for DPPH was measured and the corresponding g-value was calculated. The difference from the known g-value of 2.0036 for DPPH was then used to adjust the observed g-value for the sample.
Cell culture and nPM exposure. Hippocampal slices from postnatal day 10–12 rats were cultured 2 weeks in a humidified incubator (35°C/5% CO₂) (Jourdi et al. 2005 (link)) with nPM suspensions added for 24–72 hr of exposure. Primary neurons from embryonic day 18 rat cerebral cortex were plated at 20,000 neurons/cm² on cover slips coated with poly-d-lysine/laminin and cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) supplemented with B27, at 37°C in 5% CO₂ atmosphere (Rozovsky et al. 2005 (link)). Primary glial cultures from cerebral cortex of neonatal day 3 rats (F344) were plated at 200,000 cells/cm² in DMEM/F12 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% l-glutamine and incubated as described above (Rozovsky et al. 1998 (link)). For conditioned medium experiments, glial cultures were treated with 10 mg nPM/mL; after 24 hr, media were transferred by pipette to neuron cultures.
Neurite outgrowth and toxicity assays. After treatments, neurons were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and immunostained with anti–β-III-tubulin (1:1,000, rabbit; Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO); F-actin was stained by rhodamine phalloidin (1:40; Molecular Probes, Carlsbad, CA). A neurite was defined as a process extending from the cell soma of the neuron that was immunopositive for both β-III-tubulin (green) and F-actin (red). The length of neurites was measured using NeuronJ software (Meijering et al. 2004 (link)). Growth cones were defined by the presence of actin-rich filopodia and lamellipodia (Kapfhammer et al. 2007 ). Collapsed growth cones were defined as actin-rich neuritic endings in which filopodia and lamellipodia were indistinguishable. In neurite outgrowth and growth cone collapse assays, individual neurons were selected from two cover slips per condition; n is the total number of neurons analyzed per treatment. Cytotoxicity in slice cultures was assayed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release to media and by cellular uptake of propidium iodide (PI) (Jourdi et al. 2005 (link)). Neuronal viability was assayed by Live/Dead Cytotoxicity Kit (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) by computer-assisted image analysis of fluorescent images. Mitochondrial reductase was assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) at 585 nm in undifferentiated PC12 cells (Mosmann 1983 (link)). For viability assays, n is the total number of hippocampal slices analyzed (LDH release and PI uptake) or the total number of cell culture wells analyzed per condition.
Immunoblotting. Mouse hippocampi were homogenized using a glass homogenizer in cold lysis buffer as described by Jourdi et al. (2005) (link). After sample preparation, 20 μg protein was electrophoresed on 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, followed by transfer to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes. The PVDF membranes were blocked with 5% bovine serum albumin for 1 hr and probed with primary antibodies overnight at 4°C: anti-GluA1 (glutamate receptor subunit 1; 1:3,000, rabbit; Abcam, Cambridge, MA), anti-GluA2 (1:2,000, rabbit; Millipore, Billerica, MA), anti-PSD95 (1:1,000, mouse; Abcam), anti-synaptophysin (1:5,000, mouse; Stressgene; Enzo, Plymouth Meeting, PA), and anti-β-III tubulin (loading control; 1:15,000, rabbit; Sigma), followed by incubation with secondary antibodies (1:10,000) conjugated with IRDye 680 (rabbit, LI-COR Biosciences, Lincoln, NE) and IRDye 800 (mouse, LI-COR). Immunofluorescence was detected by infrared imaging (Odyssey, LI-COR).
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Total cellular RNA was extracted from cerebral cortex of nPM-exposed mice and rat primary glia (Tri Reagent; Sigma), and cDNA (2 μg RNA; Superscript III kit; Invitrogen) was analyzed by qPCR, with primers appropriate for mouse (in vivo) or rat (in vitro). Genes examined by qPCR were CD14, CD68, CD11b, CD11c, GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein), IFN-γ (interferon-γ), IL-1α, IL-1, IL-6, and TNFα. Data were normalized to β-actin.
Statistical analysis. Data are expressed as mean ± SE. The numbers of individual measurements (n) are described above and listed in the figure legends. Single and multiple comparisons used Student’s t-test (unpaired) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)/Tukey’s honestly significant difference, with statistical significance defined as p < 0.05.

F-actin staining of endothelial cells was performed using rhodamine labeled phalloidin. At first, HUVEC/TERT2 cells were grown on coverslips in a 6-well plate. After treatment, cells were fixed using previously mentioned fixing solutions for 10 min at RT. Then, one wash with 1× PBS was given. Thereafter, cells were permeabilized in 0.1% Triton X-100 in PBS for 5 min at RT to increase permeability. Samples were then washed twice in 1× PBS. Stock solution (400× in DMSO) of rhodamine phalloidin (Invitrogen) was diluted (2.5 μL in 1 mL of PBS) and then added to the samples followed by incubation in a cell culture incubator at 37 °C for 60 min. Then the samples were washed three times with 1× PBS. Finally, coverslips were mounted using Prolong Gold mounting solution with DAPI. Confocal images were acquired using Nikon confocal A1R HD attached with Ti2-E. Images were captured using a 100× Nikon objective (1.45 NA).