Ganglioside-magnetosome complex formation enhances uptake of gangliosides by cells

Bacterial magnetosomes, because of their nano-scale size, have a large surface-to-volume ratio and are able to carry large quantities of bioactive substances such as enzymes, antibodies, and genes. Gangliosides, a family of sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids, function as distinctive cell surface markers and as specific determinants in cellular recognition and cell-to-cell communication. Exogenously added gangliosides are often used to study biological functions, transport mechanisms, and metabolism of their endogenous counterparts. Absorption of gangliosides into cells is typically limited by their tendency to aggregate into micelles in aqueous media. We describe here a simple strategy to remove proteins from the magnetosome membrane by sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment, and efficiently immobilize a ganglioside (GM1 or GM3) on the magnetosome by mild ultrasonic treatment. The maximum of 11.7±1.2 µg GM1 and 11.6±1.5 μg GM3 was loaded onto 1 mg magnetosome, respectively. Complexes of ganglioside-magnetosomes stored at 4°C for certain days presented the consistent stability. The use of GM1-magnetosome complex resulted in the greatest enhancement of ganglioside incorporation by cells. GM3-magnetosome complex significantly inhibited EGF-induced phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor. Both of these effects were further enhanced by the presence of a magnetic field.