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Studying the Effects of Glycosaminoglycans in Cell Morphological Aspect with Scanning Electron Microscopy

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Proteoglycans

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2619))

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Abstract

Glycosaminoglycans, the building blocks of proteoglycans, play a central role in the extracellular matrix and regulate a number of cellular processes. Therefore, any imbalance in their levels can lead to significant changes in cell behavior and phenotype. Additionally, glycosaminoglycans and their derivatives can be deployed as therapeutic agents in pathological conditions. Since cell morphology is a critical indicator of specialized cellular functions, its study can provide valuable insight. Scanning electron microscopy is a high-resolution imaging technique that makes for an ideal tool to observe the cellular appearance in 2D and 3D cultures under different conditions and/or substrates. In this chapter we provide a step-by-step protocol to study the influence of exogenously added glycosaminoglycans in the morphology of cells using scanning electron microscopy.

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Correspondence to Christos Koutsakis .

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Koutsakis, C., Franchi, M., Tavianatou, AG., Masola, V., Karamanos, N.K. (2023). Studying the Effects of Glycosaminoglycans in Cell Morphological Aspect with Scanning Electron Microscopy. In: Karamanos, N.K. (eds) Proteoglycans. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2619. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2946-8_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2946-8_8

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2945-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2946-8

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