They develop a methodology to improve the detection of zinc alterations in nerve cells, essential in many neurological diseases

(From left to right). Josema Torres, Raúl Ballestín and Xavier Ponsoda.
(From left to right). Josema Torres, Raúl Ballestín and Xavier Ponsoda.
Researchers from the Universitat de València have developed a new methodology to detect and visualise zinc in astrocytes (cells that help in the correct function of nerve cells), both at microscopy and electronic level. The project, published in the magazine Microscopy and Microanalysis, confirms the importance of astrocytes in the control of zinc levels in our brain, an essential element for many neural functions.

"Given that the alterations in zinc levels has been associated with many neural diseases, this new technique could be useful to investigate the molecular basis of these pathologies and develop new therapeutic strategies", explains Xavier Ponsoda, full-time university professor in the Department of Cellular Biology, Functional Biology and Anthropologic Physics, and one out of the three of the signatory people of this article.

The research is based on zinc as a critical ion for a huge number of cellular functions. In the central nervous system, zinc ions participate in the synaptic transmission, and are therefore essential to keep neural stability and cells have developed many mechanisms that control the concentration of zinc. The alterations in the levels of this metal are present in many diseases and syndromes.

What’s more, this project means "an optimization in the methods of zinc detection, since they identify the best methods of fixation (paraformaldehyde) and precipitation of zinc (sodium sulphide) to preserve the zinc ions and get high quality pictures", adds Raùl Ballestín, researcher of the same department.

Another of the conclusions of the project is the visualization of zincsomes (cellular structures that store zinc) to an ultrastructural level, fact that demonstrates "the capacity of this technique to visualise zincsomes to a detailed level never before seen", underlines Josema Torres, also researcher in the Cellular Biology Department of the UV.

"The research about zinc homeostasis in our brain is an active field and in constant development. This research contributes to amplify our knowledge in cellular and molecular mechanisms that stay underneath many brain functions", explains Raùl Ballestín. This project has been done in astrocytes from rats in vitro.

Article reference: Raùl Ballestín, Josema Torres, and Xavier Ponsoda. ’TSQ Incubation Enhances Autometallographic Zinc Detection in Cultured Astrocytes’. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 2024, 30, 759’770 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/m­am/ozae060