Luminescence from Lanthanide(III) Ions Bound to the Glycocalyx of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells

Lanthanide(III) ions bind to the glycocalyx of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells and give rise to a unique luminescent fingerprint. Following direct excitation of terbium(III) and europium(III) ions in the visible part of the spectrum, we are able to collect emission spectra pixel-by-pixel in images of CHO cells. Following data analysis that removes the background signal, the fine structure of the europium(III) luminescence indicate that the lanthanide(III) ions are bound to a single structure of the CHO cell glycocalyx. This was deduced from the fact that the structure-sensitive emission spectrum of europium is unchanged throughout the investigated samples.