Investigation of mechanobiological sensing in cell spreading with label-free photoelectrochemical imaging of the cell attachment area.

Steffi Krause (primary)
School of Engineering and Materials Science
Queen Mary University of London
Thomas Iskratsch (secondary)
School of Engineering and Materials Science
Queen Mary University of London

Abstract

Cell migration is a critical process during development, tissue homeostasis or immune response. However, de-regulation of migration can lead to severe disease including fibrosis or cancer metastasis. This project aims to study caveolae formation and mechano-signalling associated with cell migration processes using a combination of a photoelectrochemical imaging system (PEIS), cell spreading assays, super-resolution microscopy and knockdown or inhibition of critical molecules in normal and cancer cells. PEIS will be used to monitor changes in membrane charge and permeability and changes in the calcium signalling, while super-resolution microscopy will allow the localisation of caveolae.


References

[1] Bo Zhou, Anirban Das, Muchun Zhong, Qian Guo, De-Wen Zhang, Karin A. Hing, Ana Jorge Sobrido, Maria-Magdalena Titirici, Steffi Krause, “Photoelectrochemical imaging system with high spatiotemporal resolution for visualizing dynamic cellular responses.” Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2021; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2021.113121
[2] Fan Wu, Bo Zhou, Jian Wang, Muchun Zhong, Anirban Das, Michael Watkinson, Karin Hing, De-Wen Zhang*, and Steffi Krause, “Photoelectrochemical Imaging System for the Mapping of Cell Surface Charges”, Analytical Chemistry 91 (2019) 5896-5903; https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.9b00304


BBSRC Area
Genes, development and STEM* approaches to biology
Area of Biology
Cell BiologyChemical Biology
Techniques & Approaches
BiophysicsChemistryMicroscopy / Electrophysiology