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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Live-cell Imaging of Migrating Cells Expressing Fluorescently-tagged Proteins in a Three-dimensional Matrix
Published on: December 22, 2011
[The study on the STAT3 labeled by GFP affecting the migration of BEL-7402 cell line]
Run Lin Yang1, Fei Yan Pan, Jun Yuan
1The Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, China.
Abstract:
Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) are key DNA-binding proteins in JAK/STATs signal pathway. Aberrant expression and activation of STAT3 have been identified in many kinds of tumors. We report here that constitutive activation of STAT3 was present in BEL-7402 cells. We constructed the fusing genes of STAT3 (wild type/mutant) and GFP to study the function of constitutively activated STAT3 in BEL-7402 cells. By measuring the migration of the cells labeled by GFP-STAT3(WT/CYF), we proved that overexpression of STAT3(WT) could augment the migration of BEL-7402 cells, while STAT3(CYF) could decrease the migration.
Insights
Constitutive activation of Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (STAT3) impacts cell migration in BEL-7402 cells. Overexpressing wild-type STAT3 enhances migration, while a mutant form decreases it.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Oncology
Context:
- Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) are crucial in the JAK/STAT pathway.
- Aberrant STAT3 expression and activation are implicated in various cancers.
- Constitutive STAT3 activation was observed in BEL-7402 cells.
Purpose:
- To investigate the functional role of constitutively activated STAT3 in BEL-7402 cells.
- To construct fusion genes of STAT3 (wild type and mutant) with GFP for cellular studies.
Summary:
- Overexpression of wild-type STAT3 (STAT3-WT) significantly augmented BEL-7402 cell migration.
- A STAT3 mutant form (STAT3-CYF) demonstrably decreased BEL-7402 cell migration.
- Cell migration was measured using cells labeled with GFP-STAT3 (WT/CYF).
Impact:
- Provides insights into STAT3's role in tumor cell migration.
- Highlights differential effects of wild-type versus mutant STAT3 on cell motility.
- Suggests potential therapeutic targeting of STAT3 in specific cancer contexts.
