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A Multiplexed Luciferase-based Screening Platform for Interrogating Cancer-associated Signal Transduction in Cultured Cells
Published on: July 3, 2013
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Luciferase fragment complementation imaging in preclinical cancer studies
Madryn C Lake1, Eric O Aboagye1
1Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London.
Oncoscience
|January 17, 2015
Summary
The luciferase fragment complementation assay (LFCA) offers a safe, affordable method for non-invasively imaging molecular events in live cells. This review highlights LFCA
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Enzyme complementation assays utilize split reporter genes to visualize cellular activities.
- Luciferase fragment complementation assay (LFCA) is an advancement enabling non-invasive live-cell imaging.
- LFCA offers a cost-effective and safe alternative to traditional imaging methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review significant studies employing LFCA in cancer research.
- To focus on LFCA applications for receptor families and intracellular signaling pathways.
- To discuss emerging LFCA applications for DNA methylation and RNA detection.
Main Methods:
- Summarizing recent literature on LFCA applications in cancer research.
- Highlighting studies involving epidermal growth factor, nuclear, and chemokine receptors.
- Detailing LFCA use in probing intracellular signaling pathways (IP3, cAMP, Akt, cMyc, NRF2, Rho GTPases).
Main Results:
- LFCA has been increasingly utilized to investigate cancer-related molecular events.
- The assay effectively visualizes interactions within key signaling pathways and receptor families.
- Novel LFCA developments allow for imaging of DNA methylation and RNA transcripts.
Conclusions:
- LFCA is a versatile and powerful tool for studying complex biological processes in cancer.
- The assay's adaptability supports diverse applications from basic research to diagnostics.
- Continued development promises broader utility of LFCA in biomedical research.
