Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2025
Validated Immunochemical Assay for Comprehensive Determination of the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Released from and Bound to Cells
Published on: May 9, 2025
In Situ Visualization of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Nuclear Translocation with Circular Bivalent Aptamer
Lei Zhang1, Mengge Chu1, Cailing Ji1
1Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
Abstract:
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) nuclear translocation correlates with the abnormal proliferation, migration, and anti-apoptosis of tumor cells. Monitoring EGFR nuclear translocation provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying cancers. EGFR nuclear translocation includes two processes, EGFR phosphorylation and phosphorylated EGFR translocation to the nucleus. With the help of aptamers, probes that can achieve the first step of anchoring phosphorylated EGFR have been developed. However, the EGFR nuclear translocation can last for hours, posing a challenge to monitor the entire nuclear translocation in living cells. Herein, we designed a circular bivalent aptamer-functionalized optical probe with greatly enhanced stability for long-term visualization of EGFR nuclear translocation in situ. The results of cell experiments show that the probe could monitor the entire nuclear translocation of EGFR. The findings of tissue and in vivo experiments demonstrate that the probe can evaluate the development and progression of tumors by imaging EGFR nuclear translocation in situ. The proposed approach allows us to monitor EGFR nuclear translocation in the long term, indicating its great potential in investigating the mechanisms of cancers and guiding for tumor treatment.
Insights
Researchers developed a stable optical probe to track epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) nuclear translocation over extended periods. This advancement aids in understanding cancer mechanisms and guiding tumor treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) nuclear translocation is linked to tumor cell proliferation, migration, and survival.
- Current methods face challenges in monitoring the full duration of EGFR nuclear translocation in living cells.
- Understanding EGFR dynamics is crucial for cancer research and therapeutic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and validate a novel optical probe for long-term, in situ monitoring of EGFR nuclear translocation.
- To overcome the limitations of existing probes in capturing the complete translocation process.
- To assess the probe's utility in evaluating tumor development and progression.
Main Methods:
- Development of a circular bivalent aptamer-functionalized optical probe with enhanced stability.
- In vitro cell experiments to visualize EGFR nuclear translocation dynamics.
- In vivo and tissue experiments to correlate probe imaging with tumor progression.
Main Results:
- The developed probe successfully monitored the entire EGFR nuclear translocation process in living cells.
- Cell experiments confirmed the probe's ability to track EGFR movement over extended periods.
- Tissue and in vivo studies demonstrated the probe's effectiveness in imaging EGFR translocation for tumor evaluation.
Conclusions:
- The circular bivalent aptamer probe enables long-term, in situ visualization of EGFR nuclear translocation.
- This technology offers significant potential for investigating cancer mechanisms.
- The probe can aid in guiding personalized tumor treatment strategies.
More Related Videos
09:16Studying the Stoichiometry of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Intact Cells using Correlative Microscopy
Published on: September 11, 2015
10:46A Flow Cytometry-Based Cell Surface Protein Binding Assay for Assessing Selectivity and Specificity of an Anticancer Aptamer
Published on: September 13, 2022