
A tumor cell that has acquired high metastatic potential during chemotherapy lights up with high FRET biosensor readout, whereas the cells that are sensitive to chemotherapy (and hence, low potential) stays dark.
The spread of invasive cancer cells from a tumor’s original site to distant parts of the body is known as metastasis. It is the leading cause of death in people with cancer. In a paper published online in iScience , University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers reported engineering sensors that can detect and measure the metastatic potential of single cancer cells.
“Cancer would not be so devastating if it did not metastasize,” said Pradipta Ghosh, MD, professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine departments of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, director of the Center for Network Medicine and senior study author.
“Although there are many ways to detect metastasis once it has occurred, there has been nothing available to ‘see’ or ‘measure’ the potential of a tumor cell to metastasize in the future. So at the Center for Network Medicine, we tackled this challenge by engineering biosensors designed to monitor not one, not two, but multiple signaling programs that drive tumor metastasis; upon sensing those signals a fluorescent signal would be turned on only when tumor cells acquired high potential to metastasize, and therefore turn deadly.”
Cancer cells alter normal cell communications by hijacking one of many signaling pathways to permit metastasis to occur. As the tumor cells adapt to the environment or cancer treatment, predicting which pathway will be used becomes difficult. By comparing proteins and protein modifications in normal versus all cancer tissues, Ghosh and colleagues identified a particular protein and its unique modification called tyrosine-phosphorylated CCDC88A (GIV/Girdin) that are only present in solid tumor cells. Comparative analyses indicated that this modification could represent a point of convergence of multiple signaling pathways commonly hijacked by tumor cells during metastasis.
The team used novel engineered biosensors and sophisticated microscopes to monitor the modification on GIV and found that, indeed, fluorescent signals reflected a tumor cell’s metastatic tendency. They were then able to measure the metastatic potential of single cancer cells and account for the unknowns of an evolving tumor biology through this activity. The result was the development of Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) biosensors.
Although highly aggressive and adaptive, very few cancer cells metastasize and that metastatic potential comes and goes, said Ghosh. If metastasis can be predicted, this data could be used to personalize treatment to individual patients. For example, patients whose cancer is not predicted to metastasize or whose disease could be excised surgically might be spared from highly toxic therapies, said Ghosh. Patients whose cancer is predicted to spread aggressively might be treated with precision medicine to target the metastatic cells.
“It’s like looking at a Magic 8 Ball, but with a proper yardstick to measure the immeasurable and predict outcomes,” said Ghosh. “We have the potential not only to obtain information on single cell level, but also to see the plasticity of the process occurring in a single cell. This kind of imaging can be used when we are delivering treatment to see how individual cells are responding.”
The sensors need further refinement, wrote the authors, but have the potential to be a transformative advance for cancer cell biology.
Learn more: UC San Diego Researchers Develop Sensors to Detect and Measure Cancer’s Ability to Spread
The Latest on: Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) biosensors
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) biosensors” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) biosensors
- Why LEDs Are Changing the Face of Fluorescence Microscopyon May 31, 2023 at 8:01 am
It’s perhaps unsurprising that LED lighting alternatives quickly gained a foothold in microscopy despite having relatively few applications due to early technical limitations. Rapid advances over the ...
- Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET)on May 31, 2023 at 4:35 am
Energy Transfer LP provides natural gas pipeline transportation and transmission services. It operates through the following segments: Intrastate Transportation and Storage, Interstate ...
- Energy Transferon May 30, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Plus: Invited unveils its multimillion-dollar renovation and rebrand of The Constellation Club in Irving; Dallas-based Technology Media Group acquired by Georgia company; and more. Invited CEO ...
- Energy Transfer: Insiders Vs. The Marketon May 26, 2023 at 8:29 am
Graham recommended a fair P/E for a stock like Energy Transfer LP to be 8.5 plus twice the expected annual growth rate (the so-called Graham P/E). Hence, the market is essentially following his ...
- Energy Transfer: 2 Better High-Yield Energy Stocks to Buyon May 21, 2023 at 5:16 am
and Energy Transfer wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Founded in 1993 in Alexandria, VA., by brothers David and Tom Gardner, The Motley Fool is a ...
- How Is The Market Feeling About Energy Transfer?on May 18, 2023 at 10:56 am
Short interest is the number of shares that have been sold short but have not yet been covered or closed out. Short selling is when a trader sells shares of a company they do not own, with the ...
- Energy Transfer Unusual Options Activityon May 16, 2023 at 5:54 pm
Someone with a lot of money to spend has taken a bullish stance on Energy Transfer ET. And retail traders should know. We noticed this today when the big position showed up on publicly available ...
- Energy Transfer's Recent $1.45 Billion Deal Won't Be its Laston May 7, 2023 at 9:02 am
Energy Transfer has a long history of making acquisitions. It plans to continue doing deals. It looks for accretive transactions that can enhance its footprint. AllianceBernstein analyst Jean Ann ...
- Energy Transfer's Recent $1.45 Billion Deal Won't Be its Laston May 7, 2023 at 6:05 am
Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) is an active acquirer. It recently bought Lotus Midstream for $1.45 billion. That follows two smaller bolt-on acquisitions last year (Woodford Express and Spindletop ...
via Bing News