Nanomaterials for Live Cell Imaging and Manipulation

Abstract

Living cells use genetically encoded molecular networks to monitor their environment and make sophisticated decisions. Cellular networks, or various signaling pathways are interconnected and multifunctional, so unraveling them to elucidate mechanisms is challenging. Numerous studies have focused on solving the question of how each signal regulates complex developmental phenotypes. However, because of its complex interaction with its ligands and lack of temporal and quantitative control over membrane protein stimulation, the details of almost every signaling are still poorly understood. To understand how cells exploit different stimuli and signaling pathways are combined and orchestrate to control a diverse array of cellular processes in widely different spatial and temporal domains, we are developing imaging and manipulating technology for receptor in spatiotemporal and quantitative way. The tools capable of imaging and perturbing mechanical signaling pathways with fine spatiotemporal resolution have been elusive despite their importance in diverse cellular processes. To address this, we synthesized magnetoplasmonic nanoparticles that can image, localize, and mechanically load targeted proteins with high spatiotemporal resolution. We demonstrate their utility as a quantitative perturbation system by investigating the cell surface activation of Notch and E-cadherin receptors. By measuring cellular responses to various spatial, chemical, and mechanical inputs at the single molecule and single cell level, we reveal how spatial segregation and mechanical force cooperate to direct receptor activation dynamics.