Quantum dots (QDs) may serve as improved platforms for the complex modulation and ultra-sensitive imaging of molecular signaling in cells. The time course and spatial localization of activated ligand-receptor complexes and their trafficking within cells is becoming increasingly understood as vital for propagating cell signals. However, the movement and fate of ligand-receptor pairs inside cells is difficult to define with current technologies. We have studied the intracellular trafficking of TrkA receptors using QDs conjugated with nerve growth factor, a neuropeptide ligand critical for nervous system development and regulation. We find that NGF-QDs bind and activate TrkA surface receptors in PC12 neurons. Spatiotemporal maps of TrkA-NGF-QD endocytosis and translocation can be directly visualized with single QD resolution. Moreover, single molecule tracking experiments indicates that QDs complexes are actively shuttled over long distances within newly-sprouted neuronal processes. These results indicate that QDs can serve as effective high-resolution probe to track ligand-receptor function in the interior of cells.
Conference Committee Involvement (8)
Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications X
7 February 2015 | San Francisco, California, United States
Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications IX
1 February 2014 | San Francisco, California, United States
Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications VIII
2 February 2013 | San Francisco, California, United States
Colloidal Nanocrystals for Biomedical Applications VII
21 January 2012 | San Francisco, California, United States
Colloidal Quantum Dots/Nanocrystals for Biomedical Applications VI
22 January 2011 | San Francisco, California, United States
Colloidal Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications V
23 January 2010 | San Francisco, California, United States
Colloidal Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications IV
24 January 2009 | San Jose, California, United States
Colloidal Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications III
19 January 2008 | San Jose, California, United States
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