Mechanism of blood formation in leukaemia deciphered by single-molecule microscopy
2020
Universität Osnabrück, Osnabruck, Germany(1)
University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland(2)
University of York, York, United Kingdom(3)
University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland(2)
University of York, York, United Kingdom(3)
To date it has been unclear how individual mutations trigger signal activation at the molecular level and thus lead to serious diseases of the haematopoietic system, i.e. leukaemia.
Using single-molecule microscopy on living cells, the researchers have now been able to show, amongst other things, that the receptors are linked to form pairs by the messenger substances. Up to now it was assumed that the receptors were already present as inactive pairs even without messenger substances. However, from their new observations on high-resolution fluorescence microscopes, the researchers concluded that pair formation itself is the basic switch for activating signal transduction in the cell. Thus, direct microscopic visualisation of individual receptors under physiological conditions, simulations and molecular modelling in combination were able to clarify a controversy that has preoccupied this research area for more than 20 years.
Mechanism of homodimeric cytokine receptor activation and dysregulation by oncogenic mutations
Jacob Piehler(1), Ilpo Vattulainen(2), Ian S. Hitchcock(3)
Added on: 06-09-2020
[1] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6478/643[2] https://www.bionity.com/en/news/1164880/how-rogue-communications-between-cells-lead-to-leukaemia.html?pk_campaign=ca0264&WT.mc_id=ca0264
