Lateral diffusion of TGF-beta type I receptor studied by single-molecule imaging

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Apr 27;356(1):67-71. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.02.080. Epub 2007 Feb 27.

Abstract

In this report, we investigated the lateral diffusion of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) type I receptor (TbetaRI) in living cells by imaging and tracking individual green fluorescent protein tagged TbetaRI on the cell membrane. We found that when co-expressed with TGF-beta type II receptor (TbetaRII), the mobility of TbetaRI decreased significantly after TGF-beta1 stimulation. However, in the cells that had been depleted of cholesterol with Nystatin or methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, the diffusion rate of TbetaRI was not changed by TGF-beta1 treatment. Our observations suggest that membrane lipid-rafts provide an environment that facilitates the association of TbetaRI and TbetaRII for cell signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Activin Receptors, Type I / genetics
  • Activin Receptors, Type I / metabolism*
  • Cell Membrane / drug effects
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Ionophores / pharmacology
  • Membrane Microdomains / drug effects
  • Membrane Microdomains / metabolism
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence / methods*
  • Nystatin / pharmacology
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Protein Transport / drug effects
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / genetics
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism*
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / pharmacology

Substances

  • Ionophores
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1
  • Nystatin
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Activin Receptors, Type I
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II