Molecular Cell Surface Interactions Imaged

U.S. researchers have developed a technique that allows them to glimpse interactions between molecules on the surface of a cell.

By measuring the force generated by such cell surface interactions, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology team was able to image and measure the rate at which individual molecules join and separate from receptors on a cell surface. Such interactions are not visible with traditional light microscopy.

We were able to measure regions of strong intermolecular binding on the cell surfaces, which enabled us to map the locations of the receptors, said Sunyoung Lee, a MIT graduate student and lead author of the study.

He said the technique, known as functionalized force imaging, might lead to a better understanding of the strength and rates of interactions between molecular ligands outside the cell and the molecular receptors on the cell surface. The researchers said those interactions are crucial in cell growth, proliferation and differentiation.

The finding might also assist in the design and testing of new drug molecules that bind strongly or quickly to the target cell, they added.

The complex research is reported in the June 5 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.