Effects of the expression level of epidermal growth factor receptor on the ligand-induced restructuring of focal adhesions: a QCM-D study.

Garcia, Marcela; Shahid, Ammar; Chen, Jennifer; Xi, Jun

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a major role in cell migration and invasion and is considered to be the primary source of activation of various malignant tumors. To gain insight into how elevated levels of EGFR influence cellular function, particularly cell motility, we used a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to examine restructuring of focal adhesions in MCF-10A cells induced by epidermal growth factor. Engineered cells that overexpress epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exhibited a very different kinetic profile from wildtype MCF-10A cells that have a lower level of EGFR with a higher rate for the initial disassembly of focal adhesion and a much lower rate for the later reassembly of focal adhesions. It is conceivable that these effects exhibited by EGFR-overexpressing cells may promote the initiation and maintenance of a more favorable adhesion state for cell migration. This study has demonstrated the capability of the dissipation monitoring function of the QCM-D to quantitatively assess kinetic aspects of cellular processes with a high temporal resolution and sensitivity. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

EPIDERMAL growth factor receptors; CELL motility; QUARTZ crystal microbalances; FOCAL adhesions; CELL migration

Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2013, Vol 405, Issue 4, p1153

1618-2642

Academic Journal

10.1007/s00216-012-6558-6