Using of the surface plasmon resonance cytosensor for real-time and non-invasive monitoring of cellular effects in living C6 cells induced by PMA

Abstract

Developing novel instruments and technologies for spatio-temporal and dynamic measurements of the intricate cellular effects involving molecular translocation, signal transduction, and molecular interactions inside living cells is essential for the cell and molecular biology science. For the purpose of monitoring and investigating molecular events in living cells at real-time, the surface plasmon resonance based cytosensor (SBCS) for cell culturing and signal monitoring was established, and on the basis of it, the corresponding technology was also established by monitoring and analyzing SPR responses induced in rat C6 glioma cells by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The SPR signals induced by PMA in living C6 cells were significantly different from those groups without cells. These responses were strongly dependent on and saturable to the concentrations of PMA, and could be suppressed by the specific and potent PKC inhibitors, which indicated that the measured signal could be the reflection of the redistribution of intracellular components near the cell membrane triggered by the activation of PKC. This research provides a quantitative and non-invasive technique to study the spatio-temporal characteristics of the cellular effects in living cells at real-time. Furthermore, this technology could also be widely used in the basic research as well as applied realms, such as space effects evaluation, environmental safety assessment, biological weapon detection, cellular and molecular research, and drug screening.