Hui Yao¹, Liqun Wang³, Jia Guo¹, Weimin Liu⁴, Jingjing Li¹, Yingxiao Wang², Linhong Deng^1,*, Mingxing Ouyang^1,2,3,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 101-111, 2020, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2020.09595

Abstract Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men beyond 50 years old, and ranked the second in mortality. The level of Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in serum has been a routine biomarker for clinical assessment of the cancer development, which is detected mostly by antibody-based immunoassays. The proteolytic activity of PSA also has important functions. Here a genetically encoded biosensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology was developed to measure PSA activity. In vitro assay showed that the biosensor containing a substrate peptide ‘RLSSYYSGAG’ had 400% FRET change in response to 1 µg/ml PSA within 90 min, and… More >

Qin Peng¹, Shaoying Lu¹, Shu Chien¹, Yingxiao Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 83-83, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07385

Abstract The dramatic re-organization of chromatin during mitosis is perhaps one of the most fundamental of all cell processes [1,2]. It remains unclear how epigenetic histone modifications, despite their crucial roles in regulating chromatin architectures, are dynamically coordinated with chromatin reorganization in controlling this process. Mechanical cues have also been shown to play important roles in modulating gene expressions and cellular functions [3,4]; however, it is still unclear about the mechanical regulations of epigenetics and chromatin organization. In this study, we have developed and characterized biosensors with high sensitivity and specificity based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). These biosensors were… More >

Longwei Liu¹, Praopim Limsakul¹, Shaoying (Kathy) Lu¹, Peter Yingxiao Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 82-82, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07360

Abstract Genetically-encoded biosensors based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET biosensors) have been widely used to dynamically track the activity of Protein Tyrosine Kinases (PTKs) in living cells because of their sensitive ratiometric fluorescence readout, high spatiotemporal resolution. However, the limitation in sensitivity, specificity, and dynamic range of these biosensors have hindered their broader applications, and there was a lack of efficient ways to optimize FRET biosensors. Here we established a rapid, systematic and universal approach for FRET biosensor optimization through directed evolution which involves generating genetic diversity and screening for protein variants with desired properties at the same time and… More >

FEI XIE^1,2, BAOHONG ZHANG^1,2, WENFENG XU¹, XIAOLING LIAO^1,*, QIUHONG HUANG¹, BO LIU^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.41, No.2-3, pp. 45-54, 2017, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2017.41.045

Abstract Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a vital role in mediating the adaptability of tumor cells under mechanical stimuli. Previous studies revealed that FAK can locate to different cell compartments, and its regulation is highly dependent on its subcellular localization. However, the local FAK activities and its regulation mechanism in different cell compartments of tumor cells in response to fluid shear stress are still unclear. In this study, 5 dyn/cm² and 20 dyn/cm² of shear stress was applied to HeLa cells for 30 min. The activities of FAK targeting different subcellular compartments (lipids rafts, non-rafts, focal adhesions and cytoplasm) were investigated… More >