UMMS Affiliation
Program in Molecular Medicine
Publication Date
2008-12-09
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Biochemistry | Biophysics | Cell Biology | Cellular and Molecular Physiology | Molecular Biology
Abstract
The activity of the ERK has complex spatial and temporal dynamics that are important for the specificity of downstream effects. However, current biochemical techniques do not allow for the measurement of ERK signaling with fine spatiotemporal resolution. We developed a genetically encoded, FRET-based sensor of ERK activity (the extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity reporter, EKAR), optimized for signal-to-noise ratio and fluorescence lifetime imaging. EKAR selectively and reversibly reported ERK activation in HEK293 cells after epidermal growth factor stimulation. EKAR signals were correlated with ERK phosphorylation, required ERK activity, and did not report the activities of JNK or p38. EKAR reported ERK activation in the dendrites and nucleus of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in brain slices after theta-burst stimuli or trains of back-propagating action potentials. EKAR therefore permits the measurement of spatiotemporal ERK signaling dynamics in living cells, including in neuronal compartments in intact tissues.
Keywords
fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, FRET, MAPK
Rights and Permissions
Publisher PDF posted as allowed by the publisher's author rights policy at http://www.pnas.org/site/aboutpnas/authorfaq.xhtml.
DOI of Published Version
10.1073/pnas.0804598105
Source
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Dec 9;105(49):19264-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804598105. Epub 2008 Nov 25. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Related Resources
PubMed ID
19033456
Repository Citation
Harvey, Christopher D.; Ehrhardt, Anka G.; Cellurale, Cristina Arrigo; Zhong, Haining; Yasuda, Ryohei; Davis, Roger J.; and Svoboda, Karel, "A genetically encoded fluorescent sensor of ERK activity" (2008). Davis Lab Publications. 70.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/davis/70
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