LABEL-FREE MONITORING OF CELL SIGNALLING PROCESSES THROUGH AFM-BASED FORCE MEASUREMENTS - Life at the Nanoscale: Atomic Force Microscopy of Live Cells - page 361

(a)
(b)
Figure 17.7. AFM measurement of the stimulation of two G-protein coupled receptors:
(a) the purinergic receptors P2Ys by the agonist ATP (10 μM) in CHO cell and (b)
the bradykinin receptor (B 2 ) by its agonist bradykinin (1 μM) in the immortalized
endothelial cell line EA.hy 926.
mostly associated with the recognition of growth factor like VEGF (vascular
endothelial growth factor), 55,56 ligand-gated ion channels like the GABA A
chloride channel, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian
central nervous system 57,58 or cytosolic/nuclear receptors which act mostly as
a transcription factor like the receptor for testosterone. 59,60 Apart from these,
there is also a multitude of receptors deprived of endogenous enzymatic
activity nor coupled to G-protein such as the integrin receptor family which
binds elements of the extracellular matrix and the Toll-like receptors family
that are able to bind speciic patterns found on pathogen proteins to initiate
immune responses. Those receptors are able to recruit different intracellular
protein to trigger speciic signalling pathways though scaffolding and
adaptor proteins such as the cytosolic small G-protein and various
kinases and phosphatases. Alternatively any exogenous agents affecting
intracellular calcium or cyclic AMP level or any factor affecting the activity