Bioengineering Seminar
"Capturing EGFR Dynamics and Interactions Using Fluorescence Nanoscopy" - Diane S. Lidke, University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Co-hosted by Georgia Tech's Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.
Diane S. Lidke
Vice-Chair for Research Professor
Department of Pathology
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Register HERE to participate via Zoom
ABSTRACT
Complex cellular processes are governed by signal transduction, which in turn is controlled by protein-protein interactions at the plasma membrane and along the signaling cascade. Capturing and quantifying these processes is a long-standing goal in cell biology. Fluorescence microscopes are now becoming fluorescence “nanoscopes” as single molecule and super-resolution imaging go beyond the diffraction limit. These high-resolution techniques enable the quantification of protein dynamics, distributions, and interactions in intact and living cells. This seminar will focus on how we apply these techniques in innovative ways to the study of signaling by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). EGFR is a receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates many cellular processes and is dysregulated in cancer and other diseases. The canonical model of EGFR activation is that ligand binding promotes dimerization and autophosphorylation. However, there is also evidence for ligand-induced oligomers, though the structural requirements of higher-order oligomers and their role in signaling is not understood. We have used high-resolution imaging to better understand the molecular interactions that stabilize EGFR dimers and oligomers. We also probe the influence of EGFR-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors and therapeutic antibodies on receptor oligomerization and signaling, bringing new perspectives to EGFR regulation and providing new therapeutic understanding.
RESEARCH
Diane S. Lidke's research focuses on the application of fluorescence microscopy and biophysical techniques to the study of cell signal transduction. The theme of Lidke's work is to visualize and quantify protein dynamics that regulate cell signaling, both in the normal and diseased state. The ultimate goal is to identify the molecular mechanisms that alter signaling in cancer and the immune response.
BIO
Lidke received her B.S. degree in Physics in 1994. She earned her Ph.D. in Biophysical Sciences & Medical Physics from the University of Minnesota in 2002. Her postdoctoral research was in the lab of Thomas Jovin at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany. She joined the UNM Pathology Department in 2005.
