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Molecular live cell bioimaging in stem cell research
Author(s) -
Endele Max,
Schroeder Timm
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06560.x
Subject(s) - cell fate determination , cell , cell signaling , progenitor cell , stem cell , intracellular , live cell imaging , signal transduction , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , single cell analysis , computational biology , genetics , transcription factor , gene
Functional heterogeneity within stem and progenitor cells has been shown to influence cell fate decisions. Similarly, intracellular signaling activated by external stimuli is highly heterogeneous and its spatiotemporal activity is linked to future cell behavior. To quantify these heterogeneous states and link them to future cell fates, it is important to observe cell populations continuously with single cell resolution. Live cell imaging in combination with fluorescent biosensors for signaling activity serves as a powerful tool to study cellular and molecular heterogeneity and the long‐term biological effects of signaling. Here, we describe these methodologies, their advantages over classical approaches, and we illustrate how they could be applied to improve our understanding of the importance of heterogeneous cellular and molecular responses to external signaling cues.