Download Dynamic redox potential change throughout apoptosis in cancer

P045
Dynamic redox potential change throughout apoptosis in
cancer cells
Anna-Maria Maciejuk, Christopher D. Gregory and
Colin Campbell
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Redox potential regulates changes in cell behaviour from
promotion of proliferation to apoptosis. Apoptosis is a type of
programmed cell death, which is necessary in development
and homeostatic maintenance of the multicellular organisms.
Apoptosis is said to occur when the cellular redox potential
reaches its oxidative range and it is believed that the depletion
of glutathione via active export mechanisms contributes towards
driving oxidative stress. An understanding of the links between
intracellular redox potential and cell death is desirable since it
could help us understand disease and responses to treatment.
In this study we are investigating the dynamic change in redox
potential throughout cell death. Apoptosis is characterized by
a number of distinct morphological (chromatin condensation
and cellular shrinkage); and biochemical (phosphatidyl serine
exposure, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, activation
of apoptosis-specific pathways) features and we have measured
these over the course of apoptosis using a range of microscopic and flow cytometry protocols. We are currently attempting
to correlate these with intracellular redox potential changes
measured using redox sensitive GFP (green fluorescent protein)
and SERS (surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy) nanosensors.