Live Cell Imaging Analysis of Receptor Function

Cell surface receptors are crucial in the regulation of a wide variety of signalling responses to extracellular stimuli such as soluble growth factors or matrix proteins. To respond effectively to rapidly changing environmental cues, many receptors are rapidly endo- or exo-cytosed to either subcellular or membrane compartments or they recruit specific intracellular binding partners. Recent advances in microscopy techniques have made it possible to study receptor behaviour in live cells to gain a better understanding of dynamics, binding partners and sub-cellular localisation. Here we describe several common currently used techniques to study receptor behaviour in living cells.