Nanoscale dissection of the Ephrin-Eph Receptor signalling axis in cellular invasion

Juxtacrine细胞串扰在发育过程中至关重要，允许领导细胞和跟随细胞在血管生成和神经元迁移期间进行通信。介导该过程的一个关键轴是Ephrin-Eph受体信号传导。Ephrin配体在表达Eph受体酪氨酸激酶的相邻细胞中诱导正向信号传导，但也在表达Ephrin的细胞内表现出反向信号传导。与许多发育途径一样，这种信号传导在疾病中重现，例如在胰腺癌侵袭中。我们将使用基因工程和超分辨率显微镜，在2D/3D细胞模型中询问这种反向信号传导的动力学，为这种信号传导轴的调控和功能提供重要的见解。

Juxtacrine cellular cross-talk is critical during development, allowing leader and follower cells to communicate during angiogenesis and neuronal migration. One key axis mediating this process is Ephrin-Eph receptor signalling. Ephrin ligands induce forward signalling in neighbouring cells expressing Eph receptor tyrosine kinases, but also exhibit reverse signalling within the Ephrin-expressing cell. As with many developmental pathways, this signalling is recapitulated in disease, for example in pancreatic cancer invasion. We will use genetic engineering and super-resolution microscopy, in 2D/3D cell-based models to interrogate the dynamics of this reverse signalling, providing crucial insights into the regulation and function of this signalling axis.