title: [Single-molecule observation of signal transduction on the plasma membrane].
abstract: Recent advancements in single-molecule tracking methods with the nanometer-level precision allow researchers to observe the movement, recruitment, and activation of single molecules in the plasma membrane in living cells. The interaction, binding, and colocalization of two or more molecules in living cells are essential aspects of many biological molecular processes, and single-molecule technologies are very powerful tools for investigating these processes in live cells. Here, we introduce two of these investigation methods, "simultaneous, dual-color, single fluorescent molecule colocalization imaging" and" single molecule FRET(single -molecule fluorescent resonance energy transfer) ", for monitoring the colocalization or binding of two single molecules. Benchmarks have recently been established for these technologies by the research conducted in our laboratory, and thus can now be applied to wide ranges of studies for molecular interactions.
authors.affiliation: Membrane Mechanisms Project, ICORP-JST, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University.
authors.forename: Kokoro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasawa
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kusumi
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D005453:Fluorescence; D036103:Nanotechnology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*