Colloquium Natural and Life Sciences - Milena Bertolotti

Nanoscale analytic tools and redox sensors to study B lymphocytes

Through the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) mature B cells recognize the presence of antigens in the external world and adapt their responses. The signaling output from the BCR is tightly controlled by co‐stimulatory and co‐inhibitory components, in order to prevent its hypo‐ or hyper‐stimulation, respectively. Among the formers, reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role. It is of particular interest to understand whether the different co‐receptors are functionally compartmentalized at nanometer distances on the cellular membrane and to figure out whether they act in concert and how do they influence each other. This is addressed using nanoscale analytic tools, such as the proximity ligation assay (PLA), and localized ROS measurements, whose advantages and prospective development will be highlighted in the talk.