Measuring ERK activity dynamics in single living cells using FRET biosensors

Abstract

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensors are powerful tools for measuring spatiotemporal signaling dynamics in single living cells with subcellular resolution. There are quite a number of already existing sensors and this technology is increasingly used to obtain quantitative dynamic datasets. In this chapter, we describe the analysis of endogenous extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity in living cells using the EKAR2G (ERK activity reporter second generation) probe. We focus on the generation of stable cell lines expressing the EKAR2G sensor as well as data acquisition and analysis.