Fluorescent light used to understand Fight or Flight response

^{Image by M Machado and S Pantano}

The Zaccolo group, led by Professor Manuela Zaccolo, has had their paper “FRET biosensor uncovers cAMP nano-domains at β-adrenergic targets that dictate precise tuning of cardiac contractility” published in Nature Communications. The research published in this article was funded by the British Heart Foundation and the Oxford BHF CRE. 

The primordial fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction to stress. Under stress, the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline trigger the production of a small signalling molecule, cAMP, that acts inside the cell to activate the appropriate reaction to the stressful situation. The Zaccolo Group has developed a method, based on the use of fluorescent light, which allows them to see cAMP inside living cells.  

Read more (DPAG website)