Nanoscale Organization of Human GnRH-R on Human Bladder Cancer Cells

Human gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R; or type I GnRH-R), which is expressed in tumor cells, has gained more and more attention as a specific target for cancer therapy. Given the clinical utility, the improved characterization of both the subcellular distribution and surface organization of GnRH-R is an important step in the development of more effective and possibly new therapeutic strategies. In the present study, the nano-organization of human GnRH-R was analyzed on fixed human bladder cancer cells (T24) by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The recognition images reveal that GnRH-Rs have a tendency to assemble in nanodomains (or clusters) that are irregularly distributed on the T24 cell surface. The locations of the GnRH-Rs were identified on the topographical images with nanometer accuracy. The obtained results enrich our understanding of the local distribution of GnRH-Rs on the bladder cancer cell membrane and demonstrate the ability of biological AFM to provide more complete and exact information at the single molecule level.