QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENTS OF RELEASED AMINES FROM INDIVIDUAL EXOCYTOSIS EVENTS

Chemical analysis of single cells is an area of great interest in the biological sciences. Single-cell systems are being utilized as a model to understand in vivo processes better. One method that is moving to the forefront in cellular analysis is electrochemistry. Owing to their rapid response time and small dimensions, voltammetric microelectrode techniques, such as amperometry and fast-scan voltammetry, have made it possible to monitor minute amounts of biological compounds and tran siently occurring chemical events in cellular systems. The application of these methods to the quantitation of individual vesicular release events from single cells is overviewed here. The application of electr ochemical monitoring to several types of cultured cells, including bov ine adrenal chromaffin cells, rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, beige mouse mast cells, superior cervical ganglion neurons, and human pancr eatic beta-cells, as well as to the invertebrate systems, the leech Hi rudo medicinalis, and pond snail Planorbis corneus has provided a weal th of new information concerning exocytosis. Results obtained from the studies highlight the potential of electrochemical techniques in cell ular analysis to contribute to our understanding of molecular and phar macological effects on exocytosis. This article overviews work done on all the above cell types with an emphasis on PC12 cells.