1. An electrochemical detector array to study cell biology on the nanoscale
- Author
-
Manfred Lindau, Conrad D. James, Harold G. Craighead, Andrew F Dias, Vicente Valero, Ming G. Yong, and Gregor Dernick
- Subjects
Materials science ,Mechanical Engineering ,Vesicle ,Bioengineering ,Nanotechnology ,General Chemistry ,Amperometry ,Exocytosis ,Membrane ,Mechanics of Materials ,Electrode ,Fluorescence microscope ,Nanobiotechnology ,General Materials Science ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering ,Microfabrication - Abstract
Nanobiotechnology is a field that utilizes the techniques of nano- and microfabrication to study biosystems or to use biological material and principles to build new devices. As an example we discuss the development of a nanofabricated electrochemical detector array that reveals the spatio-temporal dynamics of exocytosis in single chromaffin cells. In a quantal release event a single vesicle fuses with the plasma membrane releasing its contents through the fusion pore. The time-resolved amperometric currents measured by the individual electrodes detecting different fractions of the released molecules allow determination of the time course as well as localization of quantal events. Such a device may be applicable to study the correlation of exocytotic events with signalling events that could be simultaneously monitored by fluorescence microscopy.
- Published
- 2002
- Full Text
- View/download PDF