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Sci. STKE, 9 January 2007
Vol. 2007, Issue 368, p. tw16
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.3682007tw16]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Chemistry Cellular Accounting

Philip D. Szuromi

Science, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

Fluorescent labeling has allowed quantification of proteins in single cells, but potential problems arise from interference between reporter molecules themselves and interactions with other molecules within the cell. Huang et al. have devised a microfluidic chip for counting fluorescent proteins within a cell. Single cells are captured and lysed, and their contents are separated by electrophoresis and quantified by single-molecule fluorescence detection. This method was applied to natively fluorescent compounds (the phycobiliprotein subcomplexes in individual cyanobacterial cells grown under nitrogen-limited conditions), and proteins were labeled with fluorescent antibodies (beta2 adrenergic receptor) present in low copy numbers.

B. Huang, H. Wu, D. Bhaya, A. Grossman, S. Granier, B. K. Kobilka, R. N. Zare, Counting low-copy number proteins in a single cell. Science 315, 81-84 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: P. D. Szuromi, Cellular Accounting. Sci. STKE 2007, tw16 (2007).

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