Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Highlights of 20 years of electrochemical measurements of exocytosis at cells and artificial cells

  • Review
  • Published:
Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Advances in electrochemical methodology over the past 30 years have allowed chemical measurements to be made with decreasing amounts of analyte and at smaller spatial dimensions. This has allowed the investigation of single cells and single vesicles in cells either during release of chemical transmitter or separately. The cellular event called exocytosis can be measured with amperometry or cyclic voltammetry as discovered by Wightman and first published in 1990. In addition, the measurement of vesicle contents with electrochemistry is a new approach we have termed electrochemical cytometry. This involves isolation of intact vesicles, separation of the vesicles, and then lysing followed by coulometric analysis of the electroactive vesicle content. In this review, we will highlight work done by us and by others to discuss measurements of exocytosis at single cells and measurements at artificial cell models for studying the biophysical properties of vesicle membrane dynamics and lipid nanotubes connecting artificial cells using electrochemical methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alvarez de Toledo G, Fernandez-Chacon R, Fernandez JM (1993) Nature 363:554–558

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Amatore C, Arbault S, Bonifas I, Lemaitre F, Verchier Y (2007) Chemphyschem 8:578–585

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Amatore C, Arbault S, Bouret Y, Guille M, Lemaitre F, Verchier Y (2006) Chembiochem 7:1998–2003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Anderson BB, Chen G, Gutman DA, Ewing AG (1999) J Neurosci Methods 88:153–161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Chen G, Gavin PF, Luo G, Ewing AG (1995) J Neurosci 15:7747–7755

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Chow RH, von Ruden L, Neher E (1992) Nature 356:60–63

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Colliver TL, Pyott SJ, Achalabun M, Ewing AG (2000) J Neurosci 20:5276–5282

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Leszczyszyn DJ, Jankowski JA, Viveros OH, Diliberto EJ Jr, Near JA, Wightman RM (1990) J Biol Chem 265:14736–14737

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sombers LA, Maxson MM, Ewing AG (2005) J Neurochem 93:1122–1131

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Uchiyama Y, Maxson MM, Sawada T, Nakano A, Ewing AG (2007) Brain Res 1151:46–54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Westerink RH, de Groot A, Vijverberg HP (2000) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 270:625–630

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Wightman RM, Jankowski JA, Kennedy RT, Kawagoe KT, Schroeder TJ, Leszczyszyn DJ, Near JA, Diliberto EJ, Viveros OH (1991) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:10754–10758

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wightman RM, Schroeder TJ, Finnegan JM, Ciolkowski EL, Pihel K (1995) Biophys J 68:383–390

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Finnegan JM, Pihel K, Cahill PS, Huang L, Zerby SE, Ewing AG, Kennedy RT, Wightman RM (1996) J Neurochem 66:1914–1923

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Albillos A, Dernick G, Horstmann H, Almers W, Alvarez de Toledo G, Lindau M (1997) Nature 389:509–512

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Chen TK, Luo G, Ewing AG (1994) Anal Chem 66:3031–3035

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Hochstetler SE, Puopolo M, Gustincich S, Raviola E, Wightman RM (2000) Anal Chem 72:489–496

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Pothos EN (2002) Behav Brain Res 130:203–207

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Staal RG, Mosharov EV, Sulzer D (2004) Nat Neurosci 7:341–346

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Zhang Q, Li Y, Tsien RW (2009) Science 323:1448–1453

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Ciolkowski EL, Cooper BR, Jankowski JA, Jorgenson JW, Wightman RM (1992) J Am Chem Soc 114:2815–2821

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Dayton MA, Brown JC, Stutts KJ, Wightman RM (1980) Anal Chem 52:946–950

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Wightman RM (2006) Science 311:1570–1574

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Heien ML, Johnson MA, Wightman RM (2004) Anal Chem 76:5697–5704

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Camacho M, Machado JD, Montesinos MS, Criado M, Borges R (2006) J Neurochem 96:324–334

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Haynes CL, Buhler LA, Wightman RM (2006) Biophys Chem 123:20–24

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Pothos EN, Mosharov E, Liu K-P, Setlik W, Haburcak M, Baldini G, Gershon MD, Tamir H, Sulzer D (2002) J Physiol 542:453–476

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Holz RW, Senter RA, Frye RA (1982) J Neurochem 39:635–646

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Livett BG (1984) Physiol Rev 64:1103–1161

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Heuser JE, Reese TS, Dennis MJ, Jan Y, Jan L, Evans L (1979) J Cell Biol 81:275–300

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Fesce R, Grohovaz F, Hurlbut WP, Ceccarelli B (1980) J Cell Biol 85:337–345

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Heuser JE, Reese TS (1981) J Cell Biol 88:564–580

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Chandler DE, Heuser JE (1980) J Cell Biol 86:666–674

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Schneider SW, Sritharan KC, Geibel JP, Oberleithner H, Jena BP (1997) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94:316–321

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Neher E, Marty A (1982) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 79:6712–6716

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Haller M, Heinemann C, Chow RH, Heidelberger R, Neher E (1998) Biophys J 74:2100–2113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Dernick G, Alvarez de Toledo G, Lindau M (2003) Nat Cell Biol 5:358–362

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Sombers LA, Hanchar HJ, Colliver TL, Wittenberg N, Cans A, Arbault S, Amatore C, Ewing AG (2004) J Neurosci 24:303–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Evans E, Bowman H, Leung A, Needham D, Tirrell D (1996) Science 273:933–935

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Hoekstra D (1990) Hepatology 12:61S–66S

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Kahya N, de Pecheur EI, Boeij WP, Wiersma DA, Hoekstra D (2001) Biophys J 81:1464–1474

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Woodbury DJ (1999) Cell Biochem Biophys 30:303–329

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Zimmerberg J, Cohen FS, Finkelstein A (1980) J Gen Physiol 75:241–250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Chanturiya A, Chernomordik LV, Zimmerberg J (1997) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94:14423–14428

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Cans AS, Wittenberg N, Karlsson R, Sombers L, Karlsson M, Orwar O, Ewing AG (2003) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:400–404

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Cans AS, Wittenberg N, Eves D, Karlsson R, Karlsson A, Orwar O, Ewing AG (2003) Anal Chem 75:4168–4175

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Karlsson M, Nolkrantz K, Davidson MJ, Stromberg A, Ryttsen F, Akerman B, Orwar O (2000) Anal Chem 72:5857–5862

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Fisher RJ, Pevsner J, Burgoyne RD (2001) Science 291:875–878

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Voets T, Toonen RF, Brian EC, de Wit H, Moser T, Rettig J, Sudhof TC, Neher E, Verhage M (2001) Neuron 31:581–591

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Borisovska M, Zhao Y, Tsytsyura Y, Glyvuk N, Takamori S, Matti U, Rettig J, Sudhof T, Bruns D (2005) EMBO J 24:2114–2126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Westerink RH (2004) Neurotoxicology 25:461–470

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Borges R, Machado JD, Betancor G, Camacho M (2002) Ann NY Acad Sci 971:184–192

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  53. Kozminski KD, Gutman DA, Davila V, Sulzer D, Ewing AG (1998) Anal Chem 70:3123–3130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Westerink RHS, Ewing AG (2008) Acta Physiol 192:273–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Amatore C, Arbault S, Bonifas I, Guille M, Lemaitre F, Verchier Y (2007) Biophys Chem 129:181–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Dernick G, Gong LW, Tabares L, Alvarez de Toledo G, Lindau M (2005) Nat Meth 2:699–708

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Edwards RH (2007) Neuron 55:835–858

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Schroeder TJ, Jankowski JA, Senyshyn J, Holz RW, Wightman RM (1994) J Biol Chem 269:17215–17220

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Zhang B, Adams KL, Luber SJ, Eves DJ, Heien ML, Ewing AG (2008) Anal Chem 80:1394–1400

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Amatore C, Arbault S, Lemaitre F, Verchier Y (2007) Biophys Chem 127:165–171

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Woods LA, Gandhi PU, Ewing AG (2005) Anal Chem 77:1819–1823

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  62. Omiatek DM, Santillo MF, Heien ML, Ewing AG (2009) Anal Chem 81:2294–2302

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  63. Omiatek DM, Dong Y, Heien ML, Ewing AG (2010) ACS Chem Neurosci 1:234–245

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Hirschberg K, Miller CM, Ellenberg J, Presley JF, Siggia ED, Phair RD, Lippincott-Schwartz J (1998) J Cell Biol 143:1485–1503

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  65. Polishchuk RS, Polishchuk EV, Marra P, Alberti S, Buccione R, Luini A, Mironov AA (2000) J Cell Biol 148:45–58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  66. Onfelt B, Nedvetzki S, Yanagi K, Davis DM (2004) J Immunol 173:1511–1513

    Google Scholar 

  67. Rustom A, Saffrich R, Markovic I, Walther P, Gerdes HH (2004) Science 303:1007–1010

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  68. Adams KL, Engelbrektsson J, Voinova M, Zhang B, Eves DJ, Karlsson R, Heien ML, Cans AS, Ewing AG (2010) Anal Chem 82:1020–1026

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  69. Haynes CL, Siff LN, Wightman RM (2007) Mol Cell Res 1773:728–735

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  70. Wightman RM, Haynes CL (2004) Nat Neurosci 7:321–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Swedish Research Council (VR) for support. AGE gratefully acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC), the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the USA National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Ann-Sofie Cans & Andrew G. Ewing

Authors
  1. Ann-Sofie Cans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrew G. Ewing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew G. Ewing.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cans, AS., Ewing, A.G. Highlights of 20 years of electrochemical measurements of exocytosis at cells and artificial cells. J Solid State Electrochem 15, 1437–1450 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-011-1369-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-011-1369-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation