Issue 2, 2019

Cellular heterogeneity identified by single-cell alkaline phosphatase (ALP) via a SERRS-microfluidic droplet platform

Abstract

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a useful indicator for disease state diagnosis and clinical outcome. Investigation of ALP expression among cells is still challenging since ALP expression in a single cell is too low to be detectable. In our work, an ultrasensitive, high-throughput analytical method was applied for ALP determination in a single cell by using a surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS)-based microfluidic droplet technique. An ALP catalyzed substrate (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate, BCIP) was used to evaluate ALP activity in the cell within one droplet. When BCIP was incubated with cells, ALP can catalyze a hydrolysis reaction of colorless BCIP and oxidize the intermediate compound to form blue 5,5′-dibromo-4,4′-dichloro-1H,1H-[2,2′]biindolylidene-3,3′-dione (BCI), which is a resonant Raman-active species. The encapsulation of BCI in droplets is favorable for detecting extremely low levels of molecules due to an accumulation effect along with reaction time. The ALP concentration as low as 1.0 × 10−15 M can be successfully detected in a uniform droplet. In addition, cellular heterogeneity profiled by ALP expression on single-cell resolution was monitored with this SERRS-based microfluidic droplet technique. Ultrasensitive determination of ALP secreted from individual cells can help us to understand cell-to-cell heterogeneity.

Graphical abstract: Cellular heterogeneity identified by single-cell alkaline phosphatase (ALP) via a SERRS-microfluidic droplet platform

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Sep 2018
Accepted
10 Dez 2018
First published
19 Dez 2018

Lab Chip, 2019,19, 335-342

Cellular heterogeneity identified by single-cell alkaline phosphatase (ALP) via a SERRS-microfluidic droplet platform

D. Sun, F. Cao, L. Cong, W. Xu, Q. Chen, W. Shi and S. Xu, Lab Chip, 2019, 19, 335 DOI: 10.1039/C8LC01006D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements