Issue 3, 2019

Molecular profiling of single axons and dendrites in living neurons using electrosyringe-assisted electrospray mass spectrometry

Abstract

The molecular profiling of single axons and dendrites in living neurons could provide important information for the better understanding of neuron function. Here, electrosyringe-assisted electrospray mass spectrometry (MS) is established for the first time to achieve intracellular sampling from one axon or dendrite in living neurons for mass spectrometric analysis. The key is the insertion of a ∼130 nm capillary tip into one axon or dendrite to load the cytosol through electro-osmotic flow. The ionization efficiency from the nano-capillary is enhanced to guarantee mass spectrometric analysis of multiple components from the axon and dendrite. Higher levels of pyroglutamic acid and glutamic acid are revealed in the axon compared to in the body and dendrite. This uneven distribution is in accordance with the accumulation of neurotransmitters in the axon for information delivery. The achievement of electrosyringe-assisted electrospray MS is to unveil the molecular distribution in the whole living neuron, which offers the feasibility to deeply investigate molecular communication between the axon/dendrite and the body inside neurons.

Graphical abstract: Molecular profiling of single axons and dendrites in living neurons using electrosyringe-assisted electrospray mass spectrometry

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 3月 2018
Accepted
30 7月 2018
First published
30 7月 2018

Analyst, 2019,144, 954-960

Molecular profiling of single axons and dendrites in living neurons using electrosyringe-assisted electrospray mass spectrometry

M. Xu, R. Pan, Y. Zhu, D. Jiang and H. Chen, Analyst, 2019, 144, 954 DOI: 10.1039/C8AN00483H

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