Chemical Analysis of Single Cells

摘要

In this Review, we provide an overview of methods developed for chemical analysis of single cells over the last two years. Many biological systems contain an ensemble of cells with heterogeneous chemistry; therefore, it is important to analyze them on an individual basis in order to elucidate the role each cell plays in the function of these systems. In clinical diagnostics, the development of extremely sensitive measurements, down to single cells, may provide the best ability for diagnoses. Single cell analysis has, in fact, been present for quite some time. Investigators in life sciences consider the cell as the unit of life and so the pursuit to quantify, image, and modulate the cell has been ongoing for decades. We have made an attempt to be comprehensive, but this Review focuses on the last two years. There are many great works in related areas, and it was difficult to draw a specific line between quantitative chemical analysis of cells and qualitative analysis. For example, we have again not covered a great deal of the studies that are truly at the single cell level concerning biological applications of fluorescence imaging with agents like FURA II, FM1-43, and green fluorescent protein (GFP). There are simply too many applications as these tools become more highly used in biology. We have chosen to aim mostly at new techniques or variations of techniques in the areas of quantitative fluorescence, mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging, and electrochemical analysis. We have chosen to not cover other areas that do not have as many new developments and are not as central as these three mainstream areas of analytical chemistry. In the area of microfluidic devices, there have been so many new developments in the last two years that we made a special section for this and this includes a lot of separation chemistry as well.