Amperometry in Single Cells and Tissue

The release from cells of signaling molecules through the controlled process of exocytosis involves multiple coordinated steps and is essential for the proper control of a multitude of biological pathways across the endocrine and nervous systems. However, these events are minute both temporally and in terms of the minute amounts of neurotransmitters, hormones, growth factors, and peptides released from single vesicles during exocytosis. It is therefore difficult to measure the kinetics of single exocytosis events in real time. One noninvasive method of measuring the release of molecules from cells is carbon-fiber amperometry. In this chapter, we will describe how we undertake such measurements from both single cells and in live tissue, how the subsequent data are analyzed, and how we interpret these results in terms of their relevant physiology.