ANYL 2 |
| Carbon-fiber microelectrodes can serve as sensors for measuring easily oxidized chemical messengers such as dopamine, serotonin, and histamine. The electrodes have micron dimensions and can be used on millisecond time scales. Thus, they can be used to measure secretion of chemical messengers at the level of single cells or in the brain of intact, behaving animals. Such measurements are giving new insights into the complex chemical interactions that regulate behavioral states. Working with neuroendocrine cells isolated from the adrenal medulla, we have examined some of the factors that regulate exocytosis. In turn, these same factors have been examined in intact neuronal tissue where more complex regulation exists. Recent work has examined the effects of overexpression of huntingtin, a model for Huntington's disease, and the absence of synapsin, a protein that regulates the number of vesicles available for release. These studies provide insight into the role of specific proteins in the secretory process and how their alteration changes functional chemical communication. |
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Honoring Andrew Ewing, Recipient of the Chemical Instrumentation Award
8:30 AM-10:50 AM, Sunday, 10 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Room 123, Oral
Division of Analytical Chemistry |