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Abstract
Capillary electrophoresis (CE) applied to the analysis of single cells makes possible the study of the composition of the building block of life, the cell. CE is uniquely suited for the analysis of single cells because ultrasmall samples can be injected, separated, and detected. For instance, CE is capable of detecting femtomole (10−15 mole) to attomole (10−18 mole) quantities from nanoliter (10−9 liter) sample sizes.Citation[1]
Model systems of relatively large invertebrate neural cells were initially studied by CE;Citation1-12 however, CE has recently been used to study small cells found in mammals such as erythrocytes,Citation13-22 lymphocytes,Citation23-25 adrenomedullary cells,Citation26-27 pancreatic cells,Citation28-29 and various other mammalian cells.Citation30-33 It has also been used to analyze single plant cells.Citation34-35 Individual differences are discernible by studying the contents of single cells. Because variations in both the types and amounts of compounds present in single cells taken from the same sample demonstrate cellular uniqueness and complexity, a better understanding of cellular function can be achieved using CE.