On Fri, 27 Jan 1995, Marc Brande wrote:
> I would be interested in corresponding with anyone who is researching the
> biology of Whole Cells of any type. This area studies cells as an
> integrated whole system, where cells are studied LIVE, WHOLE, AS
> INDIVIDUAL AND IN 3 DIMENSIONS just as they are in vivo.
 
I think we qualify, because we study the living mouse colonic epithelium
and have used the confocal microscope to define the synergy between
epithelial structure and vectorial ion transport. We have used
extracellular SNARF-1 and emission ratioing to study pH in the lumen of
the colonic crypt and in the submucosal tissue. We find that compounds
which are present physiologically in the gut lumen cause polarized pH
regulation (i.e. pH in the lumen goes one way, and the submucosal tissue
goes the other way). This is very interesting for us because we had
previously heretically suggested that this epithelium had heterogenous pH
across the epithelium. That type of statement leads people to think you
have either identified something really novel, or you are completely in
left field. The confocal proved the hypothesis quite handily. Most
important, We would have no chance to see this in other
preparations, because results require intact epithelial architecture
(i.e. crypts are microscopic invaginations in the wall of the colon which
make the crypt lumen a restricted mixing environment) and intact epithelial
polarity. This work does not address the function of individual cells,
because crypts will average the diverse responses of all cells in the
crypt, but I think we have a new slant on cell physiology and its
consequences in native tissue.
        I echo Marc Brande's sentiments about wanting to know the
community who do living cell confocal microscopy, especially in complex
tissues that do nasty things like scatter light.
 
Chip Montrose
Johns Hopkins Univ.
410-955-9681 voice
410-955-9677 fax
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