What did one cell say to the other?

摘要

What are the wireless connections for cellular communication? What is the best way to eavesdrop, monitor, record, and decipher cell signaling conversations? To answer these questions, analytical chemists tap into intra- and intercellular signaling communication pathways using a variety of classical and new techniques, such as voltammetry, capillary electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MS, and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). Yet there are still plenty of opportunities to explore neural cell communication pathways. So how does a newcomer, who may not know a cytokine from a G-protein, begin?