Web Release Date: August 12,
Vitamin E Imaging and Localization in the Neuronal Membrane
and
Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, and Center for Microanalysis of Materials, Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, 104 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Received February 25, 2005
Abstract:
Vitamin E (
-tocopherol) has been implicated in several cellular processes including signaling, transport, lipid membrane curvature, and several neurodegenerative disorders. Vitamin E imaging has been hindered by the inaccessibility of the molecule to traditional immunohistochemical methods. Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), the distribution of major constituents in the cellular membrane of isolated neurons was investigated. There is a significant increase in the vitamin E signal at the soma-neurite junction compared to the cell as a whole (165 ± 11% of that found across the cell, p = 0.004, n = 12). The observed membrane distribution suggests an important new role for vitamin E in neuronal function.
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