Imaging Achievement Reveals "Intelligent Cell"

2 July 2004 — A report in today's issue of the journal Science describes research that has achieved, for the first time, imaging with mass spectrometry of functional sub-cellular membrane domains. These domains are becoming increasingly important in all of cell science. The achievement advances mass spectrometry imaging to a new level and showcases the utility of SIMS for investigating complex questions involving small-scale molecular imaging.

The research also is significant because, as Ewing explains, "The concept that the membrane of each cell will change composition on the time scale of mating is fantastic because it reveals an 'intelligent cell' in the sense that the cell must know how to rearrange these lipids. We have no idea how the cell does this, but it is a fascinating question for the biologists."

For a copy of the report, please contact:

Barbara K. Kennedy
(814) 863-4682, science@psu.edu

[ B K K ]