Simultaneous study of subcellular exocytosis with individually addressable multiple microelectrodes

We report the application of individually addressable microelectrode arrays (MEAs) to study the heterogeneity of cell exocytosis at the subcellular level. Multiple subcellular-size electrodes are covered by a single PC12 cell for the investigation of subcellular exocytosis. PC12 cells have been seeded and cultured on top of three kinds of MEAs containing 16, 25, or 36 square microelectrodes (4 μm width in a 4 by 4 MEA, 3 μm width in a 5 by 5 MEA, 2 μm width in a 6 by 6 MEA). After collagen coating, single cells were found to cover several electrodes and these were selected for the study of subcellular exocytosis. Amperometric results show that single cell and subcellular heterogeneity in single cell exocytosis can be electrochemically detected with these MEAs. The results also show that these MEAs are suitable for detecting fast chemical events at single cells, as well as for developing multifunctional electrochemical sensors.