title: Measuring enzyme activity in single cells.
abstract: Seemingly identical cells can differ in their biochemical state, function and fate, and this variability plays an increasingly recognized role in organism-level outcomes. Cellular heterogeneity arises in part from variation in enzyme activity, which results from interplay between biological noise and multiple cellular processes. As a result, single-cell assays of enzyme activity, particularly those that measure product formation directly, are crucial. Recent innovations have yielded a range of techniques to obtain these data, including image-, flow- and separation-based assays. Research to date has focused on easy-to-measure glycosylases and clinically-relevant kinases. Expansion of these techniques to a wider range and larger number of enzymes will answer contemporary questions in proteomics and glycomics, specifically with respect to biological noise and cellular heterogeneity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kovarik
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Allbritton
mesh_terms: D002477:Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000379:methods; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes