title: Visualization of Endocannabinoids in the Cell.
abstract: A still unsolved, although critical, issue in endocannabinoid research is the mechanism by which the lipophilic compound anandamide (AEA) moves from its site of synthesis, crosses the aqueous milieu, and reaches the different intracellular compartments, where its metabolic and signaling pathways take place. The difficulty of studying intracellular AEA transport and distribution results from the lack of specific probes and techniques to track and visualize this bioactive lipid within the cell. Here, we describe the use of a biotinylated, non-hydrolyzable derivative of AEA (biotin-AEA, b-AEA) for visualizing the subcellular distribution of this endocannabinoid by means of confocal fluorescence microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Via R. Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy. soddi@unite.it.|European Center for Brain Research/Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy. soddi@unite.it.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oddi
authors.affiliation: European Center for Brain Research/Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Totaro
authors.affiliation: European Center for Brain Research/Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.|Center of Integrated Research, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maccarrone
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D063388:Endocannabinoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D063388:Endocannabinoids
keywords: Anandamide; Biotinylated derivatives; Confocal microscopy; Endocannabinoids; Glass cover slips; Subcellular distribution