A measure of endosomal pH by flow cytometry in Dictyostelium
2009

Measuring Endosomal pH in Dictyostelium

Sample size: 5000 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Anna Marchetti, Emmanuelle Lelong, Pierre Cosson

Primary Institution: University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine

Hypothesis

Can we accurately measure the endosomal pH in Dictyostelium using flow cytometry and specific fluorescent probes?

Conclusion

The study presents a method to accurately assess the endosomal pH of Dictyostelium lysosomes, revealing their extreme acidity.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study utilized a pH-sensitive probe, Oregon green, to measure endosomal pH.
  • Results indicated that the pH of early endocytic compartments (lysosomes) was very acidic, below 3.5.
  • Flow cytometry allowed for single-cell measurements of endosomal pH.
  • The method described is simpler and requires fewer cells compared to traditional spectrofluorimeter methods.

Takeaway

This study shows how scientists can use special dyes to find out how acidic the insides of certain cells are, which helps us understand how these cells work.

Methodology

The study used flow cytometry with Oregon green and pH-insensitive markers to measure endosomal pH in individual Dictyostelium cells.

Limitations

The method is not ideal for precise determination of post-lysosomal pH.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1756-0500-2-7

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