Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
Live Imaging of Dense-core Vesicles in Primary Cultured Hippocampal Neurons
Published on: May 29, 2009
Visualization of local phosphatidylcholine synthesis within hippocampal neurons using a compartmentalized culture
Eiji Sugiyama1, Ikuko Yao2, Mitsutoshi Setou3
1Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan; International Mass Imaging Center, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan; Department of Biochemistry, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Neurons extend neurites with an increased synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) that is not only a membrane component but also a functional regulator with specific fatty acid composition. To analyze the local synthesis of the PC molecular species within neurons, we combined a compartmentalized culture system with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS). We observed that a newly synthesized PC, which contains exogenously administered palmitic acid-d3, is accumulated at the cell bodies and the tips of the distal neurites. The local accumulation within distal neurites is formed by distinct metabolic activity from cell bodies, suggesting that the local extracellular composition of free fatty acid can be a key to regulate specific functions of each PC molecular species. We expect our simple method to be a starting point for more sophisticated in vitro analytical methods for unveiling detailed lipid metabolisms within neurons.
