Autoradiography of Single Cells

Abstract

The use of radioactive isotopes or tracers in the study of fundamental biological and biochemical problems has grown enormously during the last few years, and is likely to become still more important as larger quantities of various radioactive elements are made available. Certain types of problem can be solved by the application of well-known electrical methods to bulk tissue; it is recognized, however, that in any given tissue, individual cells may be in very different states or stages of development. For this reason the cytologist, in particular, wishes to study single cells. It is of interest to inquire, therefore, to what extent, if any, the photographic method of autoradiography can be applied to small organisms and single cells. It is clear from the work of Hamilton¹ and others that this technique is useful for large sections of tissue, but many other factors have to be taken into account when considering its applicability to single cells.