In this image, a biosensor is targeted to a cell’s endoplasmic reticulum and glows green in the presence of nicotine
Credit: Caltech/Lester laboratory
Newly developed sensors visually illustrate how nicotine affects cells from the inside out. When a person takes a puff on a cigarette, nicotine floods into the brain, latching onto receptors on the surface of neurons and producing feelings of happiness. But nicotine does not simply stay on the surface of cells – the drug actually permeates into neural cells and alters them from the inside out. Now, a team of scientists has developed a protein sensor that glows in the presence of nicotine, allowing the researchers to observe nicotine’s movements in cells and reveal more about the nature of nicotine addiction.
The work was led by Henry...
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