Applications of Carbon-13 and Sodium-23 NMR in the Study of Plants, Animal, and Human Cells

Carbon-13 and sodium-23 NMR have been applied to the study of a variety of plant, animal and human cell types. Sodium NMR, in combination with dysprosium shift reagents, has been used to monitor sodium transport kinetics in salt-adapted, and non-adapted cells of P. milliaceum and whole D. spicata plants. The sodium content of human erythrocytes and leukemic macrophages was measured. Carbon-13 NMR was used to determine the structure and metabolism of rat epididymal fat pad adipocytes in real time. Insulin and isoproterenol-stimulated triacylglycerol turnover could be monitored in fat cell suspensions. [1-13C] glucose was used as a substrate to demonstrate futile metabolic cycling from glucose to glycerol during lypolysis. Cell wall polysaccharide synthesis was followed in suspensions of P. milliaceum cells using [1-13C] glucose as a precursor. These results illustrate the wide range of living systems which are amenable to study with NMR.