[46] Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of immobilized cells

Publisher Summary High-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has become a popular method for metabolic research. Because NMR can be performed on intact cells, perfused organs, and even on intact animals and whole human bodies, intracellular compartmentalization can be studied in a better way. One of the most successful examples of the study of compartmentalization by NMR is that of the distribution of P i over the cytoplasm, vacuoles, and other intracellular organelles in plant cells. Another important result that has resulted from the NMR studies of muscle tissue is that the levels of free adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) are much lower than previously thought, apparently because ADP is bound to the muscle filaments in these tissues. Immobilized cells have gained in popularity as biocatalysts because of their greater stability in a bioreactor. Such studies are necessary because evidence has been presented in several instances suggesting that the entrapment of cells in polymers—or their attachment to beads—may alter some of their metabolic properties.