Measuring the size and growth of single cells.

Abstract

The size and growth of a cell can be described by three related physical parameters: volume, density and mass. All the three are coupled to numerous biochemical reactions and biophysical properties of a cell. It is therefore not surprising that cell size and growth pattern are tightly regulated across all kingdoms of life. Indeed, deregulation of cell size and growth has been found to be associated with diseases. Yet, how cells regulate their size and how cell size connects to cell function remain poorly understood, partly due to the difficulties to precisely measure the size and growth of single cells. In this review, we summarize methods of measuring cell volume, density, and mass, and discuss how the new technologies may advance our understanding of cell size control.