Improved Bioluminescent Ca2+ Reporters for Cells and Mice
Author Information
Author(s): Bakayan Adil, Vaquero Cecilia F., Picazo Fernando, Llopis Juan
Primary Institution: Facultad de Medicina and Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CRIB), University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
Hypothesis
Can red fluorescent protein-aequorin fusions improve bioluminescent calcium signaling measurements in single cells and living organisms?
Conclusion
The study demonstrates that tdTomato-aequorin is the brightest red bioluminescent Ca2+ sensor available, making it a promising tool for studying Ca2+ dynamics in living organisms.
Supporting Evidence
- tdTomato-aequorin showed the highest energy transfer efficiency among the tested fusions.
- Calcium signals were successfully imaged in single HeLa cells and mouse neurons.
- tdTA was able to visualize Ca2+ activity in HeLa cells injected into mice.
Takeaway
Scientists created a new tool that helps them see calcium signals in cells and living animals using a special glowing protein that works better than older versions.
Methodology
The study involved creating and testing various fusions of aequorin with red fluorescent proteins to measure calcium signals in HeLa cells and mouse neurons.
Limitations
The study does not address the long-term stability of the tdTA sensor in vivo or its performance in different tissue types.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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