Fluorescence microscopy of stimulated Zn(II) release from organotypic cultures of mammalian hippocampus using a...

We demonstrate here that electrical stimulation of organotypic cultures of rat hippocampus results in the prompt release of significant amounts of Zn(II) by a fluorescence microscopic method. The fluorescence imaging of free Zn(II) is achieved using a highly selective biosensing indicator system consisting of human apo-carbonic anhydrase II (apoCAII) and a fluorescent aryl sulfonamide inhibitor of the enzyme, ABD-N. The apoenzyme and ABD-N in the absence of Zn(II) exhibit weak, reddish fluorescence typical of the ABD-N alone; when Zn(II) is added it binds to the apoenzyme (K(D) = 4 pM), which strongly promotes binding of ABD-N to the holoenzyme (K(D) = 0.9 microM). Binding of ABD-N to the holoenzyme results in a 9-fold increase in apparent quantum yield, significant blue shifts in excitation and emission, an increase in average fluorescence lifetime, a 4-fold increase in the ratio of intensities at 560 and 680 nm, and a large increase in anisotropy. Prior to stimulation, cultures immersed in phosphate-buffered saline with glucose and apoCAII with ABD-N emitted negligible fluorescence, but within 20 s after electrical stimulation a diffuse cloud of greenish fluorescence emerged and subsequently covered most of the culture, indicating release of zinc into the extracellular medium.