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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

Measuring Fast Calcium Fluxes in Cardiomyocytes
Published on: November 29, 2011
Beat-to-beat oscillations of mitochondrial [Ca2+] in cardiac cells
V Robert1, P Gurlini, V Tosello
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, CNR Center of Biomembranes, University of Padua, Via Colombo 3, 35121 Padua, Italy. pozzant@civ.bio.unipd.it
Abstract:
The Ca2+-sensitive photoprotein aequorin and the new green fluorescent protein-based fluorescent Ca2+ indicators 'ratiometric-pericam' were selectively expressed in the mitochondria, cytosol and/or nucleus of spontaneously beating ventricular myocytes from neonatal rats. This combined strategy reveals that mitochondrial [Ca2+] oscillates rapidly and in synchrony with cytosolic and nuclear [Ca2+]. The Ca2+ oscillations were reduced in frequency and/or amplitude by verapamil and carbachol and were enhanced by isoproterenol and elevation of extracellular [Ca2+]. An increased frequency and/or amplitude of cytosolic Ca2+ spikes was rapidly mirrored by similar changes in mitochondrial Ca2+ spikes and more slowly by elevations of the interspike Ca2+ levels. The present data unequivocally demonstrate that in cardiac cells mitochondrial [Ca2+] oscillates synchronously with cytosolic [Ca2+] and that mitochondrial Ca2+ handling rapidly adapts to inotropic or chronotropic inputs.
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