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Measuring Near Plasma Membrane and Global Intracellular Calcium Dynamics in Astrocytes
Published on: April 26, 2009
Photolytic flash-induced intercellular calcium waves using caged calcium ionophore in cultured astrocytes from
Sadahiro Iwabuchi1, Koichi Kawahara, Koji Makisaka
1Laboratory of Biomedical Control, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
Abstract:
Waves of elevated intracellular free calcium that propagate between neighboring astrocytes are important for the intercellular communication between astrocytes as well as between neurons and astrocytes. However, the mechanisms responsible for the initiation and propagation of astrocytic calcium waves remain unclear. In this study, intercellular calcium waves were evoked by focal photolysis of a caged calcium ionophore (DMNPE-caged Br A23187) in cultured astrocytes from newborn rats. The focal photolysis of the caged compound resulted in the increase in intracellular calcium in a single astrocyte, and this increase then propagated to neighboring astrocytes. We also analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of the intercellular calcium waves, and estimated the propagation pathways for them. The method using a caged calcium ionophore described in this study provides a new in vitro model for the analysis of intercellular calcium waves.
