Subcellular localization of calcium release in isolated rat myocardial cells

Independent determinations of Ca2+ by two indicators showed that subcellular Ca2+ activity (intracellular free calcium concentration) was heterogeneous in rat myocardial cells. Arsenazo III (Az III), a membrane-impermeant absorbance indicator for Ca2+, was loaded into cardiac muscle via liposomes and calcium quantitated at two wavelengths through a focal point diaphragm in 5-100 microns 2 regions by a photometer. Fura-2, a high-affinity fluorescent calcium indicator, was loaded into cells as the ester form, and the light intensity was measured by digital-imaging microscopy using a photon-counting camera. Calcium activity at each picture element was quantitated by division of fluorescence excited by two ultraviolet wavelengths, and corrected for concentration differences in fura-2 by a third, Ca(2+)-insensitive wavelength. Both methods revealed hot spots of Ca2+ release and uptake that could be enlarged, added to, or altered. Addition of 1-10 nM norepinephrine caused up to a 500% increase in Ca2+ in localized regions, although whole cell average Ca2+ increased by only 0-80%, suggesting the importance of localized intracellular Ca2+ release for contraction.