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Fluorescent Calcium Imaging and Subsequent In Situ Hybridization for Neuronal Precursor Characterization in Xenopus laevis
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Calcium waves.

Lionel F Jaffe1

  • 1The Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. ljaffe@mbl.edu

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|January 15, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Calcium waves, crucial for development, move at varying speeds. These ultraslow and slow waves, propagating via calcium entry and contraction, drive key morphogenetic processes in diverse organisms.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Living systems exhibit various wave phenomena, often characterized by their speeds at 20°C.
  • Calcium waves are implicated in numerous biological processes, with speeds ranging from action potentials to ultraslow waves (1-20 nm s⁻¹).
  • Two classes of calcium waves, slow (0.2-2 µm s⁻¹) and ultraslow, possess significant morphogenetic effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the speeds and mechanisms of calcium waves in living systems.
  • To highlight the role of slow and ultraslow calcium waves in morphogenetic processes.
  • To suggest imaging calcium with aequorins as a method for studying morphogenetic waves.

Main Methods:

  • Characterization of wave speeds in biological systems at 20°C.

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  • Inference of calcium involvement in wave propagation.
  • Observation of morphogenetic events driven by specific wave types.

    • Main Results:

    • Calcium waves exhibit a wide range of speeds, from ultraslow (1-20 nm s⁻¹) to slow (0.2-2 µm s⁻¹).
    • Both slow and ultraslow calcium waves are proposed to propagate through a cycle of calcium entry, plasma membrane contraction, and opening of stretch-sensitive calcium channels.
    • These waves are linked to crucial morphogenetic events, including germ plasm transport in Xenopus, fertilization in maize, and neural induction in axolotl embryos.

    Conclusions:

    • Calcium waves are fundamental to various biological processes, particularly morphogenesis.
    • The proposed mechanism involving calcium entry and contraction provides a framework for understanding wave propagation.
    • Aequorin-based calcium imaging is a promising technique for investigating morphogenetic waves.