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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Loading Drosophila Nerve Terminals with Calcium Indicators
Published on: July 30, 2007
Deleterious effects of calcium indicators within cells; an inconvenient truth
Martin D Bootman1, Sarah Allman1, Katja Rietdorf1
1School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The study of cellular Ca2+ signalling is indebted to Roger Tsien for the invention of fluorescent indicators that can be readily loaded into living cells and provide the means to measure cellular Ca2+ changes over long periods of time with sub-second resolution and microscopic precision. However, a recent study [1] reminds us that as useful as these tools are they need to be employed with caution as there can be off-target effects. This article summarises these recent findings within the wider context of confounding issues that can be encountered when using chemical and genetically-encoded Ca2+ indicators, and briefly discusses some approaches that may mitigate against misleading outcomes.
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