Optimization of Fluorescent Labeling for

The present study was conducted to systematically investigate the optimal viral titer as well as the volume of the adenovirus vector (ADV) that expresses α-actinin-AcGFP in the Z-disks of myocytes in the left ventricle (LV) of mice. An injection of 10 μL ADV at viral titers of 2 to 4 × 1011 viral particles per mL (VP/mL) into the LV epicardial surface consistently expressed α-actinin-AcGFP in myocytes in vivo, with the fraction of AcGFP-expressing myocytes at ~10%. Our analysis revealed that SL was ~1.90-2.15 μm upon heart arrest via deep anesthesia. Likewise, we developed a novel fluorescence labeling method of the T-tubular system by treating the LV surface with CellMask Orange (CellMask). We found that the T-tubular distance was ~2.10-2.25 μm, similar to SL, in the healthy heart in vivo. Therefore, the present high-precision visualization method for the Z-disks or the T-tubules is beneficial to unveiling the mechanisms of myocyte contraction in health and disease in vivo.