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Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring Cellular Zinc Regulation Through ZnT1 Functionality
Published on: June 2, 2023
A protocol to measure lysosomal Zn2+ release through a genetically encoded Zn2+ indicator
Mingxue Gu1,2, Meiqin Hu1, Taylor Minckley3
1Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 4104 Biological Sciences Building, 1105 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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Intracellular vesicles such as lysosomes contain micromolar to millimolar concentrations of Zn2+, and disturbing lysosomal Zn2+ homeostasis via lysosomal Zn2+ release leads to mitochondria damage and consequent lytic cell death. Methods have been developed to image cellular Zn2+ dynamics. Here, we present a protocol using GZnP3, a genetically encoded fluorescent Zn2+ indicator, to assess lysosomal Zn2+ release in cultured cells by fluorescence microscopy imaging. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Du et al. (2021) or Minckley et al. (2019).

