Comparing the effects of chemical Ca2+ dyes and R-GECO on contractility and Ca2+ transients in adult and human iPSC cardiomyocytes

We compared commonly used BAPTA-derived chemical Ca2+ dyes (fura2, Fluo-4, and Rhod-2) with a newer genetically encoded indicator (R-GECO) in single cell models of the heart. We assessed their performance and effects on cardiomyocyte contractility, determining fluorescent signal-to-noise ratios and sarcomere shortening in primary ventricular myocytes from adult mouse and guinea pig, and in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Chemical Ca2+ dyes displayed dose-dependent contractile impairment in all cell types, and we observed a negative correlation between contraction and fluorescence signal-to-noise ratio, particularly for fura2 and Fluo-4.

Source: Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology - April 29, 2023 Category: Cytology Authors: Paul Robinson, Alexander J. Sparrow, Yiangos Psaras, Violetta Steeples, Jillian Simon, Connor N. Broyles, Yu-Fen Chang, Frances A. Brook, Ying-Jie Wang, Andrew Blease, Xiaoyu Zhang, Yama A. Abassi, Michael A. Geeves, Christopher N. Toepfer, Hugh Watkins, Source Type: research