Abstract
Two-photon excitation of the ultraviolet-absorbing fluorescent calcium indicator Indo-1 in laser scanning microscopy makes possible a quantitative, three-dimensional recording of intracellular free calcium activity ([Ca2+]i) distributions and dynamics with low background and minimal photobleaching. We have constructed a simple optical system that facilitates collection of the 400–500-nm Indo-1 fluorescence without the use of a confocal spatial filter. Instead of the fluorescence being descanned as is normally required in confocal microscopy, the fluorescence is deflected by a dichroic mirror into a separate detection pathway. Images of [Ca2+]i distributions with three-dimensional submicrometer resolution and 10% precision are obtained at 100-μM Indo-1 concentration and 3-s recording time for 384 × 512 pixels. Data on [Ca2+]i in tumor mast cells and cardiac myocytes illustrate the capabilities of this technique.
© 1994 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Marius A. Albota, Chris Xu, and Watt W. Webb
Appl. Opt. 37(31) 7352-7356 (1998)
Stefan W. Hell, Martin Booth, Stefan Wilms, Christoph M. Schnetter, Achim K. Kirsch, Donna J. Arndt-Jovin, and Thomas M. Jovin
Opt. Lett. 23(15) 1238-1240 (1998)
G. McConnell, G. L. Smith, J. M. Girkin, A. M. Gurney, and A. I. Ferguson
Opt. Lett. 28(19) 1742-1744 (2003)