Scientists have developed new sensors to capture calcium activity in cells

Calcium is essential for many physiological processes, including the health and function of the muscles, nerves, circulation, and digestive system

In view of this wide range of functions, calcium movement and levels can be used as a good indicator of biological mechanisms and changes

"The challenge we face is how to capture these rapid changes in very specific locations," said Yang, who is also the deputy director of the Center for Diagnosis and Treatment and the director of the Advanced Translational Imaging Facility

In order to better capture these signals, Yang and her colleagues invented a method to design a calcium binding site on the surface of several fluorescent proteins

"The protein we use can recognize transient changes and directly measure calcium activity," Yang said

Ultimately, R-CatchER can be used for laboratory research and research; for example, to determine whether there is a link between changes in calcium and specific diseases

"We have a unique way to understand how aging events or disease states are controlled by calcium

The researchers said that the next step is to apply the technology to animal models to help better understand how various cellular events are related to disease

Jiang Jiang is a pioneer in what she calls "calcomics", which combines protein chemistry, biology, cell biology, and neuroscience to develop computational research and calcium sensor tools

The co-authors of the study include Deng Xiaonan, a chemistry doctoral student, Donald Hamelberg, a chemistry professor, and Yao Xinqiu, a chemistry postdoctoral fellow

Journal Reference :

1. Xiaonan Deng, Xin-Qiu Yao, Ken Berglund, Bin Dong, Daniel Ouedraogo, Mohammad A.