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The technique of simultaneous recording calcium transients andspontaneous transient outward currents in arterial smooth muscle cells

LI Peng-Yun, ZENG Xiao-Rong, LEI Ming, LIU Zhi-Fei, YANG Yan^*

Institute of Cardiovasology, Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou 646000, China

Abstract

Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and whole-cell perforated patch-clamp techniques were combined to studysimultaneously the changes of intracellular signal molecules and membrane currents. Intracellular calcium transients and spontaneoustransient outward currents (STOCs) were recorded simultaneously in freshly isolated mouse cerebral artery smooth muscle cells. Thecells loaded with fluo-4/AM were scanned with the confocal line-scan mode. Triggering voltage pulses derived from an EPC-10 patchclamp amplifier triggered the confocal line scan. The results showed that STOCs and intracellular calcium transients could be simultaneouslyrecorded in the same cell. This technique will be useful in studies of diseases caused by impairments of intracellular Ca2+signaling and related ionic channel activities, or vice versa.

Key words: laser scanning confocal microscopy; patch clamp technique; spontaneous transient outward current; Ca2+ transients

Received: 2009-12-21　　Accepted: 2010-05-06

Corresponding author: 杨艳　　E-mail: wyangyan@yahoo.com.cn

Citing This Article：

LI Peng-Yun, ZENG Xiao-Rong, LEI Ming, LIU Zhi-Fei, YANG Yan. The technique of simultaneous recording calcium transients andspontaneous transient outward currents in arterial smooth muscle cells. Acta Physiol Sin 2010; 62 (3): 269-274 (in Chinese with English abstract).