Authors: Sadahiro Iwabuchi Koichi Kawahara Koji Makisaka Hideomi Sato
Publish Date: 2002/07/12
Volume: 146, Issue: 1, Pages: 103-116
Abstract
Waves of elevated intracellular free calcium that propagate between neighboring astrocytes are important for the intercellular communication between astrocytes as well as between neurons and astrocytes However the mechanisms responsible for the initiation and propagation of astrocytic calcium waves remain unclear In this study intercellular calcium waves were evoked by focal photolysis of a caged calcium ionophore DMNPEcaged Br A23187 in cultured astrocytes from newborn rats The focal photolysis of the caged compound resulted in the increase in intracellular calcium in a single astrocyte and this increase then propagated to neighboring astrocytes We also analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of the intercellular calcium waves and estimated the propagation pathways for them The method using a caged calcium ionophore described in this study provides a new in vitro model for the analysis of intercellular calcium waves
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