NTnC-like genetically encoded calcium indicator with a positive and enhanced response and fast kinetics

Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 15;8(1):15233. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33613-6.

Abstract

The NTnC genetically encoded calcium indicator has an advantageous design because of its smaller size, GFP-like N- and C-terminal ends and two-fold reduced number of calcium binding sites compared with widely used indicators from the GCaMP family. However, NTnC has an inverted and modest calcium response and a low temporal resolution. By replacing the mNeonGreen fluorescent part in NTnC with EYFP, we engineered an NTnC-like indicator, referred to as YTnC, that had a positive and substantially improved calcium response and faster kinetics. YTnC had a 3-fold higher calcium response and 13.6-fold lower brightness than NTnC in vitro. According to stopped-flow experiments performed in vitro, YTnC had 4-fold faster calcium-dissociation kinetics than NTnC. In HeLa cells, YTnC exhibited a 3.3-fold lower brightness and 4.9-fold increased response to calcium transients than NTnC. The spontaneous activity of neuronal cultures induced a 3.6-fold larger ΔF/F response of YTnC than previously shown for NTnC. On patched neurons, YTnC had a 2.6-fold lower ΔF/F than GCaMP6s. YTnC successfully visualized calcium transients in neurons in the cortex of anesthetized mice and the hippocampus of awake mice using single- and two-photon microscopy. Moreover, YTnC outperformed GCaMP6s in the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum of cultured HeLa and neuronal cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Calcium / chemistry*
  • Calcium Signaling / genetics
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / chemistry
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / metabolism
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / chemistry*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • HeLa Cells
  • Hippocampus / chemistry
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Mice
  • Neurons / chemistry
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Protein Domains / genetics
  • Protein Engineering*
  • Troponin C / chemistry
  • Troponin C / genetics*

Substances

  • Troponin C
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Calcium