Fura-2, an

aminopolycarboxylic acid left, 120px, a metal complex with the EDTA anion 120px, Aspartic acid is an aminodicarboxylic acid and precursor to other ligands. An aminopolycarboxylic acid (sometimes abbreviated APCA) is a chemical compound containing one or more nitrogen at ...

, is a ratiometric

fluorescent Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, tha ...

dye which binds to free intracellular

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

. It was the first widely used dye for

calcium imaging Calcium imaging is a microscopy technique to optically measure the calcium (Ca2+) status of an isolated cell, tissue or medium. Calcium imaging takes advantage of calcium indicators, fluorescent molecules that respond to the binding of Ca2+ ions ...

, and remains very popular. Fura-2 is excited at 340 nm and 380 nm of light, and the ratio of the emissions at those wavelengths is directly related to the amount of intracellular calcium. Regardless of the presence of calcium, Fura-2 emits at 510 nm of light. The use of the ratio automatically cancels out confounding variables, such as variable dye concentration and cell thickness, making Fura-2 one of the most appreciated tools to quantify calcium levels. The high photon yield of fura-2 allowed the first real time (video rate) measurements of calcium inside living cells in 1986. More recently, genetically-encoded calcium indicators based on spectral variants of the

green fluorescent protein The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a protein that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to light in the blue to ultraviolet range. The label ''GFP'' traditionally refers to the protein first isolated from the jellyfish ''Aequorea ...

, such as Cameleons, have supplemented the use of Fura-2 and other small molecule dyes for calcium imaging, but Fura-2 remains faster.

References

{{reflist Biochemistry methods Cell culture reagents Cell imaging Chelating agents Fluorescent dyes Oxazoles Benzofuran ethers at the benzene ring Potassium compounds Hydroquinone ethers Glycol ethers Anilines

See also

References