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. 1990 Jul;93(3):841–845. doi: 10.1104/pp.93.3.841

Measuring Intracellular Ca2+ Levels in Plant Cells Using the Fluorescent Probes, Indo-1 and Fura-2 1

Progress and Prospects

Douglas S Bush 1,2, Russell L Jones 1
PMCID: PMC1062598  PMID: 16667590

Abstract

Recent advances in the development of methods for measuring cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels in higher plant cells are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the new generation of Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent dyes particularly fura-2 and indo-1. These dyes offer many advantages for the measurement of cytosolic Ca2+ levels. They can be introduced into cells in a nonintrusive manner, their Kd for Ca2+ matches plant cell cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels, and shifts in their emission (indo-1) or excitation (fura-2) spectra following Ca2+ binding permit accurate quantitation of Ca2+ activities. Examples of cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels measured in plants with fura-2 and indo-1 are presented, and the prospects for applying more advanced technologies to fluorescent dye measurement are discussed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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