Novel tool holds great promise for studying mitochondrial calcium signaling

Mitochondrial calcium signaling is crucial for energy metabolism and calcium homeostasis, but monitoring it accurately is challenging due to pH fluctuations. Existing GECIs are often sensitive to pH changes, leading to artifacts and inaccurate measurements. Additionally, the limited availability of cyan fluorescent GECIs hinders multiplexed imaging.

Building on the bright cyan fluorescent protein mTurquoise2, TurCaMP offers an inverse response to Ca2+ transients and is insensitive to pH changes within the physiological range. This makes it a valuable tool for studying mitochondrial calcium signaling with high signal-to-noise ratio and minimal background noise.

TurCaMP's pH insensitivity and cyan fluorescence enable multiplexed imaging of calcium signals in different cellular compartments, opening new avenues for studying complex calcium-dependent physiological events.

This research showcases the potential of computational modeling and experimental validation in developing novel GECIs. TurCaMP represents a significant advancement in calcium imaging tools and holds great promise for advancing our understanding of mitochondrial calcium signaling and its role in various cellular processes and diseases.