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A Dual-Purpose Real-Time Indicator and Transcriptional Integrator for Calcium Detection in Living Cells.

Elbegduuren ErdeneeAlice Y Ting
Published in: ACS synthetic biology (2022)
Calcium is a ubiquitous second messenger in eukaryotes, correlated with neuronal activity and T-cell activation among other processes. Real-time calcium indicators such as GCaMP have recently been complemented by newer calcium integrators that convert transient calcium activity into stable gene expression. Here we introduce LuCID, a dual-purpose real-time calcium indicator and transcriptional calcium integrator that combines the benefits of both calcium detection technologies. We show that the calcium-dependent split luciferase component of LuCID provides a real-time bioluminescence readout of calcium dynamics in cells, while the GI/FKF1 split GAL4 component of LuCID converts calcium-generated bioluminescence into stable gene expression. We also show that LuCID's modular design enables it to read out other cellular events such as protein-protein interactions. LuCID adds to the arsenal of tools for studying cells and cell populations that utilize calcium for signaling.
Keyphrases
  • gene expression
  • induced apoptosis
  • dna methylation
  • transcription factor
  • cell death
  • single cell
  • brain injury
  • cell cycle arrest
  • fluorescent probe
  • loop mediated isothermal amplification
  • blood brain barrier