Abstract:

Our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Ca2+ signaling as well as our appreciation for its ubiquitous role in cellular processes in large part, due to the development of fluorescent Ca2+ indicators. In this review, we discuss some of the most common chemical Ca2+ dyes that are widely used for the investigation of intracellular Ca2+ signaling. Development, advantages, limitations, selection criteria, loading methods of chemical Ca2+ indicators will be reviewed.