Generation of calcium waves in living cells by pulsed-laser-induced photodisruption

• DOI: 10.1063/1.1397255
• Publication Date: 2002-07-26T14:18:02Z
• Authors: Nicholas I. Smith; Katsumasa Fujita; Tomoyuki Kaneko; Kentaro Katoh; Osamu Nakamura; Satoshi Kawata; Tetsuro Takamatsu
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences

Here, we present an optical technique that can induce waves of calcium ion concentration in live biological cells. Ca2+ waves were induced by femtosecond pulsed-laser illumination. Living HeLa cells were exposed to focused 140 fs pulses of 780 nm wavelength at 30 mW average power. Ca2+ waves were imaged by fluorescence and were observed to propagate from the laser focal point inside the cell. Photoinduced generation of Ca2+ waves can be performed at any point inside the cell, an improvement over previous mechanical or biochemical stimulation techniques.