Imaging Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uptake in Astrocytes and Neurons Using Genetically Encoded Ca2+ Indicators (GECIs)

Mitochondrial Ca plays a critical role in controlling cytosolic Ca buffering, energy metabolism, and cellular signal transduction. Overloading of mitochondrial Ca contributes to various pathological conditions, including neurodegeneration and apoptotic cell death in neurological diseases. Here we present a cell-type specific and mitochondria targeting molecular approach for mitochondrial Ca imaging in astrocytes and neurons in vitro and in vivo. We constructed DNA plasmids encoding mitochondria-targeting genetically encoded Ca indicators (GECIs) GCaMP5G or GCaMP6s (GCaMP5G/6s) with astrocyte- and neuron-specific promoters gfaABC1D and CaMKII and mitochondria-targeting sequence (mito-). For in vitro mitochondrial Ca imaging, the plasmids were transfected in cultured astrocytes and neurons to express GCaMP5G/6s. For in vivo mitochondrial Ca imaging, adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs) were prepared and injected into the mouse brains to express GCaMP5G/6s in mitochondria in astrocytes and neurons. Our approach provides a useful means to image mitochondrial Ca dynamics in astrocytes and neurons to study the relationship between cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca signaling, as well as astrocyte-neuron interactions.