Development and application of caged calcium

Abstract

Several caged calciums have been synthesized since 1986, and three are commercially available: DM-nitrophen, NP-EGTA, and nitr-5. Each of these caged compounds has uniquely useful properties, making the choice of which cage to use dependent on the specific experiment (i.e., the cell type and divalent cation requirements of the experiments within purview). Significantly, methods have been developed for all three cages that permit their quantitative use inside many cell types, including those with some of the most demanding of requirements for experiments with caged calcium, namely, in relating presynaptic [Ca] to postsynaptic function. The success of such experiments using DM-nitrophen and NP-EGTA suggests that caged calcium is now a mature tool for cellular physiology and neurobiology.