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Visualizing voltage dynamics in zebrafish heart
Author(s) -
Tsutsui Hidekazu,
Higashijima Shinichi,
Miyawaki Atsushi,
Okamura Yasushi
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.189126
Subject(s) - zebrafish , optical mapping , drug discovery , cardiotoxicity , phenotype , biology , medicine , computational biology , neuroscience , bioinformatics , genetics , gene , chemotherapy
The zebrafish heart provides a useful vertebrate cardiovascular model with outstanding advantages, including genetic manipulatability, optical accessibility and rapid development. In addition, an emerging topic in cardiotoxicity assay and drug discovery is its use in phenotype‐based chemical screening. Here, we report a technique that allows non‐invasive voltage mapping in beating heart using a genetically encoded probe for transmembrane potential. Application of the anti‐allergy compound astemizole resulted in aberrant propagation of excitation, which accounted for a lack of ventricular contraction. This optical method will provide new opportunities in broad areas of physiological, developmental and pharmacological cardiovascular research.