Mechanisms that mediate the calcium influx in mammalian horizontal cells were studied. Horizontal cells (HCs) enzymatically dissociated from the rabbit retina were recorded by the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique and by calcium image ratioespectrophotometry of Fura-2 loaded cells. AMPA-preferring glutamate receptors were shown to permeate Ca2+ in mammalian HCs by ionic substitution experiments. Furthermore, after blocking the L-type calcium current with nifedipine (100 μM), calcium current through the AMPA-preferring glutamate receptors was measured. Calcium image ratioespectrophotometry was performed on the dissociated HCs in order to determine the changes in the intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i). Fura-2 microspectrophotometry showed that in HCs, K+-induced cell depolarization promoted an increase in [Ca2+]i, mediated by the L-type calcium channels, since it was abolished in the presence of nifedipine. The increase in [Ca2+]i upon cell depolarization was observed throughout each cell; however, it was maximal at the cell soma. Activation of glutamate receptors in dissociated HCs by glutamate, AMPA or kainate promoted an increase in [Ca2+]i. This increase in [Ca2+]i was abolished in nominally Ca2+-free solution (0 mM Ca2+); in contrast, nifedipine decreased the glutamate-induced influx of calcium in ca. 50%. The present study demonstrates that calcium may permeate through glutamate receptors expressed in HCs of the rabbit retina.

A dual excitation microfluorimeter is described for measuring rapidly changing, intracellular calcium signals. A spinning sector wheel is used in conjunction with a beam masking device to provide rapid, efficient switching between the 2 excitation wavelengths. Exposure intervals as short as 120 μs can be achieved, yielding ratio samples at a rate of 6 kHz. Emission photons are collected using a photomultiplier tube operating in counting mode. When tested using FURA-2 as the calcium reporting dye, throughput noise in the system is demonstrated to be due to the statistical fluctuation inherent in photon counting. An example of the operation of the system, using a guinea pig cardiac myocyte, demonstrates that sufficient ratio data may be acquires to fully characterize the fastest components of the intracellular calcium signal.