In this virtual demo, Drs. Adam Veteto and Hanan Qasim show how to successfully acquire force, resting sarcomere length, and calcium data from cardiac slices, including tips and best practices.

Porcine Cardiomyocyte Isolation

Drs. Bradley Palmer, Matthew Caporizzo, and Benjamin Lee share how the IonOptix Cardiac Slice System can be used to complement and improve upon traditional cardiac investigations.

Calcium Indicator Dye Loading in Cardiac Slices

 CytoSolver FAQs: CytoMotion Contractility Module

 CytoSolver FAQ: Edge Detection of 3D Cultures

CytoSolver Desktop and Cloud 3.0 User Manual

Work Loop Configuration

Work Loop Parameters and Units

A video comparing IonOptix contractility algorithms for primary and cultured cardiomyocytes.

A video tutorial describing data fitting of IonOptix calcium and contractility data.

CytoSolver Desktop and Cloud 3.0 User Manual

Calcium and contractility best practices

CytoSolver 3.0 Batch Analysis Guide

Analyzing Ca & Contractility data from stimulated cardiomyocytes

Analyzing iPSC-CM Ca & Contractility data

A video tutorial describing batch analysis of IonOptix calcium and contractility data.

A video tutorial describing DataVis graphical representation of IonOptix calcium and contractility data.

Dr. Bradley Palmer demonstrates the preparation of cardiac tissue slices and measurement of force and calcium.

A video tutorial demonstrating operation of the IonOptix C-Pace EM culture stimulator.

A short video showing a mouse cardiac slice performing work loops at 4 Hz.

An example of a rat cardiac slice undergoing a force-length work loop, which is analogous to the pressure volume work loop of the whole heart.

This short video showug a rat cardiac slice muscle undergoing a work loop generated using force feedback.

A video tutorial demonstrating cardiac slice preparation.

Dr. Joe Soughayer and Dr. Adam Veteto provide an in-depth overview of excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling in cardiomyocytes and the tools to characterize this.

Patrick Schönleitner, PhD and Francisco Altamirano, PhD present their work involving simultaneous measurements of intracellular calcium, membrane voltage, and contractility of cardiomyocytes.

Measuring hiPSC-CM Ca & Contractility

Understand how to acquire and analyze contractility data from iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

From myocyte isolation to data acquisition, analysis, and post-analysis plotting, Dr. Michiel Helmes and Dr. Diederik Kuster demonstrate best practices and new techniques in high-content, higher throughput investigations of excitation-contraction coupling in isolated cardiomyocytes.

Combined OAP, Ca, and Cont measurements in adult cardiomyocytes

A video tutorial demonstrating papillary muscle isolation from a rat heart.

A video tutorial highlighting murine cardiomyocyte isolation protocol and techniques.

A video tutorial highlighting experiment design in IonWizard.

A video tutorial highlighting best practices for data acquisition of calcium and contractility data.

A simple video tutorial highlighting analysis of calcium and contractility data using IonWizard.

A simple video tutorial highlighting analysis of calcium and contractility data using IonWizard.

A simple video tutorial highlighting analysis of calcium and contractility data using IonWizard.

Fang, C. X., Dong, F., Thomas, D. P., Ma, H., He, L., & Ren, J. (2008). American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 295(3)

This document explains how to set up the software to run an experiment.

This document contains a step-by-step guide for the hardware configuration of IonWizard 6 under windows XP.

These documents explains how to upgrade from an existing version to a newer version of IonWizard 6.

The following document provides a full description of the mathematical fit of the data followed by a description of each of the analysis results and their application.

This document contains a step by step guide for the installation of the new IO24 PCI card and Mutech video card used for contractility and diameter measurements.

Applying a Fast Fourier Transform to Sarcomere Length Measurements

The following is a Excel spreadsheet with a macro enabling the interpolation of data exported from IonWizard.

The following document details a procedure for plotting both calcium and contracility

The following document describes the application of the fast Fourier transform to sarcomere length using IonOptix SarcLen.

This tech note describes how to use a standard volt meter to evaluate that the high voltage output of your myopacer is functioning properly.

A brief guide to properly replacing your Xenon bulb with plenty of helpful pictures.

This is a short note on changing the number of wells that the C-Pace or C-Pace EP will stimulate.

This manual illustrates the steps necessary to add High Voltage Boards to a C-Pace.

This manual illustrates the steps necessary to add High Voltage Boards to a C-Pace EP.

This zip file contains a short kiosk-style presentation (self-advancing). It gives a general outline of the components assembled in the IonOptix Myocyte Recording System.

The following document offers a unit conversion example for our FloAcq vessel flow characteristics software acquisition module.

This document contains a step by step guide for the installation of the Mutech video card used for contractility and diameter measurements.

Complete real-time, turnkey system for calcium and contractility recording

Complete real-time, turnkey system for calcium and contractility recording

Record Calcium & Contractility from Intact Cardiomyocytes

In this Q&A video series, experts address your best questions and greatest challenges with regards to cardiomyocyte isolation, purification, culture and analysis.

In order for IonWizard to fit untriggered events, you need to tell the software where the event begins, or, tell the software to look for these events for you. This document explains how to do this.

This document details calibration of an IonOptix system equipped for measuring calcium using Fura-2.

This documents details the procedure for spatially calibrating an IonOptix system using the Sarcomere Tool.

This document shows in steps how to do a standard analysis with IonWizard 5 & 6. We have also added an example data file that you can use to practice the tutorial with.

The endothelial response to flow-induced stress (e.g., the generation and secretion of nitric oxide) is an important modulator of vascular tone and function, linking vasodilation and constriction to …

The largest group of IonOptix users are investigators who study cardiac myocytes and want information about contractility parameters and the associated calcium transients. Our aim is to offer you a complete recording system for these experiments.

Chronic electrical stimulation has been shown to prevent the dedifferentiation of myocytes that occurs in long term culture…

5 years of the C-Pace: a short review Cardiac tissue * Skeletal muscle * Stem cells * Cell-lines * Cardiogenic Fibroblasts * Neuronal fibroblasts * Osteoblasts It has been more than 5 years …

For dual excitation measurements with Fura-2, we offer two methods of collecting data, interleaved sampling and the interpolated numerator (or denominator) method.

Introduction This is a very, very basic introduction into the theory of fluorescence measurements and its practical implications as applied to experiments done using IonOptix equipment. For a thorough …

Many different protocols exist for loading cells with dye, due to diffences between cell types in how they treat Fura. Below a protocol is provided that works well for freshly isolated cardiac …

Overview Fluorescence signal quality is directly proportional to fluorescence light intensity (which is proportional to excitation light intensity, fluorescence yield of the fluorophore, and light …

Engineered skeletal muscle from electrically stimulated myoblast cells Check out this video from researchers at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology.

Check out this video from researchers at the Department of Internal Medicine B, University Medicine Greifswald.

Interest in the physiology and pathology of the circulatory system has led to a substantial increase in the number of laboratories studying isolated and pressurized blood vessels.

Raake, P. W., Vinge, L. E., Gao, E., Boucher, M., Rengo, G., Chen, X., DeGeorge Jr., B.R., Matkovich, S., Houser, S.R., Most, P., Eckhart, A.D., Dornll, G.W., and Koch, W. J. (2008). Circulation Research, 103(4), 413-422

Kroll, K., Chabria, M., Wang, K., Häusermann, F., Schuler, F., & Polonchuk, L. (2017). Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 130, 212-222

New technology now provides investigators the ability to reliably attach myocytes, mechanically stretch them, make direct force measurements and control cell length intelligently. This webinar reviews best-practices and techniques for attaching, stretching, and studying isolated cells.

A special webinar for basic cardiovascular researchers interested in a novel technique for measuring work output and replicating the four phases of the cardiac cycle at the single cell level.

Ronglih Liao and Davor Pavlovic discuss techniques for isolating myocytes using both traditional and Langendorff-free methodologies.

Misior, A. M., Deshpande, D. A., Loza, M. J., Pascual, R. M., Hipp, J. D., & Penn, R. B. (2009). American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 41(1), 24-39

Michiel Helmes, PhD presents new technology and methodology for fast data acquisition and functional analysis of cardiac myocytes, leading to better lab practices and data interpretation.

Orfanos, Z., Gödderz, M. P., Soroka, E., Gödderz, T., Rumyantseva, A., van der Ven, P.F.M, Hawke, T.J., Fürst, D. O. (2016). Scientific Reports, 6(1)

Myocyte contractile activity modulates norepinephrine cytotoxicity and survival effects of neuregulin-1beta. Kuramochi Y1, Lim CC, Guo X, Colucci WS, Liao R, Sawyer DB Abstract: The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that mechanical and electrical activity in adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM) alters responses to proapoptotic and prosurvival ligands. The effects of electrical stimulation on myocyte survival, stress signaling, response to beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR)-stimulated apoptosis, and neuregulin-1beta […]

The transcription factor NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T-cells) is implicated in cardiac hypertrophy and vasculogenesis. NFAT activation, reflecting dephosphorylation by the calcium-dependent phosphatase, calcineurin, and subsequent nuclear localization, is generally thought to require a sustained increase in intracellular calcium. However, in smooth muscle we have found that elevation of calcium by membrane depolarization fails to induce an increase in nuclear localization of the NFATc3 isoform. Here, we demonstrate that […]

Rapid electrical stimulation induces early activation of kinase signal transduction pathways and apoptosis in adult rat ventricular myocytes. Kuramochi Y1, Guo X, Sawyer DB, Lim CC Abstract: Chronic tachycardia in patients and rapid pacing in animal models induce myocardial dysfunction and initiate a cascade of compensatory adaptations that are ultimately unsustainable, leading to ventricular enlargement and failure. The molecular pathogenesis during the early stages of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy, however, remains unclear. […]

Induction of heat shock response protects the heart against atrial fibrillation. Brundel BJ, Shiroshita-Takeshita A, Qi X, Yeh YH, Chartier D, van Gelder IC, Henning RH, Kampinga HH, Nattel S Abstract: There is evidence suggesting that heat shock proteins (HSPs) may protect against clinical atrial fibrillation (AF). We evaluated the effect of HSP induction in an in vitro atrial cell line (HL-1) model of tachycardia remodeling and in tachypaced isolated […]

Myogenic behavior, prevalent in resistance arteries and arterioles, involves arterial constriction in response to intravascular pressure. This process is often studied in vitro by using cannulated, pressurized arterial segments from different regional circulations. We propose a comprehensive model for myogenicity that consists of three interrelated but dissociable phases: 1) the initial development of myogenic tone (MT), 2) myogenic reactivity to subsequent changes in pressure (MR), and 3) forced dilatation at […]

Overexpression of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger alters contractility and SR Ca2+ content in adult rat myocytes. Zhang XQ, Song J, Rothblum LI, Lun M, Wang X, Ding F, Dunn J, Lytton J, McDermott PJ, Cheung JY Abstract: The functional consequences of overexpression of rat heart Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1) were investigated in adult rat myocytes in primary culture. When maintained under continued electrical field stimulation conditions, cultured adult rat myocytes retained normal contractile […]

High-fat Diet-induced Obesity Leads to Resistance to Leptin-induced Cardiomyocyte Contractile Response. Jun Ren, Bang-Hao Zhu, David P. Relling, Lucy B. Esberg, Asli F. Ceylan-Isik Abstract: Levels of the obese gene product leptin are often elevated in obesity and may contribute to obesity-induced cardiovascular complications. However, the role of leptin in obesity-associated cardiac abnormalities has not been clearly defined. This study was designed to determine the influence of high-fat diet-induced obesity […]

The control of Ca2+ influx and NFATc3 signaling in arterial smooth muscle during hypertension. Nieves-Cintrón M, Amberg GC, Navedo MF, Molkentin JD, Santana LF Abstract: Many excitable cells express L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs), which participate in physiological and pathophysiological processes ranging from memory, secretion, and contraction to epilepsy, heart failure, and hypertension. Clusters of LTCCs can operate in a PKCα-dependent, high open probability mode that generates sites of sustained Ca2+ […]

Type 1 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors mediate UTP-induced cation currents, Ca2+ signals, and vasoconstriction in cerebral arteries. Zhao G, Adebiyi A, Blaskova E, Xi Q, Jaggar JH Abstract: Inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) regulate diverse physiological functions, including contraction and proliferation. Three IP3R isoforms exist, but functional significance of these subtypes in arterial smooth muscle cells is unclear. Here, we investigated relative expression and physiological functions of IP3R isoforms in […]

Role of the transcription factor sox4 in insulin secretion and impaired glucose tolerance. Goldsworthy M, Hugill A, Freeman H, Horner E, Shimomura K, Bogani D, Pieles G, Mijat V, Arkell R, Bhattacharya S, Ashcroft FM, Cox RD Abstract: OBJECTIVES— To identify, map, clone, and functionally validate a novel mouse model for impaired glucose tolerance and insulin secretion. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— Haploinsufficiency of the insulin receptor and associated mild insulin […]

Reactive oxygen species mediate RhoA/Rho kinase-induced Ca2+ sensitization in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle following chronic hypoxia. Jernigan NL, Walker BR, Resta TC Abstract: Recent evidence supports a prominent role for Rho kinase (ROK)-mediated pulmonary vasoconstriction in the development and maintenance of chronic hypoxia (CH)-induced pulmonary hypertension. Endothelin (ET)-1 contributes to the pulmonary hypertensive response to CH and recent studies by our laboratory and others indicate that pulmonary vascular reactivity following […]

Novel role of calpain-3 in the triad-associated protein complex regulating calcium release in skeletal muscle. Kramerova I, Kudryashova E, Wu B, Ottenheijm C, Granzier H, Spencer MJ Abstract: Calpain-3 (CAPN3) is a non-lysosomal cysteine protease that is necessary for normal muscle function, as mutations in CAPN3 result in an autosomal recessive form of limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A. To elucidate the biological roles of CAPN3 in skeletal muscle, we […]

Phosphorylation of phospholamban at threonine-17 reduces cardiac adrenergic contractile responsiveness in chronic pressure overload-induced hypertrophy. Mills GD, Kubo H, Harris DM, Berretta RM, Piacentino V 3rd, Houser SR Abstract: Physiological hemodynamic stress, such as aerobic exercise, is intermittent and requires an increase in Ca2+-dependent contractility through sympathetic nervous system activation. Pathological hemodynamic stress, such as hypertension, is persistent and requires sustained increases in cardiac function. Over time, this causes left […]

Overexpression of heat shock protein 27 protects against ischaemia/reperfusion-induced cardiac dysfunction via stabilization of troponin I and T. Lu XY, Chen L, Cai XL, Yang HT Abstract: Aims: Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) renders cardioprotection from ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, but little is known about its role in myofilaments. We proposed that increased expression of Hsp27 may improve post-ischaemic contractile dysfunction by preventing I/R-induced cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and troponin T […]

NOTE: In the ductus arteriosus of fetal mice: (this is one of the first papers to ever use pressurized myography to study the mouse ductus, and is particularly cool for studying premature fetal vessels). Although prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) vasodilates the ductus arteriosus, tocolysis with cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors delays postnatal ductus arteriosus closure. We used fetal mice and sheep to determine whether PGE2 has a role in the development of ductus […]

Hypertension, a major cardiovascular risk factor and cause of mortality worldwide, is thought to arise from primary renal abnormalities. However, the etiology of most cases of hypertension remains unexplained. Vascular tone, an important determinant of blood pressure, is regulated by nitric oxide, which causes vascular relaxation by increasing intracellular cGMP and activating cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKGI). Here we show that mice with a selective mutation in the N-terminal protein […]

Sulfonylurea Receptor-Dependent and -Independent Pathways Mediate Vasodilation Induced by ATP-Sensitive K+ Channel Openers Adebowale Adebiyi, Elizabeth M. McNally and Jonathan H. Jaggar Abstract: ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel openers are vasodilators that activate both plasma membrane and mitochondrial KATP channels. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which diazoxide and pinacidil induce vasodilation by studying diameter regulation of wild-type (SUR2+/+) and sulfonylurea receptor 2 deficient (SUR2-/-) mouse myogenic mesenteric arteries. Ryanodine […]

Muraski JA, Fischer KM, Wu W, Cottage CT, Quijada P, Mason M, Din S, Gude N, Alvarez R Jr, Rota M, Kajstura J, Wang Z, Schaefer E, Chen X, MacDonnel S, Magnuson N, Houser SR, Anversa P, Sussman MA

Moshal, K. S., Tipparaju, S.M., Vacek, T. P., Kumar, M., Singh, M., Frank, I.E., Patibandla, P.K., Tyagi, N., Rai, J., Metreveli, N., Rodriguez, W.E., Tseng, M.T., and Tyagi, S.C. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology,295(2)

Fluck, M., Mund, S. I., Schittny, J. C., Klossner, S., Durieux, A., & Giraud, M. (2008). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,105(36), 13662-13667

Goyal, R., Creel, K. D., Chavis, E., Smith, G. D., Longo, L. D., & Wilson, S. M. (2008). American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 295(5)

Nickola, M. W., Wold, L. E., Colligan, P. B., Wang, G., Samson, W. K., & Ren, J. (2000). Hypertension, 36(4), 501-505

Mou, Y. A., Reboul, C., Andre, L., Lacampagne, A., & Cazorla, O. (2008). Cardiovascular Research, 81(3), 555-564

Brundel, B. J., Henning, R. H., Ke, L., Gelder, I. C., Crijns, H. J., & Kampinga, H. H. (2006). Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 41(3), 555-562

Genovese, J. A., Spadaccio, C., Langer, J., Habe, J., Jackson, J., & Patel, A. N. (2008). Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 370(3), 450-455

Okutsu, S., Hatakeyama, H., Kanazaki, M., Tsubokawa, H., & Nagatomi, R. (2008). The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, 215(2), 181-187

Shenouda, S. K., Lord, K. C., Mcilwain, E., Lucchesi, P. A., & Varner, K. J. (2008). Cardiovascular Research, 79(4), 662-670

Nedachi, T., Fujita, H., & Kanzaki, M. (2008). American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 295(5)

Bell, J. R., Lloyd, D., Curl, C. L., Delbridge, L. M., & Shattock, M. J. (2009). Experimental Physiology, 94(3), 330-343

Burstein, B., Qi, X., Yeh, Y., Calderone, A., & Nattel, S. (2007). Cardiovascular Research, 76(3), 442-452

Dobson, J. G., Shea, L. G., & Fenton, R. A. (2008). American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 295(6)

Knollmann, B. C., Schober, T., Petersen, A. O., Sirenko, S. G., & Franz, M. R. (2007). American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 292(1)

Gokina, N. I., & Osol, G. (2002). American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 282(4)

Fujita, H., Nedachi, T., & Kanzaki, M. (2007). Experimental Cell Research, 313(9), 1853-1865

Vrees, M. D., Pricolo, V. E., Potenti, F. M., & Cao, W. (2002). Archives of Surgery, 137(4)

Ahlers, B. A., Song, J., Wang, J., Zhang, X., Carl, L. L., Tadros, G. M., Rothblum, L.I., and Cheung, J. Y. (2005). Journal of Applied Physiology, 98(6), 2169-2176