Regulation of molecular clock oscillations and phagocytic activity via muscarinic Ca signaling in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Vertebrate eyes are known to contain circadian clocks, however, the intracellular mechanisms regulating the retinal clockwork remain largely unknown. To address this, we generated a cell line (hRPE-YC) from human retinal pigmental epithelium, which stably co-expressed reporters for molecular clock oscillations (Bmal1-luciferase) and intracellular Ca concentrations (YC3.6).

Bimodal modulation of store-operated Ca channels by clozapine in astrocytes.

Clozapine (Clz) and olanzapine (Olz) are second generation (atypical) antipsychotics, used widely for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These drugs share multiple sites of actions, however their mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed the effects of these drugs on primary cultures of rat cortical astrocytes and C6 glioma cells using fura-2-based Ca imaging.