Measuring Single-Cell Calcium Dynamics Using a Myofilament-Localized Optical Biosensor in hiPSC-CMs Derived from DCM Patients

Synchronized contractions of cardiomyocytes within the heart are tightly coupled to electrical stimulation known as excitation-contraction coupling. Calcium plays a key role in this process and dysregulated calcium handling can significantly impair cardiac function and lead to the development of cardiomyopathies and heart failure. Here, we describe a method and analytical technique to study myofilament-localized calcium signaling using the intensity-based fluorescent biosensor, RGECO-TnT. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a heart muscle disease that negatively impacts the heart's contractile function following dilatation of the left ventricle. We demonstrate how this biosensor can be used to characterize 2D hiPSC-CMs monolayers generated from a healthy control subject compared to two patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. Lastly, we provide a step-by-step guide for single-cell data analysis and describe a custom application, specifically designed to quantify features of calcium transients. All in all, we explain how this analytical approach can be applied to phenotype hiPSC-CM behaviours and stratify patient responses to identify perturbations in calcium signaling.