“…Dyes were excited at 488 nm using Ar ion laser, and fluorescence emission at > 510 nm was detected. Cytosolic Ca 2+ fluorescence signals were recorded in 2-D images using a laser scanning confocal imaging system (A1; Nikon) attached to an inverted microscope (Eclipse Ti; Nikon) fitted with a ×60 oil immersion objective lens (Plan Apo, Numerical Aperture 1.4; Nikon) [ 30 ]. Acquisition and analysis of images were performed using a workstation software (NIS Elements AR, v3.2; Nikon).…”